fifithewinecat

Hey Dave-=-Check your PM, I will want to get some of your red wine vinegar mother on 1-26. Arturius

The horrible thing is that a publisher's weekly states they have plans to put out a newsletter, starting in December 2006. "Winebot Best Picks" will be both an electronic and paper newsletter, and will initially cost $37.50 per year. It will expand in size with each issue, and eventually the cost per year will go up too. Of course the master winebot will do the premium tastings, while the winebots sold to the public will be lesser grade machines. Reportedly, Robert Parker and Wine Spectator are negotiating with the manufacturer concerning this machine and the planned newsletter.

Okay Arey-- You got me hooked on this recipe, so I went to Everyday Food's website, but can't find the recipe. Can you post the rest of it? Or email me at fifi at cncnet dot com. Thanks!!!

I'm afraid if I was at the counter and you asked for a wine that was "quirky and red", I probably would say, "whoa, hoss, what do you mean by that?" Hopefully some dialog would ensue. Since it apparently did not, then it would be imcumbent on YOU to add to your initial words, "I mean, kinda like xxxxxxxxx wine that I had a while back." Hopefully this would get to somewhere else than the result you got. BTW, did you ever try the suggested wine??? Sounds interesting.

Okay all, I just heard from Bryn Dole, owner of Bottlecount.com. His server was hacked, and he is busy putting everything back together again. Phew!!

Does anybody know why Bottlecount.com has been down the last few days? Or does anybody know how to contact the site owner via email????

CaliPoutine--I really don't feel there is any substitute for port in a dish like this. If you are going to be doing a lot of chefing in the future, you will use the port. As this is your first client, I would pull out the stops and not try to substitute, and maybe come up with a pale imitation of what the sauce should be. Result could be "oh, well, that tasted just like I have at the cut rate restaurants!" If you have time, and friends in the USA, have somebody bring you a good port for cooking, like 6 Grapes, or Taylor Fladgate Reserve. It holds for quite a long time. Blow their socks off, and don't worry about substitutions!!!

I see now on Winebid.com, an offering for N.V. Cos d'Estournel. Wonder is this is the same sort of dreck that the NV Margaux seems to be. Also, I wonder how many upper tier Bordeaux wineries put out shoddy NV products, rather than just dump the wine or job if off to some bottler. I see nothing about this NV issue in RMParker's Bordeaux book, and find nothing in other Bordeaux books. Do any of you Bordeaux experts know who has done this in the past?

We will soon be going to the Pinot Tasting in SF, and picking up a few cases of wine at Winebid.com, which will allow us some time for tasting the next day in Napa/Santa Rosa area. I drive, and my wife and I always carry large empty Starbucks containers with the lids on them, and spit into them. Does not offend others, and allows us to go on ticking happily for longer. As we leave the winery, we dump into the dump bucket, or water some of the dry vegetation with the contents of the cups. Only problem with this way of doing things is that we have had people ask us why we were drinking coffee at a wine tasting!!! I am also thinking of getting and modifying a large Sponge Bob Squarepants sippy cup for use at the Pinot tasting in SF.

Ho Boy!!! Winebid.com has these wines offered again, but now the price asked is $10 a botttle less. I think when it gets down to $10 per bottle, I might get one.

Okay Really Nice-- Found this on a Google search for "non vintage chateau margaux". It is on Winejournal.com on Chateau Margaux. " ...do ignore the non-vintage Chateau Margaux made by blending the execrable 1963, 1964 and 1965 vintages.) Of course they were not the only culprit during this period when poor wines were endemic, but Margaux was the most prominent and had further to fall." I think this is what Winebid.com is trying to sell. AND, it is a real Chateau Margaux offering!!!!

Hey Daniel-- I checked this label out, comparing it to a 1982 Chateau Margaux on Winebid.com, and using a magnifying glass on the screen image. The NV ones do say "Chateau Margaux grand vin" The chateau picture does seem to be Chateau Margaux. However, I can't read the writing under the picture of the chateau, where the date normally is printed. I would suggest somebody give the folks at Winebid.com a call. I'll bet somebody there has checked it out--at least to make sure they are not listing "bogus" goods. Be real interested in what they have to say.

One time I made a Zinfandel wine, and it ended up with a strong smell of burnt rubber. I was told by the local college farm people that this was the "Fresno Syndrome" due to a lack of acidity from grapes grown in a very hot area. FWIW.

Dang, Ctzn Cane-- Was hoping that Pellegrini Family Winery would remain a secxret. We hit them on Saturday, and just loved the 2004 barrel sample of the 20% whole clusters PN. My wife also fell all over the 2004 barrel sample char. Last year, they were apparently not part of the barrel tasting, but at dinner at Josef's in Santa Rosa, we had a bottle of their 2001 Olivet Lane PN. Great, and this year I bought three of them at the winery. Definitely a keeper!! I missed Carolyn Tillie at Siduri, but I guess I was tasting and spitting so much that I might have even missed a naked model if one showed up!!

