Little did we know when recording a piece for a minute, editing down to 30 seconds and posting some opinionated content as a little something that has been on our minds lately the amount of controversy this quick little video would cause... never expected an article here either to be honest.
Heck, I (Chris) even got called a "Stuffy Turd Sock, ruining the natural wine game for thousands" by someone in the US and had two industry people desperate to comb through our website searching for when we have used the word funky in order to take a public dump on us, (of course we have used the term! Also to note: Our video was on our Berlin shop and the word Banned is not for customers, but us as staff) . It's for sure a case in point how much the word means to some, whilst nothing to others.
Some of the comments on the post have gotten us thinking too, especially one which states when someone coming into a wineshop and asking for a wine that is NOT funky, is very helpful to identify the sort of customer and winestyle, which we fully agree with. Likewise, there is rather a large proportion of comments that suggest we are unprofessional with guests... "Can you imagine being excited to buy some fun wine for yourself or some friends and the staff greets you with 'you are not doing a good job at telling me what you want. You need to communicate better to me or else it’s on you for not being happy with your purchase'. To think any wine professional who does not like the term funky would ever treat someone like that is a bit wild, and quite sad.
We personally find these sorts of comments prove the point of the quick video is missed, as we would never talk or react to a customer this way. Literally 10 minutes ago, I served someone at the request of wanting a SUPER funky wine. I narrowed down if they like acidity and when they said they prefer more earthy, animal elements I knew they meant Brett. I did not have one to hand, but gave them an earthy, rustic north Italian with a distinct horse saddle waft. So, of course, we suggest wines we think a customer will like based on what they want. My personal word back is "kooky", but this too - has no meaning! It's to reflect a wine that is unlike other wines. The point is... the word Funky needs more prodding to get out what a customer likes. Was this captured in this quick video? No. Regrettable? Well hindsight is a bitch, but so is social media sometimes.
Whilst author Simon, who we very much admire, has his own definition of funk, that seems solid and justified in his reasoning, it is not the angle most people less experienced in wine might know about. And this of course justifies his point, that yes, how can a customer be expected to come in even knowing what volatile acidity or Brett is? 100% AGREE! They cannot, and here, a descriptor like funky fits the bill. Correct and a very valid point this video does not capture.
However, what surprises us most is how one tired man's opinion on the word can cause such divide. Is it a word sacred to natural wine? As someone comments, it's known for cheese and also beer too. Perhaps because we have ALL used the term (including us yes!) it's somewhat offensive to suggest that one person might now, having evolved on their own wine journey, have an opinion to the term that differs to when they first started drinking wine and was also excited by "funky wines".
Hi Chris, well it hit a nerve and got people thinking, so that's a good thing. I am grateful for your post because it made me confront what I think about this term. My way of thinking in public is to write, and as you can see, my conclusion is that I think the term is useful. So we might not be in 100% agreement but your point is important that it's your staff you want to be more precise, not your customers.
My guess is the idiots who can't stop themselves making aggressive comments just saw the word "ban" and went crazy. They obviously don't deserve your time and attention, but I guess saying that you've banned something is a strong statement nonetheless.
Great piece, as per usual. This is certainly a relevant topic for me. Before I started working in the wine industry, I would’ve answered the question “what kinds of wine do you like best?” with an earnest “the funky ones”. Now that I work for a large wine retailer in NYC, I have a bit more of that wine lexicon to better express my palate preferences, but it’s usually not very helpful when dealing with the majority of my customers.
For a while, I let myself tread the line of asking clarifying questions regarding their definition of funk (“oh, like do you want something with a strong acetone note?”, “we have a lovely wine that smells like a horses’ stable, is that the direction you’re interested in?”) , which most of the time ended up putting the customer off, likely because they haven’t taken the time out of enjoying their glass of funky wine to ask what’s so funky and appealing about it - which I wouldn’t blame anyone for not doing!
I’ve since gravitated towards mentally registering wines that have strong funk-adjacent characteristics, like some VA or brett - these are some of my personal faves, after all - and suggesting one or two of those right off the bat as wines I’ve enjoyed lately as a funk lover. I’ve also tried out less universal terms like “dusty” or “olive briney” with some success. Folks seem to respond better to this style of communication.
BTW I do get customers like the one you’ve invented who ask for a soupçon of brett - they’re always less fun to talk to!
I wondered, and let me know what you think here, whether this word is some sort of tribal identifier: People want it to say they are or aren't part of a particular group. I saw Chris's great comment here, not having known the reactions he got, and it really cemented that idea. I guess it's a bit like the words "woke" or "hipster" have become, to use more extreme and widespread examples.
If you love natural wine in a way you associate with your personal identity, you may want the word to indicate you're a type of person with a particular taste, outlook on life and even that you're part of the group you consider to be cool.
