Thanksgiving can be high anxiety wine time. Continue reading “Thanksgiving wines”
Category: Recent Columns
Wine glut
Prices rise and fall for agricultural commodities—ask any local farmer or rancher—and wine grapes are no exception, although grapes have less volatility. Continue reading “Wine glut”
Natural wines
What in the world is “natural wine?” Continue reading “Natural wines”
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is an important grape variety for a variety of reasons: its progeny, its role as a ubiquitous blending grape, as insurance, and—finally—as a splendid lead grape in its own right. Continue reading “Cabernet Franc”
Commodity wines 6 of 6
Wine factories—producers of “commodity” wines—hit the jackpot with varietal wine naming. No French or Italian or Spanish or, shudder, German über-confusing wine words to learn. No arcane labels to decipher. No humiliation from snotty sommeliers. Continue reading “Commodity wines 6 of 6”
Commodity wines 5 of 6
Branding wine varietals—selling the name of the grape—is marketing breakthrough that elevated American, then world, wine consumption to levels enjoyed today. Continue reading “Commodity wines 5 of 6”
Commodity wines 4 of 6
The marketing masterstroke of naming wines by the grape from which they are made is a major reason for today’s wine boom. Continue reading “Commodity wines 4 of 6”
Commodity wines 3 of 6
Commodity wine producers see their mission as making a wine product rather than serving as stewards of a vineyard, so they naturally focus on best-selling wine grapes. Continue reading “Commodity wines 3 of 6”
Commodity wines 2 of 6
Starting in the 1970s and really taking off in past quarter century, wine became a beverage enjoyed by all levels of American society. Continue reading “Commodity wines 2 of 6”
Commodity wines 1 of 6
Loosely speaking, there are two types of wine making. Continue reading “Commodity wines 1 of 6”