Uncorked: the initial column with the wine philosophy of a journalist
Uncorked, published in The East Hampton Star
Uncorked, What’s To Come
In anticipation of writing a weekly column on wine for The East Hampton Star, I have been reading wine writers, past and present, as well as non-wine writers who nevertheless have had a lot of entertaining and instructive things to say about drinking wine. The influential economist, John Maynard Keynes, for example, wrote, “My only regret in life is that I did not drink more champagne.” That’s something to think about the next time you read an Op-Ed piece citing Keynesian economics.
With the comments of these various experts in mind, I have started paying a lot more attention to the sensory qualities of the wines I am currently drinking. I have also spoken to a few close friends to find out what would interest them in a wine column. Each of them said, in different ways, that they wanted practical information, some help in choosing the wines they drink on a casual and daily basis. Not abstractions, not ambitious descriptive prose, not the clever cracks of the bon vivant—just thought-provoking information to help them expand their knowledge and spend their money wisely.
My primary goal, as a result, is to write for my readers. This may sound all too obvious, but it means that the bulk of my efforts will be to communicate beneficial and stimulating information, not to show my skills as a writer or my erudition in the world of wine. (Whether I have such skills and such knowledge is of course subject to questioning and it is for the reader to judge.) In any case, I hope no one will ever take issue with the sincerity and purpose of my columns. I want to convey the inside story and give reliable advice, candidly and directly.
Most columns will be devoted to examining and reviewing wines. To a great extent, and for the obvious reason of proximity, I will focus on Long Island wines part of the time. I intend at the same time to range free and far, and to comment on whatever wines from whatever source that I think might interest the reader. I will make recommendations based on my intelligence gathering and on my own judgments. The column, however, will consist of more than reviews. I’d like to look at the exceptional private and restaurant cellars in the area, report on the wineries in the Hamptons and the North Fork, interview the people involved—the winemakers, vineyard managers and owners, restaurateurs, retailers and consumers. I’d like to ask the relevant questions and pass on the latest and most significant news about wines in general and local and regional wines and winemaking in particular.
There are so many ways to approach the journalistic art of being a critic. The lack of a predictable and specific formula is what I think makes writing creative for the critic, and when executed well, it is what makes the story and observations valuable for the reader. I hope you will find my columns precise, amusing at times, and never less than profitable reading.
