Category Archives: BY VARIETAL

Le Beaujolais Oldveau Est Arrivé

Posted on March 21, 2013 by

I happen to like Beaujolais Nouveau. And I often get called a panty-waisted momma’s boy eunuch, without taste, testosterone or a grasp of life’s finer pleasures. Not because I like Beaujolais Nouveau, of course, but because I also like that … Continue reading →

Posted in Beaujolais, Gamay, Gamay | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

‘Zin Zone’, Zabaco And Zsa Zsa Gabor

Posted on March 4, 2013 by

The letter ‘z’ is a bit off-kilter, wouldn’t you say?  It lurks in the rear of the classroom, rarely raising its crooked hand, and when called upon by the teacher to answer a question, ‘z’ frequently bullies ‘x’ into doing … Continue reading →

Posted in Dry Creek, Zinfandel | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Down Under, Down Home, Get Down Thanksgiving

Posted on November 22, 2012 by

Ode To Katerina B.: To me, the weirdest thing about Australians—and they are legion—is that they speak English.  That is, if you can process words like chinwag, bodgy, dinkum and crack-a-fruity through your Funk & Wagnalls and still come up … Continue reading →

Posted in AUSTRALIA, Moscato | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Morning Wood vs. Evening Wood: Ravenswood For Halloween

Posted on October 21, 2012 by

In the past. I have joined the onslaught of wine writers who come up with something cutesy, silly and obvious to recommend for Halloween—something like Poizon (a wine to ‘die for’), EVIL (upside down label—either that or you’re supposed to … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Zinfandel | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Charbono: a.k.a. Douce Noir: a.k.a. Bonarda: a.k.a. Cheryl Sarkisian

Posted on October 17, 2012 by

It’s always a bubble to discover a new (ish) varietal, and a double bubble when it turns out to be a scrumptious steal.  Yesterday, someone handed me a bottle of Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda, 2011—an $8 Mendoza red that further … Continue reading →

Posted in Bonarda | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Auld Lange’s Wyne

Posted on October 12, 2012 by

I have a nearly unhealthy fascination with twins; one I believe may rival that of Josef Mengele.  I’ll explain, but first, while the implication settles—a wine writer beginning any column, at any time, anywhere, with a direct reference to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cab/Merlot, CALIFORNIA, Chardonnay | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Signorello Trims The Edge Of The Fuse

Posted on October 10, 2012 by

When does ‘cutting edge’ become ‘trimming edge’?  When Ray Signorello, Jr. gets into the game. I’m not sure if there is a direct translation of ‘signorello’ from Italian into English, but the Latin etymology is all about refinement, gentlemanliness and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cab/Merlot, Napa | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wines To Serve With The ‘Paleo Diet’

Posted on October 5, 2012 by

The history of dietary scamology is older than mankind; it began when the first primeval predatory invertebrate camouflaged itself to trick some doofus diatom into becoming dinner. The history—the science, really—of human dietary scamology (a.k.a. ‘fad diets’) is a bit … Continue reading →

Posted in GENERAL, Moscato | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

A Bit Of Gloss For The Schloss Sauce: 800 Vintages And Going Strong!

Posted on September 16, 2012 by

Is Schloss Vollrads the world’s oldest winery?  Arguably so.  Sure, they’ve found the leavings of winemaking operations in Armenian caves dating back sixty centuries; there are Mesopotamian developments even older.  Egyptian texts attest that wine was popular among the New … Continue reading →

Posted in GERMANY, Riesling | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Doused With The Divining Rod

Posted on September 6, 2012 by

Some Sorcerers do boast they have a Rod, Gather’d with Vowes and Sacrifice, And borne about will strangely nod Mankind is sure that Rod divine, For to the Wealthiest ever they incline. – Samuel Sheppard, 1651 Miss Divine also had … Continue reading →

Posted in Cab/Merlot, CALIFORNIA, Chardonnay | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments