Craig Camp
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Posts posted by Craig Camp
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...by the way Andrea will be joining us for a Q and A and as a regular member.
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It took you long enough! I've been waiting for these! Thanks for taking the time to post them - they are most interesting. I hope you and your father enjoyed the trip.
I agree very much with your assessment of the Sottimano wines although I would score the 2001's a notch higher. I find these wines consistently among the finest of the barriqued Barbaresci. I think they are fascinating to taste together as the wood treatment has clearly not overwhelmed the characteristics of each vineyard.
Could you comment on he experience of tasting so many young nebbiolo wines over such a short period and how it changed or reinforced your interpretation of the area and its wines? It would be interesting to discuss how visiting and tasting in a wine region affects your perceptions of the wines.
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...yes, but what did you think of the food? I like Antine very much and have had two excellent meals there this year alone.
All in all I would say to my palate I find your scoring a little harsh on some of these wines. At the same time I think the 2001's are very difficult to taste at the moment - tannic with unresolved fruit. When you taste these bottles over several days they improve greatly. Also did you notice the very young wines taste better at the estate - where they have been moved little. Even short trips seem to close up extremely young nebbiolo for a while.
The one wine I would certainly debate is the 2001 Roncoglie from Poderi Colla which I would rate as an excellent wine (mid 90's) and one of the top Barbaresci of the vintage. I have now tasted this wine on three separate occasions with consistent notes. This delicate and elegant wine can only suffer when tasting so many young wines at once.
The key to the Colla wines is that they pick their fruit when it is ripe, but not a bit overripe. They prefer to avoid the super-maturity that has become the fashion in winemaking today. While this makes for very closed Barolo and Barbaresco in their youth it makes for spectacular wines a few years down the road. The passion of this producer for the "purity" of nebbiolo fruit in their wines may not be a good commercial idea, but it is indeed a creative statement that has my full respect and appreciation. In fact, the next issue of Piemonte! will feature a 4 page profile of this producer and their vineyards.
All in all, I find the 2001 Baroli and Barbaresci the most consistently excellent of all the current string of great vintages with my average scores running several points higher than 2000 and just a notch higher than 1999.
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I won't deny the fact that some sushi has the potential to taste very good with some red wine. What I would debate is the selection of Burgundy as THE bottle to match with your entire meal. Perhaps in a restaurant with a very good by-the-glass selection it would be fascinating and delicious to experiment with different matches. I find it hard to imagine the wine working throughout the meal.
I will admit that my focus on the wine is different than most. When Burgundy is on the table my attention is more likely to be on the wines with the food playing a critical supporting role. That means I don't want anything on my plate screwing up my Burgundy. I am more concerned by this than having the Burgundy screw up what's on the plate - something that is highly unlikely to happen anyway.
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The affinity of certain red wines for certain fish - most notably salmon and tuna - is well-known and long accepted. In fact, matching salmon with red wine (pinot noir and merlot) is a foundation of the marketing of Washington State and Oregon wines. There is no longer any debate over matching red wines with these fish and it is in fact now the fashion not the exception.
It is also true that not all fish does taste good with red wine and the interaction of tannins and halides create that nasty metallic taste that is best avoided. There was a real reason for the old saw: white wine with fish.
In between great red wine matches like salmon and bad matches like shell fish there is the vast majority of fish that tastes OK with red wine - in other words it does not taste bad, but it neither is a match made in heaven. The preparation itself makes the most difference for these fish. For example a fish prepared with a lemon sauce will clash with red wine while the same fish cooked in a tomato or a mushroom sauce is an excellent match.
The problem with sushi and red wine is that a meal would usually include many types of fish some that match with red and some that don't. The question that presents itself in this case is why risk a perfectly good (and expensive) bottle of Burgundy by pairing it with a meal where some of the interactions with food are highly likely to taste downright nasty? This does neither service to the wine or the food.
With all of the wonderful wines made in the world today these "stretches" like cabernet sauvignon with chocolate and Burgundy with sushi seem strained and pointless. Although they make for a pleasant afternoon of debate at the Beard House, when faced with dropping about $100.00 of my own money on a bottle of wine in a restaurant I think I will take a pass on ordering a Burgundy with my sushi.
Another question would be is why when there are readily available great matches for sushi like riesling would you work so hard to match it with Burgundy?
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Recioto della Valpolicella (sweet) or Amarone (dry version of the same wine)
These are wines without fear of moldy cheeses! Click here for the Wine Camp about Amarone.
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Q: Where does a 1000 Pound wine sit when it walks into a restaurant?
A: Wherever it wants.
...and I've got a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.
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Folks, MANY more people read WS than participate in these various wine boards.
Actually far more people visit eGullet every month than subscribe to The Wine Spectator if you want to compare readership.
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I would like to welcome François Mauss, president and founder of Grand Jury Européen, a unique and innovative wine judging concept that as Mauss describes it, " It is a body of wine tasters who aim to provide wine enthusiasts with an alternative to the rating of wines by individual critics." For more information visit their website below:
http://www.grandjuryeuropeen.com/
It is a great pleasure to have someone of Mr. Mauss' experience and knowledge join us at eGullet.com.
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...you can buy wine cheaper EVERYWHERE than you can from the winery in Napa.
The question is a little broad and the answer would change according to what wines you are looking for - certainly if you're looking for Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Champagne, Alsace, Barolo, Barbaresco, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Rioja, Cava, Priorat, Rheingau, Mosel and other classic wines something like WineMiles won't help much.
