Monthly Archives: March 2015

The Sinskeys Of The Father Visited Upon The Somm

Posted on March 31, 2015 by intoxreport

Robert Sinskey doesn’t think much of wine writers.  Oh, dear. He does, however, have a soft spot for ‘lumbersexual sommeliers’, which I suspect is really a hard spot, but I would never say that, because otherwise, when I tear the … Continue reading →

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Syrah, Syrah: A Tale Of Two Pretties

Posted on March 29, 2015 by intoxreport

‘It was the best of tomes, it was the worst of tomes…’ Or something like that. When we were assigned that ponderous boat-anchor in high school, I told Brother Lithgow, “I’m not reading any more until this Dickens schmuck makes … Continue reading →

Posted in SPAIN | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Brine In Wine Is Mainly In The Mind

Posted on March 25, 2015 by intoxreport

Or so the scholars tell me.  But I’m not buying it—not for a second. On the other hand, whenever I listen to a conch (which rhymes with ‘ponch’, not ‘honk’, damn it) I believe I’m actually hearing the ocean, not … Continue reading →

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Word, Wine Wimps: A Real Man Can Handle His Arsenic

Posted on March 22, 2015 by intoxreport

The line between macho and third stage alcoholism may be a fine one, but here’s a true story: Two years ago I managed to break a carboy filled with dago red and I spent the rest of the afternoon not … Continue reading →

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Springtime Balancing Act: La Flor y La Abeja

Posted on March 21, 2015 by intoxreport

For a wine person, I spend more time mocking wine conventions than I do attending them, but one of life’s primary sanity lessons is that sarcasm is free while a lecture on whether or not to de-stem grapes prior to … Continue reading →

Posted in SPAIN | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

I Pledge Allergic To The Flag

Posted on March 16, 2015 by intoxreport

I own up: I’m too big a pussy to join the Marines, I can’t remember the words to the National Anthem (nor could I hit the high ‘f’ if I did); I turn the thermostat to 90° in the winter … Continue reading →

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I Came, I Wente, I Conquered

Posted on March 14, 2015 by intoxreport

Vini, Vidi, Vente.  That’s Latin, baby. Wente Vineyards makes this claim without braggadocio: They are the oldest, continually-operating family-owned winery in California. As, their scrapbook must look like the walls of Harvard School of Law’s graduating class—generation after generation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Arroyo Seco, CALIFORNIA | Tagged | Leave a comment

Right vs. Left: Banking on Bordeaux, 2010

Posted on March 8, 2015 by intoxreport

When Sonny Bono died in 1998, the public pointed to an old superstition: Celebrities tend to die in trees.  Gratefully, Harrison Ford survived; otherwise we’d have to hear them go on about how celebrities tend to die in fores. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Bordeaux, FRANCE | 1 Comment

Blending: A Tightrope For The Vinologically Dexterous

Posted on March 7, 2015 by intoxreport

Single-variety wines may make for some small talk, but in most cases, blended wines are better.  Which is why, nearly everywhere, for a wine to label itself using the name of a grape—Chardonnay, Syrah, et. al—appellation laws generally allow some … Continue reading →

Posted in Calatayud, SPAIN | Tagged | 1 Comment

What Country Has The REAL Bourbon Dynasty Again?

Posted on March 3, 2015 by intoxreport

Oh, those wacky, laugh-a-minute French.  What with their Jerry Lewis Fan Clubs, socially-constipated mimes, Charlie Hebdo (Mad Magazine for Islamophobes) and Les Tontons Flingueurs quoting, it’s a wonder they have any time to lose wars. But, giving the French space … Continue reading →

Posted in GENERAL | 3 Comments