Craig Camp
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Posts posted by Craig Camp
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Osteria Borgo Buio, via di Borgo Buio 10 (0578 717497) Very good local food and an excellent wine list.
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From the new Sam's mailer:
2000 LUCIANO SANDRONE, CANNUBI BOSCHIS BAROLO - 97 pts. Wine Spectator -" Solid and superfruity. Ultraclean"Superfruity and ultra-clean??
Is this what you want your Barolo to taste like?
Oh, by the way it's $140 a bottle.
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Aperol, the lovely orange based Italian aperitivo. Served in the same way as Campari, but with a flavor less bitter and less alcohol.
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Decanting is exactly for the two things you mention: to let the wine breath or to separate the wine from its sediment. That being said, this is the solution to different problems. Young wines often need to breathe to open up their flavors. Just opening the bottle does not accomplish this very well and pouring the wine into a decanter aerates the wine: both while pouring and as its sits in the decanter itself. For older wines with sediment the issue is different and too much exposure to air can rapidly let the delicate aromatics escape leaving the wine a hollow shell of itself. The older and more delicate the wine the more this is an issue. For example letting a very old Barolo breathe a bit is a different issue than letting a very old Burgundy be exposed to air for the same amount of time. Very delicate older wines are often not decanted for this reason. To deal with a very old wine with sediment make sure to stand the bottle upright for enough time to let the sediment settle and then decant or pour directly into glasses and serve immediately.
How long totally depends on the wine being served. Some argue that Burgundy should never be decanted - no matter how young. Some Barolo lovers insist on what seems like decades of breathing time - no matter how old. When it comes to the correct time we enter the realm of personal preferences.
Are there specific wines you have in mind?
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We came back and almost ate at ostoria Laberia but my wife was afraid there wasn’t enough for us to eat
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An osteria in Italy without enough to eat? Impossible!!
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Perhaps they'll go the route of Nigel Tufnel in This is Spinal Tap and start handing out 110 points.
"It's better because it goes to 110!!!"
Love it!!
Do you get Clive Coates' The Vine in the US? I have always found that the tasting notes/scores are much more sensible.
That excellent publication is available in the USA and I would certainly recommend it to anyone. Clive Coates along with Jancis Robinson are at the center of the developing chasm between American and British wine writers that was ingnited by the Robinson/Parker exchange over Pavie, which was more or less over this topic.
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grappa would be the parting shot (so to speak)
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I don't like high alcohol wines with spicey foods. The heat just makes the alcohol stand out more and then the wine seems even more unbalanced.
For heat look for wines with moderate alcohol, bright fruity flavors, low tannin and a little sweetness.
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Where in Florida do you buy your wine. Do you "pair" it yourself - or does someone in the store help you. Robyn (northeast Florida)
Robyn,
Actually, Diane (my wife) and I do the pairing. She is an excellent chef with a very acute palate and I know our inventory - it is a joint effort almost every time.
(Although, Craig's "guru" label gives me an idea for a toga party . . .)
As for buying wine, I assume you have a Wine Warehouse somewhere near you. They seem to have good prices and a diverse selection. As a chain, they really do a very good job.
I also have wine shipped to me as I live 6 months of the year in NC where shipping is legal.
And then there are few other sources that I come upon from time to time.
Best, Jim
toga, toga, toga, toga...
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Where in Florida do you buy your wine. Do you "pair" it yourself - or does someone in the store help you. Robyn (northeast Florida)
Jim is the guru of food and wine matching.
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To add to our supply of Riedel glasses, we just acquired two Tasting Glasses for a real good price. What's up with them? Tonight we drank our wine (Shiraz) for dinner with these glasses. As good wine always does in Riedel, it tasted wonderful. The design of the tasting glasses is more practical than pretty, I'm sure.
I get it, that for a tasting, these glasses precisely measure the amount of wine poured by filling the hollow stem. Beyond that, what is the advantage?
Any other comments about Riedel, or Riedel vs. Spiegelau or others?
By the way, I don't like those Riedel tasting glasses. I think they were only created for portion control at public tastings and have no other use I can think of - why do you need portion control at home?
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How can you resist?
i find the $349.99 tag makes it easy
How can you set a price on perfection?
Actually, I can think of some other reasons to resist:
2000 Ca' Rome' Rio Sordo Barbaresco - $52
2000 Sottimano Fausoni Barbaresco - $45
2000 Moccagatta Bric Balin Barbaresco - $58
2000 B. Giacosa Rabaja' Barbaresco - $90
...and on and on
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I am trying to remember when I first used a Riedel glass, I don't remember the year, but it was a long time ago. It probably was twenty years ago when I was organizing a tasting for Louis Trebuchet of the fine Burgundy estate Chartron Trebuchet, when the people from Riedel contacted me and asked me to use their glasses at the tasting. This tasting was was to be attended by all the top wine pros in town and they wanted to demonstrate the quality of their glasses. After the tasting there was universal agreement that the glasses enhanced the quality of the wines. In the decades since I have compared Riedel vs.other glasses, hundreds, if not thousands of times, and it is very clear to me that their glasses make a difference. This is not to say that there are not other glasses that can equal them. Twenty years ago they stood alone, but their success has inspired many other companies to improve their wine glass design.
I have to admit I do not buy the Riedel argument about different glass shapes pushing certain types of wine to just the right part of the tongue. First of all I am a habitual "swisher" (you know that slurping sound wine tasters make - I have done it so many times I find myself doing it with milk or water, much to the pleasure of my wife) so the wine quickly covers all parts of the mouth. Also, the tongue is quite simple when it comes to tasting. Where the real action is at is in the bouquet of the wine. Here is most of what we refer to as "taste" when it comes to wine. It is in this area that Riedel (and other similar brands) really shine. If you plug up your nose the glass matters not, but if you want to really dig into the aromatics of a wine a good glass is everything.
