The Underground Wine Letter

THE WINE FRAUD STORY – THE BEAT GOES ON!

John Tilson — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:51:53 +0000

“CHATEAU SUCKER” In the first story about the current Rudy Kurniawan alleged wine fraud since his indictment, (To read the story of the indictment click here) The New York Magazine has just published an article by Benjamin Wallace, the author of Billionaires Vinegar, entitled “Chateau...

DO WINE AND TOILET PAPER HAVE ANYTHING IN COMMON?

John Tilson — Sun, 13 May 2012 22:35:39 +0000

I can sometimes have a vivid imagination, but I did not make this up. This is something that came out of a CNBC special “The Costco Craze: Inside the Warehouse Giant.” In that program there was an interview with Annette Alvarez Peters who is Costco’s principal wine buyer. She said “Is (wine)...

WINE JUSTICE STRIKES!

John Tilson — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:15:18 +0000

A federal grand jury in New York has just indicted Rudy Kurniawan on four counts of mail and wire fraud. Recently, I detailed my brief experience with Rudy Kurniawan in an article entitled “One Winedrinker’s Observations Over Nearly 30 Years. Two Faces of Fraud. More to Come?” (To read that...

CHARITY WINE AUCTIONS ANNOUNCE EXCITING EVENTS FOR 2012

Christine Graham — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:42:01 +0000

Our favorite charity wine auctions in California promise some exhilarating, high energy events this year. Record-setting highs in 2006 and 2007 were followed by the recessionary years of 2008 and 2009, but charity wine auctions began to show signs of economic recovery in 2010 and 2011 and...

IN PURSUIT OF BALANCE: A TRADE TASTING AND MORE

John Tilson — Sat, 05 May 2012 21:15:40 +0000

WITH VIEWS OF CALIFORNIA CHARDONNAY AND CALIFORNIA PINOT NOIR FROM TWO PERSPECTIVES – IN PURSUIT OF BALANCE AND THE UNDERGROUND Introduction This was the second annual In Pursuit of Balance event which was conceived by Rajat Parr of Michael Mina and Sandhi Wines and Jasmine Hirsch of Hirsch...

FOODIES FIGHTING FOR FOIE!

John Tilson — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:33:15 +0000

The Brigades Battle The Ban As Chefs Challenge California Bureaucrats Contributing editor Cary Feibleman just posted an article entitled “The Duck Stops Here” (You can read it by clicking here). The article refers to banning Foie Gras in California and dictating the ban by legislative fiat. Make...

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

John Tilson — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:29:38 +0000

2011 ROSÉ Ah spring! What a nice time of the year. The flowers are blooming, everything is green, the birds are singing, and the weather is mild. Spring vegetables are abundant and thoughts revolve around lighter foods and being outdoors. What a perfect scenario for rosé. And, just as appropriate...

THE MAYACAMAS MOUNTAINS OF NAPA VALLEY & THREE PIONEER PRODUCERS

John Tilson — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:27:19 +0000

Recently I visited Napa Valley with my good friend and Underground contributing editor, John Morrill. We visited friends and some new people, but also revisited three wineries that I first visited in the early 1970s shortly after they produced their first wines. For decades, all continued to...

COTES DE PROVENCE MEDIA AND TRADE TASTING IN LOS ANGELES

John Tilson — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:34:52 +0000

April 2, 2012 Fig & Olive, West Hollywood, CA I recently attended a media and trade tasting of wines from the Côtes de Provence sponsored by the Counseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence (Provence Wine Council). Listed below is information about this organization: “The Conseil...

CALLING ALL WINE INVESTORS

John Tilson — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:33:19 +0000

Don’t Say You Didn’t Hear it Here! I’ve been writing about wine fraud quite a bit lately as a lot has been happening. And, a common thread through it all is that the people who were directly impacted by the fraud could have easily avoided it by just asking questions and being observant. After all,...