Brad Ballinger

Botero is one of my favorites. Prints of his work adorn one of my favorite restaurants, Hamersley's Bistro in Boston. And I would guess that any producer who puts Botero on the label has to have something decent in the bottle.

Yeah, those highly allocated wines are always tough to come by. And then when the wholesaler gets their allocation, you have retailers and restaurants clamoring for whatever they can get. Then the restaurant puts it on the reserve list that customers have to ask for, and the retailer never puts it on the shelf but privately calls the "good customers." So then we're once again stuck with number 5. And so it goes.

Many of the Riesling wines on the market today are not your parents' Riesling.

A couple of recent ones... Surly Bender. This is a brown ale with some oatmeal treatment. It's rich and flavorful without being too syrupy or sweet. Good malty quality with a little fruit/hop boost. Bell's Two Hearted Ale. This is an IPA style with over the top hops. I had it on the heels of the Surly Bender. What a wake up call that provided. I've enjoyed Two Hearted in the past, but even this hop lover can only take so much. I was with my brother-in-law who mentioned he had a small keg of this once in his beermeister. I asked how long it took to go through that -- that's a lot of Two Hearted. He said it took too long.

Actually, the research shows that indies do better, not worse, if there is a Starbucks (or Caribou Coffee -- another large franchise) nearby. Personally, I never get brewed coffee at Starbucks. It always tastes burnt. I stick to the espresso drinks.

phlox, I don't want you to bring Shiraz with funny names or labels to parties for the rest of your life, either. And don't ever bring one to my house. First, no reason to feel shame at asking for help in the restaurant. That's what the staff is there for. If it's a good restaurant, the staff will have been trained about the wines, and will have tasted each one. If you are buying wine by the glass and not by the bottle, most places will usually provide you with a taste before you commit to an entire glass. Similarly, in the better wine shops, the staff will have tasted the wines and can make recommendations. Of course, any recommendation you receive will depend on how well you can communicate what you like and what you don't like. That's where a good reference book and tasting a number of wines can help you. Regarding tasting, in addition to jelaniemiller's recommendation to "taste, taste, taste," I would add bringing someone along with you who either knows something about wine or who is as interested in it as you are. That way you have someone at the ready with whom to have a conversation about what you are tasting and why you either like or don't like it. Write down the names of wines you've had that you like and why you like them. Even if a wine shop doesn't carry the exact wine, they may carry similar ones. I don't know where you live, but if you live in an area with a good wine shop, they may put on classes. Attend one or two. The money you spend will be nothing compared to how much you'll spend on wines you otherwise wouldn't like. Regarding your specific comments. . . Most white wines are not sweet. However, many are bland -- especially the ubiquitous institutionalized pinot grigio. German riesling wines tend to have some residual sugar, but they also usually have a high amount of acidity that doesn't make them seem cloying. Of course, there are always exceptions. You can ask for a white wine with a higher acid level but still a good presence of fruit for starters. It's okay to consider the recommendations of publications and even the people in this forum, but eventually you will learn to trust your own palate over any other. At best, you'll find a publication whose tasting panel's palates somewhat jive with your own. By all means, feel free to pop in here for any question you might have.

