Category Archives: Uncategorized

The ‘Grade-School Play’ Concept of Writing Wine Books

Posted on July 14, 2016 by intoxreport

People in Traverse City don’t seem to understand the ‘grade-school play’ concept, at least when it comes to wine books. Take the main branch of the Traverse City Library on Woodmere.  Please. On Wednesday, I made my dutiful, semi-annual trip … Continue reading →

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Larzac: The New Kid on the ‘Doc

Posted on April 29, 2016 by intoxreport

A few years ago, on my one-and-only trip  to Australia, I remember being blown away by an array of fruits I never before knew existed.  Custard apple, black sapote, jaboticaba, sapodilla—but a handful of an array of distinct, unique sensations, … Continue reading →

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The Jinx Fragment, Chapter 3

Posted on January 24, 2016 by intoxreport

An excerpt from Chapter 3 of ‘The Jinx Fragment’ Follow the link at the end if you want more… Chapter 3:  The Jinx Fragment Carmilla struggled past the screen door of the drafty old house on Auden, holding it open … Continue reading →

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‘The Jinx Fragment’: Chapter 2

Posted on January 22, 2016 by intoxreport

…I’m taking a brief sabbatical from Intoxicology Report to write a pair of wine books.  ‘Norton Wine: Walking Off To Look For America’, a book about a genuine native American varietal that can, in its best incarnation, rival vitis vinifera.  … Continue reading →

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Norton: Walking Off to Look for America

Posted on December 18, 2015 by intoxreport

Let’s lay our cards on the table from the start: I’m zowie about Zinfandel.  I dig the rich, meaty Ravenswood lineup whose bar Joel Peterson has raised so high that to leap over it, you’d have to be fitted with … Continue reading →

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Fox Run: For Whom the Bell Toils

Posted on August 21, 2015 by intoxreport

Our paths first crossed between Michigan and New York; same latitude, same longitude, exact same moment, with a scant 30,000 feet between us. That’s because while I was driving to Finger Lakes to interview winemakers, Finger Lakes winemaker Peter Bell … Continue reading →

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Finger on the Pulse: Wine and Water

Posted on August 16, 2015 by intoxreport

You may not know it, but the Ohio Turnpike comes with its own soundtrack.  It kicks in as soon as you leave the onramp and consists primarily of white Gospel music. If you’re not familiar with that genre, let me … Continue reading →

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Rafael Alonso: Digging The Indigenous In Tierra de Léon

Posted on January 26, 2015 by intoxreport

America drinks more, Italy makes more and France sells more, but nobody grows more wine grapes than Spain. In fact, based on 2012 stats, about 15% of all the world’s acres planted to wine vines can be found in that … Continue reading →

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The Reign of Rhône; Long Live GSM

Posted on January 18, 2015 by intoxreport

With apologies to Tennyson, in Spring, a young man’s fancy may turn to thoughts of love, but in mid-January, we’re still pretty much in lockstep with the revelries of Southern Rhône. No wine I can bring to mind better says … Continue reading →

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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 →

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