Think Fast: 10 Questions with Dr Vino

An interesting shift has been occurring particularly in the last few years: The books we read are written by people we actually interact with online..

Last year I read Wine Politics: How Governments, Environmentalists, Mobsters, and Critics Influence the Wines We Drink by Tyler Colman. I really enjoyed it. It helps explain why interstate wine shipping laws are so fouled up.

Tyler is known as Dr Vino on his wine blog where he usually writes in short form - but sometimes goes more in depth as he did with this piece exploring ethical standards at The Wine Advocate way back in 2009.

One thing I appreciate about his writing is that it's always mindful of the acquisition process. He was in the Boston area for a visit recently so we were comparing notes on wine retailers. It was a good time to reach out to him for this 10 question interview.

If you have a chance before you read this, get a better feel for his personality from his appearance on Wine Library TV.

Q1:  Dr Vino ? what kind of PhD do you carry?

Dr Vino: I got into wine writing the way so many people do, by doing a Ph.D. in Political Science.

Q2: Wine that got you into wine?

Dr Vino: There wasn't any one wine, just a lot of wines from different places--in an age of globalization and standardization around big brands, wine represents something distinctive, from a certain bend in a river, bottled at the source. It's so intellectually interesting, not to mention tasty, that it didn't take much to pique my interest.

Q3: What kind of stemware do you use?

Dr Vino: Good stemware makes a difference--I have several kinds but probably the Schott Zwiesel has survived the longest because of the titanium-infused crystal. (Schott Zwiesel on Amazon)

Q4: If you could only buy wine from one retailer in the US for the rest of your life, who would it be and why?

Dr Vino: Chambers Street Wines. They have a terrific selection, reasonable prices, and exert a tremendous influence on wine in America, one that belies their one small shop.

Q5: Best current release red wine value under $25?

Dr Vino: Jean-Paul Brun "L'Ancien" 2009 ($15) from Beaujolais is amazing if you can still find it. CellarTracker

Q6: Best white value?

Dr Vino: Domaine de la Pepiere, Clos des Briords, 2010 ($16). The 2010 has crackling acidity; fantastic wine under $20 with any food from the sea. CellarTracker

Q7: What grape variety is going to break through in the next 5 years?

Dr Vino: Romorantin! This white grape grown almost in the tiny Cour-Cheverny appellation in the Loire has got breakout written all over it! ;-)

Q8: Instantaneous wine aerators: Fad or legitimate handy accessory?

Dr Vino: I haven't tried one but I did just see the results of a recent blind tasting of NYC sommeliers -- they gave them the thumbs down. If I think a wine needs some air, I usually have time for a traditional decanter, which also showcase the wine beautifully on the table.

Q9: If you could only drink one wine every night for the rest of your life, price a consideration, what would it be?

Dr Vino: I couldn't do it! Part of the appeal of wine is that there are so many different wines out there and the seasons are always changing.

Q10: Best tip for someone that?s just starting to go wine berserkers?

Dr Vino: Try something new. Many states offer free tastings at shops--go and taste through everything. Have a wine themed party and challenge friends to bring different wines.

My thanks to Tyler for answering these questions!

What to do next:


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/db4wHTq0KFo/think-fast-10-questions-with-dr-vino.html

Magdalena Wróbel Maggie Grace Maggie Gyllenhaal Majandra Delfino

The Nature of the Beast

The Wine & Spirit Wholesalers of America, the national association representing American wine wholesalers, finished their annual convention in Las Vegas on Friday with their CEO Craig Wolf warning members that the challenge of "privatization" ?is being used as a...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FermentationTheDailyWineBlog/~3/PerHBYfm-kI/the-nature-of-the-beast-wine-wholesalers.html

Mena Suvari Mia Kirshner Mía Maestro Michael Michele

A golden opportunity for all wine

You may have heard us talking about some exciting projects on the horizon, so we are very excited to announce Vrazon‘s latest project which will be officially launched at the 2012 London Wine Fair Access Zone, Wine Gold 2012. As we will be recruiting for ambassadors for the launch we thought we might give our friends [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/KvyI1UjEkCE/

Melissa Rycroft Melissa Sagemiller Mena Suvari Mia Kirshner

Good Grape Goes on Hiatus

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” said a very wise John Lennon and that’s exactly what has happened with me.  My life has kept apace, even as I’ve made plans to be a respected wine writer.

By most standards, 2011 has been a very good year.  I was a three-time finalist in the Wine Blog Awards, earning notice in the Best Overall Wine Blog, Best Industry Blog and Best Writing categories.  I started contributing a wine column to Forbes.com.  This site was named the 2nd most influential blog (and most influential wine blog) out of 4,000 blogs in a 2011 Wine, Beer and Spirits study by eCairn, a software company specializing in community and influencer marketing.  I was a panelist at Vino2011 in New York City, I won a scholarship to the Wine Writer’s Symposium in Napa Valley, and I turned down enough worldwide wine trip offers to fill a two-month calendar.

Yet, wine writing has exacted a toll.  I approach anything I do with a zeal and fervor that ensures me the success that I want and I’ve treated my wine writing as a full-time second job, to go alongside the job that I already have that requires 50 + hours a week.

Balance isn’t something that I’ve ever been very good at—possessed of an unassuming mien, a Midwestern work ethic, and a mental make-up whereby I cast myself as the underdog means that I am continually trying to prove something to myself, often times at the expense of real, true priorities.

Even more challenging is the fact that my standards for myself have been raised even as I’ve honed my writing chops.  Instead of figuring out a system to find time shortcuts, the amount of time it takes for me to write has become more deliberate and expansive while my interest in writing has become more professional in nature – less blogging and more credible journalism requiring more work to exceed the bar that I’ve set for myself.

The net result of this, after full-time job plus wine writing, is the rest of my life has received scant attention for nearly seven years and I’ve created a nearly untenable situation for myself, a set of internal expectations that I can’t live up to, requiring a time commitment that I can’t manage.

However, most importantly, the expectations and time commitments that I have assigned to my wine writing isn’t fair to the other people in my life – notably, my incredibly supportive wife, Lindsay.  She has been a saint the past six years, my blogging encompassing nearly the entire duration of our 6.5 year marriage.  But, she is long overdue a husband that takes the trash out without prompting!

I’ll be around the Internets – commenting on wine blogs, doing the Twitter thing, staying connected on Facebook and I’ll probably start engaging more actively on CellarTracker and on the WineBerserkers message board, but I’m taking a hiatus from wine writing to recalibrate, shifting my time to the things that are the most important to me:  Family and career.

Jeff

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/good_grape_goes_on_hiatus/

Summer Glau Kate Moss Kate Walsh Katharine McPhee

Bordeaux: the biggest joke in the wine world?

Something about the 2011 campaign told me that the Mea Culpas would come out this year – and I have a feeling I might be right. ‘We were arrogant,’ says Chateau Lafite MD Christophe Salin of last year’s wine pricing (and ‘timing’ – for which read ‘handling’). And I think we can expect more of [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/DxEIGs3ffr8/

Piper Perabo Poppy Montgomery Portia de Rossi Rachael Leigh Cook

Saveur finalist, Bordeaux 2011, Packers ? sipped & spit

SIPPED: award According to the illustrious Hosemaster of Wine, wine bloggers are barking poodles calling out for attention. So, yay, the editors at Saveur have included this blog as a finalist in the best wine and beer blog category. Woof! Click through to vote and see the complete shortlist (which includes some good ones but [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/--Au0Iod9gg/

Norah Jones Noureen DeWulf Olivia Munn Olivia Wilde