David, There's a couple of major issues at play here. The first involves direct shipment of wine to consumers. This usually means direct shipment from a winery, not from a wine retailer. According to the Wine Institute, in March of this year, Governor Daniels signed legislation allowing direct-to-consumer shipment of wine. I'm pretty sure, though, that this applies to wineries only, but you'll want to check into it. The limits on shipments from the consumer end are that no consumer can receive more than 24 cases of wine annually AND the wine must be purchased on site (don't know how that gets enforced, though). The limits on shipments from the producer end is that no winery may ship more than 3000 cases of wine into Indiana annually. Although the legislation has passed, the Indiana legistlature has not yet determined what all the rules will be. Therefore, it may be a while yet before the legislation goes into effect. Currently, neither FedEx nor UPS will transport wine to consumers in Indiana. That may change, however, once the legislation becomes active. However, it appears to me that you are more interested in purchasing wine from retailers out of state than from wineries out of state. If you are looking for certain wines from use in the restaurants in which you work, work through your wholesalers. If you want the wines for personal consumption, and want them because they are not available in Indiana, you have some options: 1. Work through a local reatiler to get the wine through one of the wholesalers they work with. If the wine is a domestic wine, find out from the winery who they use for wholesalers. If there is not wholesaler in Indiana who lists the wine in their portfolio, they may try to get it for the retailer (and ultimately you), if they can sell enough of it, and if it is not completely allocated to other wholesalers. If the wine is imported, find out who the importer is. Then find out what wholesaler in Indiana reps that importer, and continue as above. 2. Find an out-of-state retailer who doesn't give a damn and will ship to Indiana anyway. Sam's will not because they risk paying hefty fines. 3. Ship it to yourself. If you are at Sam's in Chicago, there is a Mail Boxes, Etc. store one strip mall over. Sam's will sell you a styrofoam shippper, and you can ship the wine to yourself. Heck, a Sam's employee will even help you carry the wine over there. But since you will likely have driven to Chicago, you might as well be your own courier. 4. Rent a locker in Chicago. There are some consumer wine storage facilitiies in Chiacgo that will receive wine for you and store it in a locker you rent from them. Whenever you next are in Chicago, take what you want out of the locker. Rental fees are usually based on the size of the locker and not the number of bottles or cases. 5. Learn to like the wines you can get from your retailers. It's just wine.

While technically not overheard in the wine shop, I believe the story is consistent with the spirit of this thread. . . I was at a gathering of my wife's side of the family at the home of her aunt and uncle. Another aunt and uncle were visiting from Washington, D.C., to attend my wife's brother's wedding, and this particular gathering was to have time to visit with them. The uncle from D.C. is currently on a sangria kick. So the uncle from Minneapolis purchased a jug (think big jug with the small finger-grip hole next to the opening) of Sangria. I commented that that was an awful lot of sangria for this crowd. Well, that set the uncle off. He said he went to a wine shop with a good reputation, but that the only sangria option was the one large jug. I told him he might have been better off going to the muni. "Well, I went to the other place because they're supposed to be a great wine shop. I guess that's not the case." I didn't have the heart to tell him that not having a large sangria selection in terms of bottle sizes and producers is one of the things that makes it a good wine shop. But I did suggest that next time he should just make his own sangria.

I don't know how Susan does it, but I freeze leftover wine in ice cube trays, and then put the frozen cubes into plastic freezer bags. I do this with red and white wines. When a recipe calls for a certain amount of wine, I put ine th number of cubes that amount to the volume called for.

Unfortunately, this is more of the rule than the exception with the Twin Cities dining scene. And I'm sure it's been discussed in various ways in a number of threads here. But here are some contributing factors: 1. Most of the high-end restaurants (in terms cuisine, ambience, service, etc.) are in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and most of those are in the downtowns. 2. Thanks to suburban sprawl, the clientele for Cosmos and others like it have to drive a distance to go there. Then they have to park. Blah blah blah. And there's a portion of that clientele that doesn't come into either city for dinner unless there is a "companion" event (concert, sporting event, theatrical show, etc.). Thus many of these restaurants are in the special occasion or destination category. Even though the tasting menu may be a bargain at $60 per person, folks around here don't shell that out many times in a year. 3. The condos being built in either of the downtowns aren't selling as fast as developers have hoped. Perhaps that will yet change, creating a larger "local" clientele. 4. Minneapolis and St. Paul don't do the tourist business or business travel business of Las Vegas. 5. The number of high-end restaurants in a concentrated area is increasing. So those treating Cosmos as a special occasion place may like to try some other places before returning. I'd like to think of the increase in high-end restaurants as a good sign that the market can support all of them, but time will tell. 6. There are many very good restaurants in the neighborhoods of the cities closer to those coming in from the suburbs where one doesn't have to pay to park (or valet park), get dressed up, etc. The suburbs are also starting to develop some good ones. 8. The crowd that doesn't have a problem coming into the city (the younger crowd) for an evening of food and drink on any night of the week will drink and dance at Infinity, but don't go to Cosmos. I do hope these places all succeed. It's good for the cities. And, by the way, you should love La Belle Vie. Best dining room in the Twin Cities, and food to match.

Should be delicious right now, I'd think.

I ate there about two years ago. That was the only time. Food was pretty decent -- although I had to send my lamb back because it was overcooked. Service was very uneven. Hope your experience was a good one.

Before scrolling down to see Craig's reply, the first word to my mind was Dolcetto. FWIW.

Only since you asked. . . Zin should be like the wine Fred Scherrer makes.

I'd have to say a little bit of both. Let me explain. The cabin we rented was oufitted with a Weber grill, and the kitchen was equipped with a skillet I've never seen before. It had a collapseable handle (for storage/packing perhaps), a porcelain-like coating, and holes in the bottom. The mushrooms and onions were placed in this skillet, and the skillet went on the grill. I'm sure one could even use such a contraption over an open fire. I couldn't find a picture, but here's a square version with a non-collapseable handle -- click.

It's an old note (from a couple years back), but it covers an "A" not yet mentinoed, and not very well-known -- ALTESSE. 2001 F. Peillot Altesse Roussette dei Bugey, Montagnieu (Cuvee Buster). 100% Altesse, a grape grown locally in the Bugey region south of Lyon near Jura and Savoie. The wine had a mineraly, citusy aroma. In the mouth it packed a puckering wallop of lemons, chalk, and rocks. My kind of white wine and my favorite white of the night -- which is saying a lot, because we had some good whites on this night.

Okay, it's been a while since I've posted. Let's just say life has a strange way of demanding attention. Here are some very brief recollections on what I've had to drink over the summer. 1990 Dominus, Napa Valley. My wife and I took a vacation while the daughter was away a Spanish camp. I decided to pull out some bottles that I was saving for God knows what or when. This was heavenly and still going strong. If you have any, no need to be in a rush. I bought it years ago, and it's the first and only Dominus I've ever tasted. Served with grilled steak, grilled mushroom, and grilled onions, a salad, and bread. 1990 de Pez, Saint Estephe. Our vacation was along the north shore of Minnesota. We had dinner one evening at Chez Jude, and were allowed to bring our own. I oredered lamb. The tannins were fully and completely resolved, and there was an attractive cassis and spice profile to the wine. It was showing age. 1996 Domaine des Baumard Savennieres. I had to move some cases out of the way to get this bottle out of my callar. I had hidden it on purpose. But it was time to drink it on the vacation trip. It is still young. Great mineral-driven profile and incredible balance. I can't remember what we ate with it, and it doesn't matter. This wine was the showpiece of whatever that meal was. 1996 Drouhin "Clos de la Garenne" Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru. Nutty, resiny, mineraly, and a healthy dose of lemon and acid. Maturing nicely. NV Gaston Chiquet "Cuvee Tradition" Brut Premier Cru. Floral, chalky, some almond, and roasted apples. Good aperitif style of bubbly. 1998 A. Margaine "Special Club" Brut Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru. Strong mineral profile, and an almost angry wine (in a good way). Very tightly knit. 2002 Bouchard Beaune de Chateau Premier Cru. I believe this is a "blend," if you will, of grapes from various Beaune premier cru parcels, but someone will correct me on that. I don't recall much other than it being nice. 2002 Dr. Wehrheim Birkweiler Bundstandstein Riesling Spatlese Trocken, Pfalz. This wine wasn't beating anyone over the head with acid, but it did have a fair amount to provide a nce lift to the apple, pear, and melon fruits. Hint of minerality. 1990 Les Ormes de Pez, Saint Estephe. More stuffing than the de Pez. And a whole lot more funk. Had some bottle stink that needed to blow off. Some meat and tobacco components, and some St. Estephe brashness. 1999 Kolb Kirchheimer Geisskopf Huxelrebe Trockenbeerenauslese. Again, what am I holding onto it for? Great candied fruit and acid harmony. Fruit is bright and juicy. Goes down easy. I promise to continue drinking well and to not take such a long absence again.

Enough has been commented about the food. So where to drink... There is a recommendation for Bin 36, which is an okay wine bar. In its favor are a good location and a showy room. You'll be able to strike up conversation rather easily. Other wine bars (trying to keep the cab rides short): Avec - also mentioned already, but not much said about wine in this thread yet. Don't expect to recognize any of the wines on the list. The owner prides himself in esoteric selections. Ask for a recommendation. Cru Cafe - on Wabash at Delware (or Chestnut). It closed for remodeling and may reopen by the time you are there. It's going to be a pre-dinner stop for you probably. Randolph Street Wine Bar - gets more of a truly wine geeky crowd, but the second floor has great views. Much further west of Avec Quartino - A quartino is a 1/4 carafe. Good and reasonably priced wine selections. Food is small plates, which are pretty good. State and Ontario. Not to be confused with Osteria via Stato next door (also serving wine in a quartino). Grape Street and Vine - Piano bar with wines and 'tinis. Mature crowd (no idea how "old" you ladies are). Ontario near St. Clair (east of Michigan). For other bars, I'm confident you'll do well on your own. But one I've always liked, not far from where you are probably staying is P.J. Clarke's on State north of Division. For some reason, it doesn't get the usual Rush/Division ilk and seems to have more people who live in Gold Coast and Old Town that out-of-towners. And this out-of-towner has always been able to have a good time and meet some interesting people there.

Not much malvasia. The only wine from Sicily I'm aware of that is made from almost all malvasia is Malvasia delle Lipari, which comes from the Lipari islands northwest of Messina. The Passito di Pantelleria dessert wines that aren't liquorosi have roughly the same alcohol content as any table wine from the area.

Well, from one island to another, I guess. The wine world has seen a transformation of the wines that have been exported out of Sicily over the past decade or two. Typically, Sicily was known for Marsala DOC wines, which have always been more popular in Europe than in the United States. Marsala is a wine made in the same manner – sort of – as Sherry and Madeira. It’s fortified like Sherry and Madeira, and it also is exposed to oxygen during its maturation. The wine, made from grapes grown on the western tip of Sicily, is initially vinified dry and then fortified with additional alcohol that can come from a number of different sources, the origin of which affect the “quality” of the wine and how it must be labeled. There are many different types of Marsala based on color, sweetness, and aging. Let’s start with color. Oro means golden, Ambra means amber, and Rubino means red or ruby. Oro and Ambra wines are made from white grapes and Rubino from black (red) grapes. All three come in Fine, Superiore, and Superiore Riserva designations. Fine wines must be aged of a minimum of one year in wood; Superiore wines a minimum of two years; Superiore Riserva wines a minimum of four years. These wines are usually fortified with some distilled grape alcohol as well as the must that was at one time part of the base wine. They will also be labeled Secco (dry), Semisecco (off-dry) or Dolce (sweet). That’s for the “basic” Marsala (as if that weren’t enough). There’s a higher level of Marsala called Marsala Vergine. Only grape alcohol (no must) can be used to fortify these wines. Wines labeled Marsala Vergine must be aged in wood a minimum of five years, while wines labeled Marsala Vergine Stravecchio or Marsala Vergine Riserva must be aged a minimum of ten years. These may also carry the labels oro, ambra, rubino, secco, semisecco, or dolce. The dry Vergine wines are usually enjoyed as an aperitif, and the sweet ones as a dessert wine or digestif. So, yes, you can get different types of Marsala other than the basic “sweet” and “dry” ones from Cantine Florio that we all use for cooking. Florio, by the way, makes Marsala of all types, and they make more than just Marsala. Another DOC from the region that produces stunning sweet wines is Moscato di Pantelleria. There is also a DOC called Moscato Passito di Pantelleria, which also goes by the name of just Passito di Pantelleria. Pantelleria is a tiny island off the southwest coast of Sicily. The muscat grapes grown here are usually called zibibbo. The wines are luscious and sweet. Some are labeled “liquoroso,” which means they’ve been fortified. Some are labeled “extra,” which means they’ve been aged a minimum of 14 months. Some are labeled “liquoroso extra,” which means – well, you can figure it out. These wines are usually bottled in 375ml or 500ml volume. One Passito di Pantelleria wine that can be found with relative ease is from Donnafugata and is called “Ben Rye” (rye is pronounce ree – eh). It’s Arabic for “son of the wind” and refers to the windy conditions in which the grapes grow and dry. Given that Panterlleria is very close to north African coast, perhaps the Arabic name is no surprise. Which leads us to another Passito di Pantelleria with an Arabic name – di Bartoli’s “Bukkuram,” which is Arabic for “father of the vineyard.” The wine will cost about twice as much as Ben Rye (but it’s a 500ml), and in my opinion it is indeed twice as good – not to take anything away from Ben Rye. One other DOC wine that deserves mention is Cerasuolo di Vittoria, made from frappato and nero d’avola grapes grown in the province of Ragusa on the southern part of Sicily. Cerasuolo di Vittoria is a hearty red table wine than can be cellar-aged for many years. “Cerasuolo” means “cherry-colored,” which describes the color of the wine – not quite as dark as some other red wines. Planeta makes a very nice one, although probably not as age-worthy as some others, as does Valle dell’Acate. But at the beginning of this post I mentioned a “transformation.” Many of the wines from Sicily – and most of the “new” ones – simply carry the Sicilia IGT designation. The reds are usually nero d’avola, and some syrah and cabernet sauvignon, and the whites can be chardonnay or made from the same white grapes that go into marsala – catarratto, ansonica, grillo. A couple of well-regarded producers of these types of wines are Donnafugata and Valle dell’Acate. Planeta is a prolific producer of these wines in the area, and the price tags will generally be a bit lower. One wine to try for a fun summer sipper is Donnafugata’s Anthilia made from 50% cataratto and 50% ansonica. So Sicily is fast becoming known for more than just Marsala. Pretty soon, people may forget about Marsala altogether. Who knows?

Many of the wineries in Germany accept customers. And many accept customers without an appointment. I found this to be a general rule in the Pfalz, Rheinhessen, and Mosel. I did not make it to the Rheingau, Mittelrhein, Saar, or Ruwer. There are going to be exceptions, however, so check out the link provided by glauer to be safe. Also, don't rule out stopping in on producers you've never heard of. You will discover that there are many, many of them who, while maybe not an international commercial success, are incredibly passionate. And a visit to the wine tent (don't know the acutal name of it) in Zell is a must for the pure fun of it.

I haven’t been able to get online much because of a shot DSL line at home. The switchover to cable will take a couple more weeks yet. So while I have a chance, I thought I’d post some short notes on recent wines. 2002 Pieropan Soave Classico. This wine had taken on a slightly mature complexity – resin, nuts, and an earthy quality. But that’s not to say there wasn’t any fruit in it. There was a good carambola profile sprinkled with lime. Bright finish. The wine showed me that Soave – at least Soave from Pieropan – can take on some complexity with a short amount of cellaring. 1996 Jospeh Matrot Puligny-Montrachet, Les Chalumeaux. A guest brought this wine over for dinner. He thought it may be over the hill. Well, let me put it this way: it was no longer ascending the hill. But it hadn’t rolled to the bottom of the other side either. And, actually, with some aeration in the glass it blossomed a bit before starting to fade. A mineral core took center stage supported by a cast of golden delicious apples, a bit of cream. Pure Burgundy without overstatement. I would’ve loved to have had it about 2-3 years ago. 1993 Turley Petite Syrah, Hayne Vineyard, Napa Valley. This is my third experience with this wine. I had purchased two bottles of this when it was released (Arpy gave it 98 points) and it was only $25. I also picked up some of the Aida PS. Earlier drinking of the Aida led me to believe the Hayne would hold it own easily for 15 years or so. My most recent experience with the Hayne was a couple of years back and it was pleasing, if not a bit clumsy. Upon this drinking it was pleasing, if not unexciting. The fruit no longer “exploded” from the glass, but it didn’t need a cane either. It was gobby, but didn’t have the structure or complexity to be anything more. I like pairing petit sirah with flank steak, but this really wasn’t a food wine. My guest, who brought the wine, and I talked about how we no longer have any Turley wines (this was his last one). We mused that we should’ve perhaps held onto our 1993 Hayne PS to see what it would’ve yielded at auction. After all, it was Turley’s first release and some trophy hunter’s cellar would’ve been incomplete without one, but… 1997 Ricasoli Castello di Brolio, Chianti Classico. This was a better partner to the grilled flank steak. In fact, we drained this bottle rather easily, and I still have some of the Turley leftover to use as cooking wine. This Chianti was still going strong. It showed great balance between fruit, graphite minerality, and oak. Dried cherries with a bit of leather. Plenty of acidity to pair well with food, and softened, silky tannins. A glass of this reminded me why I drink wine. 2004 Paul Achs Chardonnay Trocken, Burgenland. Paul Achs is developing a reputation as an upcoming producer of red varietal wines from Austria’s Burgenland region. His Blaufrankisch, Zwiegelt, and single-vineyard Pinot Noir have been well-received. He also has a playful “picnic red” labeled Gols Rot. His chardonnay is unoaked. It’s all about the fruit, and this wine is a mouthful of pear, apple, and lemon. Good degree of acidity. Tiny bit of mineral. Don’t look for layered complexity or age-worthiness; but if you’re in the mood for a summer sipper, this is a good choice that would also pair well with lighter fare.

