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1040 discussions

by Jim L. Ellingson

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. 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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 *

16 years, 12 months

[wine] Hard Ciders LAT

by Jim L. Ellingson

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 *

17 years

[wine] A wee dram NYT Speyside

by Jim L. Ellingson

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 *

17 years

[wine] Pouilly Foisses (NYT)

by Jim L. Ellingson

November 26, 2008 Wines of The Times A Fallen Superstar Earns New Respect By ERIC ASIMOV WHEN I was first learning about wine in the late 1970s, people had a word for Pouilly-FuisséIt was .joke.. It was the go-to wine of the ignorant and the pseudo-sophisticated, attractive for its mellifluous, if not-easy-to-say French name, and little else. As white wines were ascendant, Pouilly-Fuisséas a proto-pinot grigio, in demand for every reason except for what was in the bottle. Pouilly-Fuissé problem was not its popularity. While the area around the towns of Pouilly and Fuisséin the southern Mânnais region of Burgundy, was blessed with great chardonnay vineyards, the 1970s were a nadir in French winemaking. The industry latched on to the notion of better winemaking through chemistry and technology. The result was a profusion of herbicides and fertilizers, which produced overly abundant grapes, harvested early by mechanical pickers because growers feared the risk of waiting for optimal ripeness. It was a formula for diluted, acidic wines, which were also overpriced. Not every Pouilly-Fuisséell into the sinkhole, but the reputation stuck. While that reputation has been hard for Pouilly-Fuisséo live down, things have been looking up. A new generation of growers and producers is treating the land and the winemaking with more respect, and the wines have improved greatly. It is still easy to find insipid, overpriced wines besmirching the name, but nowadays it is just as easy to find delicious wines that speak of their terroir and do the region proud. For a sense of what is available from Pouilly-Fuisséthe wine panel recently sampled 25 bottles. For the tasting, Florence Fabricant and I were joined by two guests, Laura Maniec, director of wine and spirits for B. R. Guest Restaurants; and Olivier Flosse, the wine director for the MARC U.S. restaurant group, which includes A Voce, near Madison Square Park. First, we had no qualms about the quality. The standard was high, with none of the thin, acidic wines of yore. This was true even with some of the top Pouilly-Fuisséroducers unrepresented. As with many chardonnay wines of Burgundy, our favorites did not emphasize the pronounced fruit flavors more common in American chardonnays. Instead, they tended to show off a mouthwatering .drink me. texture and mineral flavors that Burgundy lovers prize. That said, the wines divided into two main styles. One was the crisp, somewhat steely style associated with Mânnais wines, with added depth and substance in the better versions. The other was a richer, more concentrated barrel-fermented style, like the whites of the Côde Beaune. Some of these were very well done. Others Florence scorned as Burgundy pretenders, while Laura was disturbed by an extravagance in a few that reminded her of California viogniers. Olivier thought the main stylistic differences were better explained by geography. Wines from the northern Pouilly-Fuisséerritory, around the town of Vergisson, which has a longer growing season, tend to be richer and more succulent, while those from the south, closer to the town of Chaintréare usually leaner with more minerality. Incidentally, a small percentage of the wines known collectively as Pouilly-Fuisséay be called Pouilly-Vinzelles or Pouilly-Lochéafter two other towns in the area. What kind of value do the Pouilly-Fuisséoffer? Well, in a rare case of price being related to quality, the 6 most expensive wines in the tasting, from $37 to $65, made our top 10, while none of the 6 least expensive wines, from $14 to $22, made the list. This suggests that higher prices reflect greater pains in the viticulture and the winemaking. Nonetheless, our No. 1 wine and the best value in the tasting was a $26 bottle, the deliciously focused and refreshing 2006 Marie-Antoinette from Jean-Jacques Vincent & Fils. Vincent is the néciant arm of Châau Fuisséa longtime leader in the appellation. The 2004 Châau Fuisséieilles Vignes, from estate-grown grapes, also made our list, at No. 9. It was more expensive at $47, and richer and more complex, but had less energy and drive than the younger wine. Our No. 2, the 2006 Vieilles Vignes from Denis Jeandeau, was an excellent combination of precision and juicy richness, and should continue to evolve. I would love to taste this wine in a few years. Our No. 3, the 2005 Guffens-Heynen, is from Jean-Marie Guffens, a visionary who has helped lead the striking improvement in the Mânnais in the last 15 years. His wine, the most expensive in the tasting at $65, combined the minerality of a Chablis with a spicy richness, and had me longing for oysters. Among the rest of our favorites, the 2006 Domaine des Vieilles Pierres CuvéTradition, from Jean-Jacques Litaud, the 2006 from Christophe Cordier and the 2006 La Roche from Daniel et Martine Barraud all tended to be on the more concentrated end, while the 2005 Domaine Chataigneraie-Laborier from Gilles Morat, the 2006 Vieilles Vignes from J. Pierre & Michel Auvigue and the 2007 Joseph Drouhin were leaner and more minerally. We liked several wines that narrowly missed our top 10. Olivier in particular liked a 2006 Les Scés from J. A. Ferret, while Florence and Olivier both liked a 2006 Clos Varambon from Châau des Rontets. Both were on the richer side. I very much liked the 2007 Louis Jadot, lively, refreshing, and a good buy at $25. Just as they have everywhere else in France, producers in Pouilly-Fuisséave learned that what sells internationally is quality. Americans who have long turned up their noses at Pouilly-Fuisséhould take on a new challenge: proper pronunciation. For the record, it.s pwee-fwee-SAY. Tasting Report: Getting Reacquainted With an Old Name BEST VALUE Jean-Jacques Vincent & Fils Pouilly-Fuisséarie-Antoinette 2006 $26 *** Weighty yet focused with smoky fruit and mineral flavors. (Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York) Denis Jeandeau Pouilly-Fuisséieilles Vignes 2006 $50 *** Rich yet precise with juicy, refreshing fruit and a lovely texture. (Angels. Share Imports, Brooklyn) Guffens-Heynen Pouilly-Fuissé005 $65 ** 1/2 Almost Chablis-like, dominated by mineral aromas and flavors with just a touch of richness. (The Stacole Company, Boca Raton, Fla.) Jean-Jacques Litaud Domaine des Vieilles Pierres Pouilly-FuisséuvéTradition 2006 $23 ** 1/2 Rich, balanced, ripe fruit flavors. (Fruit of the Vines, New York) Gilles Morat Pouilly-Fuisséomaine Chataigneraie-Laborier 2005 $24 ** 1/2 Beautifully balanced and elegant with lingering flavors of citrus and minerals. (V.O.S. Selections, New York) Christophe Cordier Pouilly-Fuissé006 $52 ** 1/2 Rich and golden, with complex flavors of butterscotch, smoke and citrus. (Robert Kacher Selections, Washington) J. Pierre & Michel Auvigue Pouilly-Fuisséieilles Vignes 2006 $37 ** 1/2 Lively and complex with long, lingering mineral flavors. (Robert Chadderdon, New York) Joseph Drouhin Pouilly-Fuissé007 $26 ** 1/2 Hazelnut and mineral aromas, taut and lively. (Dreyfus, Ashby & Company, New York) Châau Fuisséouilly-Fuisséieilles Vignes 2004 $47 ** 1/2 Ambitious and well-balanced with plenty of oak. (Frederick Wildman & Sons) Daniel et Martine Barraud Pouilly-Fuisséa Roche 2006 $45 ** Oaky aroma, but rich, balanced and generous on the palate. (Michael Skurnik Selections, Syosset, N.Y.) WHAT THE STARS MEAN: Ratings, from zero to four stars, reflect the panel.s reaction to the wines, which were tasted with names and vintages concealed. The wines 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 *

