Showing posts with label Wine. Show all posts

24 February 2011

Once Upon a Time, There Were 10… *

Docking pastry came up on the FOODWINE list this morning. What?? you might ask? That’s what I said. One of the nice gentlemen replied with this (Thanks, Stuart!):

A French guy, a British guy, and a New Yorker are walking through a jungle when, all of a sudden, cannibals appear and take them prisoner.

They are carried to the village and put before the chieftain. He says that they are all going to be skinned and their skins used to make canoes. He also tells them that they will have one last wish.

The French guy goes first and wished for a hand gun so he can shoot himself so he doesn't have to feel the pain of being skinned. The wish is granted, he shouts “Pour France!”, and shoots himself.

The British guy wishes for a sword so he can stab himself before being skinned. The wish is also granted. He shouts “God save the Queen!” and kills himself.

The guy from New York wishes for a fork. All the cannibals are puzzled but the chief grants the wish anyways. So the guy takes the fork, starts stabbing himself, and shouts “Here’s your %$#@ing canoe!!”

*with apologies to Jiminy Cricket

23 March 2009

The Perfect Wine with Fish?

White, of course!

Dustin and I had tuna sandwiches for lunch, and in keeping with that, sipped Chardonnay at beer thirty. Up to bat was 2007 Clos du Bois North County.

Too bad we couldn’t have drunk the wine with the sandwiches, or nibbled the sandwiches with the wine; another day perhaps.

Clos du Bois
Geyserville, CA
http://clodubois.com/

12 March 2009

The Inaugural 2009 (Public) Deck Sit

It got a bit warmer today than yesterday, and was still quite nice at beer thirty, so we trouped out to the deck and reclined. Ahhhh!

Dustin brought back strawberries, a bottle of goji juice with citrus, and a bottle of Girasole Vineyards’ 2007 Chard from lunch and tucked them all in the reefer. At beer thirty, he poured about half-a-Chimay-glass worth of chardonnay, a couple of splashes of goji, and two or so sliced-up strawberries. My!! Very interesting! and very tasty!

16 January 2009

Eroica

I was cruising by BLM’s wine refrigerator a bit back, and a slender, slightly taller bottle caught my eye; the label said Eroica, and it was inevitable that it ended up in the shopping cart.

A 2005 Columbia Valley (Washington) Riesling, this is a collaboration between Dr Ernst Loosen and Chateau Ste Michelle and is quite yummy (yeah, I know, not exactly proper wine tasting terminology; deal with it!). I’ve been back several times to restock, but the last few times, it hasn’t been there…

OTOH, the 2007 is available at the Web site

Michelle Loosen LLC
Woodinville, WA
(425) 488-1133
http://www.ste-michelle.com/

26 July 2008

Interesting Options

How to Host a Wine Tasting Party

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Would you like to have friends over for a wine tasting party without having to be Mr. or Ms. Wine Expert? Here are some ideas that require no wine knowledge... just friends who want to have fun!

Steps

Make a list of people to invite, and select a party theme.
Choose a wine varietal, and have everyone bring their favorite example of that varietal. Alternatively, choose a wine producing region, and have everyone bring an example from that region to get to know a particular type of wine in detail.
Assign everyone a different wine to bring wrapped in plain brown paper... you number the bottles and everyone must guess the varietal.
Everyone brings a wine with wine notes from winery or expert (i.e. very fruit forward wine with hints of vanilla with a lingering buttery finish). Guests must match the wine with the description.
Serve both varietals and dishes that pair well at a dinner party.
When supplying all the wines for a tasting, purchase wines that have something in common, wrap them in brown paper, provide a scoring sheet and discuss each wine as everyone tastes and scores.... total the scores and determine the winner.

Tips

The choices are endless and the potential for fun is enormous!

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Host a Wine Tasting Party. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

23 July 2008

Aaaaahhhh!

How to Store Wine

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Wine has been around for thousands of years; from the ancient Romans to modern Americans, this lavish drink is enjoyed worldwide. Nowadays, most people simply buy their wine from the local grocery store wine rack, oblivious on how to properly store the wine to make sure it lasts as long as possible. The main thing to keep in mind when storing wine is, of course, avoid light and heat, as well as vibration. There are other things to remember, though, such as the different storage methods required for different types of wine, and it is vital to be as careful as possible whenever considering how to store your particular bottle of wine.

Steps

Before Opening

Keep it in the dark. Store all wines away from light, especially direct sunlight and flourescent fixtures. UV rays maderize (i.e. oxidize) wine, resulting in it become 'light struck' picking up the taste and smell of wet cardboard (especially in delicate white wines and sparkling wines).[1] Darker bottles are better protected and some bottles have UV filters built into the glass, but enough UV rays can still penetrate to ruin the wine. If you can't keep a bottle entirely out of the light, keep it lightly wrapped up in a cloth, or simply put the bottle inside a box out of the way. If it does get exposed to light occasionally, try to make sure it's light from incandescent or sodium vapor lamps.[2]
Store corked wine bottles on their sides. If they are stored upright for a long amount of time, the corks will dry out, and air will eventually get to the wine, spoiling it. If you store it label side up, it'll be easier to spot any sediments that may have formed in the wine over time when you do eventually pick it up.
Keep the temperature constant. For extended aging of wine (over 1 year), refrigeration is a must in most parts of the world; even a below-ground cellar is not cool enough.
- Wine storage temperature should never go over 75 degrees F (24°C), except for brief spans of time. At 75°F, wine begins to oxidize. An ideal temperature for storing a varied wine collection is 54°F (12.2°C).[3] Letting the temperature drop below 54°F won't hurt the wine; it'll only slow down the aging process, as long as the temperature doesn't fluctuate dramatically.[4]
- Temperature in a wine storage area should be as steady as possible; changes should be gradual. A 68 to 73 degree storage area is far preferable to one that is 45 to 65 degrees F, though the first approaches the dangerous 75 figure. Rises in temperature force wine through the cork; drops cause air to be sucked back in. The greater the changes in temperature a wine suffers, the greater the premature aging of the wine from overbreathing. The temperature should never fluctuate more than 3°F (1.6°C) a day and 5°F (2.7°C) a year, especially with red wines, which will suffer more temperature-related problems than white wines.[5]
Don't move the wine. If possible, store the wines in such a way that you don't need to move them in order to reach a bottle to drink. Try not to move a bottle at all once it is stored. Even vibrations from heavy traffic, motors, or generators may negatively affect the wine.
Keep the humidity at around 70%. High humidity keeps the cork from drying and minimizes evaporation. Don't allow the humidity to go too high over 70%, however, because it can encourage the growth of mold and cause labels to loosen.[6][7] You can purchase a humidity thermometer to track the moisture conditions and use humidifying or dehumidifying techniques as needed.
Isolate the wine. Remember that wine "breathes", so don't store it with anything that has a strong smell because it will permeate through the cork and taint the wine. Good ventilation may help prevent musty odors from entering the wine.[8]
Store for an appropriate amount of time. Not all wines improve over time. Champagne is one example. Red wines should be stored and aged for anywhere between 4-10 years to mature, while white wines should be consumed after 2-3 years of storage.[9]
Adjust the temperature before serving. Different wines taste best at slightly different temperatures, which may vary from the temperature in which they were stored. Right before drinking the wine, allow the temperature to rise or fall to the appropriate serving temperature:[10]
- Blush, rose and dry white wines: 46-57F (8-14C)
- Sparkling wines and champagne: 43-47F (6-8C)
- Light red wine: 55F (13C)
- Deep red wines: 59-66F (15-19C)

