Rebel Rose

Welcome to Wine 101! Over the next few months I’ll be posting a different Wine 101 topic every few weeks. I hope everyone will enjoy the topics, and I’d like to stress that these threads are for beginners, neophytes, food gulleteers, and the merely curious. They are NOT meant as erudite cork dork discussions. I hope my wine knowledgeable friends in this forum will join me in making everyone feel welcome, and in satisfying their curiosity about all things enological. Please feel free to suggest new topics and ask questions. After my website is redesigned ::heavy sigh:: I will post links to the topic intros to save space, but for now, I have posted our first discussion on sulfites here in its entirety. Enjoy! Sulfites ~ Nothing to Sneeze At "Do your wines contain sulfites? My friend is very allergic and she'll go into shock if she drinks wine containing sulfites." That's enough to scare me silly. All I need is to have a gasping, cyanotic customer on the floor during my shift. "Well, uh," I stammer, "then perhaps she'd better not have any, just in case." And I pull the glass back. He hangs on to the glass. "So your wines do have sulfites, then?" Sulfites, I explain, are a natural fruit by-product, occurring in nature, and found on the dusty skin of grapes before they are washed. Winemakers are allowed to use sulfur dioxide as a natural disinfectant and preservative. Sulfites are also a natural by-product of the fermentation process and a necessary ingredient if wine is to age properly because they retard oxidation and microbial growth. Many people believe it's the sulfites that give them headaches when they drink red wine. Although this may in some cases be true, it could be the tannin content which creates a histamine reaction. Tannin, an aldehydic substance naturally found in grape skins and seeds, is also a natural preservative, and is found in greater quantity in red wine. (Remember Boris Karloff as "The Mummy," craving his daily dose of tanna leaves?) Red wines are macerated and fermented "on their skins" to extract color, flavor and tannin from the pigment-rich skins. Young wines with fresh tannins can taste very astringent. Compare it to eating a whole bunch of red table grapes—in spite of the wonderful juice inside, grape skins and seeds will leave a dry, abraded feeling on your tongue. People who are sensitive to products like nuts, tea leaves, and cinnamon bark will often be sensitive to the woody component of tannin as well, which can result in headaches and stuffy noses. Sulfites got their bad name not from wine but from salad bars, where sulfite-laden water was used to keep cut-up greens from turning brown. Overdosed vegetables were found to contain as much as 2,000 ppm, and people who were hyperallergic to the chemical went into shock after eating them. Other products which have been documented as having high sulfite content include canned pineapple, fresh tomatoes and potatoes, tomato juice, and some frozen juices. Consumer protection groups lobbied for laws banning the use of sulfites in salad bars and for warning labels on products containing more than 10 ppm, a level that often occurs naturally during fermentation. The legal limit for wine is 250 ppm; most winemakers add much less—about 80 ppm. Sulfur dioxide is used today in smaller quantities than ever before due to increased effectiveness in filtration and equipment sanitation. Bottled wines will generally have no more than 50 ppm of free sulfur dioxide, which equates to 50 milligrams per liter. Sulfur dioxide smells like burnt matchheads, and may elicit a sneeze or a slight burning sensation in the nose. Many people are sensitive to sulfur dioxide, and their reactions may range from a tingling nose to nausea when drinking wine with higher sulfite contents. Allergic individuals are those with hypersensitive reactions, usually asthma. According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal, wine drinkers may ingest up to 10 mg. of sulfites a day, while people who eat in restaurants, and who enjoy foods like fresh salads, potatoes, shrimp, or avocado dip, typically ingest from 25 to 100 mg. of sulfites during one meal. My taster grabs his girlfriend's glass and pulls it back. "Then she can taste wine with sulfites?" I keep my hold on the glass and tug it back toward me, a dozen rude questions scrambling through my head. "Has she tasted wine before? And lived? Does wine give her headaches or send her to the hospital? If she's sure she's allergic to sulfites, why did you bring her winetasting?" Of course, some people are genuinely hypersensitive or allergic to sulfur dioxide and should avoid it in any form. But odds are, if you can eat canned pineapple, you can drink wine.

I think we've all been bitten by the pickle tickle! I've never made pickles before, but I'm going to start experimenting with some new ideas in small batches. Thanks again, helen, for a wonderful blog!

