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by James＠brewingnews.com

FYI/FYE from the SF Chronicle Vocabulary for today. Dankest Sober Curious Movement sessionable 420 women-centric brands stoner-friendly Cheers, jle https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/The-age-of-cannabis-rose-is-here-D… Food // Wine The age of cannabis rosé is here. Do the weed wines taste like bong water? Photo of Esther Mobley Esther Mobley Jan. 2, 2020 Updated: Jan. 2, 2020 9:43 a.m. Comments There's a new crop of cannabis-infused ros�s in California. 1of2 There's a new crop of cannabis-infused ros�s in California.Photo: Chronicle photo illustration / Getty Images House of Saka's cannabis-infused rose has 5mg THC per 5-ounce glass. 2of2House of Saka's cannabis-infused rose has 5mg THC per 5-ounce glass.Photo: House of Saka In California, cannabis entrepreneurs are trying to refute one of the fundamental laws of chemistry: that oil and water don’t mix. Coming on the heels of cannabis-infused kombucha, cannabis-infused seltzer — really, cannabis-infused everything — the latest beverage trend threatens to take the category to a new extreme: Welcome to the age of cannabis rosé. In the last few months, three California companies have released nonalcoholic, cannabis-infused rosés: the women-centric brands House of Saka and Viv & Oak, and the stoner-friendly Rebel Coast. Each company wants its infused rosé to be your after-work wind-down drink, your pairing with a fillet of salmon, your aperitif on the patio. They promise a more manageable high than an edible and more subtlety than lighting up. Because all legal cannabis products are required to be nonalcoholic, these booze-removed rosés capitalize on the growing “sober curious movement.” Their high hope is that they might bring new drinkers — and occasions — into the cannabis fold. “We see Saka at dinner parties, weddings,” says House of Saka CEO Tracey Mason. “Places where before you might have had to go outside and around the corner to smoke a joint.” This is a new, girly, gentrified look for cannabis products. “Rosé is a trend specific to women with purchasing power,” says Saka’s president, Cynthia Salarizadeh. The cannabis rosés are explicitly targeting an affluent, 21- to 65-year-old female demographic, which is already buying actual rosé wine in droves: According to Impact Databank, U.S. rosé wine sales reached 18.7 million cases in 2018, up 1.2 million from three years earlier. Whereas Saka’s packaging might be described as bachelorette party-psychedelic, and Viv & Oak has a kind of sexy-housewife vibe (marketing shots show the bottle surrounded by chocolate-covered strawberries), Rebel Coast is more brosé: Its label promises “it’ll turn out better than that time you went to the Fyre Festival.” Meanwhile, legal cannabis looked on track for $3.1 billion in sales in California in 2019, three years into legalization. Within this growing industry, beverages are potentially an untapped goldmine. Alcohol behemoths AB InBev and Constellation have made major investments in the cannabis space, to the tune of $50 million and $5 billion, respectively. Saka, Viv & Oak and Rebel Coast are still small, each producing under 5,000 cases this year, but infused beverages could represent $375 million in sales by 2022, according to the firm BDS Analytics. “The opportunity in cannabis is a big blue ocean,” says Macai Polansky, co-founder of Spacestation, a new Sacramento company that bottles cannabis-infused beverages for other businesses, as well as produces its own brand of cannabis-infused seltzers called Nectr. “Packaged beverage makes up 30 to 60% of sales in grocery stores, but right now it’s only about 1% of a dispensary’s sales.” But cannabis and wine (or seltzer, or kombucha) might not be such easy bedfellows. For one thing, dispensaries might not want to deal with the hassle of bottled beverages. “A pallet of vape cartridges could be worth $500,000, whereas a pallet of beverages might be worth $20,000 to $30,000,” Polansky says. Refrigerated storage and transportation are essential for beverages, but most retail and distribution channels aren’t yet set up for it. More by Esther Mobley Wine & Spirits By Esther Mobley Looking through the wine glass at 2020 Wine & Spirits By Esther Mobley Is Napa running family winegrowers out of business? Wine & Spirits By Esther Mobley New California law makes it easier to blur the line between... The greater challenge, though, is the infusion itself. Cannabis oil needs to be made water soluble in order to be added to a beverage, as anyone who’s ever witnessed the separation of oil and vinegar in a jar knows well. It took Rebel Coast more than a year to figure out a successful infusion mechanism, says CEO Josh Lizotte. Eventually, Rebel Coast — which first released an infused Sauvignon Blanc in 2017 — licensed the infusion technology of a Colorado company, Ebbu. “It goes in clear, masks the flavor of cannabis” and doesn’t separate, Lizotte says. Saka and Viv & Oak partnered with an Oakland company, Vertosa, for a similar technology. Many would-be drinkers might be wary of the edible effect: You eat a pot gummy, nothing happens, you eat some more, and then an hour later you’re so high you feel like you might be having a panic attack. That phenomenon “is the equivalent of walking into a bar and drinking Everclear,” says Jake Bullock, co-founder of the “social tonic” brand Cann, whose 237ml cans in flavors like blood orange cardamom contain 2mg THC and 4mg CBD — considerably less than the 5 to 10mg THC per serving of the cannabis rosés. The gentle buzz that comes from a couple glasses of wine has, so far, been hard to find in cannabis edibles. But the infused rosés promise sessionable experiences. The onset of the high should come about 15 minutes after consumption, the companies claim, as opposed to an hour or longer, in part due to the fact that the bloodstream absorbs liquids more quickly than solid foods. “There’s a peak high at 45 minutes, and then, just like alcohol, there’s a rapid offset,” Lizotte says. The high from Rebel Coast’s sativa-heavy Sauvignon Blanc is meant to be euphoric, but the rosé has a higher percentage of relaxing indica. Wary of being grouped in with substandard-tasting weed products, Salarizadeh and Mason (a 25-year wine industry veteran) emphasize Saka’s impeccable provenance. They begin with Napa Valley Pinot Noir grapes, which they make into a regular, old-fashioned