FYI/FYE.
We tasted some nice bubbles last night.
Aubry and Philipponnet Royal Reserve were wonderful and priced in the 40s.
Gruet Blance de Blancs is less than $15 on sale and held it's own.
Schramsber was plenty good.
Like Money in a Glass, but With Bubbles
By Dave McIntyre
Wednesday, December 17, 2008; F05
What do we pay for when we buy a bottle of expensive champagne? In "The Wine Trials," published this year by Fearless Critic Media, author Robin Goldstein describes a series of tastings in which about 60 people were asked to rate two unidentified glasses of sparkling wine. Two out of three preferred a $12 Domaine Ste. Michelle from Washington state over Dom Perignon, the famous luxury champagne that sells for $150.
So if more people prefer the cheaper wine, why buy the expensive one? Goldstein concluded that when we purchase Dom (or a cult Napa cabernet or first-growth Bordeaux), we're not buying just wine but also the experience of drinking something exclusive and expensive. We enjoy the taste of money.
Money seems to taste sour these days. The champagne trade association CIVC recently announced that global shipments of champagne plummeted 20 percent in October compared with the same period last year. The British wine magazine Decanter reported on its Web site that 2008 shipments -- two-thirds of which come at the end of the year -- could drop by 34 million bottles, or about 10 percent, from last year's boom.
Given champagne's elite status, we would expect sales to slump during a global economic downturn as consumers turn to cheaper sparkling wines from Spain, Italy, California and elsewhere. But if champagne is what you want, there are larger houses that offer fine value at relatively low prices, especially as competition heats up with sales this time of year. And excitement in champagne is not really much more expensive, if you know where to look.
Here are some tips for maximizing your champagne experience this holiday season.
Ask your retailer. Specialty wine stores will carry the familiar labels (Veuve Clicquot, Moet, Mumm, Taittinger) because those are the names customers ask for. And many of them might be competitively discounted at this time of year. But your retailer might have one or two unfamiliar labels tucked to the side that represent good value for the money, so don't be afraid to ask.
Look for local importers. By U.S. law, the importer must be identified on the label. Local importers specialize in finding unknown producers of high-quality wines -- from any region.
Look for small growers. Champagne boasts more than 15,000 independent grape growers, many with exceedingly small parcels. Together they own 90 percent of the vineyards. However, only about 5,000 growers produce wine from their own grapes. The power (political and economic) lies with the 300 or so champagne houses that own 10 percent of the vineyards but account for two-thirds of Champagne's production and a whopping 90 percent of its exports.
The large houses offer some fine products, but the small "grower champagnes" have become quite the fashion among the value-hunting set in the past decade or so. By making their own wines instead of selling to the large houses, growers can produce distinctive champagnes that taste of their own vineyards instead of seeing their grapes disappear into a larger blend that reflects a "house style" of a major brand. Consumers pay less (in theory, at least) because they aren't supporting the prestige and advertising budgets of the parent corporations.
Small grower wines from highly rated vineyards -- those designated grands crus -- offer even greater value, because the quality of the fruit produces a finer expression of terroir and the winemaker's style.
Those expressions can be as different as they are exciting. Pascal Doquet produces a blockbuster, in-your-face champagne that dares you not to like it. The wine from Pierre Peters is more reticent. It waits for you to notice how good it is before revealing all its secrets, like a mentor who teaches the true craft only after the student has proven worthy.
Both wines cost about $50 -- not much more than the basic champagnes of the major houses -- but they taste like they cost more. They taste like money.
Dave McIntyre can be reached through his Web site, http://www.dmwineline.com, or at food(a)washpost.com.
Recommendations
Wednesday, December 17, 2008; F05
Restaurants often offer your best opportunity to try grower champagnes, as they are neither in large supply nor widely available in retail stores. Here I've included some of the better larger brands as well as some grower champagnes.
Pascal Doquet Grand Cru Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger Blanc de Blancs
***
France, $50
Small grower. From family-owned vineyards in the most famous grand cru area of Champagne, this wine features brawn over finesse, with golden color and toasty, yeasty flavors. Without the bubbles, it could pass for a classy white Burgundy.
Kacher/Washington Wholesale: available in the District at Ace Beverage, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, MacArthur Beverages, Pearson's; on the list at Bourbon Steak.
Pierre Peters Cuvee de Reserve Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
***
France, $58
Small grower. From top-rated vineyards in the Cote des Blancs, one of the world's best areas for chardonnay, this is a delicate, flirtatious wine with hints of jasmine, ginger and sea air. One sip is inviting, the next aloof, as the bubbles nearly mask the quality of the chardonnay. It actually improves the next day as the bubbles fade, suggesting it could benefit from being decanted. The more I like this wine, the more I want it to like me.
Terry Theise/Bacchus: available in the District at Chat's Liquors, Wide World of Wines; on the list at Proof, BLT Steak, Tabard Inn, Zaytinya; in Maryland, on the list at Casey Jones Restaurant in La Plata.
Thierry Triolet Grande Reserve Brut
** 1/2
France, $38
Small grower. This wine hails from the Cote de Sezanne region of Champagne, which carries less cachet and therefore prompts a lower price. Triolet sold his grapes to large houses in Reims until 1985, when he began making his own wine. This blend of chardonnays from several vintages is riveting, with bright red-fruit flavors and a strong mineral structure. It's a steal. Also good: the Vielles Vignes 2004 ($42), though it will reward several years' more time in bottle.
Wine Traditions: available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington, Grape + Bean in Alexandria; on the list at Mediteranee Restaurant in Great Falls; in the District, on the list at Cork Wine Bar. The Vielles Vignes 2004 is available at Finewines.com in Gaithersburg; in the District, on the list at Palena.
Roland Champion Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
**
France, $55
Small grower. Autumn fruits -- apples and apple cider -- dominate the aromas of this wine, which is blatantly more like a wine than we normally expect a champagne to be. Some may find that unexpected and even off-putting, while others will find it intriguingly delicious.
Kysela: available in the District at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, Whole Foods Market P Street; available in Virginia at Rick's Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria, Vienna Vintner in Vienna; on the list at L'Auberge Provencale in Great Falls, Inn at Little Washington.
Gosset Brut Excellence
* 1/2
France, $45
Gosset is a smaller house that buys some grapes, so it does not qualify as a small grower in the trendy sense of the term. But it produces fine fizz, including this light and elegant wine that shows nice finesse and balance.
Republic National: available in the District at Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits, Cleveland Park Wine & Liquor, Pearson's, Rodman's; on the list at BLT Steak, Central Michel Richard, Posto.
Trouillard Brut Extra Selection
* 1/2
France, $50
Although the national retail price of this wine is $50, it typically is sold for less in this region, often under $40 during the holidays. It offers aromas of roasted hazelnuts and flavors of red fruits.
