win February 2005

win@thebarn.com

3 participants
15 discussions

by Jim L. Ellingson

>From the times. Seems to me it applies equally to both genders. Do you want any Veuve Clicquot with that? Cheers, Jim February 6, 2005 'French Women Don't Get Fat': Like Champagne for Chocolate By JULIA REED FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT By Mireille Guiliano. 263 pp. Alfred A. Knopf. $22. When I was 15, I studied in France, at the University of Strasbourg, for six weeks. On weekdays, my fellow American students and I ate lunch in the school cafeteria and discovered the wonders of braised rabbit and coq au vin, followed always by an apricot tart or napoleon (my first ever!) at the nearby patisserie. On weekends we toured the country by train, fortified by bread and (real!) cheese, along with copious amounts of cheap red wine. Already weight-obsessed, I was sure I'd put on at least 10 pounds. But when I stepped off the plane, the jaws of my waiting parents and my best friend literally dropped. It turns out I'd lost 10 pounds -- I'm not sure I've looked as good since. Mireille Guiliano had quite a different teenage experience abroad. As an 18-year-old from a small town in eastern France, she spent a year as an exchange student in the well-to-do Boston suburb of Weston, Mass., where she discovered the distinctly American joys of bagels, brownies and chocolate chip cookies and gained 20 pounds. When her own parents met her ocean liner in Le Havre, they were as stunned as mine were, but for a different reason -- her father told her she looked like a sack of potatoes. ''I could not have imagined anything more hurtful,'' she writes. ''And to this day the sting has not been topped.'' Never fear -- Guiliano's story has a happy ending. After a few miserable months during which she gains more weight, cries herself to sleep and hurries past mirrors clothed in shapeless flannel shifts, her mother brings in the family doctor, a k a ''Dr. Miracle.'' He detoxes her with leek broth for a weekend, teaches her to become a master of both her ''willpower'' and her ''pleasures,'' and supplies her with recipes, including one for apple tart without the dough. She learns to love walking, finds her ''equilibrium'' and goes on to become C.E.O. of Clicquot Inc. and a director of Champagne Veuve Clicquot. Most remarkably, despite the fact that she dines out 300 times a year and enjoys two- and three-course meals for lunch and dinner every day -- always accompanied by a glass of Champagne -- she has remained thin. Guiliano recommends Dr. Miracle's plan as the French way, but it is not unlike the advice that American nutritionists on Web sites and at spas and clinics across the country dispense every day. It is exactly the advice I got last year at Dallas's Cooper Clinic during my annual physical: if you want a glass of wine with dinner, don't eat the bread or skip the baked potato. Do some aerobic exercise; if you're over 40, lift weights. Keep a food diary and cut out the processed junk. Slowly changing your eating habits is far more effective than any crash diet. You don't have to deprive yourself if you learn to make trade-offs. And on and on. Somehow, though, these sensible stratagems are more palatable coming from Guiliano, who was once fat herself, and who now happily lives in America, where she first fell victim to our bad habits. She knows we eat too fast in front of the TV or with newspaper in hand, while French women make a ritual out of every meal. She knows we eat portions that are too big and food that is too bland. French women, on the other hand, stress flavor and variety over quantity and, therefore, are more satisfied with less. (Bland food and too much of one kind, a big bowl of pasta for example, breeds boredom, which leads you to alleviate it by eating more.) She knows our tendency to gorge ourselves on Snickers bars rather than savoring a single piece of fine dark chocolate. French women eat slowly and ''with all five senses.'' Indeed, much is made of the superiority of French women in all things, from chewing to ''using the same scarf to create a different effect'' to ''preserving spark and mystery'' in long-term relationships. Apparently, they're even better at being happy -- ''the French woman understands intuitively that one does not laugh because one is happy; one is happy because one laughs.'' This gets a tad tiresome, but I forgive Guiliano her patriotic fervor and her endless aphorisms because she is on to something. After all, I lost 10 pounds by walking off my daily pastry and eating small portions of once exotic dishes (at the university cafeteria they never filled your plate). Also, who can blame her for branding? If a lot of what she dispenses is universally sound advice with a French label, she's smart to apply it. We may profess to despise her compatriots in all their arrogance, but secretly we still find Paris far sexier than South Beach. I think our problem with the French has always been jealousy. We have an inferiority complex, at least stylewise. French women can do more with a scarf. We wish we had their innate chic, their effortless discipline, their easy appreciation of all things sensual -- their impossible thinness. When