Brad Ballinger

$189 at Williams-Sonoma -- click here.

You'll have to check the beverage laws of New York for a definite answer. In general, though, if you have this shindig at a restaurant, and you buy wine from the restaurant, you will be okay. If you opt to have it somewhere other than a restaurant, you may need a one-day permit. Alternatively, you can avoid some potential hassles by using a caterer who has a retail license, and buying the wine from them.

Korbel used to label this "Chardonnay Champagne." Does the label indeed now read "Sparkling Chardonnay"?

NV Charles Baur Cremant d'Alsace Brut - Goes down so easy it's scary. Light, citrus-y, acidic, juicy without being fat. NV Andre & Mireille Tissot Cremant du Jura Brut - Toasty, "meaty," full-bodied, a bit nutty. Good. NV Henri Bouillot "Perle d'Aurora" Cremant de Bourgogne Brut Rose - Very light pink/salmon, citrus-y, floral, dry dry dry, good mineral backbone. 2005 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau - My wife needs this stuff every year. I didn't try it.

Typically, it's a hydrogen sulfide issue that probably isn't going to appreciably improve. StevenC mentioned mercaptans, which is hydrogen sulfide gone bad. The result can be the smell of burnt rubber, rotten eggs, garlic, sewage. If the odor you experienced is just a burnt match type of sulfur, this is usually resolved with aeration. Some people even put a penny in the glass to "correct" the wine.

Loimer's "Lois" GruVe is their most basic bottling of the varietal wine. It is attractive packaging -- clear bottle with a green and black label. Being the basic, or "introductory" wine, from Loimer, it should be realtively drinkable on its own. If you find yourself liking it at all, you can then pursue Loimer's higher end wines or those from other producers such as Nigl, Brundlmayer, either of the Pichlers, or Domaine Wachau.

Thanks for these notes, Bill. I have some of these in the cellar (but, no, I'm not parting with any of my 90 Pichon Baron). You did a good job offering your opinion regarding the longevity of some of these wines in the cellar. But that opinion was missing for the 90 Las Cases, so I'm asking for it now. And that 90 Montrose is one of the best wines I've had -- ever. One of the very few times where I've been on the same page as Parker (not that he or anyone else cares).

Here is a link to the December, 2005, Calendar. The events listed thus far are: December 5 - Bacchus Night at Bayard, New York City December 6 - White Truffle Wine Dinner at Cru, New York City This post will be edited periodically as December wine-related events are added to the calendar.

Here is a link to the eGullet Calendar. The November events remaining are: November 24 - Chateau Musar Tasting in Cambridge, UK November 24-29 - Salon des Vignerons Independants de France, Paris November 30 - Washington State Wines Dinner in Denver, Colorado

This thread will serve to point to eGullet Calendar entries that are of interest to our members. Mary and I will control the content of what is in this thread and what goes on the calendar in accordance with the eGullet Calendar and Events Policy. We're looking for wine events to post in the eGullet Forums Calendar. *Charity events *Wine tastings *Industry events *Educational Classes If you have an event to suggest, please contact me or Mary (Rebel Rose) by PM or e-mail. Please include the following information to enable us to post the event on the eG Calendar. 1. Title of the Event (I believe we are limited to 40 characters) 2. Starting Date 3. Last Day (if a more than one day event) 4. URL(s) if applicable. 5. Price of admission (if any) 6. Open to the public (or restrictions)? 7. Summary description of the event With enough advanced notice, we can feature a thread in this forum that will give some general background information to a topic that is the focus of an event, and then have follow up posts in the thread from those Society members who participated in the event. For example, with enough notice regarding the November 24th Chateau Musar tasting, we would've been able to start a thread on the uniqueness of Chateau Musar and its wines, and those who participated in the event could share their experiences. You get the idea. Thanks! Brad

Here are some other wines that generally get recommended: Sparkling wines, which is what I usually serve. ← Okay, so i have some Roderer (sp?) Estate sparkling wine, can it be served throughout the meal then? It sounds tasty. I just found out my mom is bringing brussels sprouts and asparagus, so if it will work with that, I guess it will work with the baked sweet potatoes and the turkey. Also, can I still add some sherry to my gravy without causing a bad match? Enquiring minds and all that, Lauren ← Two replies: 1. What Katie wrote. 2. There is no "perfect" wine to go with everything that gets passed around the Thanksgiving table. Some wines (like bubbly) are more versatile than others, but no wine is going to be "perfect" with everything. Having a variety of selections and letting people choose seems to work. I'm serving Cremant du Jura, Cremant de Bourgogne Rose, Beaujolais Nouveau (for my wife), and sparkling cider.

Sorry, I know that Gordon Cooks isn't your real name (or so you posted in a different thread), so I mistook the source of the quotation in your signature line for your actual name. My mistake.

NV Francois Vouvray Petillant Brut. Pinon also bottles vintage Vouvray Petillant in good vintages. The wine is a very pale straw color and there is moderate bead activity in the glass. The initial aroma shows a toasty aroma that also contains some floral, musk, and wet gravel. The flavors show a strong mineral core with slight citrus and floral accents. The acidity is incredibly high and the mousse does little to dissipate or soften it. But, then again, I like acid, and in this wine, it leads to a long mineral finish. The wine paired very well with sushi, and in the $10-$15 price range is a bargain when it comes to bubbles.

Thanks for posting on this, Bernie. When I was in the Pfalz in the autumn of 2003, I made it a point to take back a few red wines with me. Some of those were Spatgburgunder wines, but I also remember a Dornfelder and a St. Laurent (all names of grapes for those who may not know). I still have a bottle of 1999 Meier Spatburguner waiting to be opened. When I tasted it two years ago, it was well structured, and seemed to me like it needed some time. We'll see how it turns out. Anyway, there's the beginnings of a debate in the Pfalz about whether or not to use barrique with spatburgunder. I'm wondering if that was mentioned at the event you attended.

I don't know what that is. ← Sorry, Susan. Gruner Veltliner is an Austrian wine made from the grape of the same name. The wines, which are dry, generally have a pleasant acidity level. They generally have some aromas/flavors of lemon, apple, and root vegetables. And some of the better ones will show off some white pepper aroma and flavor.

Brad, what year are you drinking? ← 2005.

Gruner Veltliner.

Well, I claim ignorance when it comes to Texas distribution laws, but that sounds like hooey to me. You can get Dominus at Costco, and many retailers have Silver Oak on their shelves nowadays. And with some effort, Shafer can also be found.

No photos again, and I won't post again until I have some, but. . . I had a couple of uncooked short ribs in the freezer that weren't needed for a recipe a while earlier. I thawed them, seasoned them liberally with salt and pepper, then browned them in a dutch oven. I removed them, took out some of the oil, and added chopped onion, carrot, and celery, sauteeing until caramelized. Then I added about a tablespoon of the triple-[pwer tomato paste, and sauteed for a bit longer. Then deglazed with a cup of red wine and two cups of beef stock. I added some rosemary, juniper berries, and a bay leaf. Returned the ribs, and braised in a 300 degree oven for three hours. I let the whole pot sit in the refigerator overnight. The next day, I easily removed the fat that had solidified, took out the ribs, and placed them on a baking sheet, rewarming them in the oven. I heated up the braising liquid and veggies, removed the bay leaf, then pureed the works in a blender. I returned the puree to the pot and added a bit of water. I shredded the short rib meat, and added it to the puree. Boiled some egg noodles (wasn't quite in the mood to make gnocchi), and served the beef sauce over the noodles.

On my second Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. It's been a few years since I've had this brew, and shame on me. I love the hoppiness and the bitterness of this ale. Anyone seeing the somewhat Christmas scene on the packaging might think it would be more like a winter ale or wassail, but it doesn't have the sweetness, maltiness, or spice of those. I'll be making a pot of red beans and rice this weekend, and I'll have to have some of this ale with it.

John, A couple of brief comments. Tony's stretches everything, and more than a mite. That's the "crime" in it. As for the headaches thing, what causes most wine-induced headaches (other than overconsumption is histamines, which occure naturally). And with respect to the pricing, no one is saying they can't charge what they want. Heck, I'm a big "whatever the market will bear" guy. The issue is with how they choose to defend their comparatively high prices -- which leads back to the s t r e t c h i n g. Deep roots, first run, limited supply of old (i.e. over the hill) vintage, etc.

I'm bumping this thread back to the top. I'm two-thirds of the way through Taber's book. It is a very good read. What I've come away with thus far. . . 1. The book gives a good history of winemaking in California from the days of the immigrants who first planted vines to prohibition to the making of jug wines to, eventually, the push for some to make world class wines. 2. Every winery owner and winemaker that wanted to make world class wines meant making wines like the great wines of France. But their proclivity toward experimentation soon had some of them trailblazing their own paths. For example, some thought the best red wines would be made from 100% cabernet sauvignon grapes while others thought blending in some merlot or cabernet franc (as is common in Bordeaux) would be a better approach. 3. Some winemakers were worried about making wines that were too high in alcohol. High ABV levels get a alot of play now, but I was surprised to learn it was also an issue in the 60s and 70s. 4. The winning wines had virtually no track record. The 1973 Montelena Chardonnay was only that winery's second release, and the 1973 Stag's Leap Cabernet might have been its first release. I mention this because criticism has often been directed toward newcomers that charge steep prices for their wines when they have no track record. 5. The organizer of the tasting, Steven Spurrier, actually thought the French wines would wine both red and white categories. And he didn't have a preference either way which wines would "win." I'll probably have a few more observations to add after I finish the entire book.

Morning routine: I walk the dogs. I feed the dogs. I rinse and wipe out the moka coffee pot. I fill the bottom with water. I grind just enough beans to fill the basket. I put it on the stove. I pour a cup of whole milk and heat it in the microwave. I go get the dog that has to be carried upstairs. I let her outside and bag her poop. I turn on the stereo (Minnesota Public Radio), and scan the front page of the newspaper. I hear the steam escaping from the tiny hole in the bottom portion of the moka coffee pot. I turn off the stove. I grab a 16-ounce cearmic mug. I skim the skin that has formed on top of the hot milk. I pour the milk into the mug (it fills it halfway). I fill the rest of the mug with the strong coffee from the moka pot. I take my mug and read the newspaper. My wife comes downstairs, heats up her owm milk, and gets what's left in the pot.

The same could be said for many Recoltant Manipulant (grower) Champagnes. But the NV from Diebolt-Vallois is a consistent winner. There's always a solid mineral-driven core to this wine, yet just enough fruit to provide dimension and balance. And the NV can usually be found for under $30, many times under $25.

"Aspect"? Enlighten me, please.