Articles by
John Tilson
RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW: VOLUME III, NUMBER 1 (AUGUST – SEPTEMBER, 1981)
We are currently reproducing a copy of Volume III, Number 1 of The Underground Wineletter. Also there is a Retrospective Review which has an updated review of each article with commentary on what we got right and what we got wrong. This format will be followed with each successive issue. So Volume III, Number 2 […]
Click here to read entire article »THANKSGIVING – 2012
INTRODUCTION It’s hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is almost here. We are busy getting ready and preparing for the celebration next week and I know many of you are doing the same. So here is something that might be of help in your planning. This article first appeared last year. This year it is being […]
Click here to read entire article »FAKE WINES IN CHINA – THE BEAT GOES ON
For many years the Underground has been reporting on wine fraud. This began in the early 80s (to read that article click here). Interestingly, in the early 80s I talked with the owners of Chateau Lafite Rothschild about the issue of wine fraud and they felt that it would not be a problem. At […]
Click here to read entire article »RíAS BAIXAS & ALBARIÑO – SPANISH GEMS
Albariño is the main grape variety grown in the Rías Baixas area of Spain. Rías Baixas is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) for wines that is located in the province of Pontevedra and the southern part of the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwest Spain. The […]
Click here to read entire article »2011 BURGUNDY – THE SURPRISE VINTAGE
Accompanied by Underground contributing editors and good friends, John Brincko and Geoffrey Troy, I have just returned from Burgundy where we visited many of our long time favorite Burgundy producers and a few new ones. This continued the 31 year trend of visiting and tasting Burgundies from barrel which began in 1981. The weather […]
Click here to read entire article »THE MARRIAGE BLEND
For some time I have been writing about the advantages of blending young wines (particularly inexpensive ones) to get a wine that suits your taste. This covers a wide variety of wines from Two Buck Chuck up (to read one of the early Blending Man articles click here and to read the article on […]
Click here to read entire article »RIDGE VINEYARDS
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS: A CALIFORNIA TREASURE On a recent visit to Ridge Vineyards I met with Paul Draper, CEO/Winemaker, and Eric Braugher, VP Wine Making Monte Bello, and tasted some 2011s out of barrel as well as some bottled wines from 2010 back to 1992. The 2011 vintage presented some challenging weather conditions, but, […]
Click here to read entire article »NEW WINES FOR THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS
For the Holidays how about some new wines? Some are Under The Radar, some are from small producers and many are great values. Take a look. There is something here for everyone and don’t forget the gift of wine. RED WINES Austria Zweigelt is a grape that was created in Austria in 1922 by Fritz […]
Click here to read entire article »LOOKING FOR OLD WINE WITH IMPECCABLE PROVENANCE?
I am often asked about acquiring old wines. My answer is always to be very careful and know the provenance. Remember the Undergound was the first to talk about wine fraud (to read that article click here) So if you are one of those who is looking to buy old wines with great provenance here is your […]
Click here to read entire article »UNFORGETTABLE
There are things in all of our lives that are truly unforgettable. For me and my wife Laurie, one of those things was Richard Wing and the Imperial Dynasty Restaurant in Hanford, California. It has now been two years since Richard’s passing. I miss him. He was not only a great kind and gentle […]
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