Blog Index
Harvey Steiman
Hip to Spit, Indeed
Posted: 12:10 PM ET, 04/15/08
The Washington wine folks are actively courting the young generation of wine drinkers by gearing their events to twenty- and thirty-somethings. The Washington Wine Commission, charged with promoting the state's vinous products, has been winning them over by replacing a lot of the old pomp and circumstance with more modern, higher-energy stuff. Read more
James Laube
Wine Pricing Could Stand a Correction
Posted: 01:43 PM ET, 04/11/08
Perhaps the easiest target for wine critics is wine pricing. Most of us have come to believe and appreciate that the market rules of supply and demand account for much of what is charged for wine, whether it’s sold from a mailing list or restaurant. Read more
Harvey Steiman
Don't Count Out Syrah
Posted: 12:58 PM ET, 04/11/08
I keep hearing that Syrah is "dead in the water," that American enophiles are no longer excited about the wines made from this grape. Washington wineries, by all rights, should be ramping up production because their Syrahs are so good, but several vintners told me recently that they are staying the course because, "Syrah isn't selling. Read more
James Suckling
Brunello and Shakespeare
Posted: 12:55 PM ET, 04/11/08
In recent days, wine producers and government officials in Tuscany have been meeting behind closed doors. They are trying to decide what to do about “Brunellopoli” – the highly publicized investigation swirling around Italy’s famous red, Brunello di Montalcino. Read more
James Molesworth
The Buzz on the Loire
Posted: 10:30 AM ET, 04/11/08
I’ve been decompressing following my recent trip through Chile and Argentina, hence the quiet blog. Earlier this week, I stopped in at the Loire Valley Wine Bureau’s Road Show, a traveling tasting for those in the trade. I usually never attend trade tastings—they’re typically crowded and noisy and are more for schmoozing than seriously evaluating wines. Read more
James Laube
What Makes or Breaks a Great Wine
Posted: 06:39 PM ET, 04/09/08
I woke up this morning to an empty, sediment-stained bottle of 1957 La Tâche on the kitchen table, bottle number 00010 of 18,848 bottles. That means it came from the first case of that fabled wine, of which some 1,570 12-packs were produced.
I purposefully left the bottle out as a reminder—not of how wonderful this wine was last night but of a few observations about what constitutes a great wine from last night’s dinner and round-table discussion of old wines at Ad Hoc in Yountville. Read more
Harvey Steiman
Rewriting the Rules
Posted: 01:17 PM ET, 04/09/08
America's chief wine regulator wants to make Swiss cheese of America's appellation system. This is not a good development.
Today's Los Angeles Times has a long interview with John Manfreda, head of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which makes and enforces wine regulations for the federal government, outlining his plans to overhaul the rules. Read more
Richard Betts
Viva Las Vegas
Posted: 05:51 PM ET, 04/08/08
It is not new news that Las Vegas has gone food-and-wine crazy. In the last decade or so, the town has managed to collect in its net the finest chefs, wines and wine talent in the world.
One might assume this is all an effort to offer world-class dining and yet another reason to visit Sin City. Read more
James Laube
Tasting Maynard James Keenan's New Releases
Posted: 04:18 PM ET, 04/08/08
I’m often at a loss trying to explain celebrity winemakers, since their wines rarely excite and more often are likely to disappoint.
I remember thinking that, upon reviewing one of Mick Fleetwood’s wines, that that particular rock star-turned-vintner had better not misplace his sticks. Read more
James Laube
Rewards of Tradition with Hanzell Chardonnay
Posted: 01:03 PM ET, 04/07/08
When Michael Terrien left Acacia to become winemaker at Hanzell Vineyards, he was forced to rethink winemaking. He went from a winery in Carneros that emphasized early drinking Chardonnays that were ready on release to one with a tradition of slow developing Chardonnays that aged exceptionally well. Read more
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