I begged my parents to send me abroad, it was not to, say, Germany that I wished to go. Desperate to be sophisticated, it was French that I wanted to learn, France that I wanted to know. (Now of course, I wish I'd studied the far more useful Spanish.) Despite all our achievements in what used to be the exclusively French provinces of fashion, food and wine, the real milestones for many of us remain our first Chanel suit, our first sip of Petrus or Chateau d'Yquem, our first time at La Grenouille or La Tour d'Argent. And then there is the fact that while close to two-thirds of American adults are either obese or overweight, French women really don't get fat. The reason behind that most enviable difference, says Guiliano, is that ''French women take pleasure in staying thin by eating well, while American women see it as a conflict and obsess over it.'' Put another way, ''French women typically think about good things to eat. American women typically worry about bad things to eat.'' She says she is constantly appalled that American cocktail parties are filled with chatter about diets, a subject that shouldn't be deemed proper conversation. She says eating in America has become ''controversial behavior'' and that our obsession with weight is growing into nothing less than a ''psychosis'' that she believes adds stress ''to our already stressful way of life,'' which is ''fast erasing the simple values of pleasure.'' She urges us to relax. Walk to the market, breathe in the fresh herbs, cook a good dinner, have a glass of wine or champagne (preferably Veuve Clicquot). Just sip it slowly (she makes hers last through a meal). She rejects the ''American rule'' of ''no pain, no gain'' and describes exercise machines as a ''vestige of Puritanism: instruments of public self-flagellation to make up for private sins of couch riding and overeating.'' By all means go to the gym if you really love it, she says. Otherwise take the stairs and pick up some weights in the privacy of your own home. She finds walking an indulgence that allows time for ''freedom of thought,'' and says French women walk an average of three times as much as American women do. She proudly reports that during the 2003 blackout she easily made it past the younger people in her building who were huffing and puffing on the stairs. Sometimes these ''simple values'' seem perhaps too simple. Many of us need the discipline of the gym and don't have time to stroll to the open-air market (which probably doesn't exist where we live) or set a proper table twice a day. My own early lessons in the civilized life sadly didn't take. The summer I returned from France, a McDonald's opened in our town and a Big Mac suddenly seemed as exotic as a nicoise salad. I failed miserably at what Guiliano calls ''recasting,'' emphasizing quality over quantity in both meals and exercise. But, armed with her book, I am willing to try again. There is no scientific ''food plan,'' just suggestions and seemingly indulgent recipes, including one for fingerling potatoes and caviar. Guiliano reminds us that a half-dozen oysters contain only 60 or 70 calories, that soups fill you up and supply much-needed water to your body (''The theory goes that the French, who eat soup up to five times a week for dinner, eat better and less.'') Her mother's ''soupe aux l�gumes'' is worth the price of the book alone, but I am less sure about her own ''Chicken au Champagne,'' which requires you to pour a cup of champagne over some chicken breasts and then broil them. After tasting one, I can say with certainty that I'd rather have the Champagne in the glass and that I would definitely not serve the chicken to company along with, as she suggests, brown rice and mushrooms. I'm also not entirely sure about Dr. Miracle's apple ''tart'' with its cabbage leaf ''pastry'' (not for eating, necessarily, but ''for presentation''). Still, sans cabbage leaf, it's a good idea, and her snapper with almonds is good full stop, as is the delicious tagliatelle with lemon. Guiliano ends the book with a list of more observations about French women. They don't weigh themselves, they don't snack all the time, they eat more fruit but would never give up their bread or other carbs. They dress to take out the garbage, they understand the importance of a good haircut and expensive perfume, they know love is slimming. Part of me wanted to throw the book across the room, while the other part was memorizing the list. I actually found myself resolving to learn to eat with all five senses -- or at least to try to turn off ''All My Children'' during lunch breaks. I did not even throw up when I got to the line that encouraged me to savor ''all the little things that make each day a miracle,'' so that I may not need a shot of Scotch (French women don't drink hard liquor) or a quart of Haagen-Dazs to get me over the top. At the very least, we would all do ourselves a favor to make like Colette, for whom the table was ''a date with love and friendship '' instead of the root of all evil. Julia Reed is senior writer for Vogue and author of ''Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern Phenomena.'' -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 10 months

