Well, its now official. The twelve crafty wine fakers have gotten the French gavel and its off to prison for some and hefty fines for others. As I wrote last week, E&J Gallo was sold a ridiculous amount of fake Pinot which was passed off on the world as Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir, which was in fact anything but. After a year of investigations, the twelve culprits faced the music this week.
All in all, its thought that 18 million bottles of fake Pinot hit the market, mostly in the US. The profits were huge for the swindlers, who are estimated to have reaped a combined profit of 7 million euros (approx. $9.5 million). The odd thing? Not a single US consumer complained.
Who's in the stocks? Gallo or the fakers?
But those in the Languedoc are angry; especially the judge, who declared, “the scale of the fraud caused severe damage for the wines of Languedoc for which the United States is an important outlet.”
Fines range from approximately $2,000 to $250,000 and some will spend one month to six months in jail. The damage to the Red Bicyclette brand is pretty catastrophic and I’m curious to see Gallo’s next move. According the their website, they are “deeply disappointed.” Yeah. That’s the understatement of the year.
I’m still eager to know: How did this go unnoticed by Gallo? And for so damn long? And what exactly was in those bottles of Red Bicyclette Pinot? We may never know…
I say we do the prison guards in France a favor and save them some money by replacing the convict’s afternoon foie gras snacks with some good old American Spam pucks. I wonder if they’d notice the difference?
I hereby declare that all of our soldiers be supplied with the latest in body armor technology, lightweight night-vision goggles and Camelbak drinking systems filled with Imperial Porter.
Oak is fine and oak is king. Its been the perfect vessel for storing our beers, our liquors, our wines and even our fresh water for centuries.
Pausing for a moment, he met eye to plant with his prey and then, he too, breathed a quick, nervous inhalation. There was no turning back now. And after giving a quick look over the shoulder, the thief expertly wielded a pair of pruning shears, and with the skill of an assassin, quickly removed five to six cuttings from the prized victims.
4. 
Founded in 1870, Bereziartua is a step back in time. Unfiltered and slightly effervescent with aromas of peaches, oranges and yeast. Tart apple flavor and a bit of funk on the nose that gives a distinct sense of terroir with a generous amount of minerality. (6% alc)
Sometimes you gotta do your homework. And when it comes to beer drinking, this ain’t homework you’ll go into kicking and screaming.
First brewed in the Czech town of Pilsen in Bohemia, Pilsner is one of the most popular styles of lager beers in Germany, and in many other countries (you ever heard of Budweiser? Yep, an “American-Style Lager” which is a lighter version of the original Czech Pilsner). Classic German Pilsners are light straw to golden yellow in color with a nice dense and rich head. They are generously hopped with a spicy herbal and floral aroma and flavor with a bitter, dry finish.
Let’s travel now to London, where the development of porters evolved. A dark-colored style of beer, the name “Porter” was first used in the 18th century because of its popularity with the street and river porters of London. A few styles emerged, with the Stronger Porters being called “Stout Porters” or “Extra Porters”, which would eventually become simply “Stouts”. Porters are generally brewed with dark malts with balanced use of hops and an average alcohol in the 4%-7.5% range.
