Good Reading

A member of The Greenville Wine Meetup sent me this New York Times link recently. I thought it was sufficiently interesting to point out to Vine and Grape readers. Wine critic Erik Asimov reviews two recent research studies that seek to answer the question, "Are wine consumers easily manipulated by price, pretense, and marketing hype?" Read the article and see what you think.

Only days before, Robin Garr's 30 Second Wine Advisor included this link to a fascinating report titled, "A Glimpse into the Wine World of 2058," prepared by London wine merchants, Berry Bros. & Rudd (BBR). This report's conclusions are even more alarming than the studies Asimov summarizes. By the way, every wine enthusiast should subscribe to Garr's 30 Second Wine Advisor, if you don't already.

After reading BBR's predictions about volume wines, wine as big-brand booze, and world wine wars, I was so discouraged I needed a glass of, umm, wine! On the other hand, most of the negative scenarios suggested by Asimov and BBR can be forestalled by wine education. And wine education needn't be dry or difficult. Come join us at The Greenville Wine Meetup and find out how much fun learning about wine can be!