[wine] Pot Roast Reds, Sassy Whites at Chez Gregory

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Thanks to Russ for posting his tasting notes. We have an invitation to Chez Gregory. Limit is 10 for this sit down dinner. Wine styles are Sassy Whites... (aka anything interesting.) and Big, Hearty Reds. I don't recall the full list, but am thinking it was along the lines of: Cab/Brdx Blends Spanish Shiraz/Syrah The "white" and "desert" options are always open. "Hearty Burgundy" didn't make the list, but you've only your reputation to lose.... ditto the Romanian Pinot. Warren, Ruth Gregory 651-698-5337 2139 Randolph wrcgregory(a)qwest.net Who/What Bob Cheeses Warren/Ruth hosts/Pot Roasts. Jim/Louise Breads/??? Russ/Sue Nicolai Betsy Lori That's 10 so anyone else is on the waiting list... ----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> ----- THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Monday, Feb. 7, 2005 ________________________________________________________________________ TODAY'S SPONSOR: * CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB Tuscan Sun Sweepstakes! http://www.cawineclub.com/store/special_promotions?Args= ________________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE * IN THIS WEEK'S PREMIUM EDITION The road less taken in Southern Italy. * WT101: RIOJA, PLUS Our wine-education forum goes to Spain this month, with an expert guest host. * FAUSTINO V 1998 RIOJA RESERVA ($16.99) Straightforward Rioja Reserva from a giant producer. * CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB Tuscan Sun Sweepstakes: Win an $8,000 Tuscan Wine and Culinary Adventure! * THIS WEEK ON WINELOVERSPAGE.COM New material this week ranges from African-Americans in the wine world to new releases, bargain Riesling and magnetic gimmicks that claim to "age" wine. * LAST WEEK'S WINE ADVISOR INDEX The Wine Advisor archives. * ADMINISTRIVIA Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe. ________________________________________________________________________ IN THIS WEEK'S PREMIUM EDITION: THE ROAD LESS TAKEN IN SOUTHERN ITALY One well-known principle in the quest for wine value is to look at the top wines from less-familiar wine regions as a good way to beat the supply-and-demand equation. In this week's Wine Advisor Premium Edition we'll take a look at a hearty, highly regarded red wine from Southern Italy, where unfamiliarity holds even the best wines well under the lofty price peaks reached by their cousins from Piemonte and trendy Tuscany. The Premium Edition, our subscription-only E-letter, helps you shop with confidence when you're considering a more pricey bottle for a special occasion. The $24 subscription price - no more than you'd pay for a bottle of exceptionally fine wine - will bring you a full year of biweekly E-mail bulletins. Proceeds go to buy these special wines at retail, and help support WineLoversPage.com too! For a free sample of a previous edition, click here: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/premsample1.html Click here to subscribe today: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/premium.phtml ________________________________________________________________________ WT101: RIOJA, PLUS Ranked third in the world after Italy and France for the title of top wine producer and actually leading in vineyard acreage, Spain may also outpace the competition as the source of wine value. With the limited exception of a relative handful of pricey "cult" reds from Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Priorat, Spain pours out a river of affordable, amiable red, white and pink wines that offer good drinkability and admirable value, remaining good bargains even in a weak-dollar era. For this month's topic in our Wine Tasting 101 Forum, let's explore two key Spanish wine regions. Rioja, the historic wine region in Northern Spain's Basque country, near the Pyrenees; and Castilla y Leon, a broad term for the wide upland plain that extends from Rioja south and west to the outskirts of Madrid and to Spain's border with Portugal, a geographical region that includes such wine-producing areas as Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Toro. Rioja, on the banks of the Ebro river, is subdivided into Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alaversa. A little white Rioja is made, but red is the dominant style and Tempranillo is the dominant grape. In recent times, like many other European wine regions, Rioja has seen a growing gap between "traditional" producers and "modernists" who experiment with innovative wine-making processes and blends. We'll hope to explore these differences in more detail during February. Tempranillo is primary, too, in Ribera del Duero, although - as befits the region's size - there's a diverse collection of grapes and wines throughout Castilla y Leon. It's my pleasure to introduce my friend Joe Perry, a Boston-based wine lover and Rioja enthusiast, as guest host of Wine Tasting 101 for the month. Joe will participate regularly in the forum, offering tasting notes and responding to questions and comments about these regions and their wines. He has already begun a couple of active topics, which you're welcome to read and join in: * Joe introduces himself and the topic in "February, Spanish Wine Month," http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/index.phtml?fn=7&tid=58128&mid=497047 * He provides a good, concise overview of Rioja, including an extensive wine-shopping list, in "Rioja: Searching for the end of the rainbow," http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/index.phtml?fn=7&tid=58169&mid=497495 As always, I've selected a couple of "benchmark" wines for the month, for those who wish to calibrate their palates, and compare tasting notes, with the same wines. * From Rioja, FAUSTINO V 1998 RIOJA RESERVA ($16.99) from Bodegas Faustino, a major producer that's said to be Spain's largest exporter of Rioja wines. * From Castilla y Leon, an excellent value, low-end wine that I featured in the June 30, 2004 Wine Advisor, OSBORNE 2001 "SOLAZ" VINO DE LA TIERRA DE CASTILLA ($7.69). My tasting note on the Faustino V is below. My report on the Osborne "Solaz" is online at http://www.wineloverspage.com/wines/tn.phtml?id=439 ________________________________________________________________________ TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE Remember, you're encouraged to participate actively in WT101, our free online wine-education program that's aimed at sharing information, and gaining experience reporting your wine-tasting experiences, in a friendly and supportive community of online peers. http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/index.phtml?fn=7 If you prefer to comment privately, feel free to send me E-mail at wine(a)wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit. ________________________________________________________________________ FAUSTINO V 1998 RIOJA RESERVA ($16.99) This is a clear, dark reddish-purple wine, blackish in the glass. Black- cherry and brown-spice aromas add a whiff of oaky vanillins; swirling the glass brings up perfumed notes and a heightened sense of alcohol. Flavors follow the nose, rather light-bodied and tart, but there's plenty of crisp, spicy black fruit. It's a straightforward Rioja, not overly complex, but I wouldn't bet against it evolving with cellar time. Crisp acidic snap makes it a good food wine. U.S. importer: Palm Bay Imports, Boca Raton, Fla. (Feb. 6, 2005) FOOD MATCH: It made a fine match with hearty buffalo-meat cheeseburgers lightly seasoned with Tex-Mex spices. VALUE: The mid-teens is an appropriate range for a mass-market Rioja reserva. More sought-after labels will go for substantially more. WHEN TO DRINK: Rioja reserva is built to last, and even this relatively simple rendition should last for years in a good cellar. It's ready to enjoy now, though, so there's no need to wait. PRONUNCIATION: Faustino = "Fow-STEE-noe" Rioja = "Ree-oh-hah" (A more precise rendition would be something like "Dee-oh-khah," but unless you're fluent, I recommend sticking with the Anglicized version.) WEB LINK: Bodegas Faustino's Website is available in Spanish and English: http://www.bodegasfaustino.es/ The U.S. importer's fact sheets about Faustino wines begin here: http://www.palmbayimports.com/xq/asp/VID.251/qx/brands.html FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: Find vendors and compare prices for Faustino's wines on Wine- Searcher.com: http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Faustino/-/-/USD/A?referring_site=WLP ________________________________________________________________________ THE CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB: TUSCAN SUN SWEEPSTAKES Win an $8,000 Tuscan Wine and Culinary Adventure! To enter, visit The California Wine Club's website at www.cawineclub.com. In addition if you join The California Wine Club's International Selections, you'll be entered again. Plus, each time you send a gift of the International Selections you'll be entered again! For details on the "Tuscan Sun Sweepstakes" please visit http://www.cawineclub.com/store/special_promotions?Args= or call 1-800-777-4443. ________________________________________________________________________ THIS WEEK ON WINELOVERSPAGE.COM Here are links to some of our recently published articles that I think you'll enjoy: * WOOD ON WINE African-Americans and Wine African-Americans spend an estimated $300 billion on goods and services every year. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out the market potential here, Columnist Linwood Slayton says, in the first of several columns that will look into African-Americans in the wine industry as vintners, consumers, enthusiasts and advocates. http://www.wineloverspage.com/wood/afram05.phtml * BUCKO'S WINE REPORTS Winter Releases As he looks forward to joining us on our wine tour of the Rhone in June, new releases columnist Randy "Bucko" Buckner ramps up his tastings of wines from the Southern Rhone, plus a number of value-priced Spanish wines to add a European accent to his monthly report. Here's his account of 100 recent wine releases from around the world ... bon appetit! http://www.wineloverspage.com/bucko/bucko0105.phtml * QPRWINES Where wine quality and price relate The latest edition of Neil Monnens' innovative E-mail wine-buying guide QPRwines is now available, featuring wine-value reports on 2002 and 2003 German Riesling. QPRwines groups wines by the major critics' average wine scores, then lists them by price and ranks them by value. http://www.wineloverspage.com/qpr/qprwines.phtml * Wine Lovers' Discussion Group: The magnet effect Several new wine accessories purport to "improve" immature wine by exposing the bottle to a magnetic field. Was Barnum right? Forum participants discuss this topic and propose a rigorous testing protocol. Read and join in the debate: http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/index.phtml?fn=1&tid=58109&mid=496881 ________________________________________________________________________ LAST WEEK'S WINE ADVISOR INDEX The Wine Advisor's daily edition is usually distributed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (and, for those who subscribe, the FoodLetter on Thursdays). Here's the index to last week's columns: * Wine from ... India? (Feb. 4, 2004) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa050204.phtml * Offbeat grapes and wines: Sagrantino (Feb. 2, 2004) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa050202.phtml * What's up with French wine? (Jan. 31, 2004) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tswa050131.phtml * Complete 30 Second Wine Advisor archive: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml * Wine Advisor FoodLetter: Duck pasta (Feb. 3, 2004) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tsfl050203.phtml * Wine Advisor Foodletter archive: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/foodlist.phtml ________________________________________________________________________ SUBSCRIBE: * WineLoversPage.com RSS Feed (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/rss/ * 30 Second Wine Advisor, daily or weekly (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/index.shtml * Wine Advisor FoodLetter, Thursdays (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/foodletter.shtml * Wine Advisor Premium Edition, alternate Tuesdays ($24/year) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/premium.phtml ARCHIVES: For all past editions: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml CONTACT US E-mail: wine(a)wineloverspage.com SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: For information, E-mail wine(a)wineloverspage.com ________________________________________________________________________ ADMINISTRIVIA To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, switch from weekly to daily distribution, or for any other administrative matters, click to http://www.wineloverspage.com/admin.php?id=20970&cs=7d1109b668af1f87d36d12e… We welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. We do not use this list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail to anyone. All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry. Monday, February 7, 2005 Copyright 2005 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved. ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 10 months

