Learn How To Easily Find Wines Of $50 Quality For $10 Or Less. Impress Friends With Your Expanded Wine Knowledge. Eliminate Your Dependence On Wine Salespeople. And Take The Hassle Out Of Buying Wine.
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Met-Art Latest Update, December 11 4 new galleries added today December 11 from Met-Art. Julia I ?Sinnila? by Voronin , Natasha G ?Xikk? by Voronin , Altea B ?Errotikas? by Erro , Nikky Case ?Sextia? by Luca Helios .
Eric Asimov has a great piece in today’s Times about all the sensory inputs of wine–and he’s not talking about blackberries, leather, and tar but rather what makes us buy and ultimately enjoy a given wine.
The piece summarizes recent research into wine purchasing decisions, particularly two studies that have made consumers appear to be easily influenced by price. Obviously many other factors go into what makes you buy a wine including what you’ve read about it, the place of origin, the grape, the producer, the importer, and perhaps the bottle design and label (if you’re new to this site, have your say in our worst wine label contest while submissions are still open!).
I’m a huge fan of context for wine enjoyment and thanks to Eric for quoting me in the story with this perspective. Sometimes context can even elevate a humble bottle of wine to make it an all-time favorite. I remember Frank Prial, previously wine critic for the Times, saying that the best bottle of wine he ever had was some crappy wine he drank enthusiastically right after returning from a tour in the Korean War. It wasn’t the wine so much as it was the fact that he was home.
It’s amazing how often learned wine folk cite humble bottles as their faves when the experience was really so much about the mood and the moment. How has context influenced a great wine experience of yours?
Maybe there should be 100 point moments rather than 100 point wines. There’s no price tag on that, after all.
Ringing in at 13.5% alcohol by volume, this cheap wine was an equal match to the FishEye Merlot. From Ripon, California, this wine lets the fruit speak for itself. Along with the dark plum taste, I also experienced a little pepper in the nose.
At only 8 dollars a bottle, I found this to be a great wine. I had mine with Spicy Montreal seasoning. Try it! Rating: 7/10 Price: 7.99 Place of purchase: L&L Grocery Vineyard Info: FishEye Winery Ripon, CA www.fisheyewines.com
Tasted by Mrbuzz. Nice dark garnet color. Wonderful nose of leather, cedar, dried currants/cherry, dusty earth spice, wet mulling spice. I can already tell this is going to be outstanding.......and, it is! Still young and alive in the mouth....similar flavors as the nose, slight sour dry finish. Still powerful in structure, great aged leather and spices....well rounded...drinks of Napa Valley, in the day. 1991 is my favorite Ca Cab Vintage of all time...this wine might just be my favorite Mondavi of all time....Cheers to Robert Mondavi...rip. (95 pts.) - Tasted 5/16/2008. [FIND IT!]
Enjoyed this new article at DivineCaroline about women's physiology vis a vis that of men and how this impacts our ability to compete with guys in, oh say, a drinking contest. The results aren't in our favor (sorry, ladies) unless you happen to be a very buff woman paired off to compete with a fat guy of roughly your same height. Here's a brief excerpt from the piece, and link to check out the rest:
"Winning a drinking contest, or just being able to gauge how many drinks you can have while still remaining vertical, depends on numerous factors, including regularity of drink, that day's food and sleep intake, and genetics. But based just on gender...,
There was a time, when as a teen, I listened to music for hours each day. Then came children whose sleep took precedence. Music became something peripheral and half volume. The quieter it became, the less I listened.
For years I begrudgingly consumed commercial radio (on my way to and from work). It made music even less enjoyable. Predictable and bland. A filler and a distraction rather than anything substantive or enjoyable.
I've grown more particular with age, harder to please and less tolerant of formula and packaging. Despite this, I find that again I'm listening to and enjoying music, mesmerised by the beauty, frailty and power of some songs.
I imagine it's the same with wine. I have friends who once had a passion, but for whatever reason (health, children, money, spouse) they have lost interest. If they do drink it's the routine and mundane that passes their lips. A sure way to extinguish any remaining spark. Soon all wine becomes the same, an agreeable liquid that no longer excites. . .
I'd originally written this for Lenn, but we didn't use it and I'm dry on material... read it and weep
Cabernet Sauvignon is for wimps.
