Some wine consultants are world famous mega stars. Most work quietly behind the scenes and you rarely hear their name.
Has the advent of oenologist wine consultant led to a stream-lining and more and more wines that just taste “the same”. No, definitely not! Has it led to that we have more and more good wines and fewer poor wines. Definitely yes!
But what does an oenologist wine consultant do?
In truth, he has many different roles. First of all it is a technical role, he (or sometimes she) brings scientific competence in the areas of chemistry, micro-biology, and process technology to the winery. Another important element is perspective. A consultant works with many different properties and have a much broader range of tasting and wine making experiences than what most independent producers can have. And perhaps equally important, an outsider’s view, a bit like a coach in a corporate environemnt.
Britt met with one of the Bordeaux-based oenologist consultants, Stéphane Courrèges, tasted his wines and discussed with him what he actually does.
Read more on this in Britt’s article on Forbes: Behind The Scenes With A Bordeaux Wine Consultant, Stéphane Courrèges.
Here is the introduction:
Is the consultant oenologist the most important person in the Bordeaux wine cellars? Maybe, maybe not, but few Bordeaux chateaux nowadays make their wines without one. One of these consultants is Stéphane Courrèges whom we met recently when he was in Paris for the day. Sometimes they are simply called “wine consultants” or even “flying winemakers”.
Why do the chateaux need a consultant oenologist? There are several reasons, one obviously being the added knowledge an oenologist bring to the wine making process. (An oenologist is a university-educated specialist in wine, micro-biology, chemistry, plant science.) But another important reason, says Stéphane, is that a consultant gives an outsider’s opinion. He or she is someone who can tell you not only if your wine is good but also if the consumer will like it.
Read all of Britt’s article on BKWine on Forbes.
