Rebel Rose

Ladies and gentlemen, We all have our positions on this issue. It is dear to our gullets. Please focus on your personal stand, and present reasons for your rationale without attacking other members.

What, no tripe? We will be doing: *Full tenderloin, on the Weber rotisserie (for tenderbeef sandwiches) *Toasted sourdough rolls *Viognier-tarragon mustard *Sun-dried tomato catsup *Chipotle mayo (of course) *Beef au jus, with garlic and jalapeno That's the halftime sandwich course. Oh, for starters . . . grilled oysters with sweet pepper salsa. The shells are cleaned with a local Meyer lemon slice, hot oyster plopped back in the shell, backed with a slice of lemon, leaf of sage, and a spoonful of roasted garlic-anaheim-pasillo-red pepper-olive oil. Challengers? Our first SuperBowl Party was supposed to be 8 people. Turned into 40, and has been growing ever since! We have a 1921 farmhouse (small TV!)! Kids run laps outside, dogs run laps inside.

Although written long before the advent of GMO's, I recommend the works of Wendell Berry to anyone interested in the economies and challenges of sustainable agriculture. Personally, I feel he's little didactic and curmudgeonly, but nevertheless, one of the most poetic and thorough essayists on these issues. The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry What Are People For? Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community : Eight Essays Home Economics In Home Economics, a collection of fourteen essays, Berry explores this process and continues to discuss what it means to make oneself “responsibly at home.” His title reminds us that the very root of economics is stewardship, household management. To paraphrase Confucius, a healthy planet is made up of healthy nations that are simply healthy communities sharing common ground, and communities are gatherings of households. A measure of the health of the planet is economics—the health of its households. Any process of destruction or healing must begin at home. Berry speaks of the necessary coherence of the “Great Economy,” as he argues for clarity in our lives, our conceptions, and our communications. To live is not to pass time, but to spend time. Whether as critic or as champion, Wendell Berry offers careful insights into our personal and national situation in a prose that is ringing and clear. And, if you can find it in a used book store, one of my most beloved "old" books is The Big Flat, by Owen Wister (author of The Virginian), 1942. A story of small farmers threatened by a large landholder who plans to build, then dynamite, a dam in order to flood them out of business and buy their productive yet small properties.

An excellent and entertaining link! Thanks, Jamie!

Mel, thank you for joining us! I am often asked about the difference between French and American oak. (I usually respond that if you could choose between a French brunette and an American blonde, why not have both?) But even the various French-coopered barrels have distinct characters. Can you tell us about the different characteristics / flavors from the various cooperages you represent?

Gentlemen, let's remember that political topics are watched very closely on eGullet. If we'd like to keep this thread open, we need to stay away from finger-pointing and getting angry with differing opinions. It can remain an interesting thread if we: * share tips and links to current information * share 'insider' or professional knowledge * share personal experiences and anecdotes * share, briefly our own stands without arguing with another's * share ideas for changing our food culture

I love my significanto's pork on the rotisserie. The aroma in this wine is that sweet promise of juicy, pink, pork tenderloin. Some wines, particularly syrah/shiraz have a tease of 'roast beef' in the aroma--that elusive char/blood aroma. This wine's aroma is a little gentler, I think. Ironically, I have just poured myself the last of the bottle, enjoying a quiet glass of red and some online time at 10 pm. It hasn't changed much at all since I first opened it. Edited to add: I did not have the wine with food either time. The first time I tasted it before dinner, and this time I'm drinking it well after an evening of food and wine.

Pan, I believe she's referring to this poor guy. Monsanto sends farmer to jail for seed saving Although, God knows, there are probably others by now. GMO was a big issue in our county elections this year. There was a fuzzily-worded proposition to ban GMO crops which was hotly contested, but the way it was written it would also abolish, or at least interfere with, university research, which is a no-no. I also got into hot water, more like a steaming hot pile of manure, when the local vintners' board of directors (of which I am a member) was asked by an agribusiness farmer who supports GMO to take a stand against the ban. We declined to oppose the ban, for the simple reason that our association is not a political entity, but exists to promote and support the wine region. The person who asked us to take a stand turned our communal reply into "The board SUPPORTS GMO," advertised it in print and live media, and of course the steaming manure hit the fan. To me, it all vortexes down to this. There's a lot of misinformation on both sides, much of it subtly or overtly manipulated, and much of it comes closer to science fiction than fact. But if GMO statutes put farmers in prison for practicing sensible, careful, and traditional farming, I am against GMO and anything, anyone associated with it. The next time you buy a bag of tomatoes at your market, buy one heirloom tomato. As a treat. They're more expensive, but 1 out 10 would make a difference! Buy one heirloom fruit or vegetable each trip. Buy one organically farmed US olive oil every few months! The farmers being run out of business by agri-firms cannot return to small scale farming unless there is a ready market. In the seventies, I was growing my own sprouts under the sink and getting goat's milk from my friend's herd, much to my parents' dismay. Goats' milk? Eew. Sprouts? Why don't you just plant the damn seeds and let them grow for crissakes? Now I can choose between mung and alfalfa in the store. Grass roots, my friends. It's hard enough, with the titan dis-economies of scale and impossible burden of paperwork and reporting, for a small farmer to survive. If even 5% of our individual and collective grocery budget switched from mass-produced to small-scale products, it would make a huge difference. I figure from eGullet Society members alone, it would be a switch of $4 million dollars! Doh! What I am saying? You should be spending that 5% on artisan wine!