Kysela; available in the District at Bell Wine & Spirits, Magruder's, Marvelous Markets in Capitol Hill and Georgetown, Pearson's; on the list at New Heights; available in Virginia at Whole Foods Markets in Reston and Tysons Corner; on the list at L'Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls, Blackthorne Inn in Upperville.
Nicolas Feuillatte Brut
*
France, $43
The importer lists this wine at a national retail price of $43, but it is frequently advertised in The Post at $26. At the sale price it's a good buy, with toasty red-fruit flavors (raspberry, cranberry) from the pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes in the blend. The fruit fades quickly to a somewhat sweet, caramel finish.
Country Vintner: widely available.
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut (Yellow Label)
*
France, $40
Bacchanalians love to hate this wine because it is famous and owned by the cognac-swilling fashion mavens at the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesey Group and is therefore the very antithesis of small-grower champagne. But it's good. And it's everywhere.
Washington Wholesale: widely available.
Store and restaurant listings are provided by the distributors and may not be complete. Check with your favorite store for availability.
Key
*** Exceptional
** Excellent
* Very good
Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through the distributor.
--
------------------------------
* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
FYI/FYE
from NYT
December 17, 2008
The Pour
A Good Read Before You Sip
By ERIC ASIMOV
NO matter the condition of the economy, the state of the world or the weather, the annual holiday flood of books on wine gushes forth unimpeded.
I.m often asked if I can recommend one authoritative introduction to wine. It.s tough, since the most important part of such an introduction, the bottles, are never included. But three new primers have entered the fray.
Andrew Jefford.s Wine Course, by Andrew Jefford (Ryland Peters & Small, $29.95), takes a poetically inspirational tour of wines around the world. Mr. Jefford, a British writer whose book .The New France. (Mitchell Beazley, 2006) was terrifically insightful, seems more concerned here with the romantic potential of wine than its humdrum reality.
Entreated with glossy photos and glossier words, readers may salivate their way to the wine shop, hoping to find a merlot that lives up to its description as .the most carnal of the world.s red wines,. or a German riesling that .barely seems like wine at all, and more like a subtle summary of the natural world..
Occasionally, his florid language can smother. I can imagine eyes rolling with impatience after reading his description of a well-aged nebbiolo .rolling around the mouth like the sound of gunshot off the hills, scenting the breath like a cachou and stiffening the blood like a national anthem.. Ouch! Still, there.s plenty here to test what your own senses will detect in a glass.
To help with that assessment, Jancis Robinson offers a newly revised edition of her 2001 book How to Taste: A Guide to Enjoying Wine (Simon & Schuster, $26). It is indeed about critical tasting, rather than pleasure drinking, yet many of the skills Ms. Robinson teaches can become part of the unconscious routine of enjoying wine, ultimately enhancing the pleasure.
Ms. Robinson writes with understated authority and whimsical self-deprecation. Reading this book will no more make you an expert than a guide to skiing will set you up for a downhill run, but it goes down easily.
Both the Jefford and Robinson books take a British view of wine, concentrating far more on European than American vineyards. This may be historically just and sound, yet American readers may be more comfortable with more focus on the local. WineWise: Your Complete Guide to Understanding, Selecting and Enjoying Wine (Wiley, $29.95), by Steven Kolpan, Brian H. Smith and Michael A. Weiss, places far more emphasis on New World wines and attitudes.
Beginners will find plenty of essential information about geography and winemaking, and the book can be read in easily digestible chunks. Sometimes .WineWise. is indeed wise, as when warning readers away from a dependence on critics. scores.
The three authors are professors at the Culinary Institute of America, so perhaps it.s no surprise that .WineWise,. like many textbooks, seems written not to offend. In comparing what they term brand-name wines and terroir wines, .WineWise. asks: .Is one better than the other? Is beer-battered deep-fried cod better than seared yellowfin tuna? No, they are different concepts, different approaches..
To me, a more apt comparison would be of processed fast food to a homemade meal of carefully selected ingredients. They may both fill you up, but they won.t be equally nutritious.
One of the biggest stories in American wine has been the explosive growth of pinot noir since the movie .Sideways. came out in 2004. John Winthrop Haeger, who wrote the prematurely exhaustive book .North American Pinot Noir. in 2003, now offers a comprehensive supplement, Pacific Pinot Noir (University of California Press, $21.95).
Mr. Haeger does not republish the earlier book.s regional maps or history of pinot noir in North America. Instead, this new paperback offers a useful discussion of the evolution of pinot noir in the last few years, along with profiles of more than 200 pinot noir producers in California and Oregon. I especially appreciate that Mr. Haeger indicates his own favorite winemakers, to get a sense of his tastes in an otherwise dispassionate work.
I.ve saved my favorite new book for last. Corkscrewed: Adventures in the New French Wine Country, by Robert V. Camuto (University of Nebraska Press, $24.95), is a slender volume with little obvious utility. Yet, to paraphrase the merchant and writer Kermit Lynch, an obvious model for this book, it inspires thirst and curiosity.
Mr. Camuto, a journalist, moved to the south of France with his family several years ago, and a general interest in wine quickly became a passion for the wine itself, the people who produce it and the land.
It.s fashionable now to bash France for its troubled wine industry, saddled by an entrenched bureaucracy, changing social mores and an inability to compete with less-regulated nations. Yet .Corkscrewed. reveals how little we understand the depth and richness of the relationship between the French and their wine.
Just as a trip around the French countryside reveals dozens of dishes that never make it to French restaurants in the United States, Mr. Camuto.s adventures will introduce readers to little-known French wines like Domaine Borrely-Martin of Provence, Châau Mosséf Roussillon and Domaine des Tres Cantous of Gaillac, and to the passionate individuals that persevere despite the absence of monetary reward. These may not be the wines that earn one spurs as a connoisseur, but they certainly may produce a worthy sense of humility at how much there is to learn. I can.t wait to drink them.
--
------------------------------
* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
FYI/FYE
Proof - Alcohol and American Life
December 15, 2008, 9:00 pm
Drunkenfreude
By Susan Cheever
As dessert ended, the woman in the red dress got up and stumbled toward the bathroom. Her husband, whose head had been sinking toward the bûde Noë put a clumsily lecherous arm around the reluctant hostess. As coffee splashed into porcelain demitasse cups, the woman in the red dress returned, sank sloppily into her chair and reached for the Courvoisier. Someone gently moved the bottle away. .Are you shaying I.m drunk?. she demanded. Even in the candlelight I noticed that the lipstick she had reapplied was slightly to the left of her lips. Her husband, suddenly bellicose, sprang from his chair to defend his wife.s honor. But on the way across the room he slipped and went down like a tray of dishes. .Frank! Are you hurt?. she screamed. Somehow she had gotten hold of the brandy. .S.nothing,. he replied, .just lay down for a little nap. Can I bum a smoke?.