Then there is an additional factor that affects who is the best online store for you - if shipping to your state is legal.
Almost every major retailer has a significant web presence that includes on-line buying. I would stick to retailers with well-established reputations when taking the risks of buying online.
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You mean, spaghetti and such? It's just unnecessary.
There's the right answer. Italians would get a kick out of all this hand wringing over breaking or not breaking. The right answer would be it depends -
-on where you're from
-on what your parents liked to do
-on what sauce or dish you are preparing
-on whether you're a good cook or not (not all Italians are great cooks!)
In other words there is no one "right" answer. This is cooking after all not dogma. The main rules are loose -
-don't overcook so you can still taste the pasta
-don't over sauce (Italians are still frugal)
-pick a pasta shape that compliments the flavors of your sauce
...the Garofolo brand is good commercial pasta. It goes for about 75 Euro Cents a package at the IperMarket.
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Any comments on the Campaccio 2000 and 99 regular bottling? We have both available for $40.00 cdn here in BC.
Both are very tasty, but the 1999 is (as you would expect) is a deeper, more complex wine that will age longer than the 2000. Terrabianca did a fine job with their 2000 considering what they had to work with.
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At one point in this process, the desk person said that this happens a lot between the two hotels. I am just suprised that nobody has decided to fix it yet.
...you haven't spent enough time in Italy yet.
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Sudtirol and Alto Adige are the same place. It is indeed in Italy no matter what the local residents think. The first language of the area is German (that's what they speak at home and they watch Austrian TV) and the historical and family ties of the region are to Austria more than Italy. You can easily have breakfast in Balzano and lunch in Vienna.
The labels from Alto Adige are printed in both German and Italian and German is often the featured language as both Austria and Germany are big customers for the wines of the region.
Concerning the wine you had the DOC is not Sudtirol or Alto Adige, but Santa Maddelena. DOC Santa Maddalena (Sankt Magdalener) is produced from the indigenous schiava grape. It is a lovely, light wine. I love to drink them in the summer with a light chill.
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Looks like a heavyweight Craig.
The comparison to Bordeaux is interesting and needs some thought.
Good luck with the Piemonte project.
Thanks Andre the first issue will be out in June.
As far as Bordeaux and Chianti Classico go the point I would make is not that they taste exactly alike (although some of the oaker versions do), which they don't, but that they carry a similar weight and texture. Therefore modern Chianti Classico and Bordeaux are interchangeable when matching wine and food.
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Another critical aspect shared by both Bordeaux and Chianti Classico is winemaking. Today the techniques and winemaking philosophies of both regions have become striking similar because they are trying to make more or less the same style of wine. While there are certainly differences in the wines coming from the different varietals and unique soils and climates, the fact of the matter is that fine Bordeaux and Chianti Classico have become more or less interchangeable at the table..."
Click here for 2001 Le Fonti Chianti Classico Riserva and Vito Arturo.
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"After thirty years as an enologist Romano realized his dream of having his own estate and Ca' Rome was born in 1980. The family produces wines only from their own vines and only in great years. Recently the Marengo's sold off their entire production from 2002 as not up to their standards. It is impossible to buy a bottle of Ca' Rome that is not of the highest quality..."
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I have posted several B and Bs on my website, along with my Piedmont eating tips. I have stayed at both BandBs and recommend them both highly; the one in Serralunga is of course a little more convenient for visiting Barolo producers.
www.omwines.com
oliver@omwines.com if you have any questions
Buon Viaggio!
For those of you who don't know Oliver is an importer of fine Italian wines that I would highly recommend to anyone. Check out his site to see his selections as they are worth taking some extra effort to seek out.
...I am sure his restaurant and hotel recommendations are as reliable as his wine selections.
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http://www.riedelcrystal.com/index.htm
Riedel is the best glassware IMO and is carried by Williams Sonoma and even Amazon.com. We obtained ours thru our bridal registry also. Start with a few pieces -champagne, chardonay and cab glasses. Then you can add on!
Why do you think Riedel is the best? How do they add to your wine drinking experience?
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I can safely recommend against the Steinglau that shows up really cheap at Amazon on periodic promos. I bought a set of six Bordeaux glasses and also six of the Burgundy back at Christmas season. The price was unbeatable: under $25 for 12 glasses including free shipping. I like the shape and feel of them and I don't even drink wine but have a new hosue and figured I'd want them for company. I've used a few of them (generally just two at a time) for other bevergaes but they're just way too fragile. I try to be very catious and have still broken three of them already, even with limited use. At roughly $2 per glass I'm not losing sleep over it but in the big scheme of thigns it was not a good investment, even at such a low price.
I believe the reference here is to Spiegelau. I would disagree and highly recommend them. They are selected by top winemakers the world over as a less expensive, but still effective substitute for Riedel.
Like all good glasses you are going to break some eventually.
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Look for the "Top Ten" line of glasses from Schott-Zwiesel. They are attractive, drastically less expensive than Riedel, dishwasher safe and are more durable. Schott is distributed by Oneida.
Here you are getting some real professional advice from someone who deals with it every night in the most difficult of situations.
I would go with Mark's advise if it was my money.
WTN: Various Piemontese Wines
in Wine
Posted
...also soon to join us among others: Manuel Marchetti, Luca Currado, Federica Colla and Danilo Drocco.