The United States of Wine
Independence Day has again come and gone. It's one of my favorite holidays because it SHOULD have real meaning for every American. It also gives me the opportunity to watch eyes roll when I tell the story of Jefferson and...
Terroir as Tarte L’Oignon
I've mentioned before on this blog that the idea of "Terroir" is somewhat troubling to me for a few different reasons. The first is that if the vast majority of wine drinkers can't taste or describe or identify the difference...
The iPad in the Wine Tasting Room
The sheet of paper with a menu of wines to taste. Perhaps a binder with info on the winery These are the primary and ubiquitous tools wineries tend to use for communicating to tasting room visitors. They are the same...
Advertising to Wine Professionals and More
So...you want to advertise on a wine blog? I like the sound of that. For those who want to reach an audience composed primarily of food, wine and hospitality professionals who have a household income of $75,000 a year, who...
Facetime With WinePressNW
Andy Perdue, longtime editor of Wine Press Northwest and an authority on the wines and wine industry in Oregon and Washington, was kind enough to interview me at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla, Washington last week. It was...
How To Fix The Anti-Consumer H.R. 5034 Wine Bill
At a recent meeting of the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators (NCSLA) a lively debate over H.R. 5034, the bill that would allow states to pass any discriminatory or protectionist laws and regulations regarding alcohol sales and distribution without...
Questions and Change Brought On By Wine Blogging
Occasionally comments on this blog come in the form questions, rather than statements. However, most often those questions are along the lines of "Who the hell do you think you are." Rhetorical at best. However, very occasionally I get real...
10 Things I’ve Learned So Far at the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference
10 Things I've learned So Far at the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference 1. The wine bloggers conference confirms what many bloggers already knew: There is a strong sense of community among bloggers. 2. The good folks at the Secret Sherry...
Wine Writers vs Wine Writers
Beginning today the third annual Wine Bloggers Conference begins here in Walla Walla, Washington. I'm 3 for 3. I date the advent of wine blogging as an active pursuit to 2005 when more than a few got their start. It...
General McChrystal and Alcohol Regulators: Subverting Democracy
In criticizing the Obama administration General Stanley McChrystal made a fundamental mistake that is too often perpetrated in our society: He mistook himself for a politicians when he is really just an administrator. The reason this is such an important...
Stupid Alcohol Law Number 284
I am committed to the notion that, beyond a point, government and the society it represents does more harm than good in trying to overcome the seeming innate stupidity that always infects a certain portion of the community. It appears...
