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”A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” American philosopher and moralist Ralph Waldo Emerson (above) memorably opined. But in the world of commerce, consistency is pretty much everything: the very hallmark of the branded product. Many perfectly reputable wine estates aim at achieving it. In the wine world ,its most accomplished practitioners are…

The people who work hard everyday to present a positive image of wine and wine culture like to emphasize wine’s ancient lineage and unbroken continuity.​The simple process of harvesting grapes and fermenting them into something brimming with gastronomic, mood-enhancing and social lubrication talent has been familiar to, and appreciated by, who-knows-how-many generations of grateful wine…

The late Italian actress Virna Lisi, top, is clearly having a wonderful time, and though its not clear what the occasion might be, the smile, the eye-contact and the raised glass together comprise an ensemble of gestures instantly recognizable as a toast. It’s a ritual so intimately linked to wine drinking that its origins are…

  The argument seems to have been going on forever, with no resolution in sight. Is it possible to judge wine on objective standards, or is it all just a matter of what one likes and appreciates — or doesn’t? If the former is the case, then we might expect that after 8000 years or…

The wine education industry has been booming, it seems, with courses offering some sort of certification drawing particular interest from both amateurs and those seeking a career path. Then there is what might be called the wine edutainment sector which provides generally short term programs or classes that combine learning with a bit of socializing…

Wine may well be the original International Man of Mystery. Since wine isn’t (and can’t be) made everywhere, it must travel from often remote locales and through many hands to arrive on your table. To be frank, not much of its sales chain has ever been very transparent, that being the mystery part. No surprise,…

When is a wine ready to drink? It’s not so much a complicated or difficult question as it is a misunderstood one, we think. The great Orson Welles didn’t help matters when, in the 1970’s, he famously intoned in a series of TV commercials that Paul Masson (then, as today, a maker of cheap California…

Most of us turn to wine, if not as a vehicle of relaxation, at least as a gateway to it. If you’ve gone so far as to acquire the apéritif habit, the first glass of the day typically marks the moment you’ve set work aside and begun the slow evening unwind. Later, there’ll be a…

There was a time when the tasting note was a wine insider’s tool. Sommeliers, cellar masters and wine brokers, whose job it was to make purchasing decisions, made use of them to note the character and quality of what they tasted. For these folks, a hastily-scribbled note in an old leather pocket book was a…

One of the things we learn as we become more acquainted with the wide world of wine is that there’s almost no end to its variations. Wine can be made in a myriad of styles from dry to sweet, fruity to savory. We all know that some red wines are big in body, with lots…

It’s gone from Val day, to Gal day, to Pal Day. Maybe, to cover all our bases, it should just be Enthrall Day — a day to celebrate, or at least wonder at, the mysterious force that attracts people irresistibly, ineluctably, and, more than occasionally, inadvisably, to each other. Is it true, as the novelist…

Cork taint may not be the most commonly encountered wine fault, but it is the one most people can name, if not always recognize. The condition typically declares itself with an off-putting whiff of wet basement, soggy cardboard, mold, or a vague but insistent mustiness. The source is something chemists know as trichloroanisole (TCA). Infection…