Wine Giques

How to Dry Out

So, I started Boot Camp a few weeks ago.  Not the Parris Island kind, but the La-La Land kind, where everyone shows up clutching wool gloves and lattes.  Nonetheless, it's pretty tough.  And the Major, as he is called, frowns on alcohol consumption. 

"Not even a civilized glass of Marcassin Pinot Noir, now that there's a chill in the air and turkey season is fast approaching?"

"Not even that."

So, I'm trying.  My birthday came and went, and I avoided the tasty bottle of Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet gleaming like a little jewel in my wine cabinet.  I hid the $50 gift certificate to the excellent local wine store that I trot by on my daily dog walk.  I even stuck the funky Reidel stemless  wine glasses in the back of the kitchen armoire.  I buried the corkscrews under a pile of kitchen towels.

"This is good for me," I think, and reach for a bottle of water when I get home from work.

Alas, the biggest challenge lies ahead:  I have to go up to Napa tonight for a networking function. 

Want to place any bets?  I'm betting on two glasses, myself.  Let's see if it turns into more.  And what brands/varietals.  After all, I'm a sybarite at heart.  Boot Camp, my ass.  Actually, Boot Camp is all about my ass.

Tune in tomorrow. 

"Stuffy" Wine

I'm not talking about the French kind of stuffy, or the Napa elite Cabernet stuffy. I'm referring to the been-through-two-boxes-of-kleenex-head's-about-to-explode stuffy. And I still think a glass of wine would be kind of nice.

This calls for the bottle of Rheingau Riesling I bought the other day to go with a soft-ripening three-milk cheese. The cheese will not be good for my cold, but I think the wine will do the trick. I'm asking myself if this is an exercise in futility - Will I be able to taste the wine? I sure as hell can't smell it...

Good news. I can tell that it's cold. And my tongue is still working - I sense some residual sugar and a goodly amount of acidity. Other than that, not much to report. It is asserted and I believe it to be true (take my word for it and don't waste a good bottle of your wine) that 90 percent of taste is smell.

I definitely have new respect for my nose.

If you want to replicate this experience (you fool) or just try a German Riesling - 2005 Winzer Von Erbach Erbacher Honigberg Riesling. It should be great with cheese. Bourbon is better with a cold.

Another fun video

Yes, I spend too much time watching video on the 'net.  It's my other hobby, besides drinking wine, I mean.  And chatting up boys.  But enough about me.  This is fun, and the wine glass makes it very apropos for a wine blog.

Good Yontif.

Couldn't resist Bubbe and her Mandel Bread.  Seemed like a good way to give a shout-out to our friends who have been starving themselves today in the name of spiritual renewal.

Mandelbrot is thought to originated in the Venice ghetto, a descendant of Italian biscotti.  Bubbe's delicious recipe seems too sweet for dunking in vin santo.  I'd probably try a little sparkling wine instead:  Laurent Perrier NV Brut.  It's kosher, to boot.

For more Bubbe, pick up an RSS feed at her site:  www.chalutzproductions.com or view her on Revver (www.revver.com).   

Mac 'n' Cheese

Fall weather is moving in.  Even here in LA, where we had a little sprinkle of rain last night (which, of course, caused the craziest of drivers to come out in droves).  We're getting near the end of the heirloom tomato harvest -- no more insalata caprese until next June! -- and seeing the first autumn mushrooms.

That chill in the air (about 68 degrees.  Brrr!) always leads me to one place:  the mac-and-cheese place.  Not that stuff in a box.  Not that stuff with Velveeta.  The real thing:  elbow macaroni, heavy cream, shredded sharp cheddar, and a dab of tabasco.  It's a hour's worth of work, creating a bechamel sauce, reducing it to richness, mixing in the cheese, pouring it over the noodles.  And nearly an hour's worth of baking time.  You really, really gotta want it.

And what do you drink with such homegrown artistry?   Homegrown California wine with a kick, from California's only native vinifera grape:  Zinfandel.   

My favorite Zinfandels often come from the husband-and-wife team of Dennis Fife and Karen MacNeil.  (Karen also happens to be an uber Wine Gique).  For my glorious mac and cheese, I chose the 2001 Redhead Vineyard Zinfandel, named not for Karen's auburn locks but for the red soil in the Mendocino vineyards where the grapes are grown.

For the Fife, go here:  http://www.fifevineyards.com/

For the mac and cheese -- James Beard's classic recipe --  go here:  http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=James%20beard's%20mac%20and%20cheese

I challenge you to find a better recipe.  Or a better wine to go with it. 

Bollywood

I had an "Ah-ha" moment tonight at a Bollywood party my girlfriend threw for her husband. The party was great from the Samosas with Mint chutney to the Bollywood movies, to the Kingfisher beer, but what really made the party special was the belly dancer. This girl was not a stripper. She was fully clothed really, except for the midriff that she exposed. She did nothing that was overt or sexual, yet she was sexy, and sensual, and compelling.

I love a wine that is not brash, or in-your-face, or obvious. I don't need wine to slap me in the face. The dance I saw tonight was the French white Burgundy as opposed to the over-oaked, malolactic Chardonnay.

2005 Chablis, Chateau de Maligny = Crisp, classic Chablis  $18.99

Tippy Canoe and Vouvray, too

Canoeing down the Chattahoochee with a plastic cup of Vouvray between my knees, I realized that I was somewhat of a wine snob (minus the blue plastic cup, of course) and that I would never be able to settle for anything less than the right wine for the right occasion. I did not choose the Vouvray for Canoeing (one of my very smart co-workers did) but it seemed right, somehow, and Budweiser just doesn't, pardon the pun, float my boat.

I was feeling very festive on Tuesday afternoon. I am sure the Vouvray was one of the reasons for my  jovial disposition. along with the fact that I was on the river in a green canoe with a very large cooler full of beer and Sparkling wine. Dotting the river in every direction were friends in rented kayaks which, in hindsight, were a lot more stable than said canoe.

My wine-savvy friend Ryan (owner of the green canoe) was feeling way too cocky and had no sooner remarked how great it was going to be to watch all of our friends "go down" when we flipped, ass over teakettle (so to speak), into the drink. I managed to surface with hat in one hand and paddle in the other - blue plastic cup floating down stream.

Not one to miss the irony in any situation, I laughed until my sides hurt. Clearly Karma had intervened: maybe Ryan shouldn't have spouting off at the mouth, perhaps Vouvray wasn't meant to be enjoyed from blue plastic cups.

Vouvray, from the Loire Valley in France, is made from Chenin Blanc. It can be fruity or dry in style, this one was slightly off-dry with a wonderful honeyed quality - so perfect with the sunlight that was bouncing off the river. Great with a backdrop of Blue Herons and Canadian Geese.