The Limits of Expertise: Better Wine Writing Means, First of All, Better Writing
Pamela Heiligenthal over at Enobytes contemplates wine writer certification.
Interestingly enough, wine writer experience and credentials are trending differently than they were twenty years ago. What I have found is that most of the traditional wine writers gained employment at newspapers and magazines with a journalism degree in their pocket…Today’s wine writers are different animals. They may not be well known, nor hold positions at newspapers or magazines. Most of them don’t have degrees in journalism but many enter the field with wine certification, which, in my opinion, is a welcomed addition.
It’s also one reason why so much wine writing is abysmal.
Lord knows its unfashionable to stand-up for journalists, but while Enobytes attributes the factual inaccuracy of ordinary wine writing to a lack of knowledge about wine, that inaccuracy is every bit as much the result of a lack of journalistic training. A journalist, given the time and resources to do his or her job, can write intelligently about anything. (And, given the journalist’s propensity for drink, wine is a likely target.) Conducting interviews, checking facts, following-up: it’s J School 101 and something a lot of wine writers can’t be bothered with. There is also the matter of actual training in writing, which is a skill that is not automatically conferred with a Master of Wine. A thorough understanding of research and writing (along with enormous talent) is why a great journalist like John McPhee can write brilliantly about geology, basketball, the Swiss Army, canoeing, and anything else that catches his interest.
I, personally, think wine writing would be better if the balance between journalism and expertise tilted a bit more toward journalism. I’m more interested in a well crafted piece that draws on multiple sources than I am in the fruits of a single person’s understanding. (The exception is that rare expert who also has a unique voice and interesting perspective. ) I could do with better writing and less pedantry. I, personally, think if you’re going to certify wine writers the certification ought to cover more than just wine; it ought to include writing, too.
January 13th, 2011 at 6:58 PM
Amen, Tom. I find that most wine “writing” on the internet done by the WSET set (in particular) is incredibly tedious dreck. I think this impetus for wine writer “certification” completely misses the point. If you can’t write well, I don’t give a fig how many letters you have after your name.
My right-hand man at the winery happens to have his CS, but that’s not why he gets paid the (ahem) big bucks. It is his amazing ability to engage people in the tasting room, draw them out, and draw them into our story that I value. His extra level of knowledge helps him to place our story in a richer context, nothing more.
Good writing attains the same sort of connection with the reader, whether the writing skill is developed through journalistic training, or through treating writing as a craft, or through the rare innate talent. Oh, and lots of practice. And editorial criticism.
January 13th, 2011 at 7:12 PM
Thanks John. And just FYI, I have a WSET certification. So: tedious dreck, you say?
January 13th, 2011 at 8:10 PM
Tom – I said “most”
Doesn’t the exception prove the rule? Were you a journalist who got a WSET? Or a WSET who became a journalist? Still, I am engaged and entertained by your writing to the point that “Juice” is one of the few blogs in my Google Reader.
January 14th, 2011 at 8:48 AM
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tom, for such a rational analysis of this foolishness. I did a take this morning (http://tinyurl.com/48h5bqp) but yours is much more reasoned. I was just ticked off, no doubt because I’m one of the ink-stained wretches she seems to be annoyed with.
January 14th, 2011 at 9:47 AM
May I add my quiet but enthusiastic THANK YOU, TOM.
Plus, anyone who appreciates John McPhee’s work can’t be all bad.
Signed,
one more ink-stained wretch with the added misfortune of having been in the wine business too long.
January 14th, 2011 at 10:12 AM
For the record, I studied fiction writing (and television production) in college, started my career at newspapers, went on to magazines, then television program development, then documentary production, then business communications, then business planning, and now I’m circling back around to writing again. I got my WSET Level 3 as part of my return to writing, since I wanted to write about wine. The structured component of formal learning is helpful, I think, relative to just picking things up as we go along.
Also, while industry experience is valuable, I think people in the business who write about wine have an inherent conflict of interest. I enjoy a lot of their writing — Alfonso Cevola is a great example — but approach their reviews with a grain of salt.
January 14th, 2011 at 11:43 AM
Tom,
That’s why I don’t write reviews. I write stories about wine, including its history, and the wine industry.
Of course, my winery and my wine retail shop are behind me, but still…