Rebel Rose

I have fruit envy! We have no fruit trees yet, although it's my dream to plant a semi-circle of dwarf fruit around the house someday . . . Has anyone else gotten a late start this spring? We usually get around 24" of rain in an entire year, and so far we've gotten over 40" ! I gave up on my usual 1/2 acre patch this year--vineyard work was delayed and I missed the window between too wet and too hot--so I only have the garden beds near the house to tend this year. Bush beans, greens, eight different kinds of peppers, several types of tomatos, tomatillos, yellow straight and crookneck squash, cucumbers, baby pumpkins, gourds, several types of sunflowers, herbs, tons of arugula (we love arugula), basil, bok choy (volunteers from last year), and the omnipresent nasturtiums. Friends in southern California are already harvesting their tomatos and making sauce. My tomatos are just now filling out!

The Art & Angst of Winemaking I have this recurring daydream about being invited to a famous wine writer's house for dinner. I would be awful, and I would take great delight in being so. "I'm afraid the salad dressing is a little on the acetic side." "The lamb is a little overdone, somewhat dry, don't you think?" "I'm sorry, your raspberry chocolate soufflé is wonderful, but I don’t care for sweet food.” When you criticize a winemaker's wine, you are, in essence, criticizing his cooking. Nearly all winemakers are intensely interested in food: fresh ingredients, gentle techniques, attractive presentation. The same things that go into making wine. Cellars are generally tidy places. The wines move in routine and carefully planned stages through pressing, tanks, barrels, bottling. Winemakers shuffle around in the cellar tasting the wines as if they were pasta sauces, waiting a little longer on some, blending here and there, time to finish up on others. They also put a lot of energy into choosing their bottles and designing their labels. Some winemakers shop for glassware with the fervor of a bride looking for china. If the winemaker is also the owner, you can deduct everything his mother knows about him from his label design. Winemakers, however, don't think of their wine as "product" unless they're talking to their CPA or marketing director. They think of the wine as a process--the elegant presentation of a whole food, fermented and finished in oak. Emotionally, working winemakers are a lot like professional chefs, swinging on a psychological pendulum between nervous tension and serene pride. Any given day might find the winemaker scurrying around, meeting deadlines, calling up crews at the last minute, ordering supplies, taking care of a multitude of details that were neglected yesterday because he got caught up in the fun of blending experiments. Or you might find him with a glass in hand, surveying a clean and quiet cellar, with a satisfied smile on his face. Winemakers, as a rule, don't dress like grownups. They prefer shorts or jeans, comfortable and well-broken-in shoes, and soft, old shirts. They drive trucks and they never wear expensive watches to work. If they own a briefcase, it contains equal parts food, dry socks, and viticulture magazines. Our general perception of winemakers is that of a well-dressed gentleman or gentlewoman in an expensive blazer, with a neatly pressed shirt and conservative tie or cravat, spit-and-polish shoes. This is how we see them in public, at wine tastings and auctions, exuding confidence and power. They seem so sophisticated, so elegant, discussing casually the various merits of yeasts and different types of oak. What we don't see is that little frisson of nervous energy that always accompanies a wine pouring. No matter how many hundreds of events a winemaker has attended, I don't think he can ever shake that little shudder of stage fright---a bad bottle opened right in front of a wine writer, a new release that people don't seem to like. An unusual and rare varietal that he loves, but other people have never encountered. One by one people approach his table and try his wines. Some people taste the wine and say nothing, simply taking a sip and then pouring the wine into a bucket, and moving on. Others move aside slightly and discuss the wine in whispers with a comrade. Then they pour it out and move on. A few people ask questions . . . “how much time in oak? What kind of oak? What degree of malolactic?” They may scribble notes into a small notebook, nod seriously, and move on. Look closely at the winemaker. When not actually pouring from a bottle, his hands will be behind his back, in his pockets, or folded across his chest. If he's truly a working winemaker, his fingers will be rough, callused and inky from tannins. He has a distracted look on his face. He's thinking alternately and simultaneously about the hors d'oeuvres across the room, wondering why another winery's table is swamped with people, dying to ask another winemaker for some serious input, tacos and a cold beer, and everything he's not getting done in the cellar. When someone does say something critical about the wine, his attention is suddenly focused. Really? he thinks. Can it be? He pours himself a sample and studies the wine in a panic. Remember, when you criticize his wine, you are not criticizing a glass, or a bottle. The bottle came from a whole tank, or a barrel. Or a lot of barrels. Oh god, he thinks. Maybe this person is being honest with me, and everyone else was too polite to say anything. After you wander on, he'll casually pour himself a sample of the same wine and study it surreptitiously while absently answering the next ten questions about malolactic. These poor guys and gals invite so much critical abuse, in an effort to sell their product. If it were cookies they’re offering I doubt we’d stand around saying, “Well, this one has too much yeast,” or “The fruit flavors are overwhelmed by its lingering nutty finish,” or “The walnuts were off in this vintage.” (Well, here at the eGullet Society we might . . .) To a winemaker, wine is as personal as any gourmet food product.

