I enjoy browsing wine blogs -- here are a few recent gleanings that folks might find interesting.
Wine Blogs
http://thecaveman.blogspot.com/
"Slow down, drink better". The Caveman is the sommelier at the restaurant L'Eau a la Bouche, in Quebec. He writes philosophical essays on, for example, biodynamics, and practical advice.
Example, Your dessert wine must be sweeter than your dessert.
http://avenuevine.com/
Avenue Vine bills itself as a "Wine News and Information Magazine." I'm not clear about who publishes this blog, but the entries are well written.
I was struck by the analysis by Alan Limmer, a New Zealand winemaker and owner of Stonecroft Wines, and a holder a PhD in chemistry from Waikato University. Limmer wrote an article in "Chemistry in New Zealand" in September 2005, arguing that it’s not the screw cap itself which causes the suophate fingerprint in the wine, but the airtight foil seal inside the lid of the closure which traps the wine in this oxygen-free space.
http://ginsberg.com/wine/
The Ginsbergs are a couple from Oregon who specialize in Every Day Wine Pairings. Lots of recipes and photos, and not a snobbish note in the bunch. (At least that I've seen so far.)
http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/
Eric Asimov's supplemental blog to his columns in the New York Times has become very popular. Entries like this demonstrate why:
"So many winemakers describe themselves as “non-interventionist.’’ What on earth does this mean? Of course they intervene. Every decision they make, from when to pick the grapes to how to sort them to how to handle fermentation to aging and maturing the wine to bottling requires intervention. A truly non-interventionist winemaker would be a successful producer of bird food."
Paid registration to the Times required.
http://pinotblogger.com/
There are a number of blogs describing the birth of wineries; this one deals with the Capozzi Family Winery in the Russian River Valley. Some of the sidebar notes by Josh Hermsmeyerare fascinating:
Myth 1: Wine goes bad and starts turning into vinegar about a day after popping the cork.
FALSE: A freshly opened bottle can last more than three days, and typically the wine gets better as time goes by. Independent Studies by the Wine Institute have shown that wine drinkers actually prefer a wine the longer it has been opened (those studied preferred 3 days old to 2 and 2 days old to 1 day old etc.).
To my mind this is the most insidious myth, so I put it first. It’s insidious because it causes people to either not drink a wine because they fear they won’t be able to finish the bottle in one night or, even worse, to neglect or throw out perfectly good wine because they think it has gone bad.
Regards, Bob
