Category Archives: CALIFORNIA

Good Seed Makes Good Crop: The Franciscan Focus

Posted on June 30, 2016 by intoxreport

Here’s a life lesson, Grasshopper—and especially if you are a grasshopper:  Never turn down an opportunity to interview a man named Turnipseed. If he happens to be socially engaging, well-versed in the art of enology and willing to pick up … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Markus Niggli: Nouveau Niche

Posted on April 6, 2016 by intoxreport

Final online installment of sample chapters from ‘Starstruck in Lodi Again’.  Book’s pretty much in the can and will be released by June 1, 2016.   A tall, buff, Teutonic, well-spoken European wine pro in his early forties? Making unique … Continue reading →

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Concentrate, Cogitate and Cultivate: The Alexanders and the Reincarnation of Pythagoras

Posted on March 30, 2016 by intoxreport

Dennis Alexander is not only highly mathematical and highly Greek, he is the physical reincarnation of the great Ionian philosopher Pythagoras. This is not my assessment; I’m not much for Euclidean geometry, and the only thing I remember about Pythagoras … Continue reading →

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Natalie Scotto: Reeling in the Leviathan

Posted on March 18, 2016 by intoxreport

A few interesting things become obvious after a short conversation with Natalie Scotto.  First, she doesn’t operate on Scotto Time, that unique World Clock zone where everything is red-shifted forward ten or twenty or thirty minutes to fit rapid-fire schedule … Continue reading →

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‘Acquiesce’ Means ‘Accept Without Protest’

Posted on March 9, 2016 by intoxreport

Hi-falutin’ British wine journalists know something about wine; I think we can all acquiesce to that observation.  Likewise, we accept without protest the statement that Lodi has built a reputation on  juicy, boldly flavored Zinfandel and soft, rich Cabernet Sauvignon—in … Continue reading →

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Estate Crush: Negating Negative Space

Posted on March 5, 2016 by intoxreport

How did a twenty minute interview with Bob Colarossi at Estate Crush in Lodi turn into an hour-long conversation with Vince de la Cruz, a Florida-based rock bassist who lists among his songwriting credits ‘Walking on Sunshine’? It’s all part … Continue reading →

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Paul Scotto and a Gleam in His Old Man’s Eye

Posted on March 1, 2016 by intoxreport

Last August, I wrote a piece about tasting a slew of sensational ciders with Paul Scotto in a motel room in Corning, New York, and—wannabe stand-up comic that I am—I prefaced it like this: ‘If the most exciting thing that’s … Continue reading →

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The Creepiest Spot in Lodi

Posted on February 28, 2016 by intoxreport

An excerpt from ‘Starstruck in Lodi Again’, set for release in August, 2016… It’s one o’clock in the morning and outside the window, the moon is bloated—a pustulant boil in the sky. When you are just falling asleep, the way … Continue reading →

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Mike McCay, the Real McCoy

Posted on February 24, 2016 by intoxreport

Mike McCay is on a treasure hunt to rival the most passionate pirate, the most corybantic Conquistador, the most frenzied ‘49er.  For a Mike strike, where the gold is closer to scarlet purple, he doesn’t need to cross any bounding … Continue reading →

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