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Wine Ebooks:
| | The Complete Grape Growers Guide. |  | | A Complete Guide For Growing Grapes. Converts Very Well At A Reasonable Price! Growing Grapes And Making Wine Is A Very Popular Topic Right Now.
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| | Fool-Proof Wine Values. | | | Learn How To Easily Find Wines Of $50 Quality For $10 Or Less. Impress Friends With Your Expanded Wine Knowledge. Eliminate Your Dependence On Wine Salespeople. And Take The Hassle Out Of Buying Wine.
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| | Making Wine From Home. | | | A Fun And Very Informative Book On Home Wine Making. The De Facto Standard For All Home Wine Enthusiasts With Recipes, Advice And Tricks.
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Blogs & Sites:
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[06/13/2007, 05:47]
Double blind dinner of a lifetime | | | …Big Boy style Rob had been planning this event seemingly all his life, and twelve very fortunate guests were invited to the private room at Cru one innocent Spring evening for this once-in-a-lifetime event, making me the resident Chesire Cat. For those of you that might not know or forget, double-blind means you do not know [...] | | | |
[07/23/2006, 04:23]
| | An Argentine glacier moves back
There is in danger the productive region that Argentina and Chile share
A glacier of Argentina, the Upsala, in the southern province of Santa Cruz, moved back almost 13,5 kilometres between  1928 and last year, according to analysis of organizations that study the environment. In 20 years there would be serious problems for the production.
For graficar the process of deterioration of the mass of ice, a photo took from the same place of the one that was taken an image of the glacier in 1928. To simple sight is observed that most of the ice already is not.
 The scientists who study the phenomenon of the melting it attribute to the increase of the temperature average of the planet, due to the use of fossil fuels as the petrol and other derivatives of the petrol.
The organizations environmentalists claim Argentina and Chile that political decisions take, since the melting does not affect only the Upsala, but all the big glaciers of the south of the continent.
Also they demand that countries like The United States and Russia, they sign and put into practice Kyoto's Protocol, which almost 120 countries resolved in 1997 to reduce the emission of the gases that raise the temperature of the planet.
These organizations that study the environment demonstrated besides the fact that in some zones of the mountain chain of the Andes, in the frontier zone between Chile and Argentina, also the volume of the glaciers is diminishing.
According to experts of the United Nations, if measurements are not taken to reduce the global warming, the glaciers will disappear in 20 years, which will provoke big problems for the productive activities.
Source: Simbolo. Net (# 52) Buenos Aires - Argentina
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[10/28/2008, 17:51]
Where in the wine world are we? Border edition | | 
Where in the wine world was this picture taken? If you’ve found this hard in previous editions, now you have a greater chance since there are two right answers! According to the photographer, the small road down the middle of the vineyard is actually the line between two significant wine regions. So where is this border zone? Hit the comments with your thoughts! No prizes this time, just glory! UPDATE: Check here for the answer. | | | |
[12/23/2007, 12:48]
BearBoat 2005 Pinot Noir Sebeka Cabernet Pinotage 2006 | | | BearBoat 2005 Pinot NoirSebeka Cabernet Pinotage 2006 $15.99 - BearBoat Pinot Noir $6.99 - Sebeka Cabernet Pinotage WebWino says: Even though I’ve been slacking off with my Vino Keeno site, I most certainly have not been slacking off in the drinking department. However I haven’t been taking notes, so these two get lumped together because they both deserve mention, [...] | | | |
[03/24/2008, 08:53]
March 24, 2008. New Zealand Wineries Part 3 - Woollaston | |  This one is not exactly a small winery and definitely a bit more flashy than many others. Woollaston Estates was formed in 2000 - with some creative passion. You can see that in the design of the winery building itself as well as the myriad pieces of art and sculptures around. This one is worth going to just to check out the architecture. While I cannot say that I was impressed with most of their offerings - one did stand out to me and that was their Pinot Noir. Vines are still young but there is a balance here which I find lacking in many others. This is one of the better Pinot if not the best I tried on this trip.
Looking at a design of their winery it seems to be designed around letting gravity lead the flow through the winemaking process . This can only mean it was designed around the careful handling of Pinot Noir. To me, you can taste a big difference in quality between the Pinot and their other wines. It was as if the other wines were intended for bulk sale in order to finance the winery and perfecting the Pinot.
2007 Nelson Pinot Noir. Black cherries, some depth might be due to clay soil with "good/smooth" tannins and a decent finish. 89 points
Winery schematic : http://www.woollaston.co.nz/winery/interactive-map
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[10/29/2008, 06:02]
My Hedge Fund | |  Back in the 1980?s and 90?s I invested in a personal hedge fund. At the time there wasn?t any overriding strategy other than perhaps a hedonistic one. I started out with little investments here and there, and one thing led to another. A little trading, some long-term holdings, some quick-turn-around buys. All this over a period of the past 20 years.
In these days the market is in the tank, up and down like a yo-yo, heavily driven by an emotionalism I find too volatile to deal with. But along the way I have been lucky enough to dodge the important bullets and my hedge fund has grown. Now, what should I do about it?
Several cases of La Chapelle Hermitage from Paul Jaboulet,  from 1985 and 1989. These have been the house wine for the past 15 or so Christmas dinners. Initial cost was about $20 a bottle. Current appx. street value $150-300 a bottle. But if I sold the remaining cases, how could I tell how an Hermitage will taste at 50 years of age? After all that was the reason, to buy a wine that everyone told me would age for 50 years. I have 30 years to go, which is just about how long I expect to last as well. Position:Hold and Drink
A magnum of the 1960 Vega Sicilia Unico Artist Series,  bought a very long time ago for about $100. About now this bottle is going for appx. $1600-2500. I?ll probably keep it and open it when it is 50 years old, which is in two years. It?d also be great for anyone who was born or married in that year. Maybe there is a hedge fund manager who is swimming in dough and was born in 1960? I?m not married to the Vega Sicilia, but seeing as it represents an amount that I would never spend on a bottle of wine, maybe I?ll just open the damn thing for the hell of it. Position:Hold or Sell.
Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. I bought many different years of this wine because  I liked to collect the labels, from 1982 to 1990. Now these wines represent a lot of capital, but none of which I really tied up. I think the most I paid for a bottle ( the 1990) was $50. And while I cannot sell them all and buy a Porsche Speedster, it really wouldn?t matter. I don?t want a Porsche Speedster again. I do like the Francis Bacon label, though. It reminds me of the time I did a tasting in Bordeaux at a famous negociant. They showed us a wall of first growths and told us how many millions of dollars it was worth. They neglected to say the triptych of Bacon?s that they had in the hallway leading to the wine vaults was worth about $50 million. Position:Hold for Now.
I?ve had my flirtations with Super Tuscans over the years. There  still is a good stash of Sassicaia from 1979 to 1990 in my portfolio. The most I ever paid for a bottle was about $70.00. I remember actually selling the 1968 for about $28 to my clients. I had found a cache of the first bottling in a cellar in Florence in the early 1980?s. It wasn?t an easy sell. So I tended to keep the early wines, drinking a few here and there. I?m not as interested in Sassicaia these days (when they go for about $200), but the older ones still have a sense of place and lack of manipulation. Position:Hold or Drink.
 I also dabbled with a little Solaia, the 1997. I am not sure if Doc Micro-Ox or if Miss Perverse Osmosis infected this wine. I traded it for 3 bottles of Montepulciano d?Abruzzo Riserva. Now it has a street value of about $400.Position: Sell.
A few years ago I traded a bottle of Mouton, a bottle of Sassicaia and a bottle of Tignanello for a Hasty-Bake wood barbeque grill. Now that was one of my better trades.
 Back in the early 1990?s I walked into a river-bottom liquor store and they had 1988 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco for $14.99. I bought all they had (and got a 10% discount). Today that wine is easily worth $150. So delicious and now just about ready. Position: Drink what is left. With pleasure.
 Lastly, I bought a bunch of Port, thinking 1990-1994 would be good wines to drink when they are 20 years old. The oldest of that bunch are starting to get close. I am particularly fond of Quinta Vesuvio for several reasons. It was one of the quintas farthest up the Douro. I had probably the best bacala I have ever had, there. And during crush one year we pressed the grapes, by our feet, in the ancient lagars. Truly a transcendental experience. We're talking Old-World, Old-School stuff here. Not some snotty California wine-camp-crush stuff. The real deal. So I love my Port and my hedge fund portfolio is weighted well in these long term holdings. Position: Hold.
There?s a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth in these days. It seems a lot of people are poorer on paper than they were a month ago. But really how poor are you, if your closet if filled with all these long-term high-return wines? I have been visiting my wine closet a bit more lately, if for no reason other than to reassure myself that even though I will need to work quite a few years more, there will be a continuous supply of great wine, bought at low prices, available for those lean years ahead.
 "Dale a tu cuerpo alegría, Ma'dalena, que tu cuerpo e' pa' darle alegría y cosa' buena'"
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[09/13/2008, 07:52]
Wine 2.0 Event and Tasting: September 18, New York City | | Internet technologies are changing every aspect of life and commerce in industrialized societies. While the wine industry is often slower to adopt new technologies than some, wineries, wine retailers, and wine consumers are all benefiting from the creative  application of technology, whether that's through easier ways to buy, sell, learn about, or market wine. As critical as I can be of some of these applications of technology, I'm convinced that the wine industry (or the world, for that matter) will never be the same. There are a lot of wine tasting events out there that afford wine lovers the opportunity to taste wines of a particular type or from a particular region. There is only one event, however, dedicated to showcasing the wines and the wine technology that are pushing the envelope in the wine world. Wine 2.0 started as a small group of entrepreneurs in San Francisco who found themselves at the nexus of wine and the latest internet technologies, and has grown to encompass a large number of start-ups, wineries, technology users, and wine drinkers. What began as a small get together in San Francisco has become something of a major social happening. The next such happening is scheduled for Thursday, September 18th at Webster Hall in New York City. Starting at 7:00 PM and lasting through the night until 4:00 AM, the event will feature a tasting of more than 100 wines from participating vintners, showcases of technology from various web start-ups, and a live episode of the inimitable Wine Library TV, hosted by Gary Vaynerchuk himself. Having attended several of these events (full disclosure: I'm on the Board of Wine 2.0) I can say that they're an opportunity to drink some good wine, meet interesting young wine lovers, and get a peek at what passes for an Internet Bubble in the wine industry. This New York event seems to have the additional potential to simply be a rocking party at some point during the evening. Wine 2.0 Expo
Thursday September 18th
7:00 PM to 11:00 PM, after party from 11:00 PM to 4:00 AM
Webster Hall
125 E 11th Street
New York, NY 10003 Tickets are $45 in advance and $75 at the door, so order yours online sometime soon. | | | |
[08/12/2008, 19:15]
Serbia: Bermet, the flavorful flavored wine | | For those looking for an unusual sweet treat, I highly recommend looking for a bottle of Serbian Bermet. Ok, chances are you won't find it in the US, but if you do stumble across it, or there is a trip to Belgrade in your future, you have to give it a try.
This is an infused wine. It has spices and herbs added to it. Technically you could call it a Vermouth, but the style is not similar to traditional Vermouths. However as with Vermouth it also comes in red or white versions.
No two producers make exactly the same wine, so I can't give you a definitive idea of what it taste like, but the red I tried was heavily spiced with cinnamon and cloves and tasted almost like cherry pie. It was served at room temperature to us, but it would probably make a nice hot wine as well.
The white version was similar but with a noticeable vanilla character. This one I would stick with serving chilled, but who knows? Perhaps reduced it could make the basis for a great sauce.
This is no wimpy wine. The strong spice flavors and abundant alcohol (16% is common) help make a little Bermet go a long way. Still, we had no problem finishing one of the red versions off while watching the strollers pass by in the heat of the noon day sun.
I am not known for espousing the virtues of flavored wines, but variety is part of wines charm, and this one is definitely different. A charming change of pace, although I don't know that I would make it a regular part of my routine. | | | |
[04/23/2008, 07:01]
Some quick notes | | Domaine Weinbach Schlossberg Grand Cru Cuvee St.Catherine Riesling 2004 (375mL)
Peaches, pears, orange peel and marmalade on the nose. A rich, viscous and weighty palate with excellent texture and length. Bold, but balanced.
92/100 Domaine Fourrier Les Goulots 1er Gevery-Chambertin 2003
A nose of red berries, candy, violets, chocolate and cinnamon. Touch of stalk to the medium bodied palate. Decent length and structure. Nice.
88/100 P&C Bonnefond Cote Rotie 2001
Licorice, dark chocolate, raspberry and coffee aromas. A juicy, ripe palate with the elements of the wine well integrated. Very good.
90/100 Taylors Vintage Port 1977 (375mL)
Vanilla, jasmine tea, licorice and cedar. Palate is smooth and of medium length, but doesn’t have the complexity or depth I expected. A bit of a let down as it is meant to be amazing.
88/100 | | | |
[06/05/2008, 07:23]
Temporarily teetotal | | | by Martin Field Long-time readers will be shocked to hear that your humble correspondent has been off the grog for a few weeks. Doctor?s orders, following a nasty but necessary ?routine? operation visited often enough upon ageing geezers. Seems that up to a month?s healing is required, and alcohol, which can dilate blood vessels, may hinder this. Not that I felt much like booze, or food for that matter for a couple of weeks. No doubt due to trauma and the ongoing aftermath of a generous intrathecal dose of dope that left me temporarily legless. Where was I? | | | |
[02/19/2008, 11:26]
Decanter Magazine - March 2008 | | The latest edition of Decanter (March) came out this week, and several articles caught my eye. The first was entitled Start Your Own Wine Cellar. As I’m often torn between buying bottles to drink and those I think I may like to keep for a special occasion, I was drawn to the profiles of the 3 different types of people for whom Decanter made recommendations. There was the couple who did not know much about wine, but wanted to learn and had £500 to get them going. At the other extreme was the couple who already drank a lot of good Bordeaux and had £5000 to spend. I found myself drawn to the example in the middle, someone who knows her grape varieties, but would not describe herself as a connoisseur. Decanter put together an interesting cellar at a cost of £1000 for her.  The one question I was left pondering with the suggestions was the distinction between wines for drinking 2008-2010+ and for 2010-2018. Why do a couple of decent Italian reds from 2004 fit in the first category, but a Portuguese 2005 and a Spanish 2003 fit in the second? I know it’s down to how it is made and matured, but how are you expected to know that for the slightly more unusual wines? Labels don’t always given enough information and certainly very few give how long to keep the wine for.
I always peruse the Wines of the Month to see what recommendations I can pick up. These wines are available from stockists in the UK so I feel sorry for foreign readers who may be unable to source them. However I’m always a bit frustrated to read other reviews elsewhere in the magazine and see the dreaded ?N/A? next to them. Although I figure what’s the point in reviewing them if they aren’t available in the UK I have to keep reminding myself how international Decanter is. In this month’s issue 4 of the 9 letters are from non UK readers. I am sure this helps the editorial team keep an international focus which is good for all us readers. The panel tastings this month are both French, 2005 St Emilions and 2005 cru bourgeois. I was stunned to see a great value 2005 cru bourgeois at £7.35. I must seek it out. Next month’s edition features Italy and is out, according to the ad in the magazine, on February 6. Oops ? I think they forgot to change the date from last month’s edition as I’m sure they mean March 6th! | | | |
[08/13/2008, 12:12]
Brands Laira ?Blockers? Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 | | |  During a recent trip to the Mount Pleasant cellar door, one of the staff kindly slipped us a bottle of the Brands Laira “Blockers” Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 to try. I have not really explored the Brands label, a stablemate to Mount Pleasant within the McWilliams company, however this particular bottle was festooned with gold trophy stickers.
