Why does that word “stunning” bug me? It’s just a word. I know whatever ire the use of “stunning Cabernet” arouses in me is entirely my problem. For those of us who live in a world of stories, there is exciting research on how words lose power or go stale through overuse. It's quite natural for a new word or descriptor to suddenly appear and rise to the top of the wine lexicon. "Minerality" or "cool climate" are another couple of recurring favorites. "Stunning" is different. It's been around too long and is used in a lazy, fill the wine tech sheet, kind of way. Also, it is a descriptor that is patently untrue 99% of the time it is used. Do we really believe that the people will be genuinely "stunned" when they taste that wine? When was the last time you were stunned (shocked, dumbfounded, startled) by a wine you tasted? "My gosh, that's amazing, how exactly right, I am stunned by this wine!" Kind of like buying an Audi, now that it is on your radar, you’ll start to see “stunning” everywhere in the world of wine. I apologize for that in advance.
Writing and communicating about wine is complicated. There is a common language required for us to describe what something is, and how we believe it tastes. Our product is so subjective that it suffers from what some researchers call "weak facts." You can't say that "This wine has a shorter spin cycle, costs 20% less, uses less electricity, and gets your whites whiter." Stories are essential in wine because that is where we can add emotional value to our critical data. To keep our work and stories compelling, we do have to mix the standard language with new words that are fresh and meaningful. It helps to keep our guests listening.
Regarding taboo words, I remember having the big “don’t use that word” conversation with my son Colbyn when he was about seven years old. I lectured him more than once on how words only have the power that we choose to give them. Luckily, he was smart and seemed to get it, despite my intellectualizing.
Not long after that, his grandfather, a rather stern Highlander, was visiting from Scotland. As we were sitting at dinner having a Scottish gastronomic blowout of sausage and tatties, my son confessed he got in trouble at school that day. We asked him why, and he said it was because he had used a “bad word” that the “Teacher told us never to use at school because it upsets people.” He added after another bite, “It was the F-word.” Potato came flying out of Grandpa Ken’s mouth as he tried to suppress horror, or amusement, I couldn’t quite tell. Son Colbyn was told firmly by his mother that it was quite correct that his teacher reprimanded him, and we would say no more about it. It wasn't a conversation we wanted to get into over dinner with Grandpa in the house. No doubt, it would be seen as a poor reflection on our parenting standards.
A few bites of sausage later, he said, "I feel like saying it again; Dad, I just can't help it." "Don't you dare.” "But I can help it. Fff… Fff…" His behavior about all this was odd and out of character. However, I was so focused on him not saying the “F-word at the dinner table that there wasn't time to delve into why this was unfolding. As his mother and I protested, he said, "I can't stop myself, I can't stop. Fff... Fff…" Our warnings and came to a crescendo as he blurted out, "FAT!" FAT. The “F-word” was fat. The relief was palpable, but we still had to acknowledge that this was a word that we shouldn't use in a lot of situations. Someone at the table from a less politically correct nation was desperately trying to pierce a sausage and hold back tears of laughter. To this day, I don't know if we got played. I suspect we did.
Anyway, back to “stunning.” Many years ago, I presented a Cabernet as "stunning" because it was easy to say, and the word was in a great review of our wine. The guest was a seasoned traveler and buyer visiting Napa Valley. He sighed deeply and told me, "This is the fourth stunning Cabernet I've had today." That was the day I stopped using “stunning.”
VINFABULA – Profit from your story being made more powerful. colin@vinfabula.com