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Everything posted by Daniel Rogov
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We have both presented our cases. I leave it to others to judge the validity of our arguments as well as whatever else they choose to judge in both of our texts.
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Let's say that your argument is valid. By the same argument you would then have no objection to Kraft calling their cheese "Parmesan"; labelling a mixture of soya and cotton oil as "olive oil"; making cigarettes from Turkish tobacco and putting them in packs identical to and labeled as "Marlboro"; making watches that can sell for $25, labelling them and selling them as "Patek Philippe"; Mr or Mrs Smith painting a picture that really looks like a Van Gogh and selling it to the Metropolitan Museum in New York for $30,000,000. If you'll agree to all of those, then I'm willing to go for "Port" on wines made from grapes that have nothing to do with true Port wine and that come from South Africa, Israel, Lebanon, California or Katmandu. I don't think its snobbish to insist that counterfeits are inferior. And even if not fully inferior, still counterfeits. May I suggest that we think of one small bit of wisdom inherent to every major and probably quite a few smaller religions as well, that to the effect" "If its like an egg, its not as good as an egg".
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Let it be known here and abroad, oyez, oyez, that schmaltz, whether from goose fat as was originally intended or chicken fat, is not to be thought of as an item of food. Simply stated, and with no exaggeration whatsoever, schmaltz is god's gift to humankind, a gift so great that the mere thought of spreading it thickly on good country-style bread is enough to elevate mere mortals to an understanding of why kings are greeted by trumpets, why angels fly and why fairy-godmothers exist. As to gribenes (the cracklings made from rendered goose fat), a treat so great that no poet, author or even demi-god has ever succeeded in describing it with mere words. As to the combination of schmaltz and gribenes, let it be known that there is a law (not from Mt Sinai perhaps but certainly from one of the highest of the Alps) that even when thinking of these one is required to bow one's head in acknowledgement of the greatness of the universe. And that, by heaven, is where I stand.
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I hate to complicate matters but Williams Selyem released at least a dozen different Pinot Noirs in 2002 (e.g. Precious Mt. Vineyard, Westside Road, Allen Vineyard, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, Coastlands Vineyard, Central Coast, Rochioli Riverbank Vineyard, Flax Vineyard). The good news is that nearly all of these are excellent wines and indeed will go as well with grilled salmon as with roasted quails, grilled lobsters (stuffed with crabmeat or plain), veal schnitzels (a la holstein or other), and pork cutlets. Enjoy!
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I yield. Perhaps I've been to insistent on this and after reading the arguments presented here do indeed agree that I'd rather have someone try a wine and just say "Hey, this is nice stuff" than sip a soft drink or orange juice with his/her entrecote or T-bone steak. I'm certainly not in favor of the mysterious language mystique....I guess my desire is partly to demystify the language and make it part of the everyday talk between friends. Granted, not talk about brix, pre-phylloxera Bordeaux or the dangers of red mold, but at least let's say about body, aromas, flavors, balance and so on...... As is said in Arabic "shwoya, shwoya"....in Hebrew "le'at, le'at" ... and of course in English "slowly, slowly"
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Charles, Hello..... Both Van Gogh and Andy Warhol did portraits of women and those can be found in many museums of modern art. Wouldn't it help the person looking at those portraits if they knew just a wee little bit about the lives of those artists? Or, in a restaurant, knowing just a tad of knowledge about the differences in flavor and texture between a T-Bone and an entrecote steak? I hate to sound pompous but ignorance is not bliss. It is simply ignorance and in the end that robs us of the ability to gain full enjoyment from either a painting, a steak or a glass of wine.
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Max, Hello.... Indeed. Pierre de Beaumarchais (1732-1799) was truly a man who kept getting into trouble as he was no less a dramatist/poet than a man with an enormous zest for life. Some reports indicate that he had three wives (simultaneously) and over the course of quite a few years more than 220 mistresses and who loved wining and dining with a passion of which I can only stand in awe. Thankfully, he had a more serious side and two of his plays, The Marriage of Figaro and The Barber of Seville were later made into operas, the first by Mozart and the second by Rossini. As to out and out adventurism, at various times he served as a French spy stationed in England; sold guns to the American revolutionaries. In at least one way he was quite fortunate, for even though he was a supporter of the French Revolution he eventually ran afoul of the various tribunals but, because of his popularity with the masses instead of meeting with The Widow (the guillotine) he was merely forced into exile. All in all, a charming man.
