The mission of Doktor Weingolb

Since Doktor Weingolb is a bit of a goofy made-up name, I want to underline that these pages are in fact committed to science. Wine is a craft, not an art, and there are clearly scientific ways of approaching it. You look, you sniff, you taste, and then after all of that, you record and categorize the results, which can either take the form of a fleeting remark during dinner or a detailed description as found throughout the wineblogosphere. If you are a wine blogger, instantly publishing your assessment allows others to benefit from what you have noted. But in all cases, wine tasting needs to adhere to some sort of scientific method or else nothing lends currency to the findings. Creating a niche can also help build a credible approach to wine reviews, like Water into Wino has with its focused Cab Franc quest.

Like WIW, Doktor Weingolb is for amateur wine enthusiasts. Personally, I can't specialize in top-flight wines or industry gossip. So I play to my strengths. I live alone, and often drink alone. Don't feel sorry for me -- I am prepared to exploit this. To me, one of the most striking elements in wine appreciation is the effect of air. Since I have half a bottle remaining at the end of most nights, I get to delve into the difference a day's worth of oxygen makes. I also value the second round of consideration this allots the bottles I open. Subjective reactions based on food accompaniment, changing moods and bottle/label expectations can be minimized as a result. (The downside to my approach is that these pages cannot be prolific -- at least in terms of the number of wine reviews -- so I also plan to post other writing on the subject of wine.)

Because I never drink wine without something to nibble on, readers can also expect Doktor Weingolb to be committed to exploring wine as a pairing for different foods. Jeez, it really sounds rough having to take all this food and good wine and constantly calibrate it. A tough row to hoe no doubt -- hope you won't feel guilty as I press onward duty-bound each and every day!

Backwash
My apologies for the publication yesterday of "How dumb was that?", a entry of unrevised work that required several rounds of edits after publication. My fault. Like the dumb wine in the subject line, this piece had to be opened up for some serious airing out if it was to be of any service to anyone. Making matters muddier, the initially dense and unyielding prose was my lengthiest and most thoughtful to date. In any case, I have fingers crossed readers might give it another chance. Anyone who has ever had the is-this-wine-drinkable dilemma will likely find it a worthwhile read.