VINOGRAPHY: a wine blog
Wine and food adventures in San Francisco and around the world
~ Recently in Ramblings and Rants Category ~
Video of the Social Media Panel from Vino2010
My real reason for attending the Vino2010 conference in New York this week was that I was asked (and paid) to be on a panel discussion about the impact and meaning of social media for the wine industry. A number of you have asked about it, and I'm happy to offer the (somewhat low quality) video that captures our session. Unfortunately you can't see (or hear at various points) some of the questions that were asked, but you can certainly get the idea of what we discussed. Please note that it takes a few minutes for the session to get... continue reading 
- Posted by: Alder on February 7, 2010 11:53 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Italian Wine Week: Vino 2010
I'm in New York for the first time in a long while, taking a look at the Vino2010 conference, also known as Italian Wine Week. Mostly I'm here because I'll be speaking on a panel (tomorrow) Thursday morning entitled: "Virtual Vino, Millennials and Social Media DECANTED!" The panel is moderated by Anthony Dias Blue, and will have me, Doug Cook of AbleGrape.Com, Susannah Gold of Avvinare.Com, Susanna Crociani of Az. Ag. Crociani in Tuscany, Steve Raye of the Brand Action Team marketing agency, and possibly (unconfirmed) tweeting sommelier and wine educator Kevin Zraly. The conference is making a big deal... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 3, 2010 3:51 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Get Paid to Travel the World, Tasting Wine
File this under things I always meant to do but have never gotten around to.... Every year an organization called the Geoffrey Roberts Trust picks several people to give about $5000 to so they can travel someplace in the world to eat, drink, and write about it, or do something that makes a positive difference in the culinary or beverage world. Yes, you heard that right, you could get $5000 towards some fabulous culinary or wine adventure provided you had a good reason to go other than simply wanting to see how much Barolo you could drink before falling over.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 27, 2010 11:58 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Six Years of Vinography
Have you ever forgotten your own birthday? It just occurred to me yesterday that while I wasn't looking last week, the 6th anniversary of this blog's beginning came and went. It's hard to believe that so much time has passed since I first started tapping away here in my corner of the wine web. The last six years have been a wonderful exploration of my own passion for wine, and a fabulous experience of interacting with a growing body of readers. While Vinography has garnered many accolades and awards, I am most proud of the quality of thought and writing... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 24, 2010 10:02 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Garagiste Winemakers of Chile: Introducing MOVI
If I were Hugh Johnson or Jancis Robinson, I could clear my throat and begin my story with a distinguished pronouncement about how I've watched several wine regions around the globe evolve from their infancy to later stages of maturity. But I lack the perspective of someone who's been a professional observer of the industry for decades. While I may not be able to tell you how, exactly, I do know that wine regions evolve over the course of their history, and that Chile finds itself in a particular stage of evolution that most regions probably encounter after a few... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 23, 2010 11:37 PM
- Filed under: Boutique Wines , Ramblings and Rants , Undiscovered Wines , Wine Reviews
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Marketing and Branding Do Not a Winery Make
For anyone who hasn't been paying much attention or who doesn't really care, the wine industry going through a rough patch, especially here in California. Actually "rough patch" is a bit of an understatement, but more on that later this week. For now, I'd like to focus on a single, early casualty of the times. As reported in the Press Democrat last week, Roshambo winery will be closing its operations down permanently, and its founder, Naomi Brilliant, will be attaching the winery's name (and attitude) to a little farming operation she has started up on her family's land in the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 19, 2010 10:50 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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How Wineries Will Fail in the 21st Century
As some of you know, I'm in the process of helping to write a book. It's not my book, per se, but I'm one of a group of authors that are helping to create a massive global wine atlas that will cover the world's major wine regions. I'm the guy in charge of Sonoma and Marin counties. I've spent the last couple months doing a lot of tasting, a lot of digging through my past tasting notes, and a lot of reaching out to wineries to verify addresses, etc. And what I've experienced in the process is quite shocking. The... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 6, 2010 10:50 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Yet Another Wine Column Casualty in the Newspaper Business
Wall Street Journal wine columnists John Brecher and Dorothy Gaiter have quietly announced their departure. Their Christmas Day column, the 579th piece they have jointly penned together, will be their last at the Journal. This unannounced departure of the unique husband and wife wine journalists represents yet another brick falling from the crumbling wall of professional wine journalism. The word on the street suggests that while the Journal has no intention of discontinuing its wine coverage, this was a layoff along the lines of so many that have occurred in the last 18 months. In short, the Journal wants to... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 27, 2009 3:11 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Two More Days to Win Fabulous Wine Prizes
We're headed into the final stretches of the holiday craziness. If you're like me, you've already started to consume wine in rough proportion to the number of presents left to wrap, and you find yourself wishing that everyone else around you would start drinking, too. But even as the stress of the holidays mount to a fever pitch, we need to make sure that we keep it all in perspective. We're all incredibly lucky to be sitting under a roof somewhere with electricity and heat and clean water and food in the fridge. There are those whose survival, let alone... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 23, 2009 11:06 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine Activities
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How to AVOID Selling Wine in Pennsylvania
So if you had a bunch of grocery stores, and those grocery stores sold wine, but you didn't really want people to buy any wine, what would you do? One of the things you might consider doing would be to lock all the wine away in cabinets, so that people couldn't touch the bottles. You'd want to make sure folks couldn't, say, turn the bottles around and read the back label or anything. You might force people to peer through the front door of this cabinet to try to read the name of the wine they think they might want... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 20, 2009 7:54 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Menu For Hope VI: Win Some Wine (and Other Great Stuff)
How would you like to spend a week in Tuscany at a private villa, drinking aged Brunello di Montalcino, all the while knowing that you're enjoying the experience because you helped poor farmers in Africa? That, my friends, is the beauty of the charity event called A Menu For Hope. This is the sixth year of A Menu For Hope, the grassroots charity event for wine and food bloggers that started in response to the horrible Tsunamis of 2004. Last year's event raised more than $60,000 for the UN's World Food Programme, which set up a special arrangement so that... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 13, 2009 11:40 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine Activities
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So You Wanna Be a Wine Writer?
The wine world is made of dreams. Some people dream about drinking wine. Some people dream about making wine. And others dream of writing about it. For all those that have ever toyed with the idea of writing about wine, and for those who have dabbled in it, I have a small anecdote to share from my college days. I was taking a fiction writing class one Spring, and our teacher managed to convince a good friend of hers to substitute teach a bunch of us eager, bright-eyed college students for one class session. The first thing Kurt Vonnegut said... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 10, 2009 9:52 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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What I've Learned about Chilean Wine
I thought about titling this post with a bit more gravitas -- something like "New Trends in the Chilean Wine Industry" -- but I didn't feel like I could pull it off. I spent a week there and talked with a lot of people, but can't speak with enough authority on the subject to title this post like it is some sort of whitepaper. On the other hand, I learned a lot about what is going on in Chile, where the wine industry is headed, and some of the issues and trends that are currently top-of-mind for Chilean winemakers, winery... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 9, 2009 10:41 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Off to Chile to Taste Some Wine
I'm an incredibly lucky guy. If you'd told me six years ago when I started dribbling out my thoughts on wine on some little web site I set up that one day people would want to fly me to foreign countries and pick up the tab just with the hopes that I'd write something about it, I'd have told you that you were nuts. But here I go, off to Chile for a week of wandering and wine tasting. Hot damn. Increasingly, I get asked to go on a lot of these kinds of wine trips. Unfortunately, I can't... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 28, 2009 12:27 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Menu For Hope is Coming. Will You Donate a Wine Prize and Become Famous?