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We are in full agreement on this. But such understanding is going to be limited without the vocabulary to describe one's experiences. As understanding comes, sooner or later so will the question ... "why did I enjoy or not enjoy this wine"? And without the words, there will be no explanation. Since the time of the ancient Greeks it has been accepted that the statement "I know but I cannot explain it" has been invalid. If you cannot explain something (and that takes words/vocabulary) you do not truly understand it. As to why understanding is important - and staying with wine and not the ancient Greeks in this case - sure, I'd rather have people drinking Blue Nun or Two Buck Chuck with their meals than Diet Sprite (I find wine more civilized and civilizing than soft drinks), but I'd hope their acquired understanding and learning will take them on to wines perhaps a bit more complex, a bit more interesting....... But of course, I am willing to admit that all of this may simply be no more than the problem of a person who happens to like words and at least some semblance to the intelectual life as much as he does wine.
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Let it be known that I'm all for high quality, medium and low priced wines. And I am certainly all for having wine become an everyday part of life. But I am not in favor of ignorance and certainly not in favor of boasting of one's ignorance. The appreciation of any subject - be it mathematics, art, music, literature, or wine depends on language and language is not innate - it is developed and that development comes with experience. I am not speaking of wine snobbery. I am speaking of the ability to communicate our thoughts and sensations in words to ourselves and others in order to best appreciate what we are doing, seeing, hearing or otherwise sensing. The simple truth is that those who want to discuss wine at more than the most superficial level, need at least a basic comprehension of that language. As is well known, without language, accurate descriptions, the ability to make comparisons and intelligent discussion are virtually impossible. The language of wine need be neither snobbish nor particularly frightening. Based primarily on words already in our vocabulary, all one needs do is learn to apply those words specifically to wine. Sorry, but "I know what I like" just doesn't cut it for intelligent people in the 21st century.
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Brandy is indeed a generic term while Cognac, Calvados and Armagnac (among others) are region-specific as is Port. If interested in follow-ups on each of these (and hoping not to be pompous by recommending my own articles) try: Cognac http://www.stratsplace.com/rogov/what_make...ac_special.html Calvados http://www.stratsplace.com/rogov/in_praise_of_armagnac.html Armagnac http://www.stratsplace.com/rogov/in_praise_of_armagnac.html Port http://www.stratsplace.com/rogov/englishman_port_wine.html
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Perhaps, but let us think of Beaumarchais who observed: "Every time I open a bottle of wine I stand in awe, for this is not merely a bottle of wine. I am opening 5,000 years of human civilization"
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Wow.....great question!!! I would nominate Ernest and Julio Gallo but because nominations can only go to living people it would be to Ernest. Whatever one thinks about Hearty Burgundy and Gallo Chablis, it was the Gallo brothers that first made Americans aware that wine could be part of the cultured and civil life. Without the development of Gallo (yes, that including both the jug wines as well as the often excellent Sonoma wines they produce), the California wine industry would have remained in its infancy. Like God, had the Gallo brothers not existed, we would have had to invent them. Without Gallo there would have been no place for the development of Mondavi, Beringer, and on and on...... More than that, because Americans started enjoying wines, Europe had no choice but to respond and one might easily credit the best developments of Languedoc and many other French wine areas as well as for the development of the industry in Australia, New Zealand and yes, even Sicily - for to a great extent it is on the American market those industries and wineries rely.
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Before I get into this mini-rave, let it be clearly stated that I do not myself keep kashrut in any sense of the word. First of all, the vast majority of people who maintain kashrut do not do it out of any set of thoughts regarding to health or physical well-being but as an acceptance of the rules they believe to be important in their acceptance of and devotion to God. Issues about why this or that food item might not be "good for you" now or historically or about why mixing this and that together would not be kosher" are primarily rationalizations by people trying to explain the inexplicable. In a phrase and quite simply stated, historical and all other reasons aside, kashrut has nothing whatever to do with health. It has only to do with belief and its acknowledgement. It is true that there are some cultural and even rabbinical variations in determining what is and what is not kosher and when it may be acceptble, but those too are nothing more than matters of faith as intepreted over several thousand years in different settings.
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I am in full agreement with John on this. Unless you have specifically arranged in advance with your host to supply wines for the dinner, the wine you bring with you is a gift and the host is under no obligation whatever to open or serve it on the evening it is given. True, if your host decides that the wine is appropriate for the meal, it is perfectly in order for them to open it but that decision is theirs alone.
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At least to me, and certainly since the age of 15 "Philadelphia" is the name of a city in the United States (named of course after a far older Philadelphia); and the only association I make with "break stone" has something to do with huge sledge hammers and singers like Leadbelly doing chain-gang songs. You want good cream cheese? No problem. Come to Israel, Turkey, Greece or Lebanon and try the cream cheeses made at artisinal dairies from the milk of free range goats and sheep. Now that is cream cheese.
