DISQUS

Vine ripened tomatoes are among the best things about August in Minnesota, along with sweet corn. Mixing the two together IS the best thing, especially on the grill. We like to soak our unhusked sweet corn in water for an hour or so before putting it on a medium grill for 1/2 hour to 40 minutes. Add a little butter or olive oil, and some salt and pepper, consume ala Heckle and Jeckle.


The tomatoes will be consumed in a variety of ways. My favorites include Caprese, with our own fresh basil and mozzarella; or stuffed with a cous cous concoction, covered with goat cheese and grilled until the cheese is gooey; or squished over grilled bread (a trick I learned in Barcelona, believe it or not). Yes, they are great straight as well.



The wine will depend on the main course, and tomatoes are so versatile that they pair well with most wines.



What about the rest of the year? Well, we are fortunate to have a large hydroponic growing facility within a hour of the Twin Cities. The tomatoes aren't perfect all year round, but they are better than they used to be. I eat a tomato every day, so we always have a few on hand, ripening away. "A tomato a day keeps the doctor away", that's my motto.



Really enjoyed your article Ryan.

Ryan says "let the market decide". I agree with that statement. But, how does the "market" determine what to drink? As Tim alludes, they listen to wine critics. Let's just cut to the chase and NAME the man, Robert Parker. This man has almost single-handedly manipulated wine makers around the world into the "International style" of wine. What we are seeing is the logical extension of Parker's preferences. If big and bold is good, why not go bigger and bolder? Fortunately, as Ryan says, there are many, many choices.


Personally, I too prefer lower alcohol wines, and do make that a consideration when contemplating a purchase. The thing is, that what used to be the norm, 12.5%, is getting harder and harder to find. The new normal seems to be around 13.5%.



Having said that, would I prefer to see more lower alcohol wines available at my local wine shop? Absolutely. At the end of the day, I'm looking for some finesse, complexity and finish, not fruit bombs that fry the tongue (and the brain).



So, let the lemmings follow Parker, et al. I will continue on my quest with my own palette (and some assistance from friends like Ryan). By the way, Ryan, I should say that I haven't YET had any Sherry that I like. Is that better? A little more open-ended at least.

I'd recognize those cotellettes d'agneau anywhere!


Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer and Chardonnay? What a strange pairing. Do you have the percentages for each varietal?



What about Sangria?

It's ironic that you should post such an article on the same day I received the following e-mail:


News for Wine lovers



Wal-Mart announced that, effective January 1, 2008, it will begin offering customers a new discount item - Wal-Mart's own brand of wine.



The world's largest retail chain is teaming up with Ernest & Julio Gallo Winery of California to produce the spirits at an affordable price, in the $2- $5 per gallon range.



Wine connoisseurs may not be inclined to throw a bottle of Wal-Mart brand into their shopping carts, but "there is a market for inexpensive wine," stated Kathy Micken, Professor of Marketing at the University of Arkansas, Bentonville. She said: "But the right name is important." Customer surveys were conducted to determine the most attractive name for the Wal-Mart wine brand.



The top surveyed names in order of popularity are:



1 Chateau Traileur Parc





2 White Trashfindel





3 Big Red Gulp





4 World Championship Riesling





5 NASCARbernet





6 Chef Boyardeaux





7 Peanut Noir





8 I Can't Believe it's not Vinegar





9 Grape Expectations





10 Nasti Spumante



The beauty of Wal-Mart wine is that it can be served with either white meat (Possum) or red meat (Squirrel).



Now, what does this (obviously fake) press release say about wine and class? As I started reading this, I was thinking, great, anything that gets people to start drinking wine is a good thing. A rising tide floats all boats, and the more capital available to a winery, the better chances of rising the overall quality of the wines. Of course, the joke was on me (I hope), as you can see by the house brand names. and the menu recommendations.



Please continue to demystify wine. It's a wonderful beverage. I can't wait for Catavino's house wine to be introduced some day!

With apologies to the Beatles. . .