Vibrant blood red in colour with exceptional clarity, the aromas were initally a bit closed with brooding blackcurrant and aniseed evident. In the mouth this cabernet is powerful and full bodied with juicy dark berries, black olive, restrained cedar oak and a dash of spices. The fine yet pronounced tannins are approachable now, however the structure also suggests medium term cellaring potential. I was surprised when I looked up the alcohol content, never would have picked it from what I saw in the bottle as even now the wine is so well balanced and very very drinkable. As a matter of fact I wish I had another glass right now… Score: 93/100
Price: $20
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 15.5%
Other Opinions: Winorama
Would I buy this wine?
RRP is $25 however you should be able to source this wine for under $20 - a bargain at that price, I will buy some.  | | | |
[10/23/2008, 22:13]
I'm a maverick too | | | Just like John Maverick McCain, I am sort of a shoot-from-the-hip guy. A bit rash and impetuous and all too ready to shoot off my mouth in some backfiring attempt at humor. A feature of this personality type is to be a bit sloppy, and rather disorganized. We need handlers, Johnny Mac and me, but I'd like to hope they'd be more astute and even-handed than Steve Schmidt and the rest of those gorillas. Even Sarah Palin, deplorable as she is, has acquitted herself a good deal more coherently than... | | | |
[07/04/2007, 16:20]
Top 400 hundred summer wines | | As recommended by Jane MacQuitty of The Times, here is an extensive list of summer wines to enjoy all for under £20, or you can try the less than £5 list, under £8 list or under £12 list. So much choice! I love these lists for giving you a goal to achieve over the summer months … so better get started … somewhere in the middle I think with 2006 Divinus de Château Bonnet, Sauvignon Blanc, Bordeaux, André Lurton, France, Sainsbury?s, £9.99. | | | |
[07/13/2008, 03:30]
Godello: More Please? | | ?You haven?t posted much recently?? Really, no way?I could only wish the reason behind this was holiday-making. Life is currently beyond hectic, recently going from consulting job back to teaching and onwards with a complicated move. Sometimes, I find that life (as in working, family events, consulting travel, etc.) can get in the way of reading an overpopulated Google Reader inbox and commenting on every blog and forum across e-creation. In fact and admittedly, I must say that I sort of prefer real life to this whole thing, though at any rate, I love to write, and I?m sort of pining for more precious time to write, whether on wine or a multitude of other subjects.
Pleasure aside, ?you know what time it is, it?s business time.? Who could possibly wait until early 2009 for more FOTC? At any rate, the intention of this post? I would like to see more artisan Godello imported and available in the North American market. This brilliant viño galego white, while being delicious and predominantly planted in the Valdeorras and Bierzo (yes, León) D.O.?s, is capable of conveying that the cool breezes, seascapes and gorgeous greenery of the region are all tangible in more ways than just through Albariño. I truly adore Rias Baixas Albariños, but I feel that little brother Godello needs some love too; and what better a time than now to try it out, since more regional producers than ever are beginning to invest serious attention in crafting these wines, with sights on the export markets in addition to the domestic one. I sort of find the idea of trying them side by side to be fun. Maybe find a nice Albariño (say a solid bottle of Códax or perhaps Pazo) to enjoy and compare alongside a crisp, complex Godello?goes without saying that some fresh seafood is in order here. Recommendations and notes upcoming? | | | |
[10/09/2008, 02:30]
A Half Bottle of Amontillado | | | I got back into sherry about the same time the price of cocktails went through the fracking roof. Ounce for ounce, and dollar for dollar, few things pack the nuance, aroma, and mouthwatering reaction of an off-dry sherry. Amontillado: Symphony In Amber in this issue of the Seattle Weekly | | | |
[11/11/2008, 05:23]
Red Barn Winery Hearty Red | | 
Another Desmond find!
Red Barn Winery opened May of 2004. It is located four miles North of the city of Syracuse in Liverpool, NY. Open Thursday thru Sunday 12 noon to 6 P.M.
