Recently I spoke with one of Switzerland’s great wine professionals, Jérôme Aké Beda. Not only is he co-proprietor of the highly regarded Auberge de l’Onde in Saint-Saphorin, he is also its Maître d’Hôtel, sommelier and resident wine philosopher. He was named Gault & Millau’s Best Sommelier in Switzerland in 2015 and he is co-author, with […]
Category: Commentary
Heritage Grapes: A Return to Diversity
The 20th century trend toward monoculture and industrial farming has touched nearly all aspects of the agrarian economy including viticulture and the wine industry. Fortunately, the citations and figures below may represent a high water mark as the forces for agro-biodiversity gain momentum and start to chip away at these startling numbers. Out of around […]
Opinion: Words Have Meaning (Especially Hugh Johnson’s)
A quote from a recently published interview in the Washington Post (Some Wine Writers Benefit From Aging, Too—October 22, 2016) struck a distressed chord with me but seems to have been accepted as incontrovertible elsewhere because of who said it. “Orange wines are a sideshow and a waste of time. What’s the point of experimenting? […]
Desperately Seeking Chasselas: San Francisco, California (Part 2)
My supply of chasselas was trending dangerously low even before I reserved the one meal designed to test the limits of its versatility as a jack-of-all–trades wine. It’s all well and good to pair chasselas with fondue, raclette or even a ripe Vacherin Mont d’Or but with arbol, habañero and chipotle chiles? With lime juice? […]
Where in the World is Switzerland?
A representative from my alma mater, the International School of Geneva, stumbled upon this blog one day—put two and two together, realized I am an alum—and asked me to do a short piece on my experience at the school and how it influenced my career. This is what I wrote. Where in the World is […]
Röstigraben
When I learn a new word I like to give credit where credit is due. Thomas Vaterlaus, editor of the European wine monthly Vinum, tells a story in which the cultural prejudices of German-speaking and French-speaking judges at a Swiss wine competition leads to some awkward and unbalanced results. He cites one example in which […]
An Honest Attempt to Debunk the Myth That Swiss Wine Is Expensive
It’s a familiar refrain: Swiss wine is too expensive, it won’t sell. Crooners of that song, including the eminent and influential Jancis Robinson, repeat it so often that most consider it axiomatic. Well, I’m here to say that nothing can be further from the truth—at least some of the time. The Set-up The best way […]
Natural Wine Part 2: Whither go the Swiss?
In Natural Wine Part 1: What Is It?—published in this blog on January 5, 2016 (see Menu)— I explored the current understanding of the term “natural” wine and the confusing lack of defining standards. Even though consensus is elusive—and maybe that’s how it should be—there is one thing everyone agrees on: a “natural” wine is […]
Natural Wine Part 1: What is it?
My friend Ian is smitten with “natural” wine. He is convinced and happy to tell the world that he knows a better way to drink. “Imagine” he says “drinking a living, breathing wine made without chemical additions or artificial manipulations, that expresses its true sense of place, all the while knowing that the soil is […]
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