Think of this as the early warning system. Our annual Menu For Hope campaign is right around the corner. In its sixth year, this charity event brings together bloggers from all over the world to raise money for the United Nations World Food Programme. It's an awesome event that raises tens of thousands of dollars each year for hungry children around the world. For those who are not familiar with this initiative, it is essentially a raffle, with prizes donated by bloggers (or other kind folks who want to participate but don't have blogs). Participants post a description of their... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 24, 2009 8:46 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Ramblings and Rants , Wine Activities
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Thanksgiving: No Wine is Too Good for Friends
OK wine lovers, listen up. Thanksgiving approaches, and in this country that means for the past few weeks every wine columnist in the world has been talking about what wines go with the big dinner. Well you're not going to get that from me, for reasons previously stated. But I do want to talk about the whole affair of serving wine with the Thanksgiving feast. More specifically, I want to talk about the usually treacherous emotional landscape of choosing which wines to serve to your guests. I woke up this morning to find that my friend Lettie Teague had kindly... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 23, 2009 9:42 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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What's Next? Wine Labels in Jive?
I haven't stopped chuckling this evening since I read a post on Spittoon.Biz, a long running wine blog run by Andrew Barrow over in the UK. About a week ago he reported on the latest marketing efforts by a national supermarket chain to make sure the wine labels on their wines were readable by all their clientele (UK supermarkets often bottle and label their own wines from around Europe). These efforts involved something quite straightforward: translating the back labels of the wines into different languages. Except the languages they translated them into are some of the local dialects of the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 15, 2009 9:51 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Wine Education as Big Business
In an already crowded field of certifications for wine knowledge, add one more: the Parker & Zraly Wine Certification courtesy of Robert Parker and Kevin Zraly. While no doubt well intentioned and likely to be filled with good questions (Kevin Zraly is a renowned wine educator) it's hard not to see this as more than yet another revenue stream in the Robert Parker empire. Did the world need another wine certification? I'd argue no, but who knows. Perhaps people will flock to this one, especially considering the barrier to entry is so low. The first set of eight exams costs... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 13, 2009 9:45 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Just Where Is That Winery, Exactly?
I'm in the middle of a book project. I've agreed to write a chapter in a big wine book that will cover all the major wine regions of the world and the top producers in each region. My area of responsibility will be Sonoma and Marin counties, which the book is combining into a single section. I'm enjoying the process of thoroughly combing through the region's wineries to select the several hundred that I get to highlight in the book, but in the process I'm running up against a conundrum. My charter is quite simple: list a bunch of Sonoma... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 12, 2009 9:41 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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The Great Wine Writer Migration of 2008-2009?
Something unusual is happening in the world of wine writing. While not surprising given the disastrous conditions in the market for those who want to make a living writing about wine, this phenomenon prompts some reflection. In short: I'm beginning to notice folks who have heretofore made their living as journalists, wine writers, or wine critics are now taking jobs as PR and communication pros in the wine industry. Two moves that recently caught my eye were Lettie Teague's appointment as Director of Communications at the Italian Wine Merchant [she's since moved back to journalism - see comments below], and... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 5, 2009 9:39 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Drink the Wine You Like, No Matter What Scientists Say
I am often approached (in person and online) by budding wine lovers looking for guidance navigating what they see as the treacherous waters of wine and food pairing. That these folks feel the need to seek out expert guidance at all makes me a little sad. The fear, uncertainty and doubt that exists in the minds of the public when it comes to wine and food pairing remains for me one of the greatest travesties in the world of wine. Wine, in all its varieties and flavors, is sadly intimidating enough for most people. The fact that matching it with... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 22, 2009 10:34 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Requesting the Favor of Your Vote: the Foodbuzz Blog Awards
There was a time a year or two ago when it seemed like every month there was some other set of awards for bloggers to compete for. It's been quiet for a while now, but in conjunction with the upcoming (sold-out) Foodbuzz Bloggers Festival, they have launched the Foodbuzz Blog Awards. If you read this blog, then chances are you read a number of them, and so you may want to go check out the nominees. Vinography has been graciously nominated along with several other excellent wine blogs in two categories: Best Wine Blog, and Blogger You Would Most Like... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 14, 2009 10:30 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Musings on Vanity Wineries
There aren't a lot of pejorative terms in the world of wine, but I've heard the term "Vanity Winery" more than once used with derision. I was talking with someone just the other day about a winery that I happen to be a fan of in Napa and they asked me with some incredulity, "but isn't that just a vanity winery?" In this case, it most certainly wasn't, but I got to thinking about just what this person was getting at. The term vanity vinery as I understand it, refers to a winery started and owned by someone wealthy, whose... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 13, 2009 9:22 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Wine Blogs are Now* Regulated by the FTC
This morning the Federal Trade Commission announced a new set of rules specifically targeting blogs like this one. In short, the Federal Government says that *as of December 1st, 2009, all sample products sent to bloggers must be disclosed in any coverage of those products. Here's the press release about the rules, here's the full text of the current rules, and here's the document that outlines the new changes that will be added to cover bloggers and other New Media. (PDF) While the execution of these rules was slightly flawed, leaving much ambiguity and unanswered questions, rules like this aren't... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 5, 2009 9:58 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Shipping Wine in the Heat: Speed and Styrofoam
I order most of my wine online. Hell, even when I'm buying it at a store in my city, I still order it online most of the time so I can have it ready when I go down and pick it up. But often, I'm buying more obscure wines that I find at random retailers out there on the Internet, or I'm just scouring for a deal, so quite often I'm in the position of having wine shipped to me. I'm a big believer in making sure that my wine gets treated right from the point it leaves the winery... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 4, 2009 10:04 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Wine Will Never Smell the Same Again: Luca Turin and the Science of Scent
I've recently discovered someone that I think may be perhaps the greatest writer of tasting notes in the history of the English language. He's not a wine critic, and the notes aren't about wine. But Luca Turin can write about what he smells better than anyone I have ever seen. Luca Turin is many things, but perhaps most of all he is a scientist. But then again that may be too small a word for a man whose career has consisted of smashing down many of the walls that divide traditional scientific disciplines. Pioneer might better describe this man who... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 3, 2009 9:49 PM
- Filed under: Book Reviews , Ramblings and Rants
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How to Kill a Wine Brand
In my other life, the one I lead in the business world, I've been involved with or close to the acquisition of several services companies by a larger one. And I have to say, they have always been a bit of a train wreck. Such mergers, acquisitions, or significant ownership stakes always look great on paper, but invariably, when it comes to the real world, rubber meets the road stuff of integration, more often than not, it's a disaster. These disasters seem to arise from one of two main areas: cultural conflicts between the two companies, and/or differing priorities on... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 22, 2009 1:39 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Natural Wine: The Panel Transcript
I find it quite fascinating that in many ways, the cutting edge of winemaking today involves a return to quite ancient methods, and a principled rejection of many of the innovations that have produced such an increase in the volume and quality of wine around the world. It's not unlike the progression of communications technology in the business world. First no one had cell phones, then the richest early adopting business people had cell phones, then everyone had cell phones, and now some of the world's visionary CEO's and business leaders pride themselves on not having cell phones (or even... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 7, 2009 10:05 PM
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Gold Medals Do Not Mean Good Wine: Actual Proof?
Bear with me while I get this out of the way: I told you so. I've taken a lot of flak here at Vinography for my stance on the competition, state and county fair medals that wineries like to make a big deal about. I think they're all bunk -- useless to the consumer, and a waste of money for the wineries trying to win them. For reference, I suggest you look at my posts entitled: Stop The State Fair Madness and Wine Competitions are One Big Racket. My opinion has been based up until this point on purely anecdotal... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 1, 2009 9:42 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Small Signs of Troubled Times in the Top Tier of Wine
I'm not the most plugged in person when it comes to the California wine industry. I'm not a buyer, a salesperson, or a marketer, and certainly have no real visibility into what's going on behind the scenes at any wineries, even with a fair number of winemaker friends. Consequently, I'm a bit of an outsider when it comes to measuring the impact of this recession on the California wine industry. But the picture that I'm starting to piece together from tidbits here and there is somewhat sobering -- not the calamity that is the U.S. Auto Industry, but certainly what... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 26, 2009 10:48 PM
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Testing the Old Spoon in the Champagne Bottle Trick
I don't know exactly when I was first told, but for years I've "known" that if you want to keep a bottle of opened Champagne from going flat, you drop a silver spoon into the neck of the bottle, handle first. Sort of like knowing you shouldn't go swimming for an hour after you eat, this trick with the spoon seems to be yet another proclamation from the infamous Department of They. You know the one. "They" say you shouldn't go outside on a cold day with a wet head, because you'll catch a cold. Why not? Well that's just... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 24, 2009 10:35 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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When Biodynamic and Organic Winegrowing Might Not Work
I recently moderated a panel of Biodynamic winemakers for the SF Chefs. Food. Wine event that took place here in San Francisco. We tasted through their wines, and then got down and dirty on Biodynamics with the audience. At one point someone in the audience asked whether anyone anywhere in the world could produce Biodynamic wine, or whether only some people could. This was a very good question, and one I've often thought about myself more than once. Biodynamics, for those less familiar with the practice, forbids the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and forbids or extremely limits the use... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 17, 2009 9:12 PM
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Introducing the Vinography Wine Club
This blogging business stinks. You can't make any money at it. Advertising revenues are plummeting, readership is down, and those readers that are left only want to read heartwarming stories of human compassion or stories about 9.5 rated wines under $8. So what's a blogger to do? I'll start a wine club! But of course, I have my journalistic integrity to worry about. So to insulate this desperate move to generate capital, I want to assure you that I'm merely exploiting the Vinography brand and nothing more. To be honest, it's not even me that will be exploiting it. I've... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 14, 2009 9:22 PM
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Wine Geek Out: What They Know About Oxygen and Wine
Forgive the pocket protector with the waiter's friend protruding from it: I'm a wine geek at heart and sometimes I can't help myself. If you would rather just drink good wine without thinking at all about how it is made, close your browser right now, because things are about to get geeky, thanks to a great article by my fellow blogger and wine science buff Jamie Goode. We still don't know a lot of things about wine. It's a complex animal, where a lot of variables are in play, and direct cause and effect relationships are often difficult to pin... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 12, 2009 11:16 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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A Book for the Wine Lover That Hates to Read
A lot of wine books get published every year, and not many of them are very good, especially for wine lovers that would rather drink than read about wine. Even the well written ones fail to satisfy in one department -- they don't taste very good. Perhaps this is what the publisher Kraken Opus was thinking when they came up with the idea for their newest wine book: The Wine Opus. Either that or they have a sinister plot to give hernias to the world's richest wine lovers -- at least those that do their own lifting. Decanter magazine reports... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 18, 2009 5:38 PM
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Lest We Forget the Average Wine Drinker....
It's quite easy to be lulled into a false sense of reality in any number of ways in our lives. We extrapolate so much from our own experience that we tend to forget that most of us live in little bubbles, amidst an outside world that often bears little resemblance to ourselves. I very much appreciate, and in some cases seek out, opportunities to be reminded that the world of wine I live in is not the world of the average wine consumer. While I tend to buy most of my wine from the smaller, independent wine merchants that I... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 15, 2009 11:03 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Why You Still Can't Buy the Wine You Want
It's difficult, but if I concentrate hard, I can remember a time when you couldn't order stuff on the Internet. Of course, that was only about 12 years ago, but I'm part of Generation X and we have short attention spans. I certainly take for granted the fact that most everything I would want to buy for myself is available online, and that includes the wine I drink. I have the dual privilege of living in the state of California, as well as being fully plugged into the Internet (if I could get an implant, I would). This means that... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 8, 2009 6:58 PM
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Independence for the Modern Wine Drinker
Happy Independence Day from the United States, where we're celebrating the historical casting off of the "chains" in which our "colonial rulers" bound us. As the fireworks burst and crackle unseen through the fog here in San Francisco and I catch up on my reading from around the blogosphere, I've been musing on whether the average wine drinker has anything to celebrate in the way of independence these days. The first and most dear form of independence for me as you might imagine is the freedom from dependence on the Powers That Be for information, opinion, and insight when it... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on July 4, 2009 11:07 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Do We Have eBay to Thank for All That Counterfeit Wine?
