Smoke & Woke – Why this virtue signaling wine writer is tired of stupid heavy bottles
Oh dear, is she doing another rant about bottle weight? Yes, she is doing another rant about bottle weight. But let’s start with some interesting news. Kiona Vineyards, one of the pioneers in Washington State and the Red Mountain AVA, announced that they will be bottling all their wines–from entry-level to reserve–in the same lighter-weight bottle. Now I’ve raved about the savvy business sense of Kiona before (Winery Tasting Notes Done Right) and you can…
AVA Avalanche
Wine drinkers know California. Wine lovers know Napa Valley. Collectors know Oakville while wine professionals know Oak Knoll. Kelly, one of my distributor reps when I was a Safeway wine steward, used to quote that axiom to me often. Usually, it would come in response to my grumbles about how boring the displays were with the planograms featuring the same old California and Columbia Valley wines. I was young in my wine career with a…
Please Do Not Let “Wine Racism” (over a grape!) Become a Thing
Let’s nip something in the bud right now. Whether you want to call it varietism or whatever, do not be the jerk who wants to equate people disliking a grape with being “…the enological equivalent of a wine racist.” Seriously! No! Just…wow. I really can’t fathom what was going through the mind of Californian & South African wine producer Dave Jefferson when he decided to blow that dog whistle in his spat with Wall Street…
Judgment of Today
Forty-five years ago today, the Judgment of Paris happened. I’m sure we’ll see lots of missives commemorating the occasion, all the more bittersweet with the recent passing of Steven Spurrier back in March. While I’ll toast the success of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Chateau Montelena, I have to confess that, even as a wine geek, the glow of that achievement is waning for me a bit. Sure, it’s cool when you first hear about…