"And curse Ray "McDonalds" Kroc, he was such a stupid get -- all the fatties sing - Hey Burger Man, Ray, what do say, Burger Man Ray"



Of course, we can't simply toss off a little ditty about fast food and fat people. Diet is only one aspect of a lifestyle. Fast food alone doesn't make people fat. To me, it's a choice, which implies responsibility. Meaning, people have a responsibility to make the right food and lifestyle choices if they want to maintain the medically determined "normal" body weight.



Gabriella, we have talked on this subject at great length in the past and you have written numerous posts related to this issue. It really saddens me to hear the overweight and obesity statistics you mention for Spain.



I have more to say on this subject. But, I need to return my attention to the other computer screen, where I earn my bread (literally).



Viva La Mediterranean Diet!

Your friend's name isn't Mickey is it?


Seriously, I must confess to being in the "I don't like Sherry camp" even with very limited exposure. But, I did buy a bottle of Sherry and I will try it.

Ryan,


I really enjoyed the article.



Bill

Good thing you're in training!

I was leaning towards Gabriella's argument until arithmetic reared it's ugly head in the discussion. It is absolutely true that 'F' is not a number and therefore "flawed" bottles would not be included in any calculation of the relative merit of a wine (regardless of whose fault it is). It is imperative that the flawed bottle be included in any overall rating of that wine.


We also need to consider the wide range of people that will use the scale, and their differing levels of wine tasting experience. A newcomer may taste a bottle and know that something is wrong, but may not know why. Therefore, instead of having to make a judgment that "the wine is corked", they can simply rate the wine as a 1. Since wine tasting is so subjective, why add yet another level of complexity by requiring the declaration of a corked bottle with a separate designation? The whole point of collective wine rating is to average the subjective reflections of the myriad tasters into a shared construct of the wine's overall rating. If the wine is flawed, do as Ryan suggests and be specific about the flaws in the tasting notes.



To me, the only issue I have with the scale is that it's more difficult to slot wines into a specific order of preference. That is where the 100 point scale is more effective. It allows the best wine to be on top numerically. So, if I drink 5 3 Grape wines, the only way to distinguish one is by awarding another 1/2 Grape to one. But what if two of the wines deserved another 1/2 Grape, but I enjoyed one more than the other? Putting that preference in the tasting notes is not sufficient, in my opinion, because of the flood of wines that will come after. There is no arithmetic way to compare that written preference to the next set of wines that come along.

Best wishes on your new career from Tami and I. We are excited for you and Ryan.


Once upon a time





Ryan and Gabriella





Started a business!



BB and TP

Great poem, Cornell!


Gab, we have wineku, wiku, so, how about viku, the espanol version?

Very nice and totalling fitting the tenor of your website. Wine is an experience, not a number. Of course, it IS better to experience higher numbered wines, usually. :-)


Slowly savoring





Surprisingly sweet skirt steak





Swimmingly sublime



I'm afraid I can't stop. Help.

Haiku rules? We don't need no stinking Haiku rules!


I love the Wineku idea. You should get it copyrighted if possible.



It is actually not a poem, but six haikus. They are untraditional haiku as explained by Jane Reichhold in her "Haiku Techniques" article which I found on the web. Below is a short excerpt of the article, which I read before trying to come up with my haiku:



HAIKU TECHNIQUES





Jane Reichhold



(As published in the Autumn, 2000 issue of Frogpond, Journal of the Haiku Society of America.)



In my early years of haiku writing, I easily accepted the prevalent credo being espoused on how to write haiku. This was, sometimes implied and occasionally expressed, as being: if the author's mind/heart was correctly aligned in the "proper" attitude, while experiencing a so-called "haiku moment", one merely had to report on the experience to have a darn-good haiku.



One reason for rejoicing in the acceptance of this view, was that it by-passed the old 5-7-5 barrier crisis. This was certainly a plus for the whole 70s haiku scene as there seemed a danger of the entire movement bogging down in fights, arguments and broken friendships.



Another advantage of this system of defining a haiku was that it bestowed near-religious honor on the author of a passable haiku. No one knew exactly why a particular haiku was 'good' but it was clear from the ku that the author had experienced a moment of enlightenment (or satori for the Zen inspired). If the moment was holy and the form fit in with the group's philosophy publishing the ku, the haiku was said to be an excellent one. This happened more often if the person judging the ku was a good friend of the haiku's author.