rosé. After the finished wine has aged in tank for a few months, they transport it over to BevZero, a Santa Rosa facility that removes the alcohol by a process known as vacuum distillation. That alcohol-free wine can then be sent to Sacramento, where they have Spacestation infuse and bottle the beverage. (Legally, you can’t call it wine, so Saka just sticks with “rosé.”) But to remove alcohol from a wine isn’t just to remove the booze. It also removes weight, flavor and the perception of sweetness. The risk is that you’d be left with thin, bland-tasting acid water. Before the vacuum distillation, BevZero removes a small portion of the wine, which it adds back in at the end along with other flavorings — like grapefruit or strawberry — to try to approximate the flavor of a real, alcoholic rosé. (The finished product must legally be below 0.5% alcohol by volume, which is how they get away with adding some of the original wine at the end.) The three cannabis-infused rosés from California companies are House of Saka (left), Viv & Oak and Rebel Coast. The beverages contain both THC and CBD and are nonalcoholic. The three cannabis-infused rosés from California companies are House of Saka (left), Viv & Oak and Rebel Coast. The beverages contain both THC and CBD and are nonalcoholic. Photo: Viv & Oak “It starts as wine, but we’re not trying to keep up with that,” says Viv & Oak founder Alana Burstein, acknowledging that her sparkling cannabis rosé has not been to the taste of some wine connoisseurs. But the advantage, unlike for high-end wine, is that with the flavorings, her product is endlessly malleable. “Everything can be tweaked and changed and modified. It’s just going to keep on getting better.” Should the wine industry — and especially the rosé industry — be worried? Saka’s Mason thinks so. “When you think about how many dollars people are willing to allocate to having a good time, these beverages will certainly put a dent in that,” she says. “It’s no-alcohol, no hangover.” They’re all leaning into the low-calorie angle. Saka claims to have 16 calories per 5-ounce glass; Viv & Oak says it has 24, Rebel Coast 49. (Your average glass of dry table wine clocks in at around 125 calories.) OK, but do they taste like bong water? No — though they don’t much taste like wine, either. The nose on the Saka is a dead ringer for strawberry Laffy Taffy, the palate reminiscent of Sweet Tarts. It’s candied-tasting, but there’s enough sourness to keep it from cloying. Viv & Oak is carbonated, which was a genius move; the bubbles help make up for some of the texture lost in the alcohol removal. It’s ultra-cloudy, the color of worn ballet slippers, and tastes like a melted cherry Popsicle, with just the slightest suggestion of a fresh cannabis aroma on the nose — like a subtle, winking warning. Of the three, Rebel Coast’s rosé is the dankest — the one that tastes the most like weed. It’s clear, unlike the other two hazy prototypes, and still has many of those strawberry- and cherry-candy notes, but its sweet flavors mingle with bitter herbs. I found it hard to throw back. I also found that the rapid-offset claim not to be true, at least for me. Rapid onset, sure: Within about 20 minutes of drinking a single serving of each of the infused rosés, my high set in. Ten mg THC, which is how much a 5-ounce serving of Rebel Coast and Viv & Oak contain, is a lot for me; two glasses and my high would have gone in the wrong direction. Saka, half as potent at 5 mg per 5 ounces, felt more manageable. In every case, the high stayed with me for hours. It was pleasant, infinitely more endurable than what 10 mg of THC has felt to me when I’ve consumed it in the form of a gummy. For me, a wine lover, these infused rosés could never compete with the real deal at the dinner table. I find wine way too delicious to consider these candied-tasting concoctions as substitutes. Still, I was surprised by how palatable they were. There are far more disagreeable vehicles to intoxication. If you’re a one-glass-and-done type of wine drinker, you might not miss the feeling of lingering over the dinner table long after your plate is empty, sipping on glasses of wine leisurely without wondering exactly how many milligrams of drugs you’ve consumed. I would, but I guess it all comes down to what you want to get out of your glass. Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicle’s wine critic. Email: emobley(a)sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob Sign up for the Drinking with Esther newsletter Sip, savor and share with our wine critic, Esther Mobley. By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy. Photo of Esther Mobley Esther Mobley Follow Esther on: https://www.facebook.com/SFChronicle/ esther_mobley Wine critic Esther Mobley joined The Chronicle in 2015 to cover California wine, beer and spirits. Previously she was an assistant editor at Wine Spectator magazine in New York, and has worked harvests at wineries in Napa Valley and Argentina. She studied English literature at Smith College. Past Articles from this Author: Monk’s Kettle team to open massive, family-friendly beer bar in Marin The U.S. is threatening European wineries with new tariffs. But Bay Area businesses would suffer Looking through the wine glass at 2020 NEWSLETTER Drinking with Esther Sip, savor and share with our wine critic, Esther Mobley. By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy. Most Popular Dave Chappelle still thinks trans people are funny, Greta Thunberg not so much Yosemite’s grand Ahwahnee Hotel loses its luster, four-diamond award Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Warriors? It’s not as crazy as you might think Iranian Americans rally in SF to celebrate killing of Iranian general Los Angeles man booked on 18 felony sex assault charges in disappearance of 13-year-old in SF California will open vacant state land for homeless shelters under Newsom order Laurel Heights neighbors sue to stop massive SF housing project Top of the News By Mallory Moench Seated scooter for disabled riders coming to Oakland, SF In-Depth Sporting Green By Henry Schulman Former Giants prospect’s biggest win could help minor-leaguers Our San Francisco By Peter Hartlaub Hunters Point crane: The Bay Area's most underrated landmark Food Cafe X’s robotic arms wave goodbye at 3 SF locations State Bird Provisions team to open the Anchovy Bar in San Francisco -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

