The debate over natural wines is frustrating. Most people who condemn them seem not to have a clue about how they are made or what
Category: Wine Culture
Wine is Iconic Because it is a Symbol System
Wine tastes good and contains alcohol. But lots of beverages taste good and contain alcohol. None have the deep cultural meaning and resonance that wine
A New Breed of Anti-Terroirist?
I must confess I don’t quite get this argument from Word on the Grapevine entitled “Overstating Terroir: Effacing the Vigneron.” The sheer volume of decisions
New Voices Will Find New Ways of Describing Wine
I agree with everything Tom Wark writes regarding the positive impact of greater diversity among wine writers. In The Plain Facts of Diversifying Wine Writing,
Why Do We Argue About Wine?
Why do we argue about anything? The obvious answer is we want to influence someone to change their mind. That’s a good explanation in some
Does Terroir Matter if We Can’t Taste It?
Margaret Rand raised this issue on Tim Atkin’s site last month, in an article titled “In Search of Familiarity”. Rand argued that familiarity is far
Exploring the Philosophy of Food and Wine 