Comments on: A wine lover’s postcard from Camp Basrah, Iraq

By: Dave Ritter

Dave Ritter — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:53:42 +0000

Oddly, General Order 1 says alcohol is prohibited for consumption by US Service Members in Iraq. Another reason to support your troops!

By: Matt Coughlin

Matt Coughlin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:46:54 +0000

First of all, thanks Bob for your sacrifice and serving our country!

Next, I’ll be heading to the middle east soon, not Iraq but Israel, for business. Anyone have any Israeli wine recommendations or maybe some wineries I should visit while I’m there?

There is obviously not a lot of wine coming out of the middle east, with Israel being the exception. Still, I haven’t found many good articles on this region from a wine lover’s perspective.

Any thoughts?

By: chris robinson

chris robinson — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:21:50 +0000

YOUR COMMENT “The progress has been remarkable since I first arrived, and it looks like most US forces will soon be gone and will have left behind a relatively stable country. The rest is up to the Iraqis themselves”.

I must have gone to another country recently?? All I recall is road checks and security systems everywhere that make you wonder whether there is any light at the end of the tunnel. Took me nearly an hour to get through the last kilometer on the way to Baghdad airport. Thankfully you can still get wine in Baghdad, much of it left over from the Saddam era, but many white wines looking distinctly heat effected. I suspect that story about Saddam and Mateus is apocryphal. Not even Saddam wuld sink that low.

By: ilium55

ilium55 — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:37:18 +0000

My father is from Franconia — Franken as the Germans say. Mr. Krumm is right, the wine is bone dry and quite good — classically served with forelle, a breaded trout dish. Unfortunately its also quite expensive (for a little known German white) usually costing 25-40 dollars if you can find it. I believe its generally made from Mueller Thurgau or Sylvaner grapes.

By: 1WineDude

1WineDude — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:10:00 +0000

Duuuuude – that’s awesome!!!

By: Sherri

Sherri — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:00:43 +0000

This title caught my eye and I couldn’t resist commenting… I just joined the site today. Debra was my college professer at RIT and she is just a wonderful and lovely person, aside from all her obvious talents. I too am in Iraq at VBC and cannot wait to get home and have a celebratory sip of wine. So, hello Bob -I feel your pain Happy Holidays to everyone reading this message and great job Debra -you deserve the best!!!

By: caroline palla

caroline palla — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:41:24 +0000

this is one of my very favorite dr. vino blogs, thank you, bob krumm, for writing to all of us! and thank you, tyler colman, for posting!!!! christmas greetings from switzerland to all the readers, caroline

By: Bertrand

Bertrand — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:41:20 +0000

Great post, Tyler and Bob,
Thank you for sharing all this with us,
Bert

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:37:18 +0000

Right on — thanks, Bob, for all you and your colleagues are doing there, and much good luck with your novel — I, for one, can’t wait to read it! (I am flat-out fascinated by the intersection of wine and politics, and that’s a pretty darn busy intersection!)

By: Lejeune Philippe

Lejeune Philippe — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:22:55 +0000

Very interesting postcard…also definitely interesting to see how such context impacts the plaisure of drinking wine. At the end, Will you keep your best bottle for the last night before returning home…and which wine will you pick?

All the best,
Philippe – catch me on http://www.twitter.com/Phil_Lejeune , it’s not Irak here…

By: nick

nick — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:20:51 +0000

Cheers Bob- heres to hoping that you are home safely and soon to enjoy some good wines!
thanks for all that you have given.

By: @nectarwine

@nectarwine — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:19:22 +0000

Yes, indeed thanks for sharing the personal connection of wine around the world. Thank you, Bob and to your peers for serving to protect our amazing country.

Josh @nectarwine (twitter)

By: Lindsay Ronga

Lindsay Ronga — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:14:12 +0000

Thank you for sharing that, Tyler. Not something you see on a wineblog too often. To Bob: brought a smile to my face to hear you are writing a novel, keep at it. And lastly, thank you for serving. Lindsay