jbonne

i can't comment on Pan's experience because we *still* haven't managed to make it there when it's serving. the most recent attempt began with a phone call to ensure they were open, followed by a drive out to Woodside, and ended with us walking in and them telling us they were closed for a private birthday party. OK, not entirely true -- it ended with us driving back to Sunnyside for soon dubu at Natural Tofu. small owner-managed restaurants often have some issues with business savvy, but this is insane.

it was pretty hard to find B.C. pinot in Seattle, much less the East Coast. via Wine-searcher, here's a list of NY retailers who carry Mission Hill ice wine -- which should at least be a departure point for figuring out their distributor: Winfield-Flynn, Aulden Cellars, Sound Shore Liquor Pantry (Mamaroneck). no clue if they bring in their non-sticky stuff, though. but wait! Copaco Liquors in Bloomfield, CT, lists the Sumac Ridge pinot noir and pinot blanc for $12 and under. (this link may or may not work correctly.) so clearly, there's some Eastern distributor bringing the stuff in. not much luck with some other larger brands: Gray Monk, Quails' Gate. let me know if you strike gold anywhere ...

and how -- except maybe in the Loire, which can innovate all it likes and will never feel the love from this side of the pond. (and that's ok by me, since it keeps me in great wine on the cheap.) and maybe the Sierra Foothills too, since Plymouth is a long drive home for the average wine hound. otherwise, gotta ask yourself how long it'll be before Paso Robles gets the full St. Helena/Healdsburg treatment. Walla Walla is already headed down that road too. Rose? any predictions? meantime, back to the bubbles ...

while they're at it, do they intend to make all their nimrod customers sign pledges to humanely exterminate said lobsters? will they be giving demonstrations in lobster lobotomies, which really is the only "humane" way to off the little buggers (vs., say, boiling them too slowly in a pot that's not big or hot enough)? it's all good for them to want better treatment of their living end products, but so long as the slaughter is left up to the end consumers, it's a sorta lost cause.

well, in part it's because most NW wineries don't have good mechanisms in place to tout themselves to the rest of the country. even in Seattle, it's hard to know who's releasing what and what's coming on the market without spending a lot of time talking to trade people. the only ones with major PR efforts are Columbia (Constellation) and Ste. Michelle, and the Domaine Ste. Michelle sparkler isn't especially noteworthy. Argyle actually has decent representation, which is why anyone on the East Coast has heard of them. and Tony Soter is Tony Soter, so anyone plugged into Cali will know what he's up to. but the few other bubbly producers out there are very much under the radar. Michael Manz at Mountain Dome, for instance, manages to make some amazing wines while doing some side projects and keeping down a day job as a child psychiatrist. what i like about NW wine is that it's an industry still mostly focused on the wine, not the hype -- which i can't say about most of California anymore. but the same things that will make the wines more accessible to East Coasters are the things that could gut the industry's soul.

there's a lot in Steinberger's piece that didn't quite jibe for me, much as i generally adore his writing. leaving aside the premise, which is a bit like asking whether all California Cabs are better than Latour, there's some specific items: 1) Argyle brut is sold by vintage, but none was listed in the piece; the '99 is a gorgeous wine, while the '00 (despite its ratings) to me was slightly imbalanced and from too-hot fruit, which is one thing Steinberger takes issue with. (and it's a fair point. Carneros/Sonoma really isn't an ideal climate to be replicating chilly Champagne.) 2) as always, WA state bubblies get screwed. i often sound like a broken record about Mountain Dome, from Spokane, but i've never met an unapologetically Francophile American winemaker as Michael Manz, and his vintage bruts can be lovely, special wines in good years. (and his fruit is from a notably cold site.) 3) the Soter brut rose is quite a good wine, but i'm just not as enthusiastic about it as he is. by contrast, the Gruet rose -- for less than half the price -- is a sheer pleasure, yet it's their blanc de noirs that gets the kudos. overall, i'd agree that it's hard to make a comparison between the American tetes de cuvee and the French. you're not going to be able to trump a Krug Mesnil or a Grande Dame without a lot more experience. but i've also tasted a lot of wan, soulless and just plain mediocre Champagne. if Champagne does have an overall selling point over plain old domestic bubbles, it's that the bubbles themselves tend to be finer, longer lasting and better integrated. (i remain so keen on Deutz Classic in part because its bead is fine and enduring.) but again, there are more than a few exceptions to that rule. i don't think you can make the statement he's making without also acknowledging the sea of bad French Champagne that's out there, and the wonderful efforts that are available from U.S. producers. there's also the whole pleasurable adventure of trying domestic bubbly as it evolves, especially those from smaller producers. (We just recently tried Navarro's 1999 brut, for instance; still a work in progress, but a joy to drink nonetheless because Navarro wines are so good and it was such a rare beast.) And anyone who holds up Dom Perignon as the reason why American bubblies can't compete should be locked in the basement of a Costco to rusticate along with many thousands of bottles of that triumph of hype.

