Oct 13, 2006
Boy, have I ever gained respect over the past few days for those folks who write reviews of wines in wine magaznes and newsletters. I’ve been working on a rush job for a wine catalog. Much of the writing entails describing wines. The thing is, every wine needing a description comes with a maximum word count that I can use. In many cases that word count is no more than 17 words!! This is a very difficult task. It would…
Oct 12, 2006
I think it was Christopher Hitchens who said, and I paraphrase, "Assertions offered with no evidence can be dismissed without evidence." I was thinking about this, and other things, as I read this amazing comment from Michel Rolland, the French wine consultant who was recently profiled by Eric Asimov in the NY Times:Eric: I mention Clos du Val and Corison, two Napa Valley producers whose wines adhere to a less upfront, more austere style Rolland: “Are they as successful in…
Oct 11, 2006
I received a bottle of 2004 Bishop’s Peak Rock Solid Red from the UPS man today. Brian Talley sent it to me with information about the wine. It was sent in the hopes that I would review it. (Thank you very much, Brian!) There a few things I want to say about this. First, I want to say upfront that I do not review wine at Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog. The reasons are many, but let me hit the…
Oct 6, 2006
Buy this book. And be happy to pay full price. "What to Drink with What You Eat" by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page is the most comprehensive, illuminating and useful book of its type I’ve yet to come across. What it is? We are talking about a guide for food and wine matching, very simply. But that’s the key: very simply. There are two essential parts to this book. The first is an alphabetical listing of foods from Aioli to…
Oct 4, 2006
There’s a new wine sheriff in town and his name is Blair Campbell. Blair is the newish wine writer for the East Bay Express. I’m not sure how I missed what can only be labeled a most audacious rant in which he takes to task those phonies who read the Wine Spectator or make any time for wines that cost more than $10. It’s pretty impressive. To be fair, this original article of Campbell’s, "Ashamed of That Cheap Wine You’re…