DISQUS

Not sure if it came across sufficiently, but my Civil War comment was meant as a joke. Just considering how the Revolutionary War was eventually followed by the U.S. Civil War. I don't think there is any Civil War right now, or that anyone is pushing for one.

Hi Gabriella:
I find myself disagreeing with your characterization of Parker as a monarch. Though he may be the most influential wine writer, he does not rule alone. There are other influential wine writers as well, for example some of those from the Wine Spectator. To me, it might be better to consider them an Aristocracy.

As most commonly used, an Aristocracy usually refers to an elite ruling body, and often with a hereditary element. Though if we return to the terms roots, in ancient Greek, it meant "rule by the best." Though that has drastically changed over the centuries.

What many might refer to as the old school wine writers, like Parker, have long formed such an "elite" group, generally resistant to outsiders. And, there may even be a hereditary element as well. Consider how Parker brought in new writers to the Wine Advocate, to follow in his shoes.

I don't believe the "empire" or "aristocracy" has yet been overthrown. They still wield great power though some inroads have been made by bloggers. There is still a lengthy road ahead for bloggers. As you said, there is still "confusion, growing pains and questions." And it is great that the blogger conferences are trying to help with those issues.

And let us hope we don't eventually get torn apart by a blogger Civil War. :)

I generally dislike Cabernet Franc. Far too often it has a green/vegetal taste that I dislike. I do continue to try Cab Francs, as I have rarely found a few that I liked. But, at the last Israeli tasting in Boston, I was pleasantly surprised to find THREE Cab Francs that I actually really enjoyed. Those were the only Cab Francs at the tasting and for me to enjoy all three of them was simply amazing. Plus, I more than just "liked" them. They were quite delicious.

No need to apologize for disagreeing with me. :)

First, from the chairman's comments, I do not see where she indicates that having an "editor" is a requirement.

Second, though the newsletter is connected with your blog, I do recall that there was at least some original content in some of the newsletters, little extras for your readers.

Hi Gabriella:
This is certainly a disturbng post, that indicates the prejudices of the Chairman toward blogging, as well as the fact she is ignorant of your membership in the group.

Though, I think you can make a strong argument that you write more than just a blog. Specifically, you have written a number of newsletters about Iberian wines, and that goes beyond "mere" blogging. So, by the words of the Chairman, you still would qualify as a member as you do write more than a blog.

Ryan:

Who is the audience for Sibaritis? Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe it is only available in Spanish so its primary audience seems to be Spain, and any other Spanish speaking individuals. And if as you say, that within Spain, "regions do matter to sales, to people’s perceptions, to peoples pride" then is not the article catering to that idea?

If the magazine was printed in English as well, or in several other different languages, catering to a more international audience, then I think your position might hold more weight. The average American is never going to read the Sibaritis article. It is not going to have any impact on their wine buying.

By the way, which was declared the better region?

Thanks,

I should have read the comments too, and then I would have seen the link to the study. :)

First, they compared non-organic wines in this study. I don't consider that a fair comparison as many will concede that organic farming is better than normal farming. As I mentioned in the article on my blog, a fairer test would have been against plain organic wines.

Second, what this means means is that you cannot differentiate whether the biodynamic wines won simply because they were organic or because they were biodynamic. There is actually no way in this study to conclude that it was the biodynamic aspect and not just the organic one.

Third, there is not much info in the article about the methodology of the study, and which types of wines were compared. For example, did they compare French biodynamic wines to conventional California ones? Who were the blind tasters? I would need far more info about this study, though the fact they used non-organic wines as a comparison invalidates their results for me.

1. I am with you Gabriella that the 25 hr definition is no good. Like your example, when I was in Spain, I did stay at the Fuster and took day trips to Priorat and Penedes. I certainly considered myself a wine tourist, despite not staying 24 hours in Priorat. I would say a wine tourist is simply a tourist who visits an area, at least partially, because of the wine. For example, that might include the French tourist who drives over the border for ten hours to visit some wineries. A too limiting definition will exclude many people who should not be excluded.

2. I agree with you as well. A properly translated site makes a big difference to a potential tourist. Travel can make some anxious and reading a site in broken English or poorly translated does not imbue confidence.

3. I certainly agree that wine tourists generally want to do more than just taste wine. I know I certainly do. Food is very important to many wine lovers so connecting with restaurants is great. The more activities you can offer, the greater chance you will appeal to the varied interests of wine lovers. And maybe the wine lovers are accompanied by some who are less keen on the wine, but would love to go to a spa. When I went to Spain, Cellar Tours helped to create an itinerary of many varied activities for us, as well as pointing out others we might enjoy.

4. Yes, I would support wineries running family friendly tours and activities.

5. Some great ideas there! Comparison tastings are very educational and fun. They help teach the differences of wine in a way that a book cannot. And it makes a winery stand out more when their tasting room is different from the norm, instead of just a line up for 5-6 wines to try,.

6. At recent Boston Wine Expo, I noticed far more distributors and wineries who want to connect with social media and bloggers. It is still very new to them but they are reaching out more and I am sure it will only continue to grow.

