Rebel Rose

Editor-in-chief Michele Ostrove speaks up on the creation, concept and future plans for Wine Adventure on the Women Wine Critics Board site. Feel free to leave comments at the WWCB site, but I am also hoping that Michele will visit us here in the eGullet Society forums to answer questions and comments about the new magazine. Has anyone seen the latest issues? What do you think?

While we're waiting for Will to return, here's an interesting blurb I found on the Ravenswood Winery website, The Ornery Oligarch of Sonoma Valley:

BusinessWire Press Release: What do you think? Has the term 'meritage' earned the same conversational status as say, 'Kleenex' and 'Tupperware'? I got a chuckle out of this part:

Jim, your posts are always great! Although I can't claim our own wines are tame when it comes to alcohol content, I too have been disappointed by some pinot noirs that were highly touted elsewhere, as in this post on the Oregon pinot noir thread:

Will, it's clear that the vineyard terrain is quite flat, but surrounded by very steep hills. What is the geologic history of your area and vineyard, and how would you describe your soils?

Please check the eGullet Calendar for details on the Family Farm League Seed Exchange to be held at Rancho Gordo's new warehouse on February 19th. Congratulations, Steve. It sounds like a great event! Will you also be selling your beans and other items on Sunday?

The Philadelphia Inquirer Chaos in Philadelphia: To Buy or Not To Buy

Thank you for joining us, Will. I am really looking forward to peeking over your shoulder throughout the 2006 vintage!

A editorial at the Rockford Register in Illinois blasts the concept of underage drinking as an excuse to destroy the livelihood of small Illinois wineries.

Whew. That's a relief! (I was afraid the next step would be the BBC declaring that pasta and wine should never be paired.) Thank you for your insight into the study, Lisa, and welcome to eGullet. It's an interesting note that UC Davis students and staff are pursuing food and wine research on their own dime.

In Virginia, a bill that would preserve the right of small Virginia wineries to distribute their products to restaurants and stores was struck down because it didn't extend the same right to out of state wineries. I don't understand the logic in these efforts. Distributors are vigorously fighting against these bills, and against rewriting the bills to open direct sales to retailers from out of state producers, claiming that these new laws will "put them out of business." Where is the protection for the wineries and vineyards? If a distributor can't offer a service that wineries want and need, they should be put out of business!

While the Bordelais are ripping up their vineyards and piling manure up in front of their distributors' office doors, the Australians are taking a more practical approach to their huge wine glut: Plan to run cars on Chardonnay Actually the French and Italians have been doing the ethanol thing, too. I can see it now . . . the 2007 Volvo Vintage? Subaru WineRX? Toyota Crew Cab Sauv? A Ford Pinot?

I think it's interesting that so many really large wine production companies want to be perceived as "small, family run" wineries when they clearly are not. Also, a number of large winery/vineyard operations claim to be "organic" or "biodynamic" but they don't mention the huge crews of itinerant labor that they use to hoe weeds and "hand turn" their compost. Or the occasional farmworker accidents involving large machinery, like the death of 37-year-old Maria Laticia Fonseca Quintero, who was run over by a harvester trailer while she was hand picking Chardonnay at night in Woodbridge. I detest companies that misrepresent themselves, whether or not I enjoy the product. I think Horizon milk has the best taste of the milk available in our local stores, but I stopped buying Horizon milk and eggs when it became evident (as discussed here) that the company was misreprensenting itself. Horizon Milk Feedlot Dairy - Masquerading as an Organic Farm? And something very similar is happening in wine production and marketing.

Eating cheese with wine completely wipes out most of the finer nuances in a layered, complex wine. Traditionally, it's thought to be the thick oils and proteins in the cheese which coat the tongue. Chocolate has the same effect--many winemakers detest the thought of pairing a fine cabernet or merlot with chocolate in the tasting room. The oils and heavy sugar content dull the palate. Oils override deeper flavors and silky textures in wine, so the taster perceives only the sharper acids and brighter fruit nuances. Having said that, one of my favorite moments in winter is when all my boys (SO included) are gone on a ski trip, and I can sit cross-legged on the floor watching a suspense movie with a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies and a really expensive cabernet. (Pinot noir for martial arts, and sauvignon blanc with brie for chick flicks.) Olives and vinaigrettes are also death to many wines. The acids pucker your palate, so that when you taste the wine, all you can perceive in comparison are the dustier, fattier flavors and phenols. The bright, acid-driven fruit nuances are lost. (Most olives are very pickled-tasting, but if you have the good fortune to taste some homemade salt-pressed, rinsed-for-weeks olives with pure, sweet, nutty meat, that can be a very pleasant experience with wine.) Food pairings are like marriage. Never perfect, but a lot more exciting.

