Ryan Patrick, 2008 Columbia Valley Naked Chardonnay, $8. Okay, that’s more like it. A nude Chardonnay. One neither fermented nor aged in oak. A completely un-oaked (naked!) Chardonnay. And what do you get? Apples, good, juicy red delicious apples. Hint of pear. But no vanilla, no butterscotch –no oak. And yet it remains a luscious, full bodied wine. And owing, no doubt to the warmer climate, it’s what we call a bit fat –that is, lacking in acidity. All that means is it’s more of sipping wine than a food wine. And at $8 a bottle, I can handle that.
Louis Latour, 2006 Le Chardonnay, $11. This one you can sip, pair with foods, take on a slow boat to China, anything you want –it’s a delight. Floral, lemony aromas, tight, crisp texture, with exotic flavors of green apple, citrus, and hint of roasted pine nut. Like any good white Burgundy (it doesn’t say it on the front label, but it is), it sees little or no oak. What distinguishes this from the above wine is the bright acidity, making for an excellent seafood –especially shellfish- wine.
King Estate, 2007 Domaine Oregon Pinot Gris, $25. Well, another case of Hemingway’s Notebook. I sampled this wine a month or so ago, and was blown away by the beauty, elegance, and tastiness of it. Then I lost my notes. Or maybe Matt Kramer stole them! More likely, I simply misplaced them on that slow boat to China. In any case, trust me, this is a fantastic Pinot Gris, and keeping with today’s theme, no oak.
Confessions of a Semi-Professional Taster: Man, I’ve been having a run of bad luck recently. Last week I opened a bottle of our Spudders Crest, 2007 Sunnyside Vineyard Pinot Noir, Priceless, and it was corked. My own wine…corked! Then, the very next day, I popped into one of my favorite snugs, and ordered a glass of Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir. The barkeep poured me a smidgeon from the bottom of one bottle, and while she opened another bottle, I snuck a sip, and it was good. She poured the remainder of the glass full, and I took one whiff, and it was oxidized. How could a just-opened bottle of wine, a 2007 at that, be oxidized? Only thing I can think is someone back in the kitchen sat it next to, if not in, a hot oven. And finally, while blind tasting the two Chardonnays above, one of them was corked! I won’t tell you which one, not their fault, but corked. I had to run to Whole Foods (pleasant exchange) for another bottle.
The real problem here, and I’m not saying I’m a freakin’ genius, but what if someone not acquainted with ‘off’ aromas and flavors had one of these wines? You know what they’d say; ‘Well, that’s a crappy wine, I’ll never buy that again.’ Lost sale, forever. All because of a tainted cork. Or, bad storage.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Kindling
You know, as I scroll down through my life, er, I mean, my blog, I find that I haven’t been doing much in the way of reviewing wine lately. Why?
Because I’ve been spending all my freaking time trying to figure out Kindle, that’s why. And at last, I think I got it.
You DO know about Kindle, don’t you? Anyone who saw Jeff Beezos guffawing on Jon Stewart a couple weeks ago, couldn’t help but be intrigued, if not amused. Beezos was introducing the new ‘edition’ of Kindle, the hand held electronic book reading device. I had already made up my mind to ‘publish’ a book on Kindle, but that cemented it.
Before getting onto Kindle, however, I had to first wrestle with Bill Gates. And Word. Specifically, how to convert a Word document to HTML. And I think I got it. I think. We’ll see in about 72 hours.
This whole experience has taught me one thing; Microsoft is kinda like Sadie. Sadie is a Golden Retriever who lives next door. Well, ‘lives’ is a relative word. Sadie actually thinks the whole world is her backyard. If she sees me out working in the vineyard she comes up with a tennis ball in her mouth, bumps me, nuzzles me, climbs all over me, just trying to get me to toss that slobbery, gooey ball.
But don’t do it. Once you toss the tennis ball, your life is over. Sadie will never leave you alone. She’ll hound you, chase you, she’ll stand outside your window while you sleep, drool dripping from the disgusting ball.