That dinner party was almost 10 years ago; it was the last time I saw anyone visibly drunk at a New York party. The New York apartments and lofts which were once the scenes of old-fashioned drunken carnage . slurred speech, broken crockery, broken legs and arms, broken marriages and broken dreams . are now the scene of parties where both friendships and glassware survive intact. Everyone comes on time, behaves well, drinks a little wine, eats a few tiny canapé and leaves on time. They all still drink, but no one gets drunk anymore. Neither do they smoke. What on earth has happened?
If alcoholism is an addiction . which it is . how can people control their drinking just because it is no longer acceptable to get drunk? What about smoking, another addiction? Addicts are supposed to be powerless; is a little social disapproval more powerful than all the rehabilitation centers and 12-step programs and fancy new drugs?
Does fashion trump addiction?
Addiction specialists and scientists have identified three causes of most addictions: early trauma, genes, and environment. Still, addiction has eluded all attempts at a precise definition or a complete understanding. In most models, environment is thought to be the least of the three so-called causes. But maybe environment is the elephant in the room. In an environment where it is not attractive to get drunk, no one gets drunk.
In his brilliant book about addiction, .America Anonymous,. Benoit Denizet-Lewis describes an experiment done by Vancouver professor Bruce Alexander in which rats in small cages were compared to rats in a specially designed Rat Heaven, a room where lab rats had everything that lab rats like. The rats in cages drank 16 times as much of the sugary morphine solution offered than the rats in Rat Heaven. Can addictions be controlled just by circumstances? Are parties and vacations an overlooked way to treat alcoholism?
In the old days, drunkenness was as much part of New York City society as evening clothes. This is the city where Zelda Fitzgerald jumped wildly in the fountain in front of the Plaza, the city of .Breakfast at Tiffany.s,. written by another fabulous alcoholic, Truman Capote. It.s the city of late nights with sloshed celebrities at the Stork Club. It.s the city that gave its name to Manhattans and Bronx Cocktails, the city of John O.Hara and Frank O.Hara, of drunken brilliance and brilliant drunks.
I don.t drink. I know the savage, destructive power of alcoholism. It.s a soul stealer. Yet, there.s a mischievous part of me that misses all that extreme behavior, all those nasty but somehow amusing surprises, all that glamor even when so much of it ended in pain, institutions and early death. For us sober people there is a kind of drunkenfreude to watching others embarrass themselves, mangle their words and do things they will regret in the morning . if they even remember them in the morning.
After our host poured the woman in the red dress and her husband into a taxi that long ago night, we all chortled over our nightcaps at their behavior. In his sober years my father used to mix killer martinis for guests and then watch with amusement as they tried to navigate down the stairs of his house to the driveway . stairs that they had bounded up so easily a few hours earlier.
There are certainly moments when it is embarrassing not to drink. A friend will start to pour me a glass of wine and then apologize profusely. At a party someone will notice my club soda and decide to make an issue of it. Why can.t I just have a little white wine? But there were many more embarrassing moments when I did drink, and that.s what watching other people get drunk helps me remember. For me, the psychology is often in reverse. I learn from seeing what I don.t want and avoiding it, rather than from seeing what I do want and aspiring to it. I have been to many wonderful Christmas parties in the last decade and seen many glorious women behave with dignity and grace. I don.t remember them. It.s the woman in the red dress I won.t forget.
--
------------------------------
* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
December 14, 2008
Journeys
Le Tour du Chocolat
By AMY THOMAS
THE French have elevated many things to high art: fashion, flirting, foie gras. Chocolate is no exception. With boutiques that display truffles as rapturously as diamonds, the experience of visiting a Parisian chocolatier can be sublime.
The problem, of course, is squeezing in as many of these indulgent visits as possible while also giving the rest of the city its due. My solution: devote one full day to chocolate boutiques, and do it in style. So, on my last visit to Paris, I took to the city.s Véb. bike system and mastered a two-wheeled circuit of eight of the chocolatiers that had the best reputations and most glowing reviews in city guidebooks and online message boards. It was exhilarating and exhausting, not to mention decadent. It was a chocoholic.s dream ride.
The Véb.s . industrial-looking road bikes that are already icons of Parisian-chic just a year and a half after the city initiated the program . made the moveable feast more fun. Progressing from pralines to pavé I spun by the Eiffel Tower, zipped across the Seine and careened through the spindly streets of St.-Germain-des-Préalongside other bikers: Parisians in summer dresses and business suits, their front baskets toting briefcases, baguettes and sometimes even Jack Russell terriers.
Practically speaking, the bikes were all but essential. How else could I cover five arrondissements in as many hours, while simultaneously countering a day of debaucherous extremes?
The hedonism began in the center of town with the oldest master on my list, Michel Cluizel (201, rue St.-Honoré33-1-42-44-11-66; www.chocolatmichelcluizel-na.com) who has been making chocolate since 1948. A short distance from a Véb. station at the intersection of Rues de l.Echelle and St-HonoréI passed luxury stores flaunting billowy gowns and four-inch Mary Janes and stepped inside what was just as divine: a store where molten chocolate spews from a fountain and the shelves are stocked with bars containing as much as 99 percent cacao.
Mr. Cluizel has a single American outpost, in Manhattan, at which I.ve indulged in hot cocoa made with a blend of five cocoa beans. At his Parisian shop, managed by his daughter Catherine, I discovered the macarolat (1.55 euros, or about $2 at $1.29 to the euro). A chocolate version of the macaroon, it has a dark chocolate shell filled with almond and hazelnut praline, the nuts ground coarsely to give a rich, grainy texture. It was two bites that combined creamy and crunchy, snap and subtlety. But it was just two bites; I wanted more.
A quick spin west landed me at the doors of Jean-Paul Hén (231, rue St-Honoré(33-1-55-35-35-96; www.jphevin.com) A modern blend of dark wood cabinetry, slate floors and backlit wall cubbies where cobalt-accented boxes of bonbons are displayed, the space would feel intimidating if not for the shopkeepers, who are both numerous and gracious as they juggle the crowds ogling mango coriander macaroons and Pyramide cakes. After considerable debate . would it be ridiculously gluttonous to have a .choco passion,. a cocoa cake with chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache and praline puff pastry, so early in the day? . I settled on a caramel bû(3.20 euros). Larger than an individual bonbon but smaller than a Hershey bar, the silky caramel enrobed in delicate dark chocolate hit the sweet spot.
