“PS. I’m a blogger, and I was drinking wine when you were still in diapers.”

I’m NOT a blogger, but I WAS drinking wine when I was still in diapers. So there. I had a French wet nurse. After every feeding I got a little teaspoon of wine. It was only a modest village wine at first, but by the time I was big enough to take the nurses blouse off myself, she had moved me up to the lesser classified growths, and a little crystal goblet had replaced the teaspoon. It was the perfect childhood. And adolescence. And puberty. As much as Madeleine and I still enjoy mealtimes, I’ll never top those first tender winedrinking memories.

Steve, keep em riled up.
Clark, Dan, et al- I’m subscribing. Just as soon as you get your “subscribe now” button working!

The bottom line is this: are people still willing to pay someone who brings together a large group of talented and skilled writers, pushes an editorial angle, and perhaps also engages in some professional editing, which sometimes even the best writers need (in small amounts)? I believe the answer is yes, but I also know that it’s a hard road to travel in today’s world. Obviously this very personally affects Steve (and me), but even if it didn’t, I don’t think it will be a better world if people are not willing to pay money for good writing and editing.

For a nice response to the “information wants to be free” line of Wired (is Wired free btw? I have to claim ignorance on that one, but I imagine you have to pay for it at a newsstand at least), check out Malcolm Gladwell: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2009/07/06/090706crbo_books_gladwell?yrail.

I think it is you who needs to get a grip. You seem to be overreacting. Steve was and has been offering some observations by others on the dynamics of the new Internet technologies. You distort the commentary on the blogosphere. There are many folks out there lamenting what is happening to the main stream media while also acknowledging the contributions by bloggers. I don’t see where Mr. H is engaging in all the rants you accuse him of. He is reporting news about cyberspace as it affects his industry. To me, he provideds a vital BLOGGING service.

There are 1000s of environmental, architectural, literary, political, and even gardening blogs. Do they harp on their brethren? Do they, individually, anguish over multiple points of view? No. The more the merrier is their healthy mantra.

In the wine world, however, there is this noisy little coterie of wine writers fighting a vain, rearguard action against a new generation. It might surprise you to learn that Robert Parker began as ‘know-nothing’ lawyer, Neal Rosenthal, too, began as a lawyer fed up with his life, Dan Berger began as a sports writer, Clive Coates began as an apprentice wine merchant…. The list goes on and on. One by one the wine ‘titans’ of today started with nothing but an ambition to write about their passion. How silly it is to judge ‘wine bloggers’ by the very internet standards you disparage, that of the immediacy of today’s available content.

Get a grip. Let the blogosphere evolve. After all, your content is these days a mere litany of tiresome complaint, retreads. You’ve made a cottage industry of slamming wine blogs as though you had the slightest idea of their content. You don’t.

Do you actually have a new idea? I’d love to hear it.