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London Riesling Diary: Day 3 – Sophisticated German Spätburgunder/Pinot Noir from Sebastian Fürst in Franken
Sophisticated German red wine? Really? Internationally, there’s still a lot of resistance to the idea that red wines from Germany can be better than moderately good and even this would be an exception to the rule. Amongst experts and Somms … Continue reading
London Riesling Diary: Day 2 – Mr. Pigott, Do You Love Britain or Hate Britain?
I’m often asked whether I love Britain or hate Britain every time I write a blog posting in England or about England. It is one of the eternally recurring questions, only topped in frequency by, “Mr. Pigott, how did you … Continue reading
London Riesling Diary: Day 1 – Why I Left England and Never Returned, and Why it Doesn’t Matter
I’ve often been asked why I left England and never returned, except for short visits like this one. That question is most frequently posed by British people who can’t understand why anyone could ever want to leave this country. The … Continue reading
New York Riesling Diary: Day 20 – Re-garding the Future of This Blog
The Times they are a’ changin’, and as the title of that 1964 Bob Dylan song makes clear they have been changing for a long time. Change is afoot at this blog too. About a decade ago I started talking … Continue reading
New York Riesling Diary: Day 13 – Graham Tatomer and the New Aromatic Dry Whites of Santa Barbara County, CA
I have to admit that when I first tasted the dry Rieslings from Graham Tatomer’s eponymous winery in Los Olivos, Santa Barbara County in California I hesitated. They were so different from anything else I encountered during the research for … Continue reading
New York Riesling Diary: Day 9 – Remembering Hiroshima and Facing the Truth about Hiroshima (George Orwell Part 3)
There is a theory which has not been accurately formulated or given a name, but which is very widely accepted and is brought forward whenever it is necessary to justify some action which conflicts with the decency of the average human … Continue reading
New York Riesling Diary: Day 5 – Nationalism and Natural Wine (George Orwell Part 2)
Some of you may be wondering what George Orwell, the famous 20th century British writer, has got to do with wine. Here is one connection I see: The most important writers for me are the ones that make me feel … Continue reading
New York Riesling Diary: Day 4 – I Blog Therefore I Am, and How I Blog Now (George Orwell Part 1)
Why blog instead of write for print in the form of books, magazine articles or newspaper columns? Many of you will already be aware of the fact that I write for all of those media, and do so with as … Continue reading
@CityofRiesling Diary: Last Day – Underground Rock Star Riesling Winemakers of America unite!
An event like @CityofRiesling in Traverse City is a great opportunity to experience a bunch of wines that you otherwise wouldn’t have tasted, but far more important are the people behind the wines. As Brad Bickle, who’s business is mergers … Continue reading
@CityofRiesling Diary: Day 4 – Tonight’s the Night (of 100 Rieslings in Traverse City, Michigan)
Other wines have their annual day and Riesling used (in theory) to own the summer, but actually most people enjoy wine as part of a great night out, and I’m not arguing with that. It may be a simple observation, … Continue reading