the older is unrepentantly French and a bit arcane. (anyone been cooking woodcocks lately, raise your hands.) its recipes really are more explanations of technique that you'd get from an impatient chef than anything else. it is very much a slice of French culinary knowledge from the first half of the 20th century. but in being that, its unity of purpose is truly impressive -- arcane, yes, and sometimes baroque, but not really fussy. the newer one is far more all-embracing in its approach, closer to a real encyclopedia than the sometimes quixotic work that the original is. but as with the updated "Joy," it lost some charm along the way. (my recent appreciation of both books found here.) incidentally, a quick echo of appreciation for Claiborne's encyclopedia. not close to comprehensive, and not even terribly useful ... but it's endlessly entertaining, really a recap of Claiborne's personal thoughts about all sorts of foods, and his passing along of lots of quirky anecdotes. that IS a book i'd read cover to cover. dunno how Mariani stacks up against the Oxonian take on Americana, since i've never really read through the latter. Oxford's almost certainly more comprehensive (1,584 pages), so maybe they're compensating for the original Companion.

to me, Larousse is still hard to beat for mainline European cuisine. i don't think i'd ever read it cover to cover, though it would be tempting if i were stuck on a desert island. but it's a constant reference -- the old one, btw, not the new one. Oxford is similarly helpful, in an exhaustive way -- though it's very much representative of its British publisher's sensibilities and often excludes some more exotic items, and many essential bits of Americana. (for that, i rely on Mariani's Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink -- love him, hate him, be contractually obligated to provide him with free goodies, it's still a really useful reference book.) between that and Larousse, you should be neck-deep in food geekery. speaking of desert islands, Ruth Reichl once said (on "Splendid Table," i think) that if she were stranded on one with a single book to read, it would be the Oxford food companion. my own would probably be the Oxford wine companion -- mostly because Jancis did such a brilliant and comprehensive job of editing it. THAT is a book i'd read cover to cover.

btw, the most interesting of the suggestions sent in by readers (the piece posted Tuesday) was this: the Half Bottle Wine Club. Only drawback is the lack of listing on their site about what bottles they pick. but i LOVE this concept. [edited to fix the link]

too bad Japan didn't insist on a Champagne-style provision in the beef agreement requiring U.S. businesses to stop labeling Wagyu as Kobe. truth in labeling, &c. ...

all of which are brilliant, but they do beg the question: WHY hasn't K&L created a Champagne of the month club, seeing as they're one of the country's best sources for grower bubbles? that's a club i'd subscribe to.

thanks, Carolyn. tell me -- do you know if the prices quoted on their site are per shipment or total? ($95 or $290 per shipment.) i assume per shipment, but you never know. if so, that may be slightly above the per-bottle range i'm looking at, though the $95 might squeak in.

just raising this topic back to the surface for a bit ... thanks to everyone who replied! i've checked out a number of these. also saw that Dan Philips had a write-up of his Grenache club in Saveur this month, which made me stop and think, "brilliant idea!" anyone ever deal with the California Wine Club? i've generally been impressed by their list of selections, but no substitute for real-world experiences.