17 years

[wine] T-Day wine recommendations

by Jim L. Ellingson

FYI/FYE Can't-fail guide to Thanksgiving wines Jon BonnéChronicle Wine Editor Friday, November 21, 2008 Choosing the right wine to pair with your turkey and fixi... This is a year for doing without the frivolous stuff. So for Thanksgiving, we thought we'd abandon the usual wine-writer blather about how Thanksgiving is (a) a time to let wine shine, since the food is understated, or (b) a time to drink whatever, since the food is understated (and you'll need the drink). The mountain of utterly contradictory wine advice to match turkey and trimmings grows higher every year. We can't make sense of it, and really, you've heard it all before. Besides, Thanksgiving may come late this year, but have you checked the calendar? Six days, mister. You're looking for answers. Clarity is of the essence. We went back and combed our many Wine section recommendations over the years, sorting through our own confused advice. (White Zinfandel, perfect turkey elixir or rotgut? Discuss.) It's enough to drive you to chocolate milk. And chocolate milk does not go well with turkey. Here's our pocket guide to Thanksgiving wine matching. Bring it to the wine shop. Pair with confidence. We've previously recommended many of these types, so be sure to revisit our Chronicle Wine Selections at sfgate.com/wine. (OK, we couldn't resist a few picks for good Beaujolais, which remains a near-perfect option.) Otherwise, time's a wasting. If anyone asks for advice, the answer is "Pinot Noir." Turkey The quick take: The key is to find wines that are fruity, softer, bright and less tannic. So the hands-down winner - if you've read a Thanksgiving wine story before, you're already mouthing the answer - is Pinot Noir. Also: Beaujolais, or other wines made from the Gamay Noir grape. With too much oak, Merlot can be overwhelming, but plusher ones can offer red fruit and pleasant tea aromas that cut through the bird's richness. Or go the other way - look for more robust wines with age on them that highlight the savory notes in the gravy and meat. Skip aged Burgundies here; they need something more subtle. Try older Cabernet, or perhaps a good aged Bordeaux or Brunello. White wine works, too, though you'll want to highlight the buttery flavors (and don't skimp on gravy): more opulent Chardonnay; richly textured aromatic whites, like Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Riesling from Alsace, Austria or cooler areas like Mendocino's Anderson Valley; or densely textured Rhone whites made from blends of grapes like Roussanne. Stuffing The quick take: Your choice should go with the turkey, too. The butter and bread that form the typical base lend themselves to rich (but balanced) Chardonnay. Beyond that, what else is in the recipe? Fruit, especially berries, matches Pinot Noir, though apples might call for a dry Riesling or Gewurztraminer. Mushrooms? Pinot or Beaujolais. Bacon or sausage call for a slightly more robust red, perhaps a leaner Syrah or a Beaujolais. Oysters and shellfish kick you back to white, perhaps one with more mineral presence, like a white Rhone or Burgundy. Some oak on the whites is fine, given the toasty, nutty flavors. Sweet potatoes The quick take: If these are what you live for, think a bit sweet - a bit. Off-dry Gewurztraminer or Riesling can work - especially if they have high acidity to balance. The more cinnamon or other brown spices you use, the more Gewurz will work. Or tone down the sugar and let it go with the usual reds. Marshmallow? Just say no. Green vegetables The quick take: The temptation is to go with a leaner, more herbaceous white. But often they're too lean for the rest of the plate (and the season). Many of the dry aromatic whites will work - not just the Alsatian-style wines but also more obscure varietals like Sylvaner and Kerner. Or try Austrian Gruner Veltliner and dry Riesling. Cranberry sauce The quick take: The fruitier the wine, the better. Enjoy it in small helpings or, as we know, it will impart its flavor to everything on the plate. See the choices for turkey. Squash soup The quick take: Go for a dense, powerful white without much oak influence. Intense dry Smaragd Rieslings from Austria's Wachau are a great match for their opulence and cutting minerality, as are their weightier counterparts from around the world. (Look for alcohol above 13 percent; here the ripeness translates as richer mouthfeel.) A similar effect comes from white Rhone-style wines and aromatic wines like Pinot Blanc or Gewurztraminer. Pie The quick take: Fashionable as it is to match a sweet wine with Thanksgiving baked goods in all their sugary density, it's overkill. Serve coffee. Save the sweet wines for later, including Sauternes or Tokaji (if there's dried fruit or nuts in the cornucopia), or Port and Madeira if you want to deepen the post-meal food coma. Leftovers The quick take: Buy extra sparkling wine and keep the festivities going all weekend. Or crack open a beer. You deserve one. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/21/WIDA1468EH.DTL This article appeared on page F - 1 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 *

17 years

[wine] [wine@wineloverspage.com: 30SecWineAdvisor: Local Riesling]

