tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92102357676438628722026-04-09T03:29:39.573-07:00Best Blogger/Online Wine Writer (in the world!): Roederer Award 2013W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comBlogger1180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-91271168944578639562025-10-04T07:29:00.000-07:002025-10-04T07:31:51.405-07:00

I am sorry to disappoint my Democrat friends, but I will vote NO on gerrymandering California.There are 4 reasons:1) Prop 50 goes against my deepest beliefs about politics, and my most important beliefs about myself2) It's a political mistake and a waste of valuable time3) What exactly is Gavin Newsom going to do with the extra votes? Early returns aren't pretty4) I want a Democratic party that

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-52056283726898247532025-08-26T17:39:00.000-07:002025-08-26T17:39:19.244-07:00

I'm from Baltimore, which gives me strong opinions about crabcakes (aka the world's best food). They should be mostly crab, with minimal filler. We use a tiny amount of mayo, along with a small smattering of breadcrumbs to make up about 5% of the total volume. With Old Bay, though, take the amount you think it needs and triple it, at least. My wife, who is from Japan where seafood is spiced

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-90455524036290471922024-10-11T14:10:00.000-07:002024-10-11T14:49:37.249-07:00

I resent the length of this ballot. I spent many hours on this, reading up on the 25 ballot measures (!) and candidates. I don't think many voters will. This is why we pass a lot of crappy ballot measures, often with unforeseen consequences (see prop 36, which would fix one of our worst mistakes.) It's also why we keep re-electing incumbents even if they're incompetent or corrupt, or, like the

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-52388525299604530712024-10-10T09:37:00.000-07:002024-10-10T10:04:49.378-07:00

I have always liked Kamala Harris. I voted for her for San Francisco DA, California Attorney General and US Senator. Now I will vote for her for President.Plenty of people can make a case to vote against Donald Trump; I'll let them do it. As a San Francisco resident, I have seen Kamala Harris' entire political career. So let me tell you why you should vote for her.First, San Francisco

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-60900386063759379392024-02-12T07:30:00.000-08:002024-02-27T14:55:13.706-08:00

It's time for me to tell you how I'm voting in March, a Gray Report tradition. But I dread writing this endorsement post. I have been thinking about how to phrase this for months. I fear I am going to lose friends for saying what I'm about to say. Let me be very clear upfront. For national politics, Donald Trump is the greatest danger facing the United States today. We must do everything we can

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-78698868116499596762023-05-16T15:01:00.000-07:002023-05-16T15:01:13.589-07:00

On Sunday I got the following notice from Google, which runs the Blogger software that I use on this blog:Your post titled "The Prisoner, bondage and niche marketing" has been put behind a warning for readersHow about that! I published the post on Dec. 8, 2010, and only now has Google saved young impressionable people from its nefarious mind-warping. If a teenager read the post on its day of

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-17521699757250565712022-12-22T14:53:00.000-08:002022-12-22T14:53:00.918-08:00

The property now owned by Wonderful. Photo courtesy Visit Napa ValleyAccording to Mother Jones, the owners of Fiji Water use "more water than every home in Los Angeles combined." Now, after buying a Napa wine brand last year, they are buying up a property right on Silverado Trail. But they won't take possession right away -- showing just how valuable Napa winery buildings are now.Details in this

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-27519992546596242702022-12-19T08:29:00.002-08:002022-12-19T08:29:00.168-08:00

 Chianti Rufina makes good wines, the equal of Chianti Classico in quality but with a more rugged, savory character, the product of its cooler, mountainous terrain. But it's not in Chianti Classico, which makes nearly 12 times as many wines per year.In October I visited the region for the first time to write about its new higher-end classification, TerraElectae. I was impressed by the wines

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-50758213680098886992022-12-05T15:38:00.000-08:002022-12-05T15:38:01.431-08:00

Photo courtesy iStockHey friends. I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with the unpleasant Musky aroma of Twitter, which I used to frequent both for fun and professionally. I haven't deleted my account, but I don't like giving Musk free content either. Until some other social media site pops up to fill the sparrow-sized hole in my day, I'm going to try to fill in at least the

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-56802332008019278302022-10-12T14:19:00.013-07:002022-10-20T10:00:12.477-07:00

It's always darkest before the dawn. We can turn San Francisco around!Here we go again! It's the fourth election this year in San Francisco, and I am here to share with you how I plan to vote.Usually I write a very short intro of who I am and why I do this. But this election is different. The No. 1 issue in SF this year was whether or not to recall pro-crime District Attorney Chesa Boudin in June

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-3238294938846754152022-10-12T14:18:00.002-07:002022-10-12T14:43:43.981-07:00

Who am I, and why should you care about my political endorsements?I'm a freelance wine journalist; I chose this path because wine is the most interesting topic. But I have more relevant journalistic experience. In the SF Bay Area I have been a city editor at two local newspapers. At the second, I was on the editorial board, did some endorsements and won an award for editorial writing. I started

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-48387891340838166762022-05-30T08:00:00.002-07:002022-05-30T10:14:07.223-07:00

Chesa Boudin's philosophical predecessor, Judge Jonathan CraneWelcome to a very ho-hum primary election, with one exception at the very end.All of the statewide office elections on the ballot are primaries, but unlike most states, California allows the two top candidates into the November general election, regardless of party. Democrats will ultimately win most if not all of the statewide offices

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-3083248516133128632022-01-21T06:00:00.001-08:002022-01-21T06:00:00.191-08:00

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MWLongtime readers of The Gray Report may remember that in 2016, I discovered an unusual situation whereby every sake rated 90 points or more by the Wine Advocate was available at one retailer that sold only those sakes. It was as if the retailer, which I later learned seemed to have a connection to Robertparker.co.jp, had prior knowledge of which sakes the Advocate would

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-38314347852923990592022-01-17T09:48:00.005-08:002022-02-06T16:44:01.911-08:00

Total Recall! There are three races on this ballot, but one is much more important and attention-getting than the others, and will get the bulk of this post.Let's do the easier ones first:State Assembly District 17 special primary: Bilal MahmoodThis is ironic. The position is open because David Chiu, who beat Chris Campos for an assembly seat in 2014, decided to take the San Francisco City

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-86375461018009889262022-01-13T17:46:00.003-08:002022-01-13T17:58:28.488-08:00

The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, ongoing in Cloverdale in northern Sonoma County, is indeed in violation of Sonoma County's health order this week banning large gatherings. But nothing is going to happen about it unless a Sonoma County resident complains. And even then ... nothing is going to happen.This is an update of my blog post yesterday. Sonoma County Communications Manager

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-63759427533013692202022-01-12T16:14:00.002-08:002022-01-12T21:08:49.098-08:00

The Chronicle Wine Competition posted these photos on Jan. 12On Monday, Jan. 10, Sonoma County issued a health order prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 people indoors, effective Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 12:01 a.m.The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition began Monday Jan. 10 in Cloverdale in northern Sonoma County, and as of Jan. 12 in the afternoon, it is still going on, despite apparently

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-82728865954308163782021-12-22T06:09:00.001-08:002021-12-22T06:09:22.987-08:00

Cannabis is already a huge business -- $23.6 billion in sales in the US in 2021. And there's room to grow fast because the industry is still not reaching as many female consumers.This was one of the findings presented at the Cannabis Business Summit in San Francisco last week by Cy Scott, co-founder of Headset. Headset works a bit like Nielsen; it takes data from receipts from cannabis stores in

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-81302064239894846462021-09-08T09:09:00.001-07:002021-09-08T09:09:22.400-07:00

Shorter than twitterhaiku tasting notes capturethe feeling of wineI have been keeping haiku tasting notes for a few months since claiming I could do it. In most cases I took traditional tasting notes and then wrote the haiku. Some of these wines and sakes I have written about elsewhere; for others this will be my only memory, save the ephemeral grace of drinking and enjoying them. These are all

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-41547727025788201822021-08-16T07:02:00.003-07:002021-09-05T15:11:53.641-07:00

Photo courtesy Michael S. Williamson, Washington Post Election endorsements are a tradition at The Gray Report, because I think we yell too much about national politics but don't discuss our local choices enough. This could be the easiest election endorsement ever. Unlike a regular ballot with school board candidates I've never heard of and complex ballot propositions, there are only two

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-17685195536401944522021-07-21T15:46:00.002-07:002021-07-21T15:48:02.728-07:00

Michael Amon This is a sponsored post: Michael Amon paid me to write about his book. He also offered (and I accepted) to pay my higher pre-publication-preview sponsored-post rate without seeing the post ahead of time, but this is a guy who cites some wine brands that he likes despite ... well, let me just quote him writing something I would never dare to write, about a wine he actually

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-43060898700302481012021-05-18T06:00:00.001-07:002021-05-18T06:00:00.169-07:00

Ten years ago I went to the Professional Wine Writers’ Symposium and hated the session on writing tasting notes so much that I have complained about it ever since. This year the Symposium went virtual, with an interesting, diverse set of speakers, so I signed up. 

Perhaps this was predictable: while I enjoyed some of it, I hated the sessions on tasting notes so much that I was either going to

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-61531557922658677602021-04-15T14:28:00.001-07:002021-04-15T14:28:27.647-07:00

The story of 2021 for the wine industry in most of France is going to be the devastating frost that might reduce the crop by half or more, nationwide.Until I got an email this morning from a winery in Tuscany, I wasn't aware that Italy faced the same fear. Nor, I'm sorry to say, do I know anything about the extent of the damage in Italy. Take a look at these photos taken on the nights of Apr. 7

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-78393475662292288222021-03-16T11:50:00.001-07:002021-03-16T11:50:21.085-07:00

Last month I was staring at three bottles of wine. Each was the same grape variety and from the same basic region (but not sub-region). I didn't know anything about the producers so there was no reason to blind-taste, but before diving in nose-first, I got to wondering -- if I was in a store or restaurant, and these three very similar bottles were on offer, which would I choose?This is a

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-71912189048431785212021-01-18T06:00:00.001-08:002021-01-18T06:00:07.243-08:00

Sans Wine Co. makes some of the best canned wines in the country, and to prove that fact they held an online media tasting last week of three different vintages from three varieties. They wanted to prove that canned wine can last on the shelves: apparently it can, as the 2017s were just fine in 2021. I also learned something more significant.We tasted nine canned wines: three Cabernet Sauvignons,

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-43079347954742381382020-12-30T15:42:00.003-08:002021-01-02T07:22:29.962-08:00

I am immensely proud of the weakest stories I wrote in 2020. I was off my game for about half the year, and nobody told me they noticed.People have noticed that I haven't been blogging, though, so here's why. 2020 was a difficult year for many people so I'm not special. I did not get Covid-19, fortunately, but I did have an abscess in my intestine that required two 8-day hospital stays and a very

W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.com4