Monthly Archives: November 2011

Michigan vs. Ohio: No Contest, Or ‘Michigan By A Nose’?

Posted on November 25, 2011 by

‘Thou shalt not cover thy neighbor’s wine’ is a Commandment that is often transcribed incorrectly using ‘covet’ and ‘wife’, but it doesn’t matter, because Commandment-breaking is the journalistic cornerstone upon which this column has established preeminence in the American Academia … Continue reading →

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

Planet Bordeaux: Bord In The U.S.A

Posted on November 23, 2011 by

Time was, the vignerons of Bordeaux thought that the wine world revolved around them.  Is this where Planet Bordeaux is coming from? Granted, they are in the market to push the Département Gironde, and their splashy and convivial website (planet-bordeaux.com) … Continue reading →

Posted in Bordeaux, Cab/Merlot, FRANCE | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Wine, Women and Just Plain Wrong

Posted on November 21, 2011 by

I recently read a post by Huffington reporter Brooke Carey in which she got all full of herself because her boyfriend called her ‘more of a man than him’ when she ordered whiskey instead of what he’d asked for: Bud … Continue reading →

Posted in Bourbon, GENERAL, LIQUOR | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Warren Winiarski’s Stag’s Leap of Faith

Posted on November 19, 2011 by

Within vino’s voluminous vale, the story of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars is the story of Napa.  At least, it’s a microcosm of Napa’s rise from a fiefdom of meh to a kingdom of quality—and that’s a crown that Warren Winiarski … Continue reading →

Posted in Cab/Merlot, CALIFORNIA, Chardonnay, Stag's Leap | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

e-Cigs®: ‘E’ Is For ‘Eeeeeeew’

Posted on November 17, 2011 by

I have about as much business writing about electronic cigarettes as I do writing about inflatable sex dolls, but I can’t help noticing that they are being marketed in a manner that might be charitably referred to as ‘identical’. Here … Continue reading →

Posted in GENERAL | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Beaujolais Nouveau Est Blasé! But Still Okay…

Posted on November 16, 2011 by

Forget that it’s essentially grape-flavored alcohol juice.  Ignore the ten crus in the appellation that are by far superior.  Disregard the fact that it occupies lowest rung on the Burgundy ladder.  It’s time to pull out the stops along with … Continue reading →

Posted in Beaujolais, FRANCE, Gamay, Gamay | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Petit Verdot Goes Gangbusters in Ripley, Ohio—Believe It Or Not

Posted on November 15, 2011 by

The jury is hereby ordered to disregard the headline and answer the following question: If you were going to purchase a ton of wine grapes from California, which varietal do you suppose would set you back the most?  Nope, not … Continue reading →

Posted in Ohio, Ohio River Valley, Petit Verdot | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Twist Makes Me Shout

Posted on November 13, 2011 by

I normally don’t review water—for three good reasons.  First, I’ve never been poster child for ‘Find A Happy Medium’ campaigns, and considerable research has led me to believe that if you drink too little water, you die, and if you … Continue reading →

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Quivira Mourvèdre: Waste Not, Want More

Posted on November 12, 2011 by

In these days of symbol scrimping, font frugality, typeface saving and character conserving, when we are all responsibly turning our keyboards down to 62° (I won’t waste an ‘F’ for ‘Fahrenheit’ since it should be obvious—what do I look, Canadian?), … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Dry Creek, Mourvedre | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Michigan Viognier: Domaine Berrien Sounds The Clarion

Posted on November 11, 2011 by

If Paris In The Spring was a coin, the flip side would be Michigan in November.  Post-Halloween—in boondocky counties like Berrien especially—everything deteriorates into the sort of dreary dystopia imagined by Huxley and Wells.   Cornstalks turn colors not seen outside … Continue reading →

Posted in Lake Michigan Shore, Michigan, MIDWEST, Viognier | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment