“We entered the wine industry when there were no wine magazines, no wine critics, no 100-point scale—all 23 of us vintners in the Napa Valley in the 1960s. What we learned, we learned from the… Continue reading
“The efforts to demystify and simplify [wine] never ring true because they ignore the fact that wine by its nature is mystifying and complicated. These qualities can be embraced and celebrated without suggesting that they… Continue reading
“He planned dinners, of enchanting aromatic foods that should be carried under the nose, snuffed and then thrown to the dogs … endless dinners, in which one could alternate flavour with flavour from sunset to… Continue reading
“It seems almost a moral obligation [in the Napa Valley] to make wines with a life, because you can’t do that everywhere. It’s a gift.” ―Cathy Corison, Corison Winery, as quoted in Wine Revolution by… Continue reading
“Drinking good wine with good food in good company is one of life’s most civilized pleasures.” — Michael Broadbent, English Critic (pictured on the right with me and Kevin Zraly)
“People who say, ‘You can’t drink the good stuff all the time’ are talking rubbish. You must drink good stuff all the time. Every time you drink a bottle of inferior wine it’s like smashing… Continue reading
“I drink Champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink… Continue reading
“I guess I am a chauvinist, but the idea that fine California wine has to be dependent on oak from Europe, as part of its quality, was not acceptable.” —Paul Draper, CEO, Ridge Vineyards Quoted… Continue reading
“The minor miracle of wine is that it has evolved to the point where alcohol is perhaps the last element that gets the wine lover drunk. With wine, from a particular place and vintage, we… Continue reading
“I hover over the expensive Scotch and then the Armagnac, but finally settle on a glass of rich red claret. I put it near my nose and nearly pass out. It smells of old houses… Continue reading