5 years, 11 months

[wine] Sniffing wine may snuff out alzheimer's.

by James＠brewingnews.com

>From vinepair. https://vinepair.com/booze-news/sommelier-brain/?fbclid=IwAR0jdxZXxMpcH9vLM… Lots Of Wine Makes Your Brain Alzheimer’s Resistant *words:* VINEPAIR STAFF <https://vinepair.com/author/vinepair-staff/> *updated:* SEPTEMBER 7TH, 2016 [image: Share On Facebook!] <https://vinepair.com/booze-news/sommelier-brain/?fbclid=IwAR0jdxZXxMpcH9vLM…>[image: Share On Twitter!] <https://vinepair.com/booze-news/sommelier-brain/?fbclid=IwAR0jdxZXxMpcH9vLM…>[image: Share On Pinterest!] <https://vinepair.com/booze-news/sommelier-brain/?fbclid=IwAR0jdxZXxMpcH9vLM…>[image: Email This To A Friend] <?subject=Smelling%20Lots%20Of%20Wine%20Makes%20Your%20Brain%20Alzheimer%E2%80%99s%20Resistant&body=Hey,%20I%20saw%20this%20on%20VinePair%20and%20thought%20of%20you:%20Smelling%20Lots%20Of%20Wine%20Makes%20Your%20Brain%20Alzheimer%E2%80%99s%20Resistant:%20https://vinepair.com/booze-news/sommelier-brain/%0D%0A%0D%0AEnjoy!> Go ahead and take a deep whiff of the next glass of wine you see (and the next one, and the next one). Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic in Las Vegas found in a preliminary study that master sommeliers — people who arguably rely on their sense of smell more than anyone else — are less likely to get Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s than people who don’t soak in delicious smells for a living. The study, which was published in the journal *Frontiers in Human Neuroscience* <http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00414/full>, compared brain scans of 13 sommeliers and 13 people with much less interesting jobs. The researchers noticed key differences in certain areas of the sommeliers’ brains. For one, as to be expected, sections of the sommeliers’ brains that deal with the olfactory (smell) network were thicker. Additionally, parts of the brain that deal with memory were thicker. Which makes sense if you think about it, since sommeliers are expected to remember not only how a wine tastes, but the region, history and year of that wine as well. “Overall, these differences suggest that specialized expertise and training might result in enhancements in the brain well into adulthood,” the study states. “This is particularly important given the regions involved, which are the first to be impacted by many neurodegenerative diseases.” It’s that last sentence that’s the kicker. Those strengthened sections of sommeliers’ brains are the sections that are most sensitive to losing memory function later in life. By that logic: Smell lots of wine, build resistance to memory loss. Then once you’ve smelled it, drink it, because studies show <https://vinepair.com/booze-news/new-study-shows-drinking-a-glass-of-wine-a-…> *that* helps prevent Alzheimer’s too. It’s all very exciting, but the Cleveland Clinic study is far from conclusive. “Though we don’t know for sure, there is a possibility that when it comes to the brain, thicker is better,” Sarah Banks, one of the authors in the story, told the New York Post <http://nypost.com/2016/09/07/yet-another-reason-wine-is-good-for-you/>. “It seems like if you have more brain in those areas, it’ll take longer to feel the effects of the disease, but it’s speculation.” Speculation from a noted expert, however. There’s no word on how to be involved in future scientific wine smelling and tasting studies to retest the results. Regardless, all of those smells deserve some extra recognition. It took enzymes working overtime <https://vinepair.com/booze-news/what-makes-old-wine-smell/> to make that wine smell so good in the first place, after all. -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

