Archive for the ‘Jazz’ Category

Mar 23, 2011

What Wine Criticism Could Be

Ben Ratliff is the Jazz Critic for the New York Times. If you look at his self-written bio at the Times he serves up what I've always thought would be a thrilling approach to wine criticism: "Music criticism can be both reporting and conjuring. It’s not just opinion. It’s not just an answer to the question of what something sounded like and who played it. It can also address what music might mean with its abstract gestures and tonal masses…

Jan 20, 2009

Wine & Fishing & Archeology and Civil War Re-Enactments

Pursuits, hobbies and interests are constantly being categorized across the Internet. Invariably, "Wine" ends up being categorized under "Lifestyle". Occasionally you see it under "Culinary" or "Home". But it's "Lifestyle" under which the consumption of fermented grapes appears most often. It's no surprise then that the "Wine Lifestyle" is so often combined with other "lifestyle" pursuits to create unique and interesting events that the organizers hope will extend its attraction. The most interesting example of this I've seen lately is…

May 9, 2008

The Velvet Bite

I’m going to buy this wine…because I just think it’s terribly cool that a winery would honor one of the greatest jazz vocalists in the history of the genre. (Have you ever heard Ella sing "mack the knife"?!!?) However, I’m probably not going to drink this Domaine Carneros Sparkling Wine while listening to any jazz, including Ella. Here’s why. I’ve long believed that even given the range and the diversity of the Jazz genre, the absolutely most appropriate drink to…