It is indeed an excellent and lengthy interview, except for this silly bit. We are frequently asked why we have high "weeds" in our vineyard and orchard. There is however, a technical name for it. It's called a 'cover crop.' Clover refreshes the nitrogen content of the soil. Mustard has deep roots which penetrate and aerate the soil, and the roots rot down into near-perfect humus. Barley and rye reduce erosion, add biomass and assist in nitrogen fixation. Proper use of a cover crop improves the tilth of the soil, it's ability to retain moisture, nematodal health and balance, nutrient availability, and it provides habitat for natural insect predators. Our "weeds" are an important part of our agrarian cycle.

Great suggestions, guys. I'm trotting over to my Netflix window to rent them. "Martina Gedeck stars as Martha, whose obsession with precision gourmet cooking extends to discussing recipes with her bewildered therapist (August Zirner) and verbally attacking anyone at the restaurant who attempts to send her food back. "

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mel Knox, barrel broker extraordinaire. Mel’s experience in the cooperage industry is widely acknowledged and respected. Mel is also frequently asked to speak and give seminars on the topic of oak, as he has a rare talent for making a slide show of tree cross-sections into a hilarious adventure. Pour yourself a glass of wine, pull up a comfortable chair, and join us for this week’s featured Conversation. Our Conversation will run Monday through Friday, January 17-21, but please feel free to begin posting questions now. You may also refer to our previous thread, Knox on Wood for ideas. “I was born in a log cabin made of oak from the Bertranges and Troncais forests, and I learned to read and write by carving my name on oak trees. I have been involved in various aspects of the wine business since the early 1970s, as it seemed like a better idea than going to law school. In 1980 I started to sell barrels with Becky Wasserman and now I represent three cooperages: Francois Freres, Tonnellerie Taransaud, and Francois Freres Hungary. I am also involved with making wine with various partners. The primary rule is that my partner is as crazy as I am: I produce ‘Ici La Bas’ with Jim Clendenen and the Francois family-- pinot noir and chardonnay from vineyards in Oregon and in the Anderson Valley. Jim Moore and I make ‘L'Uvaggio di Giacomo’ from grapes native to Italy: arneis, barbera, nebbiolo, and sangiovese. Next year: vermentino.” --Mel Knox

I used to frequent a very nice local restaurant, and meet other members of the local vintners' board of directors, of which I am a member, in the bar for a glass of wine and informal discussion. The former staff made an effort to know all their 'regulars' and always made eye contact, smiled, made us feel warmly welcomed and basically spoiled us rotten. We loved that staff! I always ask for a new waitron's/busboy's name, and I always tip generously. (Read: if it's hard to do math after several bottles of wine, I round up. ) When the restaurant owner began to produce wine and plant a vineyard, he hired a new chef/management team that changed all the parameters, and basically lost the old staff. After three visits in which I couldn't get a glass of wine, none of the bar staff would make eye contact with me, and I was ignored in favor of male visitors, I ranted to Dan that I was never going back. So the owner gets wind that Dan's unhappy, and poor Dan wakes up from a Saturday afternoon nap to find the owner bouncing on the edge of his bed, with a gift of several bottles of wine and an invitation to come back to the restaurant. So we went back. The same young bar manager who had been repeatedly chilly to me comes over to our table, fawns all over Dan, offers a special bottle to try, and decants it for air because it's so young yet. During all this drooling, he never once made eye contact with me. How do I know? Because I kept smiling and trying to catch his eye, hoping he would toss a spare crumb of the conversation to me. I don't enjoy wine service, or the wine, when I'm treated this way. I ordered a glass of the owner's proprietary wine (which is really really good), and took myself off to another table to visit with friends. As a woman, I've been ignored and passed over on many occasions by wine stewards, but I'm usually relaxed about it. However, to have one of my favorite local haunts revert to this behavior just brings it to my attention all the more that these condescending attitudes still exist.

