The Cork and Demon

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63103162024-09-02T01:08:20.974-07:00The Cork and DemonWine Gab for the Peopletajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-12730772951566901122008-10-31T08:49:00.000-07:002008-10-31T08:56:36.369-07:00Howdy!

Welcome to the Cork and Demon, the most famous defunct wine blog in the whole history of ever.I haven't written in this blog in a long while, but if you're a fan o' the vino, there's a lot of wine reviews, interviews with wine makers, and travel notes within. Ooh, and pictures--lots of bitchin' pictures. Have at it.If you're fond of my writing, I have a new blog on wordpress called Texistential

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-19934456636480320302007-07-24T06:59:00.000-07:002007-07-24T07:09:33.377-07:00Improvising with wine woes in Alberta

Got an email from a nice guy in Edmonton, Alberta with a couple o' helpful viddies:Removing red wine stains:How To Remove Red Wine Stains - The best bloopers are a click awayAnd a clever MacGyver trick for when you've got no corkscrew:Open A Bottle Of Wine Without Corkscrew - Click here for this week’s top video clipsBoth quite handy little bits. Sorin, the maker, would just adore some feedback

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-52987443470128766522007-07-16T15:49:00.001-07:002007-07-16T17:00:11.922-07:00Red, red wine on a Sunday

Bottle: Bodegas Ateca 'Garnacha Del Fuego' 2006 Old Vines GarnachaPrice: $7.99Movie Match: GladiatorMusic Match: 'Red, Red Wine' by the Replacements (not the ubiquitous version, now a popular ringtone)So my buddies and I are making a mean meat manicotti for din-din of a Sunday and I'm sent off to the store for the appropriate vino. Money's a titch on the tight side and I wanna come back with

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-70058393994459741462007-05-14T15:14:00.000-07:002007-05-14T16:11:11.246-07:00Smells like teen Nebby

Revisiting Piedmontese wine is like popping in an old CD of some incredible musician you've forgotten about and saying to yourself: maaaan, this is a-freaking-mazing! Why do I even listen to all that other shite? Like, say you've been tripping on the Raconteurs for weeks now, then you get bored, dig up your Ella Fitzgerald and swoon with reverence. That's what it's like for me. Listen to me

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-58462854001770073392007-05-05T12:20:00.000-07:002007-05-05T13:08:23.918-07:00A lesson in flaws

Why is it that wine brings out the snotty stepchild in people? Oh, I'm totally including myself in that category.So on a recent trip to Phoenix I spent an evening with friends at Postino Wine Cafe and was given an ironic taste of my own medicine regarding the act of sending flawed wine back. I ordered a glass of Verget GSM. It came to the table smelling like a cardboard box soaked in clorox,

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-5074743876847124232007-02-24T06:45:00.000-08:002007-02-24T09:54:44.749-08:00Vision Cellars: Pinot Master from East Texas

"I was born the son of a Texas Moonshine maker. My Father, Sue, was considered by many to be the finest Moonshine maker in all of Texas, because of the fine grains he used to make his corn whiskey. My Mother Elbessie, along with her brothers and sister, made wine from the various fruit we grew."Okay: Best. Winemaker. Story. Ever. Do you not hear the harmonica and guitar playing a warmhearted

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-36371014665663745322007-02-06T23:13:00.000-08:002007-02-08T20:14:53.712-08:00Random Torbreck Get-Togetha

Now people---lemme tell you, in case you was wondering, what's so damn cool about being part of Austin's wine-n-food community: chance meeting with big players in the wine world who, regardless of the price thier bottles command in the marketplace, turn out to be right fun fellows.So I stroll into Wink wine bar tonight, feeling a little down, knowing instinctively that my evening will be

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-54872201026717792232007-01-30T08:35:00.000-08:002007-01-30T09:21:58.013-08:00Wines by the Glass

There's nothing that makes me quite as giddy as opening a wine list to see a large, eclectic list of carefully chosen wines available by the glass. I'm a kid at the candy store, wanting to try every last thing, wondering whether this chablis or that flute o' bubbles would work with my lovely salad. Restaurants, wine bars and bistros who take the time to craft their by-the-glass lists with the

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-55246562607073168162007-01-13T10:30:00.000-08:002007-01-13T11:01:43.305-08:00Whatever happened to that Cork and Demon gal?

