Friday Faves is a weekly look at wine writers. We hope to introduce you to some great writing about wine, and we also get the writers to share one “favorite thing” that they are now, or forever, excited about in wine.
The Cuvee Corner wine blog is in this week’s spotlight. So let the light shine!I I asked Bill Eyer, the man behind the blog, about the focus of his site.
“The focus (or as I like to call its mission is three fold really. One, get vino-sapiens to think outside of the box and I’m not just talking about the wine-box, explore new wines and new wine styles to boldly take their palate where no vino-sapien has gone before [ha]. Secondly, I would say that for my 2 or 3 readers, the encouragement to actually explore these regions for themselves, to get up and personal with the winemakers and the areas where these wines are grown and ultimately produced. And three, I want to help readers to understand, that while you can pay more, you won’t always get more. Especially when they have arrived at “The intersection of where great wine meets reasonable prices”.“
Bill’s being a tad humble above. He has over 9000 followers on Twitter, and if you want to follow his wine musings in 140 characters or less, check out Cuvee Corver on Twitter.
What got you interested in wine and wine writing?
“I really didn’t get interested in wine until I met the woman who became my wife. She is known to my readers as the lovely and fetching Mrs. Cuvee, whose opinions I sometimes include in my wine reviews. She and I took a trip to the Napa Valley back before we were married; I was only a beer drinker back then, mostly pedestrian stuff too. We went to a winery called V. Sattui in the Napa Valley, the owner himself poured his wines for us that day and then we went to Opus One later in the afternoon. After these experiences I was hooked and never looked back. So I got interested in posting my notes [such as they are] electronically to the internet via a blog, instead of writing the notes in a journal, where I’d scrape off labels and scribble down my thoughts.”
So being the investigate wine journo that I am, I had to ask Bill the hard line question, “What is your favorite thing in wine right now?”:
“I know this will sound like a bunch of introspective schlock, But honestly for me personally, I have to say palate progression is one the most remarkable things that can happen to any vino-sapien, building that palate muscle [via exploration], while completely embracing, recognizing and welcoming it’s part of the journey. As you push yourself to reach out beyond the bounds of what is known, stretching yourself, you can start to see patterns, you start to recognize styles and types of wine by region. Leaving you with the desire to know there’s far more to wine, than what’s just in the bottle. Wine has become for me; like the unfolding a flower and has grown like the butterfly from the cocoon. If you ever can say the thrill is gone, than maybe you veered too far from the path.”
And on a lighter note after all this grilling, like any self-respecting wine news man-person, I ask “what kind of wine are you, Bill?”:
Hmm, so what kind of wine am I? Ha, that is a good question. I have not thought about that too often, but I would have to say I’m more like a fine Barolo then anything else. I’m not a taste which is easily understood or appreciated, especially if I’ve been uncorked too soon. Like a young Barolo, I can be tight, tannic and quite unapproachable soon after having been bottle, but given some time [years] in the cellar and properly decanted, the experience will be far more palatable and richly rewarding for those who are patient.
It’s always fun learning how people learn to love wine, and take the time to share their experiences with the rest of us. So why not hop on over to Bill’s site, Cuvee Corner wine blog, and see what’s new.
