The word is out!

Halliday’s piece is tepid.

And it is Rosé!


The redoubtable James Halliday, brief, vigneron, and writer extraordinaire preaches the word of rosé in his weekly piece in the weekend Australian of 7 July 2007, Indulgence page 7 for pedants. Below in italics I have pasted the part of the piece that is available free on the Australian’s web site.
Rise of once-humble rose evidence of changing tastes
The Weekend Australian, 07-07-2007, Ed: 5 – Travel, Pg: 007, 871 words , REVIEW
WINE IN the upcoming 2008 edition of my wine companion, there are tasting notes for 166 roses that scored 87 points or more, leaving a similar number that scored less.

Two things are immediately apparent to a discerning reader. Wake up the rest of you! First, rose? With the 21st Century technology that the News Corporation always boasts, the more so when firing typesetters and printers to streamline publication of its newspapers like the Australian, does not run to the accent aigu. So we have a wine headline featuring the word ‘rose’ when the word ‘rosé’ is intended. I, on the other hand, can put the accent in. Second, redoubtable yes, but limited too. He tastes 166 rosés. My database runs to 400. Get with it James!
The third obvious thing is that the piece is a teaser for the new edition of his very fine reference work. halliday.jpg
In the text he attributes the current profusion of rosés in Australian to the surplus of grapes, which will reduce as the effects of the drought work through. That may explain why some noble grapes are going into the mix these days, but that might just cement the interest of the consuming public. However, Halliday’s piece is tepid on the subject where full blooded advocacy is needed to overcome the young foggies out there and their so-1990s resistance to rosés.
I would have been only too happy to share these comments with the man himself but no email address for didactic communication appears in the signoff of the piece.

One thought on “The word is out!

  1. Hi Michael
    It’s been a while since Power in 1997 and Utopia in 1998, but I’m pleased to discover this blog.
    Your post fondly reminds me of the “Apostrophe Man” campaign of the Column 8 of yesteryear. Are you offering to be the “Aigu Man”?

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