[wine] TN Anything but Europe at Sapor 2-3-2005

by russellmccandless＠frontiernet.net

Anything but Europe at Sapor 2/3/2005 A small but select group gathered at Sapor for a free-form, "run what you brung" wine tasting. Those who weren't there missed some elderly NZ sauvignon blancs, and one of the best Washington state wines I've ever had. :) W1 fresh acid snap on nose, herbal flavor, high personality, uncomplicated but sweet, long and tasty. Two minutes later the fruit on the nose was disappearing and the wine was taking on a defrosting refrigerator aroma, apparently corked. Chance Creek, 2001 Sauvignon Blanc, Redwood Valley. W2 medium gold, attractively acidic nose suggests sauvignon blanc, round and medium bodied, sweet fruit adequately balanced by the acid but this isn't highly structured, smooth finish, good length. Kanu, 2003 Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch. W3 strong asparagus, bell pepper and other forms of plant life on nose, maybe VA as well, not tasted. Omaka Springs, 2000 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough. W4 fairly rich gold color, oak and mango chardonnay nose, big wine, maturing chardonnay flavor, touch of an attractive dried fruit taste, quince? Smooth transition to finish, good length, faint blue cheese flavor on the finish, quite good. Robert Sinskey, 1999 Chardonnay, Three Amigos Vineyard, Carneros. W5 unattractively vegetal nose, not tasted. Goldwater, 2001 Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough. 2.1 dark color, funky dirty smell, not tasted. Alexis Bailly, 2003 Marechal Foch, Minnesota. 2.2 medium to light color, Beaujolais nose with some alcohol showing, this could be pinot noir, tastes like pinot too, sweet to the point of artificial, strawberry hard candy? Finishes smoothly, reasonable length, but lacks power. Chateau St. Jean, 2003 Pinot Noir, Sonoma. This wine was much better with 10- 20 minutes more air, the extreme sweetness coming into better balance with the wine's other components; I'd like to taste this in a pinot noir glass. 2.3 medium color, nose suggests cabernet, touch of alcohol, medium body, smoky oak, flavor lacks fruit, balance pretty good, hot finish lacks length. Stonestreet, 1995 Merlot, Alexander Valley. Probably a touch past its prime. 3.1 very dark, bashful dark fruit and bell pepper cabernet nose, big smooth wine, pronounced Rutherford dust flavor, pretty good fruit, herbs and chocolate, smooth finish as it tastes, alcohol showing on finish, neither length nor power is special, good wine though. Raymond, 1997 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa. 3.2 medium dark, nose is alcoholic and vegetal, extremely bell peppery, VA? Flavor smooth, rich, and intrusively vegetal, black pepper on top of the green, finishes alcoholic, could this be going downhill? 2000 Escudo Rojo, Maipo. (Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc.) On the whole, the group liked this wine better than I did. 3.3 dark color, distinguished minty cabernet nose, sweet black currant and blackberry; smooth and full, BIG fruit, some alcohol and acid showing on midpalate, very very smooth transition to finish, exceptional length, medium power, considerable finesse, really good. Quilceda Creek, 2000 Red Wine, Columbia Valley. Note: research indicates this is about 90% cabernet sauvignon with small amounts of merlot and cabernet franc. 3.4 darkly brilliant color, chocolate mint coffee nose with exotic tones of dried tropical fruit, smooth and full bodied, big fruit on midpalate, ripe tannins, some acid still to integrate; transition to finish alcoholically hot, good length and power though, this needs time. Enzo Boglietti, 2001 Barbera. (I did not write down the specific appellation probably Barbera d'Alba, but I would appreciate confirmation or correction from someone else's notes.)

