Monthly Archives: September 2011

Larry Mawby’s Sparkling ‘Detroit’: Feel Our Pagne

Posted on September 23, 2011 by

If you were born south of Eight Mile or spent your formative years in Motown, you’re pretty versed in Detroit history—and, with a high school drop-out rate cresting 70%, it’s probably not something you  learned during  Fourth Hour. You know … Continue reading →

Posted in Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan, MIDWEST | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Dry Creek Zinfandel: Make a Dashe for the valley

Posted on September 14, 2011 by

Dashe Cellars says that they knew in advance that their stellar, 2007 vintage, Dry Creek zinfandels would ‘make themselves’.  Good news for Dashe;  not so much for the migrants who will now have to be trucked into Oregon to find … Continue reading →

Posted in Dry Creek, Zinfandel | 1 Comment

I’ve Done the Mead Deed. Yes, Indeed.

Posted on September 13, 2011 by

What do honey mead and Margaret Mead have in common? They’re both interesting, but nothing you’d let near your lips. Or so I thought until I honeyed up to a home-mead batch that I did after getting sick of passing … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Michigan, MIDWEST | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Silverado Vineyards: A Gold Prize for the Mother Lode

Posted on September 13, 2011 by

Brownie points if you knew that silver mining once rivaled winemaking in Napa County, and that Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a novel called The Silverado Squatters about the same trail that lent its name to Silverado Vineyards. Jackson Brownie points … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Napa | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Rutherford Dust Never Sleeps

Posted on September 11, 2011 by

‘Dust you are, and to dust shall you return.’  - Genesis 3:19 Open letter to God:  In the meantime, can we borrow some to make Rutherford cabernet? And although Robert Mondavi and Louis Martini might disagree (in spirit, of course, since … Continue reading →

Posted in Cab/Merlot, CALIFORNIA, Napa | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Whitehaven Winery: Kiwi Kwality Kontinues Unkompromised

Posted on September 11, 2011 by

Some facts you may not know about New Zealand: It was the last large land mass discovered on earth, making it, for all intents, our planet’s youngest country. New Zealand is the only nation on earth to have three official … Continue reading →

Posted in Marlborough, NEW ZEALAND, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Michigan Wine: The Stats Are Stellar, Suckers

Posted on September 11, 2011 by

Controversy has surrounded wine competitions for years, and as the landscape changes, things aren’t getting any better. For example, in 2006, Wither Hills winemaker Brent Marris was accused of creating special blends for competitions while his lesser wine ended up … Continue reading →

Posted in GENERAL, Michigan, MIDWEST | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Robert Mondavi and 9/11: A Connection?

Posted on September 10, 2011 by

First, the good news: Egg white is a fining agent used in Burgundy to clarify wine.  Although other products work equally well, albumen is particularly prized because lots of Cordon Bleu recipes call for egg yolks, and that leaves the … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah/Shiraz, Zinfandel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Truly Irritating TV Ads: Like, ‘We Will Sell No Wine Before the Check Clears’

Posted on September 9, 2011 by

I spent two years in adverstising, and short of combat against concealed lunatics on Iwo Jima or being forced to watch another episode of Wizards of Waverly Place with my completely taste-free eleven year old, I can’t imagine a worse … Continue reading →

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Biody-scam-ics? I’ll Drink; You Decide

Posted on September 9, 2011 by

As a disclaimer, yes I do have one of those blue eco-friendly Yuppie Guilt Boxes in my garage into which I dutifully deposit all my empty water bottles—most of which come from the island of Fiji aboard huge, oil-ravenous tankers—and … Continue reading →

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