Owner: Wine Outlook URL:http://www.wineoutlook.com Join Date: Thu, 01 Feb 2007 20:15:47 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Wine made easy and interesting: reviews, food pairings, anecdotes, and poetry by a Southern girl working at a CA winery Site statistics:Click here
Wine Theft and Priorities 2007-02-01 18:11:04 The sommelier sent me a link to Patricia Leigh Brown’s story in the New York Times, which we’ve been talking about in these parts since it happened.
The thieves who knew exactly which wines to take…
With my small collection in a studio apartment, I’m sure I have no need for major fears. But [...]
Quit Holding Those Bottles 2007-01-31 17:16:34 We’ve all done it. Held on to bottles too long, waiting for the right time to drink, and then sadly found they’d passed their prime….
That’s why Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher started Open That Bottle Night: to give you a reason to open a special bottle. Thereby, instead of letting birthdays and anniversaries [...] Read more:Bottles
Winemaker, Winemaker, Make Me a Wine 2007-01-30 19:26:09 Whenever it’s come up in conversation– as with tasting room customers or random people at parties–I’ve always answered no to the question, “Do do you want to make wine one day?” The answer usually comes quickly, sometimes accompanied by a laugh.
But why not? I mean, why ignore the possibilty or at least [...]
Wine Orders Online: Oh, What a Feeling 2007-01-29 18:11:29 I am very pleased to say I just made my first online wine purchase. Though I fear this may be the start of a dangerous habit…
Our next theme for the winetasting group is Riesling, and I’ve been wanting to try one from New York (especially the Finger Lakes AVA) for some time now. [...] Read more:Feeling
Mad About Basil 2007-01-28 09:28:08 In addition to Wine Blogging Wednesday, I’ve now discovered there’s also Weekend Herb Blogging. Since I had a container of fresh basil in my fridge, I thought I’d give it a go.
If I had to pick a signature dish that I make, definitely in the running would be Pasta Puttanesca. It’s [...] Read more:Basil
How Do You Say That Again? 2007-01-27 18:02:20 Talking to my friend, the sommelier, we lamented how we couldn’t sit down for a bottle or two of wine, what with over half the country between us. We also talked about my blog, surprise. (It’s like my baby. Some people show pictures of their kids, I tell people about Wine Outlook.) [...] Read more:Again
Fruit, Flowers, Rotten Eggs and All 2007-01-26 17:56:58 Though there is still some debate up in the air over screwcaps, I was rather happy to walk into the winery last week and see a stack of them. We’re only using them on the very small (and first) production of Pinot Gris and the Gewurztraminer. The second imparts very good news because, [...] Read more:Flowers
, Fruit
, Rotten
WBW#30: Syrah & Shiraz at Super Speed 2007-01-25 09:17:01 Wine Blogging Wednesday #30 has been posted and the deadline is quickly approaching, due to impending holidays. The topic is right up my alley, though, as I’ve been very enamored with Syrah
lately. Tim at Winecast wants it to be New World versions, so I’m thinking South Africa or a return to Australia, [...] Read more:Super
, Speed
, Shiraz
More Southern Wine Love 2007-01-24 17:23:14 Gotta give some more love to my old stomping grounds:
Hot news from the Jackson Free Press:
Best Wine Selection: Bravo! 4500 I-55 N. # 244, 601-982-8111
Getting wine in Mississippi is a real pain in the neck compared to most places—chalk it up to being the last state to give up on prohibition. But you would never [...] Read more:Southern
A Meal to Make You Slap Your Mama 2007-01-23 21:45:52 Yesterday, I finally made it to Nak’s Oriental Market in Menlo Park. And while I was disappointed that there wasn’t much seafood, I did stock up on a load of basics for Thai and other Asian cuisine. The wheels started turning when I picked up a bottle of sweet chili sauce, as I [...]
Veal Marsala, Nebbiolo, and a Happy Stomach 2007-02-02 04:31:03 Just an ordinary night, cooking up a little something that turned out to be quite the treat. I had some shiitake mushrooms left over from my trip to the market and decided to make Veal Marsala, loosely based on one of my favorite Bravo! dishes. That, along with some garlic-sauteed spinach and Yukon Gold potatoes, which were oven-roasted and then finished with white truffle oil, well…..all I could say was YUM.
I didn’t want to open any of the Pinot Noirs I already had, so I opted for the 2002 Viansa La Nebbia Nebbiolo, which I bought when visiting a friend who used to work there. And it turned out to be a very sound choice. On the nose I got a hint of bacon (BLT’s came to mind, actually) and strawberry. Then when I took the first taste, it seemed hot initially (with 13.5% alcohol: not too high), but that soon faded into more strawberry. The wine was rather light, with low tannin, which might not seem to stand up to a cream-based sauce, but the earthiness was a g Read more:Happy
, Stomach
Brand New Pinot Gris and Sushi 2007-02-02 19:30:30 As I was talking to our sales and marketing director about our next event at the winery, she mentioned we might pour our brand new Pinot
Gris (which was bottled last week) at the Pinot Noir release. I told her I thought that would be quite appropriate as I thought the first was a mutation of the second.
Research showed that was the case. Along with Pinot Blanc and Pinot Meunier, Pinot Gris began as Noir. From black to grey. Although it seems that the leaves of both are fairly similar and it’s hard to tell the grapes apart at the end of a good growing season. Which was even more difficult in Burgundy, it would seem, since Pinot Gris was grown in among the Pinot Noir vines, to add acidity and softness to the wine.
Also grown in Alsace, Germany, Austria, and Italy (as Pinot Grigio), this grape has been slower to catch on in the New World. However, Oregon and California are taking on the challenge, which seems to stem from the fact it can lose its acidity if not picked at the ri Read more:Brand
, Brand New
, Sushi
Eating My Words, Washed Down With Wine 2007-02-04 17:22:39 I’m always encouraging people to go to wine regions other than Napa. I do that because Napa can be overwhelming in the way it would be if you were being dragged along by a herd of cattle (especially if you’re claustrophbic as I am). However. A friend and I both had Wednesday off, and I was cheering for winetasting adventures. She lives in the East Bay, so it made sense to go to Napa. With that said, I immediately called two small wineries I’ve been dying to visit. The first was Venge Vineyards, and that’s Sadie, one of the two friendly greeters.
If you’re not familiar with Venge, it may be beacause they only make 3500 cases a year: 8 different wines. About two years ago, I first had the Scout’s Honor, a terrific Zinfandel blend (with Petite and Charbono)named after another winery dog. From the same family and winemaker of Saddleback Vineyards, these small productions are true works of craftmanship. And sell out too quickly, as the Sangiovese Read more:Words
Leftovers Done Right 2007-02-05 19:24:22 Speaking of making folks jealous, I just added a new category, thanks to the drooling my seafood inspired. With my leftover sushi, I had another fabulous meal. The tuna I soaked in soy sauce and made a breading out of smashed multiseed w/ soy chips from Trader Joe’s, salt & pepper, and finished off with a quick sear. The salmon I marinated in honey and soy sauce and cooked briefly in a skillet. I had also gotten some sea scallops from 99 Ranch, which I seared and topped with a sauce of butter, shallots, and Chardonnay. I had my leftover dinner with leftover 2004 Thomas Fogarty Chardonnay (perfect with the scallops, esp. since it was in the sauce), but there was nothing left over as I hurried to get ready for a friend’s birthday/ lounge lizard party…
scallop pairing, leftovers Read more:Right
Writing Wine Back Home 2007-02-06 20:35:21 As I mentioned briefly before, I wrote a wine column for the Jackson Free Press. After my trip back home, I contacted one of the editors to see if he’d want my newly up-close perspective, only to find that he’d tried to get in touch with me.
The column is actually a combo of my first and third versions. Unfortunately, I found out I couldn’t write about Fogarty wines, which, thank god, isn’t the case here. I was only going to do it for the first piece because
A) it fit nicely into my story of the wine journey out here and
B) I had become a fan of Fogarty wines back home, where they are readily available.
Apparently, MS is one of our best out-of-state markets.
The next one will be due in a week or so; therefore, I’m asking you–readers and drinkers– southern or otherwise, for idea suggestions…
wine column, Jackson Free Press
WBW #30: In the Style of Shiraz 2007-02-07 17:00:44 Wine Blogging Wednesday is already upon us. Luckily, the category of New World Syrah was an easy one to fill. Though I already had several Syrahs from California (and just recently bought two more on my Napa day trip), I decided to fight the onset of cellar palate and go outside the States. And as France was out….
The first was the 2004 Eventide Cellar Shiraz
($15 from K & L) from Wellington, South Africa.(100% Shiraz, 12 months in American oak) It was pleasant enough, with aromas and flavors of pepper, raspberry, clove, and eucalyptus. Perhaps part of the problem was my lackluster meal, but I wasn't extremely excited about this one. Less than 24 hours later, I retasted to find the wine smoother, with more spice and the suggestion of cocoa.
The other wine I reviewed was The Black Chook ($17 from Beltramo's), a NV sparkling Shiraz from Southeastern Australia. From what I could find, it’s made by Woop Woop Wines, and much of the fruit comes from the McLaren Val Read more:Style
Winetasting Group, Round 2 2007-02-08 19:22:08 We had the second installment of the winetasting group. Sadly, I drove up to my apartment as the UPS man was driving away with my New York Riesling in his truck. (By the way, I had put my shipping address as the winery where I work, for that very reason). Instead, I brought my back-up wine, a 2004 Trimbach Riesling from Alsace. I had high hopes, considering their good work with Pinot Gris, but it was in my bottom 3, with its aroma of hay and lemon and reluctance to give up any flavors other than citrus and intense dryness.
In additon to Alsace, we covered Washington (the Chateau St. Michelle Bryon brought was light and spritzy with tangerine and floral notes), two from Monterey, including one from Ventana Vineyards where we get our Gewurztraminer grapes (brought by Ahren, a now-loyal reader), the McWilliam’s from Australia (the least favorite of the group, due to its aromas of walking down Mission Street, thrown in with a stale car interior), and of course, several from Germa Read more:Group
A Bad Day Made Better by Biale 2007-02-09 18:22:29 The day was bad for too many reasons to list, and I was feeling lazy and ready to drink.
The wine of choice was the 2003 Biale Zappa, a blend of 65% Zin, 18% Petite Sirah and 17% Syrah. Reasoning included: A) the need to go ahead and drink it before it passed its prime, B) hopes that those burly grapes would overpower my mood, and if not B, then C) the zappa is a tool used to remove weeds from around vines…essentially a hoe, and maybe I could clear out some of my own problems. While no Black Chicken, it still hit the spot. Pepper, blackberry, tiny bits of chocolate, cinnamon, and vanilla. Very smooth, and I hardly noticed the 15.7% alcohol. (It simply helped to numb the pain.)
The food (melodrama aside): a BBQ chicken pizza from Trader Joe’s. It was good, though the presence of cilantro, which I’ve only recently come to accept as adding more flavor than just soap, was fairly prominent. To make up for my laziness, I whipped up some caesar dressing for mixed green
Appreciate the Result (If Not the Holiday) 2007-02-10 17:10:13 While I’m not ringing any Valentine bells myself, we are making a minor to-do up at Thomas Fogarty Winery this weekend. So if you’re in the Bay Area, driving about in the rain and wanting a place to stay dry–come on up to Skyline Boulevard. We’ll be pouring our Port, Late HArvest Gewurztraminer, and sparkling wine. We’ll also have fruit, cheese (including some made courtesy of the Harley Farms goats), and chocolate. Sunday the Redwood Room will be available for indoor picnics.
It’ll be cold and foggy, but the wine will warm you up. And the view will be amazing….if you can see it.
Details: open 11-5, and use these directions NOT Mapquest (unless you like driving up narrow, scary roads.
Thomas Fogarty Winery, winetasting, Valentine’s ideas Read more:Appreciate
, Result
, Holiday
Make a "Fortune,' Win Some Wine 2007-02-12 19:26:01 Thanks to Ryan over at Cal Wineries, I found out about Fantesca Estate and Winery, located in Napa Valley. Having never had the wine, I was drawn to the site by the chance of winning a magnum of 2005 Estate Cabernet. All you have to do is submit a short quote, which might be chosen to decorate a cork in the previously-mentioned bottle. They wittily call them fortune corkies. And when you combine wit with free wine, what more could you want? (Well, at least it’s a start.)
What I found was this: the winery was started by a couple from Minnesota and the winemaker is none other than Kirk Venge, with his father Nils acting as consultant. This was exciting news, as I’m a great fan of Saddleback and Venge wines.
I couldn’t determine when the deadline was, so feel free to try your own hand at a corkie fortune. Here was my attempt, taken from “Feast” by one of my favorite poets, Edna St. Vincent Millay:
I drank at every vine.
The last was like the first.
I ca Read more:Fortune
Malbec, Anyone? 2007-02-13 18:04:27 My, how things can change in ten years, especially in the world of wine. In the 1997 (burgundy) copy of The New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia, Tom Stevenson muses about the differences between Chile and Argentina. He proposes:
What really excites modern consumers is premium-quality wine at bargain (but not necessarily cheap) prices. Argentina is perfectly placed to supply this demand, when its producers wake up to the fact. If and when they do, the producers of Chile might have something to worry about. At the moment, however, Chile has nothing to fear from Argentina.
Well, readers and drinkers, those producers have stopped hitting the snooze button. They’re up and at it, as can be attested by my attendance at a Malbec tasting the other night. After meeting The Winehiker up at Fogarty, he invited me to an Argentinian sampling of vino. I’m glad I accepted. We tasted six wines, ranging from $15 to $85, which we rated on a scale of 20 points, using our handy scoring Read more:Anyone
My Valentine to Wine 2007-02-14 18:17:43 Wine, when we first met, I blew you off. On my trip to Europe in high school, I took tiny sips of you, not really giving you a chance. And then later, I drank watered-down versions of you that came in a box, some of which were pink. But when I finally came to my senses, you absolutely blew me away with your beauty and your strength. I wanted to try more of you. I wanted to read about you, to google you after our connection.
In the beginning, I only liked you for your brawn–your Cabernets and Zinfandels, and soon Petit Sirahs. I realized how well-traveled you were, and we soon discovered Australia and Italy. Eventually, though, I would be able to see your lighter side, as I fell for your Rieslings and discovered how well Sauvignon Blanc went with the salads I adore. I would come to see how much a labor of love Pinot Noir was, before that movie, thank goodness.
Because I promise you this. I will never jump on any bandwagon when it comes to you. I will never pay attention Read more:Valentine
Quick Fix with Giesen Sauvignon Blanc 2007-02-15 17:54:44 Sometimes when choosing a wine to go with a meal, it’s not about the main ingredient so much as everything that surrounds it. When I decided to make a portobello sandwich, my initial choice would have been a Pinot Noir or an Italian red. But with the preparation of roasted red peppers and chive goat cheese, I decided to go for my old stand-by of Sauvignon
Blanc, especially since the mushroom was marinated in a balsamic vinaigrette. And when coupled with a simple salad with olives, tomatoes, garlic, and oil & vinegar, the pairing was just right.
The wine: 2005 Giesen Sauvignon Blanc
from Marlborough in New Zealand, one of my favorite places for SB. (Usually not too expensive–this one was $10) On the nose, grapefruit and freshly cut grass. Upon tasting, more yummy grapefruit, pomegranate, and dill. As expected, very crisp and acidic, which worked well to cut through the goat cheese and stand up to the salad. The slightly vegetal quality was complemented by the re Read more:Quick
Getting to Italy, the Long Way Around 2007-02-16 17:02:11 Last night my Irish friend and I headed over to North Beach for musical entertainment–Beach Blanket Babylon– and, of course, some food. As we walked past the windows displaying baked goodies and gelato, olive oil and plates of pasta, I told her I needed to get there more often, as it somehow felt like home.
Before the show, we had a drink at O’Reilly’s, a tip of the hat to her background and after, dinner at Steps of Rome, a nod to mine. Forgive me, readers and drinkers, for my lack of details and my wine pairing. When I saw they had a split bottle of Amarone on the list (believe it was Cesari but can’t recall the vintage), I ordered it at once. Yet we shared a Caesar salad (heavy on the anchovies and quite good); penne with a tomato, cream, vodka sauce; and a pizza with basil pesto, goat cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes. Now, I know that would have been better with a dry white wine. But I wanted the Amarone….
