An Extraordinary Life
Mijenko “Mike” Grgich, 1923 – 2023
I last saw Mijenko “Mike” Grgich at Marvin Shanken’s Wine Spectator Magnum Party in Napa Valley. All of Napa’s best winemakers were there, and all were toting a magnum (1.5 liter) of wine and a guest. For the last page of his autobiography, Mike chose a picture of himself taken at that party, followed by the words, “At 92, I was not the oldest vintner … but maybe I will be when I’m 100!”
Mike reached the century milestone on April 1st and passed away at his home in Calistoga on December 13th. And while the man may be gone, his legacy will live on as long as wine is produced in America. He led an extraordinary life and helped transform Napa Valley, once a fledgling wine region, into a prestigious player on the global wine stage.
Read MoreI Teach Therefore I Am! (Regrettably I Am In New Jersey)
Mark Twain reportedly once quipped, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” For regular readers of WineSnark I’d like to say that despite my long absence from these pages I am not dead, I’m just living in New Jersey.
And when the Grim Reaper finally does come calling , I hope to go out in a trance-like stupor, just like my readers.
Not long ago I told my wife that when my time finally does come, I want to go out like Willard Motley who famously said, “Die young, and leave a good-looking corpse.”
She said, “Too late.”
Read MoreA Magical Christmas Revisited
“The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there …”
I’ve had my ups and downs this past year. First, there was the Lexus that sent me up in the air, and then there was a misstep that sent me down the stairs. That probably explains why I wasn’t buying into the whole “Jolly ol’ St. Nick” routine when the holidays arrived.
Come December I was a man complacently in touch with his inner Scrooge but then – in keeping with the destiny of Dicken’s transformative curmudgeon – something magical happened and I suddenly found that holly-jolly bounce back in my step. What unexpectedly had me caroling, caroling, caroling was a weird (but true) encounter with the Christmas spirit – and I’m not talking about the eggnog.
Read MoreWine News Roundup, Dateline April 1st, 2018
United Press International (UPI) April 1, 2018
Government Study Finds Evidence of Fermented Grapes in Gallo Wine
Gallo Refinery, Modesto California
MODESTO, CA Winemakers at the Gallo Winery were stunned by a recent government study that found traces of fermented grape juice in their wines. A Gallo spokesman said, “We are launching a full investigation into the source of these unusual components in our wines. While we do allow certain grape byproducts in our wines, we do not, as a rule, allow fermented grape juice anywhere near our fine wines.”
Read MoreSuper Bowl Wine Pairings: Bashful, Happy, Dopey, Grumpy & Sleepy
OMG! The Super Bowl is tomorrow and I haven’t written my annual wine and food pairing suggestions for the big game. Lucky you – this will have to be a short article because somewhere there’s a plate of nachos with my name on it (it’s true – my parents named me Don Jalapeño Carter).
The game time temperature in Minneapolis is expected to be in the single digits but the wind chill factor will make it feel colder than Melania Trump’s bedroom. That’s going to be rough on the players who will have to perform in the comfort of U.S. Bank Stadium – which is indoors! (You never see badminton players competing indoors.) Football players can be such p≈ssies. It’s no wonder they won’t go to the White House; they’re afraid the president might grab them.
Read MoreThe Best Of WineSnark 2017
Ever since grade school I’ve felt motivated to express myself through writing and by the time I was ten years old I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up; a mortgage banker. That’s right, I figured I’d make a fortune writing books so that I could follow my true passion; reading amortization schedules.
January is when we reflect on the memorable moments of the past year and I can think of no better way to bid 2017 adieu (that’s French for good riddance) than with a glass of wine. On second thought, better make that a bottle of wine. A magnum should suffice.
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