Tag Archives: mwwc

Drinking to Remember: Memory and Wine #MWWC34

Posted on July 25, 2017 by waywardwine

Memory and wine are odd bedfellows. We drink to forget, right? Those hangovers from downing two buck chuck definitely did not build more gray matter. That second (or third) bottle certainly wiped out a few evenings.

But good wine, hell, even just unique wine, can be a time machine. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Burgundy, Cheese, Cicero, drinks, France, memory, Monthly Wine Writing Challenge, mwwc, Space, Time, travel, wine, writing | 7 Comments

The Hardest Thanksgiving Wine Pairing #MWWC21

Posted on November 24, 2015 by waywardwine

Let me level with you. Do not fret over pairing wines with food this Thanksgiving. Most books, guides, magazines, or blogs will rehash the same tired rules: Beaujolais or Pinot Noir with pork or turkey, cab with steak, white with fish.

This advice overgeneralizes matters. What if your favorite producer decided to pop their Burgundy into new barrels one year? What if you went all Martha Stewart on the bird and brown sugar-glazed it instead of brining, or got completely “rebellious”: Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #MWWC21, dinner, drinks, Food, Holidays, Monthly Wine Writing Challenge, mwwc, pairing, Thanksgiving, wine | 10 Comments

Monthly Wine Writing Challenge #17–The Results

Posted on June 16, 2015 by waywardwine

Originally posted on the drunken cyclist:
It is that time once again, time to announce the results of this month’s Monthly Wine Writing Challenge. In all this month, there were ten entries for the theme “Epiphany” which was supplied by last…

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #MWWC17, blog, Monthly Wine Writing Challenge, mwwc, wine, wine blog, wine sales, writing | 4 Comments

Serendipity: Biodynamics -vs- Wines from Jura #MWWC13

Posted on December 4, 2014 by waywardwine

Serendipity provides the lucky theme for this 13th Monthly Wine Writing Challenge. So, what role does fortuitous chance play in wine? Well, one theory thinks we can control nature’s chaos: biodynamics.

Logo DemeterImagine organic wine-making on astrological steroids, based, weirdly, on lectures given by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s. I won’t bore you, but biodynamics looks at a vineyard as a whole ecosystem tied to celestial phenomenon and proscribes rituals to better enhance sustainability and produce. Intriguing…

However, bio-ists also latch their lunar planting calendar to a wine tasting calender (no really). 1st century Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder said the moon “replenishes the earth; when she approaches it, she fills all bodies, while, when she recedes, she empties them.” In theory, wine lives, and moon phases effect it just like living plants. Now wine certainly evolves and changes chemically with time and oxygen exposure, but to consider it “living” is like believing in zombies: those grapes aren’t growing anytime soon.

But can this (pseudo) science really predict chance? If we can calculate and plan our pleasure: “today is a leaf day, I shall avoid wine for maximum delight!” does it rob us the joy of surprise? Can we control serendipity?

Continue reading →