Archive for the 'Opinions and Commentary' Category

Summer is finally here, and with the hot sunny days and warm nights ahead we’re all looking to stock up on our favorite thirst quenchers. Of course, I have my stash of wheat beers, crisp lagers and homebrewed pale ale ready to go for any outdoor social gathering requiring beverages to be served, but I have discovered a new favorite to add to the usual mix: cider. 

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Around two years ago, when I first traveled to Australia, I was struck by the number of winemakers asking my opinions regarding Robert Parker. Not the famous mystery writer–whose books never seem long enough to last me through an entire trip–the other one, who has made a 30-year career out of dispensing vinous advice to consumers.

On the one hand, I was a little taken aback. Although most folks brought up the topic diplomatically enough (”We’re not trying to make a huge, Parkerized style…” followed later by “So what do you think of his tastes, anyway?”), it was still somewhat disconcerting, being asked to comment on another critic’s critiques and preferences.

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I am not a craft brewer, but I sure do wish I was. Maybe that was part of the reason for my recent foray into the homebrew world, as all of the information and reading in the world can’t directly translate into the lessons learned through real-life experience. I’ve been enjoying craft brewers’ fabulous, widely varying concoctions for years now, and yet still, every time I take that first sip of a well-made sudsy libation, I smile and think to myself gosh, do I ever love and respect those folks. The care and integrity that they put in to each and every bottle of their finest is so clearly apparent to those that enjoy their offerings, like an exquisite oil painting or a beautiful sonnet to be thought upon, deconstructed, and savored. Is that too much? Did I mention that I like beer? A lot?

Well, for those of you who are ready to point your finger and laugh at the over-appreciative beer geek, do I have a video to share with you that’s sure to bring you over to the dark, losery side! 

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You think cooking is a cute job, eh? Like Mommy in the kitchen? Well, Mommy never had to face the dinner rush while the orders come flooding in . . . every second counts and you cannot be mommy. –Colette, Ratatouille (2007)

A lot has been written about sexism in the wine and food (specifically restaurant) industry; we tackled the topic ourselves in our October 2008 “Bottle of the Sexes” issue. It came up again for me last November in Philadelphia as I sat on a “Breaking Through the Cork Ceiling” panel discussion with influential women of the wine industry like Martine Saunier and Cristina Mariani-May.  The good news in the wine world at least? Most of us agreed that if you’re smart, hardworking, and take what you do seriously, you’ll get ahead, regardless of the occasional old-boy boneheads who scowl at you when you crash their Victorian frat parties.

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What is it about human nature that pushes us to rate and classify our experiences and objects? I cannot begin to guess how many times I have been asked, “What’s your favorite wine?” My stock answer–and I repeat it here in the hope that at least no one who reads this blog will ask me again–is that it depends.

One of the things I enjoy most about wine is the sheer diversity of it. Given a wide enough selection, I can generally find a wine to please me regardless of the situation, whereas I have yet to find the single wine that will please me all of the time–nor do I particularly want to.

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It’s no secret that New Yorkers are proud of their city. Many who were born here, fall in love quickly and never leave. For those who are into food and wine, New York is an absolute playground with every type of cuisine at your fingertips, often within short blocks of each other. With access to everything, we still have a special pride for native New York foods like great bagels and pizza. It’s no surprise that New York wine regions like the Finger Lakes and Long Island have blossomed to support such an appetite. But for some reason, there is a disconnect.

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One of the hot-button topics in French winemaking circles right now is pending EU legislation that would allow European producers to make rosé wines by blending together red wines and white wines.

Like many efforts to “modernize” European wine regulations, it’s an attempt to allow Old World producers to emulate New World techniques. Since New World wines have captured plenty of market share in recent years, this plan makes sense to some bureaucrat MBAs sitting in Brussels trying to craft laws that will help their citizen-winemakers compete.

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Growing up in northern Michigan, I was certainly no stranger to the concept of outdoor sports. Fishing, hunting, waterskiing, hiking, skiing—it was all around me. I’ll admit though, I was more of an indoor creature—more likely to have my face stuck in a book than chopping wood or ice fishing. So when I traveled to the Finger Lakes in upstate New York last weekend on a wine tasting trip and was told that we’d also be dropping some lines in Cayuga Lake, I was somewhat wary.

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It has long been speculated that men and women perceive and approach wine differently.  Traditionally, the wine industry has been considered to be male dominant, with gentlemen assuming most of the roles as winemakers, executives, salesmen, collectors, etc.  Over the past decade or so, we have seen a shift in the industry: a larger number of high-profile, senior-level roles being assigned to strong, secure, and appropriately qualified women.  But how, if at all, do the changes that we have seen translate into the world of the female wine consumer?  Is the demographic of the average wine drinker changing on the front lines as well as behind the scene?

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I’m trying to swell the ranks of those who love the differences in each vintage, who abhor homogenization, who want wines that make them smile, think, laugh, and feel sexy. –Alice Feiring

Can you “feel” a wine? 

I have often tried to explain my own approach to professional tasting—I’m clinical, I’m systematic—I have to be. Imagine the overwhelming task of categorizing so many sensations without some type of consistent process. So I first deconstruct what’s in the glass without emotion—striving to create a sober map of its parts. But a skeleton needs blood and flesh to become human. 

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