I’ve decided to let my subscription to Wine Spectator lapse once it runs out this year. Those who read this blog know that I often poke fun at the magazine and that I occasionally deride it for its undue influence on wine drinkers. There are many factors that have brought me to this current decision, not the least of which was the incident last year where the editors of Wine Spectator anointed a non-existent Italian restaurant with an Award of Excellence. In the aftermath, the magazine’s executive editor claimed “dishonesty” on the prankster’s part, but I still feel that [... read more ...]
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I've been rediscovering Berkeley lately, and will report on lots of great local restaurants. Do stay tuned.
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I have to wonder if the Michelin Guide is trying to stay relevant by offering some big shake-ups this year. Maybe I’m reading into things too much, but it seems like the 2010 San Francisco guide featured quite a bit of promotions and demotions, especially within Napa wine country. Of course, I’m not taking anything away from the two Napa Valley restaurants that certainly needed to receive their just desserts: Ubuntu and Etoile. Awarding these two restaurants a Michelin star should have been an easy decision, and I’m glad to see that both establishments have been properly recognized in [... read more ...] Clearly, I’ve been out of my jurisdiction by making uninformed predictions about Michael Broadbent’s libel lawsuit against Random House, which the legendary wine critic has recently won. I’ve just received a comment from Bartholomew Broadbent, the founder of Broadbent Selections and the son of the plaintiff, which outlines the press release regarding this recently settled legal case. In previous comments on this blog, the younger Broadbent was confident that his father would prevail in court, especially since British libel law is much different than American libel law. Well, it turns out he was exactly right, and British law favored [... read more ...] I attended the Rioja Wine Trade Tasting at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco last Tuesday, sampling about 60 wines from almost 20 different producers. With so many wines to taste, I didn’t linger on any particular wine for too long, allowing my general impressions to be my guide, rather than attempt to dissect each wine for its secondary characteristics. Even at a brisk pace, it took me about four hours to work my way around the room. I can say with confidence, however, that my favorite wine of the day was the 30th wine I tasted: the [... read more ...] Looks great, even though the bacon marmalade is totally hidden I tasted through about five dozen Riojas this afternoon at the Palace Hotel, and by the end of this four-hour drinking session, I needed lunch in the worst possible way. Of course, I knew this was going to happen, which is why I had already formulated a plan: blissfully full of moderate-to-good Tempranillo, I took a leisurely four-block stroll to RN74, the latest installment in chef Michael Mina’s restaurant empire. Although RN74 is officially billed as a wine bar (borrowing its name from Route Nationale 74, which runs [... read more ...] |
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© 2010 The Accidental Wino |
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