Author: Stephen Meuse

Hello to all TWWC enthusiasts and boo-birds (endeavoring to be even-handed, here!). It’s a great pleasure to announce the soon-to-be publication of my new multi-volume book of essays, the harvest of … Literary BulletinRead more

We’ve written before about the number of grape varieties at work in our world — many more than people imagine. Beyond the now thoroughly exploited (and, frankly, rather humdrum) varietals Chardonnay, … The Lure of ElsewhereRead more

Does winemaking resemble dog breeding? It’s a provocative question but not a facetious one. The thought came to me while having lunch with an old friend (now in his eighties) who … What a Dog Show Can Teach Us About WineRead more

Does it strike you as strange that so much talk about wine is about wine talk itself? There’s certainly plenty to be said about somm (that’s sommelier) speak with its arcane vocabulary … Made to MeasureRead more

It’s a question we’re often called upon to answer. It’s true enough that we sometimes move things around a bit to keep the Wine Corner looking fresh, a practice that can … Where Did My Wine Go?Read more

We always make room to talk about the romantic side of wine — all the beautiful places and interesting people responsible for bringing it into being. We speak much less about … The Grapes That Fall Along the WayRead more

The place names Bordeaux and Burgundy may be the most well-known in the wine world. Even people with no wine experience at all know of them and with good reason. Each began its wine-obsessed … Not Since LunchRead more

The wine experience is readily sorted into three distinct areas of operations. And, while two of these — the making of wine and its imbibing — draw the bulk of our interest, the … Stem Snatcher or Foot Pincher?Read more

Here in the wine corner, we have real admiration for winemakers who do things the old-fashioned way, who work with traditional materials and methods, who eschew needless interventions with the aim … Manipulation Not a Four Letter WordRead more

  What is wine made of?  It’s not an easy question to answer. One could say fresh fruit, I suppose, but that will hardly do, since in the fermentation vat fruit undergoes … A Brief History of Time . . . in a BottleRead more

From an evolutionary point of view, a grape is really nothing more than a little seed bundle whose sweet flesh and bright color serve to attract the birds who, ingesting it, subsequently … What the Birds KnowRead more