Bad Reviews

(I do not own the rights to this picture)

I really hate to write bad reviews. Basically for two reasons. First, I hate to be that wrong about a wine I've picked out even if it is a bottle of 4.99 "supermarket blowout" sale wine. I just don't want to come off like I've been had by a winery producing something closer to grape juice than to wine. Second, I don't think I am qualified enough to write a lot of bad reviews, which is why I only write them when the wine is REALLY bad (Lucky Duck Cabernet Sauvignon was one such wine). I think that most wine probably has merit, especially since there are so many wines out there with so many different tastes. Plus wine reviewing at my level is completely subjective, and to a certain extent I think wine reviewing even by a world renowned sommelier is fairly subjective. We are all human, our tastes are based totally on bias. I like wines that show vanilla on the nose, and that give my tongue the feeling of being coated in olive oil and have the slight aftertaste of butter. That's probably really rare and very particular, but the few wines that I've found that have these characteristics, I've ended up loving. That is a bias and I will base all my reviews on the fact that I am looking for a wine that has these characteristics.
So as far as posting a bad review goes, I will attempt to do that rarely. I think most wines have something to offer, especially when the consumer is as uneducated in wine as I am. I should view them as learning experiences, and in five years after I've gained more knowledge I might end up liking something I didn't like right now. So unless it really sucks, it's not getting a bad review. I might say I don't like it or it's not for me, but I will probably still admit that it's a decent wine for the money, or suggest it to someone that likes something a little different than I do. I just don't have the heart to "kill" the wines I drink...Unless it's Lucky Duck. Then I might as well break out my shotgun and use the bottle for target practice, I'd get more out of it that way than if I drank it.