Rebel Rose

Good points, Morfudd. This recently happened to me at a small professional tasting with other wine writers, all of whom are well known and highly experienced, with the exception being me. We discussed the merits of the various wines, some of which were very good, and some clearly flawed. One wine was borderline. "It's corked," I said. They ignored me. "No, really, I'm pretty sure it's corked." They continued to politely ignore me. So I just kept murmuring, "It's cooooorked," quietly to myself. It is sometimes difficult to find that line between affirming one's perception and qualifying for the state hospital.

At the risk of starting this whole conversation all over again, here's a new twist on an old complaint! Wine Patrol Deputy Enlistment They forgot to mention required equipment: a flip-open wallet and dark glasses. Who's on board? I haven't checked out the certification requirements yet, but this could be the next fun thing since Vineyard Challenge.

San Francisco Chronicle I wonder if they will change the name? Will people still pay $300 a bottle for Eagle Nuggets?

On learning to evaluate young reds, it is a skill that requires practice over a long period of tasting the same wines when they are young, and again when they have matured for a while. I am in the fortunate position of tasting the same wines in the barrel, shortly before bottling, after bottling, and at various points during maturation. I write our descriptive back labels while the wine is still in the barrel, and over the years (and with tutelage from mentors like Ken Volk, Art Norman, and Dan Panico) I have learned to mentally anticipate the effects of bottling, bottle shock and bottle age and then pare away the characteristics that will disappear and describe the essence of the wine. That's an extreme example, but it illustrates that by tasting older wines and then younger wines, you will learn to gauge a young wine accurately. Is it a quaffer? A giant now, but a snore in a few years? Or a lean, long distance runner? Definitely some people are affected by their metabolism. Since everyone is different, I can't say what regimen would work for you, but I have heard some winemakers mention that a big meal of shellfish, diuretics like coffee or watermelon, or an imbalance of salts in their system, will interfere with wine tasting. Until you discover what is interfering with your palate, I would recommend hydrating yourself thoroughly for 2-3 days before the event.

I will also recommend CellarTracker, and ManageYourCellar.com

A 'Don & Sons' Press Release Their inhouse distribution companies are 'Three Loose Screws' and 'The Other Guys.' Has anyone seen / tried the new wines? What do you think of the marketing?

Eric Asimov's NY Times Column Nice review of the current overall situation.

Situation 'uncontrollable' Thomas Jefferson said, "Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country, and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bonds." Are the French wine producers being strangled by their AOC system and vulnerable pricing models? Would their rebellious tendencies be better focused on defying the AOC system like many Italians have done?

There's no winery, there's no vineyard, but here you go, for only $460,000: Classified Ad in the Wine Enthusiast I wonder what comes with the 'turnkey operation' . . .

Last Saturday we made our first stab at homemade sushi, nigiri, and sashimi. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. Our first nigiri sushi--yellowtail with avocado, sugar snap pea, and wasabi: And our basic setup of yellowtail surrounded by gathered-at-the-last-minute garnishes from the winter garden: Unfortunately, the only sake we could find in this provincial, backwater, drought-ridden town was "Gekkeikan~The Finest Sake," from Folsom, California. We pretty much stuck with the Jacob Toft 'Mary Jane' Chardonnay, Edna Valley! Completely dry, but with a citrusy, light profile that paired well with the light fare. We've decided to do Sushi Saturday once a month. Where can I find some great sake online? I'm thinking the Pacific Northwest would be a great resource. I like my sake cold. Any suggestions? PS. Pansies and dill are very nice on yellowtail sashimi with a citrusy chardonnay.

Congratulations, Sackville! I concur with Brad and Primo's suggestions. This should be a night for you to celebrate. Your plans for wine comparisons and pairings are perfect--a friendly challenge to learn more is there, but it's also relaxed and hospitable. Your guests will appreciate that, and the glow and pride you feel from your achievement may encourage them to nurture a growing interest in wine.

Thank you, Eric! It seems I am being prodded into a little shameless self-promotion, so I am delighted to announce that I am now a regional correspondent for Appellation America, covering the Paso Robles beat. I am thrilled to be working alongside writers like Dan Berger, Alan Goldfarb, and Thom Elkjer, whom I have been reading and hearing about since my entry into the field of wine. In the next few weeks I will be interviewing soil scientist Dr. Tom Rice, who is completing a book on the soils of Paso Robles, some of the younger winemakers in our area on current winemaking trends and the future of terroir, French producers who have started their own wineries in Paso Robles, local women winemakers, and winery owners from both sides of the developing rift over subappellations. So in essence, I already have a dream assignment!! (Don't let that stop you from imaging your own. You never know . . .)

Max, could you be more specific? I've only had internet access to food and drink discussion forums for 12 years, and I was way ahead of my companions (aka rural peerdom) at the time. What is the oldest public Internet wine forum? Can we still access those early bad boys?

