Jul 22, 2013
In some circles, the next two weekends represent the jackpot duo: the weekends for which they’ve waited all year. They likely already have their bags packed and a bit less work will get done the next few days as they day-dream about the coming explosion of Pinot Noirs upon their palate and consciousness. For others, like my wife Kathy Berez, the next two weekends represent not just the culmination of a great deal of work, but also a chance to…
Jul 2, 2013
Is it possible to cultivate a satisfying and in-depth appreciation of wine without sharing that appreciation with others? This is what I wondered as I sat on a judging panel this past weekend with others and evaluated entries in the Long Beach Grand Cru Wine Competition. Would an appreciation of wine cultivated in isolation provide anything close to the same level of satisfaction were that appreciation cultivated without comparison with other palates, the impressions of others or the opinions of…
Jun 12, 2013
As he often does, wine scribe Joe Roberts wrote something relevant the other day. He explained that for those considering how they might make a name for themselves, for their writing and for their wine knowledge through publishing, this person should strongly consider SPECIALIZING. By this, Joe simply means it’s much easier to get the attention of potential readers if your authority and wine writing revolves around a specific subject within the wine niche, rather than trying to publish information…
Jun 8, 2013
My sixth Wine Bloggers Conference was approached with trepidation. I’ve been questioning the utility of the semantics of “blogger” and “wine blogger” of late. Also, I knew nothing of Penticton, British Columbia. Finally, very few of my closer blogging-friends and colleagues would be in attendance. The format was the same. Bring together “wine bloggers” in a wine region to discover that region, learn about wines from other parts of the world, explore their wine writing avocation amongst their peers and…
Jun 4, 2013
Winemaker Matt Dees and his colleagues at Goodland Wines in Santa Barbara, California have chosen to take a remarkable step: They have decided to purposely confuse the wine consumer in order to try to enlighten them. It’s a peculiar approach to education of which I am not completely familiar. Here’s what’s happening: At Goodland Wines, individual bottlings don’t carry the name of the varietal. They only carry the name of the AVA or “appellation” from which the grapes were grown…