Wine headache.

Today on PalatePress.com: “Not tonight, I have a wine headache…”

I enjoy working with Tom Mansell. We seem to consistently be paired up as author (Tom) and editor (me) for PalatePress.com articles. Perhaps its because our two heads, put together are able to achieve articles we can be proud of.

This time around, Tom tackles the issue of wine headache and the underlying causes. We take a critical look at some of the dogmatic notions about the origins of wine headaches. In writing the article, Tom looked at the ingredients in wine which are candidates for causing headaches and then examined the existing scientific literature on each.

It’s a good read, if I may say so myself. Don’t be intimidated by the subject matter. If you can assimilate wine knowledge, you will be able to understand this piece.

Boontling

While looking at the back label of a wine my wife received in one of her club shipments, I recently learned about Boontling - the obscure American English dialect which has 1,300 unique words and originated in the 1800s in Anderson Valley’s Boonville.

I’ve recently been speaking with a winemaker friend (not operating in the Central Coast) about improving the visibility and success of his brand. This made me think of one key fact: in a landscape where everyone makes as much noise about themselves as possible, being understated is going to present problems in one’s ability to compete. By extension, being conventional makes one prone to getting lost in the noise or being overshadowed by more distinct and unique branding. (more…)

"The world's oldest metaphor"

Today, around 2 pm, I should be going under anesthesia. (It is no small tribute to H.M.O.s that only five months after injuring my knee, I will be undergoing surgery to repair it). While my consciousness is dissolved into oblivion (for what will, hopefully, be a very short time), I offer some wine similes for your amusement.

I don’t like analogies, similes and metaphors. To me, using them is like peppering every sentence with “like” and “you know” (yes, I know this is a simile). There are precise and articulate ways of conveying ideas with language. I see it as intellectual laziness when specific, concrete words are bypassed in favor of an attempt to invoke some symbolic imagery. Never mind that most similes and metaphors tend to be trite and jaded. (more…)

Palate Press.

Fifteen months ago, I wrote that bloggers should consolidate to increase their exposure and potential for revenue. A few months ago, I became involved in Palate Press, The Online Wine Magazine. In many ways, this project fulfills the vision I had.

Spearheaded by Publisher David Honig, with W.R. Tish as Executive Editor, Palate Press seeks to raise the bar for online wine writing. See here for a list of editors and contributors. (more…)

Michael Jackson coverage on CNN.com

Yesterday’s coverage of the tragic and unexpected death of Michael Jackson made me think about the divide between traditional media and new media. For a while, I have been sensing “traditional” journalists are being self-righteous about their status and place in society. I was constantly nagged by a feeling that this is about more than ideals and standards.

While I work, I like to listen to the news on the internet. I think it was during Woff Blitzer’s show that CNN announced that Jackson had been transported to the hospital after a reported cardiac arrest. The way the story evolved and was reported on various venues got me thinking again.

(more…)

Turtle.

This is as good a place as any for this recuperating blogger to get back to his keyboard. 40 days after Tyler Coleman posted a piece which started a maelstrom of Parker bashing, The Wall Street Journal’s David Kesmodel provides his publication’s readers with a synopsis of the transpirings in wine geekdom that took place a month and a half ago.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the article, from a journalistic perspective. It’s just that the topic is over a month old. It’s stale. It’s burned through its cycle. (more…)

The senate is having a hearing on the future of journalism AT THIS MOMENT and the panel before the committee is made up of journalists, print and on-line publishers (Arianna Huffington), web site representatives and people who run on-line versions of print newspapers.

Go to http://www.cnn.com/video/# (no archived video available at this time).

The two hour, 48 minute and 24 second video is here in its entirety (5/7/2009).

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In related news: VinTank released their first Social Media Report today.

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05 - 07 - 2009 update:

Some coverage of the hearing:

• Associated Press
• Wall Street Journal
• PoynterOnline
• Huffington Post

Also:

Chairman, John Kerry’s statement, prepared prior to the hearing.

Rupert Murdoch says his web sites will cahrge for content within a year.

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05 - 08 - 2009 update:

But… then there’s this. Web users polled, say they don’t want to pay for content.