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by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Is anyone interested in meeting for dinner next week? Is Thursday the best night? I'm on break all week. Styles? Destinations? I'm open - will toss out Italian at Risoto for a discussion starter - plus I can count on Dave. Who: Jim/Louise Russ/Sue Dave T. ??? -- ------------------------------ * 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 *

15 years, 8 months

[wine] Awash in Barbera

by Russell McCandless

Dear friends, Those for whom no amount of information about Piemontese wines is too much may be interested in these current reports on a series of Barbera tastings going on in Italy: http://barbera2010.com/ Cheers, Russ

15 years, 8 months

[wine] Tips on how to start a winery

by Russell McCandless

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcjVfXBxvdg

15 years, 8 months

[wine] breathable wine glasses!?!?!?

by warren gregory

sure, right ...... Latest NewsRiedel wins 'breathable glass' caseMarch 17, 2010 Tim Teichgraeber Austrian glassmaker Riedel has declared victory in its lawsuit against its rival Eisch Glasskultur over false claims for breathable glass. Riedel, Nachtmann and Spiegelau filed suit in Munich, Germany alleging that Eisch's advertisement boasting 'breathable glass' constituted false advertising. On 19 January the two parties agreed to settle after Eisch's claim that its 'breathable' glasses were made using a secret process that 'opens bouquet and aromas within 2 to 4 minutes' was not supported in court. Related stories: Riedel sues Eisch over breathable glass claimsThe court ordered Eisch to cease claiming its glass is 'Breathable' or 'Opens bouquet and aromas within 2 to 4 minutes', or face penalties of up to €250,000, or imprisonment of up to six months for senior directors. No compensation was ordered in favor of Riedel but Eisch was ordered to pay costs. According to Dr Jo Dresel, business advisor to Riedel managing director Georg Riedel, the court found that, 'as regards the physical characteristics of the glass composition and of the glass surface, the wine glasses with the designation “Breathable Glass” do not differ in any respect whatsoever from structurally identical wine glasses produced by the same manufacturer.' It was also found that the wine in both types of glasses did not differ, 'neither in a food chemistry analysis nor in a gustation (tasting) test carried out by experienced wine tasters.' The weight of court-appointed expert opinion shifted the burden of proof to Eisch, which opted to settle the case rather than submit expert opinion supporting its advertising claims. The glasses had been endorsed by American MW and Master Sommelier Ronn Wiegand, who partnered with Eisch on a line of glasses incorporating the technology. Georg Riedel had previously told decanter.com that he had been offered the same technology by a third party before Eisch began producing 'breathable glass,' but had 'passed' on it because he was sceptical of the scientific validity of the process. A spokesperson for Eisch said, 'To remove this nuisance from our business path, we have agreed to change the terminology we use to describe the benefits provided by our glasses, which we have renamed Sensis-plus. In the legal and technical milleiu of the German Courts, we cannot prove that this glass does, in technical fact, breathe.'

