July 2009
Posted: Jul 30, 2009 4:46pm ET
Today I did what many people think I do everyday. I toured a vineyard—Tim Mondavi’s new property on Pritchard Hill—tasted all four of his Continuum wines and talked about what’s on most vintners' minds these days: the economic market and wine pricing.
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Posted: Jul 27, 2009 12:37pm ET
It’s easy to see why Alabama banned the Cycles Gladiator label. The cyclist isn’t wearing a helmet. How could they have missed it the first time around—three years ago—when it first appeared? The label also sets a terrible example by picturing a woman riding her bike at night, with no light or reflectors! And she’s riding in a dangerous position with awfully long hair that could easily get stuck in the spokes and cause an accident.
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Posted: Jul 22, 2009 1:52pm ET
Last week during a blind tasting flight of 2007 Sonoma Pinot Noirs, I came across one wine that stood out, and that I really liked. It was dark in color, notably spicy and peppery, with pretty floral scents and ripe, vivid black and wild berry fruit.
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Posted: Jul 20, 2009 2:08pm ET
The death last week of Walter Cronkite only served to remind us of an age that has long since passed, a pre-Internet-cable-blog-Facebook-Twitter era when reporters were reporters, and not celebrities – at least not in their own eyes.
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Posted: Jul 15, 2009 4:37pm ET
Even the best wineries can stumble. For me, the 2006 Shafer One Point Five Cabernet, priced at $70, is an example of a wine that's out of sync for the winery and out of character for the wine--which I thought was terrific upon its debut with the 2004 vintage.
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Posted: Jul 13, 2009 1:26pm ET
I needed to replenish some household supplies so on Sunday I went to Costco to load up. I've noticed that Costco has cut down on the use of some of its floor space, eliminating some products and leaving vacant some space that was previously stocked with items.
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Posted: Jul 10, 2009 1:57pm ET
Over the years I’ve tried scores of different wineglasses, and I’m convinced that the easiest way to make any wine taste better is to use a good glass, one that allows a wine to show its stuff, be it visually, or aromatically, or how it delivers the flavors to your palate.
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Posted: Jul 9, 2009 2:42pm ET
I missed my first Twitter virtual wine tasting. But at least I was invited! A group of wine lovers met in Napa on one of those nights where people all over were opening special bottles of wine and sharing their tasting notes and thoughts about the wines with other wine lovers.
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Posted: Jul 7, 2009 3:02pm ET
When people ask me about the rise in celebrity wine labels, I’m reminded of my first attempt at a celebrity wine interview. And I wonder what it might have meant if it hadn’t been such a bust. Years ago, I tried to interview Mick Jagger after learning about his passion for first-growth Bordeaux.
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Posted: Jul 1, 2009 4:10pm ET
I’m Freedom-bound for the Fourth of July weekend, as in Freedom, Calif. I’m not sure Freedom is even a town (it’s in Amador County, in the Sierra foothills), but it has a post office (and boxes) and my friends have a home there where we're spending the holiday.
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