Archive for the ‘Culture and Wine’ Category
Anyone who doubts the power of numerical wine ratings, particularly the 100 Point system, just isn’t living in the same world as me. Let me explain what I, a wine marketer, see when I look at numerical ratings: 1. The opportunity to become an overnight success with a single rating from the right reviewer 2. The opportunity to have my entire brand dismissed with a single wrathing from the wrong reviewer. 3. The chance to sell out 1000s of cases…
The December 2006 issue of the Atlantic Monthly (a magazine any self-respecting intellectual-minded person should read) has a fascinating cover story on the 100 Most Influential People in American History. There are no wine-related people on this list. However, there is an interesting series of sidebar stories such as Most Influential Poets, Filmmakers and…Critics. Inside this sidebar story comes the following sentence: "No critic in history has ever wielded as much influence as Robert Parker." Clearly the author of his…
*******************************************************************************************Don’t forget to take the Fermentation Survey!CLICK HERE to take the survey…All I ask is three minutes of your day.******************************************************************************************* For those of you who stay attuned to the more morbid moments in American History you’ll have already noted that today is the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I had the opportunity in college to spend an entire semester in a class devoted to this specific topic. It was, for the most part, the opportunity…
*******************************************************************************************Don’t forget to take the Fermentation Survey!CLICK HERE to take the survey…All I ask is three minutes of your day.******************************************************************************************* I’ve always been suspicious of the motives of the folks at Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). I’ve always had the sneaking feeling that their main concern was stopping the consumption of alcohol, rather than stopping drunk driving. My suspicion grew when MADD led the charge to lower legal blood alcohol limits (BAC) to .08 from .10 . It struck me…
*******************************************************************************************Don’t forget to take the Fermentation Survey!CLICK HERE to take the survey…All I ask is three minutes of your day.******************************************************************************************* If you are in the wine business you get asked all the time, "What’s the greatest wine you’ve ever tasted?" or "What’s the greatest wine in the world?" I get asked this question fairly frequently, and I don’t even review wines for a living. I never have an answer for this question. However, were I asked "What’s the greatest Rock…
