tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post5275925385971241475..comments2024-03-22T00:35:12.415-07:00Comments on HoseMaster of Wine™: Cork Dork: A HoseMaster of Wine™ Book Club SelectionRon Washam, HMWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-91395164947827842502017-04-03T11:35:42.433-07:002017-04-03T11:35:42.433-07:00OK I read it. I did skim through some of the book....OK I read it. I did skim through some of the book. There's little new so the appeal for me; a New York City enophile from the boomer generation; lies in the journey and the entertainment factor.<br />Bosker is a good writer. She is amusing and self deprecating without being, (praise Bacchus), snarky. <br />She treats the people she encounters on her path to wine wisdom with respect and let's the reader "tag along" and experience the ride with her. <br />For me, the problem is, anyone with some tenure as a wine lover feels like "dad watching his daughter learn to drive."<br /><br />There's very little new to say about wine perhaps only new ways to say the same old things. Obsession is fun, mostly to those less obsessives who enjoy accounts of tri-athelons and climbing cliffs without ropes or climbing Mt Everest or swimming with sharks! Or running for a week in 121 degree desert heat.....or achieving an MW or Master Sommelier or...<br />My sense is a lot of these somms are those kids in class who when dared to eat a Mars bar lying in the gutter would scarf it down. They get off on the pain and suffering. They also grasp the concept of fame (I remember them, I doubt I am remembered at all) Like younger soup Nazis they "suffer for their soup!"<br /><br />For some reason wine engenders massive amounts of mythology and oh the irony!<br /><br />There are to snipes at...chardonnay! Yet Chablis is soooo cool. Good Lord how long have we been tolerating the ABC crowd.<br /><br />Oddly, critics, the guys and gals we have been reading a following for decades are given short shrift. Yet the critics are the most personally experienced with wines of all the so called (many self identified) "experts" in Bosker's journey..They are dismissed by the wine world's Ministry of Silly Walks--The Wine Economists (of Princeton). Their studies show no one can ever be an expert on wine (except ...wait for it.....the wine economists!)<br /><br />By the way, some innocuous natural organic and non GMO Zweigelt much lauded by the young and hip (sters) is often produced in such tiny quantities it becomes the hipster version of Romanee Conti--if you are deemed cool enough to "appreciate" it a bottle may be offered (no pushed). The same somms laugh at the billionaires lusting for the DRC. Frankly, I don't see a difference. Well...yes I sorta do. <br /><br /><br />Want some more irony? Go on line and read the wine list of the oh so cool so hip Mr Grieco! The guy Bosker ends up annointing as the true wine master! The guy who screams obscenities at anyone who dares to slight riesling!<br />Lots of rieslings--no one familiar with the obi wan kenobi of the boomer generation--David Schildknecht--wouldn't recognize.<br /><br />An homage to Musar--a wine we have known about for ages.....most of the big time critics were hipping (not hyping) us to the Lebanese wine maker since the earliest vintages.......<br /><br />There's a section of the list headed:<br />"Zinfandel by the MASTER BLASTER,LARRY TURLEY"<br /><br />Wait....I am beginning to like this guy too. Maybe Bosker is on to something. Grieco is a wine huckster, A showman.<br />Maybe he's nuts (or passionate or obsessive). Like Salvador Dali (Grieco is described as sporting a less flamboyant mustache I wonder if he sports a cape!). Apparently he sells a lot of wine like gruff waiters in kosher Delis sold corned beef to the tourists.<br /><br />By the way Ron. I think you may have committed a crime of passion in your comparison with obsession.<br /><br /><br />John Laharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15554199986604637850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-91125799838861419862017-04-03T08:19:30.956-07:002017-04-03T08:19:30.956-07:00While I know it will only bring me a raft of shit,...While I know it will only bring me a raft of shit, I stand strongly by my conservative ideology. This stance, not a wide one, does not make me a member of the alt-right. Yet, I take umbrage with the association of the right side of the aisle, no matter how far right, with natural wine! I prefer to associate these dogmatic wine nerds with the contemporary far left found on your closest college campus. You know. The crowd that seeks safe spaces when something triggers their fears. The crowd that prevents the presentation of opposing perspectives and opinions. Other than that, keep that mirror in front of us Mr. Washam. It shows us just how imperfect we are regarding this silly little subject.Winterbanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01975624491461249925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-72398978918418700552017-04-02T13:30:19.864-07:002017-04-02T13:30:19.864-07:00To me, the difference between passion and obsessio...To me, the difference between passion and obsession is like the difference between love and possession.Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07322028233207741737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-5514477022988234002017-04-02T08:06:39.304-07:002017-04-02T08:06:39.304-07:00J,
