Category Archives: Rhône

Domaine du Pegau: The World’s Best Jug Wine?

Posted on November 4, 2015 by intoxreport

Pegaü  is an old French word meaning ‘jug’—specifically, a fourteenth century terracotta jug discovered in the Palais des Papes in Avignon. That, of course, makes Domaine du Pegau the most exclusive jug wine in the world. As for pronunciation, DdP … Continue reading →

Posted in FRANCE, Rhône | Tagged | Leave a comment

Lyrical Lirac: Rhône’s Sleeping Beauty

Posted on June 25, 2015 by intoxreport

What do Lirac and Châteauneuf-du-Pape have in common?  Other than grapes, climate, tradition and soil structure, not much. And other than price, just about everything. Rodolphe de Pins, winemaker at Château de Montfaucon, in town to accentuate the positive, made … Continue reading →

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Côte-Rôtie: Prost! To The Roast With The Most

Posted on February 15, 2015 by intoxreport

Among their myriad character flaws, the French are ludicrously and endlessly poetic.  Thus, the Northern Rhône appellation Côte-Rôtie, which receives an inordinate amount of sunshine, has a name translated as ‘The Roasted Slope’. And since that’s not quite poetic enough … Continue reading →

Posted in FRANCE, Rhône | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Merry Meursault And A Châteauneuf Christmas

Posted on December 15, 2014 by intoxreport

Christmas is for the young; so it was with perfect propriety that I sat with eternally young wine merchant Elie Boudt over a couple of French classics as re-interpreted by a new generation of winemaker. The techniques employed were not an … Continue reading →

Posted in Burgundy, FRANCE, Rhône | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A Summertime Favorite: Korn On The Job

Posted on June 18, 2014 by intoxreport

* Final day for voting in Wine Blog Awards 2014, for which this column is nominated in ‘Best Writing On A Wine Blog’.  http://wineblogawards.org/ if you intend to vote for me.   Otherwise, move along, nothing to see here…   Every … Continue reading →

Posted in GENERAL, Provence, Rhône | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Veni, Midi, Vici: ‘I Came, I Drank Malbec, No Concord’

Posted on January 12, 2013 by intoxreport

If you have to use ‘Wine X’ magazine as a reference for a column, chances are the inmates have taken over the asylum. Although I do get a kick out of the fact that said publication, once purporting to target … Continue reading →

Posted in Costières de Nîmes, FRANCE, Gascony, Languedoc-Roussillon, Rhône | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

What’s So Great About France, Vintage 2009?

Posted on March 7, 2012 by intoxreport

In the first place, ‘vintage year’ is whatever the opposite of oxymoronic is, since technically, every year is a vintage year. In Oporto, however, certain vintages may be ‘declared’—meaning that, in the spring of the second year following the harvest, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bordeaux, Burgundy, FRANCE, GENERAL, Loire, Rhône | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Holy Trinity Wine: The Pope’s Got A Seat On High—And Another One Down Under

Posted on August 31, 2011 by intoxreport

Barossa! Just growling out the word is sort of a charge, like it could be the name of some Somali warlord hijacking vessels off the Horn of Africa, or a military operation to liberate fertile swaths of Uzbekistan so that … Continue reading →

Posted in AUSTRALIA, Barossa, Grenache, Mourvedre, Rhône, Syrah/Shiraz | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Château de Campuget’s Vivacious Viognier

Posted on August 29, 2011 by intoxreport

How about a little role playing?  Let’s say you’re a savvy bevvy marketer trying to get a leg up on the next big wine fad.  Let’s say you want to go about this by waxing overly poetic about a specific … Continue reading →

Posted in Costières de Nîmes, Rhône, Viognier | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments