Jul 6, 2010
Independence Day has again come and gone. It's one of my favorite holidays because it SHOULD have real meaning for every American. It also gives me the opportunity to watch eyes roll when I tell the story of Jefferson and Adams both going on to their eternal reward on the same day, 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and declaring at the end of the story, "Jefferson Lives". But I like Independence Day also because it…
Jul 1, 2010
I've mentioned before on this blog that the idea of "Terroir" is somewhat troubling to me for a few different reasons. The first is that if the vast majority of wine drinkers can't taste or describe or identify the difference between a Carneros Pinot Noir and a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, then what's the point? Second, in most regions of the world, and certainly in America, the official appellations such as Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Central Coast, Paso…
Jun 17, 2010
I like toys and I like games. It's a vice, I admit. I love the Xbox. I love computer games. I don't get to use them as often as I like, but I do love them. I love maps too. Hence my fascination with GoogleEarth, perhaps the greatest time-sucker I've come across on the web. So, it's no surprise that I love The Wine Map. I'm not sure how long it has been in existence, but I'm pretty bummed I…
Jun 15, 2010
I've always been a fan of that strange, under-appreciated sub-genre of Science Fiction known as Alternative History. "What if the South won the Civil War" or "What if America didn't enter WWII and Germany won WWII" are the two most classic renderings of this interesting little literary sidenook. So, it naturally got me wondering about "What Ifs" when I read the following from Joel Peterson, founder of famed Zinfandel producer Ravenswood and board member of ZAP-Zinfandel Advocates and Producers: "The…
May 13, 2010
Napa Valley dodged a bullet this week. Were it not for the brave representatives of the people on the Board of Supervisors who resisted the call to allow dirty commercialism to infest this bucolic agricultural paradise, it's quite likely the beautiful grapes you see carpeting the Valley would soon be replaced by wedding chapels and limos filled with with off-the-rack tuxedo-wearing marauders. Worse yet, had the board of supervisors not voted to keep weddings out of Napa Valley wineries, this…