That would be a shame. While it's ominously possible, the issue is a little more complex that simply allowing wineries and stores to ship to consumers. Apparently there was a recent fracas between Washington State and California (which are both reciprocal) caused by Walmart and another very large retailer (I can't find the link right now, sorry) trying to use their purchasing muscle to have truckloads of wine delivered directly to the stores, without going through distribution channels. Hence, most states that allow direct shipping have a clause that allows consumers to receive no more than 2 cases per month--which would make huge shipments like the above illegal. And a number of states that are not currently open-reciprocity states are willing to allow wineries to register, and collect, report, and pay sales tax on direct ship sales. Also, PLCB chairman Jonathan Newman states here [visit the Pennsylvania forum for the full Conversation] that he will recommend decriminalizing direct shipments to consumers, while perhaps not allowing shipments directly to homes. In several registration-only states that allow shipments, the wine must be sent to a licensed store or center for consumers to pick up (in order to prevent delivery to minors, ostensibly). So it is possible for a state to allow direct shipments, while still choosing from a number of options to control delivery and tax collection. ::side rant:: I am continually annoyed by the "protecting our minors" argument. Let's assume a couple order a case of our $42 Cabernet--with shipping, that's about $510. Even if a teenager accepted the box, do you think he's going to open his dad's box of expensive, tannic wine and guzzle it? And still retain rights to the car keys? And common carriers simply will not deliver wine to a minor anyway. What a numb argument. ::side rant/over::

Overcoming that attitude with class and quality was a huge and exciting step forward for the California wine industry.

I was once in a similar [non-food] competition, which is why I asked. I learned more about myself in the offline time with competitors than I did during the competition. Hard to explain, but interesting. Edited to add: This is one reason I so admire all of you. This was a long, demanding, adventurous process--not a one day taping. Everyone demonstrated tenacity and desire and passion that few of us could. Bravo!

I love Italians, and have been a fan since I first discovered wine. Although often higher in volatile acidity than other countries, Italian wines are reliably food friendly, and sexy in the same kind of respectful, understated way that Italian men are. Ken Volk also produced some central coast tocai friulano and arneis before selling Wild Horse--I haven't tried the Italian versions of those varietals so I can't compare, but I'm excited that Italian white varieties are becoming more available here while still fresh in the bottle.

I should also probably clarify a few things about reciprocal legality. I am so accustomed to this from having dealt with it for ten years that I sometimes forget that consumers are not aware. . . First of all, the original bill proposal DID NOT and would not open shipping to anyone. Although the Supreme Court decision will affect many states, those states must individually change their own legislation first. California cannot decide what is, or is not, legal for shippers in other states. The "select few" referred to here implies that California's SB118 is restrictive, which is not true. At this time there are only 12 reciprocal states, and a few more that permit shipping after special registration. SB118 merely says that commerce must be restricted (for now) to those states that declare shipping and receiving wine to be legal. **And, please be aware that the above quotes are not directly from ReallyNice! He was simply kind enough to begin the thread and post the information that he received.

