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Mussels on the half shell are as exotic and flavorful as they are inexpensive.
(serves 6)
6 basil leaves
2 T fresh thyme, remove and discard stems before measuring
2 T fresh tarragon, remove and discard stems before measuring
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot(s), minced
3 lemons, 1 * zested, 1 /2*juiced, 1 - 1/2* cut into wedges and reserved for garnish
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley sprigs, remove and discard stems before measuring
1/2 t celery salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
3 T butter at room temperature
1 lb. cultured blue mussels, rinsed, and debearded with a quick tug
1. . Mix all ingredients except the butter and mussels in a small food processor or blender or dice finely and mix by hand in a small bowl.
2. . If using a processor or blender add the butter. Otherwise, add the butter to the mixture in the bowl and blend thoroughly with a spoon.
3. . Place a vegetable steamer in a large pot and add 1 inch of water Bring water to a boil. Add the mussels, cover and steam for approximately 40 to 60 seconds, or just long enough for the shells to open (this is the sole object of the exercise). Remove opened shells and continue steaming any closed shells for I minute. Discard any mussels that have not opened by this time.
4. . Allow the mussels to cool. Remove the top shell.
5. . Set the mussels on a baking sheet (facing up) and spoon 1/4 teaspoon of the butter/herb mixture over each.
6. . Place the pan under the broiler on the level closest to the element or flame. Broil for about 2-1/2 minutes, or until butter is melted and the mussels just begin to brown.
7. . Serve on the half shell.
le secret. .Do not oversteam or overbroil mussels.
the adventure club . .Add a few droplets of Pernod (a licorice-flavored liqueur) to each mussel just before cooking.
garnish . .Lemon wedges.
suggested accompaniment . .A martini.
alternatives . .i) Butter may be replaced with an equal amount of olive oil. ii) This recipe also works with oysters, but you will have to pray for a pearl in order to finance the difference in price.
notes . .Buy the mussels from a reputable fishmonger on the day of the dinner. Select only mussels that are closed. ii) Keep mussels refrigerated. iii) Mussels are best washed and cleaned just before using. They begin to dry out once the beard is removed. iv) Don't worry if you are missing any one of the herbs. v) If you open a mussel and it looks questionable, give it the smell test.
guest assignment . .Mussel debearder.
hints for advance prep . .The butter mixture may be prepared days in advance and refrigerated or frozen.
cooking apparatus . .A baking sheet, a large pot, and a vegetable steamer.
serving apparatus . .A large serving plate, a plate for the empty shells and cocktail napkins.
A big, full-bodied, expansively-flavored, traditionally made Gigondas is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, and 10% Mourvedre. Abundant herbes of Provence, heady, peppery notes are accompanied by sweet kirsch liqueur, plum, and fig characteristics. Dense, medium-bodied, and ripe. Nice, pure, plum-cherry finish.
Based at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail , its vines rising up the south west facing slopes, the Domaine des Bosquets encompasses 26 hectares at the heart of the appellation of Gigondas. This is one of the wines produced by the Brechet family
Score: 9/10 Price: ?18 Retailer: Somewhere in Marseille
SPIT and SIPPED: Bordeaux 2008 After better-than-expected but still largely tepid reviews, Bordeaux 2008 took a shot in the arm form Robert Parker who raved about it. All the action is summed up nicely, with charts of price action, on FT.com’s Alphaville blog. Quotage from Simon Staples, aka BigSiTheWineGuy and a buyer at Berry Bros and Rudd in London: “He [Parker] went crazy about 2003 (all on his own) He missed 2005 (everyone else loved it) He?s now potty about 08(a few very nice wines)Plot?Lost?”
SIPPED: wine growing Wine in London, yes. But vines? Apparently so. But a terroir de double decker diesel may be avoided: Decanter reports that a horticultural college about 10 miles north of St. Paul’s has planted 1,500 vines.
SPIT: red wine stains A South African winery blog posts with the results of their tests on various red wine stain removers. The winner: hydrogen peroxide! It’s a cost-effective result considering hydrogen peroxide costs something like 99 cents a gallon at Duane Reade. [ht: Tasting Room]
SIPPED: plastique Wolf Blass, an Australian producer, announced two new wines in plastic (PET) bottles that resemble a traditional glass bottle.
SIPPED: fighting garden thievery The BBC reports that Hugh Johnson, renowned wine writer and avid gardener, had “a late 17th Century astronomical sphere and urns [stolen] from his historic garden.” He has posted a Ł1,000 reward for information leading to the return of the items.
Rkatsiteli is a new grape to me and I suspect that's true for many of you reading this post. It's the kind of grape that has us all channeling our inner wine geek and scurrying to dig out our Oxford Companion to Wine.
When you find your reference books, you'll discover that Rkatsiteli (pronounced "rkah-tsee-tely") is widely planted in eastern Europe, especially in places like Georgia, Bulgaria, and the Ukraine. In Russia, they make fortified wines (akin to Sherry) from the grape, and even turn it into brandy.
So how did it get to the Sierra Foothills, which is where the bottling I tasted came from? Rob and Marilyn Chrisman of Avanguardia Wines like relatively unknown and untrodden grapes even more than I do and have specialized in growing and making wine from them since 2004. Avanguardia grows Italian, French, Russian, and University of California crosses like Refosco, Peverella, Forestera, and Rkatsiteli. Some indication of their independent spirit can be seen in this statement from their web site: "As California wines go, our wines are somewhat atypical: we don't produce high alcohol wines, we don't like 'fruit bombs'. Only subtle oak is OK. Acidity is higher than most in order make them food friendly. Balance is everything here at Avanguardia." I've had two of their wines (so far) and they are terrific value and some of the most interesting wine I've had from my home state, so check them out if you're in need of spicing up your cellar.
The 2006 Avanguardia Cristallo I tasted recently is made with around 85% Rkatsiteli, with the remainder of the juice coming from Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Melon de Bourgogne. (available direct from the winery for $14) With nothing to compare it to in terms of varietal characteristics, I have to say that whether it is "correct" or not I really liked this wine. It smelled of fresh shucked corn--green and creamy at the same time. The palate is creamy, too, but it retains its herbal acidity and freshness, with grassy and floral notes. If you like your wines fresh and zesty, you will think this is a very good QPR pick. If you like your wines fresh, zesty AND geeky (as I do), you will think it has excellent QPR.
With your Rkatsiteli, I'd suggest some grilled fish. We had it with grilled halibut with a roasted pepper relish and some green beans with basil. The fresh, creaminess of the fish was a nice pairing for the creamy aspects of the wine, and the wine's herbaceousness accented the roasted peppers.
Calling all Rkatsiteli lovers: tell me your experiences with the grape in the comments below. Let's get a Rkatsiteli fan club going, ok?
Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.
While in most media circles, the larger global economic meltdown consumes the lion's share of attention, the wine world is experiencing its own nasty correction. Many top wineries, especially those with bottle prices over $80 find themselves struggling to sell their wines as the usual outlets are simply refusing purchases that they used to beg for.
Vegas restaurants, long-standing bastions of "I don't care what it costs as long as it sounds expensive" buying habits, are dumping their allocations of high-end wines like ballast water from an unstable ship. Cult wineries with mailing lists that had waiting lists thousands of members long are now struggling to find people to buy their wines, especially if they make more than a few thousand cases.
But more than anything else, the largest bellwether of a true collapse in the fine wine market are the high end Bordeaux wines, and the companies that have pimped them along a skyrocketing trajectory of pricing whose incline was no less irresponsible and unsustainable as any of the credit-default-swaps that brought down the global economy.
The phenomenon is certainly not restricted to Napa and Bordeaux, however. There are plenty of other wine regions that have massively over-invested based on the impossible hope that wine prices and demand would continue to soar at the top end of the market.
It's sad to see the wine industry suffer at all, but it certainly wouldn't be a bad thing to weed out a lot of chaff from the marketplace, and bring some of the outrageous prices (and pretensions) back down to earth.
Thanks to Jack at Fork & Bottle for the tip on Keith's post.
I was a hobbit in a past life, I know it. If you can picture it in a tankard, I probably love it. Belgians, strong ales, and especially barleywine. Ages quicker and better than wine the same price, I can’t understand why it’s not the biggest thing since sliced bread. Barley Wines Offer a Safer Bet [...]
Christina Rowan of Washington DC thought quickly and calmly when a gunman crashed a backyard barbecue and held a gun to a 14-year-old girl's head. Moments later, the gunman left with a glass of wine and a smile. Read the whole story.
The judges have narrowed the field down to three finalists. To the Juice Crew members: Please vote for your favorite label by sending a message to me by 5 December. I will tally up the votes and announce the winning design shortly thereafter. Thanks to all the contestants!
Note: I had an email from a wine director/sommelier friend who reminded me that it's not all about "strolling the dining room." And he's right. This is a business and has to be successful , just like any part of the wine biz. So, I am hopeful that people will read the whole post and see it for what it is: Not a blanket accusation against all sommeliers, but a question that asks, "where do you stand in all of this?" -AC
I?m in an Asian restaurant. On one side a party is drinking Gavi on another side Chilean Chardonnay. Across from me the couple is having a Chardonnay from California?s Central Coast. I?m trying a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile. There are no sommeliers to work the floor, but we all make it through the night, our palates intact.
Now it wasn?t a night that I?ll remember forever, but it was one in a string of nights, dining out, where it was just fine.
So what do we need a sommelier for?
With the market shrinking for wine stewards, economic slowdown, hours being cut, positions being eliminated, I have to imagine that there are not just a few sommeliers asking that question too. What am I doing? How do I support my family? Where is this leading? What have I gotten myself into?
Sure there are the Michael Jordans out there, somms who have carved out a niche for themselves. Larry O?Brien, Laura dePasquale, Greg Harrington,Doug Frost. And yes all of these fine folks have risen to the rank of the Master Sommelier, they?ve passed through hell and beyond. But for all those young lads and lassies who are crawling their way up the mountain, what are some of the biggest obstacles in their path?
I?d say that many of the ones I have been encountering lately suffer from the misperception that the world can?t live without them. Listen, the world will use every one of us in whatever way the fates decide. But to the young grasshoppers out there who really care to read to the end of this post, number 1 thing to note: The world doesn?t ?need? you.
Sound cruel? Get over it.
One of the cool things about the wine biz is how everyone talks to one another. Winemakers, reps, distribs, brokers, retailers, restaurateurs, export managers; it?s one extended cocktail party. Kind of like Twitter. It?s ongoing and there is no end to the conversation. And while there will be an occasional dominant thread, there will be no single person or wine who will or can dominate the room. It?s a party, remember?
The next big thing? Gruner, been there done that. Greek wine from Paros? Oh please. Biodynamic wine from Georgia? Yeah, tell that to the young couple who just came in for some spring rolls and a sashimi platter. Get real. Stop trying to discover wine and bleeding all over your customers with your new found close-out that you just ?discovered?. And please, stop thinking this is just about you, don?t pout, there are many out there who are thinking this way. Which makes it comical, because here we have these guys and gals going out and thinking they have just found the next ?it? wine and there about 20 of them who have just done the same exact thing.
Ok, you say I?m being hard on you? Wake up. Somms have so much more support to learn their trade these days. There are groups, there is the Court of Master Sommeliers, the Society of Wine Educators, the Institute of Master of Wine, various wholesalers and importers have their very own educational programs. Thirty years ago? Good luck getting a wine rep to bring you something from the Loire, or an Italian wine that wasn?t Bolla Soave or Fontana Candida Frascati.
I?m not saying you shouldn?t be interested in new and esoteric wines that are flooding the markets. But let?s put it in perspective. These are not bread-and-butter wines. They cannot sustain a restaurant or a sommelier, indefinitely. And unless you are a place like Catalan Food & Wine in Houston and have the intellectual curiosity of an Antonio Gianola and the traffic in the dining room to support an exemplary program like he has put together, than you need to learn to walk. First.
And one of the main messages that young sommeliers never seem to get, is that they walk tall because of the shoulders they stand upon. And they stand high because the shoulders are those of giants. A friend and a colleague, someone who has carved out their very own niche in this business as a broker (not an easy place, always between a rock and a hard spot) said it best, and I quote: ?I'm reminding buyers every single day that they better support the generations of winemakers who created a product for them to even have a 'career' these days.?
To even have a career these days, listen to those words, folks. We don?t need any more wine snobs; fortunately, that generation is dying off. And we don?t need any dilettantes. The god of Wine is clear about this; we are all soldiers, we are all one infinitesimal piece of a multi-millennial movement of the grape and humankind, working our way through earth, life and evolution to finer expressions of humanity and vinosity. There is no room for pomposity.
Remember, Columbus didn?t discover America. It was never missing.
So the next time you think you are the first one to have this idea, feeling or inspiration, by all means, be excited. But don?t go putting your byline below it. Or you will have legions of centurions to contend with. Open the bottle, enjoy it, share it, but don?t go thinking you are the god of Wine. Scores of Ancients, from the Greeks to the Romans will attest that is a road which goes deeper than the seven layers of Hell our dear friend Dante wrote about.
Tequila. Whether it conjures images of swarthy, ammo-strapped banditos sidled up to the bar in a captive Mexican border town or fantasies of idyllic hours in hammocks on tropical vacations, the word tequila is perhaps the most evocative in the drinker's lexicon.
Tequila's siren song is mysterious and sexy, with a hypnotic off-key recklessness. She lures you in by seducing your mind, secure in the knowledge that your body - and taste buds - will have no choice but to follow.
While this exotic spirit has tempted drinkers around the world for centuries, few of us who make margaritas a staple of summertime understand or appreciate the journey tequila has taken from Mexico's highlands to the local supermarket shelf. It's not all blender drinks and body shots. Tequila has a long and increasingly turbulent history - one that's almost as complex as the spirit itself.
Once Upon A Time In Mexico...
The tale of tequila is at least as long as the history of Europeans in North America. The spirit's precursor, mezcal wine, was produced shortly after the Spaniards arrived in the New World in 1521. Unaccustomed to drinking plain water (which, in their European homeland was rife with bacteria and bugs, and often a one-way ticket to the plague pit), the Conquistadors were eager to create a new alcoholic beverage. They found the makings at hand in pulque, a nutrient-packed brew derived from the fermented sap of agave plants, which had been a staple of the native diet millennia before the arrival of these thirsty men. The Conquistadors set to work distilling pulque into a drink considerably more potent, and in less than a century they were cultivating local agave and turning pulque into mezcal wine for exportation back to the Old World. Fortunately for generations of drinkers that followed, the Conquistadors never did know how to leave an indigenous people's traditions well enough alone; mezcal wine eventually evolved into the treat we now call tequila.
Though the origin of the word itself remains a mystery, it's believed that tequila was named for the small town of Tequila in the Jalisco state of Mexico. The "Father of Tequila," Don Pedro Sanches de Tagle, Marquis of Altamira, saw the potential for this potent liquor and established the first tequila factory in his hacienda in 1600. Over the next hundred years, tequila was used for everything from generating taxes for public works to curing New World illnesses. It became so popular, in fact, that Spain's king began to worry about the competition tequila was causing, and in 1785 banned production of all spirits in Mexico in order to promote the importation of Spanish wines and spirits. Unwilling to give up their livelihood to a monarch an ocean away, makers of mezcal wines simply continued their trade in secret - at times literally baking agave underground - until the ban was lifted when King Ferdinand IV took the throne the following decade.
The tequila manufacturer who remains perhaps the most famous today, Jose Antonio Cuervo, was the first licensed manufacturer in Mexico in 1758. His family's Casa Cuervo proved very profitable, by the mid-19th century boasting fields of over three million agave plants. Cuervo was the first distiller to put tequila in bottles instead of barrels, selling the first in 1906. Though other tequila distillers rose to compete with Cuervo and continue to join the market today (perhaps the most notable being Sauza), pioneer Cuervo remains the world's largest tequila manufacturer.
Improvements in transportation during the 19th century helped take the fruits of Mexican distillers' tequila labor into North America and beyond. As its popularity increased beyond Mexico's borders, tequila also experienced a growing reputation within the country during the revolution of the early 1900s, when the drink became a symbol of national pride. Caught in a nationalistic fervor, Mexicans quickly cast aside imports in favor of home-grown products of all kinds. Before long, tequila became synonymous with hard-living, fearless gunslingers like Pancho Villa - heroes of the era. In America, the Mexican favorite experienced a surge in popularity during Prohibition, when thirsty drinkers were tempted by tequila smuggled across the border, and again during WWII, when hostilities made European imports scarce.
Legend has it that the drink tequila made famous, the margarita, was first mixed in Mexico or a nearby state sometime between 1930 and 1955. The cocktail made its way into gringo hands, and no lime or Mexican flag on a toothpick has been safe since.
Don't Call It Cactus
Though often confused, mezcal and tequila are not one and the same. Both are distilled from the agave plant, a succulent from the same family as the lily and the amaryllis, but only liquors made from the blue agave are called tequila. Contrary to popular belief, agave is not a cactus. Though agave shares a common habitat with many prickly cacti neighbors, it has a different life cycle, and there are 136 Mexican species in its own unique agave family.
The process of creating tequila begins when the blue agave plant ripens, usually eight to 12 years after planting. Because the plant must be ripe enough to have sufficient sugars for fermentation, a jimador first performs the crucial task of chopping leaves away from the plant's core to assess its ripeness. If the plant is deemed ready, the core - or piña - is cut away and taken to a distillery for roasting in furnaces called hornos. After roasting, the piñas are shredded, and the juices pressed out and placed in vats or fermenting tanks. Once in the vats, yeast is added to the juices to convert the sugars of the agave to alcohol. These agents are so vital to the process and to creating unique tastes in tequila that distillers keep very tight-lipped about their individual yeasts. The resulting juices then ferment 30 to 48 hours before undergoing distillation twice. The outcome is a rich, potent, colorless liquid between 70 and 110 proof. The color comes later, brought on by wooden barrel aging, or from the addition of caramel or wood essence. In the final step of processing, most tequila is filtered through cellulose filters or activated carbon before bottling.
Protecting a National Treasure
Mexicans are understandably proud and protective of their national alcoholic spirit, and between World Wars I and II, the Mexican government began efforts to closely monitor production and distribution of tequila. In 1944, the government decreed that any product called tequila had to be made by distilling agave in the state of Jalisco. Today, there are only five regions where tequila can be legally made; most are in the semi-arid plateaus and highlands of Jalisco and the adjoining states of Guanajuato, Michoacan and Nayarit, and
the northeastern state of Tamaulipas.
To help guarantee the quality of tequila, in 1978 the Normas Oficial Mexicana (NOM) was established, regulating all agricultural, industrial and commercial processes related to the spirit. Since then, the industry has continued to grow, with more than 50,000 hectares of agave under cultivation and more than 500 brands of tequila available today. To help control the burgeoning industry, the Tequila Regulatory Council (TRC) was founded in 1994 to oversee industry production, quality and standards.
The fundamental standard set by these oversight agencies categorizes tequila based on the percentage of blue agave juice it contains. Tequila 100 percent Agave must be made with solely blue agave juices and bottled in Mexico. Tequila or "ordinary tequila" must be made with at least 51 percent blue agave juices and may be exported in bulk for bottling in other countries according to the NOM standard.
Which tequilas are "best" is primarily a matter of individual taste. With increasing manufacturers pumping cash into spiffy packaging, sexy bottles and glossy ads, a more expensive tequila doesn't necessarily mean a better product. There are numerous quality tequilas available for $20-$50 USD. Most brands available for under $20 are usually mixto (not 100 percent agave) and are mass-produced for local markets. A good and tasty way to find a favorite is to sample a wide variety of brands in the different styles: Blanco for its young, rough edge and rich agave flavor; Reposado, which is sharp and peppery; and the woody, smooth Anejo. Trying to settle on a personal favorite is a good excuse to work one's way across the tequila shelf at the local bar, one bottle at a time.
Tequila's Uncertain Future
While tequila has a good-time reputation as the key ingredient of backyard fiestas and frat parties, there's a dark side to this South-of-the-Border libation. The popularity of Mexico's national treasure has, in some ways, caused tequila more harm than good. Growing demand has led to discontent among agave farmers who, in 1996, organized a protest against exploitation by some producers. Their blockade ultimately cost the industry millions, and the loss was passed on to consumers via price increases.
Another blow struck the tequila industry in 1997, when producer Don Jesus Lopez Roman was killed in a gangland-style execution outside his factory. Roman, whose Tequila San Matias distillery was founded in 1884, had become unpopular after taking a vocal stance in support of bottling all tequilas in Mexico and banning bulk exports to ensure content and quality. His murder remains unsolved.
If labor disputes and murder aren't enough, a recent plague of pests, diseases and impending shortage of agave has led to potential crisis. Faced with spiraling agave costs, several distillers have discontinued their low-end brands to concentrate on their premium, higher-priced tequilas. The buzz among bartenders is that as availability of blue agave declines, the price of tequila will rise and quality may not go along for the ride.
But those who love tequila for its unique, sultry taste and colorful history won't be dissuaded by these natural and man-made dramas. As the Conquistadors discovered, once you've been captivated by this ancient spirit, there's no turning back from tequila.
RECIPES
True aficionados say the only way to enjoy tequila is straight up, but these tasty recipes are definitely worth a shot.
1 1/2 oz. tequila
1 oz. Galliano
1 oz. Blue Curaçao
Cream
Shake tequila, Galliano and Curaçao with ice, and strain into cocktail glass. Float cream on top.
How to Drink Tequila
Leave lime-and-salt shooters to the chain restaurant happy hour and sip tequila slowly. This is a rich, complex liquor that deserves full sensory attention.
Serve tequila at room temperature (though those who like it icy can keep a bottle in the freezer).
Enjoy Tequila Blanco and Reposado from a traditional "caballito" glass; sniff the aromatic Anejo from a snifter.
Serve up Blanco and Reposado with a "sangrita" made of tomato and orange juice with salt and chili.
When drinking tequila on the town, ask your server to bring the bottle and pour it in your presence to be sure you get the gusto you deserve (and the brand you actually ordered).
What About That Worm?
Everyone's heard tales of folks who ate the worm in a bottle of tequila and were rendered temporarily able to glimpse into a parallel universe. Truth is, tequila worms and their supposed visionary properties are the stuff of Hollywood movies and high school urban legends. One will never see a worm in Mexican-bottled tequila, though some U.S. bottlers toss in a critter for novelty.
If you're really hankering for a worm with your booze, it's possible to find some types of mezcal that include a gusano or "butterfly caterpillar" in the bottle. Even this isn't a Mexican tradition. Those in the know say the addition of worms was a marketing ploy developed in the 1940s - the drinkers' equivalent of the toy prize in cereal boxes.
I think this is rather important and pleasing news for the South African wine industry.
"The government has rejected an application from a South African-born scientist and his business partners to sell genetically modified yeast to local wine producers, saying it cannot risk jeopardizing the industry?s access to key European markets."
The modified yeasts may have made the winemaking process easier and perhaps resulted in more consistently good wine - but I applaud the decision and believe we should strive for more organic solutions and less preservatives in both wine and all that we consume on a day to day basis .
What do you think? Are you pro genetically modified yeasts in wine?
Never play cards with any man named 'Doc.' Never eat at any place called 'Mom's.' And never, ever, no matter what else you do in your life, sleep with anyone whose troubles are worse than your own. -- Nelson Algren
Without man's innate urge to take risks, we'd all still be sitting around drawing on cave walls, grunting and belching. Fortunately, our daring ancestors ventured forth into the dangerous world and created civilization. Which means today we can take our risks in small doses, like sitting around a dining table playing poker... and grunting and belching.
If you haven't smugly riffled a newly won stack of poker chips in a smoke-filled room surrounded by smelly guys swilling beer and cursing, then you haven't lived. You can leave the martinis, Baccarat and double-breasted dinner jackets to James Bond and his crumbled-British-Empire ilk. If you're an American man, playing poker's part of your heritage.