by Jim L. Ellingson

Hey Russ/Sue, Have you heard of this label? Everyone: Anything going on v.a.v. Beaujolais Neuveau? Perhaps a party at Beaujolais Bobi's House of Dolchetto? :) Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> ----- Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:28:25 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:28:25 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <200811191328.mAJDSP46006520(a)winex2100.cniweb.net> To: jellings(a)me.umn.edu Subject: 30SecWineAdvisor: Local Riesling From: The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> X-Sender: <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008 ________________________________________________________________________ TODAY'S SPONSOR * WHAT IS THE WINE LIBRARY DAILY OFFER? 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! WineLibrary.com http://winelibrary.com/wld.asp ________________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE * LOCAL RIESLING Combining the month's focus on Riesling styles with our occasional examinations of Eastern U.S. wines, we uncork a good Riesling from Kentucky, of all places. * WHAT IS THE WINE LIBRARY DAILY OFFER? 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! * LOVER'S LEAP 2006 KENTUCKY RIESLING ($10.99) Nicely balanced and appealing and, as Rieslings do, works very well with a variety of food flavors. * ADMINISTRIVIA Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe. ________________________________________________________________________ LOCAL RIESLING Combining the month's Wine Focus on Riesling styles with our occasional examinations of Eastern U.S. wines, let's uncork one of the more obscure wines I'm ever likely to feature here: A Riesling from Kentucky. This concept may not be as crazy as it first appears: If Kentucky is known for its limestone soil and water that produces great Bourbon, why shouldn't that terroir - not entirely different from some of Europe's best wine-growing areas - show well in Riesling, a grape variety particularly known for its expression of the earth in which it is grown? Of course, there's the small matter of vineyard age and experience: Germany's Rhine has been producing great wine since the Emperor Charlemagne was crowned there more than 1,200 years ago. In contrast, Kentucky's modern wine tradition goes back maybe 15 or 20 years, although it's gaining a bit of momentum as farmers seek value-added agricultural alternatives to tobacco. But these issues are typical of small-farm wineries in the Eastern U.S. The producer of today's Riesling, Lover's Leap Vineyard & Winery of Lawrenceburg, Ky., between Louisville and Frankfort, the state capital, boasts a few years of wine-making time. Jerry and Ann Holder have been growing grapes on their 24-acre property on a high bluff above the Kentucky River since 1994, and began producing wine there commercially early in the 2000s. While I don't find a lot of limestone minerality in today's featured wine, Lover's Leap 2006 Kentucky Riesling, there is plenty of Riesling varietal character, with a ripe peach aroma and a back note of spearmint leading into a rather full texture. A touch of fresh-fruit sweetness is nicely balanced by tart acidity, and it finishes quite dry. My tasting notes are below. Like many Eastern wines from small producers, Lover's Leap wines are not available in interstate commerce. You can buy them at the winery and select Kentucky retail shops. As always when I write about small-farm Eastern wines, my advice is simple: Get out in your own part of the world and support your local wineries. Chances are you'll find someone making an attractive Riesling nearby. ________________________________________________________________________ TODAY'S SPONSOR WHAT IS THE WINE LIBRARY DAILY OFFER? http://winelibrary.com/wld.asp 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. If you already receive our e-mail offers, nothing will change. However, if you'd prefer to remove the clutter from your inbox, WLD now effectively replaces our daily e-mail service. You can elect to receive Wine Library's exclusive daily wine offers via the method of your preference: Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, RSS (coming soon), or e-mail. Subscribe today and share with your friends and family... they'll be thanking you for years to come! http://winelibrary.com/wld.asp You may have seen us featured in GQ magazine, The Wall Street Journal, New Jersey Monthly and elsewhere. Wine Library features a huge collection of top wines from around the world, great gifts and accessories, a daily video blog (Wine Library TV), a wide selection of futures, and much, much more! 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! http://winelibrary.com/wld.asp ________________________________________________________________________ LOVER'S LEAP 2006 KENTUCKY RIESLING ($10.99) Clear light gold in color. Distinct peach aroma with a back note of something like spearmint. Rather full in texture, a first impression of fresh-fruit sweetness is nicely balanced by tart acidity and finishes quite dry. It's a fruit-driven Riesling ... I don't pick up minerality here, and perhaps terroir is unlikely in Kentucky's limestone soil and hot summer climate. Still, it's lightweight at 11.4% alcohol, nicely balanced and appealing and, as Rieslings do, works very well with a variety of food flavors. (Nov. 13, 2008) FOOD MATCH: A natural match with Chinese vegetarian fare (pan-fried tofu with spinach and stir-fried eggplant and garlic) from a local restaurant. VALUE: Even from an unfamiliar wine region, a quality Riesling for just over $10 makes a pretty good deal. WHEN TO DRINK: Ready to drink but should hold up for a year or two. WEB LINK: Here's a list of wines on the winery Website, which also includes information about the winery, its owners and wine maker and more. http://loversleapwine.com/LoverLeap-2008/WineList.htm FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: Because of its limited regional production, Lover's Leap Riesling and other Lover's Leap wines are only available at the winery and select Kentucky wine shops. As always when I feature local wineries, I encourage you to visit a small-farm winery in your own part of the world and support your local wine maker. ________________________________________________________________________ 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/wineadvisor2/2008/11/local_riesling-print.html ________________________________________________________________________ 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, November 19, 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 *

17 years

[wine] Off Topic but on target.