If you aren't yet aware of the fact that fake wine is a big deal, you will be soon. It's coming to a theater near you. Billionaires getting swindled by fake bottles of wine purportedly belonging to Thomas Jefferson aside, as the world's greatest wines continue to climb in price, wine fraud continues to increase in frequency and in value. At this point, the fakery of wines has become a big business. No one knows just how large, but some wine experts say the real figure is probably shudderingly large: millions of dollars worth, to be sure, and perhaps even... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 28, 2009 9:43 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Highlights from the 2009 Aspen Food & Wine Classic
I just returned from a weekend as a speaker at the 27th annual Aspen Food & Wine Classic, the grandaddy of all food and wine festivals. This was my second opportunity to attend the festival as a speaker, and, like the first year, a doubly special honor, as Aspen also happens to be my home town. DAY 0 I got the opportunity to kick off the weekend's festivities as the guest speaker at a luncheon for the Aspen Chamber Resort Association. My job was to entertain, to guide the attendees through the wines selected for the lunch, and to thank... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 22, 2009 9:05 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine Activities
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Let the Good Wine Take a Back Seat
Last night I went out for dinner with a couple of colleagues from a business strategy course that I've been taking for a while. One of them has taught me an awful lot in the past couple months, and I've been working with them both to create a presentation that we successfully delivered to a group of 34 of our fellow students today. Naturally, I brought a good bottle of wine to dinner, and we drank it while getting to know each other better, and talking about the challenges and opportunities we each face in our businesses. The conversation was... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 5, 2009 9:33 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Vinography on Women and Wine Radio
For those who may crave a little more multi-media around these parts, I'm happy to let you know that I recently sat down with Julie Brosterman of Women and Wine Radio for a chat about Vinography, wine, travel, and the state of the wine blogging world. Julie runs a wine shop in Los Angeles and has been doing podcasts for a long time. We've been meaning to catch up, and finally got the chance last week. Julie is a gracious host, and we had a very nice conversation which you can listen to if you like on her weekly podcast... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on June 1, 2009 10:31 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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The Chinese Roots of California Wine
Every time I visit Meadowood in Napa Valley, I find myself spending time in front of a reproduction of an engraving that hangs somewhere in most of their rooms. It is entitled "The vintage in California, at work at the wine presses" and was the work of an artist named Paul Frenzeny in the late 1800's for Harpers Weekly. Here's what it looks like (click the image to view it full size): I probably looked at this engraving half a dozen times before I noticed the details that now make it fascinating to me. In short, most of the people... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 23, 2009 9:38 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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All That Grand Cru Wine is not Worthless After All
In the real olden days, grape farmers had to deal with plagues of locusts, rampaging armies, and all manner of biblical-scale disasters. When things settled down in the 16th and 17th centuries, most of the European folks making wine got pretty complacent, until a little bug came along and wiped 98% of their vineyards off the face of the planet. Eventually everyone got over Phylloxera, and the wine world settled back into its groove, and for a while it seemed that the scourges of old might not continue into the modern era. Safe from locusts, boll weevils, and all manner... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 20, 2009 11:06 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Wine and Architecture
Wine and architecture have a long history together. If architecture is frozen music, then wine is liquid weather. Each transmutes something into a whole greater than the sum of its parts. But beyond this metaphorical kinship, wine has often inspired (and funded) the creation of grand architecture. And vice versa. From the early castles and monasteries to the great estates of the Old World, wineries have long been marked by great edifices. In no small part, this doubtless resulted from the simple realities of economics. Those who could afford to own the land, hire the workers, and produce the wine... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 15, 2009 10:37 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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The Soft, Hidden Underbelly of Wine Sales
Here's an e-mail that a little bird forwarded to me the other day. Names have been redacted to protect the innocent. Hey [winebuyer for fancy restaurant], I am going out on a limb here, I know, but I want to ask you for your absolute honesty. Please... I will be disappointed, but not unsurprised if you do not answer. Tell me why you are and have always been uninterested in [my winery's] wine? You are a true professional - I know this - that is why I am asking. What is it about our wines that does not attract you?... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 11, 2009 9:48 PM
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The Blind Wine Taster
Show's the size of the rock I've been living under, but I just found out about the series of photo essays and audio recordings that the New York Times has been doing called "One in 8 Million." These slide shows focus on individual New Yorkers and tell a little of their story with some gorgeous photographs and a recording of their own words. Interestingly, the most recent slideshow was about a woman named Alexandra Elman who lost her sight due to diabetes in 1995, but has kept up her career as a wine consultant nonetheless. For the past 14 years... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 10, 2009 9:18 PM
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All He Wanted Was a Bottle of Wine After Work
I've been working really hard lately. Not here on Vinography, but at the day job that pays the bills. So I can understand the desire to get off work, grab a bottle of wine, and relax a little. Apparently though, that's not so easy if you're any sort of uniformed service officer in the UK. There, they've got laws that say, if you're wearing your uniform, you don't get to buy alcohol. Presumably, this law exists because there either was a problem at one time with uniformed public servants drunk on the job, or simply because politicians and the public... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 9, 2009 10:35 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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The Future of Wine: Urban Vineyards?
In an age of backlash against big-business agriculture and of increasing value placed on local, sustainable living, the phenomenon known as urban farming flourishes. From tiny planters on the balconies of chic lofts to reclaimed industrial lots, city dwellers in some of America's larger urban centers are finding joy and sustenance in growing their own organic food. And if people can grow tomatoes and corn in an old vacant lot, then why can't they grow wine grapes? My friend, winemaker Bryan Harrington, has planted Pinot Noir in several places within the San Francisco city limits over the years and I... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 7, 2009 10:12 PM
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The Fine Wine Bubble of the Early 21st Century
While in most media circles, the larger global economic meltdown consumes the lion's share of attention, the wine world is experiencing its own nasty correction. Many top wineries, especially those with bottle prices over $80 find themselves struggling to sell their wines as the usual outlets are simply refusing purchases that they used to beg for. Vegas restaurants, long-standing bastions of "I don't care what it costs as long as it sounds expensive" buying habits, are dumping their allocations of high-end wines like ballast water from an unstable ship. Cult wineries with mailing lists that had waiting lists thousands of... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on May 6, 2009 11:43 PM
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Tartar Control Chardonnay: Wine Fights Cavities?
Once upon a time I thought that one of the topics that I would write about with regularity would be the health effects of drinking wine. I quickly found out that attempting to do this would be a full time occupation, as it seems that literally several times per week there are new "discoveries" about the benefits of a diet that includes regular wine drinking. For instance, this latest study about how red wine helps you think more clearly. As an aside, that article is a perfect example of how the reporting on such scientific studies is worse than horrible.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 15, 2009 9:36 PM
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Somali Pirates Take Ransom in Wine
Apparently the stepped-up patrols of U.S. warships off the coast of Somalia and increased vigilance on the part of ships' captains in the area have not been enough to prevent yet another freighter hijacking. According to CNN, early yesterday Somali pirates in several small boats were able to pull alongside and board the Matriarch, a Delaware-based freighter. Despite the known danger of operating in the coastal waters off of Africa's eastern coast south of the Suez Canal, the crew of the Matriarch were unarmed, and unable to offer any resistance to the pirates, who quickly brought the vessel to a... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on April 1, 2009 12:01 AM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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The Rise of the Shotgun Wine Company
I've noticed an interesting phenomenon lately, one that has become observable to me as the number of unsolicited wine samples I get continues to increase. More and more new wineries are taking a shotgun approach to the market, spewing out wines and seeing what they can hit. Usually my wine samples come in a compact little box, with one or two or four bottles carefully nestled inside, along with a note or a press release or whatever the winery wants to send me about the wine. But with some frequency I am now getting huge case boxes, rattling and squeaking... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 26, 2009 10:21 PM
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For Your Next Wine Vacation....
Did I mention that I love the Internet? Where else, and how else, could we discover the ultimate wine lover's dream vacation: visiting the charming Dutch, eating fabulous cheese, drinking good wine, and going to sleep at night in a giant wine vat: I can't believe I missed the chance to check this out the last couple of times I was in the Netherlands. Apparently the Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren features guest rooms built inside 14,500 liter wine-casks! That's totally worth the 2-3 hour train ride from Amsterdam next time I'm there. I know I would definitely like to... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 22, 2009 10:05 PM
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Vinography Aroma Card Now Available in Japanese
When I published the Vinography Aroma Card two years ago I had no idea that it was going to be such a hit. I had been thinking of doing it as a little project for years after getting fed up with seeing all these aroma and flavor guides set up as round wheels in a way that made absolutely no sense to me. I guess I wasn't alone in that frustration. Apparently no one else in the world has a round wallet either. The original card has been downloaded thousands of times since it was posted a couple of years... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 12, 2009 11:46 PM
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And For the Wine Lover that has Everything...
