Fun facts and harsh tasting notes from my new ridiculous wine book

So I was walking back from a wine lunch at Telepan today and I saw some guy selling books on the sidewalk and one jumped out at me. American Wine by Anthony Dias Blue. Just look at this guy! Looks like someone who has been cycled on the Dressner blog's upper left hand corner. It looked kitschy so I bought it. He wanted ten . . .I had five . . .he got five. Well this might have been the best five dollars I have ever spent because this shit is wacky and hilarious. It has profiles on every domestic winery you can imagine circa 1983. Florida, Wisconsin and South Dakota winemakers rejoice! Let the fun facts begin. The tasting notes are also unusually frank. I like 'em!

Joseph Phelps made two vintages of Scheurebe in 1979 and 1981.

Here is a TN for 1981 Nichelini Vineyard out of Napa County - Burnt, odd, with no fruit or varietal character.

Robert Pecota made a French Colombard in 1983. And the more I look at this book the more it seems French Colombard was a viable option in Napa and Sonoma in the early 80's.


Summum is a winery in Utah and is actually the only producer of alchohol in the state. They are a philosophical meditative group that only makes wine for meditative purposes. They think the wine they make is a good pre-cusrsor to meditation. They get this information from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. They got by Utah's insanely strict alchohol laws because there was some obscure statute that allows wine to be used for sacramental purposes. The winery is in a pyramind to boot . . .just for extra eccentricity. Here is the TN for the NV Rose Table Wine - Odd, lacking depth. Not sold; the church accepts donations. Sounds like some very scary wine.