by Jim L. Ellingson

FYI/FYE November 18, 2008, 6:00 am Real Men Get Prostate Cancer By Tara Parker-Pope Hormone therapy to shrink or slow the growth of prostate cancer is one of the most common treatments for the disease. New York Times editor Dana Jennings, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this year, talks about his own treatment with the drug Lupron. By Dana Jennings The day after my most recent hormone injection for prostate cancer, I told my wife, Deb, that I had a headache, hot flashes, cramps and was very, very hungry. Dana Jennings. (Lonnie Schlein/The New York Times) She said, .Sweetie, you.re having your period.. We both laughed. (Laughter is a crucial therapy in my treatment.) Those are just a few of the side effects I.ve been experiencing on Lupron, which is part of the hormonal treatment for my advanced case of prostate cancer. Lupron is a testosterone suppressant, designed to starve hormone-dependent cancer cells of the fuel (testosterone) that they crave in order to grow. My doctors believe, and studies indicate, that using hormonal therapy to complement my radiation treatments, which are scheduled to start next month, will give me a better chance of being cured, of survival. In the past couple weeks, I.ve also had back, joint and muscle aches, random itchiness: that spider-crawling-on-your-skin feeling, cotton mouth, sudden fatigue and fleeting bursts of pain in my jaw, chest and armpits. These are not complaints, just observations. Oh, and my testicles are shrinking. There.s also intermittent testicle tenderness and, sometimes, they get so warm they feel as if they.re on simmer. And the most unexpected side effect, so far, is that sometimes during sex, a Lupron headache suddenly descends and hammers at my skull. Essentially, my Lupron shots are inducing biochemical (but reversible) castration. Besides the hot flashes and shrinking testicles, another potential side effect is that a man.s breasts grow larger and more sensitive. Now, I.ll tell you straight up, no doctor ever sits you down and says, .Son, to cure you, we might have to kind of turn you into a woman.. I suspect that some men would almost rather die than have hot flashes and larger breasts. Prostate Cancer Journal One Man.s Story Dana Jennings blogs about his experience with prostate cancer. * The Good Cancer? These facts home in on why so many men often have trouble talking about prostate cancer. The treatment of the disease strikes at the very heart of our cliché John Wayne image of the American male. Impotence and incontinence, cramps and man-breasts just don.t sell pickup trucks and the King of Beers, hoss. These symptoms are not some mere midlife crisis . more like a change-of-life crisis . that can be salved or solved with topical (and typical) macho palliatives, like buying a candy-apple-red Hummer or having an extramarital affair. They shake the very pillars of what we talk about when we talk about being a man. I.m trying to cope with my prostate cancer, its treatment and its retinue of emasculating side effects by gathering myself each morning, seeking the man I still am . that I know I am . in the steamy bathroom mirror, and swearing to love all the things I love in this sweet old world more than ever: My wife and my sons, my faith, and my friends (and classic soul and country music). I refuse to become my side effects and have decided that side effects are only side effects, a dark but necessary door to walk through toward the possibility of being well. And, hey, at least my voice is still deep. Other common side effects of Lupron include lessened sexual desire (not yet, in my case), impotence (it depends on your definition) and osteoporosis . I.m taking a calcium supplement twice a day and walking miles and miles to try to prevent that. When it comes to my current side effects, the hot flashes are the strangest . and, literally, keep me awake at night. Sometimes, they feel like an unusually warm spring day creeping up my back. Other times, they.re like being jammed into a stuffed New York City subway car in August, and the air-conditioning is broken. My healthy red glow? Chemically induced. So, on any given Sunday this fall, you.ll find me nesting on the couch with my 22-year-old son, Drew, crunching on salty snacks (I told you that I was very, very hungry), nursing the one porter or stout I treat myself to, and watching the N.F.L. . my face flushed with the occasional hot flash, and .kegeling. all the while. You women remember kegeling . the contracting and relaxing of the muscles that make up the pelvic floor, exercises recommended before and after pregnancy. Well, prostate cancer patients need to do them, too, mainly to help improve bladder control. It.s true. Real men . even when they.re on Lupron . can kegel and watch the N.F.L. at the same time. -- ------------------------------ * 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 *

