Blog

One of the things I enjoy most about teaching wine is watching a student’s face when a long-held belief turns out to be wrong. Not “slightly inaccurate.” Not “open to interpretation.” Simply wrong. Wine, for all its beauty and complexity, has accumulated a remarkable collection of myths over the centuries. Some originated as well-intentioned advice.… Read More

One of the enduring features of Musings on the Vine has been my Recommended Reading list. Over the years, I’ve shared books on wine, food, history, and the occasional unlikely subject such as salt, cod, or caviar. Looking back through those recommendations recently, I was reminded how many remarkable authors have shaped my own understanding… Read More

Spend enough time around wine enthusiasts and sooner or later you’ll encounter the term Old Vine. Usually, it’s presented as a badge of honor. The label seems to suggest that older vines automatically produce superior wines and that younger vines are somehow less worthy of attention. As with many things in wine, reality is a… Read More

One of my favorite classes to teach is The History of Italy in Ten Glasses. A few years ago, during one of my History of Italy in Ten Glasses classes, we were discussing the Roman roots of Italian wine while tasting a Valpolicella. A student stopped, looked down at their glass for a moment, and… Read More

Forty years. I sometimes find that difficult to believe. I recently opened a bottle that Betsy and I purchased more than twenty years ago. As I eased the cork from the bottle, I realized I was not simply opening wine. I was opening a particular moment in our lives. The wine had been aging quietly… Read More

How My Palate Has Changed Over the Years One of the questions I am asked most often is whether my taste in wine has changed over the years. The answer is an unequivocal yes. Like many wine enthusiasts, my early years were spent chasing intensity. Bigger wines seemed more impressive. Higher alcohol, richer fruit, more… Read More