Monthly Archives: September 2011

Wine wisdom, Gerald Asher style

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Bill Ward

Gerald Asher is a font of wine wisdom, anecdotes and opinions. I met him at this year’s Wine Writers Symposium, and when the opportunity came to interview him about the release of his wonderful now book “A Vineyard in My … Continue reading →

Posted in Wine People, Wine Reading and Viewing | 3 Comments

Press release of the day

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Bill Ward

Amidst the onslaught of digital flotsam and jetsam – mostly the latter, since little of it floats – that comes my way daily was this little nugget (edited for length but not for the egregious spelling errors, including in the prize winery’s name): … Continue reading →

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Wines of the Week Sept. 19-25

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Bill Ward

Everyday: I had a nice chenin blanc from South Africa at a trade tasting last week and mentioned to the rep that “They don’t put ‘Steen’ on the label anymore.” His response: “They actually still do in South Africa.” Whatever … Continue reading →

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Untainted victory

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Bill Ward

So a funny thing happened on the way to some lucky soul gifted chef triumphing in the first (of what figure to be many) Joe’s Vadnais Heights Rib Cook-Offs.   Amidst a whole lotta glorious wines – Heitz and Clos Mogador here, … Continue reading →

Posted in California Wines, Experiences, Issues (and maybe some answers) | 4 Comments

The LIOCO way: Staying out of the way

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Bill Ward

In one sense, Kevin O’Connor and Matt Licklider’s timing was less than fortuitous; in another, it was semi-brilliant. While they launched the LIOCO winery in August 2005, three years before the economy tanked, they also stuck with a terroir-driven, non-interventionist approach that has found … Continue reading →

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Wines of the Week: Sept. 12-18

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Bill Ward

Everyday: A lot of folks might think that rosé’s season is just about over, that these pink beauties are merely summer sippers. The guess here is that they haven’t tasted the Commanderie de la Bargemone Coteaux d’Aix en Provence rosé ($16), … Continue reading →

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Delightful duo: Oz & James

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Bill Ward

My relationship with DVDs has evolved over the years. I used to buy a lot, to augment the freebies I got at work when I was reviewing them. But in recent years, as Netflix, On Demand, Redbox, Android Market et al. … Continue reading →

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Older, and wiser about old wines

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Bill Ward

In recent years, I’ve been fortunate to befriend several generous souls who have a good bit of old wine, mostly cabernet-based reds from France or Napa, circa 1970-1990. I don’t own any of this stuff, and it’s always fun to … Continue reading →

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Wines of the Week Sept. 5-11

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Bill Ward

Everyday: OK, so $20 is a little high for a weeknight wine. But the St. Supery Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2010 is a layered but not too complex white that goes with most any seafood, fowl or even pork dish you’re … Continue reading →

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Luck be a lady?

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Bill Ward

When I was young and dumb(er) and the hormones were a-ragin’, I sometimes wished I was a woman in the perhaps misbegotten belief that at least then, I could have sex pretty much whenever I wanted to. Or at least … Continue reading →

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