The consolations of wine
Monday 30 April 2018
People have long turned to myriad sources as consolation for the thorny task of being human. From poetry and painting to music and sculpture, the arts are filled with expressions of humanity to soften misfortune and comfort the suffering. Literature is similarly sympathetic; what is the western canon but a catalogue of accounts of what it means to be human? And in philosophy, a field practically invented to help make sense of the human condition, consolations have been a popular genre. Perhaps the most famous was Boethius’s The Consolations of Philosophy , in which he reconciled his time in prison...
Become a member or log in to continue reading
This Mother’s Day, give the gift of great wine.
Mothering Sunday is 15 March – and a JancisRobinson.com gift membership is one of the most thoughtful presents you can give a wine lover.
For a limited time, get 20% off all annual gift memberships by entering promo code FORMUM26 at checkout. Offer ends 17 March.
Member
$135
/year
Ideal for wine enthusiasts
- Access 290,531 wine reviews & 15,947 articles
- Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
Inner Circle
$249
/year
Ideal for collectors
- Access 290,531 wine reviews & 15,947 articles
- Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
- Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
Professional
$299
/year
For individual wine professionals
- Access 290,531 wine reviews & 15,947 articles
- Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
- Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
- Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Business
$399
/year
For companies in the wine trade
- Access 290,531 wine reviews & 15,947 articles
- Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
- Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
- Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing
More Andrea's salon
Andrea's salon
A continuation of Andrea's search for the perfect wine dinner for her friends. See part 1. The origins of the...
Andrea's salon
The first of a two-part muse on a topic that may well be of particular interest to visitors to JancisRobinson.com...
Andrea's salon
Our most philosophically thoughtful columnist considers the polis of wine. Of all the paradoxes that exist in wine, one in...
Andrea's salon
What to take from home when embarking on a long journey abroad? There are the practical effects one needs for...
More from JancisRobinson.com
Tasting articles
124 wines reviewed, revealing assorted treasures buried in the far south-western corner of Australia. See also Visiting Great Southern. The...
Mission Blind Tasting
Time to put all the details together and take a stab at determining what’s in your glass. Now that you’ve...
Tasting articles
Proof that Rioja remains a terrific source of mature wines at excellent prices. Above, one of the vineyards of El...
Travel tips
Discovering Western Australia’s wine wilderness. Come back tomorrow for reviews of wines from Great Southern. Wherever you stand in the...
Tasting articles
Plus a selection of top-quality wines made at sufficient scale that they can be found the world over. Above, Juan...
Tasting articles
A focus on single-village, single-vineyard and single-variety Rioja. Above, Juan Carlos Sancha and his mule working the Cerro la Isa...
Nick on restaurants
A gem for wine lovers in London’s Soho. Just part of its giant wine list (temporarily stolen) is shown above...
Wine news in 5
Also news on Germany’s Henkell group buying out legendary Cava company Freixenet (pictured above) and lawsuits on France’s copper fungicide...