Yep, you read right. Wimps, I tell ya. You want a dash of crème de cassis? Mathilde makes a pretty one for kir royales. Bursts of blackberry? Pass the Polaner All-Fruit. Chocolate and coffee notes? Starbuck?s can whip you up a mean frappucino. But please, don?t put it in my wine.
I admit, I?m being cranky. And I know it?s partially because I have a pile of dishes in my sink crying out for help as I try to type. But it?s also because I?m trying to make a point: while Cabernet Sauvignon can indeed produce beautiful wines, it?s often made into over-ripe fruit bombs smothered in vanilla-toasted oak.
I know what you?re thinking. Clearly, this woman has never tasted Silver Oak. Or Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. Or etc. etc. etc. I admit, Cab Sauvs can be made into some pretty smoking wines, but can you afford those? Nah, neither can I. The gloriously rated Howell Mountain Cabs are about as far from my price range as possible. As are top growth Bordeaux. Where does that leave me?
Cabernet Franc.
Granted, the two grapes are very different. Cab Sauvignon is all about tannins, dark fruit and leathery aromas. Cab Francs, while also firmly tannic, are lighter, earthier, and display much more herbal aromas. But for me, it?s one of the most wonderfully versatile grapes under vine, producing a plethora of styles, most of which are both food-friendly and age-worthy.
Cabernet Franc, as you know, is one of the grapes used in the classic Bordeaux blend. Along with the more famous Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Bordeaux can also include Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Percentages of Cabernet Franc vary from chateau to chateau, but its typically used more on the right bank in St-Emilion and Pomerol to add tannic structure to Merlot?s juicy roundness.
But Bordeaux is certainly not where Cabernet Franc gained notoriety. That exhalted region is none other than the Loire Valley in France. The Loire is an interesting area that?s largely held on to traditional winemaking methods and indigenous grape varieties, including Muscadet, Pineau d?Aunis, and Cot (the local name for Malbec), among others. The AOCs (Appellation d?Origine Controlle) of Chinon, Bourgeuil, and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgeuil produce reds from Cabernet Franc. The wines tend to be leaner and more acidic than Bordeaux , ranging from the chalk-textured Bourgeuil to the richer Chinon to the juicy St-Nicolas-de-Bourgeuil. While lackluster winemaking can certainly produce bland wines, the true artists of the Loire have been known to craft earthy wines, loaded with mulberry, sage, and minerality that can age for 15 years or more.
Cabernet Franc, however, was largely overlooked in the United States until recently. Some experimental winemakers out in California have been producing Cab Francs that are big, bold, and brawny ? which is just fine, but not particularly true to the nature of the grape. Happily for us, Cab Franc seems to prefer the climate of New York State, and in particular, that of Long Island.
It turns out the maritime climate of Long Island is perfect for many of the Bordeaux grapes ? they dig the summer heat moderated by the surrounding water. Long Island is also cool enough in the winter to allow an appropriate dormant phase without great risk of extended freezes. The Finger Lakes have long struggled with red grapes for lack of sufficient sunlight to ripen, but Long Island has the best of all climactic combinations. And judging from a recent tasting, Long Island winemakers are producing Cab Francs in the all of its glory ? from light and juicy to tannic and mineral-laden.
Raphael and Jamesport both produce what are perhaps the most approachable Cab Francs. Lighter and juicier in style, these wines can both be served slightly chilled as delicious, thirst-quenching sippers. This is not to say that they?re not dinner-wines; indeed, serve them at room temperature paired with rosemary-roasted chicken and asparagus and they?ll certainly blossom.
Castello di Borghese has created a more new world Cabernet Franc that?s full on the palate with sweet cherry fruit and smooth tannins ? it?s a softer, rounder version of the grape that will appeal to dyed-in-the-wool Merlot fans. In a somewhat similar style, Vineyard 48 has certainly gone new world by oak-ageing the wines to impart toasty cinnamon nuances. It?s smooth, round, and creamy, loaded with blackberry and black cherry fruit. Pair either with a hearty beef stew for a midwinter treat.