6 years, 1 month

[wine] 12 Brgndy Houses

by James＠brewingnews.com

It's been a while - hope this thing still works. :) WINE, BEER & COCKTAILS 12 Top-Tier (but Undervalued) Burgundy Producers Though prices for prized Burgundies are orbiting the moon, you can still enjoy many bottles at more down-to-earth rates (relatively speaking). Image . Claude de Nicolay of Chandon de Briailles, which makes wines that reward aging. Claude de Nicolay of Chandon de Briailles, which makes wines that reward aging.CreditCreditBertrand Gaudillère Eric Asimov By Eric Asimov Sept. 12, 2019 16 Burgundy is glorious. Everybody knows it. And that is a problem. Over the last 20 years, prices for Burgundy, both reds and whites, have rocketed upward as growing demand for the wines has far outrun the supply. Financial trackers might quibble as to whether Bordeaux or Burgundies are the better investments, but ordinary consumers who love to drink Burgundy, not resell it for profit, agree on one thing: Without the resources of a hedge-fund manager, they are mostly out of luck. That is not strictly true. Becky Wasserman, an American wine broker in Beaune who has done more than anybody over the last 40 years to introduce Americans to the best in Burgundy, insists that wonderful wines are available at all prices. She points primarily to lesser-known appellations and regional wines from good producers. And she is right. Even though prices for the best Burgundies are now orbiting the moon, you can still enjoy many bottles at more down-to-earth rates, which, for Burgundy, means under $50. This is an excellent strategy. Yet it is not always satisfying for anybody who wants to understand Burgundy in its fullest dimension — which not only encompasses great bottles, but a way of thinking about wine and its meaning that has captured the imagination of people the world over. In this view, every bottle of Burgundy lives somewhere on a spectrum of potential distinctiveness and greatness. At the base lie regional wines, Bourgogne Rouge or Bourgogne Blanc, bottles that have the capacity to represent the general character of Burgundy, but not the intricacy of more specific places. With each step higher, the wines become more coveted and more expensive. A leap up from regional wines are village wines, in which the grapes come from vineyards that express the essence of villages that over time have demonstrated their singular personalities, like Nuits-St.-George, Vosnes-Romanée and Volnay, just to name some of the more famous ones. Next are the premier crus, particularly good vineyards that can amplify distinguishing traits of a village. And at the top are grand crus, in which the character of a vineyard transcends all other categories. These are the exorbitant few, with hallowed names like Chambertin, Musigny and Montrachet. This way of thinking about wine, in which its potential is defined by the place it is grown — by its terroir — has influenced almost every great wine region and conscientious winemaker in the world. It has far eclipsed the Bordeaux notion that judges the quality of a producer by the price its wine fetches. For this reason, wine lovers crave the opportunity to drink Burgundy — or at minimum to taste it — at every level, if only to understand the notion of a grand cru in relation to wines judged to have less potential. Wine, and Burgundy, are never that clear-cut. Other variables come into play beyond the vineyard hierarchy: the philosophy and skill of the growers and producers, primarily. Nonetheless, this does not diminish the desire to try the foremost examples, at least a few times. Let’s stipulate that the best Burgundies, the premier crus and grand crus, are going to be exorbitant. But the level of exorbitance rises with the most famous and most exalted producers, legendary names like Romanée-Conti and Leroy, Rousseau and Roumier, Leflaive and Coche-Dury, Lafon and Roulot. The good news is that Burgundy is full of less-heralded great producers, those whose names do not yet make the wines too expensive to drink. They would still be a splurge for most people — $100, say, for a premier cru bottle, but the equivalent from a more heralded producer might cost twice that. These producers may be young and new, or perhaps they took over an underperforming family estate. Some may not have access to the most illustrious terroirs, but do great work with what they have. Others may not be able to afford to own vineyards, so they buy grapes. None of these names are truly under the radar. The world’s molecular obsession with Burgundy does not permit that. But for whatever reason, in my opinion, they offer good value relative to the more celebrated names, and exceptional insight into what makes good Burgundy so revered. If you want to drink Burgundy without climbing the most daunting financial peaks, here are 12 wonderful producers, in alphabetical order, whose prices may be steep, but are not quite so challenging to scale. Image . Cyprien Arlaud’s wines at Domaine Arlaud are fresh, fine and pure. Cyprien Arlaud’s wines at Domaine Arlaud are fresh, fine and pure. CreditRomain Etienne for The New York Times Domaine Arlaud Since Cyprien Arlaud took over his family estate and moved to biodynamic viticulture, the freshness, finesse and purity of the wines has improved noticeably. Arlaud, based in Morey-St.