• Most wine drinkers aren't interested: In pairing wine with food, that is. The Wine Opinions consultancy says that what it calls high frequency wine drinkers drink more without a proper meal than with it. The Wines & Vines article about the study reports that only 41 percent of this group drink wine with a meal. In this, it smacks conventional wine wisdom in the face, which says that most of us drink wine with food. Are the study's methodology and data good enough for that conclusion? It used 800 responses from its 5,500-person Wine Opinions consumer panel, which it says are panel's most frequent purchasers and consumers of wine. And the people behind Wine Opinions are some of the most respected in the business. Which gives the wine industry new food for thought.
• New direct shipping legislation: Which, is again, heralded as the end of the world. Says the Wine Spectator: The 2011 version of the bill, "if passed, could end direct shipping of wine and other forms of alcohol in the United States, or at least put major roadblocks in front of lawsuits by consumers and wineries trying to reduce restrictions on direct shipping." The caveat, of course, is "if passed" -- which is no closer to happening today than it was in the previous session of the Congress. Though, as the Spectator notes, the anti-direct shipping lobby is paying to play. It has donated more than a quarter of a million dollars to the bill's nine sponsors since 2005. And ain't bi-partisanship grand? Four of the sponsors are Democrats and five are Republicans. It's a shame they can't work together to solve the country's real problems.
• The white wine that's correct with any dish: Blue Nun, the German wine that was so au courant in the 1970s, is trying to make another comeback. Its new owner says the wine will now be a varietal (rivaner and riesling), and will be part of several new Blue Nun wines. Look for riesling, pinot grigio, rosé and pinot noir. Not to worry, though: the wine will still come in its trademark blue glass fluted bottle. How big was Blue Nun 40 years ago? How about TV commercials?
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