General News

When I was a consumer of wine, long before my adventures into winemaking, I was always amused at the next “vintage of the century”.   It was rare indeed to find a winemaker or winery owner who honestly evaluated any of his vintages until they were long sold through. There are exceptions to the rule…

Do you long for those days in the so distant past when we did not have computers, cell phones, flat screens, satellite, and HDTV? Yes, when you had to get off your ass to change the channels, oops. When you always had a dime to phone home? That was a special time in our country.…

Some subjects are more interesting than others, depending upon your point of view and the overall fondness for the subject matter. I know one thing, this is akin to the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s when taking this subject on. No one is on the fence. Enclosures, sounds pretty dry so far but it’s the hottest subject…

I read an article today from a friend and great writer (unlike me) that talked of classics in terms of a wine region or even a wine producer. (See Matt Kramer’s column Drinking Out Loud for full details.) For those who have not read any of his pieces, you are missing one of the most…

I am often reminded of just how little some in the industry know when it comes to harvesting their crop. Yes, those best laid plans of trying to achieve the perfect wine, and yet they squander the opportunity early on while tasting in the vineyard. Let me tell you, it’s part amusing, frustrating, and ignorant…

Losing one’s family obliges us to search, replace our family (a quote from Finding Forester). Not always with blood but maybe in the form of a friend. In my case I never really lost my family since it remains intact on the East Coast. Yes, a big Sicilian family starting with my mother who’s 86,…

Remember bell bottoms, argyle socks, long hair, striped ties, fast cars, fast women (I don’t really remember that one), Disco, and oh yeah, low alcohol wines? Well, guess what? Most of them are Baaaaaaaaaaack! Just when you thought it was safe to go outside, you have been transported to another place, another dimension, are so…

If there’s one thing I’ve learned above all others it’s I still have a lot to learn. When buying wine there are a few small tips from years of making mistakes I’d like to offer. By the way, this failing over and over is called wisdom in many corners of the globe. That sounds great…

Have you ever had something you should have paid more attention to until it was too late? It was always there so you just didn’t give it as much attention as you should have. I mean, you knew it was there, you enjoyed it,but just never thought it was going anywhere.  I was knocked off…

Some are afraid of failing in search of their dreams. I have little doubt that the seeking of one’s dreams can turn into just that, a search! Locked away in your brain, never to see the light of day. Why? Because connecting that bridge with reality is easier said than done. Or maybe you’re more…