From today's LATimes Magazine:
AliceOnChard.. It puzzles me that newspaper editors are so clueless about wine that major newspapers continue to publish her articles.
In this article, she:
1. Attributes the growth of Chard in Calif to Ch.Montelena's success in the '76 Paris tasting. I hate to tell her this, but the Chard market had already started its big growth well before that, in the late '60's. I strongly suspect that if you plat Chard sales vs. calendar year, you'll see nary a blip at 1976, I'd guess. And the reason for the growth of the Chard market?? Primarily the use of new/French oak in Hanzell and StonyHill Chards gave them a character that more resembled WhiteBurg than Calif Chards afore that time. It was all about the oak, not the fruit.
2. She cites some JohnGillespie poll (you can buy this report for
only $495) that those who love big/oaky Chards are mostly male and over 60 (hey...that hits close to home!!) and that women of all ages love un-oaked Chardonnays. Nothing like folding sexual stereotypes into your article to make your point. No wonder Alice is such a failure at love!!
3. She claims that fermentating Chard grapes on their skins is a more "natural process". Huh??? How the heck is that "more natural"??
4. Then in the Chards she recs in support of her no-oak Chard case, are four that have a significant whack of oak.
Whacko Alice....makes for an amusing read. No wonder wine journalism is held in such low esteem.
Tom