Wine Column Is Tale of Four Cities

We can’t help reading Robert Neralich’s wine column every Wednesday in the food section of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. It’s not so much that we want to know more about wine. We just want to see what he’s got to say.

Take Neralich’s Aug. 8 column, for example. He gave a quick analysis of what’s wrong with the four major cities in Northwest Arkansas before getting around to reviewing half a dozen wines.

According to Neralich: “Bentonville is less a city than a corporate supercenter with its own regional airport. While the municipality possesses one of the most charming town squares, it is likely only a matter of time before it is leveled and replaced by something more practical, such as a parking garage or a helicopter landing pad.”

Neralich said land is way overpriced in Rogers, Pinnacle Country Club is an enclave for “affluent yuppies who have nothing meaningful to do with their leisure time” except play golf, and Thompson Avenue in Springdale is “one of the most spiritually oppressive stretches of roadway in America.”

Neralich said Reynolds Razorback Stadium has replaced Old Main as the “center and symbol” of campus life at the University of Arkansas.

We like a man who speaks his mind. Of course, we’re sure he reviewed some good wines, but we were too intoxicated by his prose to notice.