Time for a tannin refresher course?
Fantastic article, Tim (Everything You Know About Tannin Is Wrong by Tim Patterson, October 2009). I am both an avid wine enthusiast (having earned my certified specialist of wine certification) as well as an analytical chemist, and this article speaks to me on both levels. Makes me want to go back to school and research tannin/phenolic analysis methods.
Chris Simmons, CSW
S.E. territory account manager
GL Sciences
Durham, N.C.

AVA to no avail
There are many reasons consumers choose wines besides the AVA. (See “How Consumers Choose Wine? at winesandvines.com or in Headlines on p. 14) Economic analyses of the correlates of price can provide some insight into the value in the market of label characteristics, but it is not realistic to make conclusions on how much search effort consumers make when purchasing from such secondary data. Our research, in the U.S. and Australia, shows that brand and grape variety far exceed region as a driver of choice, especially for wines under $15.
Prof. Larry Lockshin
Wine Marketing Group director
Ehrenberg Bass Institute for Marketing Science, University of South Australia
Adelaide, Australia

Choice words
Regarding “Choosing the Best Cover Crops for Your Soil,” by Glenn McGourty, October 2009: Well written. As I was researching available science on soil spatter to explain numerous field results of our wetter water technology, I came across your cover crop discussion and found it very informative.
Larry Couture
Chief executive officer
Ecosmarte
Richfield, Minn.