My Take Quote

Share the Wine

October 10, 2025

So much has been written lately about the declining number of people who drink wine.The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

What does it mean to call a wine “approachable?”

June 19, 2025

Approachable. I’ve heard a thousand wines described that way. So, what exactly is anThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

What are we looking for in great wine?

May 19, 2025

Whenever I ask winemakers in Napa Valley or Bordeaux who make wines based on CabernetThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Sugar in Wine

The Sugar in Wine Problem

March 27, 2025

One of the biggest misperceptions about wine is that it contains a lot of sugar.The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

I Don’t Get It

March 12, 2025

I’ve read scores of studies on declining wine consumption among younger US consumers.The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Talking Back

March 6, 2025

51 billion square inches. That’s approximately how much space of largely unusedThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Talking Back

February 11, 2025

51 billion square inches. That’s approximately how much space of largely unusedThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

B+ Chardonnays

September 5, 2024

Why is it that there are so many B- Chardonnays in the world and so few A+s?The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc

July 31, 2024

Why is it that so many of New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blancs (the leading grape variety there)The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

BYE BYE BIG HEAVY BOTTLES

January 11, 2024

This is the year. As of 2024, we will no longer write about wines that come in massive,The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

A Glass of Insult

November 15, 2023

It isn’t even Thanksgiving yet, and my email inbox is already getting promotions The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

IWCA Logo

International Wineries for Climate Change

October 19, 2023

International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) is committed to reducingThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Nigel

Haiku: Ode to a Spit Bucket

September 7, 2023

Sipping droplet spit

The remains remain hidden

No beauty inside.

This haiku was written for our trusty companion Nigel, a big potbellied whiteThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Lambrusco

Fantastic Fizz

August 1, 2023

Why don’t we drink more Italian Lambrusco? Really—we should! It’s about as deliciousThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Spotlight: The Enduring Beauty and Value of Old Vines

July 28, 2023

“Old vineyards are biological and cultural treasures that must be celebrated,The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

SPOTLIGHT: At the First American Cocktail Parties, They Drank This

June 27, 2023

One wine, more than any other, is strongly associated with the history of the United States,The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Tncy Wine

SPOTLIGHT: I LOVE LUCY

June 20, 2023

Who can resist a wine named LUCY? After tasting the three LUCY wines recently,The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Wine Glass

SPOTLIGHT: COOL REDS

June 15, 2023

Are We/You Ready?

Cool reds. Not just cool as in cool, but thermally cool—meaning they comeThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Wine Glass

Spotlight: The New Rías Baixas

June 2, 2023

I’ve always loved the fresh, vibrant Albariños of Rías Baixas on the northwesternThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Favor Request

April 13, 2023

Ok, this My Take is a bit more of a Favor Request. The favor is this: if you knowThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

How to Learn Nothing

February 24, 2023

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we learn about wine. And it seemsThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Ws Missouri Rising

Missouri Rising

February 16, 2023

It’s a little-known fact: Missouri was once one of the most exciting and thriving wineThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Smell Disorder

October 12, 2022

I just read a depressing fact in in Smithsonian magazine (“Sniffing Out the ScienceThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Dear Microsoft Editor

September 21, 2022

Dear Microsoft Editor,

Thank you for pointing out that my grammar is not up to snuff.The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Last Great Wines

July 8, 2022

Although none of us should be surprised about this, the following The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Cool-Climate Pinot Noirs in California

June 6, 2022

I’ve been writing a lot about Oregon Pinot Noir lately, but the confirmationThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

CAVES SÃO JOÃO

June 2, 2022

Spain and Portugal continue to make wines that take you back in time.The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

A Time to Remember…

May 26, 2022

This coming Tuesday—May 24—will be the 46th anniversary of the JudgmentThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Traveling Back In Time

April 7, 2022

Spain and Portugal continue to make wines that take you back in time.The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Cooler Style California Chardonnay

August 19, 2021

In the United States, the popularity of big, oaky California Chardonnays led,The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

The Blistering New York Times Exposé

November 5, 2020

Since it was published last week, I have thought a lot about the blistering New YorkThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

No Spitting Hitting Close to Home

October 22, 2020

A couple of months ago, in response to the COVID pandemic, Major League BaseballThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Just an Apéritif? Mais, Non!

June 25, 2020

One of the biggest misconceptions about Champagne is that it should be drunk The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Why I Drink Champagne Every Night

It’s true. I drink a glass of Champagne every single night. A bottle lasts meThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

What I Miss About Restaurants

June 12, 2020

Until the pandemic, I never realized how much for granted I’d taken restaurants—or howThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

The Wine Industry NEEDS Diversity

June 5, 2020

We think of the wine industry as generous, open-to-all, and focused on the spiritThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Future of the Wine Industry Since COVID-19

April 17, 2020

In response to a question posed to me by a wine blogger regarding the futureThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Recommended Wine Books

April 10, 2020

by George Taber

“A chronicle of the explosive, Franco-American tasting that put premium CaliforniaThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Recommended Wine Books

April 3, 2020

“The WineSpeed and Wine Bible teams have been sheltering-at-home like you,The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Recommended Wine Books

The WineSpeed and Wine Bible teams have been sheltering-at-home like you,The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Status of Women in the Wine Industry

March 6, 2020

It’s oddly fitting that disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was convictedThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Weed and Wine Tasting

October 3, 2019

I’ve recently gone to a couple of trade tastings where some of the attendees had The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Elegance in Wine

August 7, 2019

I just tasted two syrupy dull Châteauneuf-du-Papes from producers whose winesThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

On the rosé explosion

June 26, 2019

Not so long ago, when I was asked if I wanted a glass of rosé, I always said sure.The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.