Although many travel writers may rely upon their role as “the outsider” for either a comedic or a dramatic crutch, the most valuable travelogues are the ones that can accurately portray the local point of view. After all, once the narrator becomes a character — rather than a conduit — the fundamental purpose of a travelogue can become muddled. The challenge, of course, is to provide enough detailed perspective to maintain interest and insight, without delving too much into the ordinary and mundane. In Steve Heimoff’s “A Wine Journey along the Russian River,” the author strikes a [... read more ...]

Every time I receive a new issue of Wine Spectator, my ritual is always the same. First, I always flip to the back of the magazine to ogle the point rankings. I suppose I’m like most people — I have a strange fascination with the very things that I rally against — but I must admit that I do enjoy reading the scores. I am always eager to see which wineries are anointed with high marks, and likewise, I’m always interested to see how I might agree or disagree with the magazine’s assessments. But shortly after thumbing [... read more ...]