Thank you for your thoughtful criticisms. God ...J, <br />Thank you for your thoughtful criticisms. God knows, I could use more.<br /><br />Of course a list of what's important in life is subjective. So are opinions about books. I would hope, however, that wine, especially an obsession with wine, isn't on anyone's list of what really matters. You're right. I shouldn't feel sorry for them. And yet, I do. <br /><br />Did you read Cork Dork? Annie's story is presented as a counterpoint to the others, and that gives it power. It would be "unnecessarily cynical" to ignore that. Given the chance to overindulge in wine, would Annie devolve into a version of her peers? Maybe. The issue is the difference between passion and obsession. The line is a moving target. But passion is healthy, obsession isn't usually. Annie's attitude is the healthiest of the lot. <br /><br />Thanks again for being a common tater.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-66333393417441228772017-04-01T21:45:10.597-07:002017-04-01T21:45:10.597-07:00Great review, but some gripes re: your Annie parag...Great review, but some gripes re: your Annie paragraph...<br /><br />>>"I got tired of the obsessed sommeliers in the book who give up what’s actually important in life, love and family, for a life in wine. I know a lot of people like that in the biz, and I feel sorry for them."<br /><br />Why? You can't just make up a list of things that are "actually important in life." That's entirely subjective. There's no special secret to happiness. Don't feel sorry for them. They're probably quite happy. Just because you wouldn't be happy in their position doesn't mean they're not happy. See: Theory of Mind. (For what it's worth, I'm not in the wine biz).<br /><br />>>She’s never dined at Eleven Madison Park, and probably thinks it’s the name of a Korean M.W. Annie just loves wine. It’s her story that holds the book together for me. She's a breath of fresh air amid all the fetid breath of too many yammering young sommeliers."<br /><br />This is unnecessarily cynical, but I guess I should expect that from this blog. If you gave Annie lots of money and sent her off to EMP to drink DRC all week, what would happen to her? Would her breath start to stink? Passion = ignorance + poverty?Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16763208909985104265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-47486535527761107572017-04-01T14:06:26.873-07:002017-04-01T14:06:26.873-07:00Well, Thomas!
It's now officially Old Timers&#...Well, Thomas!<br />It's now officially Old Timers' Day! Nice to see you here. <br /><br />I agree with what you say. I liked Bosker's book because she can write, and, God knows, very few wine writers can. But, as with most wine books, you come in with a set of beliefs and leave feeling you still know everything.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-87261486230833130192017-04-01T11:08:12.435-07:002017-04-01T11:08:12.435-07:00This post has indicated to me that I am offically ...This post has indicated to me that I am offically out of the loop. <br /><br />I read Bosker's New Yorker piece as well as that NYTimes article. In actuality, I skimmed them, but that's because I have been around long enough to have heard or read all of it before. I am out of the loop because I knew nothing of the riff.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong. I am glad I knew nothing about the riff. I've heard--or read--all that before too. Did you ever notice how each generation finds the same information the previous generation had found (with a small tweak here and there), but the new generation convinces itself it has found the answer? But I digress...<br /><br />Yes, Ron being in the wine business in New York is quite different from being in the wine business in California--by about 3,000 miles. I have had contact from coast to coast and abroad. No matter where I am I find idiots, egotists, elite assholes, know-nothings, loudmouths, obssessives, nasty bastards, thieves, and a variety of lowlife...and yet, I also find some great people and personalities who have made being in the wine business worth the effort. Some have even been brave enough to befirend me.<br /><br />Sorry I can't comment on the book at hand, but being an asshole from the NY wine business, I know I don't need to read it. But if I were inclined to read it, I;d use your fine review to stimulate me to part with the $10.Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07322028233207741737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-40449653301291893082017-03-31T18:51:46.240-07:002017-03-31T18:51:46.240-07:00Paul,
