One of the great truths about wine is that the more you learn, the more you realize how much more that you have to learn. Those of us that have been doing this for a while have been humbled literally hundreds of times, either by guessing wrong at a blind tasting, offering poorly considered opinions[…]
I have a unpleasant task in front of me; I must apologize for my wine sins. I’m guilty of wine bigotry. This has largely been fueled by personal bias. I’m afraid that when facing a wine that I just don’t like, I stereotype the wine, and condemn not only the offending wine but others that[…]
One of the enduring mysteries about wine is why people find it so…mysterious. Wine has been around for at least 5,000 years, long before wine critics thought up ‘points’ and Napa Valley became the Disneyland of Vines. There is really not much mystery to it…the technical process has been pretty much worked out and agreed[…]
Everyone knows that wine and cheese ‘go’ well together. The obvious topic then would be what wine works well with what cheese. That’s actually pretty easy to figure out. Point of origin matters, i.e., Brie with Beaujolais. But more importantly, acidity matters. So, the rules are: young, soft, creamy cheeses pair with crisp, citric wines, mostly[…]
It has divided nations. Toppled empires. Destroyed civilizations. Shattered friendships. Its long been rumored the real reason for the Beatles’ break-up. Red wine with fish. Quelle horreur! Or not. Depending on your point of view, the question of which wine ‘pairs’ well with what food is either too nonsensical to even say out loud or[…]
Wine is endlessly fun to be around, especially because of all the goofy, pretentious, know-it-alls who delight in exclaiming that their wine sensibilities are superior to yours.You know who they are; you’ve heard them take up every ‘cutting edge’ wine position possible…California Great! (1976), Bordeaux the Best! (1982), 100 Pt Wine! (1990), Garagistes! (1995), The[…]
Earlier this week, I read an editorial by David Brooks in the New York Times titled, “How to Roll Back Fanaticism.” I don’t often find myself agreeing with Mr. Brooks’ opinions, but I read them regardless; I want to be open-minded and give myself an opportunity to be wrong. This piece struck a chord with[…]
Quick! What’s your favorite song? Is it fast or slow? Melodic, harmonic, atonal? Instrumental or a cappela? A ballad, a ditty, a jingle? Acoustical or electronic? Blues, rap, country, jazz, folk? Orchestral or traditional? Too many questions? Too many options? Maybe your musical tastes are too diverse to pin down? Maybe it depends on the[…]
I have a problem. My problem is what I’ll call ‘wine myopia’; specifically, the unfortunate refusal of many people to even try wines from that are not ripe, juicy, high alcohol reds. It’s perfectly acceptable to have preferences. I find no fault in the individual that thinks Zinfandel, for example, is just fab. But when[…]
Once upon a time, there was beer. And beer was made by big beer companies in places like St. Louis and Milwaukee and Newark and we knew the names of the beer and we knew how the beer tasted and we drank the beer that our friends drank. And the world was good. And[…]