I see it from time to time, and I am sure you do, too . . . the outrageous statements made on some back labels about the quality of the wine or the "family" tradition. In today's SFGate, we are asked: What does 'family winery' really mean? Other wineries named in the article include Gallo, Concannon, and R.H. Phillips. How many, and what types of wine buyers do you think are truly affected by this sort of claim? What other gag tags have you seen on wine labels?

From the delightful Home Winery site, by Ian Scott: I love this blog! Lots of good tips, insights, and a great sense of humor. And yes, lots of good advice on wine kits!

Uh huh. Interesting how the first plates are half or two-thirds eaten before the photographs, and then finally the dessert survives the first onslaught of paparazzi flash. That's a good sign! Does Incanto also do a braised or sauced version of octopus as well? Did the notes explain why each wine was chosen for each course? And where is Mr. Melkor, our wine expert?

It's been brought to my attention that several restaurant groups are planning heavy expansion into the LA Downtown center to coincide with the area's planned development of its older buildings into downtown residences and lofts. 213 Ventures, which owns the Golden Gopher, is planning new restaurants in the area . . . and apparently several firms are looking at blueprints for upscale restaurants. The Pacific Electric Building is being renovated into 314 lofts of 600 to 3,000 sqare feet, as part of LA's "historic loft adaptive reuse project." The building will also feature onsite parking, rooftop swimming pool, spa, gardens and dog run, business center, and library lounge. New stores and restaurants will cover the 20,000 sq.ft. ground floor, and a new restaurant is planned for the old Jonathan Club ballroom on the top floor. And this is all in just one building. Apparently the whole LA District is being revitalized along the Manhattan Beach model. Sort of a "Millenium Manhattan," west-coast style. Hopefully we'll be seeing some exciting changes in downtown LA dining soon?

From a FoxNews report: Wine Drinkers Eat Healthier Than Beer Drinkers The study was conducted in Denmark from grocery store shopping receipts of 3.5 million purchases over 6 months. Because (duh), "people don’t always accurately report what they eat and drink." How does your diet compare? Does a passion for wine, or preference for wine with food, factor in as part of an eating lifestyle?

I would like to point everyone to Daniel Rogov's (fellow eG Society member) article on Wine and Pregnancy - Lies That Women Are Told at the Women Wine Critics Board website. His article has elicitied several comments, as well as the following links and reviews from other sites: Critical Cloud "Read 'Wine and Pregnancy--The Lies Women Are Told' from the delightful Women Wine Critics Board website." Fermentation "The article at Women Wine Critics Board is strong. Read it." There are also more comments on this article at the Fermentation site under Wine and the Devil's Child Vines & Wines "This article at Women Wine Critics Board wonderfully summarizes the debate about alcohol and fetal alcohol sydrome. Excellent references are given." Vinography "Another excellent bit of writing on the internet, this time about a very interesting and controversial subject: drinking and pregnancy." Congratulations to Daniel for creating such a strong and outspoken piece. I'd like to encourage anyone interested in this topic to read Daniel's piece and comment here. There seem to be very black and white camps on the issue!

Sorry, guys, no acting tips from me!! Chris would be our media appearance coach as he will be a judge for two episodes of the FoodTV show IRON CHEF this month! And no, we have not been contacted regarding involvement . . . I imagine they are planning to utilize facilities at larger wineries like Wild Horse, Justin, or J.Lohr, that have some space for amateur projects and film crews (and perhaps a marketing budget). More details in today's local Tribune:

Who wants to be a winemaker? Jim? Geo? Jsolomon? Local reality wine making show begins casting in two weeks I believe this show will also be filmed in Australia. More details to come.

Smart aleck. But yes, that's my point, California fizz will, and should, have qualities similar to our still wines, and the same for French, Austrian, etc. sparklers . . .

Melissa (Gifted Gourmet) has an amazing knack for finding all the breaking odd and interesting news on food and wine. I get a digest of newslinks on wine each morning, and I haven't seen this one yet! Thanks for keeping us on our toes, Mel. I agree with Peter and Daniel. What bunk. I have a fair amount of taste buds, but when people ask me what my favorite wine is, or my favorite producer, I can only wave my hands about and say something inane like, "I have a wine wardrobe to choose from." I like deeper reds in winter, grassy whites in summer, cabernet with a murder mystery, pinot noir and sangiovese with most dishes, briary-peppery zinfandels at a barbecue. I guess they left out the anarchist category.

In the Village Voice: A Little White Lie Hurts Everyone; Patronizing Wine for Women At last, someone else is getting tired of pink marketing! I wonder what 2006 will bring in terms of "marketing wine to women" . . .