Oct 5, 2011
When I heard the news that Steve Jobs, 56 (56!!), had died I was in the process of syncing my Apple iPhone to my Apple iTunes account via my Apple iMac, while uploading Apple Pages, Keynote and Numbers software to my Apple MacBook Pro, and reading Wines & Vines Magazine on my Apple iPad with sounds of Ornette Coleman all around me via my Apple iPod. Upon digesting the news, I made the semi-crass move of checking what my Apple…
Oct 3, 2011
Here's something very interesting that could not have been done in the pre-digital age: Crowd Sourcing Winemaking Decisions. This is what Silversmith Vineyards, located in Mendocino County's Redwood Valley, is doing and it looks like a pretty cool project. Imagine outsourcing to your crowd decisions like: 1. What varietal to make2. When to pick?3. Pump over or punch down4. What type of yeast to use?5. When rackings of the wine should happen6. Should the wine be filtered and if so,…
Sep 22, 2011
This is a shout out not only to a fellow wine blogger, but also to the wine trade that, if they have not yet noticed, the best wine bloggers are being invited inside some very important tents. David White of the blog Terroirist recently gave the keynote address at the 37th Annual Nederburg Rare South African Wine Auction in Paarl. It is a very prestigious invitation to give that keynote and it went to a wine blogger who has been…
Sep 21, 2011
OK…This has got to be the funniest thing I've seen produced about wine in years. The folks at Red To Brown Wine Reviews blog have outdone themselves. It has some naughty words in it, but if you are in the wine business, if you are Robert Parker or Antonio Galloni or James Suckling or a high scoring California winery, or if you have ever given any thought to the nature of wine marketing and you don't find this funny, I…
Sep 19, 2011
Joe Dressner Died. He had a Brain Tumor. Joe was one of America's most important importers, exposing the wine trade to a selection of wines that were almost as interesting he was. Joe and I had a number of run-ins over the years. He didn't appreciate my (wine) politics…and said so. We discussed this disagreement in a number of locales across the web. However, at this blog I had the opportunity to highlight Joe, his work and his thoughts. I…