Of course not. Not having to read them means...Paul,<br />Of course not. Not having to read them means I have more time to devote to the reviews. It's a win-win. In this case, though, it was clear that the folks who wrote the blurbs on the cover of Cork Dork had reviewed it without reading it, so I took the satiric tack of reading it just to be contradictory. I'm just so darned cantankerous like that.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-27347506614219904702017-03-31T18:48:14.533-07:002017-03-31T18:48:14.533-07:00Does this mean you are giving up on reviewing book...Does this mean you are giving up on reviewing books without reading them?Paul in St. Augustinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03908347609061677681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-82326488826913340042017-03-31T15:43:22.011-07:002017-03-31T15:43:22.011-07:00Gabe,
Nothing the self-righteous dislike more than...Gabe,<br />Nothing the self-righteous dislike more than self-righteousness. In others. So that makes me happy.<br /><br />Alt-right is an intentionally cheap shot, but not that far off base. Ultra conservative and inflexible, convinced of the superiority of their ideas despite much evidence to the contrary, locked inside chat rooms that reinforce their own beliefs, willing to bully those who don't agree... I could go on. <br /><br />Satire, my friend, is always about walking the boundaries of taste. Alt-right is on the edge, dragging in Nazis is far beyond it. Nothing genocidal about natural wine zealots. I hope.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-19297270650154171962017-03-31T15:33:03.734-07:002017-03-31T15:33:03.734-07:00The "natural wine alt-right"?
(1) perha...The "natural wine alt-right"?<br /><br />(1) perhaps we are being a tad self-righteous?<br /><br />(2) if we're already taking it that far, isn't "naziural wine" infinitely funnier?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13849290999060380035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-81252401236694150002017-03-31T09:47:05.543-07:002017-03-31T09:47:05.543-07:00Miquel,
I blame marketing people for everything.
...Miquel,<br />I blame marketing people for everything. <br /><br />I haven't really followed the firestorm about Bianca's NY Times piece, but I've gotten whiffs of it. There seems to be some civilized parts to the conversation, but, for the most part, it seems like bullying. Done by people of the Natural Wine persuasion who would NEVER think of themselves as the sort of lowlifes who bully people on Twitter or Facebook. Yet that's clearly what they are doing. All in the name of the planet, ostensibly, and their own "Truth" about wine. It's both silly and shameful.<br /><br />This from a guy who knows bullying.<br /><br />Larry,<br />There isn't a soul on the planet who usually agrees with the HoseMaster. <br /><br />I liked Cork Dork. I didn't expect to. In fact, I tried not to like it. The sommeliers in the book are not appealing characters, and, as a recovering sommelier, I had an aversion to them. But Bosker has produced that rare book in wine publishing these days--something original, well-written, and not filled with misinformation or dogma. I had reservations about it, but wholeheartedly recommend it. The writer in me loved the book, the wine guy in me cringed. I think that's the reaction Bosker would want.<br /><br />I'd love to hear your thoughts on the book after you read it, Larry. I'm sure you'd have an interesting take.<br /><br />Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-8714196080464636132017-03-31T09:25:36.852-07:002017-03-31T09:25:36.852-07:00Ron,
Though we may not always agree, I know you w...Ron,<br /><br />Though we may not always agree, I know you will be good for a laugh or three each and every blog post, and this one didn't disappoint. <br /><br />As you also know, I somewhat disdain the industry in which I work due to pompous attitudes and way too much dogmatic behaviour. This book seems to touch upon that, and that definitely hits a big and nasty nerve in our 'reactive' industry.<br /><br /><br />I look forward to reading this shortly.<br /><br />Keep on doing what you're doing . . .tercero wineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11718156055439684277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-82504671909931985782017-03-31T09:15:35.540-07:002017-03-31T09:15:35.540-07:00Ron,
