It’s been awhile since we really blogged. You know the original blog post, a wrap up of the blogger’s life and ideas that pop in their heads. Usually we write in a more educational manner trying our best to educate. Today is different. This weekend we had a perfect storm of visitors. Our old roommates from the good old days when we lived in Madrid were in town for the long weekend, which inevitably meant lots of fun foods and some unexpected card games of Liar. A wonderful weekend, as well as an opportunity throw down on a few meals since I had such an attentive audience. First night, it was port brined pork loin (that’s a mouthfull), followed by Country chicken paired with roasted purple potatoes and green beans with walnuts and cured ham the following night. Both meals deserved pictures and descriptions, but alas, the food disappeared before I had a chance. For those of you with a grill and some gumption, however, here’s how to cook the the Pork(everyone’s favorite)!

Combine in a large pot, or bucket, the following: 1 x3lb-5lb piece of whole pork loin, 1 bottle cheap Port wine(ruby), a few cloves, a few sticks of cinnamon, 2 bay leafs, a cup and a half of rock salt, a cup of sugar and half a nutmeg nut chopped coarsely. Cover the meat with cold water and let sit for approximately 8 hours.

When the meat has finished brining, get a very hot two stage fire going in your grill. Remove the pork from the brine and dry throughly. Quickly blacken the pork on the hot side of the grill, turning it so that the entire piece is all nice and charred. Then move the pork to the other side of the grill and place a lid on the grill. It should take about 30 minutes to cook, though it depends on your grill. Just keep an eye on it! When it’s done, let it rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into thick chops. Enjoy!

Let me know if you try it out!

Saturday, we woke late, and Gabriella and I headed to a meeting with a small port producer who is looking to explore the world of Web2.0. Had a nice lunch filled with great conversation and plates of grilled sardines and shrimp along the sea. After several hours of excited banter back and forth, we’re already excited to visit their property in the middle of the Douro valley!

Saying our goodbyes, we then wandered our way along the coast filled with pale German and British bathers in the for the weekend, and into the center of the city to meet up with both our friends and my sister and brother-in-law visiting who were visiting from out of town. Our goal was to meander through the streets and enjoy a range of Tapas, which we succeeded in tackling rather quickly. The first place we stopped at had some of the finest “Bombas” drenched in a slightly spicy white sauce. Bombas are slightly spicy potato filled croquettes with bits of meat inside a crispy, fried bread shell. YuM!

Our second stop was a disappointment, though the food was quite good. We ended up in a place where the owner became too big of an influence on the ambiance, hovering around us, making awkward jokes just to fit in. That’s always tough, especially when you’d rather focus on your company than the waiter. How do you tell him to bugger off and just feed us some good food? The restaurant, Mam i Teca, wasn’t all bad, as the food was pretty good, but it may not be worth your while. Too small, uncomfortable seats and pushy service doesn’t really make up for a decent meal.

We did have fun though, and I had some nice pics result from the evening. Oh, and one new piece of information on my quest for Iberian Beer! I have a place to review. La Cerveceria located in the Gothic quarter is a serious beer joint that goes out of their way to bring good beer to Spain. I will be doing a full review shortly, but I just wanted to let everyone who was feeling badly for me know that I now have a Titan IPA, a Snakedog IPA, and a new Beligum that beer claiming to the be the Hoppiest beer of the them all! We’ll see!

Ok, till soon,

Ryan

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I am a fan of Spencer-Roloson winery, so I sought out Sam Spencer for our “20 Not So Penetrating Questions for a Wine Craftsman.”

Sam and his partner Wendy Roloson produce high-end, affordably priced, small lot Rhone and Spanish style wines, mostly reds and a couple of delightful whites. 

Simply, these people get it. 

They sell in Indiana, which always engenders a boutique producer to me, because most others eschew distribution in the state without understanding the opportunity.  They sell Direct-to-Trade, a program that I helped initiate with Inertia Beverage Group; they are starting a blog and their positioning to market is, “Provocative Wines Evocative Dirt.” Oh, and this is on top of their wine line-up being fantastic from top to bottom.

But, Sam doesn’t stop there, in fact he has side projects, too.  His most recent project is the current Cameron Hughes “Hughes-Wellman” Cabernet. As a wine club selection and a slight one-off from the CH model, the $50 Cabernet with just 199 cases produced should go extremely fast.  Available now at this link.

Fortunately, Sam found a few spare moments to interview with us and our 20 questions … an economy of words and a spareness of detail makes this interview kind of like the subject—smart, to the point and without a lot of artifice.  Though, as a child of the 80’s and a viewer of late night Cinemax as a young teen, I do have to chuckle at his favorite movie genre.

Which of the Seven Deadly Sins are you most guilty of?

Sam: Lust mostly, pride in the balance

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Sam: Poor diction and improperly spoken English. Although I speak Spanish terribly and mangle that language daily.

Sam: Failing to keep your area/station clean

What is on your nightstand?

Sam:
James Salter: Last Night
John Mcphee : the founding Fish
Luca Turin: Perfume: the Guide

What is in your refrigerator or pantry that you would not openly admit?

Sam: Nothing

What do you drink when you are not drinking wine?

Sam: Tecate, Campari or Patron silver-rocks and lime

What type of music or radio station is played most often in your car?

Sam: KQED for news and KCRW via satellite for the best music in CA

In what era would you live if you transport yourself?

Sam: 100 years in the future

What is the best wine-related book you have read?

Sam: The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr and Assembling California by John Mcphee

The former is about the science of olfaction, scent and the perfume industry the latter is about the geology of CA put into lay terms with explanations

What is your favorite movie genre? 

Sam: 1970’s Soft-Porn

Is your desk messy or organized?

Sam: Both

Are you always early or terminally late?

Sam: Late

Whom would you want to play you in the movie about your life?

Sam: Jack Nicholson

What super-power would you most like to have, and why?

Sam: Super strength and endurance—Get more done with time to spare for hanging out with my family and friends

What do you do if you have a spare hour? 

Sam: Ride my road bike

What was the last great restaurant you ate at? 

Sam: Justus Drugstore in KC, MO and Momofuko-Ko in NYC.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? 

Sam: Coffee

What is the best compliment you have ever received?

Sam: You are doing good work.

For additional reading, check out Alder Yarrow’s post on Spencer-Roloson.

When you're gazing at endless rows of wine and you have no clue what to buy, here some generalized tips that can help weed out the crap and allow you to make an educated guess:

1) Don't buy any wine that has dust on it. Chances are there is a reason it hasn't moved. It is either a horrible wine or its a terrible value.

2) If you only see a couple bottles of a particular wine left on the shelf, it may be worth trying. This could be an indication that people are buying it up like crazy and you just happened to walk in at the right time.

3) Read the back label for helpful flavor guides. Smart wineries include descriptions and food pairings. Those that don't have any indicators are anyone's guess as to how it will taste.

Hopefully these easy-to-remember tips will help those in need. Be smart. Use common sense. Don't blindly buy another bottle of vino without making at LEAST an educated guess. Cheers!

Posted by Ryan on Nov 26, 2006 2:45 pm

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Last year I ran a 'subscription and book deal' that a lot of people have been asking me to run again. The book last year was the Wine Hunter - this year it's the Why the French Hate Us: The Real Story of Australian Wine book. Once again I've slashed the price - it wasn't all that long ago that a new subscription to The Wine Front was $55, and the book retails for $28.95. And yet I am offering both a full year's subscription and the book for just $49.95, and that includes delivery of the book.

To take up the offer, click here. Just fill out the order form and get it back to me. If you need a heads up on the book itself, this form also includes some reviews. Or you could take a look here.

This offer will be available for two weeks only.
 

This time of year the wine lover is inundated with T-day wine recommendations..."German Riesling is perfect with turkey"...."A Beaujolais is a sure bet on Thanksgiving"...."Burgundy, both red and white are ideal on your Thanksgiving".....etc. etc.

