http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Mon, 19 Dec 2005 05:17:42 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/12/19/051742.php Tynan SzveteczBy David Roberts In no other era has it been quite so easy to obtain things. Let's say you find yourself in sudden need of full set of arctic outerwear and mountaineering gear. All you need is an Internet connection, a major credit card, and five minutes of time. A couple of clicks and a few keystrokes later, a complete compliment of everything you need for your polar explorations is on the way to your front door.Perhaps the arctic gear is a bit far fetched, but the point is that technology brings the most exotic and outlandish items within easy reach of computer-wielding shoppers, so why not wine? If you looked hard enough, you could probably find a place that offers next-day shipping on endangered species to your door--but if you're Oklahoma yearning for a California wine, you'd better find your keys and drive to the store.You probably already know that most states, much to the consternation of many wineries, ban the direct shipping of wine to consumers. As of Thursday, Michigan is no longer on that list. December 15th saw Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm signing a bill that allows direct wine shipments to consumers in the state. While this is welcome news to Michigan wine-lovers, legal experts caution not to celebrate just yet. The new law, they say, might not hold up in court. For the time being, however, it represents another step forward in the nation-wide struggle to free the grapes. Bravo, Michigan! Culture41185@blogcritics.org Mon, 19 Dec 2005 05:17:42 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/04/28/174123.php Tynan SzveteczWhether the result of the manifest destiny archetype that seems to be burned into their collective minds or the sheer primal urge to make things bigger, Americans have a unique and peculiar logic that permeates through everything they do: Why drive a Geo when you can drive a Ford F-350? Nowhere in the wine industry is this sentiment causing more controversy than in the heart of California wine growing country, where wines are clocking in at 16% alcohol by volume or higher. In an international market place where wines rarely break 13%, the California-sparked trend towards higher alcohol in wine is upsetting the foundation of wine traditionalists.On the surface it doesn't seem like such a big deal, but when you consider that a 15% alcohol by volume wine has 25% more alcohol in it than one labeled 12%, it puts the debate in perspective. If people want to get inebriated, after all, they can always move on to vodka, scotch or everclear. A wine brought to the dinner table at that level will go to the head noticeably faster than what many people are used to. However, it's important to realize that the producers making these high-octane wines are typically smaller vineyards interested in a high-quality product. Sure, the alcohol is higher, which means there was more sugar when the grape was picked, but the acid in the grape and the grape skin also have time to mature to offset that high alcohol. The California producers releasing these wines are determined to make sure they remain balanced, so they cultivate the acidity and the tannin to match the alcohol. As a result, many of these wines are $25 or more, and it's not rare to see them priced at $100 a bottle. For the most part, the producers claim that they are merely falling in line with the nature of the California climate, which is hot and can support a long growing season. Opponents are concerned that the wine will overwhelm food and will lose its elegance. Whether you personally prefer the soft and subtle elegance of a Burgundy that clocks in at 12.5% or the driving boldness of a 16% blended red, surely you can appreciate that in this world, it takes all kinds, and aren't we better off with more options? Culture28780@blogcritics.org Thu, 28 Apr 2005 17:41:23 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/04/20/121547.php Tynan SzveteczOkay, the cat's out of the bag: wine is good for you. With 5th century Italian monks as inspiration and double blind clinical studies as proof, modern medicine has accepted that the benefits to drinking a moderate amount of wine on a regular basis far outweigh any that could result from not engaging in the practice. The key to this life-giving scenario, as recently pointed out by a group of Australian researchers, is moderation. Their efforts were targeted at understanding the relationship between the beneficial antioxidants in red wine and the blood-pressure increasing properties of alcohol. There was a hope that the good stuff in wine would offset alcohol's tendency to raise blood pressure. The study was conducted on 24 healthy, non-smoking males who did not intake any alcohol for several months prior to the study. Half the group was given beer on a daily basis and the other half was given wine. The result was that daily wine drinking raised systolic blood pressure nearly as much as beer.The implication is that if more than two glasses of wine are taken in daily, men at risk of hypertension and men with hypertension will tip the health benefits