After Opening

Store opened white wine in the refrigerator. This will only keep the wine for three to five days if you have already opened it; make sure the cork is in the bottle as tightly as possible. If you want to keep it in the refrigerator for a longer period of time after opening, purchase a wine stopper and pump, and hope for the best. The important thing is to minimize the wine's exposure to air. If you have a smaller bottle, you may wish to transfer the leftover wine to it, because there will be less air for it to contend with. A wine cellar or closet would be better for it, though, simply because of the long amount of time many people spend with the refrigerator door wide open, letting in large amounts of light, and, if you leave the door open long enough, heat. If you happen to have a refrigerator that you do not use often, such as a pool house refrigerator, keep it there. You may even consider turning a small fridge into a wine refrigerator.
Leave red wine out. For the sake of the wine, and for yourself, only do this with red wine, never white. Place the cork in the bottle, put the bottle in a dark place, and don't worry about it. This will help for a couple of days.
Keep dessert wines like Sauternes, most everyday Ports and most Sherries for longer. They will resist degradation for more than 3-5 days, though exactly how long depends on the individual wine.[11]

Storage Options

Wine cellar. This is an obvious one- if you have a wine cellar, worry no more! Just place the bottle of wine on the rack, close the door, and you are set. Make sure to have some type of system for finding certain bottles of wine in your wine cellar, though, otherwise it can be very easy to spend a good amount of time searching for that one particular bottle.
Makeshift closet wine cellar. While digging a large hole in the basement would seem the most effective thing to do, that would be a major undertaking, and will cost you quite a bit. Only do that if you are an absolute fanatic about wine, and have dozens of bottles in need of long term storage. A closet wine cellar is ideal for the every day wine lover, and will probably only cost you around two, three hundred dollars. The major problem with this, however, is that if you ever want to convert this back to a regular closet, you very well may have to replace all of the sheetrock in the closet.
- Find an empty, out of the way closet on the ground floor of your house.
- Glue strips of 1" foam board to the walls and ceiling of the closet, using construction cement as a glue.
- Replace the door with an insulated, preferably steel, door. If you would like, also glue the foam to this, just to make sure it is all even.
- Attach weather stripping to the edges of the door to make sure that no air gets in or out- heat could ruin the wine.
- Make sure that the temperature is relatively cool. There are numerous devices you can use to decrease the temperature in the closet- just find one that suits your particular closet.
Wine cooler/refrigerator. This will keep the temperature constant, as long as you only store wine in there so that you're not always opening and closing the door. Good humidity levels are maintained, as well. Some have different temperature zones for different wines.

OR
Store your wine with a professional wine storage company.
(think self-storage but without the roll-up garage door) Wine storage companies are popping up all around the country, especially in areas with large wine industries such as Napa Valley or Santa Barbara County in California. These business offer private cellars, often in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. Some of these companies will even accept deliveries for you which means if you do find a favorite bottle at a great price you can have the winery ship a few cases directly to your wine cellar and bypass the hassle of having the mailman refuse to drop off your wine when your 8 year old answers the door.

Video

Tips

Make sure the wine is safe, no matter how you eventually decide to store it. If it's only a short-term type of situation, this isn't as big of a problem, however, if you are hoping to keep a bottle of wine around for a while to help age it, you need to be sure to store it in a safe spot. 'Safe' means, in this case, out of the light, out of the heat, out of danger of being drunk, out of danger of breaking, cracking, or being dropped.
If you threw the cork away but still want to store leftover wine, secure the opening with a piece of plastic wrap and a tightly wound rubber band.
Some wines are designed to be enjoyed fresh, while others improve with age. You should only be concerned with long-term storage for the latter. If you have white wine that you want to improve by aging, do not place them in the refrigerator. This is where the wine cellar, or closet, or even just a cool, dark place, is key.
Purposefully developing a wine's flavor with age by controlling the conditions in which it is stored is an art and a science that requires far more knowledge than a single article can cover.
If you make your own wine, it would be best to have a wine cellar, especially if you plan on selling any of it. All other kinds of storage could possibly damage the wine after a long period of time.
Wine that has been left out and has gone bad isn't worse for you than if it were stored properly, it just has a different taste. Don't throw it out- it will still be fine for cooking purposes.
Talk to a local wine connoisseur who has their own wine cellar. See what they recommend, or even if they will hold on to a few bottles of your wine for you if you have no room for storage.
Now that your wine keeps a lot longer, why not host a wine tasting party? They are quite enjoyable for wine lovers, and a great way to find out what wines your friends enjoy.
Some companies across the U.S. will actually agree to store your wine for you for a fee; if you are in possession of a rare or delicate bottle of wine that you aren't planning on drinking any time soon, this is probably your absolute best bet for storage.

