My blog is out: The rise and fall of Anything But Chardonnay: The world’s most versatile white grape has made a recovery since its post-Bridget-Jones fall from favour. What does that tell us about #wine trends? Plus: what I've been drinking this week aviewfrommytable.substack.com/p/the-rise-a...
Visits in Portugal and Spain over last few months suggest a much more sensible policy. Restaurant prices are about 30-50 % higher than retail. In poland it’ +-500%. And restaurants keep complaining ppl don’t drink wine.
I am drinking a fino from Tio Pepe and I love it.
The hell has frozen over.
This was the most difficult project I have worked on. O truly find it hard to believe I am holding the book in my hands.
I am quite shocked to report that I am actively discovering orange/amber wines. All because one wine which I loved (it was Jaworek of all wines). Well, also because I read @simonjwoolf.com book ‚Amber revolution’
Yes, and it makes sense to think Champagne bottle would be of the shape to withstand the pressure. Burgundy though?
Thank you. It’s surprising that only in Bordeaux they thought about storage. Isn’t it? Is it bc Bdx is larger than Burg. But what about Champagne?
definitely!
I find it difficult to accept this there is a big book on glass where they talk about wine glasses at length. Bottles are left out alas. But Pitte from what ai have gathered offers a lot.
Jean-robert Pitte La bouteille de vin.
The wine bottle as we know it was invented by a Mr Digby in 17th century, so bottles appeared then, slowly being more and more popular, as technology was getting cheaper. Then at beginning of 19th century, another Englishman invented machine production and bottles became common.
Some say that Schlegel bottle predated them all and that the shape was for easier storage. except in Austria where they say it's just for minimality of riesling....:)
Articles contradict each other. Some say Champagne borrowed from Burgundy, some other way round. Sediment 'theory' appears but it's linked with practice of decanting. Crystals of tartaric acid can also appear in Burgundy.... and the only book on wine bottle is in French.
There is a book on history of wine bottle. Alas my French is not good enough to read it.
Well, yes. But what’s the origin of the shapes? Why isn’t Bordeaux like Burgundy or the other way round. Why do Germans use Schlegel? Where does it come from? If it’s all about ease of glass blowing why is ot easier to blow different shapes in different regions.
And the ‘reverse reasoning’. Schlegel bottle because it’s perfect for minerality of riesling. The idiocy of such a statement is breathtaking.
And: pinot noir and chardo are just best served in Burgundy bottles. Bordeaux bottle obviously perfection for Bordeaux. Who wants to read such nonsense?!
I am trying to find out about history of wine bottle shapes. I am staggered by how shallow and uninformative are most of the articles purporting to talk about the topic. It’s like one text regurgitated over and over again.
I agree. Still, I think it’s considerably wiser not to tell people how to hold a glass if you depend on their purchase.
Yes, it’s a good point. The glory of wine might on a collision course with a 5 euro plonk that is desired by your reader.
However, there’s also surprisingly much patronising in intros to wine. Unless you drink like me, you do it wrong. I don’t get it.
However as sales decline I find it fascinating how often I read obnoxious and patronising texts direcred at the consumer on whose whim the authors depend.
Yes. We agree.
Such sources of incomes are probably for a minority, still ppl continue to choose such paths.
But i suspect quite a number of rating services offer decent incomes. Why else would you have half a million ratings as one of the sub website boasts.
Though as unimportant opinions go, these can earn a decent living.
Yes. Critics are important for the reason you mention and they’re well suited to offer advice.
As for who goes to rating idk. However, many a living are made thru ratings.
I tend to agree.
Pay for play is a frequent adage. Problem is that it almost always remains anonymous with little done. Unless ppl are prepared to blow the whistle, the adage will remain just this.
The critic got 2 of 4 wines wrong and so there came a flurry of justifications why that might be. Yes, we can do it but the wines were wrong too.
As I listened to a wine critic defending critics’ blind tasting superpowers (we’re great, you criticize us wrong, research is wrong too), imo this isn’t what wine criticism is about. Critics’ superpower is enormous experience in wine.
Your blind tasting is largely insignificant.
Cover of the The Bloomsbury Handbook of Language and Death
First page of the chapter
Excited to see my chapter, “Intersecting Discourses of Death and the Climate Crisis” is now out in the Bloomsbury Handbook of Language and Death, edited by @dgalasinski.bsky.social & Justyna Ziółkowska. You'll find the full collection ➡️: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/bloomsbur... @mcrlinguistics.bsky.social