17 years

[wine] Chilean wines

by Jim L. Ellingson

At times like these, it's too bad B-Bob doesn't have e-mail access. Cheers, Jim http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/11/AR200811110… A Diplomatic Champion for Chile By Dave McIntyre Wednesday, November 12, 2008; F05 Just a few days after Mariano Fernandez assumed his post as Chile's ambassador to the United States, he scored his first diplomatic triumph. Serving as a judge at the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition, he convinced the four other judges at his table that a wine he particularly liked was worthy of a gold medal. The next day, when the entire 20-judge panel tasted the top-scoring wines from among the more than 300 entered, the wine he'd championed -- Osprey's Dominion Reserve Merlot 2002 from Long Island -- was voted best of show. In the two years since, Fernandez has been busy with more traditional diplomatic duties in managing relations between Santiago and Washington. But he has also been a visible and vocal advocate of Chile's wine industry, playing a more active role than most ambassadors in promoting their country's vino. Fernandez calls wine "my secret profession." He is an internationally recognized wine expert as a member of the Academie Internationale du Vin and honorary member of two Bordeaux societies, the European Wine Society of Austria and a cellarful of Chilean wine organizations. He is a regular judge at the annual Concours Mondiale de Bruxelles and at competitions in Spain and Chile. His love affair with wine began in the 1970s in Germany, where the young diplomat lived in exile during the Pinochet regime, working as a journalist for a Spanish-language news service. He developed his expertise further with diplomatic postings as ambassador to the European Union, Italy, Spain and Great Britain. In 2006, President Michelle Bachelet sent Fernandez to Washington, where he expects to stay until her term expires in 2010. In an interview over several glasses of wine at the Chilean residence, Fernandez described a wine industry in ferment, in which family wineries dating from the 1850s compete with younger operations backed by investors in France or the United States. Chile is justifiably known for producing inexpensive, reliable wines, yet it has proved in the past decade that it can produce fine luxury wines as well. "The new style of Chilean wine is part of the new wine world: more concentration, more structure, more alcoholic degrees compared to the old style," Fernandez said. Exploring that newer style, we tasted a Montes Folly 2001, a syrah from Fernandez's collection that showed gorgeous fruit with a velvety texture, and the Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta 2003, quite expressive though still young and tannic. "If we age this another 10 years, it should mellow," Fernandez said. Despite those successes, however, I wonder whether a move toward the modern "international" style is a welcome trend. That style of wine, praised by critics and prized by collectors, is difficult and expensive to pull off, and the market is saturated with clumsy, over-concentrated, high-alcohol imitations. Chile is not immune to this, and with few exceptions luxury wines from Chile remain a risky purchase. Chile remains strongest in the bargain and mid-price categories, where for decades it has consistently beaten California in quality and bang for the buck. And no longer is it limited to merlot and cabernet sauvignon from the Maipo and Colchagua valleys. New regions such as Casablanca, Leyda, Limari, Elqui and Malleco are appearing on bottles of sauvignon blanc, Riesling, pinot noir and syrah. "We are on the verge of finding the greatest terroirs of Chile," Fernandez said. "We have potential for great diversity, with Riesling and Gewuerztraminer in the south to Mediterranean grapes like syrah and tempranillo in the center and north." Chile consistently ranks fourth in U.S. wine imports, behind Italy, Australia and France, according to the trade association Wines of Chile. In 2007, Chilean wine imports to the United States grew by 13 percent in quantity and 24 percent in value, indicating that American consumers may be trading up from the inexpensive table wine Chile became known for 20 years ago. Despite the popularity of Chilean wines among American consumers, Fernandez has little regard for U.S. wine publications, particularly Wine Spectator magazine. He says the "experts" dismiss Chilean wines and their ability to age. "They always say drink within five years. Why set such limits?" he asked. To prove his point, a few months ago he hosted several journalists for a dinner that featured eight vintages