7. Definitely. I love to try wine from more unusual areas as well as learn more about their efforts to create wine. Reading a blog from them would be like getting a peek into a bright new wine endeavor.

Hi Ryan and Gabriella!
I have awarded you a One Lovely Blog Award. You can check it out here http://tinyurl.com/a9argg
and feel free to award some other deserving people if you wish,

Thanks for the link to my review!

I have seen a growth in the popularity of Rose over the last few years, yet for many, they perceive Rose as simple wine. So they can't conceive of how the Domaine Tempier Rose can be worth its price. Yet for those like myself, the Tempier is an exceptional wine, so complex and satisfying. Maybe it is better that more people don't like the Tempier. Means more is available for me and those few others who enjoy it.

When I was in Barcelona, I did stop here and thought it was excellent. Katherine was very personable and obviously very knowledgeable about Spanish cheese. We tasted some incredible cheeses, including unpasteurized ones which are unavailable in the U.S. I heartily second Gabriella's recommendation that anyone in Barcelona should stop here.

1. Despite the doomsayers signaling the death of print media, none of the major wine magazines, such as Wine Spectator or Decanter, will go under in 2009.

2. Wine bloggers will not come to a consensus on blogger ethics.

This fair certainly sounds much better, especially all the food, than the usual Ren Faires I have been to.

But why does the fair honor the Moors? Spain spent hundreds of years trying to reclaim their lands from the Moors. It almost seems like it would be similar to Native Americans having a fair to honor Christopher Columbus. Well....not quite as bad as that. I know Moorish culture did benefit Spain in some ways. Is there a specific reason for Vic to choose to honor the Moors? Is there still a Muslim population there?

Thanks for such a responsible post. I agree that we all are familiar with addiction, whether it is family members or friends. I know I had encountered such with both friends and relatives. And it is never easy, especially if the person so afflicted denies the reality.

There is definitely a danger though in the alleged cure just substituting one addiciton for another. France already stands as an example of such. Wine consumption decreased from 100 liters per person in 1960 to only 45 liters per person in 2008. In comparison, consumption of anti-depressants was minimal in 1960 yet almost 60 million boxes were sold in 2004. This makes France the highest consumers of anti-depressants in the world!

An excellent overview of your trip that sounds quite fascinating. I am sure that all of us are glad that you were in Delhi and not Mumbai at the time. Hopefully you both will write more about your experiences. I had looked at some of the voluminous photos on Flickr and it looks wonderful.

I would also recommend checking out a book that was just published within the last week or two, "Secrets of Social Media Marketing" by Paul Gillin. It essentially is a book for businesses about how to harness the Internet for marketing and advertising, touching on everything from blogs to Youtube. It addressess many of the fears and concerns that businesses have about using the Internet for marketing. It provides plenty of examples of sucess stories. It provides plenty of interesting statisitcs on Internet use.

I recently read "Buyology," a new book about marketing and neuroscience. It has some fascinating data and info about marketing, and the reasons why consumers purchase items. I will be writing a more detailed post on my blog about the book and its findings but it does directly relate to your post.

In 2007, US corporations spent about $12 Billion on market research. Yet 8 out of 10 new product launches fail within the first 3 months. Much of that research seems to be very unsuccessful. Traditional marketing does not work that well so something different is needed.

I would agree that the Internet is fertile ground for marketing, that it can offer many advantages, including being much less costly than traditional advertising and marketing. The Spanish wine industry would be doing themselves a terrible injustice if they ignored the benefits of the Internet.

All it is doing for me is trying to hypnotize me.

Unfortunately I did not get to visit them. I agree with you that they are very food friendly too. The winery certainly is not catering to the more modern styles of wine. It is so good to see a traditional producer who is sticking to tradition.

For those in the US, Bin Ends (in Massachusetts) carries the 1998 Gravonia for $24. I just picked up from Bin Ends a couple bottles of the 1997 Vina Tondonia Rosado (also $24) . I would also highly recommend that wine too. Vina Tondonia is am amazing winery.

Here is my WBW #50 entry

http://passionatefoodie.blogspot.com/2008/10/wb...

Hi Ryan:
If I had known nothing else about River of Skulls beside the the name and label, I definitely would have hesistated before buying it. (Though I had actually recd it as a sample). But, as I knew more about the wine than merely the label and name, I would have been more likely to buy it. For example, it is made from Mouvedre, one of my favorite grapes.

Though I would hesitate to buy the "Sexy" wine without knowing anything more about it, I would be more likely to buy it if I saw a positive review from people I trusted, such as yourselves.

Gabriella:
Glad to hear your cast was finally removed. 78 days is certainly far too long to be so encumbered.

I agree with Dylan that the name of the wine may not really be that controversial. For instance, there is a California wine called "Cleavage Creek", with an accompanying label of a well endowed woman.

For me, I would likely not buy a wine labeled "Sexy" as I would think it was more a marketing stunt rather than being a more serious wine.

Congratulations on your Anniversary and hope you continue to thrive for years to come.

I am a big fan of Canadian Apple Ice Wine! It is especially great in the fall, with an apple dessert.