Perhaps you also have been experiencing technical difficulties what with the storms we've been having around Beantown this month (feels more like July/August, no?). Nevertheless, we're going to try to get back on our game here at Pour Favor for some more regular wine fodder - internet outages be damned!
This week we have some wine for thought the queue, so we'll keep things briefer on this end.
Check out this new company/wine tasting program out in California. The Tasting Room offers consumers a chance to sample uber premium wines before taking the plunge and buying a full 750ml bottle. Of course this service isn't on offer in Massachusetts what with our liquor laws, no doubt. But the idea raises a couple of interesting questions. Do you think you're more apt to buy a full bottle after sampling wines you have to pay for? Here in MA it is illegal for retail shops to charge for wine tastings so you still have the option to sample for FREE and then make a purchase. Is their program too contrived because there are only certain producers who participate?
And then there is the age-old (lol) question of what the heck the deal is with "Old Vines". Does it matter how old the vines are? And how old does the vine have to be to be old enough? Etc. Etc. Matt Kramer does a good job of starting the dialog on this tricky topic. Check it out! We might have to weigh in one of these days on our own....
What do you think constitutes "old vines"? Are you more apt to buy a bottle if it claims as much on the label?