of wine to a health risk. Two glasses daily is the optimum sweet spot for those interested in achieving the maximum benefit for the heart. At this level, people can still benefit from the HDL (good) cholesterol-raising effect and anti-coagulant properties of alcohol.Cheers to that! Culture28424@blogcritics.org Wed, 20 Apr 2005 12:15:47 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/04/06/124521.php Tynan SzveteczAustralian wine fans may have noted over the last several years that some of the gold, silver and bronze stickers that adorn an Aussie wine label brag about awards that seem at best bizarre and at worst totally suspect. Finding a wine that was a gold medal winner at Grandma Nicky's Barbeque, for example, might not carry with it the prestige you had hoped. In order to combat the recent explosion in obscure wine awards running rampant through the Australian marketing industry, The Winemakers Federation of Australia has decided to self-regulate. From here on out, vintage gold, silver and bronze discs would be allowed only on wine which received an award at an open, objective and independent competition.The current wine boom is not unlike past booms (the 90's coffee boom, the recent cigar boom) in that there are just as many shady marketing gimmicks that enter the playing field as there are legitimate high-class producers selling a great product for a cheaper price. Consumers have access to more great wine than ever before, but they also have to sift through more to get to those wines.At least now we don't have to worry about being distracted by the gold medal winners from Aunt Ida's Dinner Party. Culture27829@blogcritics.org Wed, 6 Apr 2005 12:45:21 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/04/05/145534.php Tynan SzveteczThe French are in a pickle. Only in France would wine lobbyists turn to terrorism and throw sticks of dynamite into the agriculture ministry offices in Montpelier and Carcassonne. The French government is concerned that a mass demonstration by producers in Languedoc on April 20th, 2005 could deteriorate into violence. Both the radicals and the vineyard workers (who are expressing their discontent more democratically) are demanding that the seventy million euro in subsidies already promised to them by the French government be increased.While it's true that France along with Italy is losing ground to wine exporters like Australia, Chile, Argentina, and South Africa, the country is struggling a great deal with a drop in consumption within its own borders. The French are still buying premium wines, but their taste for table wine has diminished somewhat in favor of beer. Although this is causing some consternation among some of the largest and oldest wine makers in the world, it is also serving as a catalyst to learn more about the general public's wine habits. Studies are being conducted throughout France and all over the world to pinpoint how vineyards can better market to wine consumers. One of the more interesting results of this exploration is that people are moved by the mystery of wine -- that is, they don't want to be educated about what they're drinking. The wine by itself is enough.The recent Vinexpo in France has uncovered that most people connect wine with history and heritage. A study by decanter.com confirmed that the public likes that wine is sophisticated and reflects on a lifestyle that seems to embody not only present-mindedness and celebration, but also the pursuit of financial and family oriented success. As such, consumers are after what wine represents. Being educated about why a wine is good or getting involved in the intellectual deconstruction of flavors and aromas, whether on labels or in a tasting room, seems to be inspiring only for a minority of consumers.The results seem to reflect the dichotomy between the two characters in the movie Sideways: On one hand, you have the current French wine industry, represented by the righteous character Miles. He loves every aspect of the wine tasting experience, from sifting out flavors and aromas to seeking out the smaller vineyards that produce more distinctive wines. On the other you have the average consumer: Jack. He is more of the If it's liquid and it's red I give it a 95 mentality.There is a missing piece of the puzzle, which is that most wine consumers, including Americans, associate wine with France (over 74.8%). For marketers, this is a huge advantage. This combined with a desire for enjoying the mystique of wine gives French wine makers the opportunity to tap into the If it's liquid and it's red I give it a 95 mentality in a way that invokes tradition, heritage, and classiness without overburdening consumers with being talked down to or over-educated.The French are in a pickle, but maybe there's more opportunity for them than they currently realize. Culture27783@blogcritics.org Tue, 5 Apr 2005 14:55:34 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/30/114624.php Tynan SzveteczHappy Accidents In the fine tradition of how wine is thought to have been discovered in the first place, Champagne was come across quite by accident. Indeed, it was engineered more from a shift in global climate than any stroke of brilliance in 16th century renaissance Europe (which was experiencing no shortage of innovative ideas). And like many fine discoveries, it took over a century for the idea catch hold and truly be cherished. Prior to the late 1400's, the Champagne region of France was in a neck and neck race with Burgundy to produce the finest wines for the French King. Because of its geological proximity to rivers that could easily reach Paris, it typically had the upper hand. But that all changed when a dramatic climate shift moved through the Northern hemisphere in the 1490's. Plummeting temperatures not only caused the premature freezing of major rivers like the Thames, but also brought with them a shorter wine growing season that hit Champagne particularly hard. Yeast that converted the sugar in pressed grape juice to alcohol suddenly stopped processing mid-season. When the spring came and the temperatures began to rise again the yeast began processing sugars for a second fermentation. This produced an excessive amount of carbon dioxide in the wine and that, as they say, was that. Wine from Champagne would never be the same. An Innovator's Passion French royalty was repulsed by the new vintages coming out of the Champagne region and Burgundy picked up nearly all of Champagne's market share. It would remain this way until the mid-1600's when the Catholic Church sent in a specialist to help recoup its investment in the failing vineyards. His name was Dom Perignon.At first, Dom Perignon's orders were to find a way to decrease the bubbles in the wine, but with changing fashions came a shift in appreciation for the bubbly that was particularly strong across the channel in England. Here the decadent reign of Charles II introduced the idea that Champagne was not only good, it was hip. The trend began simultaneously in French circles and Dom Perignon was instructed to make more bubbles. The techniques pioneered by Dom Perignon are still in use today and form the foundation for the best bubbly found anywhere in the world. Although the challenge of preventing bottles from exploding as the result of the internal pressure would fluster the French for many years to come (it is estimated that over half of the Champagne bottled would explode during shipment), the city of Reims in Champagne became an official innovator and supplier of the wine in 1728. As a tribute to his passion and innovation, Dom Perignon adorns the label of the most prestigious bottles from the largest Champagne house in the world - Moet & Chandon. Culture27474@blogcritics.org Wed, 30 Mar 2005 11:46:24 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/24/114126.php Tynan SzveteczFor those of you who haven't been living in a discount warehouse seclusion bubble for the last ten years, it comes as no surprise that Wal-Mart is strategizing how to make-up for ground lost to Costco over wine sales. Costco is and has been the largest wine retailer in the United States for some time. This is the result of a number of factors, but one that ranks high on the list is that Costco's wine buyer, David Andrew, has good taste in wine. Wal-Mart got blind-sided by Costco like Bill Gates got blind-sided by Google, and in its first noticeable effort to do something about it, the corporate behemoth has announced that Sam's Club will start selling private-label red wines. The focus will initially be on Australian Shiraz and Spanish Rioja. There has been some public outcry regarding the expansion, even by executives at Wal-Mart, who are fearful that a private-label wine will simply be construed as low-quality and cheap. However, Sam's Club initiated a test run last year and sold through its private-label supply relatively fast. Costco has also achieved some success with its involvement with private-label wines, selling a Pinot Noir under its Kirkland brand name. This phenomenon is nothing new to European markets, particularly in the U.K., that have been selling private label wines for decades without a social stigma of cheapness associated with them.While Wal-Mart is optimistic about the move, it still does little to address the widespread view that Costco simply has a better wine selection. While Costco isn't the type of wine merchant that has staff who will riff with customers about wine, the public has taken it to heart over the last several years that you can go into the warehouse shooting blind and still pick-up a bottle that will at worst be pretty good. Sam's Club will have to find a way to overcome this perception of reliability and trust if it's truly going to move in on Costco's market share. Culture27210@blogcritics.org Thu, 24 Mar 2005 11:41:26 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/16/111338.php Tynan SzveteczWhile the introduction of the double-blind study into our modern scientific world has been but a blip on the radar screen in the 7000 year-old history of wine, it has given renewed vigor to the case that wine not only makes you feel younger, it actually can help prolong your life. The Italians have a saying that One barrel of wine can work more miracles than a church full of saints. And the Italians arguably have a longer running relationship with wine than any other modern culture. When the evidence came to light that wine, especially