Category Archives: Rants

In Vino Veritas

Posted on June 4, 2018 by

In vino veritas, the Roman author Pliny the Elder wrote. In wine is truth. It’s an old Latin phrase making fun of people who speak their minds under the influence of alcohol. The quote is buried in a rather hilarious … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Food and Drink, Rants, Religion, Wine, writers | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Vive la France!

Posted on June 7, 2015 by

Saturday’s D-Day commemorations and salutations on Facebook and other social media reminded me of my first visit to France, in 1997. We saw Ugly Americans treating the French poorly, and on one or two occasions we experienced anti-American sentiment. Mostly, … Continue reading →

Posted in Rants | Tagged | 6 Comments

50 States of Wine – Le Metro Underground Goes Cross Country

Posted on July 14, 2014 by

Earlier this year, after I wrote about the difficulty of finding the so-called “New California” wines, I was introduced to Aaron Epstein, a San Diego-based entrepreneur and new father who operates Le Metro. Wine. Underground, a subscription direct-to-consumer retailer. To use … Continue reading →

Posted in Cabernet Franc, California, Colorado, Eastern US, Local Wine, Rants, Riesling, Sparkling Wine, Texas, Virginia, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How much local is too much?

Posted on April 16, 2014 by

I find it amusing when people accuse me of not covering local wine enough in my weekly columns for The Washington Post. If anything, I’m leery that I may spend too much attention on local wines, which I find quite … Continue reading →

Posted in Local Wine, Rants, Wine | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

The End of Wine Blah Blahgs

Posted on April 1, 2014 by

April 1 – DATELINE: ONLINE – The wine blahgosphere fell eerily silent today when William Zinsser emerged from the heavens and told wine blahggers that the world isn’t all about them and they can only write about wine from now … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Rants, Weblogs, Wine, Wine Humor, writers | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Bordeaux: Too little, too late? It Depends(c).

Posted on January 28, 2014 by

My Washington Post column last week, which I posted here yesterday, generated considerable comment on the web and in emails back to me. Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast’s California reviewer, took issue on his blog with the thought that Bordeaux could ever appeal to U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bordeaux, California, France, Rants, Uncategorized, Washington Post, Weblogs, Wine, writers | Tagged , | 10 Comments

What’s ahead in 2014 for wine lovers?

Posted on January 6, 2014 by

New Year’s is crystal-ball season in a lot of respects – not just the ball that drops on Times Square, but all the figurative crystal balls that pundits and wine columnists gaze into to predict what the new year will … Continue reading →

Posted in Argentina, California, Chile, Local Wine, Portugal, Rants, Spain, Too Much Alcohol!, Wine | Tagged , | 3 Comments