Thelonious Wines

A million years ago, the cave man, without tools, with small brain, and with nothing but the strength of his body, managed to feed his wife and children, so that through him the race survived. You on the other hand, armed with all the modern means of production, multiplying the productive capacity of the cave man a million times -- you are incompetents and muddlers, you are unable to secure to millions even the paltry amount of bread that would sustain their physical life. You have mismanaged the world, and it shall be taken from you!

‘All the science in the world isn’t going to tell a chef what to do with a chicken’, wrote Thackrey on his website in explanation of his philosophy. ‘It may suggest some experiments and may explain some results, but the only result that really counts is a better-tasting chicken, and the only judge of “better” is the pleasure the chicken gives the palate; and the essential job description of “chef” (or “wine-maker”) is to make that judgment, right now, right here, while the pan’s still on the flame. Nothing – absolutely nothing – counts here but the palate. Everything depends on the quality of its pleasures, just as the greatness of a painting depends on the quality of the pleasures of the painter’s eye, and the greatness of a poem on the quality of the pleasures of a poet’s ear. Nothing should deceive a winemaker into thinking otherwise about what matters in wine.’