FAQ’s
(Frequently Asked Questions)

What is a WineBork?

A WineBork is a self-appointed wine expert, in search of the rare "nectar of the gods," "explodes in your mouth" wine experience. WineBorks typically value intensely fruity, oaky, opaque young wines. (History of the term Wine Bork.)

Why should you look at the alcohol content when shopping for a good Zinfandel?

Although not a universal rule, WineBorks understand that a high alcohol content often correlates with good Zinfandel and a low AI nearly always identifies a poor one. Generally, the winemaker has had to do everything right to achieve a high alcohol content (say 14.5% or more), most importantly thinning the crop to maximize concentration, harvesting late when the flavor and sugar content are at their peak, and careful control of the fermentation. We have tasted very few great Zinfandels with an alcohol content less than 14%.

Can you give me any other tips, on selecting a wine?

Certainly:

• Read and memorize our reviews.
• Choose from a winery with which you have had good experience.
• Any Zinfandel from Dry Creek or Alexander Valley is worth a hard look.
• "Old Vines" on the label always gets the heart palpitating.
• Check the back of the label for detailed information about the wine. If it's there, you know the winemaker had some pride.
• It is a plus if the label specifies the particular vineyard that produced the grapes. Generally, we like "single vineyard" wines.
• Avoid "screw tops".

Why are all your ratings in a narrow range of about 84-89?

Alas, this is the classic tradeoff between wanting it cheap and wanting it good. Although there are a lot of bad wines, you don't see many in our reviews because we usually avoid them using the strategies described here. And while we would like to review more of the 90+ quality wines, they unfortunately tend to be rare and often outside our budget. Also, the 'price/performance' factor tends to peak in the mid-high eighties. But you can help: please send us any candidates you want us to sample and we guarantee that a review will appear here in less than a week!

Where are the White Zinfandel reviews?

Surely you know by now that "White Zinfandel" is an oxymoron, at least to a WineBork. But if you reached this page by mistake, why don't you try this link?

Are Zinfandels unique to California?

Well, no -- but it certainly seems that way to residents of the USA and especially California. Lately we have heard (Thanks Peter May!) of Zins produced in South Africa, Chile, and Australia. We look forward to reviewing some of those as soon as we locate some samples. Actually, the Zinfandel grape is thought to have been brought to California from New England, but there is also an Italian connection. For more information, see Christopher Weir's excellent essay The Original Zin, America's "Native" Varietal, Comes of Age, published in Touring & Tasting Great American Wineries, Spring/Summer, 1998.

Neat logo. How did you do it, anyway?

Please take a look.

So, who made you guys experts?

Hey, you can do your own web page if you want, but remember, we have more than 6000 bottles of collective experience sampling and evaluating the kinds of wines that YOU like. Trust us!

What is the origin of the name "WineBork?"

The name "WineBork" has profound historical significance.

• Oct. 1973: At President Richard Nixon's command, Solicitor General and Presidential Lackey Robert Bork fires Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox after both Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Assistant Attorney General William Ruckelshaus refuse to do so.
• Nov. 1973: San Francisco underground rock station KSAN airs an uncanny re-enactment of Orson Welles' 1930's War of the Worlds radio broadcast (in which Mars invades New Jersey). In the re-enactment, however, the sinister Martian invaders roam the earth turning innocent humans into "Mindless Borks."
• Nov. 1973: Prompted by the example of fellow grad student Doug Whitmore, who listened to the entire KSAN broadcast while consuming two bottles of previously frozen Grand Cru Burgandy, G. Ketner and H. T. King add "Mindless Borks" to their name-calling repertoire.
• Jan. 1985: Having moved back to the Bay Area and its nearby wine paradise, H.T. King introduces term to California wine tasting compatriots, who immediately recognize its utility as a putdown when applied to one another in differences of opinion on wine.
• June 1991: Upon seeing the wine tasting group approaching her house yet again, little Amy Van Munn, daughter of Pat Van Munn, mutters to her mother, "Here come the wine dorks again."

The evolution to Wine Borks is obvious and the rest is history.
Note: Regretably, we can only assume that, in spite of many attempts at rehabilitation, Amy has never fully recovered from her apparent hearing impediment, since she continues in her misconception that the wine group is just a bunch of pompous dorks.