Opinion

First Loser

Another peculiar part of the American identity is always wanting to be first. In our professional sports leagues we don’t give respect to the runner-up, we venerate the champion. It’s all or nothing. If you’re not winning, you’re failing. The American psyche wants to identify with

Tony Coturri

2 min read

Opinion

California’s Meaningless Appellations

Californiaʼs well-known wine regions will never reach the pinnacle of international quality until real appellation control rules are made. In Europe, in theory, appellation rules protect quality and tradition. They generally revolve around varietals that have been proven to thrive in the soil and climate of a given region, and

Tony Coturri

2 min read

Opinion

SIP (Sulfite Is Poison)

Any discussion, conversation, argument or no-holds-barred fight on the topic of “natural” wines has to start with the two winemaking practices most often used to define such wine: using natural/field-born yeast for the fermentation, and not using SO2. If SO2 is used anytime during the development or bottling of

Tony Coturri

1 min read

Opinion

Our Era of Wine

We’re living in an era of wine production that has moved far from the origin of grape wine. In the last several weeks three new products have come to light: a large blender designed to masticate grapes to a pulp in order to increase color; a yeast developed to

Tony Coturri

3 min read

Opinion
Speakers' Corner NYC 2016 - Videos

Speakers' Corner NYC 2016 - Videos

As part of the New York 2016 edition of the fair, we hosted a RAW WINE Speakers’ Corner which saw all sorts of natural wine heroes give talks, tastings and do book signings – sharing their experiences and knowledge to help visitors get to grips with this extraordinary world. As promised,

RAW WINE

1 min read

Farming / Opinion / Other Drinks / Meet the Community
Can we still trust the AC system?

Can we still trust the AC system?

An increasing number of terroir-driven French estates are leaving the appellations body that is meant to protect their provenance and guarantee consumers a unique product. Isabelle Legeron MW believes the system is flawed and outdated, and no longer an indicator of wine quality. Illustration for Decanter by Phil Disley(This

Isabelle Legeron MW

9 min read

Opinion
Monty on: Austerity's Silver Lining

Monty on: Austerity's Silver Lining

by Monty Waldin Not everyone likes this new age of austerity. But from my perspective as a lover of both biodynamic wine and gardening I think a little bit of austerity may not be such a bad thing. Brits import 70% of their groceries rather than grow their own, and

Guest Author

5 min read

Opinion