There’s a really interesting article on the BBC News site discussing why rain smells so good. The smell of rain hitting the ground releases a smell that has been dubbed…
Terroir: when soils trump climate
I’ve been embroiled in endless discussions about terroir in the past. And I mean endless. They quickly become unfocused, ideological and circular, with people talking at cross purposes. But it’s…
Are anti-cork sentiments softening in New Zealand and Australia?
One thing I’m noticing in Australia and New Zealand of late: the growing number of producers using cork for high-end bottlings. This would have been unthinkable five years ago, such…
Discovering new old varieties in southwest France with Plaimont
If a highly paid marketing consultant had come to Plaimont a decade ago, they might have given the following advice: give up on these difficult-to-pronounce, unusual grape varieties with their…
Tasting Climate Change, in Montréal: the impact of warming on wine
Yesterday was the Tasting Climate Change conference https://www.tastingclimatechange.com/en/ , organized by Michelle Bouffard and held in Montréal, Canada. It was a half-day event looking at the impact of climate change…
What determines your taste? Why I disagree with Tim Hanni
Tim Hanni MW has become well known in the wine trade for his work on separating people into different groups according to their taste preferences. He has some interesting things…
Is elevated atmospheric CO2 to blame for rising alcohol levels in wine?
Lisa Perrotti-Brown of the Wine Advocate recently published an article that caused quite a stir on the Internets. Lisa begins by saying that that the rise in alcohol levels in…
Wine tasters are made, not born
There’s an excellent interview with Barry Smith on ABC (Australia) radio on the philosophy of wine. For a professor of philosophy, Barry is remarkably accessible and good at explaining what…
One of the weaknesses of the growing degree day concept, and similar climatic indices
I remember back in my old job, when we had a scientific conference on the nature of intelligence. It’s a topic you approach with caution. Nature versus nurture? Genetics versus…