Archive | October, 2008
prison

Serve the Time, Make Some Wine

by Gavino on 31. Oct, 2008 in WOTW News

It might be the good sandy terroir and the sun, but oenologists at Portugal’s Pinheiro da Cruz prison say what gives their wine its prize-winning taste is the spirit of the inmates who make it. There are no striped suits, armed guards or watchtowers to be seen at the Pinheiro da Cruz vineyard in southern [...]

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Tesco is the Anti-Christ. It's official.

by Gavino on 30. Oct, 2008 in Nonsense Packaging

Oh dear. Tesco, Tesco, Tesco.  What do you think that Terry Leahy drinks at home? Not this rubbish, that’s for sure. Tesco has unveiled a range of budget wines, packaged in one-litre Tetra Paks and priced at £2.89. The three-strong range, which includes a red, a white and a rosé, has been sourced from from [...]

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Amateur winemakers die treading grapes

by Gavino on 29. Oct, 2008 in Just Plain Weird

Two amateur winemakers died last weekend treading grapes for home-made wine. Daniel Moulin, 48, and Gérard Dachis, 50, of Roiffieux, northern Ardeche died from carbon dioxide poisoning.  They were crushing grapes in the traditional manner with their feet, in a vat that was approximately four square metres in size.  The grapes belonged to a small-scale [...]

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If only Bush hadn't given up the Booze

by Gavino on 23. Oct, 2008 in WOTW News

Some interesting facts are revealed on the White House Wine Quiz at www.wineteasers.com. Lyndon Johnson started the traditon of serving only American wines at the White House. Richard “Tricky Dick” Nixon, who enjoyed French Wines, followed suit reluctantly, even sipping French wines from napkin-covered bottles to hide their labels. Jimmy Carter was adamant that only U.S. wines would be [...]

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Miracle Cure! Turn Blossom Hill into Chablis in 30 Minutes.

by Gavino on 22. Oct, 2008 in Gadgets & Paraphernalia

“An entrepreneur claims to have invented a machine that turns a cheap bottle of plonk into a vintage-tasting wine in a matter of minutes.   Inventor Casey Jones says the £350 gadget uses ultrasound technology to recreate the effects  of decades of ageing by colliding alcohol molecules inside the bottle. The Ultrasonic Wine Ager, which looks [...]

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bunny

Would you like your Miss July 1970 Decanted Sir?

by Gavino on 21. Oct, 2008 in Wine Label Oddities

Wine labels to feature Playboy models? “Wine collectors might have a reason to rethink their cellar organization system. Regions and vintages could take a backseat to racking bottles by month—January through December—because Playboy Enterprises is dipping its toes into the wine market. Now, if they only offered a wine collection that used text from vintage [...]

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BaDa Bing! Sopranos spill a different kind of red stuff

by Gavino on 20. Oct, 2008 in Wine Label Oddities

Every now and then I stop and ponder over what really happened at the last Soprano family supper. The next time I do so, my thoughts will be accompanied by a glass of blood red super Tuscan with Dont Stop Believin’ on the ipod.  Out in the US now lets hope these wines hit the UK soon. “The Sopranos, the landmark US series [...]

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Italian plumbing bungle turns water into wine

by Gavino on 13. Oct, 2008 in Just Plain Weird, WOTW News

If only Thames water could make this kind of mistake. Quoting from Decanter online from an article by Lucy Shaw – “Inhabitants of a tiny Italian town thought there had been a miraculous intervention yesterday when wine started flowing from the taps in their kitchens The ‘miracle’ occurred during the town’s annual harvest festival, the [...]

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Sarah Palin guilty – it's just not Hockey, Mom.

by Gavino on 12. Oct, 2008 in But Seriously..., WOTW News

So, Sarah Palin has been found to be in violation of a state ethics law prohibiting public officials from using their office for personal gain. What amounts to a sacking of a senior public official over a family feud, marks the end of another depressing week in America’s presidential politics. It’s doubtful whether the ruling [...]

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au10211

The Wine Society, not really a Society but they definitely sell Wine

by Gavino on 10. Oct, 2008 in WOTW News

The Wine Society (TWS) is in equal parts inspiring and frustrating. Unique in the mail order landscape, the Society is a co-operative that doesn’t pursue the profit principle. It exists in stark contrast to the behemoth that is Direct Wines and the UK consumer is all the better for it. I’ll declare my association right [...]

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