The Gray Report

Wine, beer and cocktail lovers: Our lifestyle is threatened

2013-05-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

Friends, Americans, pursuers of happiness, lend me your ears. Last week the National Transportation Safety Board recommended forcing states to lower the legal blood-alcohol level for DUI to 0.05. I'm asking you, all of you, to help in the fight against this. Here's how. The argument in favor of lowering the limit is strongly emotional: It may save lives. Maybe. But even one life is precious.

Note to wineries: Label alcohol percentage accurately

2013-05-16T05:56:00.000-07:00

Wine labels in the US are allowed to be wrong about the alcohol percentage by up to 1.5%. There used to be a solid legal reason for this. But the government has adjusted the law, and it's time for the wine industry to adjust as well Currently wines under 14% are allowed to be mislabeled by up to 1.5%, while wines over 14% alcohol can be mislabeled by up to 1%. This means a wine labeled at

Re: Wine tasting is bullshit

2013-05-13T23:43:00.000-07:00

Two of my non-enophile friends forwarded me the blog post "Wine tasting is bullshit. Here's Why," that's making the rounds of social media. Both of them apparently expected me to respond in some way. Sigh. OK. Let me explain it in terms anyone can understand. Wine is food. People have different opinions about food. Just because somebody is an expert doesn't mean you will like the same food

How to make a boring wine documentary in 9 easy steps

2013-05-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

A while ago I watched Terry Theise's film "Leading Between the Vines," a 58-minute documentary about some of the German wineries whose products he imports. Even at mid-day, I needed three breaks and a triple espresso to make it to the finish. Theise got a lot of positive attention for his book "Reading Between the Wines," passionate ramblings about his desire to "remystify" wine. I like the

The world's stupidest winery design

2013-05-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've seen a low-ceilinged winery in Italy that's lit by candlelight, where the barrels must be moved by hand, but it's 500 years old. I've seen wineries that are little more than empty spaces in airline hangars, without air conditioning or even sufficient electrical power to run it. But those are used by people either inheriting family property, counting their pennies, or both. The stupidest

Weird new spirits: green sparkling wine, prison liquor and Vodquila

2013-05-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

I just spent three days at the Wine & Spirits Wholesaler Association convention in Orlando, Florida, where I was a judge for their wine competition. I got an immediate hint at what I was in for when the first flight of wines arrived. See that second glass from right? The photo is unretouched: that's what it looked like. How to judge it? It was the best green sparkling "wine" I've ever had,

How to get 90 points for your Cabernet in Wine Spectator

2013-05-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Rich, creamy mocha: 92 points! Flipping through the current (May 31) issue of Wine Spectator, I noticed a trend in the rating of California Cabernet Sauvignon and blends by Mr. James Laube: the ones he likes taste like "mocha." He reviewed 29 Cabs in the issue. He gave no scores of 90 or 91. Everything was either 92 or above (salesmen's manna) or 89 or below (discount store, here we come).

Marichal's two unique Pinot Noir blends: with Chardonnay and Tannat

2013-04-30T05:37:00.000-07:00

Juan Andrés Marichal with the Tannat vines outside his winery Outside of Champagne, few wineries admit blending Pinot Noir, and when they do it's usually in a low-end wine. Marichal winery in Uruguay makes two exciting blends of Pinot Noir I hadn't previously imagined, much less tasted. The first is a commonplace blend for bubbly, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but I don't think I've ever seen it

Why I wish Wine Spectator gave sake 100-point ratings

2013-04-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

Wine Spectator's current issue has a cover story on sushi, and inside there's a feature on sake. To tell you the truth, I haven't read it. But I know from the Colorado Wine Press blog that Spectator published sake tasting notes, with no 100-point-scale ratings. Wine Spectator Executive Editor Thomas Matthews commented on the post: After decades of experience tasting and evaluating wines, we

Domaine Chandon shows the impact of SO2

2013-04-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Tom Tiburzi What would commercial wines taste like without SO2? SO2 is a necessary preservative for wines in the US distribution system. With the exception of Beaujolais Nouveau, we don't know how long a wine has been sitting in uncooled ships, warehouses or stores. Often I write about a current release of a wine and learn that in other states they're still selling a wine two years older.

What Uruguayan Tannat tastes like

2013-04-22T06:00:00.001-07:00

Francisco Carrau shows Tannat's characteristic broad leaves You may think of Tannat as the tannic grape of Madiran in southern France, nearly undrinkable on release. Rare versions of Tannat in other countries tend to be full-bodied. But in Uruguay, where it is the best grape variety, Marichal blends it with Pinot Noir, which grows alongside it. Alto de la Ballena blends it with Viognier.

Insane meat parties with delicious Tannat: This must be Uruguay

2013-04-17T03:30:00.000-07:00

This is not lunch for four -- it's HALF of lunch for four, not counting side dishes I'm in Uruguay visiting wineries, drinking some very good Tannat as well as some other interesting wines I'll comment on more later. A world-class wine, intense and delightful The first takeaway is that a lot of investment money is flowing into Uruguay's wine scene. One of the main impacts of money on

Napa Valley Vintners contest global warming data

2013-04-15T04:08:00.000-07:00

Wine drinkers will be happy to know that Napa Valley is taking global warming seriously, according to Napa Valley Vintners spokesman Rex Stults. Plus, they don't believe that current studies are accurate -- and say they have photographs to prove it. Last week I wrote that I was surprised by the blasé reaction of the California wine industry to a National Academy of Sciences report that

San Joaquin Valley farmers keep growing cool-weather grapes

2013-04-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I blogged about how the California wine industry seems to not be paying attention to projections of global warming. There's a great example in this month's issue of Wine Business Monthly. It's subscriber-only, so I'll quote as much as I think is fair use. UC Davis has been working with Constellation Brands in the San Joaquin Valley, where more than 60% of the wine grapes in

California wine industry ignores dire climate change warnings

2013-04-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

Areas in red are projected to be unsuitable for wine grapes by 2050 Earlier this week the National Academy of Sciences published a major peer-reviewed climate change study with a handy color-coded map. And the future of California looks red hot by 2050, with most of Napa Valley unsuitable for premium grape growing. I saw this on the TV news in the morning. There are wire-service stories from

Server says, "Let me take that wine away" and disappears

2013-04-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

We were eating the $65 pasta tasting menu at Flour & Water in San Francisco, and I had ordered the wine pairings for $45. On our last pasta course, the server came over and asked, "How are you enjoying that?" I answered honestly, "I hate this wine." A 2003 Calabretta from Mount Etna, it was tired and tasted merely of ash, wood and tannin. Calabretta ages their wines for a long time in

The marketplace value of Jancis, Galloni, Asimov, McInerney and Matthews

2013-04-04T08:01:00.001-07:00

Dinner with Galloni: more valuable than dinner with Jancis? There's a charity auction for victims of Hurricane Sandy going on right now through Sunday afternoon, and that's a good deed and you should consider buying some wine. But what's really interesting is the price of dinner. Four wine writers -- Jancis Robinson, Antonio Galloni, Eric Asimov and Thomas Matthews -- volunteered to have

Washington makes great Gewurztraminer

2013-04-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Chris Dowsett makes great Gewurz Gewurztraminer has probably the lowest success rate of any good wine grape in the world. When it's right, it's delicious and unique: aromatic, with rose petal notes and a lovely mouthfeel. But the batting average of Gewurz winemakers worldwide is lower than Brendan Ryan's. The biggest problems are sugar and acid. Gewurz is a cool-weather grape that ripens

Is it crossing an ethical line for a critic to make wine?

2013-03-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Wine writers not named Galloni have to struggle to make money; I can tell you that from personal experience. But in order for the public to trust you, you have to draw a line somewhere. Paul Gregutt raises an ethical question with his new wine brand, Waitsburg Cellars. Gregutt has reviewed Washington wines for years, for the Seattle Times, Wine Enthusiast and other publications. He continues

Unknown Washington Syrah tastes better than 100-point wines

2013-03-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Chris Peterson Chris Peterson's first vintage of Avennia Syrah sat beside a $250 wine from Chapoutier, two 100-point wines from Parker and Spectator, and 4 other wines with better credentials than it Saturday at a panel tasting in Seattle called "Washington vs. the world." All the Avennia Syrah had going for it was it was the best wine on the table. Peterson, formerly co-winemaker at DeLille

Thoughts on the Wine Advocate suing Antonio Galloni

2013-03-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

The front page of Galloni's new website The Wine Advocate sued Antonio Galloni in federal court yesterday, accusing him essentially of stealing intellectual property, most of which he created. The lawsuit alleges: "After repeatedly ignoring plaintiff's request for certain of the articles and tasting notes that defendants regularly provided, and were owed, to plaintiff, defendant's fraud

I'm big in Japan

2013-03-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here comes the media I'm big in Japan. I've been on national TV, and in the nation's leading newspaper, but really I'm just a fifth wheel. I spent a week tagging along with four US master sommeliers who decided to visit sake breweries: 10 in 8 days. They came for their education. I came because I love being the least knowledgeable drinker in the room. Then somebody alerted the media.

I drank corked wine -- and enjoyed it

2013-03-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the image: a bottle of wine is served to a connoisseur. He pokes his prominent proboscis in it, frowns, summons the sommelier. "This wine is corked," he proclaims. The somm snaps her fingers and minions whisk the offensive bottle away, bowing as they exit. Here's what actually happened last week, when I was served a corked bottle of Boutari Moschofilero 2012 at a taverna in Thessaloniki

Whole Foods wine buyer Q&A

2013-03-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Whole Foods has become one of the most important retail stores in the nation because it's one of the few stores that can introduce sustainable products to a wide audience. But its marketing position is a mixed blessing. Whole Foods is a constant target for people who want it to be greener. The chain made the news this week by declaring that it will require all of its suppliers to label any

Official wine-tasting style: Face forward, no talking

2013-03-11T03:30:00.001-07:00

Cypriot winemaker Marcos Zambartas judges the aroma What's the best way to judge wine at a competition? The OIV, the France-based international wine thinks it looks like a sadistic grammar school teacher's dream class: Rows of desks, people facing forward, working. No talking, no passing notes, and -- get this -- no facial expressions. I just spent three days judging wine in Thessaloniki,