Mark Sommelier

Check here: http://sommeliersocietyofamerica.org/about/ and here: http://www.mastersommeliers.org/

Some consistent favorites of mine in un-classifed Bordeaux: Chateau Poujeaux Charmes de Poujeaux (2nd label) Roc de Cambes (same owner as Tertre Roteboeuf) Chateau Haut Mondesir I am also a big fan of second labels for taste and value: Pavie Decesse Petit Mouton Rothschild Petit Cheval Clos du Marquis Reserve de la Comtesse. Sarget de Gruaud Larose

The first book I always recommend is Kevin Zraly's Windows on the World Wine Course. My two favorite books are Hugh Johnson's The World Atlas of Wine , recently updated with Jancis Robinson, and Michael Broadbent's Great Vintage Wine Book. Zraly's book starts from scratch and was originally intended for the waitstaff at Windows on the World in the World Trade Center. Johnson's book has an easy to understand introduction to every aspect of making wine, including the history of winemaking, plus detailed topographical maps of every great vineyard site in the world. Broadbent's book is fascinating in that there are tasting notes of great wines that go back to the mid-nineteenth century.

I have always heard that the host is offered the fish head to suck. Them little fish brains are supposed to be quite tasty.

How was the service? That is always mentioned as an issue.

The Italian selections are usually labelled Leonardo Locascio. They handle many important importers also. Kermit Lynch among them. Ask them if they have some Raveneau under the table!

I have become the Ambassador of Gruner Veltliner. Last year the wine geeks called it "GV". This year it is being called "GruV" (pronounced "groovy"). It is one of the only wines that can handle artichokes, asparagus and ripe heirloom tomatoes. I have no demand for domestic gewurztraminer, therefore, I buy none. I list 7 Alsatians and one Austrian on my winelist presently.

Why? They are generally overpriced for such a new and unproven appellation.

Just to let you know, Leonardo Locasio IS Winebow. He started the company.

There is no accounting for personal taste. I'd rather have a Muller-Catoir Beerenauslese.

Last year, talking with Olivier Humbrecht and his (gorgeous) wife, he said, "She won't let me release any more pinot noirs". I have a '96 Paul Blanck Cuvee "F" on my list that I use to confuse the great wine experts who visit my place. It is almost always taken for a Cotes de Nuits. I think it is a most interesting wine.

Le Slurpee Lur Saluce! Eureka! Yes, the nutty qualities remind you of old Amontillado. Slight oxidation is what causes the color change.

Obelisk is now $58 prix-fixe. 2 dinners at that price plus tax leaves very little for anything else. Tosca might a better choice. Try Bistro Lepic in Georgetown, also.

'86 was a strong cabernet sauvignon vintage. Many of the great wines from that vintage still taste youthful. The Sociando should very good. Remember, though: '86 was the Chernobyl vintage.

I will repeat the old chestnut about Alice Waters: She's not a cook, she's a shopper.

I know that chaptalization is allowed in Burgundy. I drink a fair amount of both white and red Burgundy. I always wonder if people can tell if a red wine has been chaptalized by the taste. Certain vintages are always suspect. Any comments?

D'Yquem doesn't disappoint. The politics and ownership behind it are a different matter. It is a great wine. The oldest that I have tasted several times was the '34. I also tasted the '47. Both very interesting. They cannot be chilled too much. Sauternes of this age turn very dark. They have nutty qualities not seen in younger Sauternes. The storage is the key to the viability of the '18. Liz, you shouldn't be afraid to drink it. You swirl it around in your mouth, then swallow. The finish goes for 2 minutes. It will knock you out.

NHCountrygirl said: "Telling excerpt "I've met Rocco a number of times and he's a great guy. ...But he's done a disservice to himself and the indsustry as a whole through this horrible portrayal of how a restaurant operates." Think most everyone on egullet will second that statement?!? " Yes and yes.

The French government just got handed a windfall from the 15,000 recently deceased pensioners from last Summer. They've done this wine tax thing before. They already have a standing inventory tax. This is why all of us have a hard time buying older Burgundy.

If you are in Cleveland Park, you must go to Yanyu. Order the sushi assortment to start and the Big Duck and Lobster Pad Thai for the main. You won't be disappointed or hungry after that.

I can tell you from many years of experience that the vast majority of consumers wouldn't know a bad bottle of wine if their life depended on it. TCA is the most common problem. I pick it up right away. When the customer says "Ah, smoky!" and I'm offering a taste of Sancerre, I know something is wrong. I get asked 20 times a night what "that thing" is around my neck. Sometimes I tell them the truth, sometimes the answer is "I am the King of the World". As for the woman who wants to hit the sommelier for tasting her wine........ another enlightened consumer. NOT

I get quite a lot of use out of my tastevin at work. It is almost always me who rejects a bad bottle.

The grape glut that has been so widely reported about exists in the Central Coast region. Prices for prime vineyards in Napa Valley have held steady and in many cases risen. Two Buck Chuck is not a Napa wine.

I think one has to consider just how much business a restaurant is doing before asking that question. If it's impossible to get a last minute table at the restaurant, we could assume they don't have reason to care if you dine out, or dine there, more often. If the restaurant has empty tables on a regular basis, it needs more business. The argument about a restaurant's overhead being so high, and including tablecloths and lost silverware as reason for high wine markups is not one I completely understand. Perhaps the food prices should rise to cover those costs. Why are the wine drinkers being asked to subsidize the teatotalers? If I may answer my own question, I think it's because people check menu prices more than wine prices when they are planning to eat out. Frequently they'll pick the restaurant with the less expensive menu items, and ignore the fact that they're going to get soaked on the alcohol. In a way the consumer is to blame, although it's probably not the same segment of the consumer market that's complaining. One more point I'd make is that the charges for bottled water are even higher on a percentage basis although that often brings complaints. Fewer complaints are heard about the more excessive charges for hard liquor, which have relatively few costs invovled in storage and handling. I don't understand why wine at 3X retail value is a crime while whiskey at a considerably higher multiple brings few comments. Finally, what do they charge for a Coke at a fine restaurant although I have no idea why anyone would order one in a fine restaurant. Bux, I am not advocating high wine markups. We were talking about reasonable markups and the reasons they exist. You need to read "Fast Food Nation". I work in a fine restau. Coke costs $2.50. Yes, if you had read that book, it costs us $.01 a glass. Horror!!! Where are the people yelling about that? What's next, the bread? Is it really "free"? A restaurant is a business. Businesses exist to make money. Gouging is a separate issue.

Tj, You are pretty much correct as to how "reasonable" markups are figured. In many cases, though, the price retail stores pay for wine is lower than what restaurants pay, so saying 2X retail is misleading to a degree. I am lucky that my boss and the accountants agree with me that cash flow is more important than arbitrary percentages. No, I don't know the sommelier at Daniel. I do know Daniel, though.