Sep 22, 2008
Who needs confirmation that the name you place on a wine brand is extraordinarily important? Who needs confirmation that one’s ideological world view is reflected in their purchasing habits? If you need either, here it is: Ben Smith at the Politico blog reports that sales of "Palin" Syrah have dove at a San Francisco wine bar since Sarah Palin was tapped to be John McCain’s Vice Presidential running mate. The wine bar is Yield Wine Bar on 3rd Street. The…
Sep 16, 2008
In preparation for a British "expose" of sorts on winemaking and winemaking additives, the Telegraph in the UK has run a story highlighting the rather unauthentic ingredients that sometimes find their way into wines. From the look of the story in the Telegraph, the television show probably wasn’t a fawning appraisal of the world of wine making. But one thing stuck out in reading the story: "Many cheaper wines have oak chips added to give the impression that they have…
Sep 2, 2008
I left the movie theater after watching "Bottle Shock" very disoriented. The movie, loosely based on the 1976 Paris wine tasting that pitted California wines against French wines and that put California wines on the map, provided me with a movie-going experience that I’d never had before. I’ve never watched a film where people I know and people I’ve met were portrayed. But in addition, I’ve never watched a film where the locations used were intimately familiar to me; places…
Aug 26, 2008
It’s the quadrennial political convention time and my thoughts run to the political. The first presidential election that engrossed me from start to finish was 1984 (my guy got slaughtered). I couldn’t get enough of the debate, speeches, political strategy, platform development, etc. I’m watching it all now, again, and as always it is great theater. But what I’m wondering is this: What if the nation elected a Wine President every four years. What if this president represented the American…
Aug 6, 2008
As I think I’ve said before, I’m a big fan of lists. I like looking at rankings and sets. I like the context it delivers, whether I agree with the rankings or don’t. Among the most interesting and thought-provoking lists I’ve seen in quite some time was Foreign Policy Prospect’s 2008 List of the World’s Top 100 Public Intellectuals. The list contained no one with a focus on wine, but it was a fascinating glimpse into what the world of…