Archive for the ‘Culture and Wine’ Category
Over the course of the past month or so I've been involved in helping generate opposition to H.R 5034, a bill promoted by alcohol wholesalers that paves the way for states to pass discriminatory legislation that would harm wineries, retailers and consumer access to wine. My involvement has been on behalf of the Specialty Wine Retailers Association, an organization of wine retailers, wine clubs and auction houses across the country that work to open more states for retailer to consumer…
If it's not the most successful or the most expensive consumer promotion by an American winery, it must be the best administered national promotion by a winery. Sutter Home's "Build A Better Burger" promotion is really a sight to behold. Since 1990 Sutter Home, producer of modestly priced wines of the sort that fulfill the drinking ambitions of the majority of American wine drinkers who understand burgers as a staple of culinary aptitude, has delivered a promotion that is perfectly…
There are few "wine personalities" that have earned national fame here in America. You can probably count them on the fingers of one hand. Karen MacNeil would lay claim to one of those digits. It takes quite a few paragraphs to outline her accomplishments and accolades. But let's not allow that to stop us. Karen is probably most famous for writing one of the most important wine books of the past 20 years. "The Wine Bible", published in 2001 is…
Is it possible for a wine critic to engage the true art of criticism? I wonder about this because lately I've been exploring the state of criticism within various disciplines. It seems across the board, whether talking about film, dance, art, architecture or any other creative pursuit, the consensus on criticism is that it is in bad shape. The primary culprit in the demise of literary criticism, many believe, is the Internet and specifically the citizen or amateur critic. This…
It's practically an annual affair: W.R. Tish's annual April Fools Parody of all things wine. If Randall Grahm is the Court Jester of the American wine world, then W.R. Tish is its Jon Stewart. This year, Tish presents: "The Daily Feast" You may recognize a few names, find familiar fodder for parody and laugh like it's April 1st. Tish was even kind enough to include me in his annual joke. I'm honored. I think….