2002 Peter Lehmann Barossa Shiraz, 14% alc. Finally, after all sorts of misadventures (the first bottle broke in shipping), my Wine of the Week has arrived! My first impression is oak. Following aromas remind me of a pork tenderloin on the rotisserie with some herbs and a light brush of balsamic vinegar. Sweet** cherry and plum flavors, and a definite sweetness** from oak that comes through in the flavor. Faint notes of licorice, but none of the bacon, roast beef, and clove flavors that I expect from a syrah. On the other hand, I'm writing up three wines tonight and so far this bottle has the lowest level (hic). ** I don't mean sweet in terms of sugar, but that kind of elusive sweetness that one gets from brandy or well prepared seafood. Our more experienced tasters will recognize this sensation, but for our newer members, I'd just like to share that some sensations of sweetness are not about sugar—they are more about a richness, or an elusive memory. Lots of acid compared to the current fashion in California syrahs, which would bode well for longevity if the wine had more complexity, but the back label suggests 4 to 5 years, which I feel is about right. After being open for an hour, the deeper shiraz flavors are starting to come through. And the bottle level is getting lower.

2003 Planeta La Segreta Rosso 14% alc. Yay. It finally arrived! Pretty dark ruby color. Upon opening—hey, I waited five minutes—freshly mown grass, herbs after summer rain, wet pine and wet dog. A little acetone, but also hints of licorice. On the one hand, I find the aroma off-putting, but on the other hand, it's not a nebulous funkiness--the aroma has clearly defined characteristics, which I find interesting. Surprisingly soft mouthfeel. I like the deep cherry flavors. Good acid. The nose still assaults me as I approach each sip so for me there's an aroma-to-flavor dichotomy. Maybe I should just stop sniffing and start quaffing. The finish has lip-smacking tannins, which are naturally to be expected from a young vintage, but I think it has a nice tannin and acid balance. And then, after being open for 15-20 minutes and coming back to it, it's suddenly getting much more round. Hmm. Is it me or the wine getting rounder?

I wonder if they reviewed it. I can just see the bride in her lacy dress, notebook and pencil in hand.

Ditto on the Stilton--I'm particularly fond of double English Stilton, and Stilton with preserved lemons. For nuts, if you can find the Diamond sesame-glazed walnuts (in a purple zip snack bag, usually in the snacks section of the grocer), they're softer and not as tannic as other walnuts, without being sappy with sugar. I keep bags of them in the freezer and pull them out with a bottle of late harvest syrah for impromptu entertaining. Get the sesame, though, not the butterscotch or whatever flavors--too sweet.

Man, am I slow! I just got it! And thanks, rancho_gordo. California has so much to offer everyone, and Sonoma has always been, and will continue to be, a desirable destination.

Yep, we get that all the time, too. Amazing what a difference 30 years makes. I have pictures of myself in Napa in the '70's (barely legal, of course). The tasting rooms were cavernously empty, attendants would grab a basket of oyster crackers and slide it over to you and ask you eagerly if you'd like to go on a tour. Getting to Calistoga always made me carsick and there was one restaurant--a family burger joint that closed religiously at 9 pm. In the last 10 years, my friends and I much prefer visiting other wine friends in Sonoma to Napa. It's friendly, laid back and bucolic compared the tourist mecca that Napa has become. Sigh. Lately it seems all my travel is business related. It would be fun to get away for a B&B weekend in Sonoma . . .

Well said! So Rob, how would you define a Gulf Coast (GC) palate?

Oh, oh! Does eGullet count as an accompaniment to wine? Just yanking your chain. I do lean toward food wines for food, and sipping wines for sipping, though. But that may be a perk of my lifestyle.

Very interesting points! (But just to clarify, I suck at winemaking. I do make my own annual production of sangiovese and I like to think I'm improving every year. Dan Panico, is excellent however, and has a firm sense of his own style. As he's somewhat monosyllabic in public, I am the winery's marketing arm. We make a good team, privately and publicly. )

I'll be posting on this later this week. Hess Collection/UPS tracking says my bottle broke!

Huh. I always order from the wine list first and then select something edible to go with it.

Interesting discussion! jrufusj, yours is one of the best descriptions of terroir I have ever read. Thank you for your thoughtful insights. And it is true, as you and Katie pointed out, that climate is part of the concept of terroir. The French understanding of the concept also includes the intervention of man, in terms of things like stone drains and windbreaks that are permanent fixtures in the vineyard, as well as the way the vines are tended. Mulcahy and wkl, I think you are both right in that, 1) we do get that "not another California cab" response and 2) I feel the same way about many of them so I completely understand. Although we in California have ready access to excellent Washington and Oregon wines, it's harder, outside of a major city at least, to find good German, Austrian and even Italian wines. Many of our loyal California customers gravitate to local zins, syrahs and cabs, and wouldn't know what to do with a riesling or gewurztraminer. So it's sort of a reverse snobbery here that "light" whites cannot be satisfying--yet based on limited experience instead of wide experience. Well, I shouldn't call it a snobbery, exactly, more like a wariness. (Like people who shudder at the idea of dessert wines but will have cheesecake and chocolate decadence at the end of a meal. ) By the way, I love "Screagle." I haven't heard that before!

Finally, a wine review that's easy to remember!