A friend forwarded me this email, which might just be the work of Nigerian email scammers. Evidently the turmoil in the financial world — and perhaps an increased awareness of both personal finances and email scams — has forced the scammers into a new game. Either that, or this whole wine fraud thing is really [...]
Archive for the ‘wine’ Category
Nigerian Wine Spam?
Posted in humor, wine, wine industry, tagged Jefferson Bottles, Nigerian wine scam, Wine Fraud, wine spam on October 6, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Che, Syrah?
Posted in wine, wine industry, tagged california syrah, Patrick Comiskey, Piedrasassi, Qupe, Zester on September 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
California syrah is in a strange place these days, and it’s no secret in the trade that the wine remains a difficult item to sell. With a few exceptions, this is generally true for both spicy, vibrant syrah from California’s cooler coastal climates, as it is for the jammy, sweeter versions grown in warmer spots.
Yet [...]
Cleaning House
Posted in wine, tagged Lytton Springs, Ridge Vineyards, soil samples on August 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Tasting a lot of wine can lead to a sense of being easily distrated. Earlier this week, between tasting Gavi, various Langhe rossi and Barolo, I popped into the back of the office to chat with our art department — all of whom were too busy to deal with me.
Poking around in their accumulated vinous [...]
Almost 31 Days…
Posted in natural wine, wine, tagged 31 Days, ambient pizza, Cory Cartwright, Jon Bonne, natural wine, sourdough pizza on July 17, 2009 | 1 Comment »
The title could well refer to the fact that I haven’t posted anything new for nearly a month. My apologies but for some reason I’m feeling like a short break from blogging is in order. It’s summer and all that. Besides, I got a new bicycle to replace the one that was stolen in May, [...]
Late Night Bling, or I *Heart* SF
Posted in i *heart*, music, restaurants, san francisco, wine, tagged Champagne Guide, Datarock, Gaston Chiquet, grower champagne, late night bling in San Francisco, NOPA, Nopalito on June 18, 2009 | 1 Comment »
(Above: I started my Friday with a michelada at Nopalito, which is Tecate mixed with tomato, chili de arbol, salt and lime. Yeah, it’s good.)
This post is going up late because I’ve been sick all week. For the record, summer colds suck. And no, I don’t use Zicam.
After gorging ourselves senseless with the Third Degree [...]
It’s Good to be Home
Posted in san francisco, wine, tagged aged white wine, Dolores Park picnic, Savennieres on June 9, 2009 | 6 Comments »
Spent this past Saturday — a gloriously sunny afternoon — in Dolores Park enjoying a picnic and a bottle of 1990 Savennières-Roche aux Moines from Domaine aux Moines while playing cards and getting the first sunburn of the year. Lovely wine, although feeling a little soft and worn at the edges, so drink up.
It’s good [...]
A Tale of Two Vineyards
Posted in rants, wine, tagged Old Hill Ranch, Organic farming vs non-organic farming, Westerbeke Ranch, wine country wedding on May 3, 2009 | 3 Comments »
(Above: Old-ass vines at Old Hill Ranch in Sonoma Valley)
Apologies for not posting regularly but these have been busy weeks. Thought I’d get a few posts up while in New York last week but all I could manage was the 140 characters on Twitter. So there’s that if you’re curious.
This post comes to mind after [...]
Pic Post: VinItaly, ViniVeri & Verona
Posted in italy, natural wine, travel, wine, tagged 2009, Le Presi, t-shirt, Vini Veri, VinItaly on April 8, 2009 | 3 Comments »
A picture is worth a thousand words. Or at least a glass or two of wine…
Above: An aerial shot of the Tuscan pavilion, always one of the most busy — and ostentatious — at VinItaly.
Above: Brunello producer Le Presi makes a new t-shirt each year for the fair. This year, the theme capitalized on Obama’s [...]
The NPA – Keeping Winedrinkers Safe
Posted in natural wine, san francisco, wine, winemaking, tagged California natural wine, Kevin Kelley, Natural Process Alliance, Wine & Spirits on March 27, 2009 | 2 Comments »
I have a post up at Wine & Spirits that talks about the Natural Process Alliance, a new project from Kevin Kelley of Salinia Wine Company. Kelley has made a skin-fermented chardonnay and a pinot gris relying only on indigenous yeasts and without using any added sulfur dioxide. The wines are delicious although quite limited [...]