Jan 9, 2014
I’ve never been the guy that used alcohol, let alone wine, to self medicate, to get my drunk on or to “come down” after a particularly stressful or tough day. Even in my youth when drinking was experimental and powered by weekend, peer-induced partying I was the guy that sipped my beer or my Seven and Seven slowly. Ive always had an aversion to the feeling of being drunk. But I do like the taste and the am fascinate by…
Nov 19, 2013
If you are reading this and you work in the wine industry, then you understand what I mean when I say that we know how lucky we are. If you are reading this and don’t work in the wine industry, I hope you know what I mean when I say it’s great to work in an industry that gives you an opportunity to be involved in intriguing others. The winemakers and their cellar crews get to raise up wine that…
Oct 24, 2013
This is the first in a series of posts on “Our Little Project” In the 1980s and early 1990s, there was great concern in the American wine industry over a phenomenon referred to a “Neo- Prohibitionism” or “Neo- Temperance”. It seemed to many that a variety of forces were combining to demonize the consumption of alcohol and alcohol itself. Bad for business! One of the regular topics of discussion at that time was the degree to which consumption of alcohol,…
Oct 17, 2013
Reading a series of book reviews by literary critics recently, it dawned on me that compared to wine critics, these literary pros and other types of professional critics have it tough, at least in terms of how much work they have to put in to completing their tasks. Put another way, it doesn’t take much time to produce a wine review. Wine critics out there, don’t get angry with me about this. Consider what must be done for a literary…
Oct 16, 2013
If you are a wine lover who interacts often with other serious wine lovers or if you work in the wine industry or even if you just live in wine country, it’s easy to forget how the vast majority of Americans interact with wine and how they relate to wine. It’s probably instructive, if only for perspective’s sake, to remind yourself that your particularly intense relationship with wine is the exception to the rule. The following set of comments occurred…