Is that which is complete inherently better than what is incomplete? By definition, the complete thing has and does it all; the incomplete, something less. What’s complete is fully fleshed out, in possession of all its parts, totally fulfilling. The incomplete leaves something undone. Like an abandoned novel or short circuit, it doesn’t quite get there. The complete is attractive; its opposite . . . well . . . the opposite.
In general, I concede all this. But bear with me, reader, while I briefly speak in praise of incomplete wine.
To be clear, by incomplete I mean neither faulty, nor corrupted, nor incompetently-made, nor cork-tainted, nor exhausted by age. To my mind an incomplete wine is simply a proper wine that does not (and does not try to) tick every single box on the evaluation sheet, whether on paper or just in your head. A wine may be incomplete because it lacks a bit of body or fruit, or because the acidity is a little jumpy. Its tannins may be a touch raspy, or strike you as conspicuous by their absence.
In the glossy magazines that are the Holy Writ of today’s wine business, each of these qualities would require the deduction of a point or two from the fetishized 100 point score. The longterm results of such practice have been wine congested with fruit, tannin and alcohol and a failure to appreciate — not to mention respect — the sheer variety of shapes and styles real wine can take when not deformed by the unthinking pursuit of completeness.
Why am I besotted with incomplete wines? I prefer them at the table where their “shortcomings” leave room for what’s on the plate – and vice versa. While complete wines satiate upon contact, incomplete wines are teases, experts at seduction and legerdemain. They keep you coming back, begging for just a little more, wondering if you will find it.
Incomplete wines are provocative, encouraging you to taste with keen attention. What they lack in classic form they compensate for with charm and wit. They are not obvious. They eschew kitsch. They present unimpeded vistas of variety and possibility. Their wrinkles, crannies and corners are great fun to explore. On the stage or screen, the incomplete wine would be a character actor, rather than a star.
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The French phrase jolie laide seems to come closest to distilling what is for me the enduring appeal of the incomplete wine. Rough translation: A trifle homely, but all the prettier for it.
This Week in the Wine Corner . . .
THURSDAY OCTOBER 11, 3-6 PM – SEDUCTION
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- 2014 La Zorra “Teso” Sierra de Salamanca Blanco, $20.95
- 2016 Domaine Réveille “Court Circuit” Vin de France, $19.95
- 2013 Terraviva, “Luì” Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, $23.95
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FRIDAY OCTOBER 12, 3-6 PM – LEGERDEMAIN
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- 2017 Slavcek Vipavska Dolina Sivi Pinot, $16.95
- 2017 Marco Sara Friuli-Venezia Giulia Friulano, $25.95
- Fabien Jouves “Les Escures” Vin de Table Malbec, $24.95
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