Peter Liem

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Peter Liem is an American wine critic, a senior correspondent for Wine & Spirits , and since 2009 the author and publisher of the online subscription guide to wines and producers of Champagne, ChampagneGuide.net, [1] [2] [3] and has co-authored a book on the subject of Sherry. [4] Liem has also contributed to publications such as San Francisco Chronicle , Zester Daily and The World of Fine Wine .

Contents

Career

With a background in wine retail, Liem began his career in wine writing when he and Kirk Wille founded a bi-monthly e-magazine titled Riesling Report, which was published from 2000 to 2002. [5] Liem joined Wine & Spirits in 2004 in a capacity as a senior editor and tasting director, and critic covering the wines of Alsace, Austria, Germany and the Loire. [1] [6] In 2006 Liem moved to the Champagne village Dizy, [3] while establishing a reputation as "one of the keenest tasters around". [2] Following the 2009 launch of his subscription website, the guide has been described to expand on works such as 4000 Champagnes by Richard Juhlin and Champagne by Tom Stevenson, [2] and may grow to be for Champagne what Burghound.com is for Burgundy. [5] From November 2007, Liem regularly maintained the blog "Besotted Ramblings and Other Drivel" until October 2009, when he announced he had decided to discontinue this blog due to other projects and time constraints. [7]

Though not claiming to have invented it, Liem was in 2008 commended by Eric Asimov for discovering the word "gob-less" as a term for wines of grace, balance and finesse, in response to the trend among wine critics such as Robert Parker who frequently apply the word "gobs" to describe wines of overwhelming power and fruity sweetness. [8] [9] Similarly in 2009, Asimov expressed appreciation of a Liem column comparing wines made from ungrafted vines with cheese made from unpasteurized milk. [10] [11]

Published works

In October 2012, Liem and co-author Jesús Barquín published the book Sherry, Manzanilla and Montilla: A Guide to the Traditional Wines of Andalucía. [12] [13] [14] [15] Liem has visited the Jerez region regularly since 1998 and began in earnest work on the book during the spring of 2011, eventually in tandem with Sherry expert Barquín, the founder of Equipo Navazos. The two collaborated on the historical and general portrait of the region, while a second part to the book which profiles specific producers remains the exclusive work of Liem, to avoid a conflict of interests as Barquín is himself a producer. [16]

In October 2017 Liem published Champagne: The Essential Guide to the Wines, Producers, and Terroirs of the Iconic Region with Ten Speed Press. [17]

SherryFest

In conjunction with the launch of the book Sherry, Manzanilla and Montilla, [18] Liem and organizer Rosemary Gray arranged the event SherryFest 2012 NYC over four days in October 2012 at various locations in New York City, drawing upon retailer in-store tastings, several educational seminars and producer dinner events, and a sherry tasting with 20 Sherry producers presenting in excess of 130 sherries. [16] [19] [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solera</span> Process for aging liquids in barrels

Solera is a process for aging liquids such as wine, beer, vinegar, and brandy, by fractional blending in such a way that the finished product is a mixture of ages, with the average age gradually increasing as the process continues over many years. The purpose of this labor-intensive process is the maintenance of a reliable style and quality of the beverage over time. Solera means "on the ground" in Spanish, and it refers to the lower level of the set of barrels or other containers used in the process; the liquid is traditionally transferred from barrel to barrel, top to bottom, the oldest mixtures being in the barrel right "on the ground". The containers in today's process are not necessarily stacked physically in this way but merely carefully labeled. Products which are often solera aged include Sherry, Madeira, Lillet, Port wine, Marsala, Mavrodafni, Muscat, and Muscadelle wines; Balsamic, Commandaria, some Vins doux naturels, and Sherry vinegars; Brandy de Jerez; beer; rums; and whiskies. Since the origin of this process is the Iberian peninsula, most of the traditional terminology is in Spanish and Portuguese.

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 Bonné, Jon, San Francisco Chronicle: "The Cellarist"' (May 14, 2009). "An in-depth guide to Champagne". The San Francisco Chronicle.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 Comiskey, Patrick (April 29, 2009). "Getting to the bottom of a glass of Champagne". Los Angeles Times .
  4. Liem, Peter, San Francisco Chronicle (October 19, 2012). Getting a taste of sherry's native flavors
  5. 1 2 Sogner, Knut (28 June 2023). "Nytt nettsted for Champagne". Vinforum (in Norwegian) (3–2009): 64.
  6. Colman, Tyler, Dr. Vino (September 25, 2007). "Talking Champagne with Peter Liem of Wine & Spirits".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. Liem, Peter, peterliem.com (October 22, 2009). An End To Rambling
  8. Asimov, Eric, The New York Times: "The Pour" (May 15, 2008). "Gobs of Pleasure? No Thanks".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. Liem, Peter, Wine & Spirits (June 2008). "Gob-less Hedonism" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2009-05-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. Asimov, Eric, The New York Times: "The Pour" (November 13, 2009). "The Roots of Fine Wine".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. Liem, Peter, Wine & Spirits (October 2009). "Post Pasteur". Archived from the original on 2009-11-23. Retrieved 2020-05-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. Asimov, Eric, The New York Times (June 26, 2012). Sherry Sidles Out of the Drawing Room
  13. Asimov, Eric, The New York Times: The Pour (November 30, 2012). Highlights From the 2012 Vintage in Wine Publishing
  14. Virbila, S. Irene, Los Angeles Times (December 18, 2012). For the wine lover: a new guide to sherry
  15. Isle, Ray, CNN.com (December 7, 2012). Books for the wine lover in your life
  16. 1 2 Dalton, Levi (November 2, 2012). "Peter Liem". I'll Drink to That. Episode 38.
  17. Amazon.com
  18. Sherry, Manzanilla and Montilla amazon.com
  19. McCoy, Elin, Sherry Returns to Trendy Bars, Old Bodegas, Thanksgiving Bloomberg.com (November 19, 2012).
  20. Bonné, Jon, Hopeful signs for a Sherry revival San Francisco Chronicle (October 25, 2012).