Warnings

Don't store wine with foods that are capable of fermenting, especially cheese or anything that might rot (fruits and vegetables). Moldy flavors can actually enter stored wine through the cork.
As always, drink responsibly.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Store Wine. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

24 April 2008

Dandelion Wine

How to Make Dandelion Wine

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Dandelions are in season during the summer and spring months, but they lend themselves deliciously to a beverage you can serve year-round. April and May are the best months to harvest dandelions for the purpose of wine making in the Northern hemisphere.[1] Try it out and taste it for yourself.

Ingredients

1 package (7 g) dried yeast
1/4 cup (60 mL) warm water
2 quarts (230 g) whole dandelion flowers
- Using 2 quarts+ of just the petals can make for a less bitter wine.[2]
4 quarts water (3.785 L)
1 cup (240 mL) orange juice
3 tablespoons (45 g) fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons (45 g) fresh lime juice
8 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon (1.25 g) powdered ginger
3 tablespoons (18 g) coarsely chopped orange zest; avoid any white pith
1 tablespoon (6 g) coarsely chopped lemon zest; avoid any white pith
6 cups (1200 g) sugar

Steps

Wash and clean the blossoms well. Think of it as a fruit or vegetable; you don't want bugs or dirt in your food. Remove all green material.
Soak flowers for two days.
Place the blossoms in the four quarts of water, along with the lime, orange, and lemon juices.
Stir in the ginger, cloves, orange peels, lemon peels, and sugar. Bring the mix to a boil for an hour.
Strain through filter papers (coffee filters are recommended). Let the wine cool down for a while.
Stir the yeast in while the wine is still warm, but below 110 degrees F.
Leave it alone and let it stand overnight.
Pour it into bottles, poke a few holes in a balloon and place over the tops of the bottles to create an airlock, and store them in a dark place for at least three weeks so that it can ferment.
Optional: Rack the wine several times. Racking means waiting until the wine clears, then siphoning or pouring the liquid into another container, leaving the lees (sediment) at the bottom of the first container.[3]
After that time, cork and store the bottles in a cool place. Allow the wine time to age. Most recipes recommend waiting at least six months, preferably a year.[4]

Tips

Pasteurization uses sixty-five degrees Celsius for half an hour to avoid changing character.
Pick the flowers right before starting so they're fresh. Midday is when they are fully open.[5] Alternatively, you can freeze the flowers immediately after harvesting, then pull off the petals right before preparing the wine.[6]
It may take more than three weeks for your wine to ferment if your home is cold. But, be aware though, fermentation at higher temperatures may change the taste of the wine, and can lead to higher levels of fusel alcohols, which can cause hangovers. Warmer temperatures can cause many other problems like strong yeasty flavors, rancid odors, bacterial contamination. Generally fermentation should be done at room temperature or lower (50-75 F or 10-25 C).
This recipe will produce a light wine that mixes well with tossed salad or baked fish. To add body or strength, add a sweetener,raisins, dates, figs, apricots, or rhubarb.[7]

Warnings

Avoid using dandelions that may have been chemically treated. Also, try to stay away from dandelions that have been graced by the presence of dogs, or that grow within 50 feet of a road.

