Interesting definition of "corked" wine ...

[Robin Garr]

From a feature story about wine judging in <i>The Houston Chronicle</i>:

"<i>The competition was occasionally bogged down by a "corked" wine (a wine tainted by residual chlorine when the cork was bleached) ... </i>"

Comments?

My reaction would be: "Duh." They obviously know a little about what they are talking about, which is always dangerous.

[Robin Garr]

My reaction would be: "Duh." They obviously know a little about what they are talking about, which is always dangerous.

Or, speaking as a journo who's been there and done that on complicated subjects other than wine, got a too-brief explanation and fixated on only part of it.

Or, speaking as a journo who's been there and done that on complicated subjects other than wine, got a too-brief explanation and fixated on only part of it.

Yeah, well I made my living as a journo for many moons, and face it--they should have clarified and verified.
Jeepers, they could have done a Google search and had better information.

Or, speaking as a journo who's been there and done that on complicated subjects other than wine, got a too-brief explanation and fixated on only part of it.

A fellow ex-journalist here too. No excuse. I said it once, and I say it again: "Duh." Check your facts, dammit.

An ongoing journalist here--I am discouraged by the practice of many orgs. to hire the cheapest freelancer or the friend of a friend.

I personally know of writers who have been hired to cover wine or food BECAUSE they have no experience. The reasoning: they would bring no agenda--the real reason, they are paid less than the professional.

Pisses me off.

[David M. Bueker]

Meaningless point, except to wine geeks. We're the only ones who care about the exact mechanism.

[Robin Garr]

Meaningless point, except to wine geeks. We're the only ones who care about the exact mechanism.

Doesn't careless and inaccuracy in a major newspaper trouble you, though, David? Are their reporters this careless about, say, Iraq?

Yes David,

but a series of inaccuracies on even meaningless points has a way of becoming the basis for so much bad policy, and not only in government.

Also, when it is one's profession that suffers, it is not a meaningless point.

All this sort of verifies a theory I've held for a long time. When you read something in the newspaper about something you know a lot about (such as your wedding annnouncement), it is always wrong.

Are their reporters this careless about, say, Iraq?

I don't mind reporters being wrong, Politicians on the other hand...well that costs lives.

But I have to agree while this is ridiculously wrong, the readers who realize it probably wouldn't get much else from the article anyway; and those that do find the article enlightening probably don't care about it.

Beside's who does it effect? A bunch of Texans? So....

So just how many former and current journalists are there on this forum?

I was a journo for several years before going to the dark side (gov't PR).

I've worked with some excellent reporters and some total duds. Most are respectable, ethical and genuinely try to get the details right. But I've seen some with their own agenda twisting facts intentionally to make a story fit their preconceived notions.

My journalism career has been amateurish and unpaid--managing editor of prize-winning high school and university yearbooks, editor of a newsletter for the Officers' Wives Club in Darmstadt, Germany, editor of Volksmarching newsletters in Heidelberg and Giessen, Germany, editor of a church newsletter in North Carolina, proofreader for a university press (that was a paid position). Still, I tried hard to get the facts correct.

Not only an interesting definition of corked wine - but also contentious advice in ...

Lesson No. 1: If ever you judge a wine competition, carry a toothbrush. Use it often.

Eeek - that's goin' to help the softened tooth enamel to erode away and exactly the opposite of what I've been told, which is 'never brush your teeth'.

We discussed this to some extent on the 'old WLDG', and I think, Robin, you even ran a Wine Advisor about it.

Not only an interesting definition of corked wine - but also contentious advice in ...

Lesson No. 1: If ever you judge a wine competition, carry a toothbrush. Use it often.

Eeek - that's goin' to help the softened tooth enamel to erode away and exactly the opposite of what I've been told, which is 'never brush your teeth'.

We discussed this to some extent on the 'old WLDG', and I think, Robin, you even ran a Wine Advisor about it.

Sue,

I advise my class to leave their teeth home--wine students seem to be a little older these days...