Mark Sommelier

I have now conducted 3 seperate tests over the course of 4 days, all with similar results. I invited people who I consider the best palates I know to participate. I plan to post the results tomorrow. Sorry for the teaser.

Pahlmeyer wines are always one thing: EXPENSIVE

Alright, you guys, I will concede this point: Ms. Immer is correct. Supermarket junk wine is the perfect accompaniment to supermarket junk food.

I guess you know which two to go to then. i do. neophytes probably don't. i suppose my point is that in some places wine shops with knowledgeable staff are hard to come by! the solution, for me at least, has been a combination of reading books, watching TV, reading wine boards, and talking to people who know a lot more than me. Tommy, I get asked 20 times a night how to learn about wine. I tell people there are 2 things you must do: read a lot and DRINK A LOT. Case closed.

It never occured to me that someone would be offended by my referring to KJ and Gallo as plonk. Craig is right, its well made plonk. jddoyle, I'm sorry if you thought I singled you out. I didn't. You mentioned "that attitude", and that set me off. I'm not a snob, just smart enough to not want to drink massed produced McWine. As Craig said, the more you know the better deal you can find. I suppose if Rick Bayless can shill for Burger King, Andrea Immer can do it for Target/ConAgra/Gallo. I certainly apologize if you were offended.

With all due respect, you know nothing of my attitude. I am jovial and the first person to laugh at the silly pretention associated with my business. The fact that this "expert", Ms. Immer, is recommending plonky wine in association with mega-corporate over processed junk food is appalling, and I would hope that anyone with an ounce of brains could see this for what it is.

Hi Russ, I tend to prefer German rieslings at the QbA or Kabinett level colder than spatlesen and auslesen. Ditto for Alsatians - estate rieslings fairly cold, Grand Cru at the same temp a good white Burgundy would be served at. This is personal taste, though, not a hard and fast rule.

Dear Echezeaux, Thanks for posting that. That is proof enough. Unfortunately, she is not alone. Kevin Zraly and Evan Goldstein have gone the corporate route as well. Orville Redenbacher is a trademark of a little company called ConAgra. Some of their brands you might have heard of are : Parkay Margarine (wonder if Andrea recommends that on popcorn?), Blue Bonnet, Hunt's, Chef Boyardee, JIFFY POP, Armour, Chun King, LaChoy, Manwich, Hebrew National, Slim Jim, Wolfgang Puck's...... you get the picture. Look here for more: http://www.conagrafoods.com/brandfinder/index.jsp Obviously, there is huge money involved here. The terrifying thing is those Target shoppers who fall for this piffle. "Yep, I'm gonna get me some of that char-doh-nay wine and pop me some corn, yessir". Blech!

ctqm, Thanks for the correction. Room temp in the States is warmer than that in Europe. That's what I was getting at.

Try Whole Foods Market/Fresh Fields, Dean & Deluca or Harris Teeter.

The opposite of this is supposedly seen in the pages of the Wine Spectator when they review wines like Marcassin and Littorai with miniscule production (75 to 100 cases) in a vain attempt to seem relevant and independant. The charade fails at the end of the year when they publish the Top 100 and choose some crap like St. Jean over Chateau Margaux.

Stony Hill is the most famous of the age-worthy CalChards.

Pasteurized or un-Pasteurized? For Pasteurized I'd serve Cote de Beaune. For un-Pasteurized I'd serve something sauvage like a Madiran.

For something camp and cool, try Cafe Josephine on W. 42nd. Live piano and one of Josephine Baker's sons, plus plush food are the draws. You can walk to the theatre.

Stunning visual aids? I thought they were startling. That clam chowder looks like a hawker, man.

According to Escoffier, pinot noir, or, more specifically, Volnay is the perfect accompaniment for lamb. Pinot has an affinity for saffron, too. A great paella would work well.

Opinions vary between the US and Europe. In France, wines are served chambré or cellar temp. This is usually in the mid to upper 50's Fahrenheit. No red wine should be served at "room temperature" when that temperature is over 70°. Mid to upper 60's for great reds like Bordeaux and Burgundy. Light, fruity wines like Beaujolais and Chinon are traditionally served cooler in Europe. Great whites should never be super chilled. Montrachets are best appreciated in the mid to lower 50's. Sauvignon blancs 50 or slightly cooler. Mid 40's for riesling and chenin blanc. It is an American affectation to freeze Champagne. (One should never freeze the glasses!). Simple rule of thumb: the cheaper the wine, the colder it should be.

I concur. Itend to serve the Kistlers or Pahlmeyers as openers to dinner parties rather than accompniments to courses, although it is not impossible to match them. Yeah. A big-ass lobster with lots of drawn butter.

Monbazillac, like Sauternes, is a HORRIBLE companion to anything chocolate. My guess is that the interaction with the chocolate corrupted the aromatics and flavors of the wine.

California Chards have to be broken into two groups: those that go with food and those that don't. My favorite food chards are: Stony Hill Forman Grgich Hills Mayacamas Hyde de Villaine Nickel & Nickel "John's Creek Vineyard" My favorite "drink me because I'm delicious" chards are: Kongsgaard Paul Hobbs "Agustina" Pahlmeyer Journey Ovation Landmark "Overlook" Ramey "Hyde Vineyard" The first group are either non-malolactic or semi-malolactic fermented chards. The second group are full blown full malo full oak treatment giant chardonnays. I drink the former as accompaniments and the latter as cocktails.

The way to do it is to pick a theme. I always recommend this. The Champagne first suggestion is good. 8-10 people is the best. For a theme you can pick: grape variety from the same vintage, grape variety from the same area, same grapes from different areas, specific years . It is always best to include one much more expensive example of what is being tasted, so that people can see that cost usually means something.

Mike, It's called the Wine Clip, not the Pig Clip. Maybe Dennis will work on that next.

My Wine Clip arrived today. I am planning the test for Friday (Oct. 10) at our weekly Manager's wine tasting that I host at work. I hope to have our results up by the weekend. Thanks, Dennis!

Rocks, you loser, you missed a great lunch. Matt would have loved this place. I found myself today at Ceiba having late lunch with 2 great friends who are also chefs (Citronelle and Firefly). Right off the bat: I really liked this place. We were warmly greeted and well served. The place is very handsome. Nice historical building. Small disclaimer: I'm friends with the guys who own this. That aside, lunch was spectacular. We basically ordered all the appetizers minus the soups and mixed greens. 3 of us had 11 plates. These were the memorable dishes: shrimp ceviche, duck empanadas, fish tacos, the Cubano (!!!), shrimp filled chili relleno, and the CARAMEL POPCORN! Can't wait to check it out at night.

According to the local restaurant critic, the Morton's on Connecticut Avenue here has the best burgers in Washington, DC. Only at lunch, though. Catch the Acela down here!! Have some glasses of wine with me at Citronelle and then catch the 9 o'clock train back.