We present the most awesome (let's admit it, the ONLY) steampunk corkscrew and wine pourer we've ever seen. All I want to know is whether it comes with the guy in the tux to crank the handle for you. You gotta see this: And if you have to ask which room of your house you put it in, you can't afford it. This thing needs a special room all its own. Via Gizmodo via Cooking Gadgets.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 10, 2009 5:07 PM
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Vinography and the American Wine Blog Awards
Yesterday Vinography won Best Writing on a Wine Blog, and Best Overall Wine Blog for the second year in a row in the 2009 American Wine Blog Awards, and I want to thank you all for making it happen, especially those of you who took the time to vote for me in the process. But regardless of whether or not you voted for me, or even voted at all, your readership remains the primary reason that I continue to write, and I want to thank you for that from the bottom of my heart. And since this already sounds like... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 6, 2009 10:20 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Respectfully Asking for Your Vote
Today is the last day to vote in the 2009 American Wine Blog Awards, the only real contest of its kind for the folks who tap away day after day with something to say about wine on the Web. If you're reading this blog, then chances are you read several wine blogs, and so you know a thing or two about what makes for good wine content in this alternative universe that some call the blogosphere. And if that's true, then I'd like to urge you to vote in these awards, as your opinion is the most valuable criteria in... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 4, 2009 6:04 PM
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Drink What You've Got: Wine in Troubled Times
The current recession offers a blessing in disguise for many wine lovers. Even those whose decreased purchasing power means they can't buy wine like they used to. For many wine lovers, the instinct to collect is strong. Beyond the dopamine rush of finding new wines to own, which may not be that far removed from the buzz of the compulsive gambler, the benefit of aging wines adds an allure to socking away bottles that can be hard to resist, especially if you have the financial means to do so. One of the great pleasures of being a wine lover comes... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on March 3, 2009 10:19 PM
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Tonight is Open That Bottle Night
For the last ten years, the final Saturday in February has become an important night for wine lovers around the world. Each year, this particular Saturday provides the excuse to open that special bottle of wine that you've got tucked away for that special occasion that never seems to arrive. Open That Bottle Night was invented by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, the husband-and-wife team that writes the wine column for the Wall Street Journal. Here's how they described their invention of this night in their memoir, Love by the Glass, after writing a column about how people should... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 28, 2009 4:06 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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In Search of the Cynical Winemaker
I had a conversation the other night with a fellow wine writer that unsettled me. We were tasting a number of different wines, and comparing notes on a few that weren't so hot, and that's when she said something along the lines of "Can you believe how cynical these winemakers must be?" At first, I wasn't quite understanding what she meant, but as we talked, it became clear that she meant quite literally, that many winemakers in Napa are making wine that they know is bad, just because they think it is what the public wants. She went on to... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 26, 2009 10:14 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Cast Your Vote in the 2009 American Wine Blog Awards
The finalists for the 2009 edition of the American Wine Blog Awards have been announced, and I'm pleased to report that Vinography is up for three awards: Best Writing, Best Wine Reviews, and Best Overall Wine Blog. I've been publishing this blog for more than 5 years now, and one of the most satisfying aspects of this (second) job of mine continues to be the support that I receive from readers like you. That support manifests in many ways: the comments you leave on the site, the fact that you even bother to come back here to read every day,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 25, 2009 10:45 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Eric Asimov and the Tyranny of the Tasting Note in American Wine Culture
As many of you know, I spent the last week as a speaker and attendee at the fifth annual Symposium for Professional Wine Writers. The conference is a wonderful break from my day job, and an opportunity to fully exercise a region of my brain and a personal passion that only squeezes out in dribs and drabs here every day. One of the best sessions at this year's conference was a talk given by my friend Eric Asimov, the chief wine critic for the New York Times, entitled The Tyranny of The Tasting Note. Over the course of about 45... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 22, 2009 9:06 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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We Need Another French Revolution
My beloved Gallic friends: you've done it once before, and now it is time again to rise up and overthrow the tyrannical laws that threaten to hobble your future. France is in danger and she needs her people to join together and walk the path of righteousness instead of descending into evil. We all knew President Sarkozy was a teetotaler before he was elected. But one of the planks of his platform for election was to be the reform of the ailing wine industry. And, indeed, the government took some steps in the right direction at one point, though there... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 20, 2009 9:28 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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At The Symposium for Professional Wine Writers
This afternoon I again had the honor of joining some of the best wine writers in the world for the beginning of a three day discussion of the craft of wine writing. This is my third year as a speaker and moderator at this event, which features some of the true luminaries of the wine world. This year I, and the other sixty-or-so folks who are attending, will have a chance to share a glass of wine and some thoughts with Eric Asimov of the New York Times, Elin McCoy of Bloomberg, Corie Brown (most recently) of the LA Times,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 17, 2009 6:01 PM
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Cocaine is Not a Good Substitute for a Nice Glass of Wine
Listen, wine drinkers. I know times are tough. Everyone has less disposable income these days, and it's tougher than ever to justify paying a lot for wine. That's why champagne sales have plummeted, and there's a constant fire sale on most wines that cost more than $100 these days. We all have to do what we can to manage in these economic times, and if that means cutting back on wine consumption, or buying lower priced bottles, so be it. There are other things that are more important than wine, so it's OK to trade down a little. But whatever... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 12, 2009 9:37 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Winners of the DWR Champagne Chair Contest Announced
Some of you may remember my little piece about one of my favorite holiday traditions, the DWR Champagne Chair contest, where furniture retailer Design Within Reach challenges creative people around the world to design a miniature chair using only the closure materials from a single bottle of sparkling wine. Working in the design industry, I'm always tickled to see a convergence of wine and design, as it's unfortunately none too common. This contest produces some truly inspired work every year, as people around the world fiddle with cork, wire, foil, and all manner of strange tools to produce tiny chairs... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 11, 2009 6:47 PM
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How Your Wine Gets Here, and Goes Bad Along the Way
As Americans we have a reputation for not knowing, or even wanting to know, where our food comes from. It's a stereotype to be sure, but like all stereotypes, it has more than a grain of truth behind it. But if we give little thought to how our steaks get into those little styrofoam containers with the shrink wrap, we give even less thought to how exactly the bottles we buy get onto the shelves we pull them down from. If we did, we might think twice about plunking down $30 for a random bottle of wine in our local... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 4, 2009 10:12 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Nominations are Open for the 2009 American Wine Blog Awards
You, dear readers, are here because you "get it." You most likely understand what is the point of a wine blog in the first place. You're out there (here? everywhere?) enjoying finding out about wine and exploring your passion in a new medium. Chances are, if you're like many readers, this is only one of several wine blogs that you read, or at least check in with from time to time. We wine bloggers thank you for your continued support, and in that spirit of support I would like to urge you to participate in the third annual American Wine... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on February 3, 2009 4:25 PM
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The Science of Scent
How exactly it is that we smell (the verb, not the adjective) continues to be somewhat of a mystery, even despite the "advanced" state of modern biochemistry and neurology. The more research we do, the more we continue to be amazed at how sophisticated our equipment is for detecting and appreciating aromas. So sophisticated, in fact, that we've started moving away from chemistry and biology to explain it, and into the realm of quantum mechanics. One of the world's leading scientists in the field of scent is a guy named Luca Turin. Dr. Turin is a biophysicist that got interested... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 31, 2009 11:02 PM
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Crackpots, Wackos, Nutjobs and Wine: a Winning Combination.
