http://reignofterroir.com Wine Blog Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:08:34 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Professor Gregory V. Jones, from the of Southern Oregon University, is America's foremost wine and climate change specialist. Owing to serendipitous turns of fate, a few details of which you may read below, he found his niche, the intellectual space where he was finally able to exercise his considerable ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/03/12/prof-gregory-v-jones-on-wine-and-climate-change/ I am an an avid collector of travel guides. And the Baedeker series occupies pride of place on my crowded shelves. Begun in the early 18th century by Karl Baedeker, by 1900 this little red book could be found in the knapsacks of poets and statesmen, artists and perpetual ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/03/08/david-downies-terroir-guides-a-new-standard/ Germany, Rhône Grapes and Indian wine all contribute to this month’s Corner post, but sadly, for the second month running, a natural disaster heads the wine news – this time the 8.8 magnitude earthquake which hit central Chile on 27th February.   The epicentre was north of Chile’s second city, Concepción, ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/03/07/greybeards-corner-february-2010-chile-update/ The volcanic islands of Graciosa, Pico, and Terceira, specifically the parish of Biscoitos, are the demarcated wine regions of the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago just over 900 miles from the mainland. Legally recognized in 1994, each area has, nevertheless, been producing wine for hundreds of years. The vines are ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/03/05/examples-of-private-label-art-terceira-island-azores/ Donna writes:   I don’t do well my first days arriving in Europe, preferring to take some down time to regulate my sleep pattern, be a vegetable and do local stuff with locals preferably in local bars, down local old side streets and alleys.   But Sud de France had a full day of ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/03/03/herding-cats-day-2-in-the-languedoc/ Soil science is a very complex, elegant discipline. And having everything to do with the feeding of the world's hungry populations, it can also be highly contentious. Though not overtly political, rival research programs within soil science nevertheless often butt heads against one another. Witness, for example, ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/03/01/synthetic-nitrogen-and-soil-degradation/ It rarely happens in life that one enjoys a perfect day, a day of balance, when both the intellect and body are equally engaged, happiness and sadness, noise and silence in equilibrium; when one is free to reflect on past and present; a day one briefly glimpses what it might ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/02/24/tasting-dao-wines-at-paco-dos-cunhas-de-santar/ The irrepressible Donna writes:   J’Arrive Vinisud!   Everyone who knows me, knows I love wines from the South of France. They are near and dear to me and I’m a firm believer it is the future of France as we see all the named and historically famous wines become prohibitedly expensive and ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/02/23/jarrive-vinisud/ Friday night's Dark and Delicious, the annual celebration of Petite Sirah and food, brought a friend and me over seventy miles to attend. Through slow south bay traffic, we finally crossed the Bay Bridge and picked our way through the bleak, melancholic expanses of the Alameda Naval Station to ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/02/21/dark-and-delicious-petite-sirah-among-friends/ A report just published by the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication titled Americans’ Actions to Conserve Energy, Reduce Waste, and Limit Global Warming demonstrates the willingness of Americans to engage in a broad range of conservation practices even if they do not always follow through. Despite ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/02/17/should-wineries-promote-green-practices/ It has been a very busy time for the Reign of Terroir. Your intrepid admin has just returned from a very successful adventure in Portugal. And like the deep well on Pico Island pictured, I have much to offer. Primed with a 1001 tales of that extraordinary ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/02/16/work-in-progress/ Ice and snow were to the fore in January and there wasn’t much warmth in the news either, with one event on January 12th overshadowing pretty much everything else last month. Since that tragic day there have been some heart-warming displays of generosity and the wine world has not been ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/02/09/greybeards-corner-january-2010/ Presented here is a detailed look into a historic winery, the Adega Regional de Colares outside of Lisbon, Portugal. It is also the conclusion of my thorough interview with Colares enologist, Francisco Figueiredo. He was very generous with his time, spending more than two hours indulging my curiosity. ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/02/02/a-look-inside-the-colares-cooperative/ The title for this second and concluding part of my interview with Morgan Clendenen, owner and winemaker for Cold Heaven Cellars, comes during her detailed discussion of the very real practicalities of farming grapes. Make no mistake. It is fraught with anxiety and uncertainty. Not that there ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/02/01/morgans-halfway-house-for-wannabe-winemakers-pt-2/ Morgan Clendenen of Cold Heaven Cellars has been quietly perfecting her take on Viognier since 1996. She writes: "My mission and goal as a winemaker is to illuminate and define Viognier, to elevate its profile and explore its potential through keen observation and copious tasting. I seek to sound the ... http://reignofterroir.com/2010/01/25/morgan-clendenen-of-cold-heaven-cellars-part-1/