One of our local grocers has an elderly checker-gent who loudly calls out each item like an auctioneer as he checks them through. "Well, we've got some heads of broccoli here, and some onions, and these here peppers, now I bet these are anaheims aren't they? and here we have some sesame oil and some olive oil, boy that's a large bottle of olive oil now, isn't it, and some cliantro, how many bunches? oh yeah, there's two, . . ." I used to love getting his line until the day I absently checked out with tampons in my cart.

Helen, this has been a wonderful blog! The food and photos are mouth-watering! I wish we could get some of these foods and ingredients here. Thank you for sharing your week with us, and for posting your recipes!

That was a graceful save, Craig! I once went on a blind date (only once!) and the fellow knew I was 'into' wine, so he proudly opened a really old bottle from a really funky local producer. Blech. It tasted like burnt asparagus, and I couldn't hurt his feelings (although by the end of the evening I was trying harder) so I just said, "Mmm. It's like--dinner in a glass!"

Actually, I do remember seeing a few snotty comments about shilling for an importer, although I can't find them now. However, I enjoy the pricing info. It lets me know what ballpark range the wines are in and I can immediately decide if I want to follow up or not. I would encourage you to include the price, and if anyone yips about it, just put it up to your loyal eGulleteers for a vote. :fist! emoticon:

Chip off the ol' block. Good for you! Our winery tasting room gets a little raucous at times, and I really hate it when someone is talking loud on their cellphone, when the door is just a few steps away. And there's nothing outside but trees and twittering birds. I'm trying to answer questions about wine from other customers, of course. Years ago I learned to start talking ever so quietly. Then the whole room has to lean forward, and they start saying, "I'm sorry, WHAT did you say? I can't hear you!" Then EVERYONE looks at the goober in disgust and he/she finally gets the message and wanders outside. I swear, many people just want the audience! *Double whew*

Sons 1 and 2 sound adorable! I'm really looking forward to this blog! Helen, can you tell us a little more about yourself? Where do you work? What's your neighborhood like? etc.

Boris, that was a wonderful summary to a beautiful blog. The pictures are lovely and appetizing, and your notes on the elegance of simple ingredients are so true! Thank you so much.

Um, yes? But I'll follow the most recent directions carefully!! Thanks!

:giggle: But seriously, Boris, that stove is awesome. Beautiful as well as functional. Is the weather there warm now? How high is your elevation (unless that's already been answered). Do you eat different dishes now than in winter?

I don't think you'll get much help on low-carb wine from this discerning crowd! Last week in the grocery I saw an extremely fat lady asking the checker where to find low-carb candy. Oh, puh-leeze! Personally, I'm on a macroenological diet.

After an exhausting and dehydrating day fixing our well, my SO and our vineyard assistant asked me to fire up the grill and make "that salmon thing you were talking about." So here are some notes on my herbs-on-the-grill experiment. I've thrown handfuls of wet herbs directly on coals before, but I wanted to try a full bed-of-herbs technique. First I soaked trimmings from the herb garden—tarragon, bay branches, and rosemary—in water. These were in a bucket of water for two days, but an hour or two should suffice. When the coals were hot, I made a bed of herbs on top of the grill and laid two salmon filets, skin side down, on the herbs. The filets were brushed first with olive oil and homemade mint-tarragon salt, with the salt lightly rubbed into the meat, and topped on the grill with slices of honey tangerine and star fruit. Whoa! Even soaked in water the herbs were looking igniting-ish. Yikes! I kept the last branch of bay out and used it to brush more water over the herbs, but my significanto happily took over. There's something kind of sexy about stroking a lobster tail with a bay branch. The smoke was incredibly aromatic, and we all agreed the presentation was attractive and fun. We'd added the two lobster tails since we had the unexpected pleasure of Jake, our vineyard assistant, joining us for dinner. However, some of the herbs charred and stuck to the salmon, so I would recommend putting the salmon on a grill platter and then onto the herbs. We left the grill open for awhile (no one's wearing a watch), then finished with the cover on for maybe two minutes. We also scooted the fruit around as the salmon was decidedly pinker under the fruit. We all agreed that the lobster fared better since it was in its shell, and Jake suggested that my herb-smoked oysters would be excellent this way, particularly since the presentation and aromatics were impressive. We grill oysters in the shell over coals and wet herbs until they open. Some of our friends like their oysters a little more done than we do, so I scoop them out and put them in a grill basket, close the lid for a minute or two, then serve them up in clean shells with a tiny slice of lemon, a sage leaf, and a spoonful of grilled pepper pesto. (Served with sangiovese or pinot noir.) But putting both the oysters in the shell, and the oyster basket directly on a bed of herbs . . . hmm. Jake is happily filling his plate. The guys loved the salmon and lobster, and both were tender and juicy, but the herb flavor was too strong on both for me. If you like your seafood pure, this method will not appeal, but it sure was fun. The guys disagreed and said the herb flavors were earthy and satisfying. Next time we do oysters I am definitely doing the herb bed again.

