He is correct. Most Americans don't understand that the really fine wines taste bad. The unsophisticated Americans buy and drink wines that taste good, without regard to the elements which should be taken into account in judging a fine wine, including the proper balance between a sour and a bitter taste.
Proper balance is not between sour and bitter, but between acidity and sugar. Too much sugar, you get a flabby wine; too little, a sharp, dry wine that pinches in the back of the mouth. Yada, yada.
Bitter is not a desirable trait in a wine. Perhaps you are referring to the tannin levels. Sour has no place in a wine at all.
That being said, I'd rather have a glass of wine with you than that French a-hole quoted in the above article, any day. Cheers.
My faves are still Italian Barolos. The only problem being that you need to wait ten years after purchase for the wine to be drinkable. :-(
(The unsophisticated Americans buy and drink wines that taste good, without regard to the elements which should be taken into account in judging a fine wine, including the proper balance between a sour and a bitter taste.)
You almost killed me!