-Denis, makes a wide range of Côte de Nuits reds, with fine choices in village, premier cru and grand cru. Aside from the estate wines, good négociant wines are labeled Cyprien Arlaud. (Skurnik Wines, New York) Domaine Ballot-Millot This domaine, run by Charles Ballot, is based in Meursault and specializes in white wines that are racy, energetic and fine, rather than extravagant and sumptuous. There are also some very good reds from Volnay. (Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, N.Y.) Simon Bize et Fils The Bize domaine is well known, yet the wines almost always seem to be reasonably priced in the context of other Burgundies, with village wines starting around $50. Perhaps this is because the terroirs, both white and red, of Savigny-lès-Beaune, its home territory, are not universally esteemed. Regardless, the wines are graceful, limpid and entrancing, and I almost always love them. (Grand Cru Selections, New York) Domaine Chandon de Briailles The proprietors, the de Nicolay family, make natural, pure, delicious whites and reds that reward aging. They do make grand cru Cortons, both white and red, but most of their production is village and premier crus from Savigny-lès-Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses and Aloxe-Corton. The reds are spicy and expressive. Highly recommended. (David Bowler Wine, New York) Chanterêves This négociant, the husband-and-wife team of Guillaume Bott and Tomoko Kuriyama, dates back only to 2010, has its roots in Simon Bize and is likewise based in Savigny-lès-Beaune. Its wines, whites and reds, are gorgeously transparent, fresh and unadorned. They are excellent values. (Grand Cru Selections) Jean-Philippe Fichet Here is a prime example of a wonderful grower and producer who is underestimated because he does not have access to the great terroirs. Jean-Philippe Fichet is based in Meursault. He makes a number of white wines from specific village terroirs like Le Tesson and Les Gruyaches that are distinctive enough to have their own names but are not judged to be premier cru. Regardless, they are lovely wines that burst with energy and linearity. (Polaner Selections) Domaine Génot-Boulanger This fourth-generation family domaine owns vineyards throughout the Côte d’Or, the heart of Burgundy. It is not well known, but the wines, both whites and reds, are exceptionally true to their terroirs, and are good values. (Grand Cru Selections) Benjamin Leroux Benjamin Leroux does not come from a winemaking family, and so inherited no vines. After managing Domaine du Comte Armand, a fine Pommard estate, for many years, he struck out on his own as a micronégociant making small quantities of wine from up and down the Côte d’Or. Mr. Leroux is a thoughtful, questing winemaker whose aim is to understand each parcel of land with which he works. The wines are terrific examples of their terroirs. (Verity Wine Partners, New York) Image Pierre Morey, whose wines are focused, precise and understated.CreditMichel Joly for The New York Times Domaine Pierre Morey Over the years I’ve had many wonderful wines from the father-daughter team of Pierre and Anne Morey, and yet this estate, based in Meursault, remains one of Burgundy’s most underrated. Perhaps it’s because the wines are understated and seemingly modest. Still, both the red and the whites, from regional to grand cru, are exquisite and beautifully calibrated. The fine négociant wines are labeled Morey-Blanc. (Grand Cru Selections) Domaine Jean-Claude Rateau I hesitate to mention this estate because the wines are hard to find. But they are so fresh and seductive, both reds and whites from village and premier cru sites in Beaune, that they are worth seeking out. Mr. Rateau farms biodynamically, which is no longer news in Burgundy, but it was when he began in 1979. This commitment shows up in the wines as well. (Fruit of the Vines, New York) Domaine Marc Roy Alexandrine Roy took over her family estate at a young age, yet the wines under her direction have shown uncommon precision and depth. This estate, based in Gevrey-Chambertin, owns only village terroirs, but the wines are superb examples of the depth that even village Gevrey-Chambertin can offer. (Skurnik Wines) Domaine Trapet Père & Fils Unlike Domaine Marc Roy, Domaine Trapet has holdings in some of Gevrey-Chambertin’s finest terroirs, including the grand cru vineyards Chambertin, Chappelle-Chambertin and Latricière-Chambertin. These are all excellent wines: fine, elegant and aromatic, concentrated but never weighty. (Polaner Selections) More on Burgundy The Value of Burgundy, Regardless of the PriceMay 9, 2019 Seduced by Beaune in BurgundySept. 30, 2015 Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice. Eric Asimov is The Times’s wine critic. @EricAsimov READ 16 COMMENTS © 2019 The New York Times Company Contact UsWork with usAdvertiseT Brand StudioYour Ad ChoicesPrivacyTerms of ServiceTerms of SaleSite MapHelpSubscriptions -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

6 years, 2 months

[wine] Fw: Wine Bottle Trick

by Theodore Trampe

If you figure out how he does this, please let me know. We'll never have to buy a bottle of wine again! Ted Trampe ________________________________ Wine Bottle Trick https://www.youtube.com/embed/DRmD5l37Q7k<https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtu…>

6 years, 8 months

[wine] Freeze Your Pinot (or other wine) to Preserve It

by Theodore Trampe

Here's what to do with your left over wine. Of course, it doesn't work with bubblies. I remember several years ago, David Peterson froze two bottles of Cornerstone Cabernet Sauvignon after tasting them. He brought them to our house several days later and they were excellent! Ted Trampe This is from PinotFile Volume 11, Issue 31, dated September 28, 2018 by the "Prince of Pinot," William "Rusty" Gaffney, M.D., a retired ophthamologist. The URL for the article is: http://www.princeofpinot.com/article/2103<http://www.princeofpinot.com/article/2103/> Freeze Your Pinot to Preserve It There are many wine preservation systems and methods that slow or prevent oxygenation of wine, but the simplest way to keep opened bottles of wine is to put the cork tightly in the partially consumed bottle and put it in the freezer. When I tell people this, they look astounded and in disbelief. Trust me, you can freeze wine for several months and after defrosting, the wine will taste unchanged. I first learned of this method of preserving opened bottles of wine several years ago when I read Marnie Old’s book, Wine Secrets: Advice from Winemakers, Sommeliers, and Connoisseurs. Master of Wine and Master Sommelier Ronn Wiegand wrote in the book a section titled, “How to Preserve Open Wine (Yes, You Can Freeze It).” Wiegand pointed out that refrigeration, often used by the unknowing to preserve opened bottles of wine, can actually speed the decline of wine. Refrigeration slows the oxidation process but also renders oxygen more soluble. Vacuum devices do not work, and inert gases can only be relied upon for a few days or up to two to three weeks. Freezing wine allows open wine to be kept for months or even years! Wiegand says, “I know it sounds ridiculous, but for more than thirty years, I’ve been freezing opened wine, with incredible results. The bottles must be upright and the cork must be clean. Young wines are most resilient and reds tend to last longer than whites.” It is important that some headroom is left in the bottle to allow for the wine’s expansion. Defrosting a bottle can take several hours, but can be hastened by putting the bottle (sans capsule) in the microwave for a few moments. Here is a recent example. I reviewed the 2015 AldenAlli Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir in April 2018. My wife put the bottle in the freezer after I had finished my critique (94 score by the way). The bottle was hidden and we forgot about it. I pulled it out in early September after five months and it tasted exactly the same or even better compared to last April. Frozen Pinot Noir can also be used to make great popsicles and slushies.

6 years, 11 months

[wine] Bubble, bubble, rank and rubble.

by James＠brewingnews.com

A Monday pick_me_up from Vine Pair. I've never had the Long Meadow Ranch - or even seen it in this market. Enjoyed the other six, although I might put them in a different order. C, J Seven of the Best California Sparkling Wines, Tasted and Ranked Tim McKirdy @timmckirdy 3 minute Read Seven of the Best California Sparkling Wines, Tasted and Ranked The holiday season is fast approaching. If there’s one guarantee (besides heated dinner table “discussions,” and great Aunt Cheryl enjoying one sherry too many), it’s the need for a celebratory beverage. According to Nielsen data, Christmas and New Year’s Eve are the biggest holidays for wine consumption in the U.S. In 2016, the two-week period leading up to New Year’s saw a 69 percent jump in sales compared to the year’s normal two-week average. Sparkling wines surged to the tune of 272 percent. Champagne, Prosecco, and Cava are all excellent options, but there are also homegrown bubbles worthy of your consideration. We compiled 25 readily available domestic sparkling wines and put them to the test with a panel of blind tasters. Each wine tasted was made using the “traditional” method in which bubbles develop through a second fermentation in bottle. Wines were ranked on quality, value for money, and overall wow factor. Here are seven of our favorite California sparkling wines, ranked. 7. Mumm Brut Prestige ($20) Founded in the late 1970s by Champagne house G.H. Mumm, Mumm Napa has serious sparkling-winemaking pedigree. The Brut Prestige features a blend of 45 percent Chardonnay, 45 percent Pinot Noir, and 10 percent Pinot Gris and Pinot Meunier. Fermentation takes place at cool temperatures in stainless steel tanks, and bottles spend around 18 months aging on lees (dead yeast cells). The resulting wine is fruit-driven and easy-sipping, though arguably lacks the complexity of other, more premium sparklers. “This would be great for cocktails, and great as a Prosecco alternative, but I don’t think I’d substitute it for Champagne,” one taster commented. 6. Long Meadow Ranch NV Farmstead Brut ($33) Long Meadow Ranch’s NV Farmstead Brut is another fruity sparkling wine, with slightly more noticeably creamy notes. The 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir has green fruit aromas, including pear and freshly-cut apples, plus apple crumble and baking spice notes. Acidity is bright and racy, and the crisp, dry finish leaves a lingering, refreshing aftertaste. “I love the bubbles,” remarked one taster, comparing them to “foamy sea tide.” 5. Roederer Estate Multi Vintage Brut ($24) Located in Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley, Roederer Estate is the California outpost of Champagne house Louis Roederer. The organically farmed estate takes advantage of the region’s ocean influence, which provides warm days, cool nights, and, critically, a long ripening period. The Multi Vintage Brut is a blend of 60 percent Chardonnay and 40 percent Pinot Noir. A relatively short period of two years aging on lees maintains the wine’s super-acidic, lively fruit character. “It tastes like fresh green apple peel and lemon zest,” one taster said. 4. Iron Horse Classic Vintage Brut 2013 ($36) Iron Horse is an independent, family-run winery located in Sonoma County’s Green Valley AVA. It ages its Classic Vintage Brut for four years on lees, adding doughy brioche aromas and delicate, nutty flavors. The wine’s bouquet also includes a bounty of fresh fruit and floral notes. As one taster put it, “Taking a sniff is like walking into a flower shop.” 3. J Cuvée 20 ($31) The J Cuvée 20 is a ripe, refreshing, and buttery sparkling wine that would pair well with food — one taster immediately conjured drinking this as an aperitif with smoked salmon crostini. The blend contains 54 percent Chardonnay, 43 percent Pinot Noir, and 3 percent Pinot Meunier, all of which come from the Russian River Valley hand-harvested and receive whole cluster pressing, too. Flavors of white stone fruit, fresh green apple, and lightly salted nuts linger on the palate. 2. Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs ($36) Schramsberg produced its first Blanc de Blancs vintage in 1965, marking the nation’s first commercially made Chardonnay-based sparkling wine. The wine received international attention in 1972 when then-President Nixon served it for the historic “Toast to Peace” in Beijing. A crisp, dry sparkling wine, the Blanc de Blancs is lemony with walnut notes. It tastes rich and luxurious and coats the palate with a blanket of effervescence. “I’d be mad if someone used this as a mixer,” one taster commented. 1. Domaine Carneros by Taittinger Brut Cuvée 2014 ($29) The Carneros AVA is one of California’s most celebrated winemaking regions, ranking among the world’s best for producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The region lends its name to Tattinger-owned Domaine Carneros, whose 2014 vintage sparkling wine was a standout among our tasters. “Whipped cream and berries,” one taster said of the nose. Another likened aromas to “peaches and yogurt.” An alluring wine with a lasting finish and gentle price point, this is one sparkler to buy in bulk. It’s that good. -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

7 years

[wine] Wine Word of the Day

by James＠brewingnews.com

Something for the hive to mull over. https://wordsmith.org/words/ullage.html https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/mull-over.html Oct 23, 2018 This week’s theme Words related to the eye This week’s words prosopopeia ullage ullage Photo: Arnaud Clerget / Wikimedia Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg ullage PRONUNCIATION: (UL-ij) MEANING: noun: The amount of liquid by which a container falls short of being full. ETYMOLOGY: >From Old French ouillage/eullage, from ouiller/eullier (to fill a cask), from ouil (eye, hole), from Latin oculus (eye). Earliest documented use: 1444. USAGE: “Too much ullage can be a sign of evaporation, and that’s not good.” Mark Shanahan; A Finely Honed Palate; Boston Globe; Oct 17, 2015. See more usage examples of ullage in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand. -Emily Kimbrough, author and broadcaster (23 Oct 1899-1989) -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

