| The Coming Revolution | | | | By: Alder Yarrow | << back  Page 2 of 2 |
In addition to large demographic changes, hundreds of other small tremors are passing through the wine world with increasing frequency. The places and the ways that wine is made are changing rapidly. The growing biodynamic and organic movements show a shift towards a different type of viticulture that emphasizes sustainability and quality, and as we deal with the realities of rising temperatures nearly everywhere, good wine is getting easier to make in places like Bordeaux, and harder to make in places like Napa. In major American cities we are starting to see more wines not just from China and India, but from Croatia, Greece, Hungary, South America, Turkey and Romania, to name but a few countries that are appearing this week on wine lists near you.
So what? Change is happening. Change happens constantly, of course – one man’s doomsday is another’s minor speed bump. The difference between yet-another-in-a-series of evolutionary changes and a revolution might only be that the latter is championed by the voices of individuals as it happens. If that is true, then let these few paragraphs be a call to raise your voice and participate in a revolution, rather than just be an observer of change.
Ignore the glossy magazines! Read a wine blog! Drink what you like! Buy on the recommendation of someone you trust, not on some critic’s double digit score! Try new varietals, new appellations, new countries! Treat wine like part of everyday life, not as a collectible luxury! Join me in celebrating as the brick walls of the old school crack and fall apart, to be replaced with something new.
Like many participants in revolutions over the years, we don’t know for sure what the result will be. Perhaps we must simply believe in the virtue of change for its own sake. In the absence of certainty, but in a mood of optimism, we should all co-opt the attitude I saw on an old construction worker’s bumper sticker years ago: “Everyone has to believe in something. I believe I’ll have another glass of wine.” Drink to the revolution!
About the Author:
Since January of 2004, Alder Yarrow has been publishing Vinography.Com, where he writes daily about wines, the wine world, and good restaurants around the globe. San Francisco Magazine calls Alder "the wine world's brightest cyberstar" and Vinography is is widely acknowledged to be the world's leading wine blog. The site, which Alder began as a way to collect his own personal notes about wine and food, has garnered praise from Food and Wine Magazine, Bon Appetit Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, The LA Times, The Washington Post, FastCompany, and 7x7 Design Magazine, among others.
In both his writing, as well as his selected postings of news and miscellany from the world of wine, Alder tries to create an alternative to the traditional sources and styles of wine journalism, partially by focusing on the stories, the people, and the passion behind wine from a decidedly down-to-earth perspective. Vinography was recently honored for the second year in a row as the best blog on the Internet covering wine, beer, or spirits at the Food Blogging Awards. In addition to publishing Vinography, Alder is the resident wine columnist for the online magazine The Gilded Fork and has also written for Edible San Francisco and Epicurious.Com. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Ruth
Website URL: www.vinography.com
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