There’s a fluff piece in this morning’s LA Times, about BevMo’s in-house critic, Wilfred Wong. We read the story, hoping to find out more about the controversial practice of a store posting 100-point ratings from an in-house employee as legitimate critical information about the products it sells. But there was not really any investigation to this piece, and ultimately it seemed to legitimate the BevMo practice and place Mr. Wong above reproach.

BevMo and Wilfred Wong aren’t really the story, here, though.

Read more…

We were reading one of our favorite blogs yesterday, 1WineDude, and the Dude had a great piece on the powers of persuasion (or bait and switch) in helping your loved ones veer away from butter-bomb Cali Chards toward more interesting offerings. We suggest you follow this link to the article, and take some of the Dude’s sage advice.

In May, we spent some time in Burgundy and wrote about our journey, with a visit to the Goisot family in St. Bris, a trip down to the Cote d’Or, and lots of great food at the Chateau du Fey, where we were hosted by the remarkable Anne Willan and Mark Cherniavsky. Read more…

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Catie, the Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman, who opened her online emporium today. She’s featuring a selective and impressive array of products from her locale, and we’re about to go order a few for ourselves. You should, too! Some of the wines she features can not be had anywhere else. So, go already!