Schneider produces the most classically-styled Cabernet Francs. If I were to taste their ?Le Breton? blind, I think I?d pick it out as a ripe Bourgeuil. The chalky nose offers plum, sweet red peppers, thyme, and rosemary, with a linear palate of blackberry that expands beyond the stoniness to a smooth, round finish of plumy licorice. Schneider?s ?Roanoke Point? is a bit more elegant, with toasty sandlewood aromas interlaced with rosewater and pluots. The blackberry fruit on the palate is enhanced by notes of roses, herbs, prunes, and roasted peppers. These are both Cabernet Francs for Cab Franc lovers. And a pairing? Why, Long Island duckling, of course!
Ok, now, I?m not saying that after trying Cabernet Franc, you?ll completely abandon Cabernet Sauvignon. But let it swish around your mouth for a while. Taste the lovely herbal notes and the layers of stone and fruit and try to convince me that it?s not an underappreciated grape.
And, if you really feel the need, send me a thank you note. It?s only polite.
I picked up a nice bottle of good cheap wine: Purple Moon Shiraz from Trader Joe’s. This wine, made in Manteca California, was a pretty typical Shiraz with an atypical price tag. For only $3.99, this turned out to be one of many fantastic selections I made at Trader Joe’s.
I enjoyed this Shiraz with some Trader Joe’s Mild Fresh Salsa… boy! What a match!
It was dark plum in color and lots of fruit, the “dry Shiraz” fans that sampled this wine with me loved it. I enjoyed it at a perfect 54 degrees F, so that may have enhanced my enjoyment of this cheap wine. Now, when I usually write a post I research it on the internet. Aside from some web-spam, this cheap wine didn’t show up at all. Well, I feel this wine deserves some more publicity, so here it is!
Would buy again, without doubt. Stay tuned for my full tribute to Trader Joe’s (and Charles Shaw AKA Two-Buck Chuck)!
Has anyone else tried this? Has anyone been able to get it from places other than Trader Joe’s? Rating: 8/10 Price: $3.99 Place of purchase:Trader Joe’s
Insiders know that many of British Columbia?s most tantalizing food and wine experiences are found in the Fraser, Cowichan and Okanagan valleys. So wine, dine and taste your way through these food-centric areas. Discover boutique wineries, savour Aboriginal cuisine, feast...
Another Moronic Convergence set for our place tonight: tonight's showdown is Monastrell/Mourvedre. So far, I think we have to Spanish, two Californian, and one French.
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. From an AP newswire published on MSNBC WASHINGTON - Police on Capitol Hill are baffled by an attempted robbery that began with a handgun put to the head of a teenager and ended in a group hug. It started about midnight on June 16 when a group of friends was finishing a dinner of marinated steaks and jumbo...
I’m racking 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from barrels now. In these photos, you can see the clean wine that I’m racking from the lees, and then the lees being poured from the barrel into a bucket. 50% of this wine was fermented in old french oak barrels and the other half was fermented in tank. I can take and post all the photos I want of this process, but it’s hard to convey the aromas that fill the winery at this time. This is one of the most hedonistic times, at least for me.
The lees are the dregs, the “bottom of the barrel”, and largely viewed as waste but in a winery they can be useful and wonderful. Lees is composed of grape solids, yeast bodies, nutrients, bacteria that have settled out of the wine during aging, but it is also a way to “diagnose” or ascertain the condition of the wine itself. Sweet, clean, ethereally aromatic lees is the sign of healthy grapes, a good fermentation, a clean wine.
I do this process myself because I want to make sure we get a very clean wine from this racking as it will not be filtered. So, all of the barrels are “racked in place”, ie, the barrels are not moved or disturbed until racking. That’s a rule for all of the wines we produce here, but it is particularly critical with the Sauvignon Blanc as it is packaged in a clear bottle!! I will probably fine it with a little bentonite to make sure it settles out as much as possible before bottling.
As the weather gradually warms up, I?m pleased to be encountering more intelligent value Argentine wines from provinces outside of Mendoza.Produced by Viña Cornejo Costas, an estate with established history in the Argentine northwest, here?s another Torrontés beauty from the mineral-rich CafayateValley.This is a great recommendation that can stand up to spicy and Asian dishes, given that Argentina?s native Torrontés variety is intense in acidity and flavor, even if light on body.