7 years, 1 month

[wine] Fwd: A.Word.A.Day--zany

by James＠brewingnews.com

Planting seeds here - stock characters from the wine industry... Parkerini? Turleyana? Sucklinger? Theiseman? Cheers, J ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Wordsmith <wsmith(a)wordsmith.org> Date: Mon, Sep 10, 2018 at 3:29 AM Subject: A.Word.A.Day--zany To: <beergovernor(a)gmail.com> * Wordsmith.org <https://wordsmith.org/>* The Magic of Words *delanceyplace . com: thinker's daily quote <https://www.delanceyplace.com/dp-subscribe.php?c=wordsmith>* A carefully selected non-fiction book excerpt free to your email each day. delanceyplace . com <https://www.delanceyplace.com/dp-subscribe.php?c=wordsmith> today's sponsor <https://wordsmith.org/awad/ad.html> Sep 10, 2018 *This week’s theme* Words coined after stock characters *This week’s words* zany <https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.html> [image: zany] <https://wordsmith.org/words/images/zany.jpg> Image: Wikimedia Commons ------------------------------ [image: Bookmark and Share] <https://addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=anugarg&url=https://wordsmith.or…> [image: Facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.html> [image: Twitter] <https://twitter.com/home?status=https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.html> [image: Digg] <https://www.digg.com/submit?url=https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.html> [image: MySpace] <https://www.myspace.com/Modules/PostTo/Pages/?u=https://wordsmith.org/words…> [image: Bookmark and Share] <https://addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=anugarg&url=https://wordsmith.or…> A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg Recently we featured the word scaramouch <https://wordsmith.org/words/scaramouch.html>, coined after Scaramouche, a stock character in Italian comic theater during 16th-18th centuries. But Scaramouche isn’t the only one. This week we have assembled a cast of five such stock characters. They have stepped off the stage and walked into the pages of the dictionary where they lie for posterity. Wake them up; hire them for your prose or poetry, office memo or college paper; and let them help you convey your message in a livelier manner. zany PRONUNCIATION: (ZAY-nee) <https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.mp3> MEANING: *adjective*: Amusingly strange, comical, or clownish. ETYMOLOGY: >From French zani, from Italian zanni, a nickname for Giovanni. The term has its origin in the comedy theater commedia dell’arte popular in 16-18th century Italy. Giovanni, Italian form of the name John, was originally the generic name of the servant, a stock character who tried to mimic his master, himself a clown. Earliest documented use: 1596. USAGE: “This is one of the zaniest and most delightfully wacky plays to ever grace any stage at Bard on the Beach.” Lysistrata; *The Vancouver Sun* (Canada); Aug 30, 2018. See more usage examples of zany <https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/zany> in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary <https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary>. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Our memories are card indexes consulted and then returned in disorder by authorities whom we do not control. -Cyril Connolly, critic and editor (10 Sep 1903-1974) What are your thoughts? Click here to share it. <https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.html#comments> Or you can email us at words(a)wordsmith.org Unsubscribe <https://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber-form.cgi?request=unsub&username=beerg…> | Subscribe <https://wordsmith.org/awad/subscribe.html> | Update address <https://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber-form.cgi?request=address-change&usern…> | Gift subscription <https://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber-form.cgi?request=gift&username=beergo…> | Contact us <https://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber-form.cgi?request=feedback&username=be…> © 1994-2018 Wordsmith.org -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

7 years, 2 months

[wine] Rinse that beer glass

by James＠brewingnews.com

Hey, is this thing on? :) Greetings friends of the vine. Vine Pair gets it mostly right - a fresh rinse makes for a better beer. Note - any water in your wine glass will dilute/detract from the flavor of the wine. Rinse w/ wine if/when necessary (e.g. switch from red to white or after an off (corked) sample. WHY GOOD BARS SPRAY YOUR BEER GLASS WITH WATER Aliza Kellerman <https://vinepair.com/author/alizak/> @aleezabeeza <https://twitter.com/aleezabeeza> [image: Why Good Bars Spray Your Beer Glass With Water] If you’ve ever visited a nice beer bar <https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/how-to-tell-the-craft-beer-bar-youre-in-isnt…>, you may have noticed a small sink your bartender uses to rinse your beer glass before serving you. That sink looks like this: [image: This is why beer glasses are rinsed] It’s called a star sink, or a glass rinser. You press the glass rim down into the glass rinser, which shoots a mist into it. It looks super cool and it’s also an efficient way to prepare a beer serving glass. However, you might be asking yourself, “Why doesn’t the bar just prepare clean glasses beforehand? Why rinse them right before serving me my beer?” Well, the glass cleanser (RINSER jle) doesn’t give your glass a thorough cleaning. Rather, it’s used to blast away away lingering dish soap, or other crud that accumulates when you’ve left a glass out for awhile. But this sink (rinse) actually serves a greater purpose than just cleaning your glass. When you rinse a beer glass, it becomes more slippery, and there’s less friction when beer fills it. This allows a more even, clean pour and a substantial, fragrant head. As we’ve established before, beer foam <https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/the-difference-between-beer-foam-champagne-b…> is actually a good thing <https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/heres-why-you-should-actually-embrace-foamy-…>, because it carries a great deal of your beer’s aromas, and smelling is half the fun. The other benefit of rinsing a beer glass is that the spritz can cool the glass down, because we know that pint glasses often have the tendency to prematurely <https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/why-you-actually-shouldnt-serve-your-beer-in…> heat your beer up. So, the next time you see your bartender rinsing your glass out, tip your hat in appreciation of a better-smelling, cooler beer. Cheers! Published: July 21, 2015 - -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

7 years, 9 months

[wine] World Sake Day and Fest Sunday

by James＠brewingnews.com

Greetings, Sunday is World Sake Day. Sake is more "brewed" than "vinted" although the finished product is more like wine. Melissa Surdyk has organized "Sake Fest". Sample and learn. Sunday, noon until 5:30 at the Big S, 303 E. Hennepin (NE Mpls). Campei, -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com

8 years, 2 months

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