Wine is so subjective that it's taken on...Ron,<br /><br />Wine is so subjective that it's taken on religious undertones and that's the real issue, especially when you get into the natural wine cult. Tell someone their religion is wrong and well, they go all ISIS on you. Really silly for something so simple and enjoyable. I blame the schmucks in marketing.<br /><br />And I agree with you in all of this that the amount of people who took the bait to respond to that op-ed was surprising, but yet not.Zzzzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10194540731851325282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-67863311719382543782017-03-31T08:35:10.226-07:002017-03-31T08:35:10.226-07:00Cris,
I had an email conversation with a very succ...Cris,<br />I had an email conversation with a very successful wine editor about the state of wine writing, which is pretty dismal. Too many "writers" who don't actually know that much about wine but may be good at self-promotion and social media. I told the editor I thought it would be great for someone to come along who admittedly knows nothing about wine but then sets out to learn and takes her readers along. I was hoping for someone with talent. And then I read Bosker's book and there it was. It's participatory journalism, and one of the results of that when you do it well is some anger and backlash from the industry you write about. <br /><br />Only infants will work the stupid hours for the shitty pay that so many high-end places demand. That's unlikely to change. And what's youth without arrogance? So much in wine these days is about obsession, not passion. The two are wildly different. Too many of the characters in the book don't love wine, they stalk wine. It's their whole identity, and it's more pathetic than admirable.<br /><br />Miquel,<br />Let's not forget controversy is great for book sales. I'm sure the polarization is welcomed by the publisher, and even the author. <br /><br />Is it a shock that wine, as stupid a subject as one can imagine outside of football, has become has polarized as the country? No room for other views? Let's face it, if the NY Times doesn't publish that excerpt from the book, and the natural wine alt-right doesn't take the bait, we're not even talking about Cork Dork. The book isn't even about that controversy, of course. What it's really about is obsession. And the very strange intoxicant that dominates our lives.<br /><br />But we're civilized folks, you and I, and we respectfully disagree. People asked me why I didn't get involved in the Twitter and Facebook hissy fits over the book. The answer is, I have a life.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-31337874772707390282017-03-31T00:55:19.119-07:002017-03-31T00:55:19.119-07:00Ron, thanks for taking the time to respond and I u...Ron, thanks for taking the time to respond and I understand your stance, I obviously just feel the opposite. Glancing over the Amazon reviews it seems that people are generally polarized in their opinion of it so we'll see where it goes.Zzzzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10194540731851325282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-6402548492841154132017-03-30T23:59:51.531-07:002017-03-30T23:59:51.531-07:00Hey Ron,
Enjoyed hearing your measured and thought...Hey Ron,<br />Enjoyed hearing your measured and thoughtful review on this book and others recently. NeuroEnology and Cork Dorks are now on my list. Being consumed with wine often we put up with shitty writing, just because it's on our favorite subject or profession. I'm happy to hear about a talented writer, who likes wine. I don't need another passionate "wine lover's" take on things. If you're getting paid to write, act like a professional. Make the reading of your writing, you know, enjoyable. Hopefully, it's factual, but even that term seems up for debate nowadays.<br /><br />I don't agree with Little Jon's take on wine most of the time, but, fuck him, I still want to read it! He has talent and a unique perspective. But really, fuck that guy. I'm glad that Bosker is out there, starting real conversations about wine. I hope that people who care learn about how wine is really made, not how many winemakers present alternative facts to writers and the general public. I'm not into heavy-handed stuff myself, but sometimes you gotta put that lipstick on the pig. I wish that winemakers could be more open about techniques and additions, but the marketplace is a ridiculous place right now. You've got infants running the buying programs at high-end places. <br /><br />Ahhh dung beetles... you always get something good in there, even your straight pieces. Cheers amigo.Cris Carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13772239399604864961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-54088980813921522802017-03-30T17:38:46.375-07:002017-03-30T17:38:46.375-07:00Gbrezic,
