TODAY’S SECRET INGREDIENT IS $%&# (THE PAINFUL REMOVAL OF MY FOOT FROM MY BIG MOUTH)

So it’s not too often that you find me eating a shit sandwich, unless you are my wife – I do that a lot at home – yet here I am with a big, heaping helping of bat guano, horse apples, and buffalo fritters, all piled high on a bun made of the finest dingleberry flour… you get the idea. See, I decided to stick my neck out a bit ago in the whole Grateful Palate fracas (see here and then here) which however well-intentioned, was obviously quite naïve in its execution and intent. (You see, this is what I get for my continuing efforts to demonize Wine Spectator – my most humble apologies to Thomas Matthews and Harvey Steiman.)

I have been a fan of Grateful Palate for some time, and even when the alcohol content of many Aussie wines became increasingly high (bordering on Fortified levels, and in some cases, exceeding them), I still liked what they offered to the masses. And obviously, the critics were enamored with them, gracing them with big scores and big praise.

I’ve been getting comments pertaining to the matter, and it’s become increasingly obvious that Dan Philips has been the poster boy for putting his bills in the “circular” filing cabinet (i.e. the trash). It is a shame because this is really the last thing the Australian wine business needs right now. My hope is that the growers and employees affected by this debacle will find the light at the end of the tunnel and we can start seeing their wines soon enough. It was certainly cool to see Paringa get off the train and find a home with Quintessential here in the States (not sure if that had anything to do with TGP’s financial meltdown or not) so I hope that the brands still hung out to dry by this mess will follow suit.

In the meantime, I am here eating my words, regretting that I opened up the forum for someone I have foolishly supported for the better part of 20 years. Consider the plug pulled on that one.