With the choco-salty taste lingering on my tongue, I picked up a bike outside the Hô Costes, craning my neck to spy any A-listers . were Sting and Trudie in there? Beyoncénd Jay-Z? . and set out for the 16th Arrondissement.
Just beyond the Place de la Concorde I veered onto Avenue Gabriel. It is a curving street that winds past both the United States Embassy and Pierre Cardin.s showcase for young artists, Espace, before eventually turning into a narrow cafe-lined passage where you have to weave around double-parked delivery trucks. Hoping to avoid throngs of wide-eyed tourists on the parallel Champs-Éysé and cars haphazardly zigging and zagging on the rotary around the Arc de Triomphe, I took the residential backstreets to Avenue Victor Hugo.
It was on this street that I found the most eccentric chocolatier on my list: Patrick Roger (45, avenue Victor Hugo; 33-1-45-01-66-71; www.patrickroger.com) It.s not just the chocolate sculptures (a life-size farmer, for example), seasonal window displays (a family of penguins, also life-size) or snazzy aquamarine packaging he.s known for: his intensely flavored bonbons are as bold as they come.
.I do think Patrick Roger is outstanding since he combines new, unusual flavors,. said David Lebovitz, an American chocolate connoisseur, author of .The Great Book of Chocolate. and a Paris resident. But, he added, Mr. Rogers .isn.t doing weird flavors just to be trendy, like others tend to do in Paris nowadays..
I sampled a few to confirm. The Jamaica has a rich coffee flavor from ground Arabica coffee beans; the Jacarepagua blends sharp lemon curd and fresh mint, and then there.s the Phantasme, made with ... oatmeal. Each costs less than 1 euro.
About 90 minutes in, I had tasted creamy, salty and tart and had traversed a good stretch of the city. I was high . on Paris and sugar . coasting beneath Avenue Klér.s towering chestnut and plane trees toward the Place du Trocadé in the 16th Arrondissement. Winding my way down the steep hills of the Rue Benjamin Franklin and the Boulevard Delessert, past romantic cafes and limestone edifices, alternately beige and gray depending on the light, I felt as though I was in a quaint Gallic village, not the capital city. That is until I was spit out across the river from the grandest Parisian landmark of all: the Eiffel Tower.
Digital cameras flashed, souvenirs were hawked and regiments of tour buses idled in one big mechanical whir. It was as if every foreigner had descended on the monument at that very moment. I didn.t exhale until I entered the quietly sophisticated Seventh Arrondissement.
Michel Chaudun (149, rue de l.Université33-1-47-53-74-40) is wildly talented as an artist and chocolate sculptor (his watercolors decorate the store along with chocolate Fabergéggs and African statues), to say nothing of his reputation for being one of the world.s best chocolatiers. After 22 years of turning cacao into sublime bonbons, he.s responsible for influencing many of the city.s newer generation of chocolatiers.
His pavéare particularly worshipped. They.re sugar cube-size squares of cocoa-dusted ganache that you deftly spear from the box with a toothpick and then allow to melt a little on your tongue a little before biting into the rich creaminess. Fresh and luscious, they.re also hypersensitive to warm temperatures. Which meant . tant pis . if I tried to save any for later, they would wind up a choco-puddle.
Hopping on and off the Véb.s so often courted a certain amount of trouble. Parisian cynicism reared its head when a disgusted man at a station told me that 90 percent of the bikes don.t work. I wouldn.t say the defective bicycles were that frequent, but I learned an essential checklist: Are the tires inflated? The rims, straight? Is the front basket intact? Do the gears work? Is the chain attached? With these things checked, you.re good to go, as I was after savoring the last pavérom my modest box of six (3.40 euros).
Cutting across the square fields in front of Les Invalides I glided by college students throwing Frisbees and old men playing pénque. To my right, the gilded dome of Les Invalides; to my left, more gold crowning the ornate Alexandre III bridge. This was a decadent journey indeed.
Finally, in the Sixth Arrondissement, it seemed I could toss an M & M in any direction and hit a world-class chocolatier. There was the whimsical Jean-Charles Rochoux (16, rue d.Assas, 33-1-42-84-29-45; www.jcrochoux.fr) where gaudy chocolate sculptures of garden gnomes belie the serious artistry of his Maker.s Mark truffles.
Christian Constant (37, rue d.Assas, 33-1-53-63-15-15), a Michelin-starred chef and award-winning chocolatier, excels at such spicy and floral notes as saffron and ylang-ylang. Pierre Marcolini (89, rue de Seine, 33-1-4407-3907; www.marcolini.be) the lone Belgian of the group, offers 75 percent dark chocolate from seven South American and African regions. Buzzing, I intended to finish the circuit in grand style.
The line snaking out of Pierre Hermé slim boutique (72, rue Bonaparte, 33-1-43-54-47-77; www.pierreherme.com) told me I was doing the right thing. When I made it inside the snapping automatic doors, it was (forgive me!) like being a kid in a candy store: pristine rows of cakes adorned with fresh berries, coffee beans and dark chocolate shavings.
.Un Plétude, s.il vous plait..
I took my treasure to a nearby park and tucked into the dome-shaped cake filled with chocolate mousse and ganache, crunchy caramel and fleur de sel. I relished the fluffy whipped richness, the bite of dark chocolate and the tang of salt. Had I died and gone to heaven? No, it was just a rapturous day in the City of Light and dark chocolate.
PEDALING FOR PAVÉ
After doubling the number bicycles since the program started last summer to 20,600, Paris. Véb.. (www.velib.paris.fr) is now the largest free bike program in France. There are 1,451 stations in the city, or one approximately every 900 feet. Each station has about 15 to 20 bikes. The bikes are simple: three speeds, an adjustable seat, a bell and basket and a headlight.
By purchasing a one-day or weeklong pass at the kiosk located at a station, you can hop on any bicycle and drop it at your next destination. To unlock a bike, you punch in your personal access code at the kiosk.
Though it.s called a free bike program (Véb. is short for vé libre, or free bike), a day pass costs 1 euro. The first half-hour on the bike is no additional charge, the second half-hour is 1 euro, and the third half-hour is 2 euros. After that, it.s 4 euros every half-hour. The shorter your trips, the lower the cost. My total cost for five hours was 12.60 euros, or about $16.15 at $1.29 to the euro.
--
------------------------------
* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
I don't know if you've seen this before, but it's a HOOT!
Cheers,
Alicia
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gretchen Anderson <Gretchen(a)france44.com>
Date: Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 1:46 PM
Subject: FW: A Must Read......
To: Alicia Anderson <sauternes76(a)gmail.com>
------------------------------
*From:* Mary Paustis [mailto:mwpaustis@comcast.net]
*Sent:* Tuesday, November 11, 2008 6:14 AM
*To:* 'Bill Paustis'; Djpaustis(a)aol.com; Wohlra7(a)aol.com; 'Greg and Becky
Kupka'
*Subject:* FW: A Must Read......
------------------------------
*IMPORTANT HEALTH ADVICE FOR WOMEN!!!*
Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
Do you suffer from shyness?
Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist
about Chardonnay.
Chardonnay is the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about
yourself and your actions. Chardonnay can help ease you out of your shyness
and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about
anything.
You will notice the benefits of Chardonnay almost immediately and with a
regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you
from living the life you want to live.
Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover
many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living, with
Chardonnay.
Chardonnay may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing
should not use Chardonnay. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or
becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.
Side effects may include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, erotic
lustfulness, loss of motor control, loss of clothing, loss of money, loss of
virginity, delusions of grandeur, table dancing, headache, dehydration, dry
mouth, and a desire to sing Karaoke and play all-night rounds of Strip
Poker, Truth Or Dare, and Naked Twister.
*WARNINGS: -*
* The consumption of Chardonnay may make you think you are whispering when
you are not.
* The consumption of Chardonnay may cause you to tell your friends over and
over again that you love them.
** The consumption of Chardonnay may cause you to think you can sing.*
* The consumption of Chardonnay may lead you to believe that ex-lovers are
really dying for you to telephone them* at four in the morning*.
* The consumption of Chardonnay may make you think you can logically
converse with members of the opposite sex
without spitting.
* The consumption of Chardonnay may create the illusion that you are
tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.
*Now Just Imagine What You Could Achieve With a Good Dry Red!!!*
Warren has us set up at Ngon Bistro for tonight (Wednesday).
If I-94 is a parking lot: Concordia (aka the south frontage road)
is one way east, rolls well.
280 to Kasota becomes Energy Park Drive becomes Front, south (right)
on either Lex or Dale.
River Road to Lake St, becomes Marshall, to Lex or Dale. Left/north.
I'm a bit out of the loop on the names and the numbers.
Best follow Warren's advice and check the wine list.
Several of my "possible choices" are on the list of 15 or
20 whites and 15 or so reds. Wine prices are fair, so you
could opt to "buy off the list" if you happen to bring something
they have.
Note: Extremely bad form for us to open a wine that is on their list.
>From Warren:
Hey gang,
how about kicking off December with a Wednesday at Ngon Vietnamese Bistro on University Ave.
+in St Paul? Hai, the owner says Wednesday is better for them than Thursday.
No corckage.
Reservation for 10 @ 6:30, Wednesday December 10th.
Ngon Bistro is located at 799 University Ave, St. Paul, (the cross-street is Avon). 651-222-3301
The menu is on line at ngonbistro.com
Wine theme? How about "wines you feel will go with the food". The Ngon wine menu is on line as
+well. You can use that as a guide to how broad the relationship of wine and Vietnamese bistro
+fare is.
RSVP to gregory.warren(a)yahoo.com
hope to see you there.
Warren
Warren/Ruth
Bob
Alicia Anderson and John
Jim
----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> -----
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:42:27 -0500 (EST)
To: jellings(a)me.umn.edu
Subject: 30SecWineAdvisor: Rediscovering Dolcetto
From: The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com>
X-Sender: <wine(a)wineloverspage.com>
X-Greylist: IP, sender and recipient auto-whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-4.0 (smtp-relay.enet.umn.edu [128.101.142.227]); Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:41:28 -0600 (CST)
X-Spam-Score: 0.412 () WHY_WAIT
X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.57 on 128.101.142.227
THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008
________________________________________________________________________
TODAY'S SPONSOR
* HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS FROM WINE LIBRARY This holiday season Wine Library
has dozens of gift ideas ... and we're not just about wine! Click here
to view our top holiday gift ideas for 2008!
http://winelibrary.com/show_special.asp?section=giftideas
________________________________________________________________________
IN THIS ISSUE
* REDISCOVERING DOLCETTO Let's turn to a hearty Dolcetto today as we
devote this month's Wine Focus to the fine red wines of Piemonte.
* HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS FROM WINE LIBRARY This holiday season Wine Library
has dozens of gift ideas ... and we're not just about wine! Click here
to view our top holiday gift ideas for 2008!
* DOMENICO CLERICO 2005 "VISADI" LANGHE DOLCETTO ($15.99) A Dolcetto in
a fruit-forward style, but dusty minerality and smooth tannins keep it
on the pleasantly rustic side.
* ADMINISTRIVIA Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe.
________________________________________________________________________
REDISCOVERING DOLCETTO
Let's turn to a hearty Dolcetto today as we devote this month's Wine
Focus to the fine red wines of Piemonte, the Alpine foothills in Italy's
northwestern corner around Torino.
If the adjective "hearty" attached to Dolcetto made you stop and wonder
because you've thought of Dolcetto as a light, Beaujolais-like quaffer,
it miht be a good idea to review my last sermon on this topic from a
couple of years ago in the Nov. 22, 2006 Wine Advisor:
In one of the many enduring myths of wine appreciation, Dolcetto is
often described as a light, fruity wine, akin to an Italian Beaujolais.
Perhaps this confusion arises from its name, which might be loosely
translated as "Little sweetie."
In fact, that moniker apparently relates to the taste of the ripe, black
Dolcetto grapes at harvest, but not to the wine it makes, which isn't
particularly light and certainly isn't sweet.
You'll most often find the name of the grape Dolcetto linked on the
label with the name of one of the Piemontese villages where it's grown:
Dolcetto d'Alba, Dolcetto d'Asti, Dolcetto d'Acqui or Dolcetto Dogliani.
Like its neighbor Barbera, Dolcetto is usually a wine of good value, an
affordable alternative that can be drunk with enjoyment while it's
young, while waiting for the region's more pricey and ageworthy
Nebbiolo-based Barolo and Barbaresco to mature. (Vine growers like it,
too, because its early ripening nature makes it a natural for vineyards
in cooler microclimates where Nebbiolo won't thrive.)
While Barbera is usually sharply acidic, Dolcetto is relatively lower in
acid but perceptibly tannic, an earthy flavor profile that shows best in
company with food. And in its one aspect that does bear some comparison
with Beaujolais, Dolcetto - in spite of its tannins - is best drunk up
within a few years of harvest, before the fruit fades and leaves the
astringent tannins alone.
Today's featured wine, Domenico Clerico 2005 "Visadi" Langhe Dolcetto,
is an export by Marc de Grazia, who's generally reliable in his
selections of Italian wines ... provided you calibrate to his palate,
which tends to favor big, fruit-forward and oaky selections in the
"points-chasing" style.
Not surprisingly, the Domenico Clerico is big and fruity, still showing
a blast of blueberries in the aroma along with an earthy, "dusty"
minerality that says Dolcetto. The wine manages to be both fruit-forward
and rustic, a bit on the rough side for sipping cocktail-style as a
glass of red wine but fine with food on the table.
Dolcetto's no ager, and with two newer vintages already in the retail
pipeline, I wouldn't count on much more life out of this 2005. But it's
fine now, and easily demolishes the notion of Dolcetto as a light and
lively little sipper. My tasting notes are below.
I hope you'll bring your Dolcettos - and your Barberas, Barbarescos,
Barolos and other Piemontese wines to our Wine Focus forum. It's easy to
participate: Simply bring your tasting reports and your questions to our
WineLovers Discussion Groups,
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewforum.php?f=18
The discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to
post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following
our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format
"John Doe" or "John D".
Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly,
you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel
forums.
________________________________________________________________________
TODAY'S SPONSOR
HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS FROM WINE LIBRARY
If you've never subscribed to Wine Library's daily service before,
you're in for a treat. This is your window into the best wine deals
around ... highly rated wines from all the top critics, hard-to-find
producers, and more... all at the best prices PERIOD! We work tirelessly
to create outrageous wine deals--if you're even a casual wine drinker,
WLD will help you identify outstanding wines and save you tons of cash.
Click here to sign up today!
http://winelibrary.com/wld.asp
This holiday season Wine Library has dozens of gift ideas ... and we're
not just about wine! We've once again assembled Gourmet Gift Baskets,
available while supplies last. The baskets contain an array of high end
gourmet products. Click here to watch a video depicting the contents of
these beautiful baskets! This year the baskets are available with Free
Shipping! Baskets will ship during the second week of December.
Click here to view our other top holiday gift ideas for 2008!
http://winelibrary.com/show_special.asp?section=giftideas
Bottom line, we offer the lowest prices, the largest selection,
lightning fast shipments and the greatest customer service in the
industry! Winelibrary.com is your one-stop shop for everything wine ...
so what are you waiting for? Log on to winelibrary.com today!
________________________________________________________________________
DOMENICO CLERICO 2005 "VISADI" LANGHE DOLCETTO ($15.99)
Inky dark, almost black, with a clear garnet edge. Marked scent of
blueberries backed by blackberries and plums. Dark berry fruit, mouth-
watering acidity and a boatload of smooth but perceptible tannins with a
whiff of dusty minerality. Alcohol content rational at 13.5%. Not a bad
Dolcetto by any means, but rustic and a bit rough; it certainly needs
food to come into balance. U.S. importer: Vintner Select, Mason, Ohio; A
Marc de Grazia Selection. (Dec. 8, 2008)
FOOD MATCH: Pork or poultry or red meat; it was excellent with a pan-
seared, oven-roasted butterflied free-range chicken.
VALUE: The prices of Dolcetto have been rising in recent years, but the
mid-teens is an entirely appropriate neighborhood for this one.
WHEN TO DRINK: The robust structure and tannins might suggest cellaring,
but in my experience, Dolcetto does not age well, losing its fruit and
leaving only dust and mud behind. No immediate rush, but I would consume
this 2005 over the next couple of years. (Note, too, that this retailer
carries old stock: The 2007 vintage is already available in the U.S.)
WEB LINK:
Here's exporter Marc de Grazia's fact sheet on Domenico Clerico, from
which you may also click to tasting reports on the 2006 and 2007
Dolcetto.
http://www.marcdegrazia.com/mdg/ing/scheda_produ.jsp?KProduttori=12&lingua=…
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and compare prices for Domenico Clerico "Visadi" Langhe
Dolcetto on Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Clerico%2bVisadi%2bDolcetto/-/-/USD/A?ref…
________________________________________________________________________
TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE
If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article
or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online
WineLovers Discussion Group. This link will take you to the forum home
page, where you can read discussions in all the forum sections:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village
Everyone is free to browse. If you'd like to post a comment, question or
reply, you must register, but registration is free and easy. Do take
care to register using your real name, or as a minimum, your real first
name and last initial. Anonymous registrations are quietly discarded.
To contact me by E-mail, write wine(a)wineloverspage.com. I'll respond
personally to the extent that time and volume permit.
________________________________________________________________________
PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE
Here's a simply formatted copy of today's Wine Advisor, designed to be
printed out for your scrapbook or file or downloaded to your PDA or
other wireless device.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/2008/12/rediscovering_dolcetto-p…
________________________________________________________________________
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
ARCHIVES:
For all past editions:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/archives.php
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.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Copyright 2008 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved.
----- End forwarded message -----
--
------------------------------
* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-cider3-2008dec03,0,7420479.story
>From the Los Angeles Times
Hard ciders: the sweet taste of fall
Apples and pears are transformed into sublime, complex alcoholic beverages.
By Jean T. Barrett
December 3, 2008
This is the season when food and wine articles in the national media suggest that the advent of colder weather calls for seasonal dishes (daubes, pork roasts, apple desserts) and richer, heftier wines (Zinfandel, Barolo, Port) to stave off winter's chill. True, except that our version of "chill" can be downright temperate; before heading to the farmers market and the wine shop, I sometimes still have to slather on sunblock and grab my wide-brimmed hat. Such is the disconnect at this time of year, when instincts and habits tell us to braise lamb shanks and pull out the Cabernet, but the Southern California weather often refuses to cooperate.
There is a beverage that suits our local version of the season, though, combining the traditional flavors of fall with the refreshment and lightness of beer, and that's cider. Not the chilled, brownish-colored stuff from the supermarket, but alcoholic or "hard" cider. Hard cider is made from fermented apple or pear juice or, in the case of some large-production brands, juice concentrate, and the finished product has an alcohol content ranging from about 3% to 8%.
Most mass-market hard ciders are not very interesting, but a select number of producers are using artisanal techniques and varieties of fruit bred specifically for cider, yielding juice with higher acidity and tannins, which makes a well-structured drink with the complexity and depth of a fine microbrew.
Since the flavor of lighter ciders is akin to off-dry white wines or sparklers, they make ideal aperitifs, brunch drinks or simply to savor on their own. Sweeter, richer ciders are terrific with cheese or apple pie.
Distinguishing a quality artisanal cider from a commercial, large-production bottling is easier than it might seem. Price is one indicator; better ciders usually cost upward of $10 for a 750-milliliter bottle, and some are $20 or more. But the ingredients' list tells the real story. Here's one from a popular pear cider made in the U.K.: pear wine, water, high fructose corn syrup, carbon dioxide, caramel color, citric acid, sodium metabisulfate (to preserve freshness).
Contrast that with the ingredients list from a bottle of cider produced by Wandering Aengus Ciderworks of Salem, Ore.: fermented apple juice from certified organic cider apples. Which would you rather drink?
Devoted following
Quality hard cider has a cultish following in Europe, particularly in France's Normandy region and in the U.K., where pubs offer cider on draft along with ales and lagers. It's also popular in apple-growing regions of the U.S., such as New England, New York and the Pacific Northwest.
But in Los Angeles, cider tends to be the poor stepchild. Since it's not wine or beer, few retailers pay it much attention. I asked the manager of one wine shop how many ciders he carried. "We don't have any," he said with a shrug. On my way out, I decided to check the beer section for nonexistent ciders. There, right up front, was a nice little selection.
I recently sampled 22 hard ciders, apple and pear, available at local retailers. Many were eminently forgettable or actually unpleasant, but I did find several terrific examples. Here are four producers to seek out (buying information in sidebar):
Inspired choices
Eric Bordelet was a sommelier at l'Arpè, a Michelin three-star restaurant in Paris, in 1992 when he decided to return to his roots, quite literally, and manage his family's orchards in Normandy. Bordelet brings a wine sensibility and a commitment to organic and biodynamic farming to the production of apple and pear ciders.
His Sidre Doux, with an alcohol content of 4%, is styled like a lightly sweet, toffee-scented, apple-y dessert wine. Bordelet's Poiréuthentique is a fresh-tasting, blossom-scented pear cider, while his top-of-the-line Poiréranit, made from the fruit of 300-year-old trees, is more vinous, with complex aromas of pear skin and spice. Note that these ciders are vintage-dated and that the year is printed on top of the cork.
Manoir du Parc is another Norman product, this one from an estate called La Brique in St. Joseph, on the Cotentin peninsula. Manoir du Parc produces a well-regarded apple cider, but locally, I have found only the Poiréa superb example in a light-bodied style (3% alcohol) with aromas of ripe pears and clean, refreshing flavors.
Wandering Aengus Ciderworks is owned by Mimi Casteel and Nick Gunn, who got into the cider business about four years ago (Casteel's parents own the neighboring Bethel Heights Winery). Casteel and Gunn use artisanal methods and traditional varieties of cider apples to produce three ciders, the most appealing of which is Heirloom Blend, a sweet drink with a tart acidic backbone that's like biting into a dead-ripe, fragrant apple.
The semi-dry is more austere and wine-like, with fresh, juicy flavors. The dry cider is too dry for my taste; the naturally strong acidity of the cider tastes sour without a counterbalancing sweetness.
Rustic and robust
J.K. Scrumpy sounds like a cutesy name created during a 1960s ad agency brainstorming session, but it actually is an authentic, organic farmhouse cider produced by the Koan family of Almar Orchard in Flushing, Mich., about an hour north of Detroit.
"Scrumpy" is a British term for a rustic style of cider, and "J.K." stands for Jim and Karen Koan, the proprietors, who produce just one bottling, a robust, unfiltered, sweet drink with a 5.5% alcohol content and the crisp taste of fresh apple cider.
This style of cider takes well to mulling (heating with mulling spices), so keep some on hand for when those fiercely cold winter storms move into the Southland.
Barrett is a freelance writer.
food(a)latimes.com
A sweet taste of fall
Here's where to find our favorite artisanal ciders (all bottles are 750 milliliters unless noted):
Eric Bordelet 2006 Sidre Doux (about $12), 2007 Poiréuthentique (about $15) and 2006 Poiréranit (about $21), available at Wine Expo in Santa Monica, (310) 828-4428, www.wineexpo, and Wine House in West L.A., (310) 479-3731, www.winehouse.com.
Manoir du Parc Poiré$6 to $10), available at Wine Expo, 55 Degree Wine in Atwater Village, (323) 662-5556, www.55degreewine.com, and Artisan Cheese Gallery in Studio City, (818) 505-0207, www.artisancheesegallery.
Wandering Aengus Ciderworks Heirloom Blend Cider (about $12) and Semi-Dry Cider (about $12), available at Wine Expo and Wine House.
J.K. Scrumpy's Hard Cider (about $6 for a 22-ounce bottle), available at Wine House and Beverage Warehouse in Los Angeles, (310) 306-2822, www.
--
------------------------------
* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
December 3, 2008
Spirits of The Times
Highland Friends to Warm the Night
By ERIC ASIMOV
UNLIKE vodka and gin, rum and tequila, whiskey is serious business. Very serious business. How do I know this? Well, among poets whiskey inspires verse. Among critics, alas, it inspires tomes . guides complete with display wheels in rainbow colors categorizing the myriad astonishing flavors and aromas to be found in a glass. They tend to include stern guidelines on how the budding connoisseur should taste and assess whiskey and . apparently more important . how not to.
You do not ordinarily see this level of serious detail in articles or books on rum, tequila or vodka. But you will eventually, for one simple reason.
Good whiskey is expensive, especially good Scotch whiskey, by which I mean single malt. From practically nowhere 35 years ago single malts took off. Now they rule the shelves in the liquor store . the serious liquor store. They cost more than most other spirits, without the expense of the ridiculous bottles that house high-end vodkas, which, by the way, are far less costly to produce than single malts.
Naturally, other spirits want to recover the shelf space and the attention given to single malts, while getting in on some of the profits. They.ve done this by following the example of single malts: they have become very serious.
Instead of the assembly-line bottlings of industrial hooch, almost every category of spirits . bourbon, Irish whiskey, tequila, rum, gin and even vodka . now has its artisanal production. These are often glorious bottles, demonstrating that careful craftsmanship can produce complex, intriguing spirits worthy of contemplation. While we have not yet heard in English at least from the Robert Burns of tequila . Jimmy Buffett cannot be the last word . I have no doubt that we will.
Nonetheless, in the hierarchy of serious spirits, single malt Scotch whiskey still rules. No other category has the sheer variety of styles and expressions that single malt whiskey offers, nor has any other whiskey been as carefully analyzed, codified and parsed.
Let me interject here: I.m aware that serious single malt connoisseurs are by now beside themselves at my continued use of the spelling .whiskey,. rather than their preferred .whisky.. You receive your wisdom from the angels, perhaps, but my editors prefer whiskey, so it shall be.
Now, while single malts can be enjoyed year-round, the onset of winter and long cold nights . to my mind at least . is perfect whiskey weather. With that thought, the spirits panel gathered recently to sample 21 malts from the Speyside region of the Scottish Highlands. For the tasting, Florence Fabricant and I were joined by Pete Wells, editor of the Dining section, who writes frequently on spirits, and Ethan R. Kelley, the spirit sommelier at the Brandy Library in TriBeCa.
I will say that while tasting 21 of anything with the potency of whiskey can be a difficult proposition, this was one of the most pleasant and interesting tastings I can remember. The overall quality of the whiskeys was excellent, and the range of flavors and styles was remarkable.
.This was proof that Speyside is heaven on earth,. Ethan said. .It blows my mind that these can be so close yet so different..
We chose Speyside mostly because it has more distilleries than any other region of Scotland, including three of the best known in the United States, Glenfiddich, Glenlivet and Macallan. We thought it would offer a greater cross-section of single malt styles than anywhere else, and the malts were indeed diverse. Some of the whiskeys were almost sweet, with aromas and flavors of honey and heather, toffee and flowers. Others had a pronounced fruity quality, both bright citrus and fruitcake. And a few had the sort of saline, medicinal, smoky flavors most often associated with the malts of Islay.
But the days are gone when single malts can be categorized by geography. It was easier decades ago, when regions like Islay, the Lowlands, the Highlands and the rest were fairly distinct. Each depended on local sources for its water, harvested nearby peat for fuel and grew and malted its own barley. Back then, many distilleries sought isolation, to escape what in American whiskey lore were called the revenuers, and isolation brought distinctiveness.
Nowadays, water is more standardized. Fuel is electric, or gas or oil, and even the malting of barley is commercialized, with malt specialists filling orders for various distilleries. The smoky, peaty quality that many people associate with Islay malts, a result of using peat to dry the malted barley, can be seen in malts from all distilling regions. Distinctiveness is no longer so much a result of site as it is of the distiller.s discretion.
Still, single malts most definitely speak of Scotland. They have a clear terroir, which even if it is not as local as it once was is nonetheless unmistakable.
Distillers can issue whiskeys at any age they want: 10 years, 12 years, 15, 27, 8, and sometimes with no age statement at all. We wanted whiskeys of roughly the same age, and settled on 12-year-olds because, frankly, they are relatively inexpensive for single malts. The longer a whiskey is aged, the more of it is lost to evaporation and the more expensive it is. Also, the longer a distiller sits on whiskey without a return, the more it will cost eventually. Finally, age increases a whiskey.s status as much as if not more than its appeal.
That last point, of course, is debatable. I personally like the taste of younger whiskeys, in which the raw spirit battles against the mellowing effects of barrel aging. But Ethan referred to them as .entry-level bottles,. intended to entice consumers to climb a brand.s hierarchy to the more costly older bottlings. We ended up with 18 bottles of 12-year-old Scotch, along with two 13-year-olds and one 10-year-old. Incidentally, the age statement tells you the age of the youngest whiskey in the blend. So, a 12-year-old single malt is made of whiskeys at least 12 years old.
The distillers issue seemingly endless variations on their bottlings, so some of the malts in our tasting were limited editions, like our No. 1, the Balvenie Signature, which marked the 45th year of whiskey-making of Balvenie.s distiller. It was complex, with long, lingering, delicious flavors. But if you can.t find this one we also liked many standard bottlings, like our No. 7, the Balvenie DoubleWood, so called because the whiskey is aged first in barrels that had previously been used for bourbon, and then in oloroso sherry barrels.
The retail selection becomes especially confusing with the profusion of independent bottlings, as with our No. 2 malt. The distiller, Glen Grant, does not issue a 12-year-old whiskey. But an independent bottler, Gordon & MacPhail, bought whiskey from Glen Grant and issued a 12-year-old, which we found wonderfully intriguing, combining fruit flavors with more austere smoky, medicinal touches.
The rest of our top 10, though, were standard bottlings, which should be easier to find. We especially liked the Tamdhu 10-year-old, our best value at $30, which had a touch of sweetness along with waxy floral aromas, and the Cragganmore, which was on the smoky, earthy side.
The level of quality was so high that not all the malts we favored made the list. Pete especially liked the Aberlour, which reminded him of a hot toddy, and Florence loved the smoky BenRiach. I very much enjoyed an independent bottling of Longmorn from McGibbon.s Provenance, which I thought was delicate and complex. While the Glenlivet and the Glenfiddich made our top 10, the Macallan did not. We all felt it seemed a bit too simple.
Aside from the diversity of expressions, single malt has its diversity of uses. Florence said she enjoys a glass before dinner, in front of a fire. Ethan spoke of drinking single malt with a fine steak, and with oysters, which speaks to Scotch.s versatility. I love a glass late at night, with a book. Pete is partial to the late-night dram as well. In fact, I can think of only one place where a good single malt will almost never be found: in a cocktail.
Tasting Report: From Just One Region, a Range of Flavors and Styles
The Balvenie Signature Batch 001 12 Years Old 86 Proof
$61
*** 1/2
Subtle, complex and smooth, with lovely citrus, caramel, dried fruit and salt flavors. (Importer: William Grant & Sons, New York)
Glen Grant bottled by Gordon & MacPhail 12 Years Old 86 Proof
$41
***
Complex floral, fruit and medicinal flavors with a touch of smoke. (Classic Wine Imports, Norwood, Mass.)
BEST VALUE
Tamdhu 10 Years Old 80 Proof
$30
***
Balanced and a tad sweet, with aromas of flowers, vanilla, beeswax and brine. (Ré Cointreau, New York)
Cragganmore 12 Years Old 80 Proof
$43
***
Aromas of smoke, flowers, toffee and spices, with lingering saline and iodine flavors. (Diageo North America, Norwalk, Conn.)
The Glenlivet 12 Years Old 80 Proof
$44
** 1/2
Lively, elegant and subtle, with lingering sherrylike flavors. (The Glenlivet Distilling Company, Purchase, N.Y.)
The Glendronach Original 12 Years Old 80 Proof
$45
** 1/2
Aromas of fruit and brine; more complex flavors on palate. (Pernod Ricard, Purchase, N.Y.)
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Years Old 86 Proof
$41
** 1/2
Rich and round with tangy flavors of fruit, chocolate and sherry. (William Grant & Sons)
Glendullan The Singleton 12 Years Old 80 Proof
$46
** 1/2
Complex and elegant, with flavors of orange, minerals, chocolate and toffee. (Diageo North America)
Tomintoul Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish 12 Years Old 80 Proof
$68
** 1/2
Smooth and straightforward, with aromas of iodine, toffee and malt. (Medek Wine and Spirits, New York)
Glenfiddich 12 Years Old 80 Proof
$44
** 1/2
Straightforward with aromas of orange, tropical fruit, honey and cinnamon. (William Grant & Sons)
WHAT THE STARS MEAN:
Ratings, from zero to four stars, reflect the panel.s reaction to the Scotches, which were tasted with names concealed. The Scotches represent a selection generally available in good retail shops and restaurants and on the Internet. Prices are those paid in shops in the New York region.
Tasting coordinator: Bernard Kirsch
--
------------------------------
* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
