The Wine Idea

What makes one wine better (and more expensive) than another? It’s not the easiest question to answer, but it helps to understand that there are really only a handful of factors … <span class="entry-title-primary">The Quality Question</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">You're paying more, but just what 'more' are you getting?</span>Read more

The few weeks sandwiched between yuletide and the onset of Lent in February may well have been the only time a medieval European could be reasonably sure of enjoying a glass … <span class="entry-title-primary">John Bull’s Bottle</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">Christmas wants claret</span>Read more

It was in shabby but comfy French cafés that I learned that common folk typically took their wine in tumblers – and decided that, since I was common folk myself, I … Glass MenagerieRead more

Oak barrels have been important in winemaking for a very long time, and the spice and vanilla flavors they impart are by now familiar. The drama added by aging in new … Oakus PocusRead more

The answer is yes, I think, so long as you can set the question firmly within a context. The era matters, as does the place. If you lived in an isolated … Does the Ideal Wine Exist?Read more

It’s a question we ask ourselves nearly every day – not so much because we worry about the breadth of our posterior parts (though this is never far from our minds), … Does This Wine Make My Butt Look Big?Read more

Unaccountably, many people who are perfectly capable as both cooks and hosts find themselves at sixes and sevens when it comes to bringing suitable wines to their holiday tables. Since I … <span class="entry-title-primary">Keep Calm and Pass the Pickled Beets</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">Solving the Holiday Wine Riddle</span>Read more

Yes is welcoming. Yes is affirming. In a negotiation, yes is the thing we strive to get to. In the Wine Corner, we like saying and hearing yes, but sometimes a … It Ain’t Necessarily SoRead more

Is that which is complete inherently better than what is incomplete? By definition, the complete thing has and does it all; the incomplete, something less.  What’s complete is fully fleshed out, … <span class="entry-title-primary">Must a wine tick all the boxes?</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">Why I'm besotted with incomplete wine</span>Read more

 I do my best to avoid using wine jargon – but sometimes I don’t recognize it when I speak it.  Asked to describe a red wine, I might talk about extraction, … <span class="entry-title-primary">Watching the Clock and the Color</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">To understand winemaking, brew up a nice pot of tea</span>Read more

The signature on a document, work of art or other object is a mark of origination: A sign that attests to the individual responsible for the existence of a thing. Although … Sign Here, Please.Read more

The First Drink Problem isn’t as daunting as The Chicken-Egg Conundrum, but it does seem to linger. It appears that the question has now been definitively settled (I’ll get to that … <span class="entry-title-primary">Which Came First – Beer or Wine?</span> <span class="entry-subtitle">Whatever you think, that's not it.</span>Read more