A little over twenty years ago, a friend took me along to a family drinks party. The host was his uncle, an English lawyer who for many years had served as a judge in Rhodesia. After Rhodesia became Zimbabwe the uncle returned to the UK. Now he was lecturing at a British university.

The uncle was a pleasant, urbane character, and he served us very good wine. But the moment he revealed its origin, it turned to vinegar in my mouth.

“South African. I brought a large amount home with me. I expect it’ll keep me going for years.”   Read the rest of this entry »

For once I am breaking my own rules. I am discussing a wine I have only read about and may never have the chance to enjoy. If this distresses you, by all means write to complain.

The week’s liveliest news story was the resignation of New York’s governor, Eliot Spitzer, who was caught frequenting prostitutes. One detail of the story held my attention. Apparently each of Mr Spitzer’s visits cost between $4000 and $5000. Shortly after reading this, I learned that a bottle of 2005 Château Pétrus also costs around $5000. For anyone who is keen on wine, the coincidence is bound to prompt some reflection. Read the rest of this entry »

Until recently Howard Rossbach grew no wine. He bought grapes from other people, then had someone else vinify these grapes to his own specifications. In other words, Mr Rossbach was what the French call a négociant. In France this is considered a perfectly honourable calling, requiring business acumen and fine oenological judgment. The better négociant wines (such as this one) are often very good value for money.

But in the United States négociants are not well regarded. They are seen as fast-buck types who buy up unsold wines at rock-bottom prices, adorn them with pretty labels, then sell them on to the undiscriminating. This is probably why none of my reference books mentions Mr Rossbach’s Firesteed house, even though it is Oregon’s biggest, and it has been winning praise and awards since the early 1990s.   Read the rest of this entry »