Ba-nan-a! That is creative. Now I'm dying to know why, and what for . . . and how did it turn out? That reminds me (warped minds think alike) I made a yellow tomato catsup the other day, mostly by accident, but it turned out well. I had more chicken marinade than I needed--a simple base of olive oil, herbs, white wine and various spices, so I saved back a cup and blended it with the only tomatoes I had in the house--canned yellow--and reduced it on the stove for a while, after adding a little Cajun spice and some fresh ground ginger. My SO swore he wouldn't touch the stuff, but I put a dollop by his chicken anway, and when I took the plates back to the kitchen I noticed it was gone. Must have eaten it accidentally, too.

Excellent photos, andie, and very helpful! We have a creek bed full of tall mustard, and I think this would be a fun project to do with our 12-year-old (although I suspect I may need to buy some seed to supplement our efforts). We can put up the mustard in small jars for him to give as Christmas gifts.

I haven't tried the Honig either, but I do like Frog's Leap SB and Chardonnay very much. And hey, Mig, I'm with you on the over-oaking issue! What do I say when I want to be diplomatic? "Mmm, tastes like Liquid Gold . . ."

Guten tag, Boris! Ich habe Deutsch im schule, aber Ich habe alles vergessen. Blog on, bitte!

Toliver, here you go. Thanks for asking! Sundried Tomato Catsup Sundried tomatoes give this homemade catsup an exotic smoky flavor that’s great with burgers and roast beef sandwiches. 1 29 oz. can tomato sauce 3 tablespoons brown sugar or molasses 1/3 cup white wine 1/3 cup chopped, sundried tomatoes in oil 2 tablespoons oil from sundried tomatoes 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled, roasted and mashed 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorn Makes about 1 ½ cups Roast or sauté the garlic, then mash. Roasted garlic tastes best, but if you’re in a hurry, just sauté it for 5 minutes in one teaspoon olive oil until soft and aromatic. Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat. Immediately lower the heat so that the sauce barely bubbles, and simmer for 1-2 hours, until reduced by about one-third. Allow to cool. Store in a clean jar or plastic container. Keeps for about two weeks, refrigerated. I'm going to work on a version of Andie's mustard for Christmas baskets. Thanks, Andie!

Here's my recipe . . . no cooking or sterilizing involved. I make a cup or two at a time and store it in the fridge. It goes quickly. Generally, I make this mustard and my Sun-Dried Tomato Catsup to serve with our Renegade Burgers, or the slow-roasted beef sandwiches we always make for our Superbowl Party, which we serve with a beef au jus spiked with slivers of garlic and jalapeno. Viognier-French Tarragon Mustard Fresh and spicy, with an intriguing hint of licorice 1/2 cup brown mustard seed (available from Penzey’s Spices) 1/4 cup viognier or other fruity white wine 1/4 cup chicken broth 1 tablespoon brown sugar 4 sprigs fresh tarragon, destemmed and finely chopped 1/4 teaspoon fresh cardamom seed, crushed (optional) Makes about 1 cup Place the mustard seed, white wine, and chicken broth in a glass bowl, stir until the seeds sink, and refrigerate overnight. The following day crush the mustard seed in a food processor or coffee grinder until well-broken, to a rough mustard consistency. Pulse and then pat down with a spoon, pulse and repeat. The seeds tend to fly around and are too small for most electric processors, so the mustard will still have lots of whole seeds. Add the brown sugar, tarragon, and cardamom seed, and pulse some more. (For a speedier version, you can grind the dry seeds and then add the liquids, but the flavor is richer and the texture more interesting if you take the time to soak the seeds first.) The final mustard will be super-strong and very crunchy. Store in a clean glass jar or plastic container. Keeps for 2 weeks, refrigerated. Use sparingly on sandwiches or as a condiment for meats.

