A world of wine news to catch up on

What a glorious Easter Sunday; 12 of the family members were outdoors for a kiddy Easter egg hunt on the bay followed by a very nice brunch. Shout out to host JR and the staff for making it a special day. Give Maso Martis Extra Brut Rosé Trentodoc a try. Consistently above 91 McD points, the past three vintages are slightly better. The 2016 opens to bread dough, rose, chamomile and pie spice aromas. Lots of fine bead. On the palate, look for dry, vibrant acidity and cream supporting strawberry and pomegranate with floral tones and a dreamy, creamy finish. A lot of great sparkler for $30 and it will cellar, 92 McD under $32. I couldn’t resist  Fowles’ Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Wild Ferment Shiraz 2018 from Australia. Pours a pretty dark ruby color and opens to blackberry/blueberry smoky, anise bouquet, then moves to berries, more anise and black pepper on the palate, all supported by smooth tannins and medium-bright acidity. It was languishing on the shelf for $32, won 92 McD. Great with lamb and barbecue, especially KC dry. 

This week, let’s do a little housekeeping. Thanks to Lara Abbott at St. Supéry Estate Vineyard and Winery, located in Rutherford, in Napa, I was provided with a fun, informative series of wine/recipe performances. Those with time on their hands can visit stsupery.com/virtual for the info. In brief, there is a schedule of events that will occur twice per month for 2021. Check it out. The presentations on the culinary side are very well done.

Also check out the latest on media wine favorite Krista Scruggs, owner of ZAFA Wines. Highly touted for her Vermont orchard/winery, and written of in bold print by Bon Appetit, “Today” show, Wine Experience Top 40 under 40 in 2018 and Time naming her tasting room one of its “100 greatest places of 2019,” plus a Boston Globe feature article from December 2020 and Food and Wine for the April 2021 issue. They are all backpedaling as multiple allegations swirl, including sexual harassment, falsifying documents, operating without federal or state licensing, and several other licensing-related infractions were revealed or in some cases alleged. The issues are too complex and controversial to post in a family newspaper wine column, but those interested can find many of the particulars here: wine-searcher.com/m/2021/04/wine-media-darlings-reputation-takes-a-hit.

Ray, a longtime regular reader and occasional correspondent, asked me the latest on Rudy Kurniawan. Rudy’s the guy who completely embarrassed the “wine world expert palates” by fabricating wine, bottling it in old bottles with old corks he had collected at tastings or applying labels removed from authentic products, then successfully selling or auctioning the product, occasionally for hundreds of thousands of dollars per bottle. Go here for a review: distractify.com/p/rudy-kurniawan-now. In addition, there are ABC’s “The Con,” which aired March 24, and a 2016 documentary, “Sour Grapes.”

Although Rudy was a scurrilous character who received a fair 10-year sentence, in my opinion, he had tricked the high and mighty. One of the Koch brothers was a victim, for example, about $2 mil worth. Therefore, instead of being incarcerated in a “country club fed,” where wealthy scammers and Wall Street crooks lounge around while incarcerated, Rudy was sent for his sentence to reputably one of the worst prisons in Pecos, Texas, in 2013. When he was released in November 2020, presumably for good behavior, Rudy, a citizen of Indonesia, was to be deported. When he offered to buy his own first-class ticket home, a judge tossed him into an ICE facility in New Mexico where he was still held as of March 23. Those very wealthy buyers who were tricked and their buddies in the “Injustice Dept.” have tossed Rudy into an ICE detention center rife with COVID-19 and in sad disrepair, which seems vindictive in this case. It is also likely they are trying to coerce Rudy into divulging where the money went, since another part of the sentence dealt with reimbursement. And now to quote the late Paul Harvey, “Here’s the rest of the story.” These types of activities are an inherited family business trait. Go here to learn the rest of this fascinating story: casdinteret.com/2020/11/con-man-kurniawan-exits-prison-vanishes-from-public-eye. Please read the entire paper first, ads and all. Our struggling local businesses need your support.