An article on JancisRobinson.com criticizes recent coverage of Champagne’s 2009 harvest. Tags: Bling Chicago tasting sized pours SPIT: Bling champagne. An unnamed source cites declines of 50-85% in champagne sales with pricey stuff hit hardest. The story by Alice Feiring in this weekend’s WSJ. SPIT: reporting on Champagne. MORE >>

The secretary of the association lays out the following fees: * €200-300 fee for each wine sent to taste. * €500 per wine selected for a tasting “masterclass” * €1,000 euros for a winery to receive a visit from Jay Miller. How do wineries prepare for a visiting critic? Tickets to all events cost $2,600 per attendee. MORE >>

Entitled “The Taste Makers,&# Khatchadourian tracks a flavor scientist at a company called Givaudan, which makes such flavorings such as acai, pomegranate or kiwi-strawberry for bottled drinks. The author follows the Givaudan team to various locales where they smell, taste and capture molecular readouts of various exotic fruit aromas. MORE >>

In case you missed our discussion here and many others on them there internets, you can check out the WSJ article for a recap. Anyway, check out the article. “ A Hint of Hype, A Taste of Illusion &# WSJ. In it, he has a brief section on inherent subjectivity and variation in wine descriptions and ratings. Yeah, me either. MORE >>

The other day I was reading an excellent article in the current issue of The World of Fine Wine , an article that makes the case for Beaujolais as a "fine wine," the same way we think about Burgundy or Barolo, for example. It is a well considered and thoughtful article. Like The Art of Eating , this is a must-have. MORE >>