Category Archives: BY VARIETAL

There’s a Cure for the Saumur Wine Blues

Posted on February 21, 2017 by intoxreport

…And I’ll get to it at the end. In the meantime, no spoilers. No cheating. No peeking, no snooping, no shaking the box beneath the Christmas tree under penalty of a bitch-slap. I have had a pathological aversion to spoilers ever since … Continue reading →

Posted in Cabernet Franc, FRANCE, Loire | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Chardonnay Day: Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Posted on May 26, 2016 by intoxreport

Here’s how this should go: I say, “Just got off the phone with Jimmy Kimmel, and we shot the breeze for an hour and he invited me to the guest house he’s renovating in Northern California.” You say, “Whoa!  THE … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Chardonnay | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

‘Old’ is Merely a State of Vine

Posted on March 19, 2016 by intoxreport

I just got back from a month in Oldvinelandia, and therefore I know more about old vine wines than anybody else in the contiguous solar system. What do I know about old vines?  For starters, I know there’s no such … Continue reading →

Posted in Beaujolais, Gamay | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Lodi: I’m Tokay, You’re Tokay

Posted on February 17, 2016 by intoxreport

Introductory chapter to ‘Starstruck In Lodi Again’, set for release August, 2016 Miami bears the burden of an unfortunate nickname: ‘God’s Waiting Room—Where Old Folks Go to Die’. If that’s the case, South School Street is where old folks go … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Zinfandel | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Bourgogne Passetoutgrain: Gamey Gamay

Posted on January 3, 2015 by intoxreport

Pinot Noir doesn’t need my stamp-of-approval of course, but Gamay is a groovy grape that occasionally wears a stamp-of-ignominy because of Beaujolais Nouveau—which I also like—and which, in any case, is as absurd as dissing Zinfandel because of Sutter Home. … Continue reading →

Posted in Burgundy, BY VARIETAL, FRANCE, Gamay, Gamay, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Primitivo: A Gentle Giant

Posted on September 21, 2014 by intoxreport

Having lived through the zinfandel vetting process, I can say unequivocally that I like some of the a.k.a.’s better than others, and maybe primitivo best of all. Back in primitive times—that is to say, prior to the advent of genetic … Continue reading →

Posted in BY VARIETAL, ITALY, Zinfandel | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Inside The Scatterbrain Of Sean O’Keefe

Posted on September 18, 2014 by intoxreport

(Part One of a two part interview with Chateau Grand Traverse VP Sean O’Keefe; both parts appear in Heart & Soil: Grand Traverse Wine Country, set for release Dec., 2014) ‘Scatterbrain’ is his word, not mine.  Actually, Sean O’Keefe is … Continue reading →

Posted in Michigan, Old Mission Peninsula, Riesling | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Hoopes Scoop: Elegance In Oakville

Posted on August 7, 2014 by intoxreport

I’ll spare you the ‘jumping through hoops’ groaner: No need.  The wine is above such puerile puns, the label notwithstanding. Hoopes Family Vineyard reminds me of one of those prodigy kids who realizes she was born with an extraordinary gift—athletics, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cab/Merlot, CALIFORNIA, Napa, Oakville | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Adam Satchwell: Cracking The Lychee Nut

Posted on August 5, 2014 by intoxreport

This may come as a surprise to those of you who have seen me strip naked in a restaurant to attract the attention of a laggardly server or wear a ‘Kill White People’ hoodie to a Klan rally or hire … Continue reading →

Posted in Gewurztraminer, Michigan, MIDWEST | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Real Men Drink Gill. Whilst Wrestling Quiche…

Posted on May 24, 2014 by intoxreport

I served a very metrosexual quiche at a dinner party last week, and guess what wine I served alongside it?  A hefty syrah from Michael Gill Cellars in Paso Robles. Now, among wine circles, such an abominable pairing is a faux … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Paso Robles, Syrah/Shiraz | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment