Grape growing has its rituals. If you’re going to take a plant that roots itself as it tumbles down hot volcanic soils on river banks in humid Europe and move it around […]
Voodoo Grapes in the Okanagan
Wild Currants are Ready
What I love about Pacific wild currants is that they taste as dry as the land on a hot day. Their sweetness is pale and their juice minimal, and yet if you […]
When Terroir is Terror
Isn’t it… … about time … … that the growing of … … wine grapes … … and the concept of terroir… … be separated … …completely and forever?
The Ethics of Talking About Wine in British Columbia
The Alumni Association of the University of British Columbia in the Canadian rain forest city of Vancouver is hosting a debate and wine tasting of wines from my valley, although the valley […]
Winemaking, the Natural Way
It’s not an accident that fungal colonies live on the skins of grapes and continue the life of the fruit long after the leaves have been blasted off by frost. In fact, […]
Wine, Salmon and Whisky Trading
Here’s a story about salmon, wine, and watching the water flow. It’s about how to find a site for a vineyard. It’s about how to get the land to speak. Or how […]
The Grace of Wine
Technical wine-making is a new invention. Before that, wine-making was an art. It still is. That’s what I’d like to talk about today, because discussions of winemaking usually give short shrift to […]
Marc, yeast, and terroir
Today, the first of a two-part series on the spiritual and environmental nature of wine, and what it can teach us about productive paths for our society as it works to reintegrate […]
Terroir
Terroir is an ancient wine-making term that defines a wine by the soil and sun exposure on which it is grown. Surprisingly, it is contentious. Beats me why. Terroir for All to […]