******





I guess I googled the wrong article. But no, Zen teaching would say it's the right article and I agree with that. I promise that I'll work on some traditional haikus for your next rooftop tasting.



Until then I'll leave you with this one.



animal fat glaze





on tasting tongues delightful





bierzo chaser



BB

With my apologies:


mencia tongue





fruit of black currents





swaying hips happy dance



windblown hair





skirt steak smells





complementing decktop tasting



erudite wine geek





tasting over the rooftops





don't burn the steaks



glinting in the sunset





preparing for battle





reidel crystal



master rock licker





king of the terrace





your queen is dancing

Cornell,


I am humbled in the presence of one with such a discriminating palette. It is now completely clear to me where Ryan acquired his discerning tongue, and I can assure you that I meant no disrespect to Anderson clan!



I'll remember what you said the next time we go up North. Getting more pleasure out of anything is positive.



Bill

Janel,


Thank you for the translation. It's an inside joke. Ryan used the term in some tasting notes awhile back and I asked him how he knew what wet slate tasted like and he said it was from being on the North Shore (of Lake Superior) with his dad and licking the rocks. I was on the North Shore last week, licking rocks, and there wasn't much taste. So, I told Ryan that in the future I would assume that any wine with wet slate characteristics should be avoided as basically tasteless.



BB

Ryan,


How would "Wet Slate" be translated? :-)



BB

Ditto Dr. Debs comments.


I have really enjoyed all of the Bierzo's I've tried, which is three and counting. I'm thinking mixed grill (beef, lamb, pork) to explore the Mencia grapes' affinities.



Hope you manage to land a few Bierzo's for your efforts!



BB

G,


Sorry to hear you are under the weather. I hope you recover for the weekend!



BB

As we all know, the only way to find out what these wines REALLY taste like at 30,000 (approximately) is to summit Everest and try them, or de-pressurize the cabin.


For the curious among you, standard cabin pressure is defined as the equivalent of 5,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level, depending upon the airplane. Personally, I live at 600 feet, and wine tastes the same to me whether I'm in Minneapolis or in the mountains. Of course, this is an unsubstansiated claim on my part.



What we have here is a marketing ploy created solely to sell wine (and a rather insidious one at that).

What about Minnesota? You're not going to make me drink Frontenac are you? Maybe Bailly makes a dessert wine that is palatable. I'll have to check. If not, my suggestion is to drink a wine you want to share with the world.

Richard's comment about special wines made me think about Maya's comment to Miles in Sideways. . . basically, the specialness of a wine itself is enough to make the circumstances of it's consumption special. As evidenced by Miles' drinking his 1961 Cheval Blanc in a Chinese restaurant, from a styrofoam cup. Granted, that is a bit extreme, but the point is well taken. Personally, I have more special wine than special occasions. So this idea resonates with me. Wine in itself is a good enough reason to have it. Just be careful who you share it with!

Ryan and Gabriella,


Consider yourself well wished!!



BB

I second Gabriella's comments!

Your mention of the Tondonia wine brought to mind a memomable evening in Barcelona at a tapas bar just off the beach and south of the city center.


It was the end of a software implementation in August, '04 and I was being taken out by the project sponsor to at least savor a wee bit of the ambience of Barcelona after spending the previous two weeks in dusty Martorell, at the outskirts of Barcelona, in the heart of the commercial zone.



I digress. We sat down and the wine card was thrust into my hands. I was confronted with page after page of Spanish wines, predominantly Rioja. Somehow, as fate would have it, I chose the 1994 Vina Tondonia. Fate, or dumb luck? Either way, my co-worker and I were mightily impressed with the finesse and depth of flavors offered by the wine, especially considering it was approaching 10 years of age.



The next day, while at the airport waiting for my plane, I chanced upon a wine shop. It was a small shop, but they had some of the wine in stock. Talk about lucky! So, I picked up a few bottles to bring home (back in the days when wine could be carried on to the plane).



Here's the kicker. I had FORGOTTEN the name of the bodega. . . until today when I read your post. Thanks for jogging my memory and confirming my opinion of the wine.