Driving through Sonoma Valley this evening I noticed for the first time a bright star, stationed at the top of the mountain range on the eastern side of the valley. Some hill dweller bought or constructed this huge shining gift, set it upon their home and lit it bright for the whole valley to consider and enjoy. The owner is anonymous as it is dark and impossible to see the home upon which it sits, making this bright holiday star…

This is the second in a series of reviews of wine publications THE WINE NEWS The Wine News really is the most beautiful consumer wine publication available. Published out of Florida by Tom and Elizabeth Smith, The Wine News takes a substantially tactile and graphic approach to delivering wine lovers with an editorial connection to the vine. Just hold this publication. It’s tabloid sized and printed on thick, semiglossy paper that holds the printing spectacularly. It should be no surprise…

Wine bloggers tend to be anti-snobs, or at least anti-elitists. Have you noticed this? Look around the wine blogs. The majority of wine bloggers want to broaden the appeal of wine (that’s good), demystify it (that’s good too), and take out the snob factor (Is that good?) Wine snobbery and wine elitism must be, I think, the inevitable result of becoming intimate with wine and the wine world over a long period of time…or at least over a period of…

We are in fact in the midst of a wine boomlet. There are a number of things impressive about this little boom too. The first is that it comes not during the greatest of economic times. Things aren’t terrible, but it sure isn’t 1999. Much of the consumption boom comes from the availability of lower prices wine for sure. However, the most impressive element of the boomlet is the involvement of the Millenials. According to research, Millenials drinkers are defined…

Saw a film last night that had nice wine and food component in it: “Spanglish”. Adam Sandler plays a top chef in LA. The credits indicate that Thomas Keller of the French Laundry was the technical advisor. Funny thing in the film was Adam Sandler hoping and praying the food critic doesn’t give him 4 stars because it will take away his edge. Unfortunately, not only does he get 4 stars, the critic calls him the best chef in America….