This wine reminds me again that Torrontés made in the CafayateValley could well be considered the benchmark for Argentine Torrontés.For being in the $10-$12 range, this Torrontés boasts a great deal more complexity and balance than some French and Italian varieties costing more have sadly failed to exhibit.Although I am a lifetime fan of European wines, I?d like to drink more intelligent value wines made by producers who don?t take me for granted due to some sense of entitlement. I sometimes worry about that and I?m not sure whether it?s that exactly or perhaps the fact that wine prices for Burgundy and Bordeaux are incredibly inflated, but I?m finding it more difficult than ever to put down $15 for a bottle of white wine from prestige regions that won?t underwhelm.
Reflecting more upon possible Argentine wine import trends, I am really looking forward to seeing more wines from Argentina?s provinces outside of Mendoza given that producers are avoiding bulk production like the plague and still very much feel that they have everything to prove.For one, crafting wines in Salta isn?t exactly for the faint of heart?stony, sandy soils on steep Andean inclines and almost 360 days of sunlight.Wines produced in Salta don?t even account for a tenth of Argentine wines, and this especially underscores the fact that bulk producers have stayed away for some time.
I?ve recently noticed lots of new and exciting things which I?ll report on later in terms of Argentine wine imports.Interestingly enough, these wines don?t exactly fit the typical ?Wines of Argentina Awards? formula for success (Bordeaux-style blends with Malbec playing a role to some degree).I am seeing more general Patagonia appellation Pinot Noir, Tempranillo from San Juan and now, more Torrontés producers from Salta stepping up to deliver.I have a feeling that things are looking up for smaller Argentine producers who may want to share their work with export markets such as the U.S., since an open-minded changing of the guard, taste-wise is afoot.For now, here?s my take on the don Rodolfo Torrontés:
In the glass, it is a clear, pale lemon color.The nose is perfumey and stays true to the nature of the aromatic Torrontés variety?clean, pronounced floral aromas (elderflower dominating), stone fruit (apricot and peach), and lemon.The style is dry, with high acidity, light body and an impressive balance of flavors for the price point.The elderflower blossom aspect that dominates from the nose on through to one?s afterbreath really captivated me, as it?s one of my favorite scents/flavors in general.The acidity from the lemon zest is very refreshing and nicely accompanies the stone fruit flavors.
The importer of the don Rodolfo wines is Cabernet Corporation, out of California. Check with them for distribution information if it doesn't seem to be available in your area.
Pam Anderson and Kid Rock (aka Bob Ritchie) were engaged last week in St Tropez and decided to also marry there this past weekend in a yacht off of the coast of France. And boy does it only get better. Here are some pictures of Pammy pie a few days before her wedding looking rough and making *ahem* remarks about the upcoming nuptials.
Okey Dokey then Pam. I sincerely hope you were kidding, otherwise you are an absolute idiot. Note to self - Veils purchased from Prescilla's look HIDEOUS!!
Unfortunately, it just keeps getting better. Here are pictures of the bride and groom just after saying their vows. Wanna know what millionaires in the entertainment industry drink after getting married in St. Tropez on a million dollar yacht? Well, tried and true - American all the way through - Kid Rock drinks Corona. Wait..Corona??? I guess when you are in France you don't have to honor your exclusive contract with Coors. At least he represents with a stunning (or stunningly retarded) American flag belt buckle made from rare blue diamonds along with red rubies on a titanium buckle. (The gift is rumored to be from Pam as his wedding present). Our precious Pammie pie is slugging....er...drinking Veuve Cliquot. In fact, they drank during the entire ceremony. I really think that the captains hat just makes the bridal bikini don't you??
In case you were wondering what to do for a gift for the couple....
Kid Rock instructed his fans to purchase their gifts at one of his favorite chain stores. "Yes, I'm marrying the girl of my dreams," he wrote on his Web site. "We are registered at Wal-Mart. Thanks for the support!" It's true too. I actually searched for the link today and found it. Here it is...
Adding things to beer is the new hype these days. Sparks, for example, is adding a caffeine type mixture to their beer so why not add green tea to a beer? Wha?? Yep, it seems that the folks at BluCreek Brewery are launching their newest beer called Zen IPA.
