The Wine Idea

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 national authorities responsible for such things have strict rules about what can be said on a wine label. But there’s always room for creativity, and it can be hard to … <span class="entry-title-primary">Twisted, gnarled, thick of trunk</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">Old vines make the best wine, right?</span>Read more

Read magazines and websites devoted to wine and you can’t help but notice how much attention is paid to news about recent vintages here and there – where the weather was … Seeing Through Wine Read more

Lovers of wine and the wine vine can be found all over the world, in every known clime and on every inhabited continent. Meanwhile, the places where wine can actually be … SoakedRead more

The prosperous and populous states of the European north continue to put the squeeze on their poorer relations in the south, with the predictable result that the putters upon are heartily … Calling All Bread EatersRead more

Climate change is real and our globe is warming at an alarming rate.  In the decades to come, scientists say, the sweet spot for wine grape farming may shift dramatically to … Threadcounts and MegapixelsRead more

I must have been shifting cases in the deepest, darkest recesses of the Formaggio wine cellar when Isabelle Legeron, Master of Wine (who also chooses to be known as That Crazy … Faulty . . . or Just Alt-y?Read more

Real journalism isn’t created in newsrooms, but in the places where news actually happens. That’s why from time to time your intrepid correspondent dons trench coat and fedora and leaves the confines … Wine God SaysRead more

The golden age of Dutch art coincided with that nation’s high water mark as a commercial powerhouse.  In the first half of the seventeenth century, its merchant navy dwarfed England’s. The … When Wine Went DutchRead more

You have a nose and so do we. Some have more nose than others:  Cyrano (permanently, above) and Pinocchio (episodically, not shown) come to mind.  Wine also has a nose — at … Big NosesRead more

It is a curious yet widely unremarked-upon thing that the world of wine is considered to exist entirely in the physical spaces where vines grow, fruit is harvested and wine is … <span class="entry-title-primary">All in Your Head?</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">Wine may be less tangible than you think</span>Read more

It’s only four letters, and not likely to make any sixth grader slap his forehead in frustration. But not all spelling challenges involve bees, Scrabble games, or even letters. Musicians are … Spell CheckRead more