Category Archives: BY VARIETAL

Bret Wine Never Tasted So Fine

Posted on April 8, 2014 by intoxreport

Can you guess why Mel Practice opted out of a career in medicine? Of course you can.  Same reason that the Scheister Brothers don’t have a law firm or why Sam ‘n’ Ella don’t open a sushi bar. So, when … Continue reading →

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

You’re A Good Manic, Stillman Brown

Posted on March 17, 2014 by intoxreport

As a man of honor, as well as the kind of ‘showman’ wine writer who is willing to go to any length required to keep you, the reader, on the edge of your seats—up to (and including) transgressive acts, coprophagia, … Continue reading →

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

Adelsheim’s Awesome Auxerrois

Posted on September 17, 2013 by intoxreport

  The American Automobile Association is not a major donor to the National Grape & Wine Council, nor does Alcoholics Anonymous put in a big presence at wine tastings, but at a recent one, I sampled current releases from Adelsheim … Continue reading →

Posted in Auxerrois | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Tone-Lōc Discovers A New Michigan Afro-Disiac

Posted on August 30, 2013 by intoxreport

Alright, dig it: The girls all jockin’ at the other end of the bar, Havin’ drinks with some no-name gwar When they know that I’m the star. So, I got up to find out what made them bitches blotto, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Michigan, MIDWEST, Moscato | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

But, Will It Wash In Washington?

Posted on June 6, 2013 by intoxreport

Damn straight it will. Personally, I’ve been a cheerleader for the wines of Washington ever since I was old enough to wear a five-stripe pleated skirt.  Prolific parameters of production aside, the Washington wine industry is still in its relative … Continue reading →

Posted in Sangiovese, WASHINGTON | Leave a comment

Le Beaujolais Oldveau Est Arrivé

Posted on March 21, 2013 by intoxreport

I happen to like Beaujolais Nouveau. And I often get called a panty-waisted momma’s boy eunuch, without taste, testosterone or a grasp of life’s finer pleasures. Not because I like Beaujolais Nouveau, of course, but because I also like that … Continue reading →

Posted in Beaujolais, Gamay, Gamay | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

‘Zin Zone’, Zabaco And Zsa Zsa Gabor

Posted on March 4, 2013 by intoxreport

The letter ‘z’ is a bit off-kilter, wouldn’t you say?  It lurks in the rear of the classroom, rarely raising its crooked hand, and when called upon by the teacher to answer a question, ‘z’ frequently bullies ‘x’ into doing … Continue reading →

Posted in Dry Creek, Zinfandel | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Down Under, Down Home, Get Down Thanksgiving

Posted on November 22, 2012 by intoxreport

Ode To Katerina B.: To me, the weirdest thing about Australians—and they are legion—is that they speak English.  That is, if you can process words like chinwag, bodgy, dinkum and crack-a-fruity through your Funk & Wagnalls and still come up … Continue reading →

Posted in AUSTRALIA, Moscato | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Morning Wood vs. Evening Wood: Ravenswood For Halloween

Posted on October 21, 2012 by intoxreport

In the past. I have joined the onslaught of wine writers who come up with something cutesy, silly and obvious to recommend for Halloween—something like Poizon (a wine to ‘die for’), EVIL (upside down label—either that or you’re supposed to … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, Zinfandel | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Charbono: a.k.a. Douce Noir: a.k.a. Bonarda: a.k.a. Cheryl Sarkisian

Posted on October 17, 2012 by intoxreport

It’s always a bubble to discover a new (ish) varietal, and a double bubble when it turns out to be a scrumptious steal.  Yesterday, someone handed me a bottle of Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda, 2011—an $8 Mendoza red that further … Continue reading →

Posted in Bonarda | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments