One Winedrinker’s Opinion
DO IT YOURSELF WINE
Over the past 40 years or so I have consumed more different wines than I can possibly remember. I have consumed, tasted, and written about tens of thousands of different wines. And, the number may well be even higher. I have never counted! The wines cover every thing from A to Z (think Albariño […]
Click here to read entire article »A SHIFTING LANDSCAPE
INTRODUCTION Allen R. Balik is a Underground contributing editor (to read his biography click here) who also writes a bi-weekly wine column in the On Wine section of the Napa Valley Register. The article below first appeared in the February 21, 2013 edition of Napa Valley Register. It speaks to the subject of wine and […]
Click here to read entire article »GET REAL – WHO’S ON FIRST?
ROUND TWO – PREMOX MEETS BOTOX I have been an observer and active participant in the wine scene for over 40 years (to read the history of the Underground click here). And, I have been writing about big numbers critics and how wines are tasted for a very long time. Trust me, […]
Click here to read entire article »THE CURRENT STATE OF THE BORDEAUX MARKET
“Wherefore art thou?” This is the plaintive cry as merchants struggle to sell the 2011 Bordeaux vintage which is one of the recent Bordeaux vintages NOT proclaimed “vintage of the century.” Let’s see. With 90% of the century to go we have already had 3 “vintages of the century”? Hmm. How does this […]
Click here to read entire article »TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES?
A WAY TO GET PAID FOR DRINKING OR MAYBE NOT DRINKING FAKE PINOT NOIR AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT Need a few bucks? Well, if you drank some Pinot Noir that a California court has determined to be fake, you are entitled to get cash back. If you did and don’t have proof or […]
Click here to read entire article »IS ONE WINEDRINKER’S PREMOX ANOTHER WINEDRINKER’S BOTOX ?
OK. This is your question of the day? Or do you even care? Maybe you don’t have a clue about either Premox or Botox. I guess if you are a hard core White Burgundy aficionado you may have been totally immersed in the issue of Premox. And, I guess if you are getting […]
Click here to read entire article »FINE WINE AND FINE PRINT
Background In my first article on wine fraud (to read that article click here) I outlined the sequence of installments for the article. That included an installment on the discovery of fraudulent wines over the last 30 or so years and a listing of the various pending lawsuits alleging wine fraud. But then a new […]
Click here to read entire article »THE SORDID STORY OF WINE MANIPULATION & WINE FRAUD COVERING OVER 40 YEARS OF TASTING OLD WINES
PART I WINE MANIPULATION & WINE FRAUD – THE EARLY STORY Introduction One of my predictions for 2012 (to read the predictions click here) was that disclosures would be made this year relative to the allegations of fraud contained in several lawsuits that have been pending for the last few years. In the Underground view, […]
Click here to read entire article »DRINK WHAT YOU LIKE & LIKE WHAT YOU DRINK!
Do you get email notices about great deals? I do. And I am sure a lot of you do too. The problem is that nearly all of them are based on some big number score from some “wine expert.” Hah, I hate to burst your bubble, but there is no such thing!
Click here to read entire article »THE STRANGE NEW WORLD
Isn’t it funny how things can get so alienated at a point in time? I guess now a lot of folks are focused on politics and the polarization that is being experienced as we head into elections next year. But, how about the current world of food and wine? Here we have yet another polarization. Food is moving rapidly toward lighter, fresher, natural ingredients. Wine, on the other hand, seems still stuck in the industrialized wines that I talked about in my recent article What is Wine?
Click here to read entire article »
