Archive for the ‘Personal’ Category
The annual pseudo-break that hits the wine country every winter is winding down. Each year, beginning sometime in December, things seem to slow down in wine country. As with the pace of just about everything else in an agricultural community, it’s a slow down associated with the dictates of mother nature. The "slow down" arrives after the grapes are off the vine and once they are in barrel and tank, fermenting. The "season" is over. The results of tinkering in…
Here’s my dilemma… I want to write more about the assault in Illinois on the right of consumers to purchase wine direct from wineries. This right is in the early stages of being dismantled. The underlying issues are complex and very important. And I feel strongly about these issues. There is very little I can do, except get the word out. Yet, I know that among Fermentation readers the interest in in this topic is not broad. It’s deep among…
FERMENTATION WISHES FOR 2006 1. BALANCEWe wish that balanced wines will return to the market in force; wines that are not overripe, not over alcoholic not over extracted2. A GATHERING OF WINE BLOGGERSWe wish for a gathering of wine bloggers where ideas and wines can be exchanged3. A HUGE AUDIENCE FOR FELLOW BLOGGERSWe wish that our fellow bloggers who continue to work to define and refine this medium attract huge audiences to their sites 4. OLD WINE FOR EVERYONEWe wish…
FERMENTATION PREDICTIONS FOR 2006 1. ALCOHOL OVERLOADThe release of the 2004 California vintage will see higher than average alcohol levels leading to a backlash against higher alcohols among knowledgeable wine drinkers 2. PINOT NOIR A HIT–BUT SMALLERSales of Pinot Noir will continue to impress, but not at 2005 levels 3. PRICE INCREASESA stable economy, though not booming, will lead to slight overall increases in wines, particularly in wines currently selling between $15 and $25. 4. MORE WINE BLOGSThe number of…
The Jailer & The Criminal The jailor sat constant in is metal chair behind a metal desk, alone, silent, thinking of what once had been better Christmas Eves. They all had been better. They all had come before his loss this last year that left him without his life’s work, his family. To choose this night shift, this night of all nights, only meant different scenery for the lonely jailer. Across the dimly lit room sat the jailor’s only charge…