If you hate natural wine, you may want the word to point a finger at those idiots over there who know nothing about wine and can't tell piss from the elixir of the gods.
This is all in addition to the stuff you and Chris have mentioned. Just thinking it might explain why it's harder with this word than with others to have a nuanced discussion.
I think you are spot on here. Using a word like 'funky' (as a positive, especially) identifies you as part of tribe natty. And we are all tribal deep down in our roots, so of course this is important.
I’m (yet again ;- ) in agreement with you on this, Simon.
As you know, I wrote a column two years back on the subject of funk, so to complement (and compliment) your beautifully-scored points on the subject, I’ll take the arrogant liberty of quoting myself:
In his 1973 Book of Wines & Spirits, Robert Lawrence Balzer's commends “the funky delights to be found in such taste exploration [as] roam[s] the perimeters of the wine field.” What a wonderful admonition, ahead of its time! Perusal of the literature suggests that “funky” – whether with positive or negative valence – only entered vinous parlance seriously in the 1990s, decades after having establishing itself as [approbative!] musical descriptor. But it was ready-made for the emergence of “natural” wine, whether for use by advocates or detractors.
It’s understandable that “funky” or “feral” might seem at odds with the restraint and refinement that many oenophiles wish to predicate of fine wine. But further reflection should yield a reminder of how often wines display a tension between savagery and sophistication that reflects the inherent poles of viticulture: force of nature and artisanship of man. Moreover, it’s evident that professed fine wine growing has taken a 21st century turn toward the wild, contingent side, with spontaneous ferments, longer lees contact, lower levels of SO2 and less filtration among undeniable [and undeniably positive!] overall trends.
So true and it always blows my mind how far back we can trace the use of this word (even in wine).
My feeling is that we had other words in the wine world before the arrival of "funky". I distinctly remember a lot of UK wine trade people talking about their preference for wines "with a little dirt" in the 1990s.
I wanted to get into the whole wabi-sabi thing too, but hey, sometimes it's good to stay concise.
A Google Ngram reveals that "funky" only got serious traction once James Brown emerged as a star in the late 1960s. (One can't isolate "funk" for our purposes because it has that other completely different meaning, as in being in a funk over something.) And Balzer's is the earliest conjunction of "funk" and "wine" that I can find.
Little did we know when recording a piece for a minute, editing down to 30 seconds and posting some opinionated content as a little something that has been on our minds lately the amount of controversy this quick little video would cause... never expected an article here either to be honest.
Heck, I (Chris) even got called a "Stuffy Turd Sock, ruining the natural wine game for thousands" by someone in the US and had two industry people desperate to comb through our website searching for when we have used the word funky in order to take a public dump on us, (of course we have used the term! Also to note: Our video was on our Berlin shop and the word Banned is not for customers, but us as staff) . It's for sure a case in point how much the word means to some, whilst nothing to others.
Some of the comments on the post have gotten us thinking too, especially one which states when someone coming into a wineshop and asking for a wine that is NOT funky, is very helpful to identify the sort of customer and winestyle, which we fully agree with. Likewise, there is rather a large proportion of comments that suggest we are unprofessional with guests... "Can you imagine being excited to buy some fun wine for yourself or some friends and the staff greets you with 'you are not doing a good job at telling me what you want. You need to communicate better to me or else it’s on you for not being happy with your purchase'. To think any wine professional who does not like the term funky would ever treat someone like that is a bit wild, and quite sad.
We personally find these sorts of comments prove the point of the quick video is missed, as we would never talk or react to a customer this way. Literally 10 minutes ago, I served someone at the request of wanting a SUPER funky wine. I narrowed down if they like acidity and when they said they prefer more earthy, animal elements I knew they meant Brett. I did not have one to hand, but gave them an earthy, rustic north Italian with a distinct horse saddle waft. So, of course, we suggest wines we think a customer will like based on what they want. My personal word back is "kooky", but this too - has no meaning! It's to reflect a wine that is unlike other wines. The point is... the word Funky needs more prodding to get out what a customer likes. Was this captured in this quick video? No. Regrettable? Well hindsight is a bitch, but so is social media sometimes.
Whilst author Simon, who we very much admire, has his own definition of funk, that seems solid and justified in his reasoning, it is not the angle most people less experienced in wine might know about. And this of course justifies his point, that yes, how can a customer be expected to come in even knowing what volatile acidity or Brett is? 100% AGREE! They cannot, and here, a descriptor like funky fits the bill. Correct and a very valid point this video does not capture.
