The moves notably included promoting Antonio Galloni to a greater role, as Galloni took over reviewing California wines from Parker himself as well as adding coverage of Burgundy (ex-Beaujolais) to his beat that already included Champagne and all of Italy. Which California wines excite you the most? His unedited replies follow below.

Recently, the wife and I have been discussing a possible trip to California next year. The past few months I have been tasting, or should I say consuming, some really fantastic California wines from many different AVA's. Tags: California Petite Sirah red wine few of the issues are for how long and where. Suggested retail is $15.

So buckle up and get ready to hear his thoughts on what’s wrong with Riesling from Austria and Australia, screwcaps and their problems, the Loire, California cab then and now, indigenous yeasts, roto-fermenters, small oak barrels, wines over 14% alcohol and why he uses scores! California cabs from the 70s. German Riesling.

The point of view seems wrong to me as most California and New World wines are made for the market -- the most obvious taste--than the product of a carefully matched grapevine to land and climate and a passionate winemaker who is part artist/philosopher and part scientist. Are there exceptions to the awfulness of California wine for you?

and "California promotes wines that dont suck" Um.since when did fresh herbs become weird?! And millions of people think that California wines dont suck.but that certainly isnt an indication of greatness. Doesnt the fellow realize there would be no California wine without Europe? Now, what could make the fellow happier? Sheesh.

The California wine industry that welcomed a wine-novice Wine Tasting Guy with open arms is under attack. Alice Feiring, a warm woman whom I met & spoke with at length shortly after transitioning into the wine industry, is under attack. But in her LA Times OpEd piece " California Wine? Sure controversy sells.

But the article itself, as well as the myriad of comments that follows seems to be praising the old world producers, how they let the wine make itself, without the use of modern technology. I just read a recent post by Eric Asimov of the New York Times on his blog The Pour. My take on all of this falls somewhere in the middle.

Thats how it has been for 9,000 years, but over the past two decades, myriad technologies and lab tricks have turned that typical weeknight bottle into the potable equivalent of cake from a mix. If tales like that sound familiar, you may recall Mondovino, the 2004 Jonathan Nossiter documentary about globalization in the wine industry.

He fumed at the EUs stupidity for not allowing the Spanish wine industry to "adjust for global warming." In subsequent panels, I listened to scientist after scientist looking for answers to global warming solely in technology. Plant any grape where you want and use technology to deal with the consequences. That seems obvious.

Maybe it is just a fantasy and Cahors is a metropolitan hot bed of technology and advancement. The first settlers were the Spanish and they brought with them the mission grape via California. The country's wine industry was being formed but only on a domestic level. The word Malbec is being heard more and more these days.

Clark owns Vinovation and sells wine technology which mostly helps produce wines I dont enjoy drinking. Why isnt the Internet full of criticism of these powerful and dangerous technologies? ++ Note his use of traditional above. is better than a crafted wine that has been altered with modern technology? Do check it out. Tell us!