Paul Martin is the sole owner and winemaker with decades of experience. Old world (European) winemaking experience and new winemaking techniques are incorporated to produce great wines. N.Y. State grapes and fruits are used exclusively. The 3000 sq. ft. winery is built around a ?Turn of the Century? design. Tasting room # 1 is cozy, consisting of a fireplace, rocking chairs, couches and plank floors. Tasting room # 2is of the Western saloon style, high ceilings ( 25?), hand hewn beams, plank floors and antiques.
The Hearty Red is a very nie, solid, table red. Dry, with notes of cherry and vanilla. Nice! | | | |
[11/03/2008, 01:05]
I Wish I Could Tell You | |  I wish I could tell you I'm free of cancer. I wish I wasn't starting more chemo tomorrow. I wish I wasn't afraid of the side effects. I wish I didn't have to see the fear in my children's eyes. I wish I didn't have to hear my son say 'I feel so helpless'. I wish Bryan didn't have to cook dinner 'cos I know he doesn't enjoy cooking. I wish I had an appetite. I wish I didn't have to cancel lunch in Sydney with Fatemeh. I wish I'd been able to swim in the ocean with my sister last week when she visited. I wish I didn't know words like Folfox and Avastin. I wish I didn't know my CEA. I wish I didn't have blood tests every week. I wish I didn't have to press the button in the elevator marked Oncology. I wish I could beat the cancer. I wish I didn't think about my children's future which may not include me. I wish Bryan and I will grow very old together. I wish the will to live was enough to overcome my genetics. I wish I will have the energy to continue blogging. I wish you will understand when I am too sick to reply to your comments and emails. I wish you will understand when I visit your blog and don't leave a comment. I wish one day I could tell you I'm free of cancer. Thanks to Maryam for helping me find a way to tell you my wishes. | | | |
[10/10/2008, 07:01]
Who Are You Doing This For? | |  After a few days in the rarified air of Marfa, Texas, I have had a few moments to do a little navel gazing. Take this one or leave it, as it applies to you. Or doesn?t. That being said, don?t we all have, at one time or another, moments where we look around our environment and notice the world that we have landed in and ask ourselves if this is what we intended to do?
 Mind you, this isn?t a crisis post. I?m not telegraphing back to home base that I won?t be returning. Well, maybe a part of me won?t ever be back. But every time I get on the wine trail a part of me is left behind and a newer segment grows in its place.
 One of the fascinating aspects of being in Marfa during the run up to the Chinati Foundation annual hoe-down, is this congregating of intellectual and artistic energy that appears to have broken away from the bubble of the everyday reality we all seem to get trapped in. The Dow drops to 8500? Where is the wine for the governor?s dinner? 159,000 jobs lost? An installation for an artist is previewing in the desert today. The G7 is meeting in emergency session with the IMF? Artist Eugene Binder on the main street is moving his three vintage Porsche Speedsters out of his gallery so he can make room for the folks coming to town.
After a visit to a handful of accounts ( El Cheapo, Pizza Foundation and the Thunderbird Lounge) we headed out to Alpine, Marathon and Midland. In Marfa I had been invited to ?curate? a wine list for one of the local patrons, who also are big wine fans. They are also looking at a property in Montalcino to invest in, land and a winery. The wine trail winds and turns and points towards many destinations.
 This week I had a Carbonara that folks anywhere would be proud of. Pizza that merited a second piece. Restaurants like Cochineal and Maiya's, with a passion for food and wine. And saw a love for Italian wine from the artists and intellectuals of a small west Texas town that I could only wish larger urban areas would aspire to. Go figure.
 Maybe it is something about the confluence of a zone that attracts art and intellect that also is amenable to things Italian? I know this to be the case all over Italy, maybe Marfa is a vortex that squeezes a drop of Italy onto the canvas and exposes the native energy to the ancient? Or maybe I am just a kook?
Lesson learned this week: Do what you love, even if you don?t sometimes know why you do it or even what it is.
Repeat as needed.
Repeat as needed.
Repeat as needed.
