•
They both believe in fictional characters.
At least the six year old has a plausible excuse for their fantasy. They are after all still a child. So I ask, what is Wine Spectator’s excuse for bestowing an Award of Excellence on a restaurant that doesn’t exist?
And by doesn’t exist, I don’t mean, doesn’t exist any longer. Or has temporarily ceased to exist to due to renovations. Or doesn’t exist in the location it once existed in.
No, when I say the restaurant doesn’t exist, I mean it is a figment of someone’s imagination. Specifically, the mental creation of one Robin Goldstein. Robin is under this crazy notion that cheap wine can be just as good as (if not better than) expensive wine. While I’ll disagree with Robin on some of this points (after all, there’s a darn good reason certain Chateaus in Bordeaux command a king’s ransom for their product; because they’re damn good) one point I am in full agreement with is that the wine rating system are a whole load of horse caca.
I’ve long posited that it is impossible to rate wines with any degree of accuracy based on the 100 point system Wine Spectator likes to use. Why? Because with something as subjective as wine tasting, it is impossible to standardize to a point scale. I’m not alone. The Wall Street Journal’s columnists Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher use a very easy to understand, good / very good / delicious designations, with descriptions of their tasting experience.
To prove his point about how worthless Wine Spectator’s rating were (and, ostensibly, Wine Spectator), Robin decided to open his imaginary restaurant Osteria L’Intrepido and fill the wine list full of a bunch of impressive sounding labels that didn’t score so hot on the Wine Spectator ranking system. (If it were me, I think I would have named it Saint Nick’s Neat-o Food Emporium and Wine Drinkery). Read more »
•
Yes, I’m still drinking wine. Yes, those reviews will make their way to the site, but this week I’d like to focus on the big changes over at FreshDirect. Today, the veil was raised on FreshDirect’s new wine-selling bride. After a month of anticipation, Union Square Wines (or USQ as it is abbreviated, for reasons I am unsure of) was announced as the shop of choice.
Union Square Wines at FreshDirect
I had a bit of time to poke around the new interface on FreshDirect, order a few bottles and see what is available. So, for the readers of AmericanMadness, I present the first review of FreshDirect’s new wine selection.
Read more »
•
There is to be a massive wine tasting this Saturday in Tribeca: The Chambers Street Wines Real Wine Attack 2008. Running from 4 – 8 pm there will be 22 “natural” wines to taste at Le Cercle Rouge Restaurant in Tribeca (241 W. Broadway). Total cost for you: $5.
So this event got me thinking. Why put all that time and attention to just one wine venue when there are so many great vino-stops in such a small area. Ever on the look-out for reasons to get American Madness readers drunk on wine, I’ve assembled the Tribeca Wine Bar Triangulation. The itinerary would go something like this.
Start at La Cercle Rouge pounding down all the natual French and Italian natural wine you can. Hell, it cost you $5. This is the cheapest wine buzz you’ve had since the days before you knew better. I’d also suggest taking the time to lay down ballast for the rest of the evening here. You’re going to need it. Read more »
•
An AmericanMadness Quiz:
What famous rapper is starting his own wine company?
a) Snoop Doggy Dog
b) Fat Joe
c) Lil’ Jon
d) All the above, together in an East Coast-West Coast rap/wine lovefest
I know, it’s a difficult decision. All the above exhibit excellent taste in wine. Anyone of them would make a fine vintner. Read more »
•
I’ve been doing my best to tell loyal AmericanMadness readers ways they can recession proof their wine portfolio. Let’s face it, times are tough, and there is no reason to lay down a lot of green for a good bottle of plonk.
Enter into the fray Wines ‘Til Sold Out.
It works like this; every day they put up a new bottle of wine at a cut rate price. Maybe it will make it to midnight, maybe not. One bottle a day, a price that is supposedly 30% - 70% off retail prices, take it or leave it.
For the wine world, it is an interesting concept, though this sounds more like something for a mattress seller or car dealers. I half expect to see a breathless TV commercial with a fat man dressed up in a gorilla suit advertising this thing.
While I know the site facilitates the purchase of a bottle of vino on the cheap, I wonder about the quality for two reasons. First, to have such excess inventory infers there was a large initial order. While there are some mass produced wines that aren’t half bad, I don’t exactly want to find an outlet for Yellow Tail at 70% off. Second, there is probably a very good reason these particular bottles didn’t sell so well in the first place.
Nevertheless, I’ll definitely give it a go and if I come across any gems, I’ll let you know.