Thanks. I thought Esther's piece was ...Gbrezic,<br />Thanks. I thought Esther's piece was a simple reflection of what normal people think and was beautifully expressed. Esther is so talented, it's sort of scary. I think 90% of the negative reaction was to the NYT headline, and not the piece. <br /><br />I always wonder, is there a difference between people who say, "I only drink natural wines," and people who say, "I only drink wines that get 95 points or more." I expect the difference is one of bank accounts, but both are snobs. Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-42113786844494865762017-03-30T17:31:06.470-07:002017-03-30T17:31:06.470-07:00Miquel,
I wouldn't say that Bosker's writi...Miquel,<br />I wouldn't say that Bosker's writing is shallow at all. And if anyone's writing is rushed, it's the HoseMaster. Hell, I write this crap as fast as I can.<br /><br />Bosker has something very few wine writers have--a voice. That gives her a nice leg up. That the people she chose to hang out with were, for the most part, shallow is just part of the job and, no doubt, part of her intent. Agree with her or not, I think she's a better writer than everyone I can think of with a blog, and most that write for major wine publications. She's young, and she's very obsessive--maybe that's what reads as "rushed" to you. I sort of got a kick out of the naivete she admittedly brought to wine.<br />Unlike too many young writers, she didn't lie about her wine knowledge.<br /><br />I thought about this book review a lot. I try never to praise anyone unworthy, but it's just my opinion. I love her conceit--a participatory book about becoming a Certified Sommelier. My feeling is this could have been an absolute catastrophe of a book. But Bosker clearly did a lot of research, went down a lot of paths that most of us have never trod, and kept her wit about her. <br /><br />So much is quibbling. I didn't like her choice of Morgan Harris as her mentor, her main character (aside from herself), his image as some kind of idiot savant of wine was extremely wearisome, and the book is way too New Yorkish. And, hey, it's ten bucks, the price of a shitty Treasury wine, and the wine world needs another strong, young, smart, talented woman as its face. <br /><br />I almost didn't read the book because fucking untalented Madeline Puckette has a blurb on the back. But I enjoyed it, Miquel.<br /><br />Don't worry. Nobody in their right mind uses me as a quotable source for a book. Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-6707047435148897402017-03-30T15:36:54.103-07:002017-03-30T15:36:54.103-07:00Very happy to see this today as I was already prep...Very happy to see this today as I was already prepared to buy this book simply to support Ms. Bosker as an F-you to the natural wine alt-right and the blogosphere that represents it-- wasted more time than I'd like to admit following the NYT imbroglio the last few days. Will admit that I appreciated Blake Grey's piece on it (for once) and definitely Esther Mobley's. Anyway, the whole time I was wondering what the Hosemaster thinks, but realized that after following you for a few years, I at least knew how you'd feel about the vitriolic polemic proffered by the natural wine or death folks. I'm not familiar with Ms. Bosker's writing like the previous common-tater, but I appreciate your non-blind book review and look forward to checking this book out and forming my own opinion. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08595378301617853822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-67949100295957792612017-03-30T08:34:08.539-07:002017-03-30T08:34:08.539-07:00I assume it was bound to happen, what with life be...I assume it was bound to happen, what with life being so subjective that I would find myself in disagreement with the Hosemaster, I'm just shocked that it arrived in the form of this book.<br /><br />To be honest, I've never really "gotten" the appeal of Ms. Bosker's writing as it always seems rushed and shallow. Having read this book, it took all the weaknesses I find in her writing and amplified them making it hard time bang through until the end. But, what do I know, I'm just a dude with a blog and a few writing gigs. I have however gone through the Certified Sommelier as well and found most everything she wrote about it to be just silly.<br /><br />So it goes I suppose and I do find what criticism you put forward to be on the mark, but it's really just a book for those in the wine trade, yet it's so burbling and seemingly exaggerated at points, I don't know who would want to read through it.<br /><br />And yes, the promotional blurbs all over it are simply ridiculous and tedious, written by people who obviously didn't crack the book. I will however be curious to see how her publisher cut and pastes your review as further praise, because I'm sure they will if they know what sells.Zzzzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10194540731851325282noreply@blogger.com