THE LITTLE VINEYARD THAT COULD
On a brisk spring morning, the vines at Red Caboose Winery are speckled with tiny buds. Amid downy leaves no bigger than a fingertip, miniature grape clusters drink in the sun. Gary McKibben regards them with pride. They are living proof that his vision for a sustainable winery is becoming a reality. That, and they’ll…
THE BEST OF OMNIBOIRE
Each month, Current food and wine critic Ron Bechtol assembles a wine-tasting panel composed of a chef or restaurant pro, a professional wine rep (sommelier, buyer, what have you), and a passionate amateur oenophile. Together they sample representatives of a wine category (country, region, grape, trend), ranking them according to taste, appearance, finish, price, label,…
CHARLATAN CRITICS, GULLIBLE CONSUMERS
The wine blogosphere was collectively agog in May over the release of a new book, The Wine Trials, purporting to prove that wine consumers are easily duped by hype. Five hundred volunteers sampled and rated 540 wines for author Robert Goldstein, and among the results was this shocker: A Washington state sparkler costing around $10…
SUMMER LOVIN’
OK, now, don’t go getting cocky. Just because you have graduated from thinking that white wine equals chardonnay to admitting that there is a place in the world for sauvignon blanc — and, if you have been especially precocious, pinot grigio (deduct points if it’s only Santa Margherita, however) — doesn’t mean there aren’t more…
