Archive for the ‘Culture and Wine’ Category

Apr 13, 2006

The Wine Czar

"Today in Washington Secretary of Wine Donald Rumsfeld again denied reports that any abuse or torture of foreign wines had occurred in the National Cellar. The Wine Secretary called reports that French bottlings were exposed to extremes of cold and heat patently absurd’. The allegation of abuse of foreign wines has dogged the Secretary since a collection of horrifying pictures were published in "The Wine Spectator" showing a bottle of Chateau Petrus along side a bottle of Domaine de la…

Apr 12, 2006

Pigs & Wine: Bring It On!!

Pig. Pork. Bacon. Hocks. It really doesn’t matter what it is as long as it comes from the Pig. Tenderloin, Pancetta, proscuitto, chops, sausage…the name is usually irrelevant. If it is produced from the pig I’m gonna like it. But within the Universe of Pork, there is one cut that is the King of Pig: Ham. With Easter around the corner I can look forward to our family’s annual baking of the nice and pink, bone-in, semi-cooked country ham. From…

Apr 12, 2006

Wine Blogging Relationships

FERMENTATION has been up and running now for nearly a year and a half. One of the great joys of blogging has been the chance to meet other wine blogging folk who I"d probably never have had much of any contact with. This week is twofer…I get to meet face to face Mike Duffy of the Winery Website Report as well as Taj from Cork & Demon. There are still those in the wine business and wine media who I’ve…

Apr 10, 2006

Wine As Weapon

You rarely see wine used as a blunt instrument.   The stuff is just too satisfying to relegate to the status of expendable weapon. Yet, this is what is apparently happening in Russia where that country is using wine as a weapon in a political disagreement with the former Soviet States of Moldavia and Georgia. Beginning on May 1, Russia will ban importation of all Moldavian and Georgian wine. These two country each send over 80% of their wine production to…

Apr 10, 2006

Wine Nimbyism

Just once, I’d like to hear an honest to goodness principled argument by those who would advocate wine consumers be limited in their access to fine wines. Just once. What would a principled argument for limiting consumer access to fine wine look like? 1. It should be consistentThe argument should be able to make sense no matter where it can be made and no matter who would be making it. 2. It should avoid the taint of NIMBYISMToo often arguments…