Author Archives | Greg Wacks
Greg Wacks is the Managing Partner of the Organic Wine Journal. He has produced numerous shows for MTV and VH1 and is a graduate of the Sommelier Society of America.
Le Temps des Gitans – Vin de Pays de l’Herault
The bottle was weird. There, I said it. The glass was clear, the wine was a deep garnet and the cork was synthetic green. The label showed a caricature of two (presumably) French dudes stomping grapes and strumming a Picasso-like guitar. On the back label, the words “Gypsy Melody” were written at the top followed [...]
Continue reading...The Pleasure of Peasant Wines
October 13, 2009
When it comes to food and wine, “peasant” hardly means low class any more. To me it means small stone farmhouses in the south of France with honest, rustic dishes to match. You know exactly what’s in your glass and what’s on your plate. A good peasant wine will be a truthful representative of its [...]
Continue reading...Organic Wine Journal’s 7th Inning Stretch
August 20, 2009
We’re getting into late August which means grapes all over the Northern Hemisphere are ripening, weather forecasts are being watched more closely, and we here at the Organic Wine Journal are taking a breather. Between baseball games and late summer getaways, we’ve been tasting lots of incredible organic, natural, and biodynamic wines while taking copious [...]
Continue reading...Memorial Day Weekend Wine Pick – Cru Beaujolais
May 19, 2009
Memorial Day Weekend means grills will be fired up, beer will be put on ice, processed foods will be in high demand and, for the most part, wine will be an afterthought. Somehow a decanter of garnet colored wine doesn’t seem to fit in with images of sandals, beach chairs and Hebrew National hot dogs. Most [...]
Continue reading...Jenny & Francois Portfolio Tasting: Winter 2009
There was a moment during the Jenny & Francois tasting and dinner last night that I had an epiphany about natural wine makers; they are all certifiably crazy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m surrounded by crazy people in daily life, but after hearing from Christian Binner that he tastes everything he sprays on his crops and [...]
Continue reading...M. Chapoutier Belleruche
February 15, 2009
Not too long ago I didn’t really know the difference between Grenache and Genache. I was blissfully unaware that one was a dominant grape in some of the world’s top blends and the other was the blending of dark chocolate and heavy cream. Now don’t get me wrong, I knew both were delicious, [...]
Continue reading...Chateau des Rontets, Pouilly-Fuisse 2004
February 3, 2009
Thanks to Robert Parker, Hollywood and some dude named Kendall Jackson, Chardonnay has gotten a bad rap over the years. It’s been over-planted, over-hyped, overpriced and truly underwhelming when produced in the United States. In the wrong hands it can taste like sugary grape juice with some toast stuck in, with aromas of [...]
Continue reading...Olga Raffault Chinon “Les Picasses” 2002
January 23, 2009
Let it be known that at one point in my wine drinking life, the word ”Chinon” sent shivers down my spine and right through my palate. I loathed the place. Couldn’t bear to be around anything in liquid form from it. So what did the unassuming Cabernet Franc grape ever do to me..? It stunk. Literally. [...]
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January 20, 2010
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