The Underground Wine Letter

WINE FRAUD – CAVEAT EMPTOR!

John Tilson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:19:34 +0000

Recently I published an article on wine fraud. The UNDERGROUND first reported on wine fraud in 1983. The UNDERGROUND has been on this sordid story for nearly 30 years! (To view the recent article “THE SORDID STORY OF WINE MANIPULATION & WINE FRAUD COVERING OVER 40 YEARS OF TASTING OLD...

BIRDS OF A FEATHER – LAUGHABLE WINE DESCRIPTIONS

John Tilson — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:21:08 +0000

When I first started writing about laughable wine descriptions (to read that article click here and to read the follow up article click here) I was prompted by some of the notes that friends sent me. Also, I was in agreement with what people were telling me about not understanding wine...

A SHORT LIST OF NEW WINES TO START THE YEAR

John Tilson — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:29:54 +0000

UNDER THE RADAR REDS, UNUSUAL AND BEST BUY WHITES AND TWO WONDERFUL NEW CHAMPAGNES CALIFORNIA CHARDONNAYS These two Chardonnays are lovely and represent great value. Qupé Qupé is one of the pioneer wineries in the Central Coast area making consistently fine wines that are...

THE SORDID STORY OF WINE MANIPULATION & WINE FRAUD COVERING OVER 40 YEARS OF TASTING OLD WINES

John Tilson — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:07:41 +0000

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...

What’s In Your Wine Bottle?

John Tilson — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:28:56 +0000

This seems like a simple answer: wine. But, what is in wine? That’s another question. I have been pondering on it a lot. (To read my article on this subject click here) So I still have no idea of what is in wine besides fermented grape juice and a few other traditional [...]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

John Tilson — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 04:18:01 +0000

The year 2011 is all but gone. The New Year 2012 is the road ahead. This will be the beginning of our third year as an on line publication and the 33rd year since the first Underground debuted. I would like to take a moment here at the outset to thank all [...]

ALONG THE BURGUNDY TRAIL – VINTAGE 2010

John Tilson — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 07:07:15 +0000

Ruins of the Abbey of Saint Vivant under restoration INTRODUCTION I previously published a brief note on the 2010 vintage as compared with the 2009 vintage. As I said then, the two vintages are completely different. (To read that article click here.) Below is the table of contents (click on each...

2010 SANCERRES AND SOME FOOD SUGGESTIONS

John Tilson — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:09:04 +0000

Sancerre is a great wine that is marvelous with many foods any time of the year. But, it is particularly nice during the holidays when you are looking to take a pause from some of the heartier seasonal fare. So, with that in mind, here are my notes on 2010 Sancerres. Most of the wines [...]

A NEW WINE FOR THE HOLIDAYS THAT HAS EVERYONE BUZZED

John Tilson — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:37:28 +0000

Just when we thought we had seen and heard of everything in the world of wine, guess what? It ain’t so! There is something new and now that the holidays are approaching some wine drinkers are really buzzed. This might be the gift idea of the year. Maybe it’s a gift for a wine snob [...]

WHAT IS A WINE CONSUMER TO DO?

John Tilson — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:28:50 +0000

I have long advocated that the answer to this question is “Drink What You Like & Like What You Drink. And If You Don’t Like It, Don’t Drink It!” (To read my article on this subject click here) This is a easier rule to follow than Will Rogers advice for buying [...]