Recent content by Jonathan Loesberg

You are right about the misspelling and the consequent second error, mine this time. Loathe is a transitive verb and takes a direct object: I loathe the misuse of the phrase begs the question. This one does not say I am loathe but I am loath to do something. Loath is an adjective, but the phrase...

The second. It is a verb followed by an infinitive. Verbs followed by gerunds indicate durational action: he admitted to taking the money. Loathe is not such a verb. These kinds of grammatical questions can be answered fairly reliably by googling.

There's a lot of slip sliding away going on here. I was not talking about Condrieu or other cool climate Viogniers. I'm not an undying fan of those wines, but the grape does well in cool climates and the wine can be interesting. And I am certainly not talking about Rhone whites in general, which...

I did say Southern Rhone Viognier. Obviously in cooler climes it would do better. I have tasted a couple from the Southern Rhone that were actually vibrant. But it isn’t the norm. I’m guessing that SQN would not be restrained , but, as I keep saying, I didn’t taste it.

I'm all for letting a thousand flowers bloom and recognizing that we each have our own preferences. But this bored is about registering preferences. As long as one remembers that they are preferences, I don't think we need to remind ourselves of the obviousness of the necessity of a laisser...

Sorry, Pete, but that sounds to me like an atrocity. I like white Rhones if they are kept within bounds. One thing sure to get them out of bounds is Viognier. Add to that Petite Manseng and the SQN style for overdoing everything and I can't see my liking it. I have only tasted SQN reds and, like...

There is an argument for doing this. Northern (Orange) vineyards are certainly different from La Crau, though different cepage mixes like Beaucastel’s high Mourvèdre content can change that.

OK, this makes sense to me.

But how does one explain tastes such as eucalyptus, lavender or garrigue? Are they just epiphenomena?

Actually, at least according to the OED, the extensive definition of terrain, including all the non-geological elements, comes from military usage. For obvious reasons, if you think about it, a military evaluation of a terrain for purposes of defense or attack would include micro-climate as it...

When referring to a wine made of a single cepage, it can properly be called a varietal, which is a noun. As Casey Stengel used to say, you could look it up. Though affect can be a noun, you are right that the word here should be effect. A malapropism is a confusion, but of a different kind.

The problem isn’t using the term without reference to culture. When that implication isn’t necessary, as it isn’t when you are referring to the affect of minerals in the soil on wine, no one will think the implication is there. The problem is thinking you can use the word in less specific...

It does cover microclimate. According to the OED, it covers all aspects of a tract of land. It covers every implication you need. It just lacks the aura of terroir, which comes from its attachment to culture. I apologize for what my iPhone is doing to my apostrophes on this site.

Varietal can be a noun and that’s not the issue. Do you speak of a varietal of any other species? That’s the issue. The common ground is that both coinages are useless. And I don’t have anything against the word terroir, just the misuse of it.

The word you want is terrain. You can use terroir to mean that and, since enough people agree with you, they will understand what you mean. But it is like using varietal for variety, a pointless special coinage that has become a word because people don't know any better.