Riedel glasses are aromatic amplifiers. This is where their real impact occurs.
Appearance is also important and does provide a psychological push to a wine. Just as beautiful china sets off a meal and predisposes one to perceive the food as top quality, beautiful crystal presents a wine in its best light. Certainly Riedel does well here also as their glasses are visually stunning.
I use Riedel both for my work and for dining. For work I use the "O" series using the cabernet/merlot and pinot noir/nebbiolo for both red and white wines. The stemless design is easy to work with and as, I wash my own glasses after tastings, they are very convenient and much less likely to break. As I do most of my tasting in the late morning these are also the glasses that usually end up on the lunch table when there is no company around.
At the table I use the "Vinum" series using the Burgundy and Bordeaux shapes for all types of wine. In my opinion, the "Sommelier" series is certainly more beautiful, but are not technically superior to the "Vinum" series when it comes to enhancing aromatic intensity.
You can see the "O" and "Vinum" glasses here.
By the way, I still have more than 2 dozen glasses from that tasting almost twenty years ago. I haven't worn them out yet, but I'm trying.
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A e-mail announcement from Sam's, the mega-wine store in Chicago, arrived in my inbox yesterday offering a pre-sale price of $349.99 on the 2000 Gaja Costa Russi. The ad touted a Wine Spectator rating of 100 points for this wine from the 2000 vintage, which they also rated 100 points. That makes the 2000 Costa Russi a 100x100 on The Wine Spectator scale or, in other words, THE PERFECT WINE. How can you resist?
It's interesting to note that you can still buy the 1996 Costa Russi for under $250 a bottle, but it's not perfect is it - or is it?
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Yikes! Wine prices are brutal in California!
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Yikes! I already sold the 2 cases I got of the '01 bottle by bottle. People raved about the wine.
Tj: The glasses at Caucus Room are made by Schott-Zwiesel. They are very sturdy and very reasonably priced.
Mark - I have not had the pleasure of dining in your restaurant, but from your posts and other things I have read it does not sound like a 15+% alcohol, just released Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is the ideal match for your cuisine. I mean this is Amarone territory, but at least they have to dry the grapes to get there.
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Welcome to eGullet Mark!
I would bet that the 2001 cab will be a stewed, alcoholic mess in 10-15 years, as would most any other cab with 15.3% alcohol...
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Hmmm. Sorry to harsh your buzz, but that looks like something else entirely. Must be the soft, pinky, color, but it has a distinctly entrail-y feel to it.
...and what would be wrong with entrails?
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As excellent as the red wines of this property are, it is their exceptional and age-worthy Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico wines that make them stand out in the crowded world of wines. Their unique flavors, textures and complexity make delicious companions to the finest meals. They are among Italy's finest white wines.
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These posts once again point out the large difference between egg use in Europe and the USA. There just is not the same paranoia. They buy fresh eggs and use them with confidence. Maybe the main difference is the eggs are fresher here.
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The last week has been hot here in northern Italy. However, no matter the month the eggs sit unrefrigerated in the stores. The vendors at the outside markets have them stacked in the sweltering heat. Yet, there is not a bit of egg paranoia here. Raw eggs, or almost raw eggs show up in all sorts of dishes. Tiramisú is everywhere and I love the rich red-orange color of the raw egg they crack into the center of my carne cruda at one of my favorite bars. So what's the deal. Are eggs somehow less dangerous in Italy?
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More than 30 years ago, I bought some bottles of Tignanello on a friend's recommendation . Awful stuff! I've never bought any of the Antinori wines since then. So your post, Craig Camp, resonates with me.
Tignanello was the exact opposite of Le Pergole Torte. Give me Montevertine any day over any of the Antinori wines.
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Frankly I would guess if the waiter was well-tipped, he/she could probably care less who pours the wine. If you pay enough you can probably cook as well. Handling your own wines in a BYO situation is not unusual and is common for wine geeks/groups bringing their carefully cellared bottles from home.
It's not the same as the taking the bottle from the sommelier who has just retrieved his selection from the restaurants cellar.
Schiava grapes from Valdadige
in Wine
Posted
Valdadige is actually a broad, quasi-generic DOC, barely above IGT in its requirements. It covers the area ranging from Balzano down to Verona so includes Alto Adige, Trentino and part of Veneto. There are many, many varietals entitled to the DOC.
Schiava as they call it in Trentino or vernatsch as they call it in Alto Adige is the most planted red variety in Trentino/Alto Adige usually producing a light, tart wine that is more rosé than red.. However, from the best producers and vineyards it yields a wine of great grace and elegance, but even the best are not deeply colored. The best zones are Santa Maddalena DOC and Lago di Caldaro DOC, which are produced from schiava (with up to 15% pinot nero or lagrein) and most of the best bottles come from these zones. Of course, these DOC usually don't put the varietal on the label. These are charming wines that are best served quite cool. Some of my favorites include:
Kettmeir, Lago di Caldaro Classico
Gojer Glögglhof, Santa Maddalena Classico
Kränzel, Schiava Schloss Basian
Berger-Thurnhof, Santa Maddalena
Peter Sölva, Lago di Caldaro
Zisser, Santa Maddalena Classico
Cantina Produttori Gries, Santa Maddalena Classico Tröglerhof (about as good as schiava gets - they also make a stunning lagrein)
Georg Mumelter, Griesbauerhof Santa Maddalena Classico (also near the top)
Cantina Produttori Santa Maddalena, Santa Maddalena Classico and the single vineyard Santa Maddalena Huch am Bach (one of the best)
Manicor Lago di Caldaro Scelto Classico