Things You'll Need

Balloons
Coffee filters or straining paper
Empty, clean wine bottles
Large beverage container to strain liquid into
A large pot you can boil the dandelion mixture in
A place to store the fermenting wine

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Texascooking.com - Source of information

↑ http://winemakermag.com/feature/196.html

↑ http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp

↑ http://www.thecompostbin.com/2006/05/how-to-make-dandelion-wine.html

↑ http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp

↑ http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp

↑ http://www.thecompostbin.com/2006/05/how-to-make-dandelion-wine.html

↑ http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Dandelion Wine. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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Now playing: Göran Söllscher - Branles de village
via FoxyTunes

03 September 2007

Geography Lesson

Acampo is just up Hwy. 99 from Lodi, in Central California. In the general vicinity can be found:

And how did we get from Boulder Creek (via Indy) to Acampo?? One of the gals on the hummus-and-pesto-recipes list is the co-owner of the Always Enough Ranch in Acampo.

----------------
Listening to: Stephen Petrunak - Jesus, The Lord
via FoxyTunes

05 February 2004

Caller ID Is Not Always a Good Thing…

But then again, neither is voicemail…

As I sort of vaguely remember it, I think, once upon a time at a Foothill Wines wine tasting, we had a bottle of Bonaccorsi wine (don’t remember if it was on the schedule, or a bonus), and Mike Bonaccorsi might have been there with the bottle (I’m gonna have to consult with Bronwyn or Ryan)…

Anyway, I do know that I went poking one day, and found the Bonaccorsi Wine Co. Web site. In the Wine Shop is the Hands Free ordering option: they send you four, six, or 12 bottles of wine twice a year. I signed up, got my first shipment, and life was beautiful. I may have gotten a second shipment, as well.

There came a time when there was a little glitch in an order (because we moved up to Boulder Creek? I think that was it). I called the number on the invoice; after hours, IIRC. Mike Bonaccorsi answered. After we got that little surprise straightened out, it came to pass that the number was to his cell phone. We got the address thing out of the way, and then he asked how I liked the wine. Unfortunately, I hadn't opened the chardonnay, but I was at least able to natter somewhat intelligently about the bottle of red I had opened. We must have been on the phone for 20 minutes or so.

Last September’s shipment, somehow, got shipped to Lasheart, and fortunately, got forwarded up to Tinker’s Trail. I didn't get around to calling about the address change until this afternoon.

I called the number on the invoice, and got Mike’s voice mail. I left my name and number, and when I'd called, and that I needed to talk about address stuff for the next shipment. I’d then called DMV, checking after the personalized plates for the Burb, which was a bit of a pain. The gal I spoke with said she’d check with the Watsonville office (since the Capitola office is closed for refurbishing) and call back.

Somewhat later, the phone rang. I was hoping it was the DMV gal, but the Caller ID showed Mike’s cell phone number. I *almost* said, “Hi, Mike!”, like I usually do when I know who’s on the other end, but something stopped me; I said, “Hello.” instead. The fellow on the other end was not Mike. He introduced himself, and said that Jennie (wife?) had asked that he call back and let me know that Mike had passed away.

After I allowed as how ”I guess I’m out of touch,” we got the address thing straightened out. After that truly amazing conversation, I stuffed a few brain cells back in my right ear, and poked around on Google. Jenne is, indeed, his widow.

River Grove Messenger
Italy at St Louis
Santa Barbara County Wine Guide
West Coast Wine Network
Wine Spectator Online
Wine Spectator Online
Wine News

24 February 2011

23 March 2009

12 March 2009

16 January 2009

26 July 2008

Steps

Tips

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23 July 2008

Steps

Video

Tips

Warnings

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

24 April 2008

Ingredients

Steps

Tips

Warnings

Things You'll Need

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

03 September 2007

05 February 2004

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