Perhaps you also have been experiencing technical difficulties what with the storms we’ve been having around Beantown this month (feels more like July/August, no?). Nevertheless, we’re going to try to get back on our game here at Pour Favor for some more regular wine fodder – internet outages be damned!

This week we have some wine for thought the queue, so we’ll keep things briefer on this end.

Check out this new company/wine tasting program out in California. The Tasting Room offers consumers a chance to sample uber premium wines before taking the plunge and buying a full 750ml bottle. Of course this service isn’t on offer in Massachusetts what with our liquor laws, no doubt. But the idea raises a couple of interesting questions. Do you think you’re more apt to buy a full bottle after sampling wines you have to pay for? Here in MA it is illegal for retail shops to charge for wine tastings so you still have the option to sample for FREE and then make a purchase. Is their program too contrived because there are only certain producers who participate?

And then there is the age-old (lol) question of what the heck the deal is with “Old Vines”. Does it matter how old the vines are? And how old does the vine have to be to be old enough? Etc. Etc. Matt Kramer does a good job of starting the dialog on this tricky topic. Check it out! We might have to weigh in one of these days on our own….

What do you think constitutes “old vines”? Are you more apt to buy a bottle if it claims as much on the label?

With Earth Day just barely behind us, a flurry of writing in the wine world as it pertains to issues like global warming and the use of natural cork hit the web-waves. We’ve narrowed the reading field to just two articles since they are a bit lengthy (and you likely have to get some work done today, too!).

But before we get into all that, check out this link to get more info about a wine and food festival fundraiser for the York Education Foundation up in Maine this Saturday, May 8th.

Ok, now it’s time to settle in to the “meaty” stuff….

Here Slate presents a piece on global warming and the world and the world of wine. Something to bear in mind as you read it: there is NO replacement for a place’s unique terroir. I’ll say it again, European nations (and specifically their respective wine areas) in particular offer a distinct terroir that is unquestionably irreplicable.

Next, go here to take in this Wall Street Journal article on cork closures. It’s a well written piece that captures BOTH sides of the cork debate. Which side do you land on? Are you pro-cork or pro-synthetic?

I’m not sure I will ever fully understand why some known wines get a make-over largely in name only. A few years ago it was Moet doing away with their White Star Champagne bottling and replacing it with a slightly different iteration (in terms of the style of wine itself) and calling it Moet Imperial Brut. White Star was a really recognized name in the marketplace and today it is still a point of confusion for many looking for the White Star, and being handed the Imperial Brut. Is the wine different? Yes, a bit. But why not roll with the old name? Now it looks like La Mission Haut Brion is making a similar name shift. Check out this brief Decanter article on why the change.  Then tell us, as a consumer, does the reasoning make sense to you? Do you care?

Next up we have an article that three different friends sent to me (from two different sources), to ensure I didn’t miss it: the latest in wine health news reports suggests that women who drink have a better chance of avoiding obseity. Egad, will these studies ever cease? An entertaining read if you, like me, don’t mind another guilt-free reason to keep pouring your nightly glass of wine.

Last but not least, we have a fun Old World vs. New World showdown on The Tasting Docit! On Friday March 19 you and other foodie nerds at WGBH can enjoy the fun for a mere $25. And there will be music to further enrich your tasting experience. Check it out!

Aerators seemed to be The Big Thing over the holidays. Whether considered the perfect gift or the best party trick going, I was entertained to find the original aerator, produced by Vinum, on hand at every holiday party I attended. I even received Metrokane’s Rabbit aerator as a gift! All of this enthusiasm got me thinking: is this little gadget worth all the fuss and, if so, which of these two products is superior?

Pop on over to Wicked Local today to get my take!

Have you experimented with these new aeration tools, i.e. not decanters? Which one have you tried and did it win your favor?

This week there’s a little something for everyone  by way of wine news, regardless of your specific interest in the science behind wine. Some way, somehow, these headlines are sure to hit close to home. Let’s jump right in!

I’m a visual, tactile person so I usually embrace every opportunity to better engage my senses to remember something. In the wine world, that usually means taking my time to engage ALL of my senses as I evaluate a wine. But can aromas be visualized? Do we need them to be?  For better or worse, the folks at Aromicon are taking this idea for a test drive. Check out this article at Springwise to get the scoop!

I couldn’t find my related post about pests in the vineyards (sometime last year, I believe), but there’s a shocking bit of news coming out of UC Davis regarding work to mitigate – or eliminate – the nematode problem perplexing California vineyard managers and winemakers. Apparently the Dept. of Nematology at Davis is being shut down, despite the fact that the problem has yet to be resolved. Wines & Vines didn’t report on the politics or economics or whathave you happening behind the scenes there. But here’s an update on the situation plaguing Northern California in particular. If you know a bit more on this, please weigh in below!

In other news, somehow I missed last year that Boisset decided to ship Beaujolais Nouveau in plastic bottles – to reduce costs of shipping the historic, annual November wine. (I wonder why they chose plastic over bag-in-box…). And, it seems this year Japan is taking things one step further by selling the wine as such – without re-bottling it in glass first. Did you see or hear any further news on this plastic-ization of BN last year – or more recently?