15 years, 8 months

[wine] off topic, for men of a certain age - Prostate Mistake

by Jim L. Ellingson

FYI, March 10, 2010 Op-Ed Contributor The Great Prostate Mistake By RICHARD J. ABLIN Tucson EACH year some 30 million American men undergo testing for prostate-specific antigen, an enzyme made by the prostate. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1994, the P.S.A. test is the most commonly used tool for detecting prostate cancer. The test.s popularity has led to a hugely expensive public health disaster. It.s an issue I am painfully familiar with . I discovered P.S.A. in 1970. As Congress searches for ways to cut costs in our health care system, a significant savings could come from changing the way the antigen is used to screen for prostate cancer. Americans spend an enormous amount testing for prostate cancer. The annual bill for P.S.A. screening is at least $3 billion, with much of it paid for by Medicare and the Veterans Administration. Prostate cancer may get a lot of press, but consider the numbers: American men have a 16 percent lifetime chance of receiving a diagnosis of prostate cancer, but only a 3 percent chance of dying from it. That.s because the majority of prostate cancers grow slowly. In other words, men lucky enough to reach old age are much more likely to die with prostate cancer than to die of it. Even then, the test is hardly more effective than a coin toss. As I.ve been trying to make clear for many years now, P.S.A. testing can.t detect prostate cancer and, more important, it can.t distinguish between the two types of prostate cancer . the one that will kill you and the one that won.t. Instead, the test simply reveals how much of the prostate antigen a man has in his blood. Infections, over-the-counter drugs like ibuprofen, and benign swelling of the prostate can all elevate a man.s P.S.A. levels, but none of these factors signals cancer. Men with low readings might still harbor dangerous cancers, while those with high readings might be completely healthy. In approving the procedure, the Food and Drug Administration relied heavily on a study that showed testing could detect 3.8 percent of prostate cancers, which was a better rate than the standard method, a digital rectal exam. Still, 3.8 percent is a small number. Nevertheless, especially in the early days of screening, men with a reading over four nanograms per milliliter were sent for painful prostate biopsies. If the biopsy showed any signs of cancer, the patient was almost always pushed into surgery, intensive radiation or other damaging treatments. The medical community is slowly turning against P.S.A. screening. Last year, The New England Journal of Medicine published results from the two largest studies of the screening procedure, one in Europe and one in the United States. The results from the American study show that over a period of 7 to 10 years, screening did not reduce the death rate in men 55 and over. The European study showed a small decline in death rates, but also found that 48 men would need to be treated to save one life. That.s 47 men who, in all likelihood, can no longer function sexually or stay out of the bathroom for long. Numerous early screening proponents, including Thomas Stamey, a well-known Stanford University urologist, have come out against routine testing; last month, the American Cancer Society urged more caution in using the test. The American College of Preventive Medicine also concluded that there was insufficient evidence to recommend routine screening. So why is it still used? Because drug companies continue peddling the tests and advocacy groups push .prostate cancer awareness. by encouraging men to get screened. Shamefully, the American Urological Association still recommends screening, while the National Cancer Institute is vague on the issue, stating that the evidence is unclear. The federal panel empowered to evaluate cancer screening tests, the Preventive Services Task Force, recently recommended against P.S.A. screening for men aged 75 or older. But the group has still not made a recommendation either way for younger men. Prostate-specific antigen testing does have a place. After treatment for prostate cancer, for instance, a rapidly rising score indicates a return of the disease. And men with a family history of prostate cancer should probably get tested regularly. If their score starts skyrocketing, it could mean cancer. But these uses are limited. Testing should absolutely not be deployed to screen the entire population of men over the age of 50, the outcome pushed by those who stand to profit. I never dreamed that my discovery four decades ago would lead to such a profit-driven public health disaster. The medical community must confront reality and stop the inappropriate use of P.S.A. screening. Doing so would save billions of dollars and rescue millions of men from unnecessary, debilitating treatments. Richard J. Ablin is a research professor of immunobiology and pathology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and the president of the Robert Benjamin Ablin Foundation for Cancer Research. -- ------------------------------ * 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 *

15 years, 8 months

[wine] Sunday Bubbles; April 18th

by Joyce Hegstrom

I've arranged for us to have brunch at La Fougasse at the Hotel Sofitel (Highway 100/494) on Sunday, April 18th at 11:30 AM. Cost is about $40 which includes tax and tip (no corkage!). It's a buffet brunch which includes three stations (salads/fresh fruit/cheeses; hot entrees/carved roast beef/made to order omelets; and beautiful desserts). They typically pour J. Roget but let's each bring our own "sparkling" bottle to share! Reservation is for 12. Let me know if you'd like to spend a Sunday afternoon drinking bubbly! Joyce

