The Wine Idea

Every trend has its own secret history, beginning when it’s still too small to be noticed and ending when its momentum is spent and energetic new trends overtake and supplant it. Between … <span class="entry-title-primary">Blip! </br></span> <span class="entry-subtitle">Part Two</span>Read more

Trendspotting is a game we all like to play, and if you’ve been in the news business you’d better be good at it. I’m not anymore (in the news business, I … <span class="entry-title-primary">Blip!</br></span> <span class="entry-subtitle">Part One</span>Read more

Like the fashion world it mimics, the world of wine likes to move a little faster than most of us can comfortably keep up with, thus the need for the occasional … Lingovino Monday</br>Read more

Today, it’s common for people choose wines the same way they choose movies: by consulting what they consider to be expert opinion. While it takes the two thumbs of a film critic … Ninety-eight thumbs too many</br>Read more

First, plant a chardonnay vine in the commune of Puligny-Montrachet in the French region of Burgundy. Now quickly plant another genetically identical to it in Santa Barbara County, California. Prune and … Whence comes the taste of terroir?</br>Read more

The Georgians – and here I refer to those denizens of the Caucasus Mountains rather than the inhabitants of the sprawling suburbs of Atlanta — claim to be on vintage no. 8000, or … Noah’s premier crû</br>Read more

It seems laughable now, but in European theaters it was once common practice for the impresario to hire applauders for opening night. Claques, as they were called, were brought in to give … <span class="entry-title-primary">Art, wine and authority</br></span> <span class="entry-subtitle">Who decides what's good, and how?</span>Read more

An 18th century French prime minister once described the proper way to engage with wine this way: First one looks at the wine, then one smells the wine, then one talks about … Lingovino Monday</br>Read more

The chattering classes of the the food and wine world find plenty to argue about, but I think its safe to say that there is today near-universal agreement on one point: … Balm for the old wound</br>Read more

First-time visitors to Central Bottle in Cambridge, Massachusetts are generally charmed by its appealing design and handsome, understated  furnishings. I can tell you it’s a pleasure to spend a workday in … How many kinds of wine are there?</br>Read more

Proportion and scale are important in wine, particularly when it comes to matching food and wine at the table.  A powerful dish will overwhelm a slender wine, no matter how elegant, … Wine that changes people’s minds</br>Read more

The benefits of preparation are pretty well-established by now, wouldn’t you say?  It’s why you read all the directions before assembling your IKEA bookshelf, and why you do a mise en … The pleasures of the house pour<br>Read more