Terry Theise

TT: Why yes, I DID say that about Rockwell. At his request, mind you. To answer your second question, I don't really drink that many non-Champagne fizz these days, because I am a lucky bastard. But if/when I do, I like sparkling Vouvray sometimes, and I like the occasional Austrian or German Sekt. If I'm not drinking Champagne then I do NOT want to drink one of its imitators, but rather a sparkling wine valid in its own right. Oh, and this is probably outside the purview of your question, but I think Moscato D'Asti is absolutely angelic stuff.

Sorry Chris, I neglected your second question. I think there will be a problem with increasing prices IN GENERAL, in part because the young generation of quality-minded producers SPENDS more to make wine than their parents (usually) did. Nor are they content with their parent's definition of affluence. We all applaud the news that some vintner or other has "lowered yields by 40%" but do we want to pay 40% more for the wine? Sad as it is to say, if you want to find bargains the best way is to see where the crowd is going, and run in the opposite direction. And there are more than enough underappreciated waifs in the wine world.

TT: I don't tend to think in lofty concepts like "the future of wine", but like anyone who loves the stuff I ponder what's happening to it. Somewhere in one of my catalogs I muse that there'll always be a small loyal audience for the very finest, most mystically intricate wines, and also a very large audience for fake-boobs lap-dance wines, but I wonder about the many wines in between: the lovely, useful, not-great but infinitely good...not wines of moderate virtue but rather wines wherein moderation IS a virtue. Who will buy them? Lately I have come to feel we place insufficient emphasis on the simple desires of the body, on the wines that make us sensually HAPPY, that deliver us joy. It isn't always "fun" to drink great wines, you know. And I doubt many people would select a great wine to answer the question "What am I thirsty for?"

Mark, I'm SO the wrong guy to ask, as I tend to avoid new-world wines. I can tell you that the sommelier at the Grand Hotel (in Uriage-les-Bains, 15 minutes from Grenoble, two Michelin stars very well deserved) expressed interest in German and Austrian wines, and if I recall he had some American wines on his list.

NOT! Some place in Cincinatti should really do a home-made ice cream using Scotch and rose petals, and call it "Peat Rose Ice Cream".

[Note: all of these black-diamond question marks are going to be cleaned up in the near future. There's a program that converts them to their proper characters, and I want to make sure it's done carefully and correctly, instead of just quickly. DR, 04/03/15] --- Above all, Vidalia, Nora, and Asia Nora. Kinkeads has also been a good supporter, as has Citronelle, though in the latter two there's been more warp and woof, i.e. sometimes you'll find lots of my wines and sometimes not so many. Then there's a universe of places you'll find a couple or a few - Marcels just added a Riesling, two Gr�Ves and a Champagne, for example - but it's more like a bit here and a piece there. Palena (my favorite local restaurant) just added a couple. It is much better than it was as recently as 2-3 years ago, but there's still some distance to travel.

For all who ask where my wines can be found, I wish the news were sunnier. You can get reasonable representations of my portfolio at Calvert-Woodley and MacArthur, but after those two it gets very spotty. It's especially hard to find the Champagnes, but this is hardly the first time the D.C retail market has been slow to catch on to a trend from out of the mainstream. Champagnes from six of my producers are available for next-day delivery from a local wholesaler, so the best I can suggest is you visit your friendly retailer and ride his sorry ass til he gets the wine you want.

By the way, my definition of "girl-food" is it's not only food you love, it's food that loves you back. It doesn't seek to "impress" though it often does. It wraps you in a nexus of appreciation for the honesty and beauty of ingredients. It's the difference between "look at ME!!" and "Look at THESE!" The first is I-thou, I-the-diner looks at you-the-chef (and is impressed); the second is companionable and collaborative - I-the-diner and she-the-chef look TOGETHER at the beauty she has found and seeks to share. It also lays more emphasis on deliciousness than on dazzling. It's got juicier soul.