The Recommender

I am not a wine critic … I am a recommender …

I recommend the producers and wines that deserve to climb the golden ladder of fame and recommendation… nothing more and nothing less.

The role of the critic is a road filled with dangers, and it should be taken very seriously indeed, as the wine grower’s name, reputation and financial situation could be influenced.

This is why I have decided to focus on the wines that I recommend, as the rest should be of less, little or no interest to you. So, I don’t name the blamed!

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“There’s a man goin’ ’round takin’ names
And he decides who to free and who to blame
Everybody won’t be treated all the same
There’ll be a golden ladder reachin’ down
When the man comes around”

_{Johnny Cash}

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To recommend is mainly and almost only a positive thing … I take this very seriously. I know the importance of the word and often feel the doubt standing in the shadows of my own ignorance …

However, tasting wine is not an exact science … they can change, sometimes overnight, so please keep this in mind. And as a consumer, remember… It is only wine, after all ! Wine should be fun and enjoyable.

I don’t want to hand out bad reviews of producers or wines, unless I am forced to do so … FORCED by unforeseen circumstances. Please note that there is no ladder down to the darkness of the forgotten …

This year, I had one full visit where no wines tasted were recommended. Neither the producer or any of the poor wines will be mentioned on Winehog … I don’t name the blamed!

I recommend only and mainly.

As a consequence

I recommend based on my palate, taste and knowledge gained from life experience. A completely subjective view … it is I who recommends … not smeared by a MW badge or a rating system.

Yes, I am biased … this is to say that what I write is not the eternal truth …. it’s simply my view. To claim impartialness or unbiasedness is, in my view, a big joke … as the complexity of the human mind is far greater than one could fathom.

I decide what I taste and write about … If I don’t like the wine, the concept or even the philosophy of the producer, I might just skip it. In the end, all good producers will be visited … if they want the man to come around.

The recommender recommends wines, and not all wines from a producer are equally good. Some wines will not be mentioned as they don’t have my full recommendation.

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I … Steen Ohman … am a recommender and not a wine critic. I recommend names and wines that I like, and that have the qualities of which I feel a good and fine wine should possess.