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There are two separate but related issues here when it comes to relating to the critic's attitude towards such issues - those relating to restaurants (to which I have just posted a response on the third page of the thread at http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=75936 ) and those relating to wines to which I will relate here. My own policy as a critic with regard to receiving wines from wineries or distributors is quite simple: (1) I will gladly receive one bottle of any wine from any vintage that any winery or distributor chooses to send me for review purposes. Note please that I said "one". Not two, not three, not more. (2) Because I taste such a huge quantity of wines annually, it is impossible for me to write about all of those - neither in my newspapers or on my internet site. Despite that, every wine is tasted (blind, if necessary to say) and formal tasting notes are written for each. Those that cannot appear in print (editors the world over are willing to give writers just so many inches a week) go into my data base and serve as background data for future tastings, evaluating of drinking windows, and as references for wines of that winery/distributor that will later be reviewed. (3) No winery and no distributor is under any obligation to send me (or any other critic) even a single bottle of wine! That is why wine critics have budgets for purchases, why they visit professional level and even popular international and local wine fairs, why they periodically visit wineries and why we spend many of our Fridays (at least in Europe and Israel) running from store to store to attend the various tastings that are held there. (4) As to feeling beholding to any winery - no way! That is why tastings are done blind - simply stated, when tasting blind you don't know if the wine you are sampling came directly from the winery or from your budget. (5) Any writer or critic who demands wines from a winery is, simply stated, a whore and if his/her editor gets wind of this, that writer/critic should be given a rather limp handshake and a rapid goodbye! To end on a sad but light note - there is a joke circulating these days in Bordeaux to the effect that there are "boutiquistes, garagistes, and baggagists". The boutiquist of course is the small winery, the garagiste is the artisanal winery and the baggagist is the critic who drives up to the winery, opens the trunk (baggage) of his/her car, waits until that has been filled with wine, drives off and then writes a positive review of the winery. As I say......not all whores walk the streets selling their bodies!
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Methinks the rearchers may have orgotten the first rule of observational or anecdotal research - that is to say that correlation does not prove causation.
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Another option - your friend might seek a second medical opinion, for when speaking of the positive impact of moderate consumption most research these days indicates that although red wine has a slight edge, health benefits come from any alcoholic beverage and not, as was originally thought, only from red wine.
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Unless your friend has a special passion for (a) cough medicine or (b) Passover, I suggest he/she skip the Manischewitz. Consider some of the Vin Santo wines produced in Tuscany. Sweet but not coarse, well balanced and often delicious.
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Either of those would be appropriate with just the salmon but it would kill the flavor of any wine to follow unless you took an hour or so between courses. On the other hand, if you really want this to "be a blast", consider serving Bloody Mary's with the gravlax. That would do far better justice to whatever wine followed.
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How's this for a menu – long recipes but not at all complicated, minimal space required. The recipes are designed to serve 10-12. And all of the dishes are traditional for the New Year – the first in Sweden, the second in French Provence and the third in Ireland. As to wine matches – start off with a good CHampagne before the meal; with the Gravlax – dry Riesling or Gewurztraminer; with the Lamb Stew either a California Cabernet Sauvignon, a super-Tuscan such as Tignanello or a damned good Australian Shiraz; and with the Apple Cream go for either a Canadian or German ice wine or a dessert wine from Barsac or Sauternes. Gravlax With Mustard Sauce 2 fillets of raw salmon, each about 3/4 kilo, with all bones removed but with the skin left intact 3 - 4 large bunches fresh dill (about 225 gr.)with tough ends and stems trimmed 3 Tbsp. peppercorns, preferably white 5 Tbsp. sugar 3 Tbsp. coarse salt mustard sauce (see following recipe) Spread half of the dill in a layer of dill on the bottom of an oval dish large enough to hold 1 salmon fillet without crowding. Place one of the salmon fillets skin-side down on top of the dill. Place the other fillet skin-side down on a flat surface. Using a mortar and pestle or with the bottom of a clean, heavy skillet, crush the peppercorns coarsely. Mix together the sugar,salt and crushed peppercorns. Sprinkle half of this mixture over each of the filets. Cover the fillet in the oval dish with the remaining dill and then cover the dill with the second fillet, placing it skin-side up. Cover the fillets with plastic wrap and on this place a heavy flat weight (such as an oval dish) filled with 4 kilos or more of weight. Refrigerate