of Cousino-Macul Antiguas Reservas Cabernet Sauvignon, dating from 1992 back to 1960. When this wine was first sold in the United States, during the 1980s, it cost about $7. Today at full retail the 2006 costs $16. The wines were outstanding, and my notes on the 1960 raved about the "fantastic nose . . . wood, earth and stone, the basic elements," and hints of mint, cocoa and caramel on the palate. Cousino-Macul, established in 1856, is still owned by the Cousino family. Fernandez called it "a fair friend," noting that he still has bottles from the early 1950s in his 3,000-bottle collection back home in Chile. He clearly misses that collection, which includes Bordeaux back to 1945, the year he was born. "I haven't lived there in eight years," he said ruefully. "The last time I went home, I pulled out a few bottles, and, ahh, they were magnificent!" Dave McIntyre can be reached through his Web site, http://www.dmwineline.com, or at food(a)washpost.com. Recommended Wednesday, November 12, 2008; F05 Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta 2005 *** Colchagua Valley, $65 A valley within the Colchagua Valley appellation, Apalta produces some of Chile's top wines. This leading entrant in the luxury category has fresh, springlike aromas, plenty of oak, silky tannins and a long, complex finish. Washington Wholesale; available at MacArthur Beverages, Calvert Woodley and Wine Specialist in the District. Cousino-Macul Antiguas Reservas Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ** Maipo Valley, $16 (Good Value) One of the most consistently good values in cabernet at this price range, this vintage is more international in style than is typical for this wine, which used to evoke Europe. Decant an hour or more before drinking. Billington; widely available, including at Montgomery County liquor stores; on the list at Zola, Brasserie Beck and Lauriol Plaza in the District. Errazuriz "Wild Ferment" Chardonnay 2007 ** Casablanca Valley, $21 Made with native yeast, which helps show the local characteristics, this is a lively wine, rich with roasted apple and creme brulee notes. It is long, complex and delicious. Monument Fine Wines; available at Finewine.com in Gaithersburg and at Modern Liquors and Watergate Wine and Beverage in the District; on the list at Vinoteca and BLT Steak in the District. 2 Brothers Big Tattoo Red 2006 * 1/2 Colchagua Valley, $10 (Good Value) This is one of the best values in our market today. A blend of cabernet sauvignon and syrah, it has great balance and more interest than most wines in this price category. Buy it by the case. Billington; widely available, including at Montgomery County liquor stores; on the list at Kemble Park Tavern, Zola, Creme and Chi-Cha Lounge in the District. Emiliana Natura Chardonnay 2008 * 1/2 Casablanca Valley, $12 (Good Value) Made from organic grapes, this unoaked chardonnay offers crisp apple, quince and pear flavors. Republic National; available at Ace Beverage, Schneider's of Capitol Hill and Paul's of Chevy Chase in the District; on the list at Darlington House and Peacock Grand Cafe in the District. Falernia Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2007 * 1/2 Elqui Valley, $12 (Good Value) Chile is developing a style of sauvignon blanc that falls between grassy-herbal New Zealand and tropical-fruit-flavored California. This delicious wine, new to our market, has citrus and fresh, white fruits, enveloped by focused acidity to give it structure. Bacchus and Virginia Imports; on the list at Darlington House in the District and at Vino Volo at Dulles and BWI airports. Terra Noble Gran Reserva Carmenere 2007 * 1/2 Maule Valley, $15 (Good Value) Carmenere, the "lost grape" of Bordeaux, may be Chile's signature grape. It can reek of pipe tobacco; but this stylish wine is tamed by lush cherry and silky tannins. Winebow; available at Bacchus Wine Cellar, Connecticut Avenue Wine & Liquor, Todito's Grocery, Watergate Wine & Beverage and Paul's of Chevy Chase in the District; on the list at Ardeo, Capital Grille and Zola in the District. Veramonte Primus 2005 * 1/2 Casablanca Valley, $12 (Good Value) It's very oaky when first opened, but the fruit integrates nicely with time. Cellar it for a few years, and impress your friends with how little you paid for it; or at least open it an hour before drinking. Once it comes together, it shows nice tobacco and earth notes over berry fruit and silky tannins. RNDC; available at Calvert Woodley, Pearson's and Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits in the District; on the list at Ardeo, Fogo de Chao and Old Ebbitt Grill in the District. 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 *