Hey Robinaustin, what cheeses did you have????

Thanks Jackal10-- BUT, from what one French firm just told me via phone, it would cost about $45 US to send one bottle from Bordeaux to me in California. I really need somebody in the US, preferably California, who has the wine for sale. Apparently it is imported, as 2000 is for sale by companies in Florida, and 2003 futures are for sale.

Dang it! This is getting to be a hard one to find. It is rated 90 by WS, and they showed a price of $10(!) (no doubt in Bordeaux). I've seen future offers for the 2003 on the internet for $12.99 each, but nobody seems to offer the 2001, except Finestwines.com, who offer it for $85(!!!) per bottle. Now those are people with a sense of humor or avarice!!! Anybody know who might have this wine in California for a reasonable price??? I found some people in Florida who have the 2000 listed for $16.99 to $25, but nothing for the 2001. Maybe I'll have to ask if somebody is going to France with extra room in their carry on, that they get me a few bottles!!! Anyway, thanks for any help.

I have read a lot about the Romans drinking this great wine, made apparently in the area near Naples. I have read that it was a white wine, but have also read accounts that sound like it was also available as a red wine. Does anybody know more about this wine, AND, would anybody knolwledgeable in modern Italian wines hazard a guess as to which wines available now might come closest to the old Roman Falernian?? -------------------------------------------------- "Wine Makes Everyone Hopeful"---Aristotle or Plato

Thanks for the welcome Beans-- You noted: "So, with such a blind endorsement, it really isn't that much more of a stretch to believe a corrolation between their bread and butter advertising dollars and ratings." I agree that their selling lauditory placques to restaurants is a flawed program and should be scrapped, unless WS is willing to put a LOT of work into overseeing the program. BUT, I can't see extending this to believing they are committing criminal offenses in linking their advertising dollars to good or bad ratings for the wines. This sort of threat and action, kind of like saying to a store owner, "buy my insurance, or your place might catch fire tonight" is racketeering, and punishable under the RICO provisions. I think the stretch you are making here is a BIG one--going from a flawed stupid program without any overseeing, to a racketeering stance in WS's part!!!! _____________________________________________ "Wine Makes Everyone Hopeful"---Aristotle or Plato

Dang, this dead horse again!!! People who believe the myth of WS faking reviews to deal with those who do or don't advertise are also believers in various other "urban myths" such as sending out so many emails and getting a bunch of $$$ from Bill Gates, and getting a free car, if you find something special in your Fruit Loops, etc. Folks, MANY more people read WS than participate in these various wine boards. They are not looking for profiles on $100-200 a bottle boutique wineries, and probably don't all have wine cellars, and most likely don't want to store nice tight, but reportedly elegant, wines for 15 to 20 years before enjoying them. They want nice fruity smooth wines for now, or very soon, drinking. If you disaprove of WS and their policies, DON't ever pick one up. It's that simple. Stick with WA, Tanzer, various Brit critics, etc. But there is really no need for another thread doing that old beat-up of WS that is getting rather stale now, even if it comes with another slightly cracked "fresh" coat of garish paint. -------------------------------------------------------------------- "Wine Makes Everyone Hopeful"---Aristotle or Plato

Maybe I'm really wrong, but didn't I recently see something about French doctors recommending mild use of wine during pregnancy as being okay? OR, do they, in fact, have the same sort of view as our society does--that is zero alcohol during pregnancy? Seems to me that women have used wine during pregnancy for centuries with no big problems. Seems that the thing to do would be not to overdo it. --------------------------------------------------------- "Wine Makes Everyone Hopeful"---Aristotle or Plato

Just to note that in one other forum, it was mentioned that WS in a blind tasting rated a Charles Shaw char as better than one of Mondavi's low cost char bottlings. Believe it rated in the mid 80's. Not totally swill. Not to switch the direction of this thread, but if you are looking for low cost wines that are more readily available than at TJ's try these wines that might be in the same catagory, but better, which are recommended in Wine Discoveries by Arthur Damond. 2001 Pacific Peak (BevMo's house wine) cabernet sauvignon. "good fruit, some wood, an ample aroma and a medium body...some nuance and evident varietal character. Could even age a few years." Believe BevMo is now selling it for $2.99 a bottle. 2001 Sea Ridge Zinfandel. "This Safeway label zin is an incredible bagain. Fresh, lively and fruity, with obviously spicy zin character, the wine could age a few years..." This is selling for around $2.99 ---------------------------------------------------------------- "Wine Makes Everyone Hopeful"---Aristotle or Plato

Jim-- These sound real good. Where did you get them? I checked out the importer, but have gotten no reply from them about where I can get these wines in California. Thanks for the info --------------------------------------------------- "Wine Makes Everyone Hopeful"--Aristotle or Plato