Good news I just spoke with Mike Falasco, who handles California legislation for the Wine Institute, regarding this matter, and he went over the situation with me slowly and clearly, allowing me to repeat it to confirm my understanding. On June 27, the date of my last post above, and the date I first attempted to contact Mike via email, further language changes were made to SB118. The changes are small yet will hopefully clarify the matter somewhat. The first part of SB118 is simply a reference to existing reciprocity law. Nothing has changed. Any California retailer with an ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) license may ship, as they do now, to California consumers and consumers in reciprocal states. The second part of SB118 states: "Notwithstanding any other law, an individual or retail licensee in a state that affords California retail licensees or individuals an equal reciprocal shipping privilege, may ship . . ." This part addresses the requirements for individuals, retailers, and wineries outside of California shipping to consumers here. The third part addresses the special reporting and tax requirements due from wineries, and language was changed on June 27 to clarify that. Some of the alarm generated by this bill may be due to a minority opinion published on the Granholm decision. However, according to Mike the ABC and the California attorney general have both stated that the rights of California and reciprocal retailers will not be affected by SB118 (in so far as substantive change--I'm not sure if the $10 registration is new or not.) I asked Mike what the purpose of Bill SB118 is, then, if there is no real change. The answer is that the purpose of the bill is simply to conform with the new Supreme Court decision, as well as a minority complaint that the language of the Supreme Court decision only affects wineries, whereas in all fairness, it should affect any shipper. Chesebro's SB118 intended purpose is to expand and clarify the rules regarding in-state and reciprocal shipping to comply in language and intent with the new ruling. The bill will go into effect on January 1, 2006. On Friday, I also received a copy of a letter from UPS which states in bold: For this reason, UPS will no longer accept shipment of alcoholic beverages or tobacco products from any retail shipping location . . . That also sounds alarming, but to clarify--this letter refers only to third-party shippers: mail franchises, MailBoxes Etc. and other shipping centers. It is unclear whether or not, and it probably does not, apply to UPS and Fedex distribution centers at airports. I spoke with the owner of a shipping center in Cambria, California, and while he regrets the fact that he must turn away a steady stream of customers asking him to ship wine, the packaging and reporting requirements are simply beyond his ability to track and perform anyway. In other related news, the Wine Institute staff have heard legislative grumblings that a few states with a limited number of wineries, namely Michigan and Rhode Island, may ban wine shipping altogether. And an additional note: the executive director of the Wine Institute is Bobby Koch (pronounced Cook, as he frequently reminds us), George W. Bush's brother-in-law. He has a strong legal team working for him, particularly on the direct shipping front.

I was wondering about that myself, because of this discussion. She's taken us through $40 dollars a day, and shown us 30 minute meals for some time now. If she really has a solid fan base, which she seems to have, wouldn't her fans be ready for the next step now? I know I would. I didn't think I could cook until I was 32 (I had a mother that burnt macaroni, and an ex that domineered the kitchen) but once I spread my wings I really wanted to play with food. I hope there's media direction in the works that will turn her in a slightly different direction now. She can't exactly leap to hiking remote Himalaysian mountains in search of rare tea leaves. (Well, physically she could, but the lovable giggle thing might not work there.) Reality TV, no. Hmm, I'm thinking maybe an Andrea Immer-like tour of artisanal food producers. Let's find out more about that lettuce in your fridge. What are the different types? Did you know that there's winter greens and summer greens? Here's how to make your own vinaigrette. Edited for post-prandial clarity.

If you have that tea over ice and add sugar, you have agua de jamaica, a very popular Mexican drink - you can even freeze it to make ice-pops or granita - sometimes I put a bit of lime in it... It's also very good with vodka Member ranchogordo offers whole dried hiibiscus flowers. I haven't made pure hibiscus tea yet, but I throw a few blossoms into my everpresent pitcher of cold herb tea--they give it a pretty rose color and a bright taste. Great photos, Pan! And I especially enjoy tripping along with you to the markets.

Ryu, Sara, Katie, what was it like to socialize in the evenings and compete during the day? Is it similar to working in a kitchen, or much more intense? Is it hard to go from laughing and having a beer at the end of the day to aceing your friends out the next morning? How do you prime yourself to focus like that? Obviously there was a lot more filmed than we saw. I am currently working on a video project, and the videographer tells me to plan on four hours of shooting for every three minutes of finished film. Can you tell us more about what the shooting was like--the hours, setup, frustrations, etc.?

Welcome to eGullet, Sara! Don't worry about the slip. We have entire threads here on blunders by the best. Just my onion.

Rachel is cute, and her recipes are geared for the kitchen phobic, so the show has its place and reasons. My significanto thinks she's a doll, and he loves to watch her show just because she gives him a lift at the end of the day. Emotionally. That is. He was quite offended by the Maxim pictures. I can take half-an-hour, but since my day is very different from SO's, I prefer quieter shows. He's been working in the vineyard or cellar by himself all day. By evening, I've had quite enough of loud, laughing people. So I admit it. I'm jealous. We do all kinds of FoodTV impersonations in the kitchen, but when I use cute phrases, giggle, and drop things, SO just says, "Are you drinking already?"

In this month's Food and Wine, Lettie Teague takes on the under-30 sommeliers: Has anyone encountered these youngsters? Your thoughts?

