Carolyn Tillie

I thought I'd check in mid-week to show you how quickly the verasion is coming along on the grapes: But also, since our harvest officially began, I thought I'd show the first of the crush. These are Sauvignon Blanc grapes which are actually being grown at Pat & Anne's house in St. Helena: Because there aren't really a lot of these grapes (less than 50 gallons worth of juice when all is said and done), we are using a small, manual press. The small, black bladder on the inside is filled with water. The pressure of the water pushes the grapes outwards towards the wood slats, making the juice. I'm going to Idaho for a few days and won't be around the answer questions (or take the next picture!) until next Monday. But I'm sure DoverCanyon will be able to fill in on technical stuff...

Well, yes -- but that is why we love you so much!

Could you do it the way wineries do? Add eggwhites and shells?

I used to hang out in Caid when I was young and <ahem> well, let's just say, I was young... Thanks for the bone, though!

I have always wanted to try -- back in the 80s, I had a good friend who had an old glass, Sparklets water container full of mead. He had let it age for over two years and I never got to taste it. Makes me think it might not have been so good. However, I offer the caveat of being a complete novice -- I have never made a single alcoholic beverage and would need to buy equipment and get instruction from day one.

More information than you could ever possibly want: Medieval/Renaissance Brewing Homepage which includes articles like: SCA Links which include links to: Let me know when you've gone through all those... I've got more!

Here you go -- you can always hire my friend: Marguerite Food-related, she did her Master's in inner Mongolia and she is the one that introduced me to Tung Lai Shin, Islamic Chinese in Los Angeles, teaching me more about the obscure food of China than I ever thought possible.

I think that is a very good point -- it was pointed out to me by a good friend who is a magician and bellydancer. Whenever friends had a party, they wanted this particular woman to "perform" and she finally gave up going, not knowing if she was wanted for herself or her gig. As a jeweler, I am constantly asked to "look at this" for an appraisal or a minor repair. Then I started freelancing for a local jewelry stores doing such appraisals and minor repairs for income and realized how much I had been giving away all these years. The ONLY thing I occasionally hope to get comp'd is corkage fee on a wine. I figure if I am dining at a place often enough, I'm spending enough money on their food to not be taking away much by bringing my own bottle. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't -- but I never bitch over it.

Carolyn, You never cease to amaze me! edit: can't type or proof read today, as usual Now I realize what that sounded like.... <giggle> No, I don't remember my Egyptian past life (just my Japanese, English, and French ones!) There was a pseudo-occult group called Church of the Eternal Source who studied and practiced the poly-theistic religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians. This woman, Lita-Luise Chappell, and I researched what historically-correct feasts would entail. We prepared these feasts for upwards of a hundred people.

I'm curious as to why you are curious about England and the 16th Century, specifically... Got Mead.com indicates 500 years A.D. by the Celts, but I remember making it for an Ancient Egyptian group I was involved in...

Found some lovely ones last night and pan-fried them in a tablespoon of butter and topped with freshly-chopped tarragon from the garden.

DON'T COOK THEM! If they are indeed fresh, enjoy them raw -- grate or shred them and "pickle" them with your favorite, good quality red wine and/or balsamic vinegar. A simple toss with the vinegar and wait an hour or so. You'll never want them cooked again (except in borscht, which I crave all winter long).

We have verasion folks! Here is your ubiquitous vine: And the grapes now have a bit of color! But what you are also going to be seeing in the next few days is the start of our harvest! Pat and Anne have some Sauvignon Blanc planted in their backyard in St. Helena (just enough for 20 or 30 cases or so). The brix levels on those grapes were over 22 so they will be coming in tomorrow! Havest has begun for Ladera!

Regarding the whole flowers thing -- and this is a rant I have about flowers and people's perfume/cologne in general -- I wish people would be more thoughtful to the aromas they bring along with them. To me, there is no worse flower than Stargazers. They are quite beautiful, but by the second day can have a very insidious rank about them. It astonishes me that I frequent these high-end wine tastings and the pourers are trying to pretty-up there table with flowers that SMELL. Now who wants the aroma of a wine to be interfered with a flower or, worse yet, someone's perfume? Okay, I'm done now.

It might be "OK" but I think you do run the risk of offending the sushi chef if you are sitting at the bar. I have found you get the best fish and service if you engage the chef and try to establish a little repore with them. I feel a little enthusiasm is always met with appreciation. Guess it depends on where and how often you dine. I had a place in LA where I dined no less than once a week -- I established a great relationship with the chef to the point where I did not need to engage him in conversation every time I came in. He knew I was a reader, knew how I liked my pieces prepared, and always got a good tip. I don't think reading and having a discussion is mutually exclusive, either. You can go in, estabilsh an early rapport with the chef, and then move into your book with relative ease. Where I dined last evening, it was a first-time visit for me and I had no difficulty getting great service, great food, and reading an entire first chapter...

Some of the "authentic" sushi bars I have been in actually have a bookshelf of Japanese comic books which are all the rage and there for guests to read while dining. I see no problem with it and do it often when dining alone. Come to think of it, I did just last night!!!! A nice serving of Denshu sake, a selection of oysters, and a little tempura were perfect as I sat there reading a newly-acquired book! So there.

Okay, I can't seem to link to the exact thread of the discussion so here it is: Carolyn Tillie - December 24, 2003: Response from John DeFiore (SF, CA): Robin Garr's response to John: Bill Spencer's response to Robin: and the last from Jim Dietz in Tustin, CA:

Beg to differ... After last year's earthquake, having grown up SoCal, I always assumed it was RowBLAYS and queried Robin Garr's Wine Lovers Discussion Group to confirm my suspicion. Fixed Link Edited to fix link -- I hope it goes straight to the discussion at hand and not their current page...

The irony is that you mention this -- someone outside Napa (just the appellation itself, not the country) tried to use the Napa name and herein lies the result of THAT lawsuit!

But to many of us, that sounds like reaching for a "California Paris" or a "California Berlin" or a "California New York." Just because the name of a place has been so long associated with a product, if MOST of the rest of the world doesn't follow suit, why should we overbearing Americans push our desires on them? You don't see bottles of "Austrian Champagne" or "Italian Champagne." Just we silly Americans do that...

I bring a Pinot -- it is the ultimate food-friendly wine and goes equally well with everything from vegetarian dishes to full hefty steaks and all that falls inbetween.

And Mumm Napa Valley crushed 40 tons of pinot noir at its Rutherford winery on Monday, July 26. I should shoot a picture -- I drive by them at 7:30 every morning and there are dozens of dozens of those yellow bins being moved around by forklifts and many-a-worker buzzing around...

I've not heard of double oaking because of sickening or depleted soils, but because the winery can't afford to continually buy new barrels. Double Oaking is done in a variety of different ways -- from oak chips added to old, used-up barrels to a more technical process called "interstaving" where long, thin strips of oak are lined up inside an old, used-up barrels. If anyone wonders how wines like Two-Buck Chuck get their oak flavor, it is because oak chips or sawdust is added to the stainless steel tanks in which the wine is being made -- they don't spend their money on barrels.

Does a float have to use something fizzy for the liquid? I love coffee ice cream with Iced Coffee -- isn't that a float? But I could had Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream wtih Cherry Soda to the list. How about Ginger Ice cream with Ginger Ale? A Citrus Sorbet (take your pick) with Grapefruit Soda? I think the possibilities are endless...

Actually they are. There is a HUGE movement in Europe right now on the rights of names that originated from places. The members of the EU are trying to get some agreement established that will keep makers of such products as Cognac, Champagne, Parma cheese (Parmesan) and ham among others items from being thus named if produced outside its area of origin.