BluCreek describes its Zen IPA as an "English-style India Pale Ale created with a mouth-watering blend of fresh Chinook, Cascade and Centennial hops infused carefully with an invigorating all-natural Green Tea." BluCreek has also made beers produced from blueberries and ginseng in the past. I'm not so sure about a green tea beer but hey, to each his own.
A positive spin on Global Warming
The icecaps around the Arctic Circle are melting partly because of global warming. So in the philosophy of "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade" the brewers at Inuit Microbrewery are making a new beer produced from glacial arctic water called Icecap Pale Ale and Brown Ale.
A brewery in Greenland is producing beer using water melted from the ice cap of the vast Arctic island. The brewers claim that the water is at least 2,000 years old and free of minerals and pollutants. It is claimed that the Greenland beer, officially launched in Copenhagen on Monday, has a softer, cleaner taste than other beers, because of the ice cap water.
Alternative closures (screw caps and synthetic corks) are on a lot of bottles these days. The one complaint that I hear from customers though, is that they miss the romance of hearing the cork come out of the bottle. It's that little "pop" that I miss is what they often say. Well, an ingeniuos company in Australia has come up with "Zorks". It's an alternative closure that actually produces that "pop" sound when it comes out of the bottle. It is even designed to act as a stopper when you put it back in the bottle. As far as I am concerened, this is one cool closure.
ZORK - the revolutionary wine closure that seals like a screw cap and pops like a cork.
But the best part is the " How to Zork movie". Check out the dudes unbuttoned shirt and cuffs and listen to the sweet B rate porn music in the background. LOL! You must check it out. Great product....horrible advertising.
Thanks Laurie for sending me the link on this one.
1999 Harlan Estates The Maiden
I pulled this wine out for Andi as a going away present (although she's not really going away) and when we first opened it we were underwhelmed. I gotta tell you...when you spend well over $100 for a wine, the last word you want to consider is underwhelming. So, we saved it and I tasted it again in little sips Saturday and Sunday. By Saturday it was a lot better and by Sunday it was extraordinary. It was ripe and lush with heavy cedar notes. The palate was all blackberry and mulberry with a tinge of medicinal floating around. The finish was long and exposed its oak aging but not in an unpleasant way. I let several people try this wine and the adjective that I heard multiple times was "explosive". I must agree. When you get this wine in your mouth you have to seriously try to concentrate to get all of the little flavors that keep gliding across your taste buds.
Would I pay that much again for it? Probably - but only if it was a good vintage and only if I promise myself not to open it before it's ready. I mean...it's Harlan for goodness sakes. Everybody probably wants to drive a Lamborghini - Is the price worth the car - probably not... but at least you can say you drove one right?
You may have noticed the posts on weird days and I am really trying to get a handle on things. I may not even have access to a computer next week so please hang in there. Once things are settled in the new jobby-job I'll be back to my regular self. Cheers!
Sun Feb 20th, 2005, Forest Grove Sunday Brunch served at The Vineyard House, the renovated historic mansion at Montinore Estate, featuring seasonal menu paired with Montinore wines.
Very good intensity to berry, black cherry and roast duck flavors, with plenty of cedary oak and stony notes extending through the taut, tannic finish. Needs time to show its best. Best from 2009 through 2012. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 3,500 cases imported.
What we commonly refer to as sulfites (actually sulfur dioxide) is natural by-product of the wine fermentation process. It's also an antioxident and antimicrobiodal. Some wineries add extra sulfur dioxide to their wines to help preserve them and many wineries use this compound in lieu of harsh chemical like bleach to clean their vats, lines, and other wine-making apperatus.
Sulfites have gotten a rather bad reputation because a small percentage of the population-around one percent-is allergic to this compound. For this reason, any US-produced wine with more than 10ppm must include the phrase "contains sulfites" on the label. This includes virtually all wines as the naturally-occuring amount of sulfites is around 10-20ppm. (The maximum allowable amount of sulfites in wine is 350ppm.)
Wines with the lowest about of sulfites are organic wines, followed by dry red and white wines. Dessert wines and wines with a high sugar content are higher on the sulfite spectrum.
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For $11 you should be trying any and all 05 Bordeaux you find; many of them will be bargains.
This one is a pretty plum purple with a wowing bouquet of sweet fruit that if I was blind folded I would say it was a rose with sweet fruity strawberry and cherry aromas.