Some of the best wines I've ever had in my life seem to have one strange thing in common. They are made by people that, depending on your mood, might be described as cranks, hermits, crackpots, wackos, or eccentrics. Winemaking it seems, tends to either bring out the strangeness in people, or it tends to simply attract the strange ones. Every wine writer has at one time or another compared wine to alchemy, myself included. Such comparisons invariably focus on the magical qualities of wine that somehow end up being more than the sum of their parts. But the characterization... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 27, 2009 11:26 PM
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Tough Time to be a Wine Writer
In a contracting economy, the last things you want to sell are goods and services that people consider discretionary luxuries. Wine, especially bottles costing more than $15 certainly fits in that category. From limp auction results to the massive flushing sound of Champagne sales going down the toilet, those who sell expensive wines are scrambling to avoid losing their shirts as demand drops, at least for the moment. Apparently the next worst thing to be, apart from someone who sells wine these days, is a wine writer. With the downward spiral of print ad spending and a similar trajectory to... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 20, 2009 9:33 PM
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Five Years of Vinography
Did you ever forget your birthday was coming up and only realized a few days after the fact that you'd missed it? Amidst the post-holiday cleanup and beginning of the New Year we passed a milestone here at Vinography. When I started this blog five years ago I had no idea where it was going to take me. It was merely a personal project that became a creative outlet, that became an excuse to drink more wine, that became something entirely with a life of its own. I'm not entirely sure when this blog ceased to be an experiment and... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 19, 2009 10:22 PM
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Good Time to Get on Those Winery Mailing Lists
Buy low, sell high, the saying goes. And don't forget to take advantage of the downturn if you can. I wrote two months ago about how now is a good time to buy wine. The auction markets continue to soften, as my buddy Eric Asimov noted recently. It also occurs to me, however, that if you were in the habit of or aspire to buy high-end wine, now might also be a great time to get on top winery mailing lists. The most sought after wines in America are sold almost exclusively to their mailing list customers. Getting on these... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 14, 2009 10:00 PM
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Personal Terroir: The Individual Language of Taste
I received an interesting question by e-mail the other day that prompted some interesting thoughts, and with the permission of the person who sent it to me, I'm going to reprint it here, and do my best to answer it, as well as hope that my readers may have additional things to say. Subject: An Asian palate? Hi Alder, I am a sommelier and work as a wine educator in Italy. I am European and usually have American or European guests for my wine tastings. I do know a thing or two about the differences in the palates of these... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 11, 2009 11:49 PM
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The Travesty of Wine and Social Class in America
There are a lot of things that I would like to change about wine in America. I'd love to lower the prices, reduce the influence of scores on buying patterns, increase consumption, broaden the varieties that we consume, and on and on. I've got a long list the next time any omnipotent being comes along and asks my opinion on the situation. But if I had to choose one thing, above all else, that really needs changing when it comes to America and wine, I would choose to destroy the association between wine and the upper class. The fact that... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on January 8, 2009 10:48 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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The Intersection of Wine and Design: The DWR Champagne Chair Contest™
It's pretty rare for the two halves of my life to intersect. As some of you know, by day I run a design agency, while by night I write this blog. There's very little overlap between the worlds of design and wine, except perhaps in the realm of wine packaging design, which is fodder for an entirely different niche blog somewhere no doubt. Other than occasionally bragging about the design work that my firm does that is wine related, I don't find many occasions to explore these two hemispheres of my brain in a joint fashion. But every year around... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 30, 2008 1:51 PM
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American and Italian Wine: Movin' on Up!
I'm a proud papa, though I don't think myself at all unique in my position. When my little daughter figured out how to roll over this week and shake her head back and forth, I knew it was only a matter of time before she would get her MENSA membership card and first Olympic gold medal. Nothing quite stirs our emotions like the successes of our own children, but I have to say I got a little verklempt last week more than once over happenings in the wine world. I know, I know. I am a total and complete wine... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 23, 2008 4:16 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Don't Try This At Home. At Least Not With Good Wine.
I love the Internet. If only because it never ceases to be a source of moments that leave you scratching your head, jaw dropped, laughing hysterically, or in some cases, a mix of all three. For instance, this image... ...which was posted to Reddit earlier today with no explanation other than the title: "Bottle of wine to the FACE!" My guess is that this is one of the new components of the oral examination for the 2009 Masters of Wine curriculum. Thanks to Jack at Fork & Bottle for the tipoff.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 21, 2008 6:19 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Holiday Gifts for Wine Lovers: The Only Advice You Need
I take special (perhaps even perverse) pride in eschewing all the typical seasonal storylines that are churned out, regular as clockwork by the wine media all across the country. I don't hold it against most wine journalists that they write about pink wines in the summer, what to pair with Thanksgiving dinner, which bubblies to drink at New Years, etc. etc. Their editors come to them begging for such stories. I don't have an editor, and you'll never get such articles from me, both because I find them trite, and because I tend to disagree with most of what they... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 19, 2008 11:26 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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The ISP vs. the Wine Blog
The company that hosts this blog (Dreamhost) just got themselves on the list for a stocking full of coal this Christmas. For the last 4 days I have been unable to publish new entries here on Vinography because... well, no one seems to know. What I DO know is that without receiving any notifications from them, my account was moved to a new server, my mail server failed and was not replaced, and for four days I've been trying to get technical support to help me, and all I've received is a single e-mail saying "everything looks fine to me."... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 14, 2008 1:45 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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The Sadness and Irony of a Wine Museum
Meet Michel Chasseuil. He's 67, drives a beat-up old car, never goes on vacation, and is perhaps not unlike so many aging Frenchmen of his generation. He does have one particular thing that makes him somewhat unique, and of great interest to most anyone interested in fine wine, however. Chasseuil owns what many consider to be the greatest single wine collection in the world: 20,000 bottles of 18th, 19th and 20th century wines from the world's greatest producers, especially those in France. He started off as a serious wine enthusiast and investor, and the thrill of collecting eventually took over,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on December 10, 2008 11:58 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Wine Twitters by Vinography
I'm an odd combination of early adopter and time starved executive. This means that I tend to know about and explore most Internet technologies as they hit the streets (and sometimes before) but I can't be bothered to really dive into them until I see a compelling reason to justify the time and effort of doing so, and more importantly until I know I have the bandwidth to use them effectively. Add to that the healthy skepticism gained from using the Internet since 1988 and living and working through the epicenter of the dot.com bust of 2000 and I'm quite... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 30, 2008 11:13 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Put a Cork in it: Screwcap Wine Closures Are Not Endangering Animals!
Why do I feel like the wine media watchdog these days? Maybe the holiday spirit brings out the misinformation campaigns like no other time of the year. Or perhaps journalists are getting lazy and are scrounging for material that they can recycle out of press releases they have stuffed in the bottom drawers of their desks. So what's the rant about? Today's piece of crap in the Telegraph, entitled "Screw Cap Wine Bottles Threaten Rare Species." The occasion for repeating this completely asinine claim that somehow if we don't stop using screwcaps all those delicate ecosystems of the cork forests... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 29, 2008 5:13 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Now is a Very Good Time to Buy Wine
If I had some extra cash laying around right now, in addition to plowing it into the stock market, I'd likely be out there buying investment grade wine, as well as wine from my favorite expensive producers. If you're a consumer of news about the wine industry, then you understand what is going on in the wine retailing and wine auction world at the moment. On the chance that Vinography might be one of your sole sources of contact with the wine world, let me bring you up to speed: the wine market is doing what the Dow Jones Industrial... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 28, 2008 9:58 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Stop The Thanksgiving Wine Recommendations!