Thaks for the note on the Beau-Sejour Becot. I've not yet opened any of mine, but it sounds like the time is nearing to do so.

A number of responses to the original question and the recent one. Nye's will be a good choice both for dinner and for after dinner. Other than staying at Nye's, after dinner you can walk to The Times. I'd also be okay with Gardens of Salinica for a group if they want to have Greek food. And the Monte Carlo is always fun in an old school supper club/chop house kind of way. For the two of you on your own, if you know your travel dates, go ahead and reserve at 112 Eatery now. You should still be okay two weeks out, but you may not have your first choice of seating time. The closest thing I can think of from Hmong food off the top of my head is Cheng Heng, which is Cambodian. You'll need to drive there.

Looking at the producers in the top ten list of your linked article, I had to chuckle when I discovered that I have not tasted nor own a bottle from any of them beyond the 1995 vintage. So, FWIW, here's my contribution. . . Flora Springs. Had the 1990 cab two years ago. In a word, it was wonderful. Still have an unopened 1991 Trilogy. Glad to see the 2003 -- at only $30 -- made your top ten list. Montelena. Last one I owned was the 1990, and I polished that off some time ago. I wouldn't pay the price the wine costs today. Clos du Val. Never owned any, but always enjoyed the wine when I've had it in the past. Seems untainted by the push for a universal palate wine. And at $30 for the regular Napa bottling, you've tempted me to pick one up. Rubicon. Never had it. Don't see myself buying it at $100. Mt. Veeder. Always liked it and liked its price. Have a couple of unopened 95s. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. Just drained my last bottle from this producer -- a 1992 SLV. It was holding together well. But at today's $110 price tag, I'll go in another direction. Silverado. Back in the day, this was my "go to" California cab. But I haven't had any since the 1991 vintage, and that was in 1998. Freemark Abbey. Last one of these I had was a 1992 Bosche. And I had it a few years back. It drank very well at the time. Beaulieu GdL. I had the 94 in my cellar up until last summer when I gave it to a friend as a gift. And the others that didn't make the cut but were still mentioned. . . Beringer PR. Last ones of these I had were from the 1987 vintage, and they were singing in 1997. I probably stopped buying because the prices started to skyrocket. Fisher Coach Insignia. Never had it. Cakebread. I have one bottle of the 95 Benchmark. It's probably not very good now, but I'll open it for someone who will say "Oooooh, Cakebread." Mondavi Oakville. I've problably had a taste of someone else's bottle, but have no solid recollection. Silver Oak. I stopped buy either the Alexander Valley or Napa Valley in 1992. And I only bought it at that time because I was seduced by the limited availability and thought myself lucky to get my hands on one. The winemaking also went downhill in the string of vintages following 1992, so I was a bit lucky. Drank the 92 Alex two years ago, and it was doing pretty good. Still have a 91. Heitz Martha's. The only one I've ever had was the 1988. Had it two years ago and it was on the decline. Joseph Phelps Insignia. Last one I had was the 1990 and I probably drank it too young. Then the price stopped me. I still have a 1991 Phelps Eisele. Mayacamas. Last one I had was the 1987. No detailed memory of it. So I"m sorry I can't offer any comment on wines from these producers in more recent vintages. But I stopped buying California Cabs when I was easily getting better wine for my dollar elsewhere. And while it was likely unfair of me to eschew almost all producers, that's what happened. Most of my cabernet wines are from Bordeaux And for the bottle price of many California Cabs today, if I'm going to spend that money per bottle, I'll spend it on Barolo.