Monthly Archives: August 2011

Torres Can Go Green So Long as the Tempranillo Stays Red

Posted on August 29, 2011 by intoxreport

For the most part, winemakers are a responsible lot.  They have to be; as stewards of a substance that causes great joy (you and me) and great sorrow (all those victims of cirrhosis, car wrecks, alcohol-fueled felonies) they’ve got to … Continue reading →

Posted in Rioja, SPAIN | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Michigan’s Rieslings: Quality on Ice

Posted on August 29, 2011 by intoxreport

Among the endless ‘doh’ moments experienced by Michigan’s frost-bitten, hard-scrabble winemakers is that the grape they grow best, riesling, accounts for less than two percent of retail wine sales nationwide. Consumer ignorance is perfectly excusable since riesling is vinified in … Continue reading →

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The Upper Loire: How White Was My Valley?

Posted on August 29, 2011 by intoxreport

How white? Apartheid white.  Pillsbury Doughboy white. University of Mississippi, pre-1962 before-the-fire-hoses white.  White enough to say to Johnny Winter, ‘Nice tan, dude’… I’m talking about the wine. The wild Loire is the longest river in France, and the associated … Continue reading →

Posted in Loire, Sauvignon Blanc | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Twisted Wines for Twisted Times

Posted on August 29, 2011 by intoxreport

I know this guy named Delicato, and he’s every bit of that—a soft-spoken type of dude  who wouldn’t swat a fruit fly. The name ‘Indelicato’ strikes me as a bit more, well, twisted. Perhaps that’s the reason for the ‘Twisted’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Central Valley | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Château de Campuget’s Vivacious Viognier

Posted on August 29, 2011 by intoxreport

How about a little role playing?  Let’s say you’re a savvy bevvy marketer trying to get a leg up on the next big wine fad.  Let’s say you want to go about this by waxing overly poetic about a specific … Continue reading →

Posted in Costières de Nîmes, Rhône, Viognier | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Meat-Free Wines Especially For Vegans

Posted on August 28, 2011 by intoxreport

I’ve been asked what kind of wine to serve with fish, but never until now what kind of fish gets added to wine. The question came from a ‘vegan,’ that odd genus of vegetarian so extreme in their commitment that … Continue reading →

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Ting Tang, Walla Walla Malbec

Posted on August 28, 2011 by intoxreport

Even if the wine’s not your cup of cab, just saying the name out loud is a kind of David Seville hangover. As for the rest, the fact that Walla Walla Valley and malbec got together in the first place … Continue reading →

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Hard Cider: Normande-licious

Posted on August 28, 2011 by intoxreport

Last year at this time I was in Normandy where I developed a fixation for hard cider that rivals my fixation on Audrey Tautou.  Difference is, one can be done at home and the other probably could be done at home, … Continue reading →

Posted in CIDER | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Revolutionary Russian Wines: The Cold War Warms Up To Cellar Temp

Posted on August 28, 2011 by intoxreport

You and What…  Oh, THAT Army. The Russian Empire has twice been saved by the sheer illogic of her enemies—first in 1812, when Napoleon sent a quarter million French-speaking lemmings toward Moscow (and off the cliff they promptly went), and … Continue reading →

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I May Not Know My ABCs, But I Know My XYZins

Posted on August 28, 2011 by intoxreport

The marketing department at XYZin leaves me a little confused, but that’s okay—so does elementary school math. (In fact, I remember getting the equation ‘2 + 2’ wrong, although Sister Beatrice, my First Grade teacher, was decent about it.  I … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Zinfandel | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment