Musings

The "M" Word Has Got To Go

Submitted by winesmith on

In my 2013 keynote address, I told the European Digital Wine Communicators Conference that accusing a winemaker of manipulation is like calling your wife a whore because she’s sleeping with you.  What, she’s supposed to do her duty and then feel bad about herself?  To place winemakers in this moral dilemma is to inhibit the acquisition of the necessary skill set which leads to invisibility of artifice and proper presentation of terroir.  Thus the accusation itself fosters poor practice, the real source of clumsy winemaking.

How to make money in wine retail: What almost nobody understands

Submitted by winesmith on

A student in one of my classes asked me to clarify why profitability depends on markup, investment, turnover and supply lines.

The turnover question is a very important point most retailers do not understand.  The way to make money in this business is through return on investment, not on markup alone.

Pairing wine with Middle Eastern music

Submitted by winesmith on

Bonjour Clark!

How are you?

I just listened to the FWS Seminar that you hosted and I wanted to thank you for sharing your experience, your theories, your knowledge and your time. I am completely fascinated by your views!

Being a singer-songwriter, I am especially intrigued by the co-relation that you make between music and wine! One question... What kind of wine would Middle Eastern music inspire you to drink?!

I look forward to reading your book!

Hope you are well!

Merci et Santé

Mymi

Clark writes:

Brett in old wines

Submitted by winesmith on

Hi Clark,

I have been meaning to ask you this question for a while: 

Why we never see anyone saying that an old bottle of wine (let's say older than 20 years) has Brett (or high levels of 4-EP if you prefer)? 

I don't know if you agree with this proposition, but I don't recall ever in my life having opened an old bottle and going "ouch! barnyard!!". Assuming that it had Brett in its youth, what happened?

Very best,

Use of oak chips/powder/staves

Submitted by winesmith on

Q: Is eliminating the barrel from the equation eliminating the romance of a cellar full of barrels? And do consumers care to know that their wine was oaked in a more cost effective fashion?

-Roger

A:

There is nothing romantic about the corpses of 200-year-old French oak trees stacked in their thousands to impress the tourists.  It's as reprehensible as it is unnecessary and wasteful.

'Natural’ versus ‘technological’ just romantic schtick?

Submitted by winesmith on

Discussion on Chris Kassel's Facebook page in response to his question "Is the idea that some decisions made by winemakers are ‘natural’ versus some which are ‘technological’ just romantic schtick pushed by marketing people who have no idea how wine is made?"

My two cents.

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