Weekly Wine Bullets (Aug 1)

Aug 01, 2025

Happy Friday friends. Enjoy this week’s Wine Bullets, and hit reply to let me know what you’ve been drinking recently.

Wine Tariff Update: The US and the EU have reached a trade agreement, with most European products subjected to a 15% tariff, and until this morning it was unknown if wine would be exempted from that group or not. Unfortunately for my old-world-leaning palate, it wasn’t to be.

The tariffs could still be deemed illegal by the courts — here’s an article from Wine-Searcher laying out the case against them.

Robin Baum Wines 2018 IGT Rosso: I brought back this bottle from Chianti three years ago, and somewhat forgot about it until last week. It’s a really pure Sangiovese. No oak is used — instead the wine is aged in a ceramic egg by an English winemaker nicknamed “The Egg Man”. I really enjoyed this wine.
2016 Chateau Gloria: Nerdy wines are fun but sometimes you just need a steak and a bottle of Bordeaux. Chateau Gloria is “unclassed”, as it wasn’t part of the 1855 Classification of Bordeaux, however, many believe it is on par with the classed growths. Which makes it a bit undervalued. Tasted like dark black fruits and smelled like a dirt road (in the best way possible).

For this week’s pairing, get some aforementioned Chateau Gloria (or any decent Bordeaux for that matter), and put on the jazz classic So What by Miles Davis. A classic track for a classic style of wine. Plus it fits the vibe for a dim-lit steak dinner.

I’m a little late to the game on this, but I just watched the first episode of Drops of God on Apple TV. I don’t know how I feel about it yet; it seems like it’s going to be an over-the-top dramatic portrayal of wine culture. In my opinion, people over-romanticize blind tasting. It can be fun and educational in certain contexts, but takes some of the enjoyment out of wine for me. I like to know the whole story of the wine while I’m drinking it — where it’s from, who made it, what the vintage conditions were, etc. The show at least seems entertaining though, even if not completely factual.

For when all your other decanters are dirty. If it’s stupid and it works, it ain’t stupid! But seriously, you don’t need to buy a $250 decanter. It’s the oxygen that does the work, not the glass.

Have a great weekend!

Cork Bandit