Noteworthy Quotes From 2007

“Pinot Noir should be a princess, not a monster. Who would you rather eat with?” David Lett, The Eyrie Vineyards, Oregon

“Pinot Noir is fast becoming boring, a victim of predictability and homogeneity. The new definition of ripeness has served to obscure site differences rather than emphasize them.” Matt Kramer, Wine Spectator, June 30, 2007

“Now that Pinot is the ‘in’ Queen of Wines, the temptation to make it more ‘accessible’ - more flavorfamiliar and user-friendly - is just too much for some wineries to resist. Already I’ve found some sadly simple, characterless examples of Pinot Noir. Some wineries are toning down their Pinot Noir’s uniqueness, so it will be a more ‘centrist’ wine for all tastes. A ‘class system’ of Pinot Noir lovers is developing and some may never get to know what the fuss and passion was all about.” Von Hurson, the Petaluma Post, June, 2007

“Reviewers - please at least include the labeled alcohol percentage in all your reviews.” Randy Dunn, Dunn Vineyards, Napa (Note: I have been doing this in the PinotFile for years and this remains a unique feature among the many wine publications in the world.)

“We might consider investing in southern England where the chalk soils are similar to those in Champagne. But we need to be convinced that global warming and the pattern of climate change is permanent.” Jean-Claude Rouzaud, Louis Roederer, Champagne

“Varietal suitability has a window of only 2-3°C and the projections of temperature changes for wine regions around the world range from 1-7°C. Changes of these magnitudes have the potential to bring about large shifts in suitability.” Gregory Jones, Professor, Southern Oregon University

“People think about global warming in the way they think about violence on television or the growing trade deficits, as a marginal concern to them, if a concern at all.” Bill McKibben, author, The End of Nature

“There is an inconvenient truth in the wine business. For all the talk about green this, and green that, and for all the sustainable farming and recycling and composting, wineries are wreaking havoc on the planet with their oversize bottles. It’s bad enough that fat, heavy bottles don’t fit into wine racks. These bottles cost more and use more glass. When you ship them, because they are heavier, fewer cases fill a container. Because fewer cases can fit into a container, the cases are more costly to ship, use more gas and end up harming the environment.” Jake Lorenzo, Wine Business Monthly, August, 2007

“Any hands-on winemaker who tells you that his wine is just a product is lying through his teeth… .It’s a performance. You hear the applause, or you hear the deafening silence.” Stephen Yafa, Wines & Vines, August, 2007.

“If you rate your “best” by price, you’re an investor, not a taster. You know the price of wines but not the value of them.” Richard Elia, Quarterly Review of Wines, Summer, 2007