Jan 23, 2007
I have to admit upfront that I was completely prepared for this book to be filled with those schlocky, wince-inducing pictures of dogs dressed up as firemen, Liza Minelli and Rhett Butler. You know the kind of things I’m I’m talking about. Yet, to my surprise, Wine Dogs: USA Edition was a substantial volume filled with really remarkable and beautiful photography of those dogs that grace the grounds of wineries across America. The book itself is very well made with…
Jan 22, 2007
Maybe Wine Blogs are moving out of the realm of relative obscurity and into the light. The Q&A linked to above ran in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here in the heart of Wine Country, a locale that probably has more interest in things wine than other area’s of the country. Yet as we know, folks around the America are thinking more and more about their home towns as "Wine Country". While I didn’t pitch the idea to the newspaper…
Jan 2, 2007
I take from Dan Berger’s latest article at Appellation America ("Why Terroir is Essential to Wine Evaluation") that it is becoming easier and easier to be a highly competant judge of wine or wine reviewer. As Dan points out: "regionality is not automatically a part of most American wine judges’ psyche. Weight, richness, and “hedonistic” appreciation of a wine’s flavors seem far more the dominant aspects of most evaluations we see or read about." Dan’s point is a fairly simple…
Dec 29, 2006
My Top Five Aesthetic Discoveries of 2006 5. HiromiThis young Japanese jazz artist is…well…remarkable. Her compositions are original and unique in the same way the sound of The Who or Led Zeppelin’s compositions were unique. If you are a Jazz fan this woman’s work should become indispensable. 4. George SaintsburyHe’s not exactly "new". However, in the course of doing work for Saintsbury winery this year I had a chance to read through his work, mainly his "Notes on a Cellar…
Dec 22, 2006
The Wall Street Journal’s wine guides John Brecher and Dorothy Gaiter produced a thought provoking year end article today on the state of wine and trends they see. Among their most interesting observations is this one: "The first isn’t about wine itself, but the selling of it. This is the most revolutionary time in wine retailing since the end of Prohibition. The combination of the rise of Internet sales and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision striking down some laws concerning…