Will there be some weird labeling twist for Eastside wineries using Westside fruit (Vina Robles comes to mind) or, rather more quietly, vice versa? Will border checkpoints be set up on either side of the 101?

thanks to everyone for these ideas! i agree that the wineries who offer club-only items (Tablas Creek and, i think, Rosenblum do this) make it worthwhile. and i hadn't even thought about Kermit Lynch's club, but what a great idea! (i've had the occasional dud from him when i've ordered blind, including a couple recent dolcettos, but on balance his stuff is terrific.) and i'll check out the Sonoma folks too. more suggestions still welcome ...

following on the heels of Rose's query about wine shipping, i thought i'd ask: does anyone have wine clubs they can personally recommend? i'm not interested in the standard "my favorite winery sends me gouts of wine i already know i like" clubs, but in wineries or third parties that specialize in sending unusual or rare wines that would be difficult to source otherwise. i've occasionally been impressed by efforts like Jean Yates' "New Discoveries" club at Avalon Wine, which focus on things no one would know about otherwise. but on balance, most clubs seem to me like a waste -- for a variety of reasons, none very interesting, but most having to do with my own obsessive need to choose my own wines. (and yes, this is for a wine column, so i may borrow your suggestions ... )

what Russ said. those who feel like casting anonymous vitriol into the void of the Internet are welcome to go back to scribbling it on bathroom walls.

thanks, Mary! note that's the top 11 Beaujolais i could source for tasting. i was unable to dig up any Thevenet or Guy Breton in time. others were ruled out (the Diochon, for instance) since they've been tasted before, and i kept a 2000 Morgon Cote du Py out of the tasting since it seemed too rare to lump in there. these are the problems with Beaujolais-hunting in Seattle. i am amazingly jealous of Daniel Rogov's magazine article ... though the fact they spent that much money to write about wine was a dead giveaway that it was a while ago. nowadays it's hard to get gas money to Walla Walla.

what i think works about the brachetto for Turkey Day is that it has light body and great acidity, which to me are essential for something as leaden as turkey. (just like good Beaujolais.) i think of brachetto as a good pick to help cut through fat, which is definitely a requirement for that day. the sweetness would match a good cranberry dish, though not sweet potatoes or root veggies. but i think it would be a terrific wine to have at table. ditto what Brad sez about non-red sparkling. (anyone who serves blanc de blancs to Uncle Jimmy and Cousin Lil at the Thanksgiving feast is my instant hero!!)

no, not terribly similar, and yes, and it should be a great pairing. your optimal temperature probably in the high-40s/low-50s F. brachetto, so far as i drink it, should be served slightly chilled. similar opinion from a couple of vintners here and here.

i wasn't aware Pepiere had gone off the AOC reservation. otoh, Luneau-Papin does provide some extended lees contact to certain wines up to a year, well beyond the provisions of the AOC rules. my understanding from the Louis/Dressner folks is that Luneau-Papin can use the Muscadet appellation, but not the "sur lie." bit more here.

indeed. my "Super Tuscan" comment was prolly a bit oblique, even for me. keep thinking there must be folks in the Languedoc who have gone this route, a la Guibert. but the Languedoc AOC rules are on the fungible side. Cab Sauv and merlot being the two things that are probably the biggest holdups.

Feraud also makes a VDP table wine called Pelican, though of course she's still enjoying the benefits of producing Pegau under the CdP appellation. more here. and three northern Rhoners -- Yves Cuilleron, Pierre Gaillard and François Villard -- have paired up on Vins de Vienne (more here) outside the AOC system. and of course, Jean Luc Columbo makes his Violette series as VDP, in addition to his AOC stuff. not thinking of anyone who's gone all Super Tuscan on the AOC system, but i'll keep working on it ...

the Cadence is probably about 4 years too young to drink. it was just released a year ago, i think (if that) and the Tapteil has the most sharply defined tannins of all Ben's wines. Oregon syrahs are on the rise, with a bullet. and Gino Cuneo is one of those folks doing great stuff with the Del Rio fruit ...

i intend to remain in firm denial about the Sam Breakstone thing. no question. but the toppings/flavorings should be done with a food processor anyway, which is going to semi-whip the cheese. Philly block+whipping = great schmear potential whipped cheese+more whipping = mush