Palate has some structure with forthright tannins and skimpy fruit that is a bit hollow with charcoals notes. This is just light bodied, easy to drink but is weird since it is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet yet tastes like a Beaujolais Cru. It is an easy drinking wine but very weird for Bordeaux. Let this one pass.
Benmarl makes one of my favorite wines - a Reserve Baco Noir which is turning heads and is a scarce commodity because it sells out every year. Here's an interview with one of the best young winemakers today.
I do not know Kristop Brown well. But I know of him. He is young, but well educated, and hungry for more knowledge.
Kristop Brown has rock star good looks, a soft spoken voice, and confident but unobtrusive personality, and a great way with people. Oh yeah, and he makes great wine. The current heart throb of Hudson Valley winemaking, it is easy to see why people are drawn to the quiet but charismatic winemaker from Benmarl. He certainly mirrors the zen of the current age, Brown seems to evince a love and enthusiasm for wine and winemaking, but also seems to possess a sense of self, not taking himself too seriously.
?I worked at Millbrook Winery for one year,? said Brown. ?I became interested in wine at Millbrook where I was able to taste wine from Millbrook as well as the other estates owned by John Dyson in Tuscany and the Russian River Valley. This opened my eyes to the world of wine.?
?I went to Rutgers University and studied forestry,? he said, admitting that wine was not yet a trade he had at first considered seriously.
?I've been at Benmarl since the [first week] in January 2004,? says Brown. ?I learned to make wine apprenticing under Eric Miller, former winemaker at Benmarl [and son of owner Mark Miller], and owner and winemaker at Chaddsford winery (Pennsylvania). I took Organic chem. I and II at SUNY Ulster to help me understand wine better.? He added, ?I am also in school part time with the goal of getting a degree in Chemistry.?
Benmarl is known for its Baco Noir, and in recent years Brown has helped raise the hybrid from a local favorite to a wine other winemakers are talking about. Many other wineries had pulled their Baco Noir vines, not able to make a go of it with the somewhat obscure hybrid. But Brown?s newest incarnation of this grape reminds one of a fine Rhone or a Washington state red. It?s big, fruity, but dry and elegant. And the new package and label have helped make the transformation complete. This wine is a true treasure.
I asked Kristop about the vines at Benmarl. ?The average age of a Baco vine on the property is 25 years old with the oldest at 50 years. These older vines give great character and low yields. Also Baco should be planted in steep rocky soils overlooking a body of water, which is exactly us. Aging in a mixture of new and used French oak is an essential part of Benmarl's Baco program. We age Baco for at most 8 months. I feel the youthful fruit of Baco shows best and should be consumed in the first 1-5 years of its life. Lastly the high acidity must be dealt with and this to me is the biggest challenge in making the wine. Blending a small amount of low acid wine like Foch works, de-acidifying may work (but sometimes leaves a "hole" in the wine), and leaving a dash of residual sugar are all techniques I have used.?
?90% of the producing vines are Baco with the rest split between Marchel Foch, Leon Millot, Noiret and there is a dash of Chambourcin, Aurora, and Villard Noir?We are currently cultivating young Traminette vines on the property and making plans for restoring much of the overgrown terracing to replant. This of course will take many years to complete. ?
I asked him if he enjoyed making Baco Noir. ?I do enjoy making Baco the most because I am starting to know the variety a little better having worked with it for four and a half vintages. I am able to tend the vines and make the wine which I think allows for maximum control of the outcome. I also enjoy making crisp whites with slow, cool fermentations like Traminette and Riesling. The intensity of aromatic fruit that is created is intoxicating.?
What is his favorite part of the process? ?My favorite part of winemaking believe it or not is working in the vineyard. This is where the wine is made. I finally understand the French philosophy on the vigneron which means "winegrower.?
The more you know Mr. Brown, the more you want to know. He was originally born in Sharon, Connecticut, in June of 1975. He is married to Jade, and they have an 11-month-old baby, Ruby. "I used to fly fish and go camping with Jade before the baby, but would like to return to it when Ruby is older. I also have two cats (Stanlely and Stella)."
Did he want to be a winemaker when he was younger? Hardly. ?I don't think I ever really thought about that when I was little. Maybe a professional fisherman or something.?