I for one am tired of staid poultry & stuffing wine pairing suggestions. 

How about something different to eat and drink on Friday - the day after turkey day?  May I suggest a Vermentino, not from the sardinian coast, but from Lodi, California.  Who knew the California version of this hefty-spicy-herby-citrusy grape could be so true to its Italian roots?  After racking up mo' mo' credit card debt on Friday, take the edge of with a plate of turkey enchiladas paired to Uvaggio Vermentino 2006 ($10).   It will be the best wine-food match you will sample all week.

 Yesterday saw the announcement of the medal winners for the International Wine Challenge.

This year 9,358 wines were judged from 35 different countries, by 400 judges. The judges came from 19 different countries and included 33 Masters of Wine. 260 Gold medals were awarded, 1,129 wines won Silver medals and 1,839 wines won Bronze medals.

The top 3 medal winning nations remain the same as last year ? France, Australia and Italy. France scooped the most medals with a total tally of 635.  English wines continue to show improved form with 21 medals in 2007 up from 16 last year.

Of the UK Supermarkets Tesco stocks most medal winning wines whilst Sainsbury?s can claim the most Golds. Waitrose own-label wines won 3 Silver and 5 Bronze medals.

Here at Bottletalk HQ we’ll be sure to be trying a few of these award winners and letting you know what we think on the site.

Virtues and Necessities
by Martin Field

Wine is all about the senses. About sensory evaluation, sensuality and consensual enjoyment. And wouldn't it be awful to lose your sense of taste, of smell, of touch, of sight?

It happens. Years ago, a wine-loving colleague went through a devastating course of chemotherapy to treat cancer and was cured. Afterwards he told me he had permanently lost his taste for wine. He sold his not inconsiderable cellar soon afterwards. Another friend had an operation on his nose that left him without a sense of smell. He'll drink a glass of wine with dinner but admits to being indifferent to its finer points.

I was reminded of this aspect of wine and the senses recently while listening to a wine expert banging on about the unimportance of colour in wine. If I heard him correctly, his thesis was that if the wine smelt and tasted good you shouldn't worry too much about its colour.

I couldn't disagree more. I love the colour of wine in the morning, or the evening. The crystal clear, green-hued glisten of a young riesling; the black cherry colour of a young shiraz; the vibrant inky purple of a Coonawarra cabern? [enough already! - Ed.] The visual appeal of wine in the glass is to me an unmissable part of wine drinking.

The banging on wine person finally admitted to being colour blind! They used to call this attitude making a virtue of a necessity.

And talking of sensory evaluation
Long due for reassessment is the ancient scoring system used at most Australian wine shows. The one where wines are scored out of 20 - with a possible three points (15%) awarded for appearance, seven (35%) for bouquet and ten (50%) for palate. Anyone who's ever had a cold will tell you that smell is probably the most important sensory sensation where wine is concerned. When people have colds they typically complain, ?I can't taste a thing.' What they really mean is, ?I can't smell a thing.' It's their noses that are blocked up - not their mouths.

I realise that many judges just award an intuitive score out of 20 rather than individually scoring each component and then adding up the total. Nevertheless, I'd re-jig the weighting thus: three points (15%) for appearance, nine (45%) for bouquet, five (25%) for palate and three (15%) for overall finesse and balance. Whether the scoring system is out of 20 or 100, or whatever, the percentage weighting would remain the same.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, people will be uncorking bottles of wine the world over.  After all, when you think romance, wine is never far behind.  In her book, The Simple & Savvy Wine Guide, author Leslie Sbrocco suggests “a deep red wine such as a sparkling Shiraz” as the perfect drink to celebrate the occasion.  She also set about to dispel a few popular wine myths:

Myth:  A screw cap means the wine is cheap.
Fact: Some of the world’s most forward-thinking wineries are using screw caps these days.  They’re easy to open and reclose, and they preserve the wine longer.