EDIT: As a reader reminded me, I sho Read more:Italy
Wineries Helping Out a Hero 2007-02-16 23:46:21 A co-worker of mine at the winery has a friend who, despite his acts of heroism, is not doing so well himself right now. Already a hero several years ago, Michael James Keenan jumped into the SF Bay to save a woman from a car that had gone over the edge. Then last week, he was house sitting for a longtime friend when a fire broke out in the apartment early in the morning of February 6, 2007. He went back in to save Bobby, a Jack Russell Terrier. Both made it out, but Michael is hanging on, in critical condition at San Francisco General.
Friends have started a website for Michael, where people can read about him and donate money to help chip away at cost of the many surgeries which will be necessary to deal with the massive burns he suffered.
Members of the wine community are doing what they can to help out, as well. Steven Sherman is putting together a fundraiser for next Wednesday, and many restaurants and wineries are giving freely.
Details
Location: William Cross Wine Merchant Read more:Wineries
, Helping
French Bubbles, Berry Pie, and a Queen Named Marie 2007-02-17 19:26:31 I have to say, I don’t usually bake. As much as I love to cook, I hate to be confined by the restraints of measurements, choosing instead to throw in a little of this and add an extra bit of that. Sometimes items are left out altogether (say, ginger), and some are put in which might not have been called for (most often: garlic). You may have noticed this makes it hard to share recipes, because I don’t actually know how much I’m using in order to pass the info along.
The other night, however, I decided to make a Berry
Patch Pie. (Cue music: Patty Griffin singing one of my favorites of hers–”Making Pies”). While I used a Pillsbury roll-out crust for the base, I made my own crust for the top with this recipe. Granted, I didn’t use as much butter as it called for, and a little more water, but I still think it turned out pretty tasty.
My friend, the teacher, came over and we watched Sofia Coppola’s Marie
Antoinette, which I’ve been i Read more:French
, Bubbles
, Queen
Measure Your Sense(s) 2007-02-19 22:11:40 As appreciating wine obviously involves the senses, check out this senses challenge my mom forwarded me. The second half especially relates, and I found it much easier. But I’m still not sharing my score…
senses challenge Read more:Measure
, Sense
Winery Sleepover 2007-02-20 07:53:54 My job provided an unexpected perk last night. What started out as a passing whim in conversation a couple of months ago actually and thankfully came to fruition. And we owe it all to a ghost…
With several loyal readers (ok, so maybe they’re also good friends), I spent the night in the Hill House at Thomas Fogarty Winery
. At the end of my tasting room workday, I was met by a co-worker/friend and the teacher. We carted our supplies over to the events area, and I got to it at once in the kitchen I’ve had my mind set to cook in. While the spaghetti sauce simmered on the stove, we sipped on 2000 TF Blanc de Blancs and planned, waiting for the others.
The story goes that there is a ghost who haunts the events area. I knew of the man who died during a wedding reception (heart attack, I believe), but Dr. Fogarty also told us about a bootlegger who used to live in a little shack up on the mountain and make his whiskey back in the day.
Tales abound about the sounds of doo Read more:Sleepover
Drinking with a Ghost 2007-02-21 17:00:17 Fogarty Sleepover, part 2
Where did I leave off? Oh, yes. The others arrived: my Irish friend, the theater buff, and even my tv show friend and his partner (up from L.A.). While I finished
dinner, I had the others set the table, with two glasses for each setting. To know me is to know that’s normal. Different wine for the salad (Sterling Sauvignon Blanc) than with the spaghetti and meatballs (Bonny Doon Barbera D’Asti and leftover Thomas Fogarty Sangiovese).
We had a great time at dinner, where the talk and wine flowed freely. Ghost
s were momentarily forgotten. Somewhere after dinner, we drank Doug’s bottle of 2005 Vixen Viognier, which drew the most crowd participation. We got everything from bananas and pineapple to Fruit Loops and Juicy Fruit.
Later we went on a brief hike, scaring ourselves silly. When we returned for chocolate cake, some of us didn’t make it much longer. (At least I wasn’t the first one out this time.) I’d had en Read more:Drinking
Reminder: February 24 is OTBN 2007-02-22 21:00:04 Have you already picked out your bottle to open Saturday night? Make it a nice one, an old one, a cold one, a longtime friend, a brand-new fling…just be sure to open something special. You’ll be in good company.
Read more about Open That Bottle Night.
Open That Bottle Night Read more:Reminder
, February
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