Archive for the ‘Culture and Wine’ Category
It's remarkable!! An initiative that is currently gathering signatures for California's November ballot would, if approved by the voters, increase the tax on a bottle of wine by 12,675% TWELVE THOUSAND SIX-HUNDRED SEVENTY FIVE PERCENT!!! How could this possibly be justified? The initiative's sponsors, Josephine and Kent M. Whitney, provide the following reasoning: (a) Alcohol-related problems cost Californians an estimated $38.4 billion annually, including the costs of illness and injury, the criminal justice system, lost productivity, impacts on the welfare…
The Zig Zag Cafe is located behind and below the famed Pikes Market in Seattle. It's a pretty hard place to find for someone unfamiliar with the layout of this area of town. Not deterred by a crooked line of sight, I set out with my girl to find this place that has been described to me as the home of one of America's best bartenders. Finally, after marching past a few thousand pounds of salmon, dodging construction and raindrops,…
I'm always interested in Awards. I like Awards. I think they have meaning when meaningful deliberation is put into choosing who should be nominated for and given an award. The James Beard Awards have for many years been recognized as the premier presenter of awards focusing on restaurants and journalism related to food and wine. I'm always particularly interested in the James Beard Award for Writing on Spirits, Wine or Beer. This year, three articles were nominated for this award:…
I've always thought of ASK.com as a search engine masquerading as a font of information for the search engine illiterate. That's a little harsh and I'm probably wrong about it. The other day an representative from ASK.com sent me the top ten wine questions asked at the site. Here they are: 1. How many calories are in a glass of wine?2. How do I make wine?3. What is port wine?4. How many bottles of wine are in a case?5. What…
This blog reaches upwards of 25,000+ unique individuals monthly. Half of those work in or around the wine industry. This Manifesto is meant for them. If it leads to discussion, anger, contemplation or results—any of that would be a fine outcome. A MANIFESTO OF REFORM AND CHANGE TO THE WINE INDUSTRY Let us concede that as a culture early embedded with a mistrust of alcohol and with a history of such abusive practices surrounding the sale and use of alcohol…