What is it with life, always wanting to nudge its way into your blogging time? Doesn't it know that Mankind has spent centuries trying to get to a place where one can just sit around and gratify oneself with one's own musings? The very idea that things like divorce, changes in financial status, the holidaze and switching jobs might interfere with this noble pursuit is a damn shame.Be that as it

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-56365217596985303602006-10-07T09:34:00.000-07:002006-10-07T09:59:06.971-07:00Vino Vino's My Kinda Wine Bar...Or Will Be

What makes a wine bar whip ass? Before I even get into the answer, let's talk about what it takes for a body to open a neighborhood wine shop at all.You gotta make sweet love to the Neighborhood Association, convince 'em you're not a nightclub drawing in frat boys who will puke in their yard. Then there's licensing and the great row of hoops to jump through with various ordinances.

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1158357874358955452006-09-15T13:58:00.000-07:002006-09-15T15:04:34.493-07:00A Toast to La Gran Dama

As my good friend Will and I placed our yellow roses below Ann Richards' portrait in the Capitol rotunda, something heartbreaking occured to me:what a shame it is to forget about a hero until you've learned they are gone. Even though I knew of her illness, her passing threw me for a loop. Will and I had been in the middle of one of our notorious email political debates, this one about whether

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1156870839457834602006-08-29T08:06:00.000-07:002006-08-29T10:00:41.613-07:00Texas Summer Doldrums/Tarantula Part Two

Nothing thwarts travel and the desire for wine like triple digit heat. I hope you'll forgive me for my month-long lag. Apparently, I'm not the only one having trouble keeping up: the informative Texas Wine Trails website seems to have signed off as well. I'm in the process of finding out what happened.There were a couple of wineries up on the Tarantula Trail that I neglected to mention, and I

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1154460597579843192006-08-01T09:30:00.000-07:002006-08-12T13:56:58.950-07:00The Tarantula Trail, Part One: Delaney Vineyards

Grapevine, Texas is a small town that's slowly getting assimilated into the Dallas/Fort Worth Megolopolis, but at least it's still intact. A refurbished Victorian engine takes passengers from the famous Fort Worth stockyards to the Grapevine Towne Center where they can shoppe....er, shop, I mean. There are several wineries and a couple of tasting rooms here, and it's known in Texas wine circles

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1154112696147589472006-07-28T11:49:00.000-07:002006-07-28T12:25:44.620-07:00Interview: Jeffery Ivy, Dry Comal Creek Vineyards

Jeffery Ivy: Texas boy goes off to seek his winemaking fortune in California, and returns to make a difference in Texas wine. Now, this is the kinda story I like very much. Having started his career as a retailer in Austin, he soon found that the retailing biz was less than rewarding, and so began harvesting and cellar work for the likes of Slaughter-Leftwich, Gregory Graziano (Domaine St.

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1153785513456054692006-07-24T15:39:00.000-07:002006-07-24T17:05:04.703-07:00Interview: Mike Guilete, Woodrose Winery

Woodrose is out in Stonewall, Texas on the Enchanted Trail, quite close to the larger Becker Vineyards spread and in a very strategic place indeed. Mike Guilete, who bought the winery and its vineyards last year, plans to make it a destination rather than a casual stop just for a sip of chenin blanc. By 2008, the Guiletes plan to expand the property into a "full running resort", complete with

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1153778635883483122006-07-24T15:01:00.000-07:002006-07-24T15:04:38.103-07:00The origin of "Texas" wine: well said, guy!

A real quickie before I get to my interviews: a comment was posted which tells the people what they need to know, so check it out, Texas.There are more Texas wineries selling out of state fruit than we could mention here. Some are perfectly open about it, labeling the wine as "American", rather than Texas, some don't label it with an appellation at all, some are much more dishonest. And Texas law

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1153347913765230252006-07-19T14:32:00.000-07:002006-07-19T15:41:53.710-07:00The Texas Wine Conundrum According To Me/Problems With the Enchanted Trail

The topic of Texas wine has inspired a lot of thought and a lively conversation in the comments for the previous post, and since there is much to discuss, I'd like to clarify my own goal in this segment.As one reader said, if you look at the overall business picture---percentages, per capita production, trade magazine and wine competition feedback---you might get the idea that Texas wine is doing

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1152817260042961312006-07-13T11:30:00.000-07:002006-07-13T12:09:01.920-07:00Texas Wine: Lay Your Opinion On Me!

