Released today in the new issue of the Journal of Wine Economics is my review of Robert M. Parker, Jr.’s Parker’s Wine Bargains: The World’s Greatest Wine Values Under $25 (Simon & Schuster). The full text of my review is available for free (PDF; begins on p. 209). I also encourage you to subscribe to Full Article…
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“Recent Advances in Bullshit Reduction” at the International Food Blogger Conference
My talk at the International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle, “Recent Advances in Bullshit Reduction,” along with my panel session and discussion/debate with Robert Schroeder of the Federal Trade Commission and Foodista.com CEO Barnaby Dorfman about the new FTC guide to the disclosure of freebies and financial relationships in blog reviews, will be broadcast live Full Article…
Vote yes on Prop 19, and help start a new conversation about America’s violent War on Drugs
If you’re registered in California, I encourage you to go out today and vote yes on Proposition 19, which will legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis—and take a major step toward treating drug use as a public health issue instead of a crime in America. It is time to end the failed policy of marijuana prohibition Full Article…
Counterfeit wine below the radar: the case of Tesco
Britain’s Sun recently reported that supermarket giant Tesco sold two bottles of counterfeit Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuissé, distributed by Hatch Mansfield, to a customer named Danny McGowan of Clacton, Essex, who described the fake bottle as having a label that “looked photocopied.” Apparently, the bottle was on sale for £5, down from a usual £14.49. (As of this writing, the Pouilly-Fuissé Full Article…
Seamus Campbell, my co-author, on what it’s like to be a beer critic
Here’s the first of Seamus’ weeklong series of blog articles about The Beer Trials for the Powell’s website. In the article, he discusses a phenomenon that’s familiar to my experience as well: “conversations about how I could possibly have given famous and best-selling products poor ratings.” It is a basic human instinct, and (for those of Full Article…
The Beer Trials: a sneak preview
Here’s a sneak preview of The Beer Trials, which I co-authored with Seamus Campbell. The preview (in PDF format) includes a press release, the preface, our list of beer ratings, and a few reviews from the book. The book, due out on April 15 from Fearless Critic Media (distributed by Workman Publishing), rates and reviews 250 Full Article…
When are high wine prices justified?
In wake of some of the latest chatter about The Wine Trials 2010 (this one from Joe Briand, wine buyer for New Orleans’ excellent Link Restaurant Group, e.g. Cochon, Herbsaint, with a response from Wine Spectator executive editor Thomas Matthews), I thought it was time for a quick clarification of first principles here. People have Full Article…
“Parker’s Wine Bargains” lists same exact wine twice, with totally different reviews
In the course of reading Robert M. Parker, Jr.’s new Parker’s Wine Bargains: The World’s Best Wine Values Under $25, I noticed a couple of strange things. First, I was surprised to find the same winery, Casa Lapostolle—one of Chile’s most prominent producers—listed in both the Argentina and Chile chapters of the book, which were Full Article…
New study suggests that Wine Spectator advertisers get higher ratings
The lead paper in the new issue of the Journal of Wine Economics is a study by Jonathan Reuter arguing that Wine Spectator wine ratings for advertisers were about one point higher than ratings for non-advertisers, when controlled against ratings from Wine Advocate. This is in spite of the magazine’s stated policy of tasting wines Full Article…
Guest blogging about Portland food on powells.com
All this week (November 30-December 4), I’m guest blogging about Portland, Oregon food at the Powell’s Books blog. Check out my posts there: Monday, November 30: “Have you heard of the two best Chinese restaurants in Portland?” Tuesday, December 1: “These, in my opinion, are the five best comfort-food dishes in Portland. Let the flame-wars Full Article…