Myth: Older wine is better.
Fact:  Most wine sold today isn’t meant to be aged.  If it’s from a reputable source, it’s safe to assume that it’s ready to drink.

Usually when people give a bottle of wine as a gift, it’s in one of those pricier velvet-style gift bags that get lost before it can get reused, or those metallic ones.  The folks at Random House are offering a new, unique alternative and, best of all, if won’t break the bank.

These Wine Lovers Gift Tags run $13 for a pack of 50, and come in various shapes and sizes and even include the ribbon for tying it to the wine bottle.  They might just add a little bit of humorous conversation to the next party to boot.

Photo from Random House.

Scott Paul Wines is a boutique winery dedicated to producing ultra-premium Pinot Noirs from the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Proprietor and winemaker, Scott Paul Wright, came to winemaking as a second career. For thirty years, he had a career in the radio and music industries. As a disc jockey, his handle was “Shadow Stevens” and those of you from the East Coast remember him well. His financial success in the music world allowed him to cellar and drink good wine from an early age. As the music business became more and more a corporate-driven industry, Scott lost interest in continuing in that field, and left to learn winemaking.

Under the mentorship of Greg Le Follette and others, and taking inspiration from Burgundy, he developed his winemaking skills. After ten vintages in Oregon, he is now very comfortable with his career change.

For more info on Scott Paul Wines: www.scottpaul.com

Sponsor: The Beaches of South Walton: www.beachesofsouthwalton.com

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Big news in the steep Douro Valley! Symington Family Estates, owners of internationally renowned Port brands Dow?s, Graham?s, and Warre?s is converting their three Vilariça valley vineyards entirely to organic farming. Quinta do Atayde, Quinta de Assares and Quinta da Canada, consisting in total of 146 hectares, or 361 acres, will gain their official “organic” certification in two years time. However, an organic Altano red wine has already been made from the 7 ha fully certified as organic at the Quinta de Assares vineyard in 2007 that is currently in barrel and will be released later this year.

Having read this press release yesterday, what perplexed me was why these 146 hectares were chosen to be organic in their 900 ha. portfolio? What makes the Vilariça valley different? Like any successful business, the valley was chosen on the basis of location. As opposed to their vineyards banking the main Douro valley, the Vilariça valley enjoys colder winters and drier summers, in addition to schistous soils which allow for optimal draining. Couple this with an ideal pH range and balanced mineral nutrition in the soil that naturally produces low-yielding fruit, and you’ve got yourself a perfect spot for organic farming, or so Symington hopes.

Another interesting factoid to note is that Touriga Nacional accounts for only 3% of the total vineyards planted in the Douro Valley. 3%! Considering that this is one of the main grapes in your basic port blend, that statistic is a little shocking. And of that 3%, Symington can boast that Vilariça valley is organically growing 31% of all Touriga Nacional in the Douro. Not a bad marketing angle!

For the record, Touriga Francesa is the most widely planted grape in the Douro Valley.

That said, will this effect my buying patterns? When considering the global climate change, will I buy more Symington wines as a result of their “green” stance? Honestly, it depends on the quality of the wine. When the Altano is released, and I discover that it is a good bottle, of course I’ll endorse it. But if it’s not a good bottle of wine at a decent price, just because it’s an organic wine, doesn’t mean I’m going to suggest that you run out and buy it.

Are you swayed by Symington’s green efforts? When perusing your local wine shop, would you choose the organic versus the non-organic if quality and price are equal? Both Tom Wark and Catavino want to know

Cheers,
Gabriella

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Beginning in 1979, Randy Dunn (then winemaker at Caymus) produced his first vintage of Cabernet from Howell Mountain fruit, arguably putting Howell Mtn on the map, and creating a demand from then on for “mountain-grown”
fruit from Napa Valley.

Join us as we talk with Kristina Dunn about her role as marketing director of the family business, the legendary long-lived Cabs made by her father, and what it was like growing up on Howell Mtn.

Sponsor: The Beaches of South Walton: www.beachesofsouthwalton.com

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