I read a lot of wine writing. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. And when I say read, I mean, well, I scan all the headlines, and I read a good portion of it. Magazines, newspapers, hundreds of blogs. It's overwhelming at times, and damned hard work. But I enjoy it. Except for two particular times of year. The first is mid-summer, when everyone seems to be writing the exact same article about "Summer Sippers," white and pink wines that are as refreshing as they are delicious. But ever so much more evil and mind-numbing than... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 21, 2008 10:27 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Ye Olde Wine Shoppe
When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do on the weekends was to go to garage sales. I liked looking at all the stuff that other people had (which I didn't) but perhaps more importantly, I loved that I could buy it for a nickel. Or something like that. I'm sure my mother did, too, since we couldn't exactly afford shopping sprees at ToysRUs. I don't know when was the last garage sale I visited, but I'm pretty sure there wasn't anything there for a nickel. It's easy to get nostalgic about what amazing things we... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 20, 2008 11:36 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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The Skeptic's Guide to Biodynamic Wine
The average wine consumer has no idea what it means for a wine to be organic. And when it comes to Biodynamic wines, most wine drinkers have never even heard of them. But that doesn't matter, because an increasing number of the most sought-after, expensive wines in the world are biodynamically produced, which means that biodynamics is one of the most significant modern trends in global winemaking. The only problem (for those who care) is that biodynamic winemaking involves a maddening, paradoxical mixture of scientifically sound farming practices and utterly ridiculous new-age mysticism. If you want to know just how... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 19, 2008 11:10 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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The Truth About American Wine Drinking
Looks like a piece of news slipped by me a couple of months ago. Every year I look forward to a report, which more than any other single piece of news, speaks the truth about the state of wine in America. Restaurant Wine magazine commissions and publishes a report every year on the top 100 wines and top 100 wine brands sold in restaurants around the country, from family diners to fine dining restaurants. Based on the simple measure of how many cases of each wine were sold at these restaurants, we get a picture of the most important person... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 11, 2008 10:50 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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I Don't Understand San Francisco Wine Week
Perhaps I'm just getting too old, but I can't for the life of me really understand what San Francisco Wine Week is all about. Here we are living in one of the greatest wine and food cities of the world. We're spoiled rotten when it comes to our wine and food. We expect, and regularly receive great local ingredients in our food, an incredible selection of wines from California and around the world, and completely take for granted the fact that we can bring a bottle of our favorite wine to any restaurant we like. If there was ever a... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 9, 2008 10:23 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Semi-Debunking Wild Yeast Fermentation in Wine
If you've read many wine labels, especially those of wines that cost more than $25, you've almost certainly seen on that contains the phrase "fermented with wild yeasts" or "native yeast fermentation." This indication that the winemaker has not used a so-called "commercial" yeast is often a telltale clue as to the overall philosophy of the winemaker. Making wine without commercial yeasts can be more difficult, more unpredictable, and more risky than some are willing to accept. Those who do eschew commercial yeasts often do so because they are committed to making what they believe is a more natural wine,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 7, 2008 9:41 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Three Cheers For a Wine Democracy
I've always privately believed that if everyone just drank a bit more wine, the world would be a better place. Who knows if that's really true, but apparently it's quite likely that if everyone drank more wine, the world would be more democratic. According to analysis by Jon Bonné, Wine Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, Obama was elected by The Wine Vote. What's that, you ask? Wine drinking liberal elitists? Guilty as charged. But get this little statistic: Amount of wine produced in states that McCain won: 4.3 Million Gallons Amount of wine produced in states that Obama won:... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 6, 2008 9:06 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Wine and the Flavor of Curiousity
I never tire of looking out an airplane window at the shifting landscape below, mottled with the patchy light of cloud and shadow. The view is always new, fluid and streaming like the same river that we are told we never cross twice. Wine holds the same fascination for the same reasons, as if that proverbial river was bottled but still moving -- shifting and changing in defiance of its containment. Whenever I have the good fortune to drink older wines, I am reminded that they indeed move and shift in their own time, as if, like dogs and hummingbirds... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on November 3, 2008 8:28 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Dangerous Wine or Dangerous Reporting?
I look up to journalists. I really do. They actually get paid for doing what I play at here every day, and most of them are way better at it than I am. But every once in a while someone publishes a story that makes me wonder how we all manage to avoid riding journalists out of town on a rail. Witness the headlines that are rapidly rocketing their way across the internet: Heavy Metals Found in Wine, Metals in wine may be health danger, and Euro wines carrying potentially dangerous levels of heavy metals. If this is really true,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 29, 2008 11:23 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Is There Any Point to Negative Wine Reviews?
A little less than five years ago when I started this blog, I naively thought that I might try to do something different from all those big wine critics. They were only telling part of the story, I said to myself, but I was going to tell the whole thing. I wasn't going to pull the punches that I felt everyone else was avoiding. I decided I was going to write negative wine reviews -- just what the world needed. Or so I thought. I think my pioneering attitude lasted about six weeks, after which I was left with a... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 27, 2008 11:14 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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A Conference for Wine Bloggers
A strange concept if there ever was one. A gathering of more than 150 wine bloggers in one place. Such a notion conjures a medley of reactions in my brain, but mostly it makes me feel old. "Why Sonny, I remember when there were only three wine blogs in the world..." I had planned on attending the entire two-and-a-half day event in Santa Rosa, California, but then my wife Ruth fell ill, and all sorts of things got put on hold. As a result I've driven up today to speak in one of the breakout sessions with my friend Tom... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 25, 2008 11:52 AM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Wine That Answers the Question: What is This Shit?
Amidst the tumbling financial markets, rapacious campaigning, and international crises of one form or another, we all need to slow down and have a glass of wine. Moreover, we all need to stop taking life quite so seriously. I normally don't look to French winegrowers for a source of amusement -- they are a famously unfunny lot -- but apparently desperate times have brought out some humor in some wine producers in the Languedoc. Faced with low demand for their cooperative produced wines in the face of their region's reputation for producing plonk, a group of winemakers have decided that... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 21, 2008 9:34 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Raise a Fist for French Wine: Vive la France!
Solidarity, people. That's what I'm talking about. The winegrowers of France are outraged. So what else is new? But for once, I'm with them. If I were in France I'd be marching in the streets, arm in arm. Because instead of protesting the lack of subsidies for wine, or screaming about plans to tear out more vineyards, or blowing up buildings to try and raise the price of wine, French winemakers have finally gotten outraged at the right people for the right reasons. Of course, there's no word yet about whether CRAV is actually on board with this particular wave... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 12, 2008 10:55 PM
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Another Reason to Live in Italy
We all have our fantasies. These days mine lean a bit more towards getting more sleep than chance encounters with Salma Hayek. But one thing I've never given up on, no matter how unlikely, is the daydream of one day living in Italy. Any wine lover who's been to the small towns in any one of Italy's wine regions knows what I'm talking about. There's just something about Italy that's truly magical if you're someone who loves food and wine. But I never knew quite how magical it could be, until this week, when the faucets of Marino, Italy started... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on October 10, 2008 9:21 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Confessions of a Wine Counterfeiter
Faked world-class wines are in the news enough these days that I can decisively call them trendy. They've already got a book and their own Hollywood movie on the way. But I didn't know just how chic counterfeit wine was until I found out that my friend Lettie Teague (who happens to be the executive wine editor of Food & Wine Magazine) recently spent some time faking a bottle of 1982 Château Mouton Rothschild for a dinner party. Of course, like many of Teague's most interesting wine-related exploits, this latest adventure was done in the service of a story, which... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 29, 2008 10:16 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Some Thoughts on South African Wine
I've now been in South Africa for about three full days, and I've tasted, by rough estimation, about 300 or more South African wines, ranging from some of the most common, to some of the smallest production, most sought after wines in the country. I've got a ton of tasting notes and scores for all these wines that I'm working on, but in the meantime, I thought I'd ramble a bit about what I'm learning, thinking, and concluding about South Africa, their wine industry, and their wine. GENERAL IMPRESSIONS OF SOUTH AFRICA This place is great. The people are warm,... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 25, 2008 11:07 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Why Do Winemakers Hate Journalists?