red wine, has so many benefits for long-term physical health that some researchers have asserted it is more detrimental to your health to not drink it, the Europeans shrugged and the Americans gasped. The French and the Italians view wine as the water of life. It is deeply entrenched in the cultural psyches of both areas as a vehicle by which you achieve health and live a good, meaningful existence. To not drink a glass or two of wine every day at every meal excluding breakfast is to be three-quarters of the way to dead.The Americans were flabbergasted at the news because it exposed what Danish researchers dubbed the French Paradox. A scientific team in Denmark was the first to uncover the remarkable phenomenon that, on average, the French consume about 30% more fat than Americans in the form of cheeses, butter and meat. However, the French have far lower cholesterol levels than Americans and a startlingly 40% fewer heart attacks. The researchers found the moderate and daily consumption of red wine was the missing link in the American diet. In research that has been reproduced and expanded upon throughout the world, it has been confirmed that the nutrients, minerals, vitamins and immune system boosters that are contained within red wine can add-up to substantial long-term health benefits - especially for individuals at risk for heart disease as the result of a high fat, high cholesterol diet. New research is beginning to uncover the presence of powerful antioxidants in red wine, including veratrole and catechin among others, that are known to reduce blood clotting, reduce risk of heart attacks, and even help combat some forms of cancer.This is all of course assuming that wine is consumed in moderation, just as the Europeans do, defined as roughly a glass or two of wine every day. Any alcohol consumed in excess can lead to serious health problems including heightened risks for severe liver, kidney and psychological disorders. Additional Nutritional Benefits Research has determined that what distinguishes the health benefits of wine from other alcoholic beverages is the notable presence of tannins and esocyanine which are composed of polyphenols. Polyphenols have a positive effect on the vascular system as well as stimulating antiviral and antibacterial responses in the body. The implication for women is particularly important, as a Harvard University study has found that a glass of red wine a day can reduce heart attacks for females by 25%. In addition, wine has been found to lessen and in some cases bring a cessation to the degenerative effects of osteoporosis. And the benefits do not stop there. No pun intended: wine seems to go to the very heart of what ails us. It aids in digestion, stimulates the appetite and combats neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. It has even been found to help combat both Anorexia and Obesity.The benefits to the heart, bones and immune system not withstanding, wine helps address the big kahuna of problems in most people's lives: stress. While it's true that alcohol in of itself reduces emotional stress when consumed in moderation, wine adds an additional quality that is reflected in how it is enjoyed. In Europe, wine is always consumed at meals (among other times). Sitting down for a lunch and dinner is a time to relax and enjoy your food and surroundings. A glass or two of wine helps promote this sense of taking a time-out to enjoy your life. There is no better time in a hectic day of work than at meals to give your mind, body and soul a respite from all of the demands of a modern lifestyle.Wine is a way to take a step back, to remember why you're living in the first place, a way to savor your life, if you will. In this way, making it a part of your daily eating rituals can do as much or more for your health as a counselor, herbal remedy or television program. White Wine is Wonderous Too Although red wine tends to get most of the attention because many of its inherent health secrets are locked within the magic of its grape skin, white wine carries some important benefits as well. Grapes, with or without their skins, seem to be one of the great foods in our world that work particularly well for human biology. White wine, like red wine, has significant anti-inflammatory properties derived from appropriate levels of tyrosol and caffeic acid. Because the process that creates white wine retains many of the antioxidants that are found in red wine, it is also important for its anticancer qualities, as well as its ability to improve blood circulation and increase oxygen supply.It's How You Feel AND How You Look As the evidence mounts through the years and wine becomes generally accepted as a substance that can prolong life or at the very least, reduce the risks to life, it makes sense that people would to start ask the question: if wine is so good for my insides, what about my outsides?The French believe they are in the lead to answer that question, with the release of widely available beauty products that are made from the seeds of grapes. Researchers in France have compiled a guide, or text book, that outlines the various treatments derived from grape seeds, grape skins, wine and their respective benefits. The