17 years

[wine] Vietnamese Bistro Wednesday, December 3rd

by warren gregory

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 3rd. 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

17 years

[wine] Falls merit complex care

by James Ellingson

FYI November 8, 2008 Once Just an Aging Sign, Falls Merit Complex Care By JOHN LELAND <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/l/john_lelan d/index.html?inline=nyt-per> MEDFORD, N.J. - Katherine Aliminosa, 93, shattered her lower leg while getting snacks for her nieces. Susan Arnold, 87, broke her hip hanging a photograph. In mid-July, in a nursing unit of a retirement community here, the two women were at the start of a recovery process that both hoped would return them to their previous lives. Their progress over the next few months, and their divergent outcomes, illustrate the unpredictable impact that common falls can have on the bodies of older people. By early autumn, Ms. Aliminosa had graduated to an independent living apartment and was able to get around with a walker. She looked like a different person: more robust, content. Though six years younger, Ms. Arnold never recovered her strength after hip surgery. Her muscles atrophied from inactivity, and she developed pneumonia <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/pneumonia/overview.html ?inline=nyt-classifier> . She died on Sept. 6. Once considered an inevitable part of aging, falls are now recognized as complex, often preventable events with multiple causes and consequences, calling for a wide range of interventions, both psychological and physiological, that many patients never receive. Even falls that cause only minor injury "need to be taken as seriously as diabetes <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/diabetes/overview.html? inline=nyt-classifier> ," said Dr. R. Sean Morrison, a professor of geriatrics and adult development at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, because "they can be a real warning sign that something serious is wrong." Dr. Mary E. Tinetti, a falls expert at Yale University <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/y/yal e_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org> medical school, compared falls to strokes in their harmfulness, adding that people do not always report them or seek help, for fear their families will try to put them in nursing homes <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthto pics/nursing_homes/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier> . For some people, Dr. Tinetti said, admitting that they fall is tantamount to admitting that they are no longer competent to take care of themselves. Each year, 1.8 million Americans over age 65 are injured in falls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/c/cen ters_for_disease_control_and_prevention/index.html?inline=nyt-org> . Some rebound as if the injury never happened. But for some, the fall sets off a downward spiral of physical and emotional problems - including pneumonia, depression <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/symptoms/depression/overview.ht ml?inline=nyt-classifier> , social isolation, infection and muscle loss - that become too much for their bodies to withstand. In 2005, the last year for which statistics are available, 433,000 people over 65 were admitted to hospitals <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthto pics/hospitals/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier> after falling, and 15,800 died as a direct result of the fall. Less visible are the many who survive the fall but not the indirect consequences. When first interviewed in mid-July, Ms. Aliminosa and Ms. Arnold felt vulnerable and constrained, their world diminished. Both had led accomplished professional lives - Ms. Arnold as a school psychologist, Ms. Aliminosa as a medical researcher - and had been active in the community's independent living apartments. But neither could be confident about what the future held. Ms. Aliminosa said she was depressed, and able to walk only in very small stretches. A small woman with a soft voice and grainy New York accent, she barely filled her chair. She seemed defeated. "Emotionally I have not been well," she said. "It's made me very aware of my age, and that's hard to accept." Ms. Arnold, by contrast, was full of emotional energy, so angry about her broken hip that she kicked out for emphasis as she talked, turning conversation into a full-contact sport. Before her fall, she had been preparing for a vacation with her daughter at a family beach house on Long Island - the same house where she had spread her husband's ashes. Now that plan was gone. "It kills me, it just kills me," she said. "This was going to be the frosting on the cake, and somebody ate it." Of the two women, Ms. Arnold was up against the longer odds. One in five hip-fracture <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/injury/broken-bone/overview.htm l?inline=nyt-classifier> patients over age 65 die within a year after surgery, according to the C.D.C.; one in four have to spend a year or more in a nursing home. When younger people fall, they tend to break their wrists catching themselves, but in older people, who have slower reactions and less upper-body strength, the weight more often falls on their hips or heads. Any underlying conditions, like heart disease or respiratory problems, increase the chances of a downward health spiral. Ms. Arnold had a history of pulmonary disease, and had been a heavy smoker, starting after high school. "She had a boyfriend in college," her daughter, Margery Creek, said, "and it was the lesser of evils - sex, drinking or smoking <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/specialtopic/smoking-and-smokel