Some truths are uncomfortable. The Experts Are the Best Sources of Wine Info and Recommendations The tendancy to disparage "wine experts" or "wine elite" grows as the role of social media and peer reviews grow. Yet the fact remains that…
The Wall Street Journal makes a good point. When buying wine online—Buyer Beware! Actually, the WSJ Digital Network made a number of good points in a video featuring Tom Geniesse, owner of New York City’s wine shop Bottle Rocket Wine…
Almost all of my wine tasting education has been practical. That is to say, what I know about evaluating wine and how I evaluate wine has resulted from tasting wine a lot. Beyond that, my inquiries into the practice of…
I love the comments that folks share on this blog. But additionally, I get a good deal of blog-related email. Why some folks choose to send me questions and comments via email, rather than commenting and questioning right on the…
Writer and author James Conaway helped me get my first job in the wine industry. It was his 1990 expose of the Napa wine industry, "Napa", that I wrote a review of and put in my portfolio to show potential…
You just don’t see much of it any more. Drive up and down the roads of America’s wine regions and new vineyards are rarely being planted and trained in a head prunned or "Goblet" fashion. That wasn’t always the case….
For those of you who appreciate the more arcane in the wine blogging world, for lawyers who like wine, for wine industry compliance professionals, for those inclined toward the politics of wine, and for those that just like to dive…
While the faith in science and technology to make our lives better is a constant, it doesn’t always play out that way. However, sometimes science comes through. Consider this story: DRUG DEVELOPED TO MAKE PEOPLE DRINK LESS As reported by…
The craft of wine industry public relations doesn’t strike me as being altogether different than real estate, publishing, high tech, or any other industry PR effort. There is a different body of information that a Wine PR pro must master…
What is the meaning of the "Natural Wine" movement? Why is here with us and why now? How has it slipped up? What kind of opposition does it face? How much support does it have? These are the questions I’ve…
When it comes to wine appreciation, so little, perhaps nothing, is set in stone. This is true for the simple reason that no two brains are alike. The brain, that focal point for interpreting and translating what flows over our…
I love Pinot Noir events primarily because I love Pinot Noir. There is something about the Pinot producer too that sets them apart from other winemakers. There is an arrogance I like. Maybe it comes from them working with one…
One of the defining aspects of on-line wine content today is that it has become increasingly difficult to track what is available on the Internet, whether you are a consumer or a member of the trade. This is as much…
In 1991 "60 Minutes" reported on the "French Paradox", a study that showed that the French, who eat a diet higher in saturated fats, nonetheless had fewer instances of coronary heart disease. The high intake of wine was identified as…
"How do you possibly post to you blog so frequently and where do you get your ideas on what to write about?" The query was submitted by a newish wine blogger who called me and wanted to get some advice….
“We are marrying the authority of print to the authenticity of experience.” This is how Diane Malloy, the new publisher of the venerable Ladies Home Journal, explained to the New York Times that publication’s transformation to a magazine that will…
Stop The Presses!!! Pull Back The Wagons!! Scientists report that drinking alcohol produces feelings of pleasure! Actually, the headline in the Sidney Morning Herald reporting on newly released findings of a study was: "Science Proves Alcohol is Fun". This headline…