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[10/07/2008, 12:54]
Part 1- Dalian Delights: Seafood and the Wine Scene off China?s North-East Coast | | 
Editor’s Note: After reading the title of this post, you may be pondering why Catavino has an article on North-East Chinese cuisine, which is a very good question. Edward Ragg, our Chinese correspondent, has been sharing his experiences living in Beijing as a wine consultant, which have included very detailed and descriptive articles on the state of Spanish wine in east Asia, as well as his experience with pairing traditional Chinese foods with Iberian wine. Considering that Edward is magically finding time to share his knowledge with us, between wine fairs and teaching WSET courses, we are clearly very appreciative. And if you have any questions for Edward, please don’t hesistate to put them in the comments. It?s now almost two years since my wife, Fongyee, and I moved to China to begin work as wine consultants, a profession that barely exists in a country that only really began importing wine some fifteen years ago and whose own wine industry is dominated by massive government corporations. Much of that time has, of course, been devoted to setting up a company ? no easy thing in the PRC ? getting to know the wine importers and fledgling wine magazines as well as becoming more and more familiar with the different national wine markets ? Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and further a field ? the extent of wine knowledge at consumer and trade levels, people?s expectations of wine in general and what myths v. facts abide in an emergent wine culture. Trying myriad Chinese wines, judging at Chinese wine competitions and the teething pains of setting up a website and blog ? ever works in progress ? have had their own challenges. But we can hardly complain: this invaluable experience, by turns exciting, frustrating and occasionally downright baffling, has whetted our appetites and got our palates salivating. We?ll definitely be here for the long-haul, if we can. But just as I was planning a series of posts entitled, ?Confessions of a Chinese Wine Consultant?, going right back to January 2007 when we first landed in Beijing, I had the opportunity to go to Dalian, a popular tourist city about an hour?s flight to the north-east of China?s capital, on the attractive peninsula of Liaoning Province (which borders Hebei and Jilin Provinces, Inner Mongolia and North Korea). As well as having a quick holiday peep at the wine scene there, Fongyee and I, at the behest of her Chinese relatives, were subjected to a two-day eating spree ? Chinese entertaining is beyond bountiful ? gaining some insights into how a typical middle class family sees eating and drinking and how the older and younger generations view Chinese and international wines. Dalian is a good place to be fed to death. Our local Beijing market boasts fresh seafood from Dalian ? fresh because, as in all proper Chinese markets and restaurants, everything is still alive before purchase. So we were keen to see how local Dalian folk treat their seafood and other fish on their own turf. Fresh off our morning plane, lunch was served (the Chinese generally rise early, eat lunch around 11.30-1 p.m. and consume dinner between 5.30-8 p.m., something Mediterranean visitors find intolerable). Fongyee?s cousin had already been to the main Dalian fish market at 5 a.m. that morning and was, I?m not kidding, plating up the following feast, ingeniously prepared from one of the smallest kitchens I have ever seen (even by domestic Chinese standards). The French talk about mise-en-place, the Chinese invented it: steamed crabs (two types ? see below)
steamed abalone
steamed scallops
steamed razor clams
poached flat-fish: of Chinese origin (similar to a meaty version of sole or plaice)
stir-fried prawns with green onion and garlic
stir-fried squid with carrot, green onion, garlic and chilli
deep-fried oysters (in a very delicate batter dipped in white pepper and salt at table)
deep-fried fish in a chilli glaze: the fish was of Chinese origin (similar to perch)
braised red-cooked pork spare ribs (simmered in rice wine, dark and light soy sauce, ginger, star anise, green onion)
preserved pork gelatine salad (flavoured with star-anise and garlic)
salad of preserved pork with julienned cucumber, carrot and green onion in a garlic-soy sauce dressing
prawn soup in a delicate broth (de-shelled prawns, shaped into ovals a bit like French quenelles, with Chinese chives in a clear soup ? i.e. not fish stock)
fried buns with pork and onion filling (known as xia bing)
The two types of crab were ?flower crab? (hua xie), seen on the right above, with flower-like patterns on their shells, and ?flying crab? (fei xi |
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October 18 from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. 
