After recording the podcast, we had to add a disclaimer because we realized that this was a little insider-y for most people, but we still decided to launch this because there is a big debate raging in the wine world about what grapes and wines should be featured on wine lists. We realize some of you may not like this podcast and may think we've gone off the rails -- be patient! I felt we needed to cover it because it's been a huge debate in 2014 and one that doesn't seem to be going away.

That debate? Robert Parker, esteeemed wine critic, has been coming down hard on what he terms "hipster" sommeliers who are pretentious, only feature natural wines on their lists and eschew common grape varieties and big brands. Others have fired back at him saying that he is fighting for relevance by brining this up with such vitriol.

Here's an few articles on the debate (I can't reference Parker's original article because it requires a subscription but these have excerpts):

From Vinography: http://www.vinography.com/archives/2014/01/debating_robert_parker.html

From The Gray Report:
http://blog.wblakegray.com/2014/06/robert-parker-launches-another-cowardly.html

From Hawk Wakawaka:
http://wakawakawinereviews.com/2014/06/25/getting-to-know-dowell-rh-drexel-talks-with-robert-m-parker-jr/

And a few of the wine lists I'm referencing:

Vinegar Hill House, Brooklyn, NY: http://vinegarhillhouse.com/menus/#winelist

Table, Donkey, and Stick, Chicago, IL : http://tabledonkeystick.com

Camino Restaurant, Oakland, CA: http://www.caminorestaurant.com/wine

We look forward to your comments on this one!