First, the trivia: Texas is the fifth largest producer of wine grapes after California, New York, Washington and Oregon. She has a vinicultural history that predates California's by roughly a century, and still has one winery that has been in consistent production (yeah, during Prohibition, too) for the entire time. Current vineyard acreage is around 3700, there are over a hundred wineries in

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1152307166776145482006-07-07T13:21:00.000-07:002006-07-07T14:26:48.570-07:00Cork and Demon's Take on Terroir, Appellation, and All Things Split-Haired

I got an email from a reader asking my opinion about terroir vs. appellation, and it was getting to be such a long email, I just decided to make it a post.To be honest with you, the terroir vs. appellation arguement is a big fat word-mincing party as far as I'm concerned. Terroir is a French word which doesn't fully translate into English, but basically means all of the agricultural elements that

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1152204684436703242006-07-06T09:38:00.000-07:002006-07-06T09:51:24.513-07:00Wiki Wine Site and Future C&D Plans

Just in: a wiki site for your perusal: Encyclowine. Express your deep geek need to tell the world the facts by writing for or editing posts. This site was put together by a fellow Austinite, so I just gotsta spread the news. Check 'er out!I've been thinking about what to do next. There must be more to blogging than review after review, or biz talk, which bores the crap out of me...and then it

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1150939291149827562006-06-21T15:50:00.000-07:002006-06-22T08:26:40.886-07:00The Cork and Demon In Flux

Back from the tour, life and all, need a job, gotta feed the cats and replace the A/C unit. You know how it is.But The Cork and Demon is not done, oh no. She's in transition. In the meantime, here's a handy reference post of all the interviews I conducted on The Cork and Demon's Western Wine Tour. Handy for me, anyway.Thomas Qualia, Val Verde Winery, TexasVictor Poulos, Zin Valle Vineyards,

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1149889365687658092006-06-09T09:54:00.000-07:002006-06-21T14:08:25.253-07:00Cork and Demon's Western Wine Tour Roundup: Eighty Some-Odd Wines That Do Not Suck

C&D STATS:Miles driven: 8060Wines Tasted: 437 (approximately; counting barrel tastings)Winemakers/Growers Interviewed: 33Road Kill Sightings: 78Hot Bartenders: 1Hot Winemakers: 2Snotty Winemakers: 2Great Meals: 10National/State Parks Hiked: 8Percentage of Regret For Spending Shitloads of Money On Journey: 0.00%Here we are at long last. My journey is over, and I managed to avoid the inclination

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1149527097315655142006-06-05T10:03:00.000-07:002006-06-05T17:53:18.346-07:00Bobby Cox and the Future of Texas Wine

Bobby Cox and Mrs. Cooper, owner of Cooper VineyardI met Bobby Cox when I was working in retail. He was perusing the Italian whites, and all it took was for me to ask what he was looking for to start an hour's discussion on the possibilities of great wine in Texas. It was an exciting conversation for me, and I spent days afterward giddy with the prospect that my homestate could finally come

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1149352647166204572006-06-03T08:35:00.000-07:002006-06-03T09:39:33.036-07:00Tip of the Nib to a Utah Winery

Utah's liquor laws enjoy infamy all over the rest of the West. "Don't drive in craving an ice-cold brew, 'cause all they got is 3.2," was one of several warnings I got. But the whole affair is so very i-before-e-except-after-c that even the bartenders are confused. One bartender told me that she could not serve me my (near) beer by handing it to me across the bar, but had to walk around the

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6310316.post-1149105180639738042006-05-31T11:40:00.000-07:002006-05-31T13:33:54.776-07:00Ron Coleman, Tamarack Cellars

I've made it pretty clear in the past that I'm no fan of numerical wine ratings. Seems, in fact, to be all the rage these days with us bloggers to say so as often as possible. Kinda like how it never seems to get old for everyone to sneer at oaky Chardonnay. I could type a list a foot-and-a-half long list right now on why the 100 point system is out of whack, makes retailers lazy and leads the

tajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15274553453395967333noreply@blogger.com1