Archive for the ‘Wine Gossip’ Category

Oct 13, 2011

Wine and the Current Uncertainty Factor

I'M NOT SO SURE… 1…Millennials have much to offer ultra premium wineriesYes, they are adopting wine on a shorter timetable than past generations, but as Rob McMillan of Silicon Valley Bank has pointed out, these young'uns aren't buying much of the good stuff. They drinking wine with greater diversity and have a greater penchant for imported wines and enjoy really silly labels. But if I were selling $40+ bottles of wine, they would not be my target demographic. 2….It's smart…

Sep 26, 2011

Napa Valley Harvest 2011: Risk

This last Saturday, wine grape growers in Northern California got a taste of the underside of risk. Morning sprinkles provided a window into what could happen if a harvest already 3 weeks behind schedule is further effected by early spring rains and/or cool weather. These grapegrowers really didn't need to be reminded of the risk they take by betting on Mother Nature. They know already that planting grapes in a climate meant to bring them to maturity slowly, rather than…

Jul 22, 2011

Passion and Knowledge at the Wine Bloggers Conference

Maybe it shouldn't be the case, but I find it far more enjoyable to look writers in the face and hear their words than to read their words remotely. This was confirmed last night when I sat in a room with a bevy of wine writers at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Charlottesville, Virginia and dined and drank and talk. The blogger face-to-face was meant, simply, to bring together a lot of interesting people and talk blogging, wine and life….

May 27, 2011

Wine Revelations, Power Grabs, Numbers, Battles and Events

Thinking About… THE REVELATIONUpon reading Anthony Lane's remarkably thoughtful analysis of Terrence Malik's new film, The Tree of Life, in The New Yorker, it finally hit me why wine critics likely won't rise to the quality challenge laid down by critics surveying other pursuits such as film, literature, dance and music: As an object of analysis and thoughtful critique, a wine provides no interpretation of the human condition, giving its critics little to grasp on to in order to engage…

Apr 14, 2011

The Importance and Influence of Editors in the Wine Industry

If you have never had the benefit of working with an editor, it might not be perfectly clear that they do far more than check for spelling and grammar errors. The fact is, editing is a creative process that requires the ability to choose among many options. There is a very special form of editing that wine industry professionals need to appreciate: the ability to choose which stories to highlight. This skill is most obviously on display among the various…