In this space, it’s my intention to provide wine enthusiasts with a winemaking insider’s point of view on issues which concern them. As much as possible, I intend to skirt my personal endeavors and serve the readers’ interest above my own. But to do so, it seems I need to clear the air, just this once, by delving once again into the tired old issue of wine manipulation.

Here’s the reader feedback from my first column. Kudos for content, dings for not dodging the controversy which surrounds my persona. Apparently, if I’m to be of any use as a window for readers on the winemaker’s perspective, we need to address the fact that a lot of people are not pleased with me.

For those of you who have been off-planet lately, I live at the center of a global maelstrom concerning winemakers’ obligations to consumers. The charge: Aiding and Abetting Wine Manipulation in the First Degree. Defendant’s Plea: Guilty as Charged. And by the way, where’s my Medal of Honor?

In this discussion, I don’t intend to call anybody out. I’ll mention by name only those who have conducted themselves with honor in this debate and deserve mention for it. To aid discussion of this complex and highly charged subject, I’m going to try some analogies to other branches of cooking and presentation: classic cuisine, musicianship, even women’s cosmetics.

The ire and vitriol which characterize this debate have the taste of betrayal and broken agreements. I’m going to try to get to the bottom of what those are. I’m confident we can put enmity behind us once we realize that all the players are good guys who want the same things. Critics and winemakers have hit a stormy little patch in a great marriage, and we need to talk. We’re driving the kids crazy.

An honest, open debate on this topic would have been well-settled years ago. Ideally, proponents of the new techniques would present their wines and skeptics would taste them and discuss their findings. None of this is happening. Unlike the free, open ‘70’s and ‘80’s, winemakers are lying low and keeping mum while paparazzi fire live ammo over their heads.

Before I launch into a discussion of modern winemaking tools, I should articulate my bias for those who do not know me. Actually I have two. The first is as an owner of Vinovation Inc., a wine production consulting firm which sells goods, services, machines and consulting to 1200 wineries worldwide. Having dedicated myself to improving winemaking, I’m inclined to argue in defense of my approach. As I explained in my last piece on alcohol levels, I bear some responsibility for the shift in attitude connected with the general rise in alcohol levels in this country. As Tom Wark rightly observed, I have been at the center of the move toward the Big Wine. I certainly don’t apologize for my contribution, but it’s fair to say that there have been plenty of terrible wines made as we flail around trying to perfect this newly-born sort of New World long suit.

Secondly, I make and sell wine. Since my training is largely French, the niche I’ve chosen is stylistically Old World. I enjoy offering wines which show possibilities for California outside the mainstream: Chablis-style Chardonnays, racy Cab Francs, and Loire-style Chenin Blanc aged sur lies. That’s pretty confusing to the marketplace, so I’m not likely to grow much. I’d be very pleased if readers of this column decided to try my experiments and judge my success for themselves.

UK wine writer Jaime Goode went through my wines in November and came up with an article which I thought articulated my struggle well: The surprising juxtaposition of Technology and Natural Winemaking.