Category: Ramblings and Rants
Winemaker Musical Chairs
“I’ve never fired a winemaker, they’ve always fired themselves. Every one of them has had their own issues,” said Don
Vinography Turns Nine
My how the time flies. I looked up from my desk today and realized with a shock that today is
France In Crisis, Again: Red Wine Ruins the Tour de France
France is on the ropes when it comes to wine. I reported several weeks ago about the looming disaster of
The Essence of Wine: Grapefruit
Image © 2012 Leigh Beisch Pendulous globes of yellow dangling like suns from their leafy boughs must have been tempting
Is the Wine Writing World Out of Touch?
So where have all these wine bloggers and writers been living for the past 10 years? Under a rock? Last
The December Soap Opera of Wine
Someone once told me that the three most popular types of shows on American public television were, in the following
The Essence of Wine: Licorice
Image © 2012 Leigh Beisch Many of the world’s true delicacies walk the razor’s edge between danger and deliciousness. Licorice
Alder’s American Wines of the Year
One of my embarrassing personal secrets has always been that I have a lousy memory for what I drink. People
A Firestorm of Speculation Over Robert Parker’s “Retirement”
Twitter and the Blogosphere erupted with chatter this morning as Lettie Teague’s article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “Big
The Essence of Wine: Melon
Image © 2012 Leigh Beisch The melon is hard to ignore. Its fullness, dangling awkwardly at the end of a
Forget the Fiscal Cliff. What About the French Wine Cliff?
As American politics becomes consumed with the power play that everyone is calling the fiscal cliff, a far more dire
Why Wine is a Lousy Investment
I’ll admit it. At various times over the years, I’ve flirted with the idea of seriously investing in wine. Not
Napa Valley in Retrospect
Do the wines of Napa share the characteristic of so many of the world’s greatest wines, namely the ability to
The Essence of Wine: Strawberry
Image © 2012 Leigh Beisch Bright gems nestled under tiny green canopies represent the perfect summer treasure for fingers small
Andrew Jefford: The Wine Writer is Dead
. Jefford’s career in writing has been long and varied, including stints at many reputable outlets for journalism and wine
Lead the Armada or Drink Burgundy. Apparently You Can’t Do Both.
, would you do it? If you were in the running for being Chief of the Navy, the correct answer
The Essence of Wine: Lychee
Image © 2012 Leigh Beisch For what other fruit would Chinese emperors establish networks of galloping couriers to deliver it
Let’s Talk Turkey
This morning I woke to the sounds of the muezzin’s call to prayer on the banks of the Bosphorus. Sleeping
The Essence of Wine: Bread
Image © 2012 Leigh Beisch Science suggests that the smell of freshly baked bread calms us and stimulates the brain