20 years, 10 months

[wine] New World at Sapor tonight

by Jim L. Ellingson

Mostly an update. ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 11:35:45 -0600 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: New World at Sapor User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.4i Greetings, Sapor, 6:30 p.m. $5 per person in lieu of corkage. Style du jour is New World. AKA Anywhere/Anything But Europe Recall that we got into some hot water when someone inadvertantly brought something that they claim was on their list. I belive it was a Zin from Seghesio and/or Ch. Souvreign.... Never mind that it was a different vintage and blah-blah-blah... Anyway, part of their wine list is on their web site. If you happen to bring something that's on the list (easier than you might think. Ask Russ about a split of something obscure he'd bought at a winery that was on their shelf as well.... ) We'll just save it for another week. We're never short of wine. http://www.saporcafe.com/ 428 N. Washington, Mpls 612 375 1971 Yes: Warren/Ruth Betsy Bob Nicolai Jim Still gueses.... Lori Russ. Roger LeClair Annette S No's: Fred Bill S Karin Cheers, Jim Style matters, even inside the bottle From light and zesty to big and fruity, there's a variety from which to choose - Leslie Sbrocco, Special to The Chronicle Thursday, February 3, 2005 Click to View What does it mean to talk about a wine's style? There is no one answer. Style can refer to many things -- from the basic types of wine such as sweet, sparkling and fortified, to the overall style of a region. Oregon Pinot Noir can be described as "Burgundian" in style or Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington may be "Bordeaux-like." This refers to the notion that even though those wines aren't made in France's Burgundy or Bordeaux regions, they share the same style. Usually, individual producers also strive for a particular style for each varietal or wine type. One may craft a lighter, crisper style of Chardonnay while another makes its Chards in a fuller, oakier style. These descriptors are not necessarily related to quality, either. There are world-class wines produced in all styles, from complex yet delicate German Rieslings to huge, barrel-chested California Zinfandels. Identifying styles of wine you like helps save money and time in the store, and it's also helpful when uncorking a bottle at mealtime. Don't worry about the outdated guideline of matching red wine with meat and white with fish; instead, match lighter-styled wines with delicate dishes and powerhouse wines with heavier fare. This week's recommended whites and reds showcase a range of styles starting with lighter, brighter wines and progressing to fuller, richer ones. Kick off with the 2003 Bella Sera Delle Venezie Pinot Grigio ($7). This Italian staple is almost clear in color with zesty lemon/lime freshness. The 2003 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve California Sauvignon Blanc ($10) is juicy with loads of melon flavors and underlying citrus notes. It bridges the gap between a lean, grassy style of Sauvignon Blanc and an overly ripe, warm- weather Sauvignon. Either is ideal as a cocktail sipper or with broiled fish with a squeeze of lemon on top. For more fullness and sweetness, reach for the terrific 2003 Columbia Winery Columbia Valley Gewurztraminer ($9) from Washington state. Medium-dry with balanced acidity and explosive aromas of spice and peaches, it's a style that should be appreciated by even those who say they don't like sweeter wines. This Gewurztraminer's intense aromas make it a good candidate to try with pungent curry dishes. Chardonnay is a versatile grape that can be crafted in many styles, from Burgundy's mineral-laden, elegant wines to full-blown butter bombs. The 2003 Yalumba Wild Ferment Eden Valley Chardonnay from Australia ($10) sits square in the middle stylistically. Made in the cool Eden Valley area with wild yeasts that give the wine complexity, this lovely white maintains a fresh character that allows it to pair nicely with food, but also has a touch of smokiness from oak barrel fermentation. Finally, for a white wine with power, seek out aromatic Viognier. This unique grape variety shines brightest in France's Condrieu region, but lovely versions are popping up worldwide from Australia to South Africa. For an exotic wine adventure that's worth the extra dollar over our usual $10 limit, uncork the full-bodied 2003 Fairview South Africa Viognier ($11), which sports juicy peach aromas with honey and apricot flavors. When it comes to reds, start your style journey in Beaujolais. This French red made with Gamay grapes is more than nouveau. The 2003 Georges Duboeuf Julienas Beaujolais ($10) is considered a top growth, or cru, and its pedigree shows. Like a dancer, it combines intensity with being light on its feet. Moving to Spain, don't miss the 2002 Darien Rioja Tempranillo ($10) from a modern producer in the classic Rioja region. Licorice aromas and cherry flavors jump from the glass in this juicy, fresh red. Cabernet Sauvignon is a grape variety that produces top wines all over the world, and the 2001 Dallas Conte Rapel Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($10) captures the smooth, medium-bodied, herbal character of many Chilean Cabs. Pour a glass to go alongside burgers or grilled Portobello mushroom sandwiches. Moving toward the blockbuster end of the style scale, Zinfandel ranks right up there. But with escalating prices, it's often hard to find a Zin worth sipping in the affordable category. Value-conscious Zin lovers should look for Primitivo from southern Italy's Puglia region, as Primitivo and Zinfandel are essentially the same grape variety. The 2002 A-Mano Puglia Primitivo ($10) is one of the best values on the market today. Made by Mark Shannon, an American winemaker who now lives in Italy, this earthy yet fruity red is an Old World wine made in a New World style. Buy it by the case. We end our style exploration with Petite Sirah, which is anything but petite - it's more like a 6-foot-8-inch, 300-pound linebacker nicknamed "Tiny. " The 2002 Bogle Vineyards Clarksburg Petite Sirah ($10) is like biting into freshly baked blackberry pie. Shopping list These are the best deals The Chronicle found for this week. WHITES 2003 Bella Sera Delle Venezie Pinot Grigio ($7) 2003 Columbia Winery Columbia Valley Gewurztraminer ($9) 2003 Fairview South Africa Viognier ($11) 2003 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve California Sauvignon Blanc ($10) 2003 Yalumba Wild Ferment Eden Valley Chardonnay ($10) REDS 2002 A-Mano Puglia Primitivo ($10) 2002 Bogle Vineyards Clarksburg Petite Sirah ($10) 2001 Dallas Conte Rapel Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($10) 2002 Darien Rioja Tempranillo ($10) 2003 Georges Duboeuf Julienas Beaujolais ($10) Leslie Sbrocco is author of "Wine for Women: A Guide to Buying, Pairing and Sharing Wine" (William Morrow, 2003). E-mail her at wine(a)sfchronicle.com. Page F - 2 URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/02/03/WIG5IB437E1.DTL �2005 San Francisco Chronicle | Feedback | FAQ -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 10 months