I asked him to name a few of his favorite East Coast wines, but this is a truncated list, including Dr. Franks Rkatsitelli, Millbrook Tocai Friulano, Whitecliff's Awosting White, Bedell Cellars? Taste Red, Glenora's Cabernet Franc.
Asked what wine region he would most like to visit, he replied, ?I would like to visit the Loire Valley to see how they produce Cabernet Franc, which I feel might make a good vinifera varietal for our property.?
I find myself about to debunk a product who?s claim I do not altogether doubt. The Eisch Glaskultur company of Germany has released a line of stemmed crystal that they claim ?aerates beverages within minutes.? Their packaging states ?A wine poured into a Breathable Glass for just 2 to 4 minutes will show signs of aeration equivalent to the same wine that has been decanted and aerated for 1 to 2 hours.?
Since I am on the record for saying that ?breathing? is a wine myth, I can hardly fault a product that claims to do nothing, and succeeds. Of course the implication that they are using to sell glassware is that this stem will improve your wine tasting experience. This is what I set out to test.
Let me start by clarifying my positing on wine breathing. I have conducted various experiments over the years and the results have not done much to make me a believer. I am not saying that there is no difference from a wine that is decanted for an hour or two from a recently opened bottle, I am just not sure the difference is either significant, or difficult to reproduce with a few good swirls in a glass.
The premise is that allowing a wine to breath opens it up. It has a very poetic sound to it, except that wine does not respire so much as exhale. Wine vents volatile compounds into the air. The whole glass swirling thing is about releasing these compounds to make them easier to detect.
To say that a sitting wine improves is to say that these volatile compounds were in present in too great a number to begin with. This is certainly true with some wines that have off odors or excessive volatility, and in those rare cases I highly recommend a forceable decanting (so the wine literally chugs out of the bottle and splashes violently into the decanter).
If the wine was sound to begin with, it by definition was not excessively volatile. Vinegar is wine with way too much volatility, as an extreme example. Few modern wines you open will be vinegar-like. Some other off odors, such as the wet rotten leaf smell of a wine that has undergone malo-lactic fermentation in a bottle, may be reduced by decanting. A wine that went through MLF in a bottle will usually be slightly sparkling as well.
The experiments I have conducted include opening a bottle and tasting it blind against another bottle of the same wine which had been opened and or decanted some time before. The decanted wine may well have a different aroma and taste, but after a few minutes of swirling either wine, the differences balance out.
For the Breathable Glass (BG) I created a simple experiment. So simple that I concede that I do not have definitive proof of my hypothesis. On the other hand, it is simple enough that anyone can try it.
I put the same wine in the BG and another tall, well shaped glass and let them sit for four minutes without touching them. I then poured both wines into identical tasting glasses and tasted them blind. I did the same test again, only this time I swirled each of the wines reasonably evenly for 2 minutes before switching glasses and tasting.
In neither case did the wine from the BG exhibit any significant aromas or flavors that varied from the wine which had been poured into the regular glass. Therefore I can state unequivocally that I did not find anything remarkable or impressive.
My wording here is deliberate since Ronn Weigand who is one of the few combination Master Sommeliers and Masters of Wine is quoted right on the packaging as saying ?I was especially impressed - Remarkable!?
The test I conducted were designed to be easily verified by my peers, and as always I urge them to do so. What I didn?t do is almost as important as what I did.
I did not test a wine that had been in the BG for 4 minutes against the same wine that had been in a decanter for two hours, as per the claim on the package. I did not run a spectroscopic analysis to determine if the crystal makeup of the glasses was richer in oxygen, the mechanism cited for the claim. I didn?t do many things, but I did what I did, and I didn?t find a difference.
The Breathable Glass line is fine crystal with a good feel to it, and at $20 a stem it is not outrageously priced. I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond, and it is because it is being marketed to the main stream instead of to wine geeks that I felt compelled to try it.
My advice is to save your money and buy one of the $4 stems right next to it on the shelf, unless you like the feel of the glass and it is in your budget. Just don?t expect miracles.
Oh, and the title of the blog is indeed a nod to Robert Lynn Asprin?s entertaining Myth-Adventures series. I know a few of you were dying to ask.
The children?s cookbook genre is enjoying a new life, as parents who have a keen interest in cooking encourage their young children to spend time in the kitch
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