How the Internet Has Left Its Mark on Terroir
The New York Times
Historic wine regions were bound by local traditions. More recently developed areas lacked a sense of community. But now distance is no obstacle.
I’ve often written that the best wine is an expression of culture. This is easy enough to understand in historic wine-producing regions, where centuries of local traditions helped to shape the identity of the wines.
But what about more recent wine regions like California or Australia, where decisions about grapes, methods and styles of wine have often been made by individual entrepreneurs motivated by commercial expedience or ego? The cultural antecedents of many wines from the 20th century, made without community involvement, were more difficult to trace.
Over the last 20 years or so, though, the internet and social media have tied people around the world closer and closer together, creating new wine cultures regardless of physical proximity. Growers and producers who might once have been isolated can now be a part of community efforts, perhaps adding to our understanding of terroir and a sense of place.
Younger South Asian cooks are riffing on these classics, turning them into cookies, pies and ice cream, and (gasp!) adding salt.
The brainy birds carry big chips on their shoulders, scientists say. And some people who become subjects of their ire may be victims of mistaken identity.
The company said it would put Quarter Pounders back on the menu, without the raw onions that were considered the likely source of the bacteria.
The billionaire made splashy purchases of The Washington Post and a mansion in Washington. But his status as a power player in the nation’s capital was never realized.
Forecasters will soon be able to use the instrument, a coronagraph, to better monitor the effects of solar storms.
Fossils reveal that prehistoric cicadas’ wings evolved to help them evade hungry predators with feathers and beaks, scientists say.
Kinnon MacKinnon leads the world’s largest study on people who stop or reverse their gender transitions, a group embroiled in intense political fights.
The body’s cooling defenses fail at lower “wet bulb” temperatures than scientists had estimated.
Archaeologists in Norway have confirmed that an ancient set of human remains known as the Well Man were intended to make the locals unwell.
Astronomers offered a new hypothesis for what created pairs of objects nicknamed JuMBOs, while other scientists argue they may not really exist.
A deadly outbreak spurred removal of onions by a major food supplier in the Mountain West. Taco Bell, KFC, Burger King and Pizza Hut have stopped serving onions at various locations.