Feb 18, 2010
My great Washington Wine Epiphany came a few years ago when I attended Wine & Spirits Magazine's Top 100 tasting in San Francisco. The tasting of top wineries W&S had encountered over the past year was set up by region—Germans over here, Italians over there, Australians in that corner, etc. The Washington wineries were on the top floor of the venue and I got to them last. Last is not where you want to be at a tasting. And yet,…
Jan 15, 2010
This was lots of fun. It’s always nice to obtain your 30 seconds of fame. However, the discussion of the similarities between wine and marijuana discussed in this CNBC segment to which I was asked to contribute (see 40 seconds in..) raises a lot of questions. The most interesting issue raised is that of “Dope Critics”. Were it legal to buy and sell Marijuana in California, would a crop of “marijuana critics” rise up and flood us with their opinions?…
Jan 12, 2010
Various wine-related Year-End and Decade-End stories have been published and posted at blogs, in magazines and in newspapers. Yet none of these wrap-up stories have addressed the one development over the past decade that probably had the most impact on the wine industry and wine drinkers. That development is this: MONEY CONTRIBUTED TO STATE-BASED POLITICAL CAMPAIGNSBY SECTORS OF THE ALCOHOL INDUSTRY (2000-2009) Alcohol Retailers: $3,219,398Beer Producers: $20,300,278Wine & Spirit Producers …
Dec 31, 2009
I believe 2009 has been one of the most significant 12 months of my life. As I think back on the past 12 months I find myself wanting to categorize and define and organize it into neat packets. Much of 2009 revolved around my life as a blogger, what it revealed and what it has resulted in. Another good portion of 2009 revolved around my now 20 year pursuit of establishing myself as a reliable wine PR and marketing guy….
Dec 29, 2009
Isn't it true that how we view the act of winemaking will in part, perhaps large part, determine how we appreciate wine? I think it is true. So, consider the following… "In their hands disparate element—styles, materials, color—came together creating rooms that delighted the senses and engaged the mind." "Confidence defined these designers. Their willingness to take aesthetic risks set them apart from their peers." "Styles com and go. What is popular in one decade may be unpopular in the…