A recent spate of criticism levied against wine bloggers as a general group got me thinking that there actually isn’t a thing we might call “wine blogging” anymore.

Think about it this way:

Should – or can – we stop people from taking cell phone pictures?

Most of the photos taken by mostly everyone are terrible. Awful lighting. Laughable composition. Deer-in-the-headlights use of (the horror!)… a flash! And don’t get me started on the subject matter chosen for well over 95 percent of what will be the estimated trillion (yes, trillion) digital photographs taken over the next year.

Almost none of those images will even qualify as a mortifying embarrassment for any professional – or even semi-pro – photographer. So, why not rise up in protest, gnash our teeth, and collectively bitch and moan that “amateur photography” is a blight on the professional photography world?

Because that idea is ludicrous, of course. It’s full of faulty assumptions, not the least of which is the notion that amateur personal photography could be controlled – impossible on its face with the proliferation and ease of both its creation (try finding a cell phone without a camera option, folks) and its distribution and publication (flikr… Pinterest… Instagram… the book of face…).

Another impossibly stupid assumption: that all, or even a tiny fraction, of amateur photographers actually believe themselves to be performing at a professional level, and are taking pictures for any reason other than their own personal enjoyment.

If you’re still with me, I’m about to tie this back into the wine world (thanks for your patience… I owe you a glass of something decent)…

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Get your inner Somm on!

Yo lovebirds (and those who recently dumped people and hate lovebirds at the moment)!

My latest piece for Fix.com is now available; in this round, their inimitable graphics team has put some stellar visuals to the tune of my words explaining the Whys behind the now-ubiquitous “proper”step-by-step procedure for tasting fine wines.

I’d advise a gander at the article (and the graphics, embedded below after the jump), not out of snobbery, but out of a desire to get the most enjoyment out of your next glass (and to garner some wine-tasting-related trivia with which to annoy your friends).

Cheers!

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Thanks to all of you budding winos (I mean that in the most endearing sense possible!) who took part in the 2013 New York Wine Expo giveaway.

Given that I’ve been spending a good deal of time up on Seneca lake lately, and gaining a renewed sense of appreciation for the area’s wines as a result, I was pleasantly surprised to see so much love expressed for NY’s own Finger Lakes wines in the comments of our latest giveaway. And so I’m happy to report that one such NY wine lover – Patrick Maas – was the randomly-selected winner of the NYWE 2013 giveaway.

Patrick (assuming that he is 21 or older!) will now have the opportunity to indulge a taste (or two… or several) for free at one of this year’s Grand Tasting events! Now, if you didn’t win the latest giveaway (hint: if you’re not Patrick, then you didn’t win), you’ve still got a few options if you want to be NYWE-bound:

1) Wail and gnash you teeth Old Testament Style at the futility of it all, paying full price at the event, or

2) Buy tickets to the 2013 NYWE and use the special discount code “WineDude” (minus the quotation marks), good for $15 off Friday and Saturday tickets through Feb. 28, 2013!

Personally, I’d go with option #2, but I don’t want to be so bold as to tell you how to live your life, okay? Just don’t say we never did anything for you here at 1WD…

Anyway… Go forth and plan your NYWE excursion, my bargain-hunting thirsty imbibers.

Cheers!