Perusing the Wine List, The Wine News, August/September 2005
The August/September issue of The Wine News is running a feature of mine about wine list prices. I originally pitched a piece on what makes a good wine list, but since the piece ended up in the feature well, and not the comment columns. I decided to keep it a bit more educational. Why do restaurants charge those high markups? Has anyone beaten the "industry standard" model? (Yes) What should we as consumers expect of a restaurant charging a high markup? I still have strong opinions about what makes a good list (hint, it's not about size, no matter what Wine Spectator thinks), but I'll get to that eventually. It does annoy me that so many restaurants get a pass on their wine list from critics, but then again, most diners aren't interested in wine.
I got my copies and tear sheets, so I suspect that means it will be on stands in the next week or so. I've updated my clips section in the sidebar. Of course, if the June/July issue is still on stands, be sure and check out my Lodi article in that issue.
- Clips, Clips, Everywhere Clips
Melissa and I are still traveling, enjoying New Zealand wine and food before heading to Australia, but we're in a hotel with a wireless Internet connection; I've caught up on the Internet. The whole thing. I've had some articles appear like...
- Jojo Gets The Chron's Nod
Congratulations to Curt and Mary Jo for the nice write-up of Jojo in today's Chronicle. Carol Ness gives a shout-out to the duck confit, which I've been patiently working towards ever since Curt taught me his method. (I'm getting there, but...
- Edible East Bay: Home Wine Making
Photo by Melissa Schneider. The latest issue of Edible East Bay has arrived on news stands, and it features my article about East Bay home wine makers. This topic has fascinated me for a long time, so I had a good time learning more about it. Once...
- Wine Spectator Is Arrogant
I know. It's a shock. But take a deep breath, and I'll explain. In the current issue, they've printed a letter from a reader who blames Wine Spectator for promoting monstrous wine lists, and he goes on to decry the trend. "I am not happy...
- Guest Contributor Derrick Schneider...
The current issue of The Wine News features an article by me about old vine wine (primarily Zinfandel). Longtime readers will note the irony of me writing about California wines. I tend to agree with the sentiment that California wine is more about...