Monthly Archives: September 2012

Cognac’s Corrupt Compromise—Converting Cultivated Caché To Criminal Cash

Posted on September 21, 2012 by intoxreport

‘There will always be a kind of love story between myself and that odd, unpredictable collection of bourgeois chauvinists who call themselves la France.’ – James Baldwin, Negro Based on the existence of a perennially popular Paris Hilton, a mystifyingly … Continue reading →

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Airline Wine: Get High, But Keep It On The Down Low?

Posted on September 20, 2012 by intoxreport

In a recent interview with CNN, my FB buddy Robert Joseph—Editor-at-Large of Meininger’s Wine Business International—makes an astonishing claim: “Some of the finest wines in the world, some of the finest Bordeaux, actually, don’t taste good at high altitudes.” He … Continue reading →

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Playboyz To Playmen: Is That A First Growth In Your Pocket Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

Posted on September 19, 2012 by intoxreport

My heart goes back to wander there, And among the dreams of the days that were, I find my lost youth again. And the strange and beautiful song, The groves are repeating it still: “A boy’s will is the wind’s … Continue reading →

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It’s Up To You, New Cork, New Cork

Posted on September 18, 2012 by intoxreport

Spot quiz, class: What do corks and Mork From Ork have in common? They have absolutely no relevancy to 2012’s brave new world. Both come from obscure lands on the periphery of anything that could even vaguely be called civilization. … Continue reading →

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News Flash: Red Wine Is Good For You And Guess What? I Couldn’t Care Less

Posted on September 17, 2012 by intoxreport

Other than my father, who is a sensible, conservative Swiss fellow who drinks only in moderation, I grew up in a family of sloppy, out-of-control lushes.  We drank together, we drank alone.  We drank to forget, we drank to remember; … Continue reading →

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

Posted on September 16, 2012 by intoxreport

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

A Smattering of Silly Scat From Michigan’s NWS Show, 2012

Posted on September 14, 2012 by intoxreport

(NWS = ‘National Wine & Spirits instead of ‘Not Work Safe’—which is the only reason I showed up, damn it.) Within the hallowed halls of St. John’s in Plymouth, where wannabe priests once learned their trade, where awe-inspiring interpretations of … Continue reading →

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St. Émilion Classification 2012: Vive la Meticulous, Compulsive, Anal-Retentive France

Posted on September 10, 2012 by intoxreport

I adore French cuisine. I am enamored of French history.  I love the sensuous roll of la langue française across the tongue—especially when it is accompanied by the crisp silk of a Cave des Vignerons de Buxy Chablis.  I dig … Continue reading →

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Coke or Pepi?

Posted on September 9, 2012 by intoxreport

From that bizarre German grape called lemberger to Barefoot Wines to Frog’s Piss Red to Vin de Merde, I am not sure that I trust the mental stability of folks who name their wine after stuff that smells really, really … Continue reading →

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Doused With The Divining Rod

Posted on September 6, 2012 by intoxreport

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