Monthly Archives: January 2013

Yes, Virginia; There Is A Wine Industry

Posted on January 16, 2013 by

I’m shocked at people who are shocked to learn that states beyond California, Washington and New York produce excellent wines, and I am shocked at myself for not knowing that Virginia was one of them. Because, in the aggregate, wouldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in VIRGINIA | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Obama/French Force One More Wine/Whine Pun

Posted on January 15, 2013 by

What’s wrong with the French anyway?  They cling to the word ‘Champagne’  like Jimmy Stewart clung to that red-tile rooftop in the beginning of Vertigo. Well, of course, that question is purely rhetorical.  I’ll tell you what’s wrong with the … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, GENERAL | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Marketing To Minors: P. Diddy’s Hand Cîrocs My Cradle

Posted on January 14, 2013 by

First—with the exception of a couple of my kids who may tune in to see if their names get mentioned—we’re all adults here, so let’s suffer no fools and yank no chains:  We all know how the merry mass-mockery of … Continue reading →

Posted in LIQUOR, Vodka | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Veni, Midi, Vici: ‘I Came, I Drank Malbec, No Concord’

Posted on January 12, 2013 by

If you have to use ‘Wine X’ magazine as a reference for a column, chances are the inmates have taken over the asylum. Although I do get a kick out of the fact that said publication, once purporting to target … Continue reading →

Posted in Costières de Nîmes, FRANCE, Gascony, Languedoc-Roussillon, Rhône | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

‘Is The Wine Writing World Out Of Touch?’ Touch THIS, Tree Boy…

Posted on January 10, 2013 by

Whenever I am introduced to a black person, the first thing I say is, “What are you people calling yourselves these days?  Because I don’t want to say anything socially awkward.” But Seriously, Folks:  Like most semi-literate, semi-alert crackerhonkies, I … Continue reading →

Posted in GENERAL | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Creature From The White Laguna

Posted on January 9, 2013 by

Creature From The Black Lagoon, Universal Studios, 1954 Plot Summary: A geology expedition in the Amazon uncovers a fossilized hand from the Devonian period; Dr. David Reed (Richard Carlson), an ichthyologist who works at a marine biology institute, returns to … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Russian Rivers, Sonoma | Tagged , | 1 Comment

MacLean Gets MacDirtier—The Column I Swore I Wouldn’t Write

Posted on January 8, 2013 by

I’m the idea guy, dig?  You know my type—the egghead braniac that anal, sociopathic CEOs turn to in times of corporate crisis, trusting that I—and only I—will manage to find quick, creative, brilliant, (though generally expensive and impractical) solutions to … Continue reading →

Posted in GENERAL | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

A Thorny Rose By Any Other Name…

Posted on January 7, 2013 by

There are many reasons why we underrated, underpaid, under-appreciated and under-the-bus thrown wine writers choose a particular wine to cover. It may be unrequited lust for the winemaker, like mine for Ontario’s Sue-Ann Staff. It may be a passive-aggressive need … Continue reading →

Posted in Columbia Valley, WASHINGTON | Tagged , , | Leave a comment