Jump to content

Craig Camp

eGullet Society staff emeritus
  • Posts

    3,274
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Craig Camp

  1. That's an interesting question. I don't recall ever seeing "doppio" on the wall at an Italian coffee bar -- but, to be honest I can't say that I ever pay all that much attention. That's a doppio ditto for me never saw it offered in Italy. My wife never heard of one until she came to the USA. They do make a caffe americano by adding water to a long espresso.
  2. At coffee bars in the USA it seems that double espresso is the norm. Is a double espresso really an espresso? The experience of drinking one is certainly different. To me a double is more like a big cup of strong coffee as compared to the burst of flavor you get in taking in the sip or two that constitutes the Italian espresso experience.
  3. Interesting selection of wines, Craig. What were the Pinot Nero's like? Will we be reading about them in future wines of the week? I'm especially curious about the Poderi Colla given your discussion of the 1999 Barolo. All were very good, pinot noir has made great strides in Italy over the last 5 or so years. Not so long ago it was undrinkable. The Colla was exceptional. I have never had a wine from Poderi Colla that was not first class. You will be reading about all three very soon - in Wine Camp.
  4. Prosecco con Aperol Villa Russiz Sauvignon Blanc, Collio, 2002 Poderi Colla, Campo Romano, Pinot Nero, Langhe, 2001 Tenuta Mazzolino, Noir, Pinot Nero, Oltrepo Pavese, 2000 Marchesi Pancrazi, Villa di Bagnolo, Pinot Nero, Rosso Toscano IGT, 2000 Sangervasio, Vin Santo, Colli Etruria Centrale, 1998 ...we were certainly the only ones in town celebrating, but my in-laws seemed to enjoy the strange food - even though it is served all at once.
  5. Raccolta: a weekly Italian wine harvested by Craig Camp 1999 Poderi Colla, Barolo, Bussia, Dardi Le Rose
  6. 1. No you are not confused. You clearly understand it does not make any sense. 2. No, it is one of those grand mysteries like The Wine Clip. 3. I have heard people of that opinion.
  7. THE BEST WINE IN THE WORLD IN 2003 IS A CALIFORNIA MERLOT. ...and the punch line is????
  8. Craig Camp

    Wine and Chocolate

    There are a lot of people in California who swear by Cabernet Sauvignon and dark chocolate. I would suggest writing to Fisher Vineyards for recommendations as it is a favorite of owner Fred Fisher. I do not live in California or drink Cabernet with chocolate. By the way, Fisher makes great Cabernet. Young Vintage Character, Ruby and Single Quinta Oporto are my choice with chocolate. IMO Tawny and old vintage style Oporto don't work so well.
  9. It's once again the end of the year and that means holidays and The Wine Spectator top 100 wines of the year. To me this list is a sad thing that is an insult to passionate winemakers all over the world. Can you not only select the best 100 wines of the year, but the best wine of the year? It seems ludicrous at best, but it once again reminds us that The Wine Spectator is really good at one thing: marketing The Wine Spectator.
  10. The Wine Appreciation Guild is currently having an extensive book sale on books related to wine, beer, spirits and cooking with them. Many of the books they have on their list are hard to find. If you would like more information please e-mail eGullet member Shannon Essa - shannon@wineappreciation.com and she will send you a list.
  11. That's bizarre!
  12. Recioto della Valpolicella matched with great cheese is NEVER off-topic.
  13. Although, I once saw Yanik Cam at Le Pavillon pour a half-bottle of d'Yquem into a gelee. I can't remember much else about the dessert, I think he was creating the world's most expensive fruit 'n' jello combination (poach pears in sauterne gelee or something). But I remember him goinf down into the cellar and coming up with that hundred dollar half-bottle, and pouring it into the pot.
  14. As I tend to buy my wines over here in Lombardia we will reach out to Mr. Klapp for advice as he shops over there. My experience is the prices can be high (for Italy) around Alba because of all the tourism. If you are visiting wineries carry cash and ask to buy a six-pack although the really rare bottles will be hard to get.
  15. While the adage don't cook with it if you won't drink it is sound: a second one should be if you can sell it at auction don't cook with it. Putting great wine in a dish is an incredible waste of good wine. Just use very good wine with clean fruit flavors. I have been in many top restaurant kitchens over the years and I can assure you they are not tossing Cru Burgundy or Barolo in the pots.
  16. The rating is based on a combination this wine's obvious quality now and my confidence that it will indeed be a great wine in the future. It is not difficult to judge the potential of a wine made in such a classic style - a style that has proven over and over again its ability to produce age-worthy wine. In fact the Poderi Colla wine is made with aging in mind as it is the only way nebbiolo from a great vineyard can reach its full potential of complexity. I also based on my judgment from almost 30 years of professionally tasting Barolo. It is my personal opinion and assessment of the wine. The idea of a 'mark' for drinking the wine today is to ignore the nature of the wine, vineyard and the intention of the winemaker. It is a great wine today in the sense of its potential, but wines like this require the full participation of the drinker to bring them to their fullest potential. The winemaker made a great wine. What the consumer does to the wine is out of his control. I drank the wine over a six day period and enjoyed every glass because I admired the potential of the wine and how it expanded and changed over those days. However at this point the pleasure in this wine is more intellectual than hedonistic.
  17. Craig Camp

    Ristretto

    5 times A DAY! Un vero uomo! I draw the line at 2 maybe 3 unless I want to post on eGullet all night. The bars I frequent are hardly gourmet spots so I am not surprised to never hear someone order a ristretto. In general I find Italians a lot less concerned about these things than we are - as long as they get a good caffe. So no, I think most Italians would not differentiate between caffe corto ("short coffee") and caffe ristretto - even though there technically is a difference. Corto has become the standard and is generally what you get if you just order 'caffe'. I have had true ristretto, but it has always been at a particularly careful and serious place. Ristretto made from exceptional coffee is often taken without sugar as an Amaro like digestivo. Caffe lisco just means coffee only - no milk or grappa. Kind of like ordering your coffee 'black' in the USA - as many people take a splash of milk.
  18. Craig Camp

    Ristretto

    I'll go with Owen's very concise explanation. Most regular bars in Italy cheat and don't make a real ristretto, but simply a caffe corto. In the bars here in our town and almost everywhere else in Italy they serve caffe corto as a matter of course so you don't see many people order ristretto - in fact I have never heard anyone order one. Great explanation Owen.
  19. 1. Parmigiano reggiano stagionata 2. gorgonzola piccante 3. see number 1.
  20. Mark - thanks for the report. I remember the goosebumps I got when I saw that gate for the first time (that was longer ago than I like to think about). As this was your first trip to Burgundy, do you now think about the wines in a different way now that you have been to the place of their birth?
  21. Why spend the premium for BN when any good fruity jug red (or box red) will make a fine sangria??
  22. Raccolta: a weekly wine harvested by Craig Camp 2001 La Querce, La Torretta, Chianti Colli Fiorentini DOC
  23. Craig Camp

    Port?

    Graham's. It is impossible to go wrong with Graham's anything.
  24. Craig Camp

    Burgundy Wine Test

    In Burgundy wine is geography.
  25. Craig Camp

    Burgundy Wine Test

    It certainly would be an expensive piece of real estate on which to build a restaurant.
×
×
  • Create New...