And that’s Microsoft. Once you got it, they won’t stop bugging you. Dial up! Connect. Redirect. We’ve got updates! Come on, throw the damn ball. While I’m sleeping it secretly downloads files to my computer. Then laughs at me. Haha, see what I did.
But, I think I got my book converted to HTML and uploaded to Kindle. I’m a little nervous about it though, because when I tried to preview it, Microsoft didn’t like the file and wouldn’t let me open it. But I thinks it’s there.
So, what is this book? Thanks for asking. It’s called A Ruminant on Spudders Crest; A Year of Growing, Making, and Enjoying Wine. It’s about a year-in-the-vineyard. My vineyard. Me. It’s quite amusing, I think. But then, I’m prejudiced.
I’m serializing the book, publishing it in four segments, pretty much following the seasons it chronicles. Part I takes the story up to bud-break, and sells for $5.
In any case, now that I’ve Kindled, it’s back to doing what I do best –sloughing off. And reviewing wine.
Because I’ve been spending all my freaking time trying to figure out Kindle, that’s why. And at last, I think I got it.
You DO know about Kindle, don’t you? Anyone who saw Jeff Beezos guffawing on Jon Stewart a couple weeks ago, couldn’t help but be intrigued, if not amused. Beezos was introducing the new ‘edition’ of Kindle, the hand held electronic book reading device. I had already made up my mind to ‘publish’ a book on Kindle, but that cemented it.
Before getting onto Kindle, however, I had to first wrestle with Bill Gates. And Word. Specifically, how to convert a Word document to HTML. And I think I got it. I think. We’ll see in about 72 hours.
This whole experience has taught me one thing; Microsoft is kinda like Sadie. Sadie is a Golden Retriever who lives next door. Well, ‘lives’ is a relative word. Sadie actually thinks the whole world is her backyard. If she sees me out working in the vineyard she comes up with a tennis ball in her mouth, bumps me, nuzzles me, climbs all over me, just trying to get me to toss that slobbery, gooey ball.
But don’t do it. Once you toss the tennis ball, your life is over. Sadie will never leave you alone. She’ll hound you, chase you, she’ll stand outside your window while you sleep, drool dripping from the disgusting ball.
And that’s Microsoft. Once you got it, they won’t stop bugging you. Dial up! Connect. Redirect. We’ve got updates! Come on, throw the damn ball. While I’m sleeping it secretly downloads files to my computer. Then laughs at me. Haha, see what I did.
But, I think I got my book converted to HTML and uploaded to Kindle. I’m a little nervous about it though, because when I tried to preview it, Microsoft didn’t like the file and wouldn’t let me open it. But I thinks it’s there.
So, what is this book? Thanks for asking. It’s called A Ruminant on Spudders Crest; A Year of Growing, Making, and Enjoying Wine. It’s about a year-in-the-vineyard. My vineyard. Me. It’s quite amusing, I think. But then, I’m prejudiced.
I’m serializing the book, publishing it in four segments, pretty much following the seasons it chronicles. Part I takes the story up to bud-break, and sells for $5.
In any case, now that I’ve Kindled, it’s back to doing what I do best –sloughing off. And reviewing wine.
Monday, March 16, 2009
I'm Headin' for Sonoma
Way to go, Uncle Joe!
A two million dollar home in Sonoma, with a vineyard. Wow.
Well, from what I can tell the ‘vineyard’ is 12 starter Zinfandel plants out in the backyard, but that’s okay. HGTV did a good job ‘selling’ the vineyard theme, with lots of pictures of rolling hills, and dozens of acres of mature vineyards basking in the sun. So what if it they weren’t part of the house. Nice tease.
But still and all, my Uncle Joe and Aunt Cheri won the annual dream house giveaway on HGTV. Out of more than 39 million -yes, million!-entries. The episode aired Sunday (March 15) and it was pretty awesome. The build-up was a little torturous, mostly because we already knew Joe won, and I just wanted to see my uncle. It was like waiting for the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show; ‘Coming up, the Beatles!’ Screams, delirium. Forty minutes later, the Beatles finally appear.
Same here. Gotta show the fabulous house (it is fabulous). Gotta have the designer gush, the neighbor (who produces Pixar movies) comment, and follow the lady with the balloons who wouldn’t tell us where she was, as she drove around getting ready to surprise the winners.
It was all a good fun tease, and finally, just as the Beatles were about to come out, the lady with the balloons goes up a porch, knocks on the door, and my Aunt Cheri, dressed in a red Coca-Cola T-shirt comes out and the screaming and delirium commences.
Joe was behind her trying to get a word in edgewise, but the lady only wanted to talk to Cheri, who did a good ‘Omigod, I can’t believe it!’ thing, without embarrassing herself.
Joe as it turns out was the one who entered the drawing -under Cheri’s name. That’s Joe. (Cheri once told me a story about how she came home one day to find Joe hiding around a corner, down on all fours, with a big grin on his face. Cheri asked him, rightfully, I think, what the hell he was doing, and Joe laughed, and said “Shh, I’m gonna scare the dog.” That’s Uncle Joe.)
Anyway, Joe finally gets his two-cents worth in in a follow-up that you can view on HGTV’s Website. There’s even a shot of him playing guitar. Which is kinda sweet, because it was Joe that taught me how to play guitar 45 years ago. Two months before the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.
So, Joe and Cheri have a fabulous house in Sonoma (they live in Florida), but funny thing is, I don’t think they drink wine.
Good time –and place- to learn.
A two million dollar home in Sonoma, with a vineyard. Wow.
Well, from what I can tell the ‘vineyard’ is 12 starter Zinfandel plants out in the backyard, but that’s okay. HGTV did a good job ‘selling’ the vineyard theme, with lots of pictures of rolling hills, and dozens of acres of mature vineyards basking in the sun. So what if it they weren’t part of the house. Nice tease.
But still and all, my Uncle Joe and Aunt Cheri won the annual dream house giveaway on HGTV. Out of more than 39 million -yes, million!-entries. The episode aired Sunday (March 15) and it was pretty awesome. The build-up was a little torturous, mostly because we already knew Joe won, and I just wanted to see my uncle. It was like waiting for the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show; ‘Coming up, the Beatles!’ Screams, delirium. Forty minutes later, the Beatles finally appear.
Same here. Gotta show the fabulous house (it is fabulous). Gotta have the designer gush, the neighbor (who produces Pixar movies) comment, and follow the lady with the balloons who wouldn’t tell us where she was, as she drove around getting ready to surprise the winners.
It was all a good fun tease, and finally, just as the Beatles were about to come out, the lady with the balloons goes up a porch, knocks on the door, and my Aunt Cheri, dressed in a red Coca-Cola T-shirt comes out and the screaming and delirium commences.
Joe was behind her trying to get a word in edgewise, but the lady only wanted to talk to Cheri, who did a good ‘Omigod, I can’t believe it!’ thing, without embarrassing herself.
Joe as it turns out was the one who entered the drawing -under Cheri’s name. That’s Joe. (Cheri once told me a story about how she came home one day to find Joe hiding around a corner, down on all fours, with a big grin on his face. Cheri asked him, rightfully, I think, what the hell he was doing, and Joe laughed, and said “Shh, I’m gonna scare the dog.” That’s Uncle Joe.)
Anyway, Joe finally gets his two-cents worth in in a follow-up that you can view on HGTV’s Website. There’s even a shot of him playing guitar. Which is kinda sweet, because it was Joe that taught me how to play guitar 45 years ago. Two months before the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.
So, Joe and Cheri have a fabulous house in Sonoma (they live in Florida), but funny thing is, I don’t think they drink wine.
Good time –and place- to learn.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
March 9, 2009. Aligot –At long last, I am about to make aligot (pronounced ah-lee-GO), thanks to my friend Linda who makes her own cheese. Last night she came over bearing a chunk of some one-day old cheese. And guess what? Aligot is (traditionally) made using two-day old Cantal cheese. So while we ate a bunch of her young fromage last night (it was a ‘release’ party for our Spudders Crest, 2007 Red Mountain Cab/Merlot), there was enough left-over to make aligot tonight –while the cheese is still two-days old.
Aligot is a fairly obscure concoction, native to the Auvergne region in southern France. My first encounter with it was last year in Paris on rue Mouffetard, and its daily market. One of the cheese shops was making a big pot of aligot out on the sidewalk. I got to taste a bit, and then bought a small tub of it.
Aligot is somewhere between mashed potatoes and a cheese spread. Most of the recipes I’ve encountered are similar. Steamed or boiled potatoes are combined at a ratio of two to one with cheese. A bit of garlic, salt, pepper, butter, and milk are added. All of this is stirred together in a double-boiler until you get a nice smooth, thick consistency, almost to saltwater taffy. It’s most often served as a side dish with meats, though it’s not bad on bread.
So anyway, tonight I will make my first aligot and report back
March 10, 2009. ‘So, Bob, how’d the aligot go (pronounced ah-lee GO-GO)?’ Well, I didn’t get that taffy-like stretchiness I was hoping for, but otherwise, it tastes wonderful. I used David Rosengarten’s recipe. Only problem, with an improvised and rather clumsy double-boiler, my hand slipped at one point, and a bunch of boiling water dribbled into the pot. Took a lot of stirring to burn that off.
My guess is, you really need to use two-day-old Cantal to get the right consistency. By the way, I asked (back on rue Mouffetard) the old fellar stirring the aligot pot if they sold the 2-day-old Cantal by itself, and he shook his head, ‘o non, non, you crazy little American.’ So I don’t know where a home cook would find it.
I do have some store-bought raw milk Cantal (probably aged to around 6 months), which is awesome. Similar to gruyere and tomme de Savoie. Maybe next time I’ll pass on tradition and try making aligot with an aged cheese.
Aligot is a fairly obscure concoction, native to the Auvergne region in southern France. My first encounter with it was last year in Paris on rue Mouffetard, and its daily market. One of the cheese shops was making a big pot of aligot out on the sidewalk. I got to taste a bit, and then bought a small tub of it.
Aligot is somewhere between mashed potatoes and a cheese spread. Most of the recipes I’ve encountered are similar. Steamed or boiled potatoes are combined at a ratio of two to one with cheese. A bit of garlic, salt, pepper, butter, and milk are added. All of this is stirred together in a double-boiler until you get a nice smooth, thick consistency, almost to saltwater taffy. It’s most often served as a side dish with meats, though it’s not bad on bread.
So anyway, tonight I will make my first aligot and report back
March 10, 2009. ‘So, Bob, how’d the aligot go (pronounced ah-lee GO-GO)?’ Well, I didn’t get that taffy-like stretchiness I was hoping for, but otherwise, it tastes wonderful. I used David Rosengarten’s recipe. Only problem, with an improvised and rather clumsy double-boiler, my hand slipped at one point, and a bunch of boiling water dribbled into the pot. Took a lot of stirring to burn that off.
My guess is, you really need to use two-day-old Cantal to get the right consistency. By the way, I asked (back on rue Mouffetard) the old fellar stirring the aligot pot if they sold the 2-day-old Cantal by itself, and he shook his head, ‘o non, non, you crazy little American.’ So I don’t know where a home cook would find it.
I do have some store-bought raw milk Cantal (probably aged to around 6 months), which is awesome. Similar to gruyere and tomme de Savoie. Maybe next time I’ll pass on tradition and try making aligot with an aged cheese.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
The Third Annual Awbbies
The envelope please. And the wiener is…
Did you know there are awards given to wine bloggers? Neither did I. Not only that, the AWBAs (American Wine Bloggers Awards) are already in their third year. Wow. What’s more shocking, I wasn’t even nominated. What’s up with that?
