Irregular Update
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Copyright © Ric Einstein 2009
Welcome to this weeks Irregular Update. When I first wrote the story TORB and the Dom Perignon Scam, I never dreamed it would generate so much interest. It has proven to be one of the most popular stories I have written, and there has been great feedback from readers. However, that's not the most gratifying aspect of the story. Since it has gone up, a number of people have emailed me after doing searches about these cons, and as a result of the stories being up on TORBWine, we have saved a number of people from being sucked into the scammers web. A couple of more cons have been added to the story More Wine Scams too. As this exposure is helping save people from being conned, I would like to keep the information current, so if you are the recipient of a con email or fax, please email me the details and if it is a new scam, or a change of names on an old scam, I will add it to the site.
Sometimes playing with wine is enough to want to make one cry, its not often, but it does happen. Last Monday was one of those occasions. Stocktaking my wine inventory is way overdue and as I had finally finished the Tour Diaries, I thought I would get stuck into the task. The layout of my cellar is disorganised (its in the back of my pet store) but thanks to Red Bigots (free) Cellar Master database program, keeping track of it is a breeze. I have one styro box in a locked room with a small number of very special bottles including Grange and a number of 1986 wines. When I came to that part of the stock take, I was extra careful. For the record, I have been collecting and storing wine for thirty-eight years and until this stock take had broken exactly three bottles of wine when moving them, or counting them in the cellar. Not a bad track record! I opened the box and lifted out a bottle, holding it at the horizontal, to see what was below it. I then placed the bottle back in its original place. When placing the bottle back, it went in at a very slight angel and the base of the bottle contacted with the base of the bottle below. There was no thud, no bang, no crash and no sound of breaking glass. However, about three seconds later there was the dreaded glug, glug, sound of wine pouring out. The bottle below must have had a tiny weakness in one spot because the whole base of the bottle had come away! I could not believe it. And to make matters worse, it was my second last bottle of 1983 Grange! Not happy!! Many mumbled four letter words later, I stopped doing the stock take and decided to continue another day.
Robert Parker is the worlds most influential wine scribe and when he was reviewing Australian wines, the whole industry and many consumers waited with baited breath for the annual Australian edition. This year, for the first time the segment has been handed to a new pair of hands, Dr Jay Miller, who is a long time tasting buddy of Parker's. TORB's Review: The Wine Advocate 2007 Australian Segment takes a critical look at the segment and Miller's pluses and minuses. It also compares his work to Parker's. What effect will Miller have on the Australian segment? Read this and find out.
The News section has been reasonable over the past week. Stories of possible interest include:
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Drought ups wine price and quality
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Whining like drunken Bacchus
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EU mulls wine reform to take on New World competition
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Company rejects NZ wine over copper levels
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Foster’s expands Lindemans range in UK
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Yalumba and the Institute of Masters of Wine Announce the Yalumba Scholarship Winner
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McGuigan says wine industry is recovering
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EU Parliament panel against ban on sugar added to wine to boost alcohol content
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Company rejects NZ wine over copper levels
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Iemma opens China wine joint venture
Those stories can be found here.
This weeks quote. "Drink wine, and you will sleep well. Sleep, and you will not
sin. Avoid sin, and you will be saved. Ergo, drink wine and be saved" - Medieval
German saying
Until next week .... Cheers!
Ric
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Copyright © Ric Einstein 2007