Absolutely gorgeous! I hope we'll be seeing more grill sessions soon! (I did the salmon-on-herbs experiment, and I'll post pictures and notes tonight.) Have to get ready for work today.

Go for it, pierke! As in any genre, a well-written book is always a joy to find and read. There is a lot of redundancy out there, but there's a lot of bad stuff in any genre. In 2002, the top-selling book in America, and the only book of any genre to sell more than 1 million copies, was the Fix-It-And-Forget-It Cookbook: 800 Recipes for Your Slow Cooker. It went on to sell over 2.5 million copies, because the publisher, an Amish couple that previously had published only quilting books, got it into Walmart and Sam's and pushed for end aisle displays. But if you read the reviews on Amazon.com, you'll see that most people are annoyed at the disorganized presentation and the repetitive recipes for beef and beans. And then there are cookbooks like Lisa's (aka balmagowry) Lobscouse and Spotted Dog, and I can guarantee from personal experience that it's a great read! Good luck with your cookbook!

Corks #1 They smell good. They make that highly satisfying pop which precedes the initial gurgle from a full bottle. They can be used to make cat toys, bulletin boards, wreaths, birdhouses, and in a pinch can be used as a pacifier. Glass tops #2 Definitely a cool idea as we can save our empty wine bottles and reuse them for our private beer production. Screw tops #3 You can't even flick them like beer caps without cutting your thumb.

You're right in that there is a lot of refinery wine out there, and placement pressure, but another aspect for chain restaurants is simply the comfort zone of listing a wine they know they can reorder infinitely, which they can't do with small, or even mid-size producers. Especially since chains seldom change their menu or wine list. It's definitely a cookie-cutter mentality, but it's part of their "efficiency" model. What's sad to me is that many individually owned restaurants are too lazy to review their wine list regularly, and don't want to experiment with small productions. I've been introduced to some of my favorite small-production wines by restaurant owners or staff who have them on the list. Also, distributors move glacially as well. In many cases, more slowly than consumers. I'm getting calls and emails from New York regarding our new releases, but Martin Scott is still selling the 2000 vintage, while we're almost sold out of half our 2002 releases. They're also annoyed that we stopped using the allocation model (where a certain number of cases are set aside for a distributor, and they're not invoiced until they pick it up). Starting last year, if a distributor wants our wines he has to get in line with consumers. So here I have a customer base in New York who want the wines. I have wine now and am willing to send MS only as much as they can confidently sell, but they won't order. It doesn't fit their model. But here are some trends from the trenches that you won't find in the statistics: ten years ago, women deferred completely to men in the tasting room. Now women state their preferences and tasting notes clearly. Ten years ago, men ordered for the table or couple in restaurants. Now, men often give the wine list to their female companion, who knows what she likes. Ten years ago, no one in our tasting rooms could pronounce viognier or sangiovese. Now they request them. (We're still working on "Barbara.") Ten years ago, people looked sick when they requested zin and the wine was red. Now I only have to explain the concept maybe twice a year. And finally, ten years ago, ninety percent of our tasters said, "I never drink sweet wines," or if I tried to pour them some they would snatch their glasses away in horror, leaving me in the foolish position of pouring wine on the table. Now, couples enjoy tasting a late harvest. Encouraging, don't you think?

This is not on topic, but I love their website. I think it's the best winery website, bar none, for creativity.

Don't forget the Clos Pegase 1998 Hommage label! $200 a bottle, and the BATF wanted to cut off the guy's pepe. Martin & Weyrich has always done lovely labels. But one year they had to cover a nymph's breast on the Aleatico dessert wine, and on their port, they wanted to use the following quote from Shakespeare's King Henry IV, "If I had a thousand sons, the first humane principle I would teach them should be, to forswear thin potations and to addict themselves to sack." Well of course that got nixed.