wine sooth

From CNN.com's Political Ticker

Ever get the feeling some people have no perspective?

Ever get the sense that some journalists get a little shrill in their pursuit of sensationalism (and, in the process, get a little sloppy with facts and too generous with opinion or fail to see how they interject their biases into the story)?

Apparently, that is the case with the folks who run CNN’s “Political Ticker”. Now they are decrying the choice of Shafer Cabernet “Hillside Select” 2003 to be poured for “leaders of the U.K., France, Russia, China, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and 11 developing economies” who are in Washington D.C. to address the current economic turmoil. (more…)

Giuseppe Battaglini in his tasting room.

Somewhere along the course of the evolution of our country’s wine culture, the notion that zinfandel does not age took root in the collective thinking. Every myth and legend has a seed of truth. So I suppose the direction a majority of zinfandel producers took in styling their wines contributed to the origins of this notion. But like wine made from any other variety, a zinfandel wine has to have the right stuff to allow it to last through the years and evolve into something complex and pleasing.

I must admit that much of what has typified many zinfandels available in retail had not only reinforced the notion that these wines won’t age but it also kept me from being a fan. Things began to change for me over the years as I pushed myself to not cling to assumptions.

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Young adults and alcohol.

There has been much discussion lately about lowering the legal drinking age. Tom Wark has argued strongly for lowering the legal drinking age in the past and has again spoken in support of the idea.

Lowering the legal drinking age will not do anything to reduce road fatalities and it will not make 18, 19 or 25 year-olds more responsible with alcohol. The parenting attitudes and practices of an entire country would need to change to affect a difference in the behaviors of 18-25 year-olds.

Not that it would be easy. And it would not happen overnight. Then, there is the fact that we are still dealing with individuals whose brain development is not always ready for truly adult decisions. (more…)

Sacramento's Corti Brothers has lost its lease.

After 38 years, Sacramento’s Corti Brothers will close its current location, the Sacramento Bee reported Tuesday. Morton Leslie tipped me about this story earlier today.

Darrell Corti is a respected wine expert and writer who had recently taken a strong stand on the issue of rising alcohol levels in wine. His statements to Alan Goldfarb in the Appellation America interview seemed to indicate that his stance has not hurt business. (more…)

Balance

With a lot going on in my personal life this week, and in the coming few weeks, I am struggling daily for balance between my obligations and and aspirations. It is in thinking about that quest for balance in my overloaded schedule that I was reminded of the fact that one of the things we value most about wine is balance. But that is not always achieved.

Balance seems to be at an even greater premium when talking about wine-related research and the health benefits of wine. It seems that any sort of cautionary commentary about the benefits of resveratrol or about moderation and responsibility in alcohol consumption is invariably perceived as “preachy” or judgmental. (more…)

George Carlin.

One of my all-time favorite comics, George Carlin, died yesterday.

I really don’t have heroes or people I idolize. I see traits and qualities in everyone which are worthy emulating. My favorite thing about George was the when he smelled bullshit, he called it what it was.

I liked his unconventional way of looking at conventional things. In all parts of our society (even in science and medicine) certain notions become “accepted wisdom” and then “dogma”. It was Carlin’s way of looking behind the facade and questioning the validity of some assumptions that really resonated with me. Sure, he could be irreverent, absurd and even profane, but his material always reminded me that we should never complacently accept the party dictum. (more…)

North American Wine Bloggers Conference logo.

OpenWine Consortium is organizing its First Annual Wine Bloggers Conference.

I am a member (and one of the adminstrators of the OWC), so I hope to attend this event. If can’t go, I still support what it strives to accomplish. In my activity on OWC, I have been vocal about advancing the standards of quality and ethics in wine blogging.

A series of Breakout Sessions will cover a lot of ground at the Conference. Tom Wark in his post on his blog has outlined some topics of focus on which he hopes the Conference will gain some ground. Here are my top three issues and my hopes and concerns regarding them: (more…)