Browsing for some information about a 1967 Chateau Beychevelle afriend is threatening to open on his birthday later this week ledme to the 1973 New York Magazine story whose head you see at left. The author, Romanian-born AlexisBespaloff, wrote about wine for the magazine from 1972 to 1996. Bespaloff may be better known as the man who took over as editor ofFrank Schoonmaker's Encyclopedia of Wine when Schoonmaker died in1976. The book, which went through several editions underBespaloff's guidance, has always been a favorite of mine. Thismainly because it incorporates a feature lacking in every othercompendium of vintage wisdom known to me: a pronouncing key.Knowing just which syllables to accent when slipping a word likeErzeugerabfulling ( air -t'zoo-gher- abb -foo-lung) into the conversation makes all the difference. The burden of Bespaloff's column in April 1973 was the shockingrise in prices for better quality Bordeaux. His brilliant leadparagraph for the piece draws you in like a magnet: A hundred years ago, when the red wines of Bordeaux were not ashighly regarded as they are now, an English writer recommendedsound claret as "an agreeable substitute for tea or coffee atbreakfast during warm weather." The price of Bordeaux is increasingat such a fast rate today that we may soon have to drink tea andcoffee as a disagreeable substitute at every meal. To help counter the effect, Bespaloff lists 20 wines from solid,reputable properties whose 1966, 1967, and 1970 vintages were thenavailable at New York City retailers for between $2.40 and $3.99. The idea of classed-growth Bordeaux selling for between $4 and $15a bottle boggles our minds, too - but for an entirely differentreason. In 1967 you could buy Beychevelle for something like fourbucks; today you'll spend a hundred, easy. What may strike the contemporary reader as even more marvelous thanthese prelapsarian prices is the absence of tasting notes orranking of any sort in Bespaloff's writing. General observationssuch as "well-made," "balanced and mature," "more forceful thancharming" is about as far as he goes with the descriptive bits.It's refreshing, I think. But I'm not getting my hopes up that wine writing will back awayfrom its florid excesses anytime soon. At least not until we seethe return of four dollar Bordeaux. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China RF Beauty Equipment , IPL Equipment Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit IPL Equipment today!
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