The Wine Idea

It may just be my historical imagination run amok (as it tends to do), but I see traces of the momentous struggle between ancient Romans and their German antagonists still drawing … Toga v. Trousers: the RematchRead more

The tiny  Italian wine appellation of Boca shares some important features with elite neighbors a hundred kilometers or so to the south, Barolo and Barbaresco.  Both employ Nebbiolo, a noble and … Wine Secular and SpiritualRead more

I’ve written elsewhere about the age-old romance between the wine vine and trees, and of the numerous ways in which the two have interacted over the centuries. It’s understandable that this symbiosis goes … Still Over a BarrelRead more

I won’t mention a name. But his story, or at least one part of it, is one I’ve never been able to forget. He was forty, or thereabouts, when bitten by … The Fox, the Hedgehog<br> and the Flying WinemakerRead more

Wine talk is surely as old as wine itself, or, if not quite, then at least as old as wine whose source could not be taken for granted by the person consuming … ‘Splain Me Some WineRead more

An American’s first wine encounter while in Europe can elicit surprise. It’s not that Europeans keep the best for themselves — a strangely persistent canard.  Rather, it’s the temperature at which … Differences of DegreeRead more

There’s plenty of mystery about what’s mainly responsible for the expression of individual character in wine, but lend an ear to wine’s chattering classes right now, and you would think the matter has been … Geology is Destiny. Isn’t it?Read more

Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off was a George and Ira Gershwin hit that made its debut in the 1937 film Shall We Dance?, sung by another incomparable duo, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (watch the scene here). … You Say Naughty, I Say NattyRead more

Planet wine is a heavily regulated old orb. Few people, I think, are aware that in addition to being subject to laws that govern the sale and consumption of alcohol, there are very … The Name’s the Same. – and Other Wine ConfusismsRead more

It’s a truism — perhaps by now a cliché — that wine is made in the vineyard. It’s a way of saying that winemakers who start with ripe, healthy fruit have most … Hanging in there. Or not.<br><br>Read more

How mysterious is taste? Let’s begin by observing that by time-honored consensus, there’s no accounting for it. Meaning, as we take it, that there’s no way to demonstrate conclusively why one … The Taste of OthersRead more

The last time I saw the stunning Italian actress Virna Lisi on screen, she was having a wonderful time vamping it up as a reptilian Queen Catherine de Medici in the … <span class="entry-title-primary">A Toast to the Toast</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">What's really happening when we raise a glass?</span>Read more