October begins the 17th year of this wine column. Reflections. Continue reading “Wine column reflections 10-16-2024”
Category: Recent Columns
Alcohol risks 10-9-2024
Scare headlines: “Drinking any alcohol is a cancer risk.” Well, okay, the question is how much of a risk? Continue reading “Alcohol risks 10-9-2024”
Wine name revolution 10-2-2024
If you go into almost any wine shop, liquor store, or supermarket wine section in the United States—and now in most places in the world—you will find wine bottles arranged and named by the variety of grape used to make the wine. Continue reading “Wine name revolution 10-2-2024”
Wine barrels 9-25-2024
Winemakers: To oak or not to oak, that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take up oak to craft your wine to shake the spheres of ordinary. Continue reading “Wine barrels 9-25-2024”
Great wine comes from great vineyards 9-18-2024
What makes a great wine? There is a hard and fast answer: “great wine comes from great vineyards.” Continue reading “Great wine comes from great vineyards 9-18-2024”
Five enemies of wine 9-11-2024
Wine is your friend, especially when sipped with friends during a convivial meal. You are obliged to protect it from its enemies. Continue reading “Five enemies of wine 9-11-2024”
How to be a good wine snob 9-4-2024
Wine snobbery is a detestable trait. But you can be a “good” wine snob. Here’s how. Continue reading “How to be a good wine snob 9-4-2024”
Malolactic fermentation/conversion 8-28-2024
Even if you only dip your big toe into wine wonkiness, you likely encounter the term “malolactic fermentation” or MLF. What is that? Continue reading “Malolactic fermentation/conversion 8-28-2024”
Commercialization defines wine 8-21-2024
Wine is fermented grape juice, an agricultural product like green beans and corn. But that is not how we think about wine. Why? Continue reading “Commercialization defines wine 8-21-2024”
Did dinosaur extinction lead to wine? 8-14-2024
Did the extinction of dinosaurs play a part in the creation of wine? While it may sound far-fetched, according to an article in the prestigious, peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Plants, there is scientific evidence to support the theory. Continue reading “Did dinosaur extinction lead to wine? 8-14-2024”