Tasting sized pours
The NYT Sunday Business runs a long article today on numerical wine ratings, aka The Number. Consider it essential reading. I’ll be adding it to the syllabus of my critics class at NYU this fall since it provides a good overview of the contours of the debate.
The struggle to end Prohibition, which ended 73 years ago at the national level is still being fought at the county level. Yesterday, the NYT business section (again!) ran a story about the new push to make Dry counties in the south “wet.” The new forces behind the change are “…local and national business interests that stand to profit from the sale of alcohol, including real estate developers, grocery chains, restaurant groups and Wal-Mart, are combining their political and financial muscle to try to persuade hundreds of dry towns and counties to go wet.”
Eric Felton wrote a funny piece in yesterday’s WSJ entitled “When bad things happen to good tequila” and chronicles when alcohol brands are at the center of bad news stories, as was the case with a bottle of Cazadores tequila in Mel Gibson’s car. [$WSJ]
Teens don’t get around local liquor laws very often by buying wine and spirits on the web a survey showed. [USA Today]
If you thought worms were reserved for tequila, Australian scientists are studying them for their smell sensors–for wine. [Reuters]
And in Australia, growers with unprofitable vineyards have been urged to abandon them to help reduce the country’s glut. [Adelaide Now]
On August 13th, 2006 at 11:36 am ,Cesar P. wrote:
A note on worms and tequila… these never go together!
It is mezcal that has the worm.
On August 13th, 2006 at 12:39 pm ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Thanks Cesar–I stand corrected.
The story didn’t specify which type of worm the Australian researchers were using but it probably wan’t even an agave worm.