Neal Martin at The Wine Journal coaxed a fascinating quote out of Michael Broadbent in what is really a fabulous interview: "What I cannot understand are these writers who write columns in the papers about supermarket wines. I guess it is horses for courses, but I, for one, am not interested in writing about Sauvignon Blanc for example. These wines are for drinking, not for writing about." "For drinking, not for writing about" I think I agree. What is there…
Here is the challenge: Describe what Chardonnay tastes like in 50 words. This was my charge earlier today as I was in the middle of working on a project that demanded I describe the characteristics of a number of different grape varieties. I sat back, staring at the blank white computer screen holding the letters C-H-A-R-D-O-N-N-A-Y, followed by a colon. I was stumped. Now, I’ve drunk a number of wines made from Chardonnay grapes. Given a particular chardonnay I could…
Let’s make a bold assumption here: Those who come to read Fermentations like stimulating wine talk. I do to. For years now, the very best, most stimulating, collection of wine talkers have been gathering on Wine Forums across the net. I remember the Wine Forum at Prodigy. Then came the AOL Wine forum. Then the wine forums started to appear across the Internet. Today there are a number wine-related, internet-based wine forums where everything about wine is discussed, argued about,…
At The Last Supper, Jesus and his disciples passed a common cup, drinking wine from it. Yes, real honest to goodness wine. This act set the stage for a ritual known as Communion that has been with the church for more than 2000 years. I’m not much of church-goer myself. However, I’ve always been attracted to the ritual and ceremony of the catholic church. And as an avid wine drinker, I’ve always appreciated connection that wine had to the particular…
The public relations business can be frustrating. You can never be sure if your efforts will yield results. Advertising is different. You choose the medium to advertise in. You know how many eyeballs you are paying for. And if you are good, you have a decent idea of what the response will be. Publicists spend their day, essentially, standing on the roof top and yelling, "hey, look at me!" You are bound to get someone to turn their head and…