The gent behind these awards is Tom Wark, and you can visit him, and vote at his Website. Although, the deadline is tonight. But even if you’re too late to vote, it’s a good site for one stop blog shopping (I mean, you’ve already got this one, why go anywhere else, but…).
The site gave me a chance to catch up on other blogs, for, y’know, contrast, compare, see where I stand in relationship with all the other losers who can’t find a job…errr, I mean, with other like-minded, really intelligent people, who just want so much to share their tremendous wealth of information.
One thing I notice is I really suck at graphics. Well, more to the point, I don’t have graphics.
There’s one weird site for instance, that’s all images. Instead of reviewing wines with words, they just have an image, usually provocative, expressive of a particular wine. It reminded me of my late, and widely lamented newsletter, the Wine Iconoclast, where once I did wine reviews in Interpretive Dance. That went over really well.
So I’m going to start cooking up some graphics.
In the meantime, I’ll have to rely on words. I have in front of me a lovely little wine, the Francois Chidaine, 2007 Val de Loire Touraine Sauvignon, $13 (Whole Foods). Wonderfully, classic, French Sauvignon Blanc. Grapefruit nose, bit grassy, great whistle-clean texture, lean, crisp, and a great food wine, especially with…
But wait, you know how us SOWWs (Society Of Wine Writers) are always going on about great food/wine matches. Well, what about the opposite? The nightmare matches. For instance, I’m drinking this lovely wine, and I decide to have a couple bites of the luscious, decadent, triple cream Castello Blue, and ick! It was like sucking on month-old garbage.
How can two things, lovely by themselves, be so hideous together? A match made in Hell.
But the good news is, if such bad matches do exist, then -applying the rule of inversion- great matches must also exist, and it therefore falls to us SOWWs to steer readers, not always towards, but occasionally away from certain food wine matches.
A task which should certainly earn me an Awbby next year.
Did you know there are awards given to wine bloggers? Neither did I. Not only that, the AWBAs (American Wine Bloggers Awards) are already in their third year. Wow. What’s more shocking, I wasn’t even nominated. What’s up with that?
The gent behind these awards is Tom Wark, and you can visit him, and vote at his Website. Although, the deadline is tonight. But even if you’re too late to vote, it’s a good site for one stop blog shopping (I mean, you’ve already got this one, why go anywhere else, but…).
The site gave me a chance to catch up on other blogs, for, y’know, contrast, compare, see where I stand in relationship with all the other losers who can’t find a job…errr, I mean, with other like-minded, really intelligent people, who just want so much to share their tremendous wealth of information.
One thing I notice is I really suck at graphics. Well, more to the point, I don’t have graphics.
There’s one weird site for instance, that’s all images. Instead of reviewing wines with words, they just have an image, usually provocative, expressive of a particular wine. It reminded me of my late, and widely lamented newsletter, the Wine Iconoclast, where once I did wine reviews in Interpretive Dance. That went over really well.
So I’m going to start cooking up some graphics.
In the meantime, I’ll have to rely on words. I have in front of me a lovely little wine, the Francois Chidaine, 2007 Val de Loire Touraine Sauvignon, $13 (Whole Foods). Wonderfully, classic, French Sauvignon Blanc. Grapefruit nose, bit grassy, great whistle-clean texture, lean, crisp, and a great food wine, especially with…
But wait, you know how us SOWWs (Society Of Wine Writers) are always going on about great food/wine matches. Well, what about the opposite? The nightmare matches. For instance, I’m drinking this lovely wine, and I decide to have a couple bites of the luscious, decadent, triple cream Castello Blue, and ick! It was like sucking on month-old garbage.
How can two things, lovely by themselves, be so hideous together? A match made in Hell.
But the good news is, if such bad matches do exist, then -applying the rule of inversion- great matches must also exist, and it therefore falls to us SOWWs to steer readers, not always towards, but occasionally away from certain food wine matches.
A task which should certainly earn me an Awbby next year.
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