Music, oak chips, tickers, three tiers – sipped and spit
SIPPED: Mozart and Merlot!
Clark Smith, wine industry revolutionary, insists that they music playing can affect your evaluation of a wine. I demand that the Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator release their playlists along with scores!! [SF Chron]
SIPPED: NASDAQ move over, here comes Sotheby’s!? 
The auction house announces a real-time ticker for wine auction prices. But will the data be archived, free and searchable?
SPIT: oak barrels
More California winemakers are using oak alternatives, such as oak staves (planks) and chips. Derrick Schneider goes inside the barrel–er, bag o’ chips. [SF Chron]
SIPPED: Crossover wines
Rob Kasper emailed me about wines that go both ways. That sure got my attention. Then I realized he was talking about food-friendly wines. I make some picks for wines that go will with fish and meat and can keep a table happy. [Baltimore Sun]
SPIT: the three tier system
Tom Wark has started a new blog for the Specialty Wine Retailers Association. He’s no fan of the legally mandated three tier system, which all too frequently limits consumer wine choices, raises prices, and, of course, prevents the specialty retailers from expanding their business. Good message, Tom, but please ditch the black background behind the white text! [Wine without borders]
SPIT: Apfelwein
New EU laws may restrict “wine” to only coming from grapes. Auf wiedersehen, apple wine? “We will not allow our traditional name to be sacrificed to regulatory madness in Brussels,” says the Hesse state governor. [IHT]
On November 2nd, 2007 at 3:42 pm ,Julien wrote:
I’d actually go farther than that. It can be said with relative confidence that the overall experience surrounding the tasting of a wine is likely to alter your perception of a wine.
I’ve enjoyed a lot of technically “less good” wines with friends more than “better” wines in a more strict setting.
On November 2nd, 2007 at 4:10 pm ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Julien –
I’d drink to that!