new trend has been dubbed vinotherapy. Interested in getting a Merlot Rap? Have your entire body rapped in various ingredients, not the least of which is Merlot grape skin. From this end of the spectrum to a simple grape-seed cream you can apply to the face, Spas throughout the world are beginning to explore the benefits of grapes as detoxifiers, strong andtioxidants and cell regenerators. Though there is a great deal of research left to be done in the wide world of Wine and Health, there has been virtually nothing that suggests wine, when consumed in moderation, can do any harm. With thousands of years of history and a venerable reputation as a substance that adds enjoyment, meaning and especially vigor to life, there is every reason in the world to make wine a regular part of your day, as certain as the sunset and just as miraculous. Culture26817@blogcritics.org Wed, 16 Mar 2005 11:13:38 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/28/162536.php Tynan SzveteczWine bloggers, like technology bloggers, are relishing in the fact that they are posting in a time unlike any other. The wine industry is exploding all over the world and the benefits cannot be overstated. One of the keystones of this phenomenon is that more great wines are available at prices that can actually match the el-cheapo brands like Yellow Tail and others. Of course, because operations like Yellow Tail have access to loads of marketing capital, they will be the bottles the average consumer reaches for. Wine bloggers are feeling empowered to change this phenomenon by offering features like tasting notes, reviews and cyber tastings. As these things spread through the net in the form of RSS feeds and blog watches, they can serve as the underground marketing fire needed to introduce consumers to wine that may be more complex and enjoyable than many of the name brands.The thinking is: Hell - if the blogosphere can lead to the firing of major corporate executives, surely it can enlighten people to buy better wine. While this is certainly a fulfilling quest for the average wine blogger, is it not at best elitist and at worst intimidating to suggest there are wines consumers should enjoy? When I hold a wine tasting the first thing I do is make sure everyone in the room speaks their mind - giving the wine a personal score from 0-100. If there's one thing that is absolutely a given at each tasting, it's that everybody rates the wine differently. The beauty of the wine revolution, it seems to me, is that wine is losing that perception of righteousness and snobbery that has accompanied it, especially in the United States, for hundreds of years. If someone wants to rate Yellow Tail a 95, I'm not going to tell them their wrong or deluded by mass marketing gimmicks. If that's the wine they want to reach for when they shop, that's great! The point is that they are enjoying their wine. As bloggers, the best we can do is to introduce new wine to people that might not otherwise find it. Let them decide if it fits the bill.It's important for us all to remember that the 100 point scale is totally absurd as an objective model, and that a mass produced wine overblown with fruit and oak can be enjoyed just as much in one person's hands as a delicate, silky, mind-bogglingly complex Burgundy in the hands of another. And isn't that, after all, the point? Culture26131@blogcritics.org Mon, 28 Feb 2005 16:25:36 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/23/125007.php Tynan SzveteczIn the vast and diverse world of wine making, it's difficult to find a grape that is quintessentially American. There are native North American varieties after all, but none that have made their way into any prominent role in modern wine growing. That's one of the reasons why Petit Sirah has developed such a cult following in the United States. Not to be confused with Syrah, recent DNA tests have been able to trace this Californian hybrid back to the 1880's when it was imported from France, thought to originally be called Durif. Durif is a likely cross between Peloursin and Syrah grapes. Originally, Petit Sirah was probably named so because its grapes had similar characteristics to Syrah in that both can be massive, rich and rustic wines. As one might guess they were probably also petite, and smaller grapes are generally favored by wine makers because they have a higher skin to juice ratio. A great deal of the tannin, flavor and subtle aromas in red wine come from the skin, so during wine growing and cultivation smaller grapes are generally prized higher than larger ones. Today, there is an interesting underground infatuation with the grape, not only because the Americans have renamed it, re-bred it and called it their own, but also because its complexities can be enthralling. Some have gone so far as to nick name it P.S. I love You and refer to it as the John Wayne of grapes. If you are interested in truly experiencing the grape in its most prized habitat, checkout the Blue Tooth Tour currently moving through the country. Named after the unavoidable blue color the grape imparts to the teeth and lips, the festival showcases the very best in California Petit Sirah. Culture25898@blogcritics.org Wed, 23 Feb 2005 12:50:07 EST