[wine] New World at Sapor

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Bob's made the reservation for 8 to 10 people at Sapor, 6:30 p.m. $5 per person in lieu of corkage. Style du jour is New World. AKA Anywhere/Anything But Europe Recall that we got into some hot water when someone inadvertantly brought something that they claim was on their list. I belive it was a Zin from Seghesio and/or Ch. Souvreign.... Never mind that it was a different vintage and blah-blah-blah... Anyway, part of their wine list is on their web site. If you happen to bring something that's on the list (easier that you might think. Ask Russ about a split of something obscure he'd bought at a winery that was on their shelf as well.... ) We'll just save it for another week. WE're never short of wine. http://www.saporcafe.com/ 428 N. Washington, Mpls 612 375 1971 All gueses.... Warren/Ruth Betsy Bob Lori Russ. Jim Roger LeClair Bill Sobolewski Annette S. Cheers, Jim The Waiter You Stiffed Has Not Forgotten By JULIA MOSKIN WHAT evil lurks in the hearts of waiters? Now you can find out. But can you stomach the results? An anonymous New York waiter wrote online recently: "In my fantasy, I become Darth Vader the next time a customer asks about the wines by the glass, then says, 'Merlot! Waiter, haven't you seen the movie "Sideways"?' Then I will slice off his head with my light saber." Grievances, including friction between kitchen and dining room staff, rapacious management and near-universal bitterness over tipping, are being revealed with gusto on the Internet by restaurant staff members. As a customer, to read Web sites like www.bitterwaitress.com, www.waiterrant.blogspot.com and www.webfoodpros.com is to wonder nervously, "Could they be talking about me?" Each month, www.stainedapron.com publishes a new extreme example of customer obnoxiousness. (One forum is titled "Keep Your Brats at Home!") On bitterwaitress.com, the most popular page is an annotated database of people who give bad tips (defined on the site as "any gratuity under 17 percent for service which one's peers would judge as adequate or better"). Anyone can add a name to the database, along with the location, restaurant, amount of the check, amount of the tip and any details, most of which cannot be printed in a family newspaper. (A disclaimer reads: "We are not responsible for submissions. Uh-uh, no way, not in the least.") There are almost 700 entries. "That stuff is childish," said Timothy Banning, a California chef who often posts to www.ontherail.com, a San Francisco-based site for chefs. "And it makes the industry look bad." But most servers say that letting off steam helps them do the job. "It's so important for us to have a place to vent," said Becky Donohue, who waits on tables at Mickey Mantle's in Midtown and writes occasional posts at www.girlcomic.net. "It's amazing that more waiters don't kill people," she said. Many in the industry protest that the rage-filled, often incoherent blogs and posts don't represent the feelings of most restaurant staff members, And so far only a small slice of the industry is active online. "Unlike a lot of people, chefs and waiters don't have computer access at work, or enough time to fool around on the Net," said Bryce Lindholm, a Seattle chef and manager who participates in a Yahoo discussion group for restaurant employees. But the result of these forums, say Mr. Banning, Mr. Lindholm and others, is that the symbolic wall between the kitchen and the dining room - the wall that prevents customers from knowing what is done and said by waiters and cooks - is coming down. And how do they loathe us, the customers? Now we can count the ways. "I don't think civilians really have any idea how the staff really feels: namely, that they just can't wait to turn the table, get their tip and see the back of you," Mr. Lindholm said. "Let's be honest." Referring to restaurant customers as civilians is common, and indicative of the siege mentality that longtime cooks and severs tend to adopt. "I'd say waiting tables is one of the most stressful jobs you can have, short of being a firefighter or an inner-city police officer," said Bruce Griffin Henderson, a singer-songwriter who did 10 years as a waiter in New York. "You have no control over anything, but you are responsible for everything. You are always being squeezed by three immutable forces: the customer, the kitchen and the management." But recent interviews revealed some fresh irritants for the more than eight million Americans who worked in restaurants in 2002 (the most recent year for which figures are available according to the United States Department of Labor). Waiters must now enforce bans on smoking, drinking by minors and cellphone use, and are enduring an influx of Euro-rich tourists who, restaurant staff members say, often pretend not to understand American tipping practices. Chefs say they are being driven mad by an ever-changing spectrum of diets, allergies and food issues. Gillian Clark, the chef at Colorado Kitchen in Washington, contributed thousands of words to a forum at www.washingtonpost.com on the subject of customers who demand changes to the menu. "I explain to them that they are in my restaurant," she wrote, "and they must have the flounder the way I make it." Ms. Clark is relatively tolerant of customers with genuine health problems, but many bloggers reserve their most towering rages for customers with real or imagined dietary restrictions. Last year a server at a Sizzler steakhouse in Norco, Calif., was arrested after a fight with Atkins-dieting customers over whether vegetables could be substituted for potatoes. Participants in online forums reacted with understanding, though the consensus was that Jonathan Voeltner, the server, had gone too far in following the customers and covering their house with maple syrup, flour and instant mashed potatoes. "Use the forum, dude!" one poster urged. "Blow off the steam here." According to www.waitersworld.com, one Washington restaurant customer recently insisted that the restaurant's $10 minimum should be waived for him, because gastric bypass surgery had rendered him unable to swallow more than a few mouthfuls at one sitting. "So why are you in a restaurant?" wrote one cook. "WHY WHY WHY?" These writers are immoderate in their rages, but they do not discriminate. They harbor contempt for tourists, New Yorkers, Southerners, Jews, Christians, women, men, blacks, whites, American Indians. Fat people. Thin people. "My greatest dream is to keep a party of doctors waiting for 45 minutes," Mr. Lindholm said. "They are arrogant as customers, and besides, they keep me waiting in their offices. Let them wait in my restaurant." Serious complaints about sexism, racism, drug use, hazing and management are common, but the servers' greatest source of rage is, of course, tipping. "It's the only job where your hourly wage is totally dependent on how random people feel about you," Ms. Donohue said. "How many times have you gotten bad service at Kinko's? Do you get to dock their pay?" The vengefulness of the posts, and the recurrence of anecdotes that involve adding foreign fluids to customers' food, from breast milk to laxatives, is enough to turn anyone who dares to enter a restaurant into a nervous, toadying wreck. Jesse Elizondo, a waiter who has worked in New York restaurants for 10 years, says that's because customers generally forget how vulnerable they are to the good will of servers. "I can never understand why anyone would be even the slightest bit rude to someone who is about to touch your food," he said. Mr. Elizondo said he discovered the forums after a bad night at work on Restaurant Row, when he went home and typed "waiter" and "revenge" into an Internet search engine. He is amazed by the challenges that customers bring into the dining room, he said, adding: "The cellphones are a big problem for us. And you wouldn't believe how many people think they can bring their own liquor, or keep their big plastic water bottle on the table. I try to assume that people just don't know any better, but sometimes it's impossible, especially with the Europeans who act so sophisticated when it's time to order the wine but so ignorant when it's time to tip the waiter." Online venting has become a vigorous art form for many servers, especially those who are waiting on tables to finance careers as writers or performers. "Where else can you observe human nature at its worst, night after night?" Ms. Donohue, a comedian, said. "The whole system seems to invite bad behavior." Rima Maamari worked her way through college at a Toronto steakhouse, and said that she never intended to write about waitressing when she joined a blogging circle for writers. But, she said, "everyone was so interested in reading about the stuff going on behind a waiter's poker face" that her reports from the front became her only subject. "People feel very strongly about this stuff, and not only waiters," she said. "I got a lot of bitter e-mails from people about how they shouldn't have to tip for bad service." One customer, an ex-waiter, wrote on www.bitterwaitress.com, "You people should QUIT WHINING or get another job." Aline Steiner, a customer who was working online at the East Village cafe Teany last week, said she had visited some of these sites, including www.shamelessrestaurants.com, a controversial New York-based site where employees post anonymously with complaints about their employers. -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

20 years, 10 months

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