This story is part of the Star’s trust initiative, where, every week, we take readers behind the scenes of our journalism. This week, we look at how the Star’s wine critic, Carolyn Evans Hammond, approaches her role in an era when online reviews are plentiful.
For more than a decade, Carolyn Evans Hammond has been tasting, critiquing and writing about wine with the goal of helping readers find that perfect bottle for any occasion.
She is the author of two books, 1000 Best Wine Secrets and Good Better Best Wines. The latter book, which is being revised for republication in 2018, ranks the bestselling wines in the U.S. (popular big brands that are also available in Ontario) by grape variety and price up to $15 US.
In October 2015, she began writing her own column in the Star following several years of freelancing to various international publications.
In an era where online reviews for almost every product, including wine, are plentiful, why should readers trust Hammond’s judgment? We sat down with her to find out what she brings to the wine criticism scene.
First, how did you get into wine tasting and critiquing?
I took a bit of an unconventional path. Though I was a journalist after university, my career in wine began in London, England, in 2002. That’s when I joined a boutique wine PR firm. London is the hub of the fine wine world so was a great learning ground. By day, I would organize tastings, lunch with top wine critics, and conduct press trips. By night, I would study wine. I earned my Intermediate, Advanced and Diploma certifications from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust.
This constant immersion in the world of wine fired me up and gave me a deep, broad understanding of the beverage — as well as the business of it — from an international perspective.
In 2004, I quit wine PR to become a wine writer, contributing to many publications including Decanter, Wine Spectator, and Wine & Spirit International. And I moved to º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøthat same year.
What is your process for choosing the wines you review?
I taste wine at home, at trade tastings, and in meetings with winemakers visiting º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøto talk about their wines. I also travel as much as I can in order to visit wine regions because I’m filming a new television show about wine. These tastings inform my columns and help me scout out amazing wines.
I only recommend wines that are bottles that offer stellar value for money. Then, I award the wines a score out of 100, and provide a lengthy tasting note to qualify that number. I think taking the time to carefully explain a wine’s character is just as important, if not more important, than its score.
What are you looking for when you taste a wine?
When I taste wine, I first taste quite technically — are there any flaws, imperfections? Are the structural components such as alcohol, acidity and tannins in balance with each other? Balance is very important. And are the hallmarks of quality — fruit concentration, complexity and length — showing sufficiently well to make the wine a good example of its type and price? In short, I’m looking for a shining example of a wine style that offers terrific value for money.
Once I’ve found that, I try to translate my understanding of the wine into a tasting note everyone can appreciate; one that conveys the wine’s charms and communicates how pouring it could enhance a lifestyle.
You place a lot of emphasis on value-for-money. Why do you approach your reviews from this angle?
I’m a big believer that drinking well doesn’t have to be pricey or pretentious; it just takes a little know-how and maybe a corkscrew. Sure, there’s a time to drop serious coin on a crazy special bottle, but that’s not every day. So most of my recommendations don’t cost a fortune.
And today’s fiercely competitive, global wine world keeps pushing quality up and weeding out mediocrity. So you really don’t need to spend a fortune to get a delicious drop of wine.
I’m here to guide wine drinkers toward their next great pour.
Unlike a lot of other wine reviewers, you tend to compare and score wines in similar price ranges, as opposed to using absolute scores. What is the logic behind this?
The short answer is, price matters. For example, a $10 Californian Cabernet isn’t the same thing as a $100 one, so they shouldn’t be judged by same yardstick. The same thing holds true for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and all the rest. Comparing apples to apples is the fairest approach, which my scoring reflects. Otherwise, it’s too easy to overlook inexpensive wines entirely, which is ridiculously unfair and a huge disservice to wine drinkers.
Prices of wine in Ontario are already quite high relative to many other places, and marketing puts pressure on consumers to trade-up. So wine drinkers need a trusted critic to scout out the best value bottles on shelves.
You came under criticism this past September for a column in which you suggested pairing wines with films dealing with serious subject matter, such as 12 Years a Slave and Still Alice, that had shown at the º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøInternational Film Festival in the past. What were you thinking?
In September, I paired wines with five former TIFF films — including 12 Years a Slave and Still Alice. My intent was to honour TIFF’s ethos of inclusivity and staunch refusal to shy away from tough social issues; I think these are important movies to watch. I was in no way trying to diminish or soften the very serious, complex and challenging issues so well addressed in these films. That was certainly not my intent. And I sincerely apologize for any offence or hurt my words may have caused.
Email your questions to trust@thestar.ca.
