Sitting back and watching the mirth, outrage, smugness and concern issued by other watchers of the most current turn of events at Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, I'm reminded just how important, powerful and relevant the critics are to the Wine Trade. I'm further struck by how these events and the reaction to them shine a light on the very complex relationship that has developed between Mr. Parker and others in the world of wine. By most accounts and from what…
What an interesting year in wine. Legal battles, political battles, movements rising, technology, new markets, and changes in the media led the news. Here are my top wine stories for 2011 A SMALL CRACK IN THE WALL: Initiative 1183 Takes Washington Out of the Booze Business and Into the 21st CenturyIt has been a long time since a state abandoned its control of the alcohol marketplace and turned it over to the private sector. Initiative 1183 in Washington State did…
Seven years of blogging about wine will produce some interesting changes in a person. With this, my 2,361st post on Fermentation, I mark the seventh anniversary of maintaining this platform. My output over these past seven years amounts to 6.5 posts per week for 364 weeks. I'm not sure what kind of an achievement that is besides perseverance and habit maintenance. However, it has produced in me the formation of some ideas about wine blogging, writing, journaling, the media and…
Last year, when a ballot measure in Washington State that would have taken Olympia out of the business of selling spirits failed to pass, we learned that the failure meant this: “The vote in Washington state should send a clear message to lawmakers in the nation’s capitol… when given the choice, people do not want to see alcohol deregulated." This was the teaching of Craig Wolf, president of the Wine & Spirit Wholesalers of America (WSWA), which opposed the 2010…
"No Wine Left Behind" is a documentary short that follows the development of Lavish Laines Winery from garage winery to full operation. What's of great interest is that the winemaking and the venture was begun by an Iraqi war vet who came home from battle and could not find a job. His girlfriend led him to an interest in wine. That interest led to the attempt to get into the wine business. And the venture became a place returning Iraqi…
