They Said It... Our Editor Responds

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* Said a leading Russian health official after Russia banned wine imports from the former Soviet republic of Moldova: "The wine should be used to paint fences."

Says our editor: Hey, it's always important to have a nice, strong base coat.

* Said Paul Leary of Napa Valley's Blackbird Vineyards: "Mother Nature gives us something new each year...

Bart Araujo on Going Beyond 'Sustainable'

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     The Eisele Vineyard is one of the historic jewels of the Napa Valley.

     To keep it that way, in 1998, the owners converted it to organic.

     Then in 2001, it was certified biodynamic...

How to Make a Memorable (in a Good Way) Toast

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     It won't be long until wedding and reunion season arrives. And that means you may be called upon to raise a glass and propose a toast.

     If the thought of bombing in front of a bunch of friends (or perfect strangers) takes the fun out of the occasion, you need to follow the Boy Scouts' motto: Be prepared.

     Here are a few tips to help you formulate a toast that everyone in attendance will remember...

They Said It... Our Editor Reacts

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     * Said Clifton Fadiman: "To take wine into our mouths is to savor a droplet of the river of human history."

     Says our editor: So why didn't they serve wine in history class?

     * Said Maurice Healy: "I took one sip; I closed my eyes, and every beautiful thing that I had...

10 Reasons to Switch to Screw Caps

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    Over the years, the wine clubs of Vinesse have featured numerous wines from Bonny Doon, the winery founded by Randall Grahm.

     The eccentric Grahm has always been two or three steps ahead of the curve, embracing international grape varieties before just about anyone else, and crafting wonderful blends when 100% varietal wines were all the rage.

     He also was among the first vintners to embrace the use of screw caps on wine bottles, and even came up with a Letterman-style list of...

More Than Just a Drink... Much More

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     And you thought wine was just something to drink with a meal... or to sip while reading a good book.

     It is both of those things. But it also is much more... as the words of Frances Tabeek, D.H. Lawrence and a Medieval German proverb so vividly demonstrate...

     * Frances Tabeek: "A good wine is like a gentle kiss - its effect throughout the meal is...

Three Books to Read While Sipping Wine

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    If you like to read about wine as well as drink it, here are three books you may want to check out...

     * "The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine."

     Just as there are counterfeit paintings, currency and I.D.s, there is counterfeit wine. Particularly when prices are...

How to 'Talk Wine' Like the Pros

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    So, you want to sound like a wine expert, eh?

     Short of memorizing each and every word of The Grapevine (official publication of the wine clubs of Vinesse), what's an oenophile-in-training to do?

     We'd suggest picking up a copy of "The Wine Snob's Dictionary," a breezy 111-page book written by David Kamp and David Lynch.     

    The book's sub-title gives you...

Hmm... THAT'S an Interesting Aroma!

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    John Cunin, owner of the Cypress Club in San Francisco, decided to have some fun, and put together a list of the "Top 10 Descriptors a Winemaker Hates to Hear."

     Here is his list, presented Letterman countdown-style:...

More Words of Vinous Wisdom... or Not

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    *** One of the great columnists of the 20th century, Art Buchwald, on wine writing:

     "When it came to writing about wine, I did what almost everybody does -faked it."


    *** Chef and author Jasper White, on matching food and wine:

    

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