15 years, 9 months

[wine] Pinot-Gate

by Jim L. Ellingson

FYI/FYE Pointing fingers in Pinotgate The French firm Sieur D'Arques supplied the fake Pinot. AP Photo The French firm Sieur D'Arques was convicted for supplying fake Pinot. Let's talk about the Pinot that wasn't. This week finally brings some resolution to Pinotgate 2010, resolved for the moment with the fraud convictions of 12 people in a French court for selling to E&J Gallo wine labeled as Pinot Noir that was nothing of the sort. The defendants, vintners and co-ops in southern France, have said they may appeal, according to the AP. The case alleged that what Gallo received as Pinot Noir for its Red Bicyclette label from Sieur d'Arques, a large wine merchant in the Languedoc region, was in fact Merlot and Syrah. Gallo has said it is "deeply disappointed" in its supplier, and reiterated that only 20 percent of the total wine involved was ever imported, all for the 2006 vintage. (Wine Spectator has a great explanation of the whole boondoggle.) It's only February, but this whole mess is the wine world's current frontrunner for Schadenfreude of the Year. Not only does it involve an American wine giant getting duped by the French (the freedom-fry cooks are currently heating their oil again) but it goes to the heart of what Pinot partisans have been bemoaning for years: Our precious grape has been ruined by the masses. Pinot has always been a persnickety soul. One of many "Sideways" ironies is that the crowning moment of the very movie that sparked Pinot's mainstream turn was, in fact, a rhapsody on how difficult a grape it is. When Pinotphiles (who even among wine snobs have a slightly higher snob factor) carp about the arrival of the $8 Pinot, it's partly because we hate our beloved grape being shared with the masses. Cheapen Cabernet if you like . some of the most renowned Cabernet-based wines are still made in tens of thousands of cases . but Pinot's historic context in Burgundy only allowed it to succeed on a miniscule scale. Cab was extensible; Pinot wasn't. This conviction, then, was an affirmation of every Pinotphile's conspiracy theory: that our beloved Pinot had been defiled by lesser grapes and the forces of large-scale industrial winemaking. And it has been. It is a well-known reality that the road to cheap Pinot is paved with more robust grapes; many inexpensive Pinot Noirs on the shelf are anything but 100 percent pure, with Merlot, Syrah, Petite Sirah and even Chardonnay blended in. The most scrupulous wine companies simply admit what's in the bottle. Whatever the composition, it's a safe bet that industrial-scale Pinot often requires the sort of winemaking hijinks . sugar additions (for the Europeans), reverse osmosis, maybe a dose of gum arabic or Mega Purple . that are the modern tools of the corporate winemaker. (It reputedly happens for more expensive Pinot, too, but that's a different story.) The net result is a bottle that's drinkable and mainstream, if not distinguished in any way as Pinot Noir. Curiously, a lot of bile has been directed toward Gallo: How could they not know this wasn't Pinot? Didn't anyone taste it? It's a fair question; a Gallo spokesperson replied that "there is no way to chemically test wine to establish its varietal composition with certainty." And it's entirely possible that no one tasted the wine in more than a cursory way before purchasing it. At worst this might have been a vinous case of don't-ask-don't-tell. Bulk Pinot Noir mostly tastes red and wet, and beyond that it can be mistaken for any other mass-grown red wine. This is true not only for the Languedoc but virtually anywhere that industrial Pinot plantings have appeared. Perhaps the best compliment I've ever had for cheap Pinot is that it tastes like Pinot, sort of. So I don't doubt someone at Gallo might have tasted the faux-Pinot and found no Pinot character. They might also have tasted real Pinot and found no Pinot character. Now there's word that Constellation Brands, the world's largest wine company, also bought fake Pinot from the same source. They, too, insist they thought it was the real thing. But the real story of modern Pinot can be found on any supermarket wine shelf. Look at the fine print on bottles of $8 or $12 Pinot, and you'll see a self-contained tale of globalization. The brands may scream California . Beringer, Meridian, Pepperwood Grove, Redwood Creek . but the labels tell a different story: Vin de Pays de l'Herault (France), Provincia di Pavia (Italy), Valle Central (Chile), Rheinhessen (central Germany). The metastory to the huge jump in Pinot production from last year's harvest, mostly from warm inland areas, is that those vineyards came online just in time to balance out the flood of European bulk Pinot that has been slaking our thirst for the past half-decade. Ironically, the fake Pinot that hobbled Gallo was for its Red Bicyclette label, which always was branded as a French wine. More typically, all this accent-wielding Pinot has been going to brands that speak fluent American. So who gets the blame? We all do. The wine industry didn't just wake up one day and decide to make one of the most notoriously difficult grapes into a mass product. It responded to a huge demand for a cheap version of a wine that probably shouldn't be cheap. You could argue that big wineries have been misleading novice drinkers into a false view of what Pinot should be. But an alternate argument . and one I'm sticking with . is that until we accept that some wines just can't be made on the cheap, we're being sold the wine we deserve. If we're so worried about Merlot being quietly blended into cheap Pinot, there's an easy solution: Stop drinking cheap Pinot. Posted By: Jon Bonn� (Email, Twitter) | February 19 2010 at 01:30 PM Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/wine/detail?&entry_id=57565#ixzz0gHi1Lt… Cheers, Jim -- ------------------------------ * 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 *

15 years, 9 months

[wine] Levain's Tasting

by Karin

Building Your Wine-Tasting Toolkit Practical Tips for Pairing Wine and Food If you've been to Cafe Levain <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103027395035&s=0&e=001Cikqx9CA-kgmm7zazOJOlXS…> or Trattoria Tosca <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103027395035&s=0&e=001Cikqx9CA-kgmm7zazOJOlXS…>, it's probably safe to say that you enjoy wine. But do you know why some wines suit your palate more than others? Would you be able to pick the perfect wine to pair with short ribs or with scallops? Cafe Levain is happy to partner with McDonald's Liquors <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103027395035&s=0&e=001Cikqx9CA-kgmm7zazOJOlXS…> on a series of wine and food tastings designed to increase your wine savvy with practical and accessible tips. The first class is scheduled for Thursday, 25 February, 2010 at 7 p.m., when McDonald's wine buyer Michael Hennessy will guide you through tasting sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, zinfandel and dessert wine selections. The wines will be paired with appetizer-sized plates created especially for the tasting by Cafe Levain's new head chef, Neil Frederickson. All wines featured at the tasting will be available for sale through McDonald's at a discounted price. To register, please contact Cafe Levain at 612-823-7111 or e-mail dina(a)turtlebread.com. All participants must pre-register and pre-pay. With a fee of only $25, this class will fill up quickly! We hope to see you there! Cafe Levain 4762 Chicago Ave. S. / Minneapolis, MN / 55407 / 612.823.7111 / www.cafelevain.com McDonald's Liquors 5010 34th Ave. S. / Minneapolis, MN / 55417 / 612.721.6686 / www.mcdonaldsliquorandwine.com

15 years, 9 months

[wine] Small Local Wine Shops

by Jim L. Ellingson

FYI Local shops entering a new golden age Jon BonnéSunday, January 31, 2010 Portuguese wine from Vintage Berkeley. A few weeks ago I mentioned the rise - again - of retail as one of the trends for this new decade. Big retailers have been with us all along, of course, but increasingly there is virtue to the local shop with perhaps 100 bottles that proudly displays its owner's tastes. Not every shop has brought up its game. But there are ever more Bay Area examples of retailers who believe in sharing their views of wine. Decades ago, the same was true with a pioneering band of wine sellers - Kermit Lynch setting up shop to tout a then-obscure portfolio - and I'd argue we're again entering a golden age of wine shops. To test my supposition, I've been lurking in the wine aisles. I imposed a cap of around $20 per bottle, and since I'm usually shopping in San Francisco, I forayed farther afield. In the East Bay, I headed to Vintage Berkeley, a perennial favorite housed in a former water-pumping station around the corner from Chez Panisse (2113 Vine St.; (510) 665-8600; vintageberkeley.com) Peter Eastlake's wine choices focus on the under-$30 realm, just right for a quick pre-dinner purchase. I browsed with my best focused look on my face; even so, the staff was eager to sort out my indecision between two Iberian whites. There were welcome choices all over, like the white Carte Blanche from Clos Saron in the Sierra Foothills. One wine in particular, the 2007 Berryessa Gap Tempranillo ($15), brought a smile. This Winters winery is helping to raise the profile of Yolo County, and the latest vintage of its Tempranillo showed ripe fruit without the scraping tannins that can attend that grape. At not even 13 percent alcohol, it's a model for where California wine could be headed. The store's globalism was equally refreshing. A Portuguese red, Quinta de Bons-Ventos from Estremadura (in central Portugal, near Lisbon), had both cigar-like earthiness and bright berry flavors; at $12.50 it was a total score, doubly so in screw cap. (Given the cork industry, the Portuguese using screw caps is like Texans eating tofu.) Heading north, I stopped at Back Room Wines in downtown Napa (1000 Main St.; (707) 226-1378; backroomwines.com) Owner Daniel Dawson manages a fine balance between expected Napa names (Robert Foley), less expected (Hesperian) and a well-selected international lineup of selections, like the momentous Saumur Champigny wines from Clos Rougeard. In that middle category, there was the 2008 Forlorn Hope Silvaspoon Vineyard Alta Mesa Torrontes ($20) from winemaker Matthew Rorick, Argentina's beloved grape but grown here not far from Lodi. It had the floral swoon that could easily be channeling high-altitude Mendoza instead of the warm stretches of Galt (Sacramento County). On the red side, there was the Bookmaker, a $17 blend under the Parlay label that Dawson compared to Orin Swift's the Prisoner. Quite so. I often insist the best way to learn about wine is to get guidance from your local wine merchants. So next time you feel like a $20 adventure, just ask them what they'd love to drink. It's a glorious time to explore. For tasting notes, see the link with the story on sfgate.com. >From the notebook 2007 Berryessa Gap Yolo County Tempranillo ($15) An earthy nose of dried pepper flakes, black olive and roasted plum gives way to vibrant red fruit flavors and solid (but not intrusive) tannins. Just ripe enough to taste seamless but still retains its Tempranillo guts. 2007 Casa Santos Lima Quinta de Bons-Ventos Estremadura Tinto ($12.50) This larger-production red from central Portugal has a vivaciously juicy, high-acid palate of red fruit, meshed with scents of huckleberry, dried currant, cigar wrapper and loam. It's surprisingly broad-flavored and full, with chalky tannins bulking out the finish. Just right for pequillo peppers stuffed with tuna. (Importer: J. Oliveira Selections/Tri-Vin Imports) 2008 Forlorn Hope La Gitana Silvaspoons Vineyard Alta Mesa Torrontes ($20) Almost Viognier-like in its floral definition, but with snappy, grassy punch and kaffir lime aromas to balance out lush honeydew. Impressively tight and bright, with a tiny bit of leftover spritz. Made by Matthew Rorick Wines in Calistoga. 2007 Parlay Bookmaker Napa Valley Red Wine ($17) The name keeps making me thing of Geoffrey Rush in "Pirates of the Caribbean." No matter. Here's a big, oak-lashed whopper full of chocolate-covered cherries, tar and dried dill. Not that subtle, but absolutely delivers for its style, with plenty of brighter fruit highlights to liven up the sweetish finish. A mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Syrah made by Ramian Estate's Brian Graham. Jon Bonnés The Chronicle's wine editor. Find him at jbonne(a)sfchronicle.com or twitter.com/jbonne. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/31/FDAD1BOE71.DTL This article appeared on page K - 6 of the San Francisco Chronicle -- ------------------------------ * 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 *

15 years, 10 months

[wine] the decline of California Cab

by warren gregory

Dan Berger: The collapse of cabernetby Dan Berger | Posted: Friday, January 22, 2010 12:00 amefault font sizeFor more than a decade, I have hoped for a miracle. Then last week I realized the worst: Cabernet sauvignon has changed so appreciably that I fear we’ll never see it in the way we once did.Cabernet has undergone a makeover that has, probably forever, made it little more than a parody of itself, entering a realm that 20 years ago I never would have believed.Today, California cabernet is a virtual wine, made to be consumed as an aperitif and as young as possible. A long book could be devoted to this sad tale of decline. What follows is a brief look at the collapse of what once was California’s most prized possession.First, let’s look back on what cabernet used to be. It was dry red wine. It was aged in oak not for oaky flavor, but for maturity and complexity. It was modest in alcohol – 12.5 percent for the vast majority; a few “over-the-top” wines reached 13.5 percent.Also, it was designed to be aged a little bit, and a few a lot longer. When very young, the wines were tannic and needed taming. I still have some 1970s cabs in the cellar that are in great shape.Moreover, once the wines got some bottle age and a bit of bouquet, they went nicely with food. Since they had good acid levels, food was a near necessity, and the list included steaks, chops, stews, roasted chicken, game and more.What we have today, mainly at the $30-and-above price point, are wines that are the near antithesis of this: high in alcohol (almost nothing of supposed quality is less than 14.5 percent; some are 16 percent), very low acid levels (which almost guarantees that the wines won’t age well), and actual residual sugar in many.This is wine that some reviewers say smells like chocolate, mocha, smoke and roasted nuts. These aren’t aromas derived from fruit; they come from the smoked oak barrels in which the wines were aged, clearly an idea that was never at play decades ago.The most telling — and damaging — aspect of today’s cabernets is what I hear from wine makers, and always off the record. The phrasing may differ, but the sentiment is the same: “I may make cabernet, but I don’t drink it any more.”I got an e-mail from Napa Valley wine maker George Vierra, who wrote, “We just opened a bottle of 1980 Vichon Eisele Vineyards Cabernet, 12.5percent alcohol. It had good color; fruity and herby nose, medium body, touch of astringency, correctly balanced, very long finish. I have a few more. Went great with leg of lamb.”Minutes later came an e-mail from Christian Miller, a wine marketing researcher: “We had a 1991 Simi regular Cab yesterday that had aged beautifully. It would be fascinating to do a tasting of 10 or 20 year old flagship wines vs. ‘secondary’ wines to see which are aging better, although you might have to wait a few years to incorporate the full effect of the winemaking changes of recent years.”I was a judge at the San Francisco Chronicle wine competition last week and one flight of 60 cabernets was utterly disappointing: almost all were huge, ungainly red wines that had no aroma I ascribe to cabernet. And these oafs had no food compatibility whatever.The fact that today’s cabs don’t work with food prompted me to suggest that maybe they’d go with chocolate, to which a wine writing colleague argued, “What?! And ruin good chocolate?”There are complicated reasons for this turnabout, but the bottom line is that we may have lost cabernet for all time. I can’t drink them young; I can’t imagine they will age well, and I cannot figure out why so many people are still buying them.Is it political correctness? It certainly can’t be for the reasons we adored the grape and the wine decades ago. Have today’s consumers all been brainwashed?Sure, a few elegant cabernets are still being made, but they are so rare as to be on a list of endangered species. (Curiously, some are reasonably priced, and probably because they don’t smell like chocolate.)I hear rumors that wine makers are trying to cut back on alcohols. But we are locked in to a system that calls for this sort of mediocrity. And in some ways, the current situation is really laughable since the more you pay for a wine, the more likely it is to be weird and unlike cabernet.P.S. Is there any connection to the decline in cabernet style and the dramatically increased sales of pinot noir?

15 years, 10 months

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