DISQUS

You've got some gorgeous shots there Ryan. Thanks for sharing! ~becky

Oh, their vines had color! I was hoping to see some nice reds on our vineyard walk but, all we had were yellows.

I thought you seemed incredibly graceful and agile, not to mention, really, really brave. :)

I think a lot of it has to do with access. Most journalists have a high level of accessed based on the clout of their organization. A lot of bloggers that are in the wine biz have access to wine 'news', while a lot of blogger 'hobbyists' don't have much access apart from meeting with wine-makers or other bloggers. I struggle with the same question: If I'm doing all my research from books/online resources that are already widely available, is there any value to it? I think there can be.
In the end I'm sure that some of the more journalism-based blogs would be able to fill the void (Fermentation, Dr. Vino, etc), and others can just be what they are: a wine -themed weblog about anything the author fancies.

That manifesto is a humdinger--love it. :-)

Okay but, um...where's the story? ;)

I think that Roger Scruton is a pretty well know wine writer/philosopher in the UK, and he has been known to promote Spanish wines...

I think they are growing in popularity in the states too but, around here you see a lot of Jumilla wines, and a lot of Atteca...

I agree--First of all wine-making has been going on for thousands of years and while there have been many refinements over the centuries, I don't think the gentleness with which one gets the juice from point A to point B is going to make a noticeable difference in the final product.
However, I do believe that a wine maker's passion will make a difference, and if he thinks that massaging the grapes makes a better wine then, so be it!
Also, there are a lot of consumers who don't want to hear that a wine was flavored by chips rather than being aged in a barrel (even though chips are the much more ecological choice these days), or that the juice was manipulated to achieve the balance they find in their glass, but, you are so right: lying about it is just dishonest. Not everyone expects their wine to be 100% un-manipulated, and those of us that don't understand that there are certain "adjustments" that the wine-maker makes in the interest of producing what he believes to be a better product. On the other hand, some mystery to maintain the romance is ok too. ;)

Here's one:
http://parosparadise.blogspot.com

It's not a wine blog but he does posts on food and drink...

As for the orejas for love: I guess we just don't love each other that much. ;)

Becky