Boris_A

This was the only name coming to my mind. I exchanged a case of Chatenauneuf Becauastel 94 against Matanazas 92 some 8 years ago. The only Merlot I've ever had comparable to Pomerol/St. Emilion. And it aged gracefully. I've three bottles left. A bit more fragile now, but still great. A pitty they changed winemaking. Beringer was close then (94 Bancroft Ranch). Further I liked a bottle of Ecole no 41 some weeks ago. A present of a visitor from Washington. But Matanzas was far away. What's the story behind Matanzas? I mean, you have terroir, you're capable of producing such wines and impressing European Pomerols habituees and then you change that? BTW, here and there I find very decent priced Merlot bottles ($16-20) in the Bordelais backwaters like Lalande and Cote de Bourg.

I strongly recommend 'Côte de Jura'($15). These are high acidity Chardonnays and Chignins vinificated on a oxydised method, not unlike Jerez. It's the only white wine I know served at room temperature. They are pretty unknown outside of France expect the expensive 'Vin Jaune' variety. It's mabe a bit oversophisticated, but it works. At least to my taste.

The distance from the fridge to the prep might be a tad bit long and winding. Well, I mean the working triangle shold not be a dogma, but it's not useless to take it in consideration.

Das Bessere ist der Feind des Guten or the best is the enemy of the good

If nobody here can help you, I'd suggest to sen a mail to Mauviel and ask for Nice based representatives.

I suggest: - place the sink at 1 (Varmints initial idea) - make 3 the prep counter (also for hot oven plate, so forget 5) - place open shelves over the prep counter for daily tableware and microwave - find some solution (at any price!) for the little wall piece at 3, so counterspace is going around the corner 3. - maybe place the DW at 3 Now you have a straightforward workflow without any chicanes. Better than many pro kitchens.

To confuse things even further, you might have to ask for Grauburgunder. Well, sometimes it's also called Ruländer.

Is the marbelous chicane a willfully self inflicted constraint?

And if we replace WZ and PG with Pizza here? Like a menu list, it's up to the restaurateur to define the character of his etablissement.

Moby, if ever interested in Austrian 'Gekochtes Rindfleisch' (boiled beef), here are the cuts to be known by the connoisseur.

That's why so many tasting notes (points) are meaningless when it comes to food pairing. Here the rather delicate wines, showing 'lack of intensity' in a tasting serie, can transform to wonderful, balanced impressions. That's why the craze for full bodied wines (generally the high rated ones) is such a doubtful development. Now this is a questian about physics, chemistry, physiology and psychology and maybe some other constraints from different fields. Parameter overflow!

I use a similar, less complicated one for whole beef shank. Cooking time and method is about the same.

Bilateral negotiations began in 1983, under the Reagan administration. Now it's 2004 and the world's wine superpowers remain far apart on important issues, particularly the use of European terms like "Champagne," "port" and "sherry" on made-in-America wines. After 20 years, this debate is about the last naming GI issues standing in wine and spirits. The GI for food is the arising controversion in naming issues (buffala di campagna, ...) Europe bans wine made with 12 nontraditional, although harmless, methods These are the most interesting issues for a 21 century wine debate; the alteration of wine (oak chips, adding flavours, ac ds, sugars, ...). How much is allowed to sell a bottle as 'wine' and where?

That right there's the big question. This thread is cracking me up. Spleen? instead of snobbery.

Excellent point, Moby! I found no solution for this true dilemma. I lifted my countertop height a bit ( now 95cm, 39"), so the base of the sink (12" deep) is not soooo low. But admittedly it's not ideal and not everyone will be prepared to have such a high countertop. Kitchen design is always a rotten (?) compromise.

Another adavantage was mentioned already by Fat Guy: OTOH, I've seen some very primitive arrangements tith enamel, wood and so on. Sort of camping style. But looking definitely better than about 50% of new commercial kitchens.

So custom design?

How about this?

That's essentially all you need if you have a DW nearby. If there's workspace enough, add a prep sink. Bingo.

Where to place the D/W? Wrt. cooktop vs. range: good idea, methinks. Keep the ovens. You can get a decent interims kitchen for 6-8k. Paint the floor.

... and the never empty glass of wine.

Anytime! When made to wine, you get a completely different juice. The Viogniers I know tend to the 'flowry, exotic fruit' side, whereas the best Swiss Chasselas tend to the 'mineralic, non-flowry, subtle-bitterness' side. Just an opinion, of course.

Yes. At least for my taste, cleanup is the most unpleasant task when cooking. I decided that when I have to employ myself as my own 'Plongeur' (profess. pan/glass/china cleaner in a resturant, aka something I would never do for money alone), I want to spend my 'salary' for having a real 'Plonge'. Detail Plonge Sometimes, cleanup is almost a pleasure.

Just a small point: Toro Albalá is not sherry. It's Montilla-Moriles. (Another appellation, a couple of hundred miles inland from Jerez.) The Mandelbrot (fractals) effect: the closer you get, the more details evolve. Is Montilla-Moriles different from Jerez? I mean, can you generalize a different character?

Almost all in Spanish, I guess. And spread over many Spanish newspaper archives. ... about of traditional, regional Spanish cooking. Can we motivate you somehow? Maybe a tiny one, just a booklet? In Spanish and English?