Recently, the world lost two of the most important figures in California’s wine history when Jim Clendenen and Dr. David Bruce passed away. Clendenen was 68. Bruce was 89. These men were iconic figures in California’s world of fine wine, but not in the way many people think of domestic wine history: They were producers…
Rosé by Any Other Name
My friend operated a retail wine shop. And he was incredulous. It was 1983, and I had just written a wine column praising dry pink wines as a revelation, calling them a great compromise when two diners are having radically different foods, and a great wine to cool off with. When a red wine doesn’t…
Wine Brings Visitors to Once-Sleepy Cottonwood, Arizona
Arizona’s burgeoning wine industry has put the once-sleepy Cottonwood on the map. Nowhere is that more apparent than the Historic Old Town, an area listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its commercial architecture from the first half of the 20th century. Many of the old storefronts lining Main Street have been repurposed…
Words on Wine
Writing about wine is an art form that’s almost as interesting as making it—and it’s a lot less messy. Poets love wine, but alas, what we often get is mundanity. A phrase that comes to mind: “A dinner without wine is like a day without sunshine.” Or, “Life’s too short to drink bad wine.” Nothing…
Sauvignon Blanc Whereness
Wine geeks use the French term “terroir,” a hard-to-translate term that relates to how grape varieties are impacted by the regions in which they’re grown. In theory, it means that chardonnays display unique characteristics that emanate directly from the grape variety as well as from their growing regions. But in practice, what a winemaker does…
Wine That Went to Space for Sale With $1 Million Price Tag
LONDON—The wine is out of this world. The price is appropriately stratospheric. Christie’s said Tuesday it is selling a bottle of French wine that spent more than a year in orbit aboard the International Space Station. The auction house thinks a wine connoisseur might pay as much as $1 million to own it. The Pétrus…
An Ode to Zin
Younger people (under age 45?) say zinfandel is a dark red wine that’s bold, brash, thickly rich, soft, and sweet-ish; that has slightly Port-y aromas and high alcohol content; and that should be sipped immediately after release by itself. Food is optional. Older people (over age 60?) tell you zinfandel ought to be a medium-weight…
Tips for Serving Wine With Food
Wine purists will tell you that the wine you choose for a dinner should match the food that’s on the table. Others say, “Poppycock! Drink anything you like with any food.” Riesling with steak? Hey, if you like it, go for it. It certainly would challenge the wine, though. I can’t imagine riesling with steak,…
Why Some Wines Are Pricey
Most people assume that all expensive wines are very good and that the more expensive a wine is, the better it is. But in many cases, quality and price have nothing to do with each other. Price is based on many factors. Before we purchase a car, we take a test drive. But even that…
Don’t Judge a Wine by Its Screw Cap
Dear Dan: A good friend hosted me for a birthday dinner, and the elegant table was set with crystal stemware—but the wine he served was sealed with a screw cap. Should I be offended?—Wine Novice Dear Wine Novice: Have you been living in Siberia for the last 50 years? Around 1970, screw caps were associated…
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