However, what surprises us most is how one tired man's opinion on the word can cause such divide. Is it a word sacred to natural wine? As someone comments, it's known for cheese and also beer too. Perhaps because we have ALL used the term (including us yes!) it's somewhat offensive to suggest that one person might now, having evolved on their own wine journey, have an opinion to the term that differs to when they first started drinking wine and was also excited by "funky wines".
Might pop a kooky wine tonight actually... ;)
Hi Chris, well it hit a nerve and got people thinking, so that's a good thing. I am grateful for your post because it made me confront what I think about this term. My way of thinking in public is to write, and as you can see, my conclusion is that I think the term is useful. So we might not be in 100% agreement but your point is important that it's your staff you want to be more precise, not your customers.
My guess is the idiots who can't stop themselves making aggressive comments just saw the word "ban" and went crazy. They obviously don't deserve your time and attention, but I guess saying that you've banned something is a strong statement nonetheless.
Hope you enjoy your f**ky wine Chris!
Great piece, as per usual. This is certainly a relevant topic for me. Before I started working in the wine industry, I would’ve answered the question “what kinds of wine do you like best?” with an earnest “the funky ones”. Now that I work for a large wine retailer in NYC, I have a bit more of that wine lexicon to better express my palate preferences, but it’s usually not very helpful when dealing with the majority of my customers.
For a while, I let myself tread the line of asking clarifying questions regarding their definition of funk (“oh, like do you want something with a strong acetone note?”, “we have a lovely wine that smells like a horses’ stable, is that the direction you’re interested in?”) , which most of the time ended up putting the customer off, likely because they haven’t taken the time out of enjoying their glass of funky wine to ask what’s so funky and appealing about it - which I wouldn’t blame anyone for not doing!
I’ve since gravitated towards mentally registering wines that have strong funk-adjacent characteristics, like some VA or brett - these are some of my personal faves, after all - and suggesting one or two of those right off the bat as wines I’ve enjoyed lately as a funk lover. I’ve also tried out less universal terms like “dusty” or “olive briney” with some success. Folks seem to respond better to this style of communication.
BTW I do get customers like the one you’ve invented who ask for a soupçon of brett - they’re always less fun to talk to!
I wondered, and let me know what you think here, whether this word is some sort of tribal identifier: People want it to say they are or aren't part of a particular group. I saw Chris's great comment here, not having known the reactions he got, and it really cemented that idea. I guess it's a bit like the words "woke" or "hipster" have become, to use more extreme and widespread examples.
If you love natural wine in a way you associate with your personal identity, you may want the word to indicate you're a type of person with a particular taste, outlook on life and even that you're part of the group you consider to be cool.
If you hate natural wine, you may want the word to point a finger at those idiots over there who know nothing about wine and can't tell piss from the elixir of the gods.
This is all in addition to the stuff you and Chris have mentioned. Just thinking it might explain why it's harder with this word than with others to have a nuanced discussion.
I think you are spot on here. Using a word like 'funky' (as a positive, especially) identifies you as part of tribe natty. And we are all tribal deep down in our roots, so of course this is important.
I’m (yet again ;- ) in agreement with you on this, Simon.
As you know, I wrote a column two years back on the subject of funk, so to complement (and compliment) your beautifully-scored points on the subject, I’ll take the arrogant liberty of quoting myself:
In his 1973 Book of Wines & Spirits, Robert Lawrence Balzer's commends “the funky delights to be found in such taste exploration [as] roam[s] the perimeters of the wine field.” What a wonderful admonition, ahead of its time! Perusal of the literature suggests that “funky” – whether with positive or negative valence – only entered vinous parlance seriously in the 1990s, decades after having establishing itself as [approbative!] musical descriptor. But it was ready-made for the emergence of “natural” wine, whether for use by advocates or detractors.
It’s understandable that “funky” or “feral” might seem at odds with the restraint and refinement that many oenophiles wish to predicate of fine wine. But further reflection should yield a reminder of how often wines display a tension between savagery and sophistication that reflects the inherent poles of viticulture: force of nature and artisanship of man. Moreover, it’s evident that professed fine wine growing has taken a 21st century turn toward the wild, contingent side, with spontaneous ferments, longer lees contact, lower levels of SO2 and less filtration among undeniable [and undeniably positive!] overall trends.
So true and it always blows my mind how far back we can trace the use of this word (even in wine).
My feeling is that we had other words in the wine world before the arrival of "funky". I distinctly remember a lot of UK wine trade people talking about their preference for wines "with a little dirt" in the 1990s.
I wanted to get into the whole wabi-sabi thing too, but hey, sometimes it's good to stay concise.
A Google Ngram reveals that "funky" only got serious traction once James Brown emerged as a star in the late 1960s. (One can't isolate "funk" for our purposes because it has that other completely different meaning, as in being in a funk over something.) And Balzer's is the earliest conjunction of "funk" and "wine" that I can find.