Our nation was founded on the idea of taking chances. This country was built by a bunch of rowdy guys who liked drinking and taking risks, and didn't like being told what to do. This is precisely why poker -- that most American of card games -- couldn't have been invented anywhere else. The father of our country, George Washington, who also happened to brew his own beer, was known to host card games in his tent during the Revolutionary War -- a war in which, it's important to remember, our opponent held the far better cards. Against all odds, those stalwart colonial souls managed to back up their bluff and rake in the rich pot that included freedom, democracy, self-determination and the deed to several hundred thousand acres of prime real estate. Some years later (in the mid-1800s), poker as we know it today was invented in the American West. So, if our founding fathers hadn't played and won, we'd be as lacking in cultural identity as our floundering Canadian cohorts up north, eh? (Note to Canadians: Please address your letters to the editor, RE: Canadian Cultural Identity Crisis.)
It's estimated some 60 million Americans play poker regularly. Some play for their love of gambling, some for their love of money, some to escape the humdrum routine of their lives, and some just for their fondness for camaraderie. Whether you win or lose, whether you know when to hold 'em or know when to fold 'em, gathering around a table with a group of pals, a deck of cards, stacks of colored chips, and some eats and drinks is one of the hallowed traditions of the American male.
The human instinct to gamble with fate is probably as old as...well, human instinct. The Ancient Greeks believed the lofty Gods of Mount Olympus threw dice to divide up the world. (Crude dice have been found in most ancient civilizations.) Roman soldiers cast lots for Jesus' robes. Julius Caesar conquered Gaul to pay off gambling debts. It's a fair bet that amoebas floundering in the early primordial soup wagered on who'd be the first to make it out of the bog.
Poker differs greatly from the games of pure chance in casinos. Gamblers, whether they bet on the roll of the dice or the spin of a roulette wheel, are generally betting against the odds. Smart gamblers know this, but it hasn't stopped gaming from becoming one of the most successful business enterprises. Skillful poker players use their knowledge to wager only on favorable odds. Gamblers are romantics looking forward to what might happen.
Accomplished poker players are realists betting on what should happen. Of course in poker, as in most endeavors, what should happen isn't always what does happen.
Fortunately in poker, as in life, you don't have to be good at it to like it. (Though I'm sure those who are absolutely no good are welcome and regular guests at many a poker table.) You just have to enjoy yourself.
>> There are no Miranda Rights in poker; anything you say and do can and will be used against you.
A man's character is stripped bare at the poker table. Friends will notice things about you that you've never even noticed yourself. These things are called "tells" -- signs you give off indicating what type of hand you have. If you hold chips in your left hand before betting, or always pull on your ear when you're bluffing, rest assured some savvy soul at the table is aware of it. There are no Miranda Rights in poker; anything you say and do can and will be used against you.
Being a good poker player requires something few people do in today's short-attention-span society: paying close attention to everything. Because poker's as much about people as it is about cards, and how we live influences how we play. There are those who play and live cold and conservative, striving to avoid risk, and those who play and live brash and full of bluster. There are players in the games of life and poker who'll never bet unless the odds are actually in their favor. If you can't spot the sheep waiting to be sheared at the table by the time you've quaffed your first beer, there's a good chance it's you. But in a friendly game always remember that you can shear a sheep many times, but you can only skin him once.
You don't have to have the best cards to win, either. You just have to play the best. And every hand is different, depending on what you choose to do with it.
If you enjoy bluffing your way through life -- and getting away with it -- then you probably get a major adrenaline rush by stealing a healthy pot knowing your opponents have you beat. The bluffing element of poker sets it apart from almost all other games and pursuits. You can't pretend to have the best hand and win in bridge or blackjack. You can't pretend you're a great mountain climber and conquer Kilimanjaro any more than you can bluff your way through the Iron Man Triathlon. So many human endeavors are cut and dried; if you say you're the best, there's only one way to prove it. This is the very beauty of poker. After all, isn't this what we all want?
In every deck of 52 cards there are 2,598,960 possible five-card poker hands. The bad news is that you're only going to be dealt one of them. The better news is that there's always the chance, the possibility, that you can transform whatever cards you hold into the winning hand.
That's why poker's never dull. The game has thousands of variants, and all it requires is your group of buddies, a deck of cards and some chips. It's always better if you switch the venue and the responsibility for providing the eats and drinks. And you can bring as much, or as little, flair to your poker night as you like.
If you're like me, you started with Budweiser, smelly Swisher Sweets and nickel-dime-quarter games. Over the years my friends and I have graduated to imports in both our beer and cigar preferences, and the same red, white and blue chips have grown to represent much larger sums. It's not fun without the risk of losing a bit more than you should, and you can't win if you don't play.
If you're really a gambler (this most superstitious of species) you'll of course have a good-luck token of some type, whether it's the old Dunes $5 chip you didn't cash in before the implosion, your tattered boxers emblazoned with the Queen of Hearts, the filthy Cubs cap you bought at Wrigley the year they were going to go all the way (but didn't -- again) or maybe even a silk smoking jacket. Poker is more psychology than sophistication. Studies have shown there's a real psychological boost from believing in a good-luck piece and that gamblers actually get an adrenaline surge as if they were in a fight-or-flight situation. Jonny Chan, former World Series of Poker champion, was always known to place an orange beside him when he played, though he never ate it. Stories abound about how many people have offered him absurd amounts of money for his orange, which he never sells. Having others believe in your good-luck charm never hurts.
Whether you carry an edible good-luck piece or not, poker night requires sustenance. You need fuel to keep you going during the hours you're spending trying to outwit your opponents. The history of eating and playing cards goes back even further than the Earl of Sandwich, who actually invented the snack that bears his name as a way to eat without getting his hands greasy and without missing a moment at the card table.
While it's not as exciting if there's no money involved, your game should never be too serious. You can play to win money or to have fun, but doing both is the best. Dealer's choice allows the deal to rotate around the table, with each person given a chance to deal whatever game he chooses. In the old days they used to place a silver dollar, one buck, in front of the person whose turn it was to deal. This ultimately became a cliche when President Truman, an avid poker player, declared: "The Buck Stops Here."
When we play poker, the games run the gamut from the classic 5-Card Draw of the Old West to 7-Card Stud, 7-Card No-Peeky, Baseball, Black Mariah, Chicago, 2-22, Guts, Lo-Ball, Omaha, Acey-Deucy, 3-Card Monte and several of our own twisted variants. It's good to have a healthy and eclectic mix of games, some where skill plays out along with some of the whimsical games of pure dumb luck that the poor players and drunks always enjoy and often win.
Each pack of cards holds within it the possibility of millions of different outcomes every single time we deal. In life and poker we can't all be winners, but we certainly can't win if we're not in the big game. And not knowing what'll happen, well, that's the real beauty of this poker game called life anyway, isn't it? That's exactly why life is such a big deal, after all. Anything might happen.
>> If you can't spot the sheep waiting to be sheared at the table by the time you've quaffed your first beer, then there's a good chance it's you.
>> HISTORY OF THE CARDS
Wild Bill Hickok and the Dead Man's Hand: Legend has it that Hickok always sat in the back corner of the saloon so he could see who was arriving, but eager to get in a high-stakes poker game that had only one seat open, he took a seat with his back to the door. He was shot in the back while holding two pair, black aces and eights, ever after known as the Dead Man's Hand.
ACES OF SPADES: Believed by many the world over to be an omen of evil, and known in the Far East as the "Card of Death." In 1966, the U.S. Playing Card Company produced several million decks composed solely of aces of spades for use as a secret weapon in Vietnam. They were dropped on the Front and said to have struck terror into the Viet Cong.
HIGH FLYING CARDS: Apollo 14 astronauts took specially made flameproof decks of cards for use in the 100% oxygen atmosphere of Skylab.
INVENTION OF PLAYING CARDS: Because they invented paper, and because it's almost unfathomable to imagine a culture having paper and not making cards, the Chinese are generally credited with the invention of playing cards.
HISTORY IN THE CARDS: Before the invention of printing, the Italians are known to have produced hand-painted playing cards of four suits (though cards were first mass-produced by the Germans very shortly after Gutenberg's invention of the printing press and were one of the first things to roll off after the Bible). In the Middle Ages the suits were set up to reflect contemporary society with hearts (cups or chalices) representing the Church; spades (or swords), the military; diamonds, the wealth of the merchant class; and Clubs
the peasantry.
FACES OF HISTORY: Originally the four kings represented the four civilizations that begat Western culture: the Greeks, the Romans, the Hebrews and the Holy Roman Empire. Today's images are much the same as the symbolic ones chosen centuries ago. The king of spades is the Biblical King David carrying the sword of Goliath; the king of hearts is Charlemagne; the king of diamonds wielding a battle-ax is Julius Caesar, who appears in profile because the only surviving images of him were profiles on Roman coinage; and the king of clubs is Alexander the Great, who holds an orb representing the world he conquered. Most of these original symbols hold true on today's cards, though cards as we know them truly became popular when English soldiers of the Tudor era returned home with the concepts after serving in France, adorning the royal face cards in Elizabethan Age garb. The colored roses held by the queens represent the ending of the War of the Roses.
POKER RULES: The first book to codify the rules of poker was compiled in 1871 by the U.S. ambassador to England, at the request of Queen Victoria, whom he had introduced to the game. The current authority on poker and all card game rules is the famous "Book of Hoyle," hence, the phrase "according to Hoyle" for something done by the rules.
2003 Embriux Priorat de Vall Llach $35 Wine label said: Wrong language! The bottle is no help! Vineyard66 says: This another of my series of Spanish wines, as we will be there next year and I’m doing my homework. The web tells me that Embruix means “betwiching” in Spanish, but also that it is primarily Cabernet and Grenache blend [...]
It seems the car accident has been cleaned up and traffic is back to moving at a normal pace after last week’s New Vine Logistics closure. The mouth agape panic coupled with “they sucked anyway …” schadenfreude has now given way to a collective, “Hmm ... what happens next?”
News reports indicate that Inertia Beverage Group has stepped in with bridge debt financing to get New Vine Logistics (NVL) operational while they do the equivalent of estate management for the deceased.
The Wines & Vines article practically reads like magnanimous customer charity on the part of Inertia, but there’s more to it, methinks.
As much as I would like to think this is about the wineries immediately impacted in the abrupt closing, I really think it’s still about Amazon.com and the NVL software.
In addition, in the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I worked for Inertia from September of ’06 to February of ’08 – it was an inestimable 18-month rollercoaster ride that included about 150,000 air miles, and the attendant challenges you sign-up for when working for an early stage company supported by what I affectionately refer to as OPM – “Other People’s Money.”
I’m proud of my accomplishments in that brief time. We put the Direct-to-Trade program operationally in place, paid for Hinman & Carmichael San Francisco Giants season tickets 5X over by double-checking compliance issues, and booked the first business through the system while signing up almost 50 wineries, all while working with finite resources (read: a powerpoint slide deck).
Never did go to AT&T Park, either.
Context aside, I need to further note that while I am still friends with a couple of the folks at Inertia, I have NOT talked to anybody about the New Vine Logistics situation. My opinions hereafter are precognitive and based on circumstantial logic.
Logically, I would say Inertia wants to work with Amazon.com in a big way. Logically, I would say Inertia cares more about the NVL/Amazon.com relationship and the NVL software than they do anything else related to NVL, including the customers and the facilities.
Amazon.com getting into the wine business has the opportunity to radically change the playing field in online wine commerce.
Now, mind you, this whole “Amazon.com gets into the wine business” thing didn’t turn up overnight. Nor did Amazon.com happen to choose New Vine Logistics without doing some industry due diligence. Ahem, read into that what you will, it’s not anything you couldn’t hear at Boon Fly Café over breakfast. But, Amazon did some due diligence and having NVL assets now gives Inertia a chip to play and a relationship to build upon.
Amazon.com working directly with wineries is a threat to a company like Inertia, without their involvement, a completely different ball game than a wine.com (a retail play) or americanwinery.com who sells essentially on consignment.
NVL has a back-end platform. Inertia has a front-end platform. Amazon.com can bring customer scale, using their own front-end, in conjunction with the NVL back-end platform.
If Amazon.com gets in the game in a big way would anybody buy direct from a winery web site, Inertia’s bread and butter? Uh, no, just like we don’t buy books straight from the publishers. Fundamentally, that would be a threat to the Inertia business which is predicated on winery sales volume through their software.
The Inertia acquisition of NVL debt and assets squelches those risks.
For further food for thought, note that, according to TechCrunch, Inertia CEO Ted Jansen is noted as an “angel investor” in Snooth, effectively also hedging his bets in the other prevailing business model for online wine commerce, which is essentially a search-to-tasting note-to-retail commerce mechanism.
So, Inertia and/or Ted Jansen has the Inertia business of a winery selling directly to a consumer, the software assets for NVL and a relationship with Amazon.com selling wine to a consumer, a stake in Snooth, and for good measure the Direct-to-Trade platform which can also benefit from NVL infrastructure.
That’s what you call an Octopus playing baseball with four gloves.
Last week I wrote that the value in New Vine Logistics, from Amazon’s perspective, wasn’t the customers, it wasn’t the facilities, it was the software.
That still holds true today given a lot more disinfecting sunlight.
So, was I wrong last week when I speculated that Amazon.com might be bleeding out NVL? Who knows, I don’t think anybody truly knows what Amazon.com is thinking, but it appears that they are proceeding into the wine business and the process of going through the bloody mess to learn the truth in the court of public examination won’t be necessary.
With apologies to the wineries who have unnecessarily been injured in this fracas, I have to note – unfortunate though it may be, In my opinion, I was fundamentally right—it’s the software that has the inherent value, and not the immediate revenue or customers. Nor is it the wine shipping facilities, which will likely be spun out to another purchaser.
Make no mistake, this Inertia/NVL/Amazon.com thing isn’t about the here and now – it’s not about a winery shipping a club shipment this week – it’s about the future of direct-to-consumer wine business.
Amazon gets what it ultimately wants which seems to be a monogamous date to the dance without a long-term commitment and Inertia gets what it wants which seems to be a hedge against whichever direction the online wine market shifts.
My guess is that while there may be some sore customers in the short-term, in the long-term this winnowing and re-trenching will prove to be a good move for Inertia and the industry.
*Disclaimer –I do want to note that I realize this post is entirely speculative. I’ll buy a round of drinks if I end up being wrong, money I don’t think I’ll have to spend, but this is my opinion without any first hand knowledge. This NVL/Amazon.com thing will turn out to be significant and the core aspect of this shakeout. Take it for exactly the $0.02 cents its worth.
* Note* The Amazon.com wine glass photo is courtesy of winecast.net
*Update* - Tom Wark from Wark Communications, PR counsel for Inertia Beverage Group notes in the comments that Ted Jansen is not an investor in Snooth. I took attribution for that “fact” from a Tech Crunch article dated January 16, 2009. In the same article, it is mentioned that Ted is an Advisory Board Member for Snooth, as well. The TechCrunch article is linked from the Snooth web site under the Media section, without apparent correction to the record.
Anyone who hasn't yet discovered Paso Robles wines is missing some of the most interesting and dynamic wines that California has to offer. And anyone who hasn't discovered Paso Robles, would do well to mosey on down there for their 27th Annual Wine Festival in a couple of weeks. Once a sleepy undiscovered little wine town, Paso has become the epicenter of a wine explosion in the last decade with wineries popping up like Spring crocuses every year. The limestone terroir of western Paso Robles in particular is producing some absolutely stunning Syrahs and other Rhone Varietals that every wine lover in California should know about.
The Wine Festival takes place over a (usually sunny) weekend in May. Starting off with events and dinners held at wineries around the area on Friday, the event culminates in a Grand Tasting in the town park on Saturday, which is certainly the highlight of the weekend and should be the goal for anyone looking to learn more about the area's wine.
At only a three hour drive from San Francisco, it makes for a very nice weekend trip should you feel inclined.
Paso Robles Wine Festival Grand Tasting Saturday May 16th, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Paso Robles Downtown City Park Paso Robles, CA 93447
Remember to wear something you don't mind spilling red wine on; drink lots of water; make sure you have a full stomach; and spit out the wine if you want to actually learn something and avoid a nasty headache the next day. And for this event, I also recommend sunscreen and a sun hat.
I got a call from IWG, he was heading out, could I come over and watch his house and his tomato plants? $100 a day to look after the old man?s crap, sure why not? As the taxi pulled up he was rushing to catch up with his adventure. ?Where are you going?? I asked. ?To a place where these cell phones and internets don?t go.? ?When will you be back?? We were changing places in the cab. ?I?ll be back soon. Just watch the house, don?t let your friends leave anything in their cars if they park in front of the house. And one more thing, that interview with the Italian wine sommelier, why don?t you test drive it around my blog?? He handed me the keys to his silver bullet, cool, quick German sedan and told me to drive safe. Yeah. Uh huh.
After popping a bottle of Saten and settling in for the weekend, nothing new but Slumdog Millionaire on his DVD shelf, I called my friend and polished off the interview along with the bottle of bubbly.
I?m young and underemployed, but free. But some of my somm-buddies, here and in Italy are pushed to a breaking point. Lots of work, not a lot of money, working on all the days when everyone wants to be playing, and watching all the old folks having time and money. Meh.
So here?s my rough-form, this so-called Interview with an Italian sommelier.
My friend Andrea has been a sommelier in a pretty fancy place, lot of alto-borghese types ordering Patron and Sassicaia. The past six months have been a major pain. Hours cut, inventory cut, customer count down, cost per bottle average down. Not what Andrea thought when getting seduced into this business.
First question: So, Andrea, tell me what are people drinking? Andrea- more quartinos than bottles, more glasses than quartinos. Our normal clientele usually were high rolling types. I think they still want to be, but their resources have disappeared. So they come in and order a Barbera instead of a Barolo, and a Rosso di Montalcino instead of a Brunello.
Q- And there?s something wrong with that? Aren?t those wines pretty goods these days? A- Senza dubbio, indeed. But I really wonder if they liked those wines in the first place or if they just come in to order them because they think someone wants them to like them because of their place in the society. Do you know what I mean?
Q- No I don?t. A- Well, this society worships title and prestige. Everyone wants to drive in Ferrari, wearing Dolce & Gabbana, drinking the finest wine in the world. And here it is like the higher you can make yourself to appear, the closer you will get to the people who have what you want. And with wine, it might become a status symbol too, but did it start out that way? Did Monfortino decide to become unbearably precious so long ago?
Q- Oh, that. Italian Wine Guy has been ranting about the price of wine lately, but I thought it was just because of the mark ups he has seen lately in his markets. A- I don?t know about that, but I have read recently a good piece in the American wine press from Matt Kramer where he talks about a bottle of wine costing not more than ?12 to make. And then he talked about a Chilean wine that was selling in the States for about $12 that he really liked. Maybe my clientele are finding that they like Barbera or Rosso do Montalcino for that reason.
Q- Yeah. Well that?s if your manager or accountant doesn?t get greedy. I have a friend who is a bartender at an Italian place and they just got a great review. And what was the first thing they did? They raised the price of all the food menu items $2 and then they started raising the wine prices. A bottle of Chianti Classico that they paid $11 for they already had at $46 and they want to raise even more? A- Maybe they don?t have as many people coming in and they need to keep the doors open.
Q- They won?t make it through the summer if they do. But enough about what I?m seeing, over here most of the folks except crazy-wonderful Antonio think they have to mark things up like they?re a gentleman?s club? A- Gentleman?s club?
Q- Lap dance place A- Oh. Yes they mark up high here to in those places. So I?m told by friends who go there.
Q- Tell me when you buy wine from a producer, let?s say one from Piedmont, what do you expect in the way of price? A- I think everyone here knows the relative price. We all have friends at wineries so we know the ex-cellar price, more or less. And if there is a middleman, or a broker, there is a commission. We all expect that. But a Barbera, selling for ?4-6 comes to us for ?6-8. And we sell it for ?12-14. Everyone takes a piece but no one takes too big of a bite.
Q- What are you drinking, enjoying, pushing these days? A- I love the Sylvaner from Alto-Adige. And the crisp Pigato from Liguria. I found a Gamay from Umbria that I currently love, and the Lacrima di Morro d'Alba right now is drinking bellissimo. We have this sexy Aglianico rose and a sparkling wine from Sardegna, dry Moscato, really a nice aperitivo. Red wine, right now we are featuring three Montepulciano d? Abruzzos from people who have had a hard time since the earthquake. We are marking up a little more and donating 50% of the selling price to the rescue and rebuilding efforts. And of course we have a nice Barbera d?Asti and a Rosso di Montalcino.
Q- How is Brunello now? A- We are still looking at the 2003 stocks and worrying we will miss out on the 2004. The 2005 we don?t think are as nice. So maybe the Chinese and the Indian markets will get all the 2004?
Q- Well, I don?t know. You know the Italians. They do pretty well in a crisis when they know they are in one. A- Yes, but this crisis will need more than the superpowers of Dr. Zaia.
Q- I hear more from my friends here that getting a sommelier certification doesn?t get you the dream job? How about your life, how goes that? A- I think people want too much to be important and famous without thinking about if their life will have meaning or not. I don?t care too much about any further letters after my name. You know, it Italy it is a mania. Everyone is a Dottore.
Q- One last question, Andrea. Do you have any special plans for summer? A- If I can I want to go to the southern part of Elba and lie on the beach and drink Vermentino and eat fresh seafood. That is my thought for a great vacation this year. And you?
Q- I don?t know. I was hoping the Italian wine guy would go away so I can use his pool and his car and raid his wine closet, like I did last year. Or I might go hiking in Yosemite. A- Well you are always welcome in our world.
Q- Thanks, Andrea. We?ll see. And thanks for talking with me about wine and things. A- Ma prego si figuri.
Orogeny Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2004 $22 Rabbi Tuchman says: We were invited to a friends house for lobster on Father’s day. Yeah, it’s a tough gig. Since we tend to drink more red wine, it was my mission to pick up some Chardonnay while I was out shopping for the meal. I tend to struggle [...]
Have an amazing evening and above all - drink some great wine and champagne!
2008 promises to be an exciting year for The Cru so stay tuned!
To begin with I will be releasing a new look Cru in the next two weeks - it's going to a lot easy to navigate around and hopefully it will make finding your favourite South African wine that much easier and more enjoyable!
Until then have a great evening and enjoy the chosen Pouza!
Somewhere in the haze of polemic wine punditry, where every old idea can be given a fresh coat of paint and proffered as original thought, Napa got caught up in the overripe wine discussion, lumped in with the hegemony of “Parker’s Palate,” given “poster boy” status.
With my decidedly ‘New World’ palate, it’s a subject I find of interest, if for no other reason than to explore a categorical rebuke that can’t possibly be as tidy as others may make it seem.
Simply, in my worldview, there has to be striations in this “Parker’s Palate” category.
Surely, we’re not all tasting the same thing and throwing entire categories of wines into this bucket … entire categories like “Napa Cab,” for example.
Here’s my take: in the realm of New World wine styles, where 14% + alcohol and French new oak are de facto standards, most Napa Cabs, flagships for California wine, are unnecessarily painted with the black brush of ill repute, the Scarlet Letter of what’s wrong with the domestic wine scene, reactionary victims to the power of one man, caught up in the collateral wreckage.
Simply, I do not, have not, and will not buy into the notion that Napa Cabs, as a category, are overripe, unctuous, hedonistic fruit bombs.
Dare I say it, but I would go to the extent to say most Napa Cabs have an acid streak that makes them food-friendly, provided that food is a steak, ideally off a grill.
Now, this whistling in the wind on my part shouldn’t be an indicator that I don’t believe these offending candy-like wines exist – they do, I’ve tasted them. In fact, I find that many (not all) Australian Shiraz, Central Coast Rhone reds, Lodi Zins, and Argentinean Malbec’s fall into that grapey, oaked, viscous, vanillin, “what the hell do you eat with this” category.
Just not Napa Cab.
No, these are steakhouse wines. Foils for a porterhouse, or bone-in ribeye, but not foils for the quasi-Old World, draping themselves in food-friendliness; the anti-Parker contingent.
If anything, brush them with the acceptable “New World” brush, just not the “Parker’s Palate” brush that immediately polarizes …
Call them expense account, wood-paneled, ego-driven powerful wines, just don’t lump them into the Parker bucket of offensive wines.
Here are three good ones, all would be dandy with a grilled hunk of red meat … all have enough backbone and nuance to complement a memorable meal.
2004 Cornerstone Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
2002 Trefethen Oak Knoll District Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Merryvale Starmont Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Josh Hermsmeyer, the guy behind the must read Pinotblogger site, has issued a challenge to all wine bloggers and will reward the winner with a prize of up to $1,000 depending upon how many respond to his call. In a nutshell, he is asking us to answer two questions:
Why are you passionate about wine/what motivates you to blog about it?
Is it appropriate for a wine reviewer to prescribe the ways in which a wine should be made or is their job chiefly to review what?s in the bottle?
Times being what they are, I will attempt to answer these somewhat provocative questions and perhaps give you some more insight into what makes amateur wine writers tick. Or at least how I come at this craft.
So the first question is pretty straightforward. I blog and podcast about wine because I can and like to do so. Like a lot of wine bloggers, I was the guy everyone asked for wine tips so I found it easier to just write them down and record reviews. Now I just point people here for my picks as opposed to trying to remember them at will. My podcasting got me into blogging due to the same software being used (Wordpress). It was easy to blog so I did so soon after I started to podcast in late 2004. I got into podcasting after something clicked with me in September of 2004 when I first discovered the genre. At the time there was something like 25 podcasts but no one was doing anything about wine so Winecast was born. Over the years the podcast has ebbed and flowed but I still will be posting shows and continuing until I don’t find it enjoyable. So I guess I do this because I love wine and like sharing what little I know about it. I had much the same answer a couple years back but with a slightly different spin.
The second question is a bit more complicated. I think Josh is asking this in response to Robert Parker’s recent statements about wine bloggers (or shall I say “blobbers”?). Mr. Parker has long been accused of influencing winemaking styles in order to garner higher scores which many times leads to more demand and higher prices. The biggest beneficiaries of his ratings has been the classified growths of Bordeaux but some Cali cult wines and Aussie Shiraz has benefited, too. And I don’t blame any producers for making such changes in order to get the scores. It helps sell their wine but is also something that I hope we will get away from in the next decade as Mr. Parker retires and drinks down his cellar.
Wine writers of any level should tell the story of the wine they are reviewing and not dictate what that story should be. Sometimes this is a terroir story, sometimes it’s not. For a review to communicate the essence of the wine, as much context as possible is required. I’ve not delivered on this ideal as much as I would have liked in the past but hope to help invent the new language of wine reviews going forward. We’ll see.
In the meantime, I’ll keep trying new things to communicate how a wine moves me. Wine is a living being that is in constant change. Those of us who write about it should respect this and attempt to bring all the nuances displayed in the glass into our writing.
In the realm of the online world where the level of sympathy ranges from disconnectedly concerned to, “Glad it’s not me,” I find myself feeling genuinely sad after reading that wine writer Alice Feiring is on the cusp of discontinuing her blog, Veritas in Vino.
Usually a blog’s death is slow and painful as it slides into a catatonic state of neglect before dying of loneliness, with a commensurate amount of final mourners.
Rare is the occasion when the plug is pulled, Kevorkian liberation regardless of circumstance.
Yet, Alice intimates just that – imminent blog death by her own hand.
In a blog post on the 10th of June, Alice recounts an exchange she had with another professional writer who bemoans the devaluation of the writing craft. Alice, herself a lover of the long form, where research and cultivation of the art of telling a story is respected and valued with a monetary return for the author, is beginning to chafe at the chutzpah of Editors offering little more than exposure and nothing that comes close to affording a baguette and a glass of vin de pays, le Americain style.
As she notes on her site (excerpted):
Think of it before you jump all over us. The popularity of the blog has reduced writing to a 500-word postage stamp norm, and usually given away for free. For free. While a digest of words can be a fun exercise in craft, the indulgence the 2000- to 5000 word article was nirvana. Yes, the fee was great, but the process was the thrill and one that we exercised our chops for. And often took a pledge of borderline poverty before, because it was worth it. But now borderline is the real thing. Words and writers are no longer valued. Is it because of the blog? Oh no. For sure. But now the expectation is words are free.
I get a few requests a week for categories and topics readers would like to see here. I ask them, that’s great, but would you be willing to pay, $30 a year for it? Invariably the answer is, oh no. Not willing to go there yet.
And so bloggers who have jobs that pay the bills other than writing, please take no offense. No offense is meant. But this is a lament, from those of us who have bet our lives on the written word, whether the subject is art, music, politics, literature or wine, our lives are changing. And this particular blog is close to retirement.
But yes, I will clean up business, I’ll spill you about Austria, and there are a few words about Muscadet and a few more points to hammer before shutting the store. And then? Who knows.
It’s not hard to understand Feiring’s perspective. A writer who has spent her professional life cultivating a body of work and a point of view is suddenly and swiftly asked to give the milk away for free from Editors who sit on high using the rubric of “traffic” and “exposure.” This, coupled with thoughtful wine writing assignments, which are becoming as scarce as “value” wine articles are becoming plentiful, makes it hard to justify why a writer would continue to do their craft without separating from the morass of hobbyists.
Surely, a coroner who dispenses free counsel nights and weekends would excise that task if his practice suffered as a result, particularly under the weight of CSI TV show enthusiasts.
These are easy dots to connect, a writer largely does give it away for free in the digital media, particularly when blogging, so the translation is, “if you do it there, why not do it here.”
However, Feiring isn’t just another no name writer seeking a check for lifeless words that are fed into the daily maw of information consumption.
No, she is a singular voice that represents a singular point of view in American wine.
And, as she well knows, every cause needs a champion. She might be just the champion to herald in a paying complement to the larger pay-to-play wine outlets, Advocate, Spectator and Robinson.
The answers are available, too. Her web site could use a refresh with something akin to a navigational structure, and she could, indeed, charge for her content, adding the things that readers want to see – categories, topics and the longer pieces that fit into the paid work and the blogging that is akin to giving the milk away for free.
Simply, I’m not ready to bid adieu to this writer online, relegated to searching for the random byline in Saveur or The New York Times magazine.
No, this is a writer I’d be willing to pay for.
So, I humbly ask of Alice to reconsider and implore her to make an investment in her online writing. Redesign the web site, double down your efforts and tackle the challenges that face wine writers and, yes, charge for it.
I’ll be your first subscriber.
In doing so, not only might she save the world from Parkerization, but she might save wine writers, too.
*Update*
Comments are not currently working for the site. I’m working on the fix.
In an age of backlash against big-business agriculture and of increasing value placed on local, sustainable living, the phenomenon known as urban farming flourishes. From tiny planters on the balconies of chic lofts to reclaimed industrial lots, city dwellers in some of America's larger urban centers are finding joy and sustenance in growing their own organic food.
My friend, winemaker Bryan Harrington, has planted Pinot Noir in several places within the San Francisco city limits over the years and I know a couple of people who have a few vines in their back yards in the city, which they use to make tiny quantities of wine.
Urban viticulture may have just entered a new era, however, as a substantial commercial vineyard has been installed in the city limits of London. A joint venture between a local horticultural college and the urban farm that provided the land, Forty Hall Vineyards hopes to produce a commercial product in time for the 2012 London Olympics.
I wish them luck, if only because I'd love to see more of these types of experiments that can bring wine that much closer to everyone's back yard. With a little more global warming, I might just be able to put a couple of vines in mine.
Wine Magazine have announced their 2007 WINE Classification (South Africa) - the fourth since first published in 2004.
It basically identifies South African wines and cellars with the best track records in terms of consistently good reviews in WINE magazine panel tastings conducted blind (without sight of the labels) over the previous five years.
If anything it gives you an idea of what to look out for in the respective categories when you're in the shops and/or which estates may be worth visiting.
menu selection . Visualization and pre-planning are the keys to a smooth flowing and disaster-free evening. Begin buy selection a set of recipes with which you feel comfortable. When creating a complete menu, mix recipes that can be fixed in advance with those that need to be prepared or finished during the party.
A few days ahead of the dinner, spend a half hour during your commute to work (or whenever your mind tends to take a cat nap) and focus on the number of guests, the food, the cooking facilities, and the working space in which you will be cooking. Picture yourself preparing the dishes you intend to make and serving them in the manner you have chosen. If the act of visualizing the preceding steps causes butterflies in your stomach, select alternative recipes, simplify the menu, and/or plan to do more of the cooking in advance.
If you are a certified dinner party phobic attempting to overcome your anxieties, select a recipe that can be prepared earlier in the day, i.e., a curry, and serve it with a simple salad of baby greens. Buy a finger food and a dessert or, more simply still, ask two guests to bring them. In so doing, you can put the mental block of food preparation behind you and focus on the deep-rooted source of your phobia.
pre-production . It's not always possible, and never crucial, to prepare all of the food during the last 90 minutes before your guests arrive, or in their presence. Most of my recipes can be prepared, at least partially, one day in advance. The flavors of some foods, such as soups and curries, actually improve after sitting for a day. Other foods can be prepared in advance and frozen -- although I confess to having little experience in this area because the freezer section in my aesthetically pleasing fifties refrigerator functions exclusively as a frost factory.
The corollary to food improving with time is that some foods lose their zest if prepared too far in advance. Before serving any food, taste it. If necessary, "refresh" it with salt, pepper, lemon and/or a generous portion of the same herbs that were used originally to flavor the dish.
sizing the servings . Unless you have specifically asked how hungry individual guests are, it is desirable to make all portions equal. The first phase of portion control takes place when shopping for ingredients. Sometimes a little hardball may be required. For example, if you were to request twelve 1-inch-thick salmon steaks from your local fishmonger, he would probably cut them from a single salmon. Unfortunately, the cut from the middle of the fish can be twice as wide as the cuts nearest the head or tail. There's always almost another salmon "in the back" and you must stand your ground to get what you need. After all, you are the customer and, per the retail credo, that makes you always right.
To avoid running out of food, prepare a little extra -- even at the expense of having leftovers. When planning for casual parties where additional guests may drop by, or arrive in tow with your invited guests, it's always wise to prepare extra portions of the main dish. At least be sure to have lots of something i.e., salad, bread, veggies, etc.
If you are assembling plates for a seated affair, don't let any plate out of the kitchen until you are certain that you have enough of everything to complete the remaining dishes.
timing is everything . Having settled on a menu and decided which items to cook in advance, slide back into the visualization mode for a moment and imagine that it's 15 minutes before showtime. Will everything be ready at the same time? Are the garnishes prepped? Did you put the rise on?
Return to the present and create a "critical path" by establishing the sequence in which each dish needs to be started, refreshed or reheated. When in doubt, scribble out a running order and stick it on the refrigerator.
When showtime arrives, wait until the last minute to put the finishing touch on delicate foods. As a rule, begin steering your guests toward the dinner table before tossing the salad, adding shrimp to a sauce or steaming vegetables.
the accelerated assembly line . Assembling a large number of plates quickly is a challenge for professional chefs and amateurs alike. Before you begin, think about how you would like the food to look on the plate and how the colors, shapes and textures will interact. Create a blueprint in your mind and plan to assemble each plate identically. Then:
Have all the food and garnishes ready to be dished out
Have the appropriate serving utensils in hand
Set the (warmed) plates out on the available counter space
Confirm that all of the guests are seated
Make up the first plate according to the blueprint in your mind
Then, with the help of one or two guests-cum-sous-chefs, dish it all out as quickly as possible, assembly line style. (If you have a cassette deck in your kitchen, play the William Tell Overture)
Wipe any drippings from around the edge of the plates with a clean dish towel and check that garnishes are in place before allowing each dish to leave the kitchen.
space oddity . Oven space, counter space and refrigerator space are valuable commodities when cooking for large groups -- and another reason to keep the menu simple. A shortage of counter space is the most common hindrance in a small kitchen. Sometimes a little ingenuity is required to convert dead space into a functional prepping area. Cover the sink with a cutting board, turn a cookie sheet upside down and place it over the stove's burners (heat off, please) and clear the decks of any appliances or items that are not required for the meal, i.e., the juicer, toaster, bread maker, coffee maker, coffee grinder, kettle, cookie jar, popcorn maker -- I think you get the picture.
the grill drill . The advent and popularity of propane gas grills has significantly reduced the inconvenience factor of grilling. If you are using propane, refill your tank before the party and/or keep a spare tank -- a party is a bad time to discover the gas gauge is broken.
I still swear by real hardwood charcoal (often available only in mesquite), which I believes provides the best grill flavor. This may stem from my difficulty in conceptualizing how petrified lava rocks can duplicate the smoky flavor of natural wood.
When grilling with real charcoal, light your coals 30 minutes in advance. Extra charcoal may be required to keep the fire burning, but it beats fighting to get the coals lit while you're famished dinner guests cheer you on. Never use starter fluids to light your coals. They make food taste like a gas rag, not to mention being one of the worst known air polluters. Use crumpled newspaper, ideally in combination with the very politically correct starter chimney.
Whether you have chosen gas or charcoal, beware that grilling for 6 to 12 people can require a surprisingly large area of grill space -- especially if you have chosen to accompany the entree with grilled veggies. Be prepared to grill your food in shifts, or borrow a second grill so that all of the food can be cooked at once.
help! i need somebody . Once your guest list hits the double digits, the sheer volume of people becomes an impediment to merely "winging it." In most cases, guests will be willing to lend a hand or even arrive early to help, though occasionally circumstances may make this inappropriate or undesirable. In these cases, you might consider outside help. Help comes in the following flavors: bartender, sous-chef or general kitchen assistance. Consult a friend who uses help, check the Yellow Pages or hire the kid next door.
Hiring one person to assist with the prep, cooking and cleanup can make the difference between enjoying yourself and feeling like the "help" at your own party.
if you can't stand the heat... . Throwing a dinner party is supposed to be one of life's little pleasures. But there is work involved. Hard work. Even the most enjoyable parties have their trying moments. Compose your own cooking mantra and repeat it to yourself with Buddhist fervor whenever the inevitable disaster rears its ugly head. Not only will this save you untold aggravation, but it will start you down the path toward an understanding of the true Zen of cooking.
Last month was a bit of a whirlwind in terms of work, and I never got myself organized for the next stop in my tour of Italian wine regions. This month I'm back on track, and pointed in the direction of Trentino-Alto Adige. (photo by bobferdon)
Tucked up against Austria, this wine region is known for its snowy ski resorts, craggy peaks, and its belief that bread and wine is the stuff of life. One of the region's proverbs is Pane e vino fanno un bel bambino or "bread and wine make a beautiful baby." The area's dedication to wine is all the more remarkable given the fact that only 15 % of the land is arable, and vineyards often are planted in terraced vineyards on mountain slopes.
Viticulturally, Trentino-Alto Adige has been influenced by Austrian, French, and German traditions as well as Italian. The region's winemakers make racy whites from varieties like Pinot Bianco, Riesling, Traminer, Sylvaner, and Gruner Veltliner, for example. And if you're looking for a red from Trentino-Alto Adige, expect to see bottlings of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot as well as Sangiovese and Schiava. (photo by John Shave)
As the wine goes, so goes the food. In the northern part of the region (Alto Adige) the food has a Germanic flavor and the people are predominantly German speaking--so lots of sausage, cabbage, and dumplings are eaten with hearty reds and acidic whites. In the south, around the city of Trent where Italian is the most common language, polenta and pasta are popular foods, often served with mushrooms.
Have you had many wines from Trentino-Alto Adige? If so, what are your recommendations? Check back here for mine over the next few weeks.
Argentina?s rugged northwest, namely the provinces of Salta, Jujuy and Tucumán, are often ascribed otherworldly qualities in the types of guidebooks one would consult when contemplating a visit. The dreamscapes one can find in places like Talampaya and la Quebrada could easily lead one to suspect that wine, let alone any other form of agriculture would be an unlikely, if not altogether unfruitful venture. Nevertheless, viticulture has been widely practiced in Salta, albeit with better manifestations more recently, since the Spanish undertook their enterprise of colonizing the area in the 16th century.
Quality wine production in Salta, however, has come quite a long way since the days of a viticulture that solely served its purpose on the altar at mass. The Calchaquí and Cafayate valleys are two particularly exceptional zones, where viticulture is practiced in one of its extreme forms. The challenges involved here in Salta go much beyond considerations such as arid soils and extreme temperatures. Some winemakers, defiantly, have successfully harnessed these challenges and the staggering altitudes to craft unique and expressive wines. The altitude and extremes between daytime and night time temperatures contribute to a seemingly tantric ripening period for several white and black varieties, resulting in exquisite acidity levels in the wines. You have probably already heard recently of Argentina?s native aromatic variety, Torrontés. Salta?s terroir is where this highly idiosyncratic white variety expresses its benchmark floral, pungent characteristics. You may have tried some from Mendoza, though I assure you these cannot even approach the best of Salta?s Torrontés in terms of complexity.
The point of this post, though, transcends that which you already know and has been discussed about Salta?s success with Torrontés. In fact, leave the Torrontés to the side for just a moment, and please turn your gaze towards the unbelievable red wines of Salta, which in case you care about staying ahead of the curve, will begin garnering quite a bit of attention in the near future. In effect, this all largely stems from the fact that in recent years, some of the best producers from within Salta, as well as from Mendoza, have purchased and developed Salta?s viticultural real estate in order to pursue their craft in a completely different terroir altogether. The likes of Susana Balbo, Colomé and Michel Torino, to name a few, are all taking advantage of the acidity levels in high-altitude ripening fruit to offer up versatile, distinctive wines made from Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat, the star behind southwest France?s Madiran.
I think that now might just represent that opportune moment to quietly learn about and appreciate these Salta reds?especially since a handful of Salta-produced Torrontés have cleaned up medals at award ceremonies, as well as done the rounds in way too many ?undiscovered wine pairings? local morning show segments where overly energetic hosts obnoxiously insert the Spanish ?ń? phoneme where it?s unnecessary in the pronunciation of many Italian and Spanish culinary terms. At any rate, the bottom line here is that given the current economic climate, the exchange rates involved, and the surging growth in Argentine exports to the United States, it would be very rewarding for you to become acquainted with the other quality production regions outside of the Mendoza area. I encourage you to swiftly and stealthily make your way over to retailers who pour and offer treasures from San Juan, La Rioja (Famatina Valley), Salta, Neuquén and other areas, before the the glossy magazines rate them and start to offer shockingly original pairing suggestions such as, let?s see, a medium-rare steak. On my end, I promise to taste and offer faithful snapshots of some of these wines that have begun to trickle into the UK market and will subsequently appear on American distribution lists.
What should I be on the look-out for, you might ask, then? As far as promising, expressive red varieties from Salta at the moment, Tannat and Malbec are on center stage, though pay close attention to Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, as I can easily foresee some truly exceptional and absurdly inexpensive examples coming through very soon. Regrettably, whenever fine new examples from any wine region begin to garner even the slightest bit of attention or praise from large-dissemination media, prices spike like a thermometer during a heat wave; as, surely, this will shortly be the case with the spectacular Chilean Pinot Noir wines that have recently stepped onto the scene. Take my advice?taste now and stock up soon?because it will get more expensive and decidedly more frustrating (read: annoying) in the near future.
Salta Red Playlist:
*2007 El Esteco Tannat?Michel Torino?s Mendoza-farmed wines are widely regarded as honest, expression-driven wines in the internal Argentine market; though, I suppose this is why they may not be as widely available on international markets. The family?s estate in the Calchaquí valley is no exception to the rule, crafting Tannat that has completely changed the way I perceive the variety. Most of the New World stand-alone Tannat I have tasted (sorry, Uruguay), has been a bit rough around the edges to a point beyond which it was acceptable?easily letting one envision why it is blended so well in Madiran. Michel Torino?s Esteco Tannat stands alone, unoaked, featuring elegant black fruit flavors that are not baked in the least, with a sophisticated mouthfeel for such a young example of the variety. Concentrated black fruit dominates the palate, with nuances of mint, chocolate and rustic spice?all subdued and playing well together. I love how this wine doesn?t seem contrived to me, not concealing aspects of Tannat that export markets generally repudiate ?it seems crafted to interpret the variety?s character through Salta?s terrains. I was very happy with this one?the antithesis to the lazy if not even inept winemaking mentality that reds which are not oak-petrified will not express themselves suitably on their own.
*2006 Cornejo Costas Don Rodolfo Label Malbec?Think you have Malbec?s personality nailed down expertly because you tasted up and down the Mendoza aisle? Think again?this is an entirely different expression of Malbec. Blackcurrant dominates the fruit side of things, along with some impressive red berry acidity to add balance. It features lovely, concentrated spice and toast, with vanilla being nowhere in sight, thankfully.
*2005 Cornejo Costas Don Rodolfo Label Tannat?Think cassis,black cherry and a mature texture evincing finesse, alongside dried tobacco leaf and dusted cocoa.
Cycling the Tour de France has been likened to running 20 marathons in 20 days. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t run one marathon in 20 days.
Yet there I was, under the blistering sun of Provence, slowly pedaling my way up one of the most dreaded, soul-crushing climbs of last year’s Tour: Mont Ventoux. What lured me to that beast of a hill was a longing to do more than just watch the Tour de France. I wanted to experience the Tour de France. I yearned to ride the very roads that, just hours later, would be chewed up by Lance Armstrong, Laurent Jalabert and Joseba Beloki. I wanted to white-knuckle it down the same hairpin turns, and be cheered on by the giddy spectators who’d camped out for days, waiting for that colorful tsunami of Spandex to speed by. Basically, I hungered for a taste of what the world’s most grueling sporting event really felt like.
“How hard can this be?” I naively wondered as I sat on my couch, lazily thumbing through a Backroads catalog. “It’s not like we’re doing the whole Tour. Just part of it.”
But that “part” happened to be the part with the mountains. Big, colossal, mammoth mountains.
Even so, I saw this as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If the prognosticators were right, I’d be witnessing Lance Armstrong pedal his way into the history books, becoming the first American ever to win six Tours. I’d be right there, literally, on Armstrong’s road to victory. Mountains, shmountains, I reassured myself. I’m 34 years old; I take spinning classes. I’ll be just as good as anyone else on the Backroads trip.
I knew I miscalculated that last part as soon as I got a glimpse of the other Backroads travelers. Most of the men’s legs were shaved closer than mine. This meant there was either a disproportionate number of transvestites on the trip, or these were some serious cyclists. It turned out to be the latter, which meant my husband and I were destined to play the role of lanterne rouge, the red lantern that hangs from the back of a train. It’s Tour-speak for “the slowpokes.”
But unlike the Tour, this was a vacation, not a competition. At least that’s what I kept telling myself as I crawled up Mont Ventoux, which I think is French for “makes you curl up in a ball and cry for Mommy.” The 6,273-foot mountain juts out of the Provençal landscape like a giant tumor; and this tumor is anything but benign. Comedian and cycling aficionado Robin Williams summed it up this way: “Even the mountain goats don’t like it.”
Ventoux is a relentlessly steep 13-mile climb to the barren, lunar-like summit, where exhausted British cyclist Tom Simpson keeled over and died during the 1967 Tour. As I started to wonder if the same fate might await me, a burly Frenchman with a moustache as big as my handlebars decided I needed a little pep talk.
“Allez! Allez!” he repeatedly shouted in my ear as I crept up the mountain in granny gear. My French friend was telling me to “Go! Go!” which was what I wished he would do, since sweat was stinging my eyes, my legs felt like the beleaguered stage during “Riverdance” and the last thing I wanted was a hairy cheerleader.
But his words pushed me on, if only to put a little more distance between me and his Burgundy-infused breath.
I’d hear the “Allez! Allez!” refrain countless more times from the throngs of onlookers who’d staked out their spot on the mountain, waiting for the Tour to wheel by in a few hours. Folks like me were merely the warm-up act.
We all know the French are very good at some things (food) and not so good at others (war). But they’re extremely adept at the high art of tailgating. When they weren’t rooting on amateur cyclists like me, they killed time by sipping wine, nibbling on brie and baguettes, playing cards and painting riders’ names on the street.
At my heady speed of 4 mph, I had ample time to witness all of these pre-race festivities. It became clear that, to the French, the Tour is much more than a sporting event. It, like Jerry Lewis, is a cultural phenomenon. Unlike Jerry, it’s easy to understand the Tour’s appeal. This is a race packed with more drama than a Jerry Springer show, and with at least as much potential for bloodshed. Catastrophic crashes. Drug raids. Cheating. Smack talking. Not to mention jaw-dropping displays of athleticism. It’s hard to imagine just how much pain these guys put themselves through until you’ve sampled some of it firsthand.
Mont Ventoux is a kick-in-the-teeth climb, even when you’re cycling it with fresh legs like we were. But the Tour racers had logged 120 miles that day before broaching the base of Ventoux. And they still managed to go up it faster than I went down it. How’s that for an ego-deflater?
It truly is a humbling experience to watch more than 150 Tour riders sail up the very road you just cycled. They make it look so easy. But your burning quads and aching back remind you that it’s not.
I thought cycling Ventoux would leave me too exhausted to cheer on the racers. But one glimpse of that Texan wearing the coveted yellow leader’s jersey had the effect of a dozen espressos. There he was. Lance Armstrong — cancer survivor, cyclist extraordinaire — about an arm’s length away from me, plowing up the very mountain that made my legs feel like overcooked fettuccine. Despite being chased by a pack of cyclists who wanted nothing more than to strip that golden jersey off his back and feed it to him in tiny pieces, he looked more serene than I do in a bubble bath.
Other racers gulped oxygen like frat boys chug beer. But Armstrong seemed to be barely breathing while he pumped his pedals like pistons. I knew I was watching an über-athlete in action. I had a front row seat at the Tour de Lance, and I’d earned it. At the top of my overworked lungs, I shouted the words I’d once heard from a wise, mustachioed Frenchman: “Allez! Allez!”
As these words appear on the page, outside my window the sky has its own idea about what a rosé is. Of course, in the early morning the idea of a rosé is an evolving one. Right now we?re in a Franciacorta rosé moment. As Spring winds down and Summer is setting the stage for its moment, wine lovers love to talk about rosé.
Outside, a helicopter draws away the last of any color from the morning sky. So here we have the elusive moment for rosé. Just when you think its time to sell, drink and share this wine, isn?t autumn announcing its time to put away the toys and get back to the real stuff of wine? Well, here in flyover country we have at least four months before that will happen, and by then who knows what the world will have in store for us?
Copper River salmon are streaming into the local food shops, and at $27 a pound, one cannot always afford a Bandol Rosé from Domaine Tempier. One of my go to wines is the La Scolca Rosa Chiara. I know purists probably won?t agree with me, but they don?t run my life. And I love this wine. It?s lively, had a wonderful color and enough body to go with the salmon I love. Maybe it?s my lack of agenda when it comes to enjoying a wine, but I find pleasure in the enjoyment of this rosé. I love the color. I like the aromas. I like the fruit. And the body. It?s gulpable. And on a picnic in the park, listening to a Beatles or Stones or Texas Swing cover band, it?s pure summer. Not quite tiny bikinis, but enough skin to tempt and tantalize.
Texas foods, like chicken livers and the baked Italian chicken that my aunt taught me to make go well with anything. But if I have a bottle of a deep rosé like one from Abruzzo, Calabria or Sicily, all the better. Three that I like are the Illuminati Campirosa, The Librandi Rosato and the Regaleali Le Rosé. These are more deeply colored and with a fuller body. The spice and the fuller flavors match well with fried foods and again make for a wonderful evening on a porch or a patio, sipping with friends and your favorite warm weather comfort foods.
Seasonal warming brings out the grills and makes for a nice transition to the outdoors, if only for an evening. Here in Texas we are preparing for the onslaught of mosquito season, so while we feast we will also be feasted upon. Fish on the grill reminds me of the Maremma and so a rosé from that area is a great way to sooth oneself. Marco Bacci?s estate near Grossetto, Terré di Talamo, brings some of us his Piano Piano, a Sangiovese/ Cabernet blend (with maybe a little Alicante as well, eh Marco?). Light in color, fresh, in a word, deelish.
Last summer I trekked to Chicago for a few days. One of the highlights of the trip was to make the pilgrimage to one of the great pizza ovens in America, Spaccanapoli. These are pizzas elevated beyond mere comfort food. And to have them with beer, while that might be great, well, we just had to have a little wine. One of the wines I loved with the two pizzas pictured was the Cavalchina Bardolino Chiaretto. Same grapes as Valpolicella (Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara) with a delicate color, light flavors, just one giant bottle of yum.
We started with a sky the color of Franciacorta rosé. For me the morning are serious stuff, so Franciacorta gets the nod for my serious morning rosé fix, if I were on vacation or if I stayed up all night. But a little to the east over in Valdobbiadene the Prosecco folks are jumping on the rosé bandwagon. And our friends at Bisol have come out with this little rosé called Jeio. It?s a perfect wine to sip on the porch while I watch my bees working furiously before the light of the day comes to an end. Here we are, not for me it is time to go to work, selling, not blogging. Getting through another tough month. Ah well, the bees don?t complain, why should I? I?ll just chill a bottle of the Jeio rosé for this evening. That?s reason enough.
A 64-page softcover pocket guide that you can keep handy. Offers everything you've ever wanted to know about wine from A-to-Z. Learn about wine-production regions along with their maps major grape varietals storing pairing serving and selecting the perfect wine glass. Softcover 64-pages. Size: 8-'H x 3-'W
The Wine Bottle Glass Funnel is perfect for those instances when have a little wine left over in your decanter or even in your glass. The thinness of this glass funnel allows you to insert the funnel right into any bottle. Then easily and cleanly you can pour the wine back into the bottle for a later date.
The elegance of the Wine Enthusiast lead-free crystal 'U' Decanter enhances your wine experience with an inner dome to increase the oxygenation of fine wines. The finger-hold punt ensures controlled pouring every time. Gift Boxed. Recommend to hand wash. Size: 10-3/4'H 46 oz.
As Seen on Ellens 12 Days of Giveaways & Good Morning America The pocket-size electronic talking Wine Master offers a sleek and slim design easy control panel and over 10 000 wine and spirits reviews ratings and suggested retail prices at your fingertips. The newest version of the Wine Master is the most essential wine tool you can own. Bring along with you to wine shops and restaurants and never make another wine buying mistake again. Requires 2-AAA batteries (not included). Over 10 000 wine and spirits reviews ratings (100 pt. scale) and suggested retail prices from Wine Enthusiast Magazine Food and wine pairing guide Digital display screen with back-light and compressed text functions Talking navigation with on/off Type Varietal Winery or Vintage search option Handsome non-zipper black case Wine Master is a mighty wizard that gives you mastery over the most serious wine shop clerks and sommeliers. Brushed aluminum with chrome accents. The Wine Enthusiast 2008 Wine Buying Guide is also available. Size: 4-3/4'H x 3'W NOTE: The information included in the Wine Master is based on the reviews and ratings conducted by The Wine Enthusiast Magazine. For the 2008 edition we added 10 425 reviews. Therefore if you look at a review of a 2002 Caymus in 2007 and in 2008 the review will be the same. Since we cannot review all the wines produced in a year some wines may not appear with a newer year review which does not mean that the wine is discontinued but just that particular vintage (year) was not reviewed.
Always know 'whose glass is whose' with these wine cellar-themed charms! Set of 6 cast metal charms are finished in antique silver and dangle from 3 strands of glass-faceted beads. Magnetic closures make sure the these mini-medallions stay secure around the base of each guests' wine glass. Set of 6 charms includes a wine bottle corkscrew grapes wine glass chiller bucket and cheese wedge.
You needn't interrupt your enjoyment of the wine now to fuss with pumps and dispensers. Deliberately low tech our Wine For Later Set eschews pumps spray cans nitrogen gas canisters and complicated dispenser systems for the graceful time-honored process of decanting. When you uncork a bottle simply pour off the wine you wish to save for later using an elegant glass funnel. Top off either the 1/2 bottle or the 1/4-bottle decanter and seal it with our airtight glass stopper. Since no air comes in contact with your wine it remains unoxidized and unspoiled. Adorn the decanter with our ornate silverplated grape-cluster cork pin for easy identification. Only from The Wine Enthusiast. Gift-boxed 6-piece set includes: 2 Wine For Later glass decanters 1/2 bottle size and 1/4 bottle size. 2 airtight glass stoppers. A beautiful glass funnel. A silverplated cork pin.
Choose the right wine every time! From the editors of Wine Enthusiast Magazine comes the most current comprehensive and informative wine buying guide on the market. Based on tastings by a distinguished in-house panel this wine buying guide features qualitative ratings reviews and prices for more than 50 000 wines. Plus tips on when each wine is best enjoyed. Also includes expert advice on tasting and storing vintage wine charts and Top 10 lists. 990 pages. Softcover.
Pair your wine with top chef recipes! A memorable meal starts with the wine! Find over 80 delectable recipes organized by wine style. This first cookbook by the editors of Wine Enthusiast Magazine guides you in selecting the right recipe for your wine. Includes recipes from top chefs such as Bobby Flay and Rick Bayless along with expert wine pairing tips. Whether you're serving a light aromatic white or a big powerful red you'll choose the right dish here! 256 pages with full color photography. Hardcover. Take A Look Inside At Sample Recipes.
The Riedel Syrah Decanter is a great wine decanter to use everyday. It's perfect for Syrah or any other red wine. Crafted in Germany of lead-free crystal the Syrah decanter holds 49-ounces and stands 9-5/8' tall. Add to your wine decanter collection or give as a gift any season. Size: 9-5/8'H 49-3/8 oz.
Make wine your next party theme! Consider this your personal party planner! Step-by-step instructions and essentials make hosting a wine tasting easy. Includes 100 wine tasting sheets 6 cloth blind wine tasting bottle bags with embroidered letters A through F 6 wine tasting masts Wine Enthusiast Magazine vintage chart corkscrew and a 15% Off Coupon for Wine Enthusiast glassware. Sip save enjoy!
The Wine Clip uses principles of magnetics to improve the taste of wine as it is being poured out of the bottle. The effect is instantaneous and has been found by many wine professionals to result in a genuine improvement in flavor and mouth-feel especially when used on red wines. Using magnets to treat fluids water fuel wine etc. - is not a new idea and the technology has been applied successfully in many industries. What causes the effect has been the subject of some debate but it is generally thought that passing a conductive fluid through a properly designed magnetic field has an effect on the polar molecules in the fluid. In wine it is believed that the large polymerized tannins in wine that normally result in a high degree of astringency are broken up or otherwise affected resulting in a less astringent softer flavor. The Wine Clip may also accelerate aeration by drawing higher concentrations of oxygen to the wine as it is being poured. In contrast with most gases oxygen is highly magnetically susceptible and is attracted to a magnetic field. This would explain testimony from wine experts that The Wine Clip instantly produces the benefits of time consuming aeration. Lifetime warranty.
Learn how to host a tasting party! Host a great wine tasting party with this complete new essential wine tasting kit. Created by the editors of the prestigious Wine Enthusiast Magazine you'll find all the how-to's and essentials of hosting over 30 wine tastings. Kit includes: Wine Enthusiast Magazine Pocket Guide to Wine plus 2006 Vintage Chart 2 tasting checklist notepads 6 bottle bags 6 bottle stoppers 24 bottle tags a blank wine journal 2 wine label removers and a coupon for two free issues of Wine Enthusiast Magazine . Size: 6'H x 9'W x 3-'D
Luigi Bormioli Esperienze Wine Decanter is a complete innovation in the field of wine appreciation. Designed by Federico DeMajo the lead-free crystal wine decanter is a combination of technical skills and creative artistry. Made in Italy the interior base of the decanter is designed with ripples; tiered concentric circles that facilitate rapid wine oxygenation as the wine is poured into the decanter and flows down over them for an excellent wine tasting experiences. Dishwasher safe. Size: 9-1/4'H 88 oz.
Love your wine? Show your metal! Serve it with the help of this animated bottle holder handcrafted from recycled steel copper and wood. German artist Guenter Scholtz skillfully bends welds brushes and carves these materials to bring this whimsical wine taster to life a discriminating gent leaning on a wine rack fitted with a wine barrel. Holds most standard size wine bottles. Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. No two Scholtz pieces are exactly alike. 12'H x 6'W x 5'D
A One-of-a-Kind GiftFor the wine lover that has everything a fun gift theyre sure to cherish. Weve matted and framed our Wine Enthusiast Magazine cover with your choice of tiles (Man Woman Wine Enthusiast or Chateau of the Year). Theres a careful 7 1/4' x 7' cut-out in the cover so you can slide in a photograph of your favorite wine enthusiast. Every wine lover on your list should have one. You can purchase it as a special package with a one year subscription to Wine Enthusiast Magazine and SAVE $16.95 off the regular subscription price. Size: 14'H x 11'W Framed Print
An elegant arc turns serving into ceremony. Geometrically designed Parabola wine decanter offers a unique shape to a classic wine accessory. This stunning mouth-blown wine decanter is visually exhilarating and optimally functional. Made of 24% lead crystal the Parabola decanter offers a unique handle and spout holding a full standard-sized bottle of wine and provides flawless aeration. Size: 10-1/2'H 56 oz. NOTE: Please use the recommended Decanter cleaning balls when cleaning the Parabola decanter.
Make the hippest wine bar in town yours! Three wines any time no waiting! This professional wine preserve and wine serve system keeps 3 opened wine bottles fresh for weeks and primed for pouringright at home! Spigots serve as both stoppers and dispensers of argon gas. Argon prevents wine from oxidizing and spoiling over time. Non-electric and compact. Black with stainless steel trim. Accommodates most standard-size wine bottles. Non-electric and compact. Black with stainless steel trim. The argon gas cartridges are hidden in a compartment underneath your wine bottles. The system includes two argon cartridges which will power 12 to 15 wine bottles each. Size: 11-1/2'H x 10-1/2'W x 5'D
Attract more wine loversglass by glass! Increase your bar or restaurant sales by offering a wider selection of premium wines 'on tap'. This professional preserve-and-serve system keeps 5 opened wine bottles fresh for weeks and primed for pouring. Spigots serve as bottle stoppers. With each pour argon gas is dispensed into each bottle to blanket the wine's surface from oxygen and prevent it oxidizing and spoiling over time. Wine Saver PRO's commercial grade quality is ideal for restaurants hotels bars and wineries or for any wine lover that enjoys serving wine. Wine Saver HOME also makes the ultimate addition to any home wine cellar. Accommodates most standard-size wine bottles. Non-electric and compact. Black with stainless steel trim. The argon gas cartridges are hidden in a compartment underneath your wine bottles. Available here and sold seperately argon cartridges will power 12 to 15 wine bottles each.
Inspired by furniture pieces originally found in Bordeaux and used by the regions expert wine makers for tasting sessions of their Grand Cru wines. Special guests wine merchants or the wine makers themselves would taste some of the finest vintages at the very foot of elegant furniture pieces such as this. EuroCaves contemporary version has been designed to accommodate the needs of todays wine connoisseur. The Elite Wine Buffet is ideal for entertaining and can be placed in any room. The ample display shelves are ideal for storing glasses displaying decanters keeping reference books and storing spirits. The storage drawers can hold other accessories such as corkscrews label savers tasting albums and much more. The Elite Wine Buffet can hold a maximum of up to 20 bottles. Sold seperately the wine cellar space can accommodate a EuroCave Performance 83. Size: 56-5/16'H x 54-5/16'W x 29-9/16'D. Light assembly required.
Tecnorati
A big, full-bodied, expansively-flavored, traditionally made Gigondas is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, and 10% Mourvedre. Abundant herbes of Provence, heady, peppery notes are accompanied by sweet kirsch liqueur, plum, and fig characteristics. Dense, medium-bodied, and ripe. Nice, pure, plum-cherry finish.
I?m in an Asian restaurant. On one side a party is drinking Gavi on another side Chilean Chardonnay. Across from me the couple is having a Chardonnay from California?s Central Coast. I?m trying a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile. There are no sommeliers to work the floor, but we all make it through the night, our palates intact.
With the market shrinking for wine stewards, economic slowdown, hours being cut, positions being eliminated, I have to imagine that there are not just a few sommeliers asking that question too. What am I doing? How do I support my family? Where is this leading? What have I gotten myself into?
I?d say that many of the ones I have been encountering lately suffer from the misperception that the world can?t live without them. Listen, the world will use every one of us in whatever way the fates decide. But to the young grasshoppers out there who really care to read to the end of this post, number 1 thing to note: The world doesn?t ?need? you.
One of the cool things about the wine biz is how everyone talks to one another. Winemakers, reps, distribs, brokers, retailers, restaurateurs, export managers; it?s one extended cocktail party. Kind of like Twitter. It?s ongoing and there is no end to the conversation. And while there will be an occasional dominant thread, there will be no single person or wine who will or can dominate the room. It?s a party, remember?
The next big thing? Gruner, been there done that. Greek wine from Paros? Oh please. Biodynamic wine from Georgia? Yeah, tell that to the young couple who just came in for some spring rolls and a sashimi platter. Get real. Stop trying to discover wine and bleeding all over your customers with your new found close-out that you just ?discovered?. And please, stop thinking this is just about you, don?t pout, there are many out there who are thinking this way. Which makes it comical, because here we have these guys and gals going out and thinking they have just found the next ?it? wine and there about 20 of them who have just done the same exact thing.
Ok, you say I?m being hard on you? Wake up. Somms have so much more support to learn their trade these days. There are groups, there is the 
I?m not saying you shouldn?t be interested in new and esoteric wines that are flooding the markets. But let?s put it in perspective. These are not bread-and-butter wines. They cannot sustain a restaurant or a sommelier, indefinitely. And unless you are a place like 
And one of the main messages that young sommeliers never seem to get, is that they walk tall because of the shoulders they stand upon. And they stand high because the shoulders are those of giants. A friend and a colleague, someone who has carved out their very own niche in this business as a broker (not an easy place, always between a rock and a hard spot) said it best, and I quote: ?I'm reminding buyers every single day that they better support the generations of winemakers who created a product for them to even have a 'career' these days.?
To even have a career these days, listen to those words, folks. We don?t need any more wine snobs; fortunately, that generation is dying off. And we don?t need any dilettantes. The god of Wine is clear about this; we are all soldiers, we are all one infinitesimal piece of a multi-millennial movement of the grape and humankind, working our way through earth, life and evolution to finer expressions of humanity and vinosity. There is no room for pomposity.
So the next time you think you are the first one to have this idea, feeling or inspiration, by all means, be excited. But don?t go putting your byline below it. Or you will have legions of centurions to contend with. Open the bottle, enjoy it, share it, but don?t go thinking you are the god of Wine. Scores of Ancients, from the Greeks to the Romans will attest that is a road which goes deeper than the seven layers of Hell our dear friend Dante wrote about.
A man's character is stripped bare at the poker table. Friends will notice things about you that you've never even noticed yourself. These things are called "tells" -- signs you give off indicating what type of hand you have. If you hold chips in your left hand before betting, or always pull on your ear when you're bluffing, rest assured some savvy soul at the table is aware of it. There are no Miranda Rights in poker; anything you say and do can and will be used against you.
I got a call from IWG, he was heading out, could I come over and watch his house and his tomato plants? $100 a day to look after the old man?s crap, sure why not? As the taxi pulled up he was rushing to catch up with his adventure. ?Where are you going?? I asked. ?To a place where these cell phones and internets don?t go.? ?When will you be back?? We were changing places in the cab. ?I?ll be back soon. Just watch the house, don?t let your friends leave anything in their cars if they park in front of the house. And one more thing, that interview with the Italian wine sommelier, why don?t you test drive it around my blog?? He handed me the keys to his silver bullet, cool, quick German sedan and told me to drive safe. Yeah. Uh huh.
First question: So, Andrea, tell me what are people drinking?
Q- They won?t make it through the summer if they do. But enough about what I?m seeing, over here most of the folks except crazy-wonderful Antonio think they have to mark things up like they?re a gentleman?s club?
Q- I hear more from my friends here that getting a sommelier certification doesn?t get you the dream job? How about your life, how goes that?
As these words appear on the page, outside my window the sky has its own idea about what a rosé is. Of course, in the early morning the idea of a rosé is an evolving one. Right now we?re in a Franciacorta rosé moment. As Spring winds down and Summer is setting the stage for its moment, wine lovers love to talk about rosé.
Copper River salmon are streaming into the local food shops, and at $27 a pound, one cannot always afford a Bandol Rosé from Domaine Tempier. One of my go to wines is the La Scolca Rosa Chiara. I know purists probably won?t agree with me, but they don?t run my life. And I love this wine. It?s lively, had a wonderful color and enough body to go with the salmon I love. Maybe it?s my lack of agenda when it comes to enjoying a wine, but I find pleasure in the enjoyment of this rosé. I love the color. I like the aromas. I like the fruit. And the body. It?s gulpable. And on a picnic in the park, listening to a Beatles or Stones or Texas Swing cover band, it?s pure summer. Not quite tiny bikinis, but enough skin to tempt and tantalize.
Texas foods, like chicken livers and the baked Italian chicken that my aunt taught me to make go well with anything. But if I have a bottle of a deep rosé like one from Abruzzo, Calabria or Sicily, all the better. Three that I like are the Illuminati Campirosa, The Librandi Rosato and the Regaleali Le Rosé. These are more deeply colored and with a fuller body. The spice and the fuller flavors match well with fried foods and again make for a wonderful evening on a porch or a patio, sipping with friends and your favorite warm weather comfort foods.
Seasonal warming brings out the grills and makes for a nice transition to the outdoors, if only for an evening. Here in Texas we are preparing for the onslaught of mosquito season, so while we feast we will also be feasted upon. Fish on the grill reminds me of the Maremma and so a rosé from that area is a great way to sooth oneself. Marco Bacci?s estate near Grossetto, Terré di Talamo, brings some of us his Piano Piano, a Sangiovese/ Cabernet blend (with maybe a little Alicante as well, eh Marco?). Light in color, fresh, in a word, deelish.
Last summer I trekked to Chicago for a few days. One of the highlights of the trip was to make the pilgrimage to one of the great pizza ovens in America, 
We started with a sky the color of Franciacorta rosé. For me the morning are serious stuff, so Franciacorta gets the nod for my serious morning rosé fix, if I were on vacation or if I stayed up all night. But a little to the east over in Valdobbiadene the Prosecco folks are jumping on the rosé bandwagon. And our friends at Bisol have come out with this little rosé called Jeio. It?s a perfect wine to sip on the porch while I watch my bees working furiously before the light of the day comes to an end. Here we are, not for me it is time to go to work, selling, not blogging. Getting through another tough month. Ah well, the bees don?t complain, why should I? I?ll just chill a bottle of the Jeio rosé for this evening. That?s reason enough.
