Brad Ballinger

I used to work for Farm Credit, and for the purposes of loaning money, grape growers are farmers (Farm Credit also loans to ranchers -- or "farmers" of livestock). And also for the pursposes of loaning money, wineries are agribusinesses.

Quote from the CNN link above. The logic falls apart for me when those same states allow intra-state shipping. One thing I can't find is when does the ruling take effect? Immediately?

1992 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Fay Vineyard, Napa Valley. I have a small group (and getting smaller) of California Cabernet from 1992, the year my wife and I were married. Every year on our anniversary I pull out one or two, and this bottle was selected this year. The bottle was stood upright for 3 days, and poured from bottle into glasses without decanting. There was a “sediment film” stuck to the inside of the bottle that happens at times as an indication of acceptable storage. Bricking not only at the rim, but in the color overall. Enchanting nose of roses, chocolate, cedar, some mint. The flavors unfold gently in layers in the mouth where there is blackcurrant, coffee, menthol. The tannins have resolved nicely, and have a fingertip grip on the wine giving it just enough structure to hold everything together. After about 30 minutes in the glass, there was some dropping of the fruit and a more austere wine in its place. I positively love wines that are this nuanced and layered as compared with all the wines on the market now that are behemoths in their youth and steroid victims with age.

Anytime you have people who are passionate about, geeky about, "into," consumed with, any hobby or avocation, you are going to see the creation and selling of products and services that make some people go "huh?" I should add that I'm by no means suggesting that purchases of the Riedel "O" series are off the deep end. But pick up a Wine Enthusiast or Wine Jazz catalog (or even look through the Sky Mall shopper on some airplanes), and you'll see what I mean.

That depends on the retailer, do you have a receipt, etc. Some retailers won't accept a wine, no matter how flawed not as a result of anything the consumer did after a certain period of time. Others will accept them years later. All the more reason I advocate establishing a good relationship with a wine merchant.

And to think, I've only been in accuracy contests where spitting is involved.

The linked article is pretty short on text. Call me skeptical, I guess. I suppose if the kit completely eliminated TCA, maybe. But if TCA alters the chemical composition of the wine itself to the point where it cannot be surgically extracted, then I don't think so.

Seafood dinner last night due to the monthly arrival of the Shrimp Truck. All three wines drunk too young. 1996 Champagne Pierre Gimmonet "Cuvee Fleuron," Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru. A yeasty, biscuity aroma filled the room the second the cork was pulled. Very active bead in the glass. Aromas of baked biscuits, lemons, and the smell of rain when the first few drops hit the ground. Fairly intense mousse that needs to soften a bit. Poweful lemon and lemon pith flavors rounded out by some toast and rich minerality. Finishes with a bit of a pucker. Served with a noshing course of cheeses, pate, olives, prosciutto. 2001 Josmeyer "Le Kottabe" Riesling. This is one of Josmeyer's "Artist Labels." I have no idea what "kottabe" means. Aften ten google.com pages where the items returned were all about this wine in different vintages, I gave up. This is a very pleasing wine that shows very nice harmony amongst its fruit and minerals. The nose was a bit closed, but there was petrol, floral, some herb. Ripe and playful acidity on the palate showcasing apples, limes, orange zest, and a stony minerality. Good partner to crab cakes with chipotle mayonnaise. 2002 Huet "Le Mont" Vouvray Demi-Sec. This is a wine to leave alone for a long time. Whereas the Josmeyer showed finesse, this wine showed power. At this point in time its all tangerine and honey with a mineral and acidic backbone. It keeps building with more air and with every sip, and absolutely refuses to depart on the finish. Paired with grilled shrimp (marinated in EVOO, garlic, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, and cayenne), grilled asparagus, and roasted potatoes with garlic chives. Showed very well.

A common knock on Alban has been their liberal use of oak. I've not had any of their wines post-1995 so I can't really comment on what you experienced. But if you don't like wine with that kind of funk, you might also wish to avoid many Rhone wines and opt for other California wines made from Rhone grape varieties.

When looking at recipes for macaroni and cheese, and many egg dishes that are baked (such as a strata), more often than not mustard is called for either in wet or dry form. Why? Does it impart a flavor that just cannot be left out of these dishes? Is there another reason. I'm not a big fan of mustard. I'll eat it to be polite. I'm fine with it in salad dressing. If I have to, I can do brown, Dijon, or creole over the yucky prepared stuff. But why, oh why, is it an ingredient in so many of these recipes?

It is a state government issue. In some cases, it may even be dictated at the municipality level, but I'm not entirely certain of that. The arguments for taking leftover wine home with your from a restaurant is that you paid for the whole bottle, shouldn't have to drink it on premises (and drive home impaired), etc. The practice is then to put the unfinished bottle in the trunk of your vehicle. I'm not aware of the reasons against, if it has something to do with liability or not (like open container laws), but I hope someone who is aware can enlighten us.

Okay, legit points. I double-checked for you. The wine label reads "Meano, Pontevedra (Espana)." Meano is a town in the Galician province of Pontevedra in Spain.

John John John, The subtitle of the topic on the forum list page reads "Spain, Rias Baixas."

Nope, I was onto one of the many other wines to drink, and the bottle was emptied.

In South Miami, go to Sunset Corners. Not the best part of town, but good prices on a great selection wines. In Coral Gables, look up Wolfe's wine shop on the Miracle Mile. Better neighborhood, but the shop also has Coral Gables pricing. The selection, however, is eclectic and made with care.

Thanks for posting this note, Andre. I've only one from Umathum -- a 2001 Zweigelt, which is a hybird between blaufrankisch and st. laurent. Both were in the $15 (U.S.) price range, wonderfully fruity, spicy, and acidic, and would be great food wines. The bottle I had was a little "grapey" being fairly young, so it was good to read a note on a more mature wine.

2003 Do Ferreiro Albarino "Cepas Vellas," Rias Baixas. This albarino is made from 200 year old vines. This particular vintage sports a nose a bit on the herbal side -- almost leek-like -- with white pepper and a bit of the floral. Not nearly green in the mouth whatsoever, though. There's an abundance of lemon-orange citrus, hazelnuts, salt-like minerals, in a tight and acidic package. Finishes with a combination of mineral and orange pith. And has more depth and complexity than nearly any other albarino I've had. Very impressive.

2001 Benito Ferrara "Vigna Cicogna" Greco di Tufo. Ferrara makes only Greco di Tufo, a normale and this single vineyard bottling. It is my "go to" wine when I'm in the mood for Greco di Tufo. Incredibly fragrant with floral notes, almonds, starfruit, and lemon oil. Solid acidity and a mineral-driven backbone keep the wine grounded while the citrus and nuts dance around the mouth. Finishes clean. Finishes long.

I had the 1997 vintage of this wine two years ago. In truth, I will comment that it was one terrific wine. This was at a tasting of Oz wines where there were other wines in the same price range and ratings range. Duck Muck was the only one I liked out of all of them. Greenock Creek's Roennfeldt Road, by comparison, was a huge disappointment.

And I thought I was the only one.

I'm more fond of wines from Western Austrailia (Margaret River) than I am of wines from just about anywhere else. That's a very broad generalization, but I find those wines to have more blance and acid that the highly extracted and sometimes highly oaked wines from the more well-known regions. I don't have any Australian wine in the cellar at the moment. The last one was a 1996 Cape Clairault Bordeaux-style blend. Polished that off a year ago, and it was very pleasant.

I, too, look to the Loire (not just Savennieres) for good wine list options in a decent price range. A local hash house pours the Chateau d-Eprie, which I like quite a bit. I'm also a fan of Joly's wines, but they can be on the sulfuric side when young, and I've had them decanted for that reason.

2003 Mastroberardino Falanghina Sannio. I've always enjoyed Falanghina wines, but this has been my first from the Sannio DOC. In a word, this wine was glorious. Loaded with minerals, flowers, crisp citrus, and loads of acidity. The aromas are a feast for the nose -- like a walk in the garden after a rain. There's a big acid strike when the wine enters the mouth, and almost tingling quality, from which lemon zest, honeysuckle, and a ton of minerals dance. I typically have a hard time finding a wine that goes very well with shrimp, but this was a very good match for simply grilled shrimp. Gotta get me some more.

1991 La Jota Vineyard Co. Cabernet Sauvignon, "Howell Mountain Selection," Napa Valley. With grilled ribeye and grilled steak fries. Decanted and aerated 30 minutes before serving. My first impression was that the wine either needs more air or it needed to be opened a couple of years ago. Nose gives off a strong whiff of alcohol (although the label reads 12.5%). After enough of that finally blows off, there are some pretty cherry and violet aromas along with coffee. In the mouth, the attack is also strongly alcoholic at first and the fruit either seems tired and old or tired and not yet awake. The last glass finally had lost enough of the volatility and gave way to a core of black cherry accented with a floral component. Tannins are still kicking and provide a sturdy backbone. Reflecting, I think it should've been given more air time before showtine.

The real question is burnt what? Burnt rubber has been covered well above in this thread. Burnt matches also are a sulfur issue, but not as terrible as burnt rubber. It can also be corrected with either aeration or a penny in the glass. There are other burnt notes -- burnt toast, burnt wood, burnt leaves, burnt fruit. Some worse than others.