overnight. Remove the weights and the weight cover from the salmon. Carefully turn the salmon "sandwich" so that the skin side of what was the bottom fillet is now on top. Replace the weight cover and weights and return to the refrigerator. Turn the salmon every 12 - 24 hours until it is to be served, for a minimum of 2 days. Baste the fish often with the liquid that accumulates around it. Always replace the weight cover and weights before returning to the refrigerator. When ready to serve, scrape away the dill and pat the salmon fillets dry. Carve each half into thin diagonal slices and cut away the skin. Serve with mustard sauce. (Serves 12). Mustard Sauce 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard 1/4 Dijon mustard 6 Tbsp. apple vinegar or white wine vinegar 6 Tbsp. sugar salt to taste fresh ground pepper, to taste 1 cup corn or peanut oil 1 cup chopped fresh dill 2 Tbsp. Cognac Put the two mustards, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Start beating with a wire whisk while adding the oil in a thin stream (much as you would in making mayonnaise). When all of the oil is added, stir in the dill and the Cognac. (Yields about 2 cups). Lamb Stew With Prunes 3 Tbsp. each butter and olive or walnut oil 3 1/2 kilos lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 1/2 cm. cubes salt as required 3/4 tsp. turmeric 3/4 tsp. ground ginger 1 1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper 3/4 tsp. garlic, chopped finely 3 medium onions, chopped finely 12-15 sprigs fresh coriander hot paprika to taste 3/4 kilo prunes, pitted 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon In a large heavy casserole dish melt the butter, stir in the olive oil and in this brown the meat on all sides. Add the turmeric, ginger, black pepper, garlic and salt to taste. Toss well and cook over a low flame for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onion, coriander and 1/2 liter of water. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered until the meat is very tender (about 1 1/2 hours). Add water only if the casserole dries out. Heat the oven to its highest temperature. Spread the meat so that it forms one layer in an ovenproof serving dish. Place the prunes in between the cubes of meat. Remove the coriander from the cooking liquids and correct the seasoning of the liquids, adding hot paprika or Tabasco to taste, keeping in mind that the sauce should by highly seasoned. Pour the sauce over the meat, sprinkle with the ground cinnamon and place the serving dish on the highest shelf of the oven. Bake, uncovered until the prunes develop a light crust (about 15 minutes). Serve hot, ideally with a green salad and a dry red wine. (Serves 10-12). Apple Cream For the apples: 10 apples, peeled, cored and quartered 3 cups rose or white wine 2 cups sugar rind of 1 large or 2 small lemons generous pinch each of dried rosemary and thyme 1 1/2 cup sweet cream, whipped stiff 3/4 cup sweet Sherry 40 gr. unflavored gelatin For the custard sauce: 1 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup each sugar and flour 6 egg yolks 4 tsp. butter peel of 1 lemon In a saucepan combine the apples, rose wine, sugar, lemon rind, rosemary and thyme. Simmer just until the apples are soft and then strain, reserving the wine. Puree the apples and place them in a bowl. Add the reserved rose wine. In the top of a double boiler soak the gelatin in the sherry for 5 minutes. Over hot water melt the mixture and then add it to the apples. Stir well and let cool. When the mixture begins to become stiff, fold in the whipped cream. Pour into a mold that has been rinsed in cold water and then refrigerate, covered, until firm. Before serving prepare a custard sauce by combining the milk and lemon peel in a saucepan. Bring just to the boiling point and immediately reduce the flame and simmer very gently for 10minutes. In a separate saucepan gradually stir the sugar into the egg yolks. With a wire whisk beat until the mixture is pale yellow. Into this beat the flour and then gradually add the hot milk. Cook over a medium flame, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened and smooth. Remove from the flame and stir in the butter until melted and the mixture is smooth throughout. Let the mixture come to room temperature, stirring occasionally before serving. To serve, dip the mold with the apple cream into a bowl of hot water for several seconds. Unmold the apple cream and serve with the custard sauce. (Serves 10-12)
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I won't comment on what I prepare but I will give a clue to any woman foolish enough to want to seduce me. Do lobster Thermidor and do it right and I'm yours forever!!!!
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I'll have to borrow a line from the great critic Curnonsky: "My only regret is that I have only one stomach to give my profession"
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I'm not the least bit skeptical. In fact I'm such a believer in this system that I am going to drive tomorrow morning to Eilat, there so at the same time I wait for this low-voltage gizmo to age my wine I can see with my own eyes the re-coming of Moses and the second parting of the Red Sea! A physicist friend at the University of Haifa tells me that in order to attain the voltage, wattage and amperage required for such an effect (on either wine or a second parting of the Red Sea) it would take an instantaneous surge equivalent to the amount of electricity that is generated by the city of Los Angeles in a full year. Lord love a duck! I'm all for miracles.