Definitely seconding the suggestions made so far. I think I'd also like to suggest a dessert viognier or late harvest chardonnay or pinot blanc, if you can find one, for the pear course. Late harvest whites often have a distinctive nutty character that would match the dish, and I see that the pears are poached in port, so a more exotic and layered dessert white would help keep the dessert lively by making it seem lighter and more ephemeral in comparison.

We actually had a day of lovely but brisk sunshine tucked in between rainstorms, so Lei Norman (Norman Vineyards) and I headed off to the farmers market. Find of the day ~ goose eggs (for a frittata) ~ and a booth that will have grass fed lamb ribs available in two weeks, just in time for the Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival! Since we always grill lamb racks for our festival visitors, I am going to place a special order for these racks. And of course I managed to also fill my canvas bag with grapefruit-lemon-valencia-orange marmalade, stalks of brussel sprouts, artichokes, snow peas, citrus soap, crocheted cotton wash cloths, and oyster mushrooms. And tulips.

Welcome to eGullet, kastle! Are you looking for a specific wine for each course, or one or more wines that might do double-duty? Do you have an approximate cost in mind? (The menu is mouth-watering, by the way.)

Dinwiddie, it's interesting that you note some of the top-rated producers of pinot noir in California. Obviously you know your way around the artisanal productions. Do you feel that women agree with these tastes? I find myself to be very picky about pinot noir, although I love the grape. I don't like an extracted cabalicous style, but I also gravitate away from light, acidic pinots. I like this mysterious, otherworld pinot experience of dark color, but gypsy fruit--something that has zing--a little acidity, a lot of sass. What would you recommend?

From Wine Enthusiast: Labels Gone Wild Do you think they're hearing from women about this?

This article by wine writer Dan Berger explains an oft-experienced anomaly. Why do different bottles of the same wine taste different? How often have you had this experience?

Wine not pouring into state despite end to mail-order ban Not every small winery can deal with the registration fee and the paperwork. I am shipping into Florida now but if the paperwork and fees become prohibitive, I will have to quit. Fees this steep will keep out the truly small and boutique wineries; only midsize to large wineries can afford to pay fees like this in a number of locations, so states are actively discouraging the smallest producers. I can only send about 20 cases of wine a year to Florida; the fee alone would wipe out most of our profit on a full retail sale.

Boost your dietary fiber withh a glass of red wine?

JohnL raised the issue in another thread that the wine trade publications might arguably be responsible for twisting tails and stirring up controversy. Personally, I think only Wine Business Monthly, which is pretty much distributed only to those in the wine business, does a good job of covering breaking news, and their journalistic standards are pretty conservative. Consumer wine magazines always seem to be lagging behind the latest issues and news by several months, if not entire years. I think there's a lot of inertia in print wine coverage. Glacial, in fact. Or at least there has been untill the advent of blogging, and in particular the running commentary about interstate shipping issues on sites like Tom Wark's Fermentation. If we were to create our own investigative-reporting-only wine publication, what would we name it? And what would your dream assignment be? What issues or facts would you mercilessly track? Who would you talk to? What's your conspiracy theory? Who knows, maybe we'll come up with an actual investigation to be performed and revealed by the secret eGullet Society!

But that part could apply to several sites. It's the other quote that really identifies it to those of us in the trade who scan the wine sites, which is why we get a chuckle out of it. Understandably, Mr. Squires is upset about this rather colorful description of his site's dynamics. There are some great people there and a very broad range of well-written wine reviews by members. When Mr. Parker posts he is always very gracious; his post about his wife's recent neck injury had me all teared up--so sweet and romantic! However, that site is heavily trafficked by cork dorks and Squires is the only moderator, so there is a lot of unbridled snarking, entitlement issues, and clique-y behavior. You generally don't find it in threads about specific wines, wineries, or regions, however--just pretty much in the more controversial/issues threads. If you're going there for specific wine information it's a very safe and often entertaining place to be! You are on top of it! Amazing that in 3 pages of flap about whether or not the LA Times qualifies as birdcage liner, no one has pointed that out. Gosh, I hope not! But you may be right. Heck, I was intimidated by this forum at first. I think we've done a good job of expanding the range of topics and information here so that novices feel as welcome as experienced wine posters. That reminds me, I need to get busy on those Wine 201 articles. So true. It's not like it's foie gras or something. Thank you! To return the compliment in true eGullet spirit, I have just volunteered you for something. Like you need more projects, right? Details to come by email.

The LA Times (may require free registration) presents an interesting article on the most well known wine sites on the internet. Which ones do you visit? Which ones do you like? Any sites you'd add to the list? Pop Quiz: Can anyone guess which site this quote refers to?

In an effort to combat the new and potentially devastating vineyard threat posed by the vine mealybug, viticulturists are turning to their labs for answers. Golden labs, that is! San Francisco Chronicle (May require free registration.)