Something wonderful is happening. As a new generation of oenophiles makes wine and cities -- two of the world's oldest institutions -- their own, the two are blending in both ways and places most unexpected.Wineries, wine bars, and restaurants with excellent glass and bottle lists are often reflective of the local culture surrounding them, and -- when such regions exist -- of the wine made in the countryside beyond the next mountain. I can think of few other ways to connect more deeply and learn more thoroughly about a place than to do so in the company one keeps with a glass of wine in hand.
Read moreWhy the world needs wine in 2018, more than ever
"Wine is made great by its ability to expose the curious drinker to different things that he or she didn't know existed, to take us to other lands and climates, to teach us history, and to enrich our knowledge of the world." I wrote those words last April, and they are as plain a confession of my love for wine as any I can dream up nine months later. Let me tell you a story.
Read moreAdventure, alternatives, and the fallacy of online wine services
We've recently been asked quite a bit for our thoughts on the online wine services and clubs that seem to be springing up everywhere. For the uninitiated, we're talking about services wherein the customer offers some basic personal taste information, and the service sends wine based on those preferences. The ultimate promise is easy wine without risk, always pleasing to its intended recipient, and (thanks to the the power of data) getting better all the time. Great, right?
Read moreWhat I've learned about America from my recent travels, wine, and the holidays
In the typical American telling of our individual stories, we tend to equate nationality with citizenship, not with ethnicity. Most of us descend from people who came from somewhere else, and many of our families have not -- in the grand sweep of time -- been here all that long. What makes America great?
Read moreWhere are you a local?
It's tough for me to define "where I'm from". How indeterminate, for it only begs more questions. Is being from a place is about having been born there? Having grown up there? Having one's family roots there? Is it the place one chooses as an adult? Several years ago, author Taiye Selasi helped answer some of these questions in her TED Talk during which she suggested that the question "where are you a local" is far more valuable than the question "where are you from".
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