Unreserved Wine Talk 377: What Does It Mean For A Wine To Gain Wisdom As It Ages? with Neal Hulkower
Should wine competitions give judges the option to say that none of the wines in a category deserve a medal? Why have some classic regions become inaccessible while others remain within reach for wine drinkers? What does it mean for a wine to gain wisdom as it ages?
In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Neal Hulkower, a PhD rocket scientist, who has just published his first book, Grape Explications.
You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.
Giveaway
Three of you are going to win a copy of Neal Hulkower's terrific new book, Grape Explications. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at natalie@nataliemaclean.com and let me know that you've posted a review of the podcast. I'll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!
Highlights
What was one biostatistician's objection to the way wine competitions were scored?
Why does Neal fundamentally disagree with the view that some judges' opinions should carry more weight?
What are the Power of None and the Stars and Bars method and how do they change the way judges assess competitors?
Why did Neal apply these ranking methods to historic tastings like the Judgment of Paris, and what did the results reveal?
What did revisiting his tasting notebooks from the 1960s and 1970s reveal about wine prices, aging, and accessibility?
How did Neal set a personal ceiling on wine price, and how does that shape what he considers drinkable?
Why have some classic wines remained attainable while others are now priced out of affordability?
How did opening a carefully chosen older bottle reinforce Neal's belief that wine can gain wisdom as it ages?
About Neal Hulkower
Neal D. Hulkower is an applied mathematician and freelance writer living in McMinnville, Oregon. His first contributions to a wine publication appeared in the early 1970s. Since 2009, he has been writing regularly about wine-related topics for academic, trade, and popular publications including the Journal of Wine Research, the Journal of Wine Economics, American Wine Society Wine Journal, Oregon Wine Press, Practical Winery & Vineyard, Wine Press Northwest, the Slow Wine Guide USA, and The World of Fine Wine and on wine-searcher.com, trinkmag.com, and guildsomm.com. Neal is a member of the American Wine Society, the American Association of Wine Economists, and the Circle of Wine Writers. His first book, Grape Explications, was released in 2025. He can occasionally be found pouring some of Oregon's finest in a tasting room at the top of the Dundee Hills.
To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/377.