What a sweet kitten story! Oh, back to mustard . . . any somewhat heavy, fruity white will do. Chardonnay would also be a good choice. I like Viognier in the mustard because it's a very "muscular" white, strong, floral and sexy. Viogniers are usually not over-oaked either, so the clean fruit flavor comes through in the mayo. (Well, if you're a wine geek, anyway. ) Edited to correct: in the mustard, I meant!

I also recommend cellartracker. But there's also manageyourcellar.com, which is very cool. (If you visit this site you might, ahem, want to read the zinfandel report mentioned on the home page.)

I haven't even read the first book yet, and I'm hungry for more. Hearing about the process is great fun. I suppose your publishers want you to wait for now so as not to detract attention from the release of Turning the Tables, which certainly makes sense. Do you have a vague idea of when you'll be free to discuss future projects? Six months? A year?

Steven, how did you decide on the structure of your book? Did the idea come to you fully formed? Or in bits and pieces? Did you write the book from beginning to end, left to right, or did you write the various chapters in an order that made sense to you at the time, and then rearrange them?

Ah. It's true that individuals can no longer ship wine. That seems unreasonably harsh to me. I think the logic is that while wineries, carriers and UPS stores are aware of the various state laws regarding shipping, individuals usually have no notion of what's legal where. But really. How much wine can one person ship to himself. All right, maybe that's the wrong question to ask in this forum , but it's not as though individuals are going to sneak pallets of wine (56 cases) across state borders one at a time!

Here are the Wine of the Week Tasting Tag Guidelines. (This topic is pinned at the top of the forum.) Also at the top of the forum is an index of wines selected so far. We're looking for more participation, so if you would like to select a class of wines instead of a particular bottle, feel free to get creative. Thanks, Sack!

This is the law in Pennsylvania: Something tells me you're not jumping through all these hoops. Wineries are also required to report monthly to the PLCB--a task that some are willing to undergo, but most are not. It is a task that I began to undertake for NH, VA, and NC, with hopes of expanding into other reporting-required states, but I simply cannot keep up with the paperwork. I keep getting these little cards and letters from state Boards of Equalization, as well as the alcohol boards, all wanting their $13.26 or whatever in tax. I've been late a couple of times in reporting to NH, and I receive these terribly formal and frightening emails that they are going to write me up and suspend me. I usually throw it away and mutter bite me, as I have one customer in NH. (But he makes it worthwhile!) I was googling around the PA statutes to see what their punishment would be, and didn't find that, but I found this: That's good to know. Also, in the Pennsylvania forum, for anyone who's interested, is a A Chat with Jonathan H. Newman, Chairman PLCB

Congratulations, Sack! What do you think, people? Shall we ask Sackville to suggest the next Wine of the Week? Heh, heh.

Wow. That's an ambitious project! The following magazines are all industry trade. Topics like straw bale construction vineyard microsensors, and GLS updates: Wine News Wine & Vines Practical Winery & Vineyard Vineyard & Winery Management Adventures in Dining is good, when it's published, but I haven't seen it around for a while. Dining Out Orange County is independent and glossy, with a couple of solid travel or restaurant puff pieces, but mostly paid for by advertising. I don't think I've seen Wine Country Cuisine.

Once a week, sometimes more often. Poor Russ. See, he stopped in Santa Maria, where he got great tritip, but with pinto beans and probably grilled bread. He needed to come a little farther north. That is an amazing essay, however. I've never seen so much written about tritip. Grilled Tritip with a Late Harvest Zinfandel and Black Pepper Marinade Serve with a cranberry-Tequila salsa, Gorgonzola mashed potatoes, and/or a salad of mesclun, arugula, toasted pine nuts, and raspberries, with a vinaigrette of late harvest zinfandel, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and fresh herbs. A roasted pepper pesto goes well with a beer and chipotle tritip. More recipes and tips for grilling tritips.. Warning: shameless self-promotion.

Here is a link to the Michael Mina three course and tasting course menus, including price, with wine pairing prices. As a forum host, I would like to remind everyone that this topic centers on high end dining in San Francisco. Once a question is posed, it becomes a culinary discussion open to all members, and it may be referred to by other members planning to travel and dine in California. Therefore, please stay on topic, everyone. While a certain amount of peripheral conversation is welcome, our culinary threads should not be derailed into personal travel, distance, and driving arrangements. For this kind of information, please contact your hotel, call the restaurant, PM local members, or use your laptop or the hotel computers to look up driving distances. The accessibility issue is interesting, particularly for a city as steep and hilly as San Francisco. Perhaps a new restaurant thread?