Perhaps the only thing worse for winemakers than getting a below average review in a wine publication is being mentioned in any publication that describes itself as investigative. "Normal" journalists, namely those that don't normally focus on food, wine, or lifestyle issues, have a pretty lousy reputation in the wine industry, and sometimes for good reason. Especially when they publish pieces like this. Or when they try for a "new angle" on a particular issue. The issue of ingredient labeling on wine has been discussed at length in the United States, and it's apparently also under discussion in the EU.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 19, 2008 8:50 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Facts and Opinions about High Alcohol Wines
Compared to sports fans, wine lovers of different stripes don't have a lot to have really heated arguments about. Even when my fellow wine geeks get into it about whether Romanee Conti is worth the money, or whether Biodynamics is more voodoo than science, there's less vehemence than you'd find at any pre-season football game. If there is one exception to this rule in the mild mannered arena of mutual wine enjoyment and camaraderie, it may be the modern hysteria about rising alcohol levels in wine. I've written before about the degree to which I think that this is a... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 17, 2008 9:42 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Robert Parker Watch Your Back
In the circles of wine lovers I travel in, many folks make a common observation about the evolving landscape of wine criticism. Namely that the era of Robert M. Parker, Jr. is coming to a close, and a new world of wine critics are emerging. I'm not sure I'd personally describe what I see happening in the wine world in quite those terms, but it's clear that Parker has been doing some succession planning in the past couple of years with many of the new additions to his staff. It's also clear that there are many new voices in the... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 11, 2008 8:57 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Who Should I Visit in South Africa?
About two years ago, I headed off to New Zealand for the first time, armed with lots of recommendations from readers that proved very valuable. I discovered a couple of wines that I had not heard of, and dined at a couple of restaurants that were highlights of my trip. So I'm asking you again, dear readers, for advice. In two weeks I am headed to Cape Wine 2008, the biennial South African wine festival, with a singular goal: to taste as much darn South African wine as I possibly can in 8 days. Lesser goals include: finding a fantastic... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 9, 2008 6:58 PM
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Are EU Lawmakers Going to Destroy the Italian Wine Industry?
France, you get a free pass today. The European Common Market Organization is my newest punching bag when it comes to idiotic wine regulations. I can hardly believe it, but new wine industry reforms proposed by this body apparently will result in the elimination of Italy's DOC and IGT designations for wine. WHAT!?!? If that doesn't make your blood boil, then you're not paying attention. These reforms, which would go into effect in 2009 if adopted, seem to suggest the equivalent action to taking all of the individual Bordeaux appellations and replacing them with just two: "Left Bank" and "Right... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 6, 2008 10:12 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Wine Criticism According to W.H. Auden
At the risk of betraying my political leanings and reinforcing recent suggestions that my home city is filled with cocktail party elitists, I have to admit that (apart from wine) by far the best $14 I spend every year is my subscription to Harper's Magazine. One of my great pleasures in life is sitting down for an uninterrupted session with the "Readings" section of the magazine, which, for those who might be unfamiliar with the publication, is a collection of excerpts, snippits, essays, transcripts, declassified memos, poetry, and all manner of brief things that never fail to delight, inspire, and... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 5, 2008 10:24 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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A Real Nigerian Wine Scam
Anyone who has an e-mail account and has checked it at least once in the last 10 years has probably received an e-mail that begins: DEAR SIR, CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS PROPOSAL HAVING CONSULTED WITH MY COLLEAGUES AND BASED ON THE INFORMATION GATHERED FROM THE NIGERIAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO REQUEST FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE TO TRANSFER THE SUM OF $47,500,000.00 (FORTY SEVEN MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS) INTO YOUR ACCOUNTS. Known as the Nigerian Scam, or more properly an Advanced Fee scam, this sort of fraud has been incredibly successful, despite what may seem... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on September 4, 2008 7:17 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Church Attendance Down? Try Installing a Wine Bar.
At one point in the glorified history of Western civilization, people were beaten or berated if they failed to show up for religious services. You didn't simply put money in the collection box, it was taken from you. But we're in the 21st century, and the church must rely less on force and more on marketing if it wants to hold onto its market share in an increasingly competitive marketplace. In a move that may have been inspired by scripture itself ("Wine was created from the beginning to make men joyful, and not to make men drunk. Wine drunk with... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 30, 2008 10:49 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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Still Seats Left for the Sake Dinner at Manresa
Some of the best meals of my life have been from the kitchen of chef David Kinch at Manresa Restaurant in Los Gatos. I'd take half a tasting menu from him over anything at the French Laundry, any day of the week. Which is why I'm humbled at his continued interest in collaborating with me to provide an unparalleled dining and drinking experience for a few adventurous diners every once in a while. David and I both have an enduring love for Japanese cuisine. If you've ever eaten at Manresa you may have noticed this influence in Chef Kinch's cooking.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 27, 2008 7:35 PM
- Filed under: Food Activities , Ramblings and Rants , Wine Activities
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Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards Exposed as a Total Farce
My colleague Jim Gordon who currently edits Wines & Vines magazine just pointed me to an article on their web site that made my jaw hit the table. Reporting from the recent meeting of the American Society for Wine Economists, writer Peter Mitham describes a presentation by researcher Robin Goldstein, who seems to have performed a sting operation on the Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards and exposed them as a total farce, as part of his ongoing investigations on the perceptions of value and quality in wine. In summary: 1. Researcher invents fake restaurant in Italy. 2. Researcher builds web site... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 19, 2008 8:02 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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When is The Right Time to Establish Wine Appellations?
The birth of a wine region is a fascinating thing to watch, and I'm sure an even more fascinating process to be a part of. Much of the wine that we drink comes from regions that have been established anywhere from decades to centuries ago, but the quest for great wine and great places to grow it (not to mention the changing whims of the global climate) means that there are always new frontiers when it comes to wine growing. All new wine regions begin the same -- with a pioneering spirit and a hell of a lot of determination.... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 16, 2008 8:11 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants , Wine News
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My ISP Owes You an Apology
For the last 18 or so hours, and for some people it may still be so, Vinography has been deader than a doornail, thanks to a botched network upgrade by my hosting provider. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, and I thank you for your patience. This is only the third or fourth time Vinography has gone down in about 5 years, so while it's incredibly annoying, I'm trying to keep it in perspective. The irony of this downtime is that just two days ago I upgraded my Movable Type installation to the new release which dramatically improved the performance of... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 16, 2008 3:28 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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Wine Competitions are One Big Racket
If I ever wanted to make a lot of money in the wine industry, I know just what I'd do. It wouldn't be starting a vineyard, or publishing a book, or making my own wine, or marketing someone else's. No if I wanted to make a pile of money, I'd simply organize a big wine competition. Such competitions and their gold medals are good for one thing and one thing only: making a pile of money for the people who organize them. I don't believe they do a bit of good for the wine industry as a whole, no matter... continue reading
- Posted by: Alder on August 10, 2008 10:03 PM
- Filed under: Ramblings and Rants
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