Jun 13, 2011
The morning routine at the Wark-Berez house is fairly regimented: Tom, Cats, Dog, Read. My morning coffee is the first priority, for without it little else carries much import…or gets done. The cats then get their food. The dog is next as I need a little time to recover from the fog of sleep to deal with Louie, who is demanding, quick and unpredictable, while the Cats are merely predictably demanding. The caffeine helps. But then it's time to consume…
Jun 1, 2011
What's coming down the wine literary path? That's what I wanted to know. Looking at Amazon's list of future releases in the Wine Book category we see a bevy of interesting reading material coming our way in the future. Here are those I think most worthy of consideration. Note the date of release for each book. Voodoo Vintners: Oregon's Astonishing Biodynamic WinegrowersBy Katherine Cole (Oregon State University Press)June 1, 2011Today is the official release date for Cole's study of Biodynamic…
May 30, 2011
I don't know how many wine blogs there are today. Over a 1000 in the English language is the best I can offer and even that is such a useless estimate. Most folks who have gone about attempting to categorize and list the various wine blogs that exist eventually just start to list them. Alder at Vinography has a pretty damned impressive list—about 700 or so in English. But that's the best that even he can do: "Blogs in English"….
May 25, 2011
The wine blog is now fully integrated into the world of wine writing. Having spent more than 6 years fully immersed in the world of wine blogging and following its emergence and evolution, I think it can be said with great confidence that many of the most compelling wine voices are using this format to communicate, educate, commentate and bloviate. The blogging format is certainly the the American wine world's and wine lovers' most vibrant publishing format. I was reminded…
May 25, 2011
Sitting on a Belizian beach yesterday, trying hard dismiss the sad fact that I would soon board a plane back to reality, I tried to ease my way back into my real life: I began to look what was being written about wine during my one week, honeymoon absence. That's when I cam across Wes Hagen's stout reprimand of the American wine industry that it take it slow, and not try to evolve an authentic American wine culture before it's…