Author Archives: intoxreport

Forchini Vineyards: Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag

Posted on September 3, 2011 by intoxreport

  Fifty out of fifty States now produce wine, including Alaska, where moose blubber is used as a fining agent and the must is strainied through Sarah Palin’s brassiere. Today, every continent has a winemaking tradition except Antarctica, but the geophysicists … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Sonoma, Zinfandel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ravenswood: Better Living Through Joel Peterson’s Chemistry—Particularly C2H5OH

Posted on September 3, 2011 by intoxreport

First off, I love how Ravenswood rolls off the tongue; it conjures up Gothic images—remote, crumbling castles on windswept moors filled with persecuted virgins and hereditary curses. The Ravenswood label, a cryptic crest displaying a trio of stylized ravens with … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Sonoma, Zinfandel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Pitchers From Some Matchbook Men

Posted on September 3, 2011 by intoxreport

There’s a  winery in the Dunnigan Hills AVA called Matchbook, which sounds more like a name for a singles networking site than a vineyard. Actually, the truth behind the name is far more disturbing—and yes, Virginia, you can get more … Continue reading →

Posted in Central Valley, Tempraillo | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nary a Jekel to heckle in Arroyo Seco

Posted on September 3, 2011 by intoxreport

Like the irrepressible Terrytoons magpie that shares a name with Salinas Valley wine pioneer Bill Jekel, the Arroyo Seco AVA is one odd bird.  Perched  inside a larger appellation, Monterey County (which in turn is a subzone of the sprawling … Continue reading →

Posted in Arroyo Seco, CALIFORNIA, Central Coast | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Getting Sauced: Pairing Wine With the Mother Sauces

Posted on September 3, 2011 by intoxreport

Besides extraordinary palates, what do George Escoffier, Antonin Carême, Julia Child, Paul Prudhomme and Masaharu Morimoto have in common? They were all sauciers—which means they could make a mother of a sauce. Mother sauces are at the foundation of classical … Continue reading →

Posted in PAIRING WINE AND FOOD, TEXAS | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

McKinley Springs: The Reputation is Spotless and the Wine’s a Hoot

Posted on September 3, 2011 by intoxreport

If you like McKinley Springs chenin blanc, thank an owl. Twenty years ago, Doug Rowell was settling into a comfortable career in forestry management when the infamous ‘Spotted Owl Incident’ butted in, putting a virtual halt to logging in Washington … Continue reading →

Posted in Chenin Blanc, Horse Heaven Hills, Viognier, WASHINGTON | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Villa Maria Estate, Hawke’s Bay: Croatian Knights and Warrior Princesses

Posted on September 3, 2011 by intoxreport

Grotty media cynics may claim that Lucy Lawless is New Zealand’s worst natural disaster, but in fact, in 1931, a monster earthquake (Richter 7.8) hit Hawke’s Bay, wiping Napier—the region’s commercial nexus—off the map.  The death toll was in the … Continue reading →

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Movers Need Shakers: In Search of the Perfect Martini

Posted on September 3, 2011 by intoxreport

You’re all grown up now, so it’s okay to admit it: There were a few things your parents got right.  For one, the universe is not at atom in the brain of God or anything else you thought of when … Continue reading →

Posted in Gin, LIQUOR, Vodka | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Rum, 2011: Yo Ho Ho And a Bottle of Matusalem Gran Reserve

Posted on September 2, 2011 by intoxreport

Grog no more: Rum—like most spirits—has gone twenty-first century chichi. Once the lowbrow libation of slaves and sailors, rebels and ‘Ricans, louches and lushes, rum’s current cache can be certified in downtown Panache-ville with the opening of yet another tiki … Continue reading →

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Valpolicella: We’ll Have Fun, Fun, Fun Till Daddy Takes Our Wine Key Away

Posted on September 1, 2011 by intoxreport

Some wines have names that are fun to say.  Not the Marylyn Merlot kind of agonizingly clever pun fun, nor Goats do Roam word-play fun, but bouncy domain names and springy varietals that roll off your tongue like one too … Continue reading →

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