ess-tobacco/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier> ." But her lung problems did not keep her down. In 2006, she took a 10-day trip to Sweden. Even after she fell and fractured a hip that autumn, she lived independently and was able to drive, returning to the beach house. That day in mid-July, even as she talked about depression, she took jubilant delight in photographs of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "Now if that isn't the picture of a baby," she said. "Isn't she a sweetie?" If Ms. Arnold were a machine, it would be simple to draw a straight line between her lung disease <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/lung-disease/overview.h tml?inline=nyt-classifier> , her hip surgery and her chances of recovery. Older bodies typically have several weakened systems that are dependent on one another, and rely on drugs that may or may not work well together. "If you take 70-year-olds, on average they're taking five medications," Dr. Tinetti said. "When you get to 10 medications" - as a patient might after a fall - "the likelihood of adverse effects is close to 100 percent." But psychological factors can be as devastating as the physical trauma, Dr. Tinetti said. "It's the fear of falling, the lost confidence. Good walkers stop walking, stop going to church. They become socially isolated and depressed." After Ms. Arnold's first broken hip, she had reduced feeling in one foot, which added to the likelihood that she would fall again. On July 6 this year, it happened: Ms. Arnold turned her body without moving her foot, pulling the closet door down with her when she fell and fracturing her hip bone. "I'm outraged," she said a week after the fall, raising her voice and then becoming fatigued. Her breathing was interrupted by coughing spasms. She said she was determined not to end up using an electric cart. "Disappointment," she said, accenting each syllable. "I had a very good life." "But your life isn't over," said Deanna Gray-Miceli, an adjunct assistant professor of nursing at the University of Pennsylvania <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/uni versity_of_pennsylvania/index.html?inline=nyt-org> and an expert in geriatric falls who was looking in on Ms. Arnold in the nursing unit. "Well, it bloody well is," Ms. Arnold said. "I have no strength. Let's talk about depression." The period of immobility after a fall is particularly dangerous, said Dr. Gray-Miceli, whose research includes studying a group of patients after falls. "Being immobile, you're not taking deep breaths, you're more prone to orthostatic pneumonia, or older people can develop urinary incontinence <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/symptoms/urinary-incontinence/o verview.html?inline=nyt-classifier> . And that can have a whole cascade of emotional consequences as well as the physical consequences, such as skin breakdown, pressure sores, bladder infection <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/urinary-tract-infection /overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier> , lung infection. "We also see temporary confusion from infection," she added, "And that can lead to someone's demise." Dr. Gray-Miceli's work focuses on identifying the causes of falls, which might include treatable factors like changes in gait, low blood pressure <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/blood-pressure/overview.ht ml?inline=nyt-classifier> , declining vision or heart arrhythmias <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/arrhythmias/overview.ht ml?inline=nyt-classifier> , as well as conditions in the home. In a study by Dr. Tinetti, simple preventive suggestions from doctors, like physical therapy <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthto pics/physicaltherapy/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier> and changes in medication, reduced falls by 11 percent. (The C.D.C. offers tips to reduce falls at home <http://cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/toolkit/Falls_ToolKit/DesktopPDF/English/b ooklet_Eng_desktop.pdf> , like removing loose rugs and making sure stairway handrails go all the way to the bottom, at cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/preventadultfalls.htm <http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/preventadultfalls.htm> .) For Ms. Arnold, it was too late. Shortly after surgery she grew depressed and fatalistic, her daughter said. "One morning when my brother was here, she woke up and said, 'I'm weary, I'm just absolutely weary,' " Mrs. Creek said. "And she had no muscle that came back. Her arms had really gotten down to skin and bones. You hear that term - it certainly seemed that way, no muscle." In August, Ms. Arnold developed pneumonia and spent three nights in the hospital. Though she responded well to the medications, Mrs. Creek said: "It was just one more nail. She said she was ready to be with Dad." The last time Mrs. Creek called her, in early September, Ms. Arnold could recognize her voice but not respond, Mrs. Creek said. "I think she just said, 'I've had it, I'm checking out.' " Down the hall, Ms. Aliminosa's response after her leg fracture was just as unpredictable. On April 4, she was enjoying a visit from two favorite nieces - Ms. Aliminosa never married - when she found herself on the floor of her apartment, she said. She had no memory of how she fell. Ms. Aliminosa has osteoporosis <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/osteoporosis/overview.h tml?inline=nyt-classifier> and a history of falling, so she told her relatives not to touch her until the nurses came. She needed a metal rod in her leg and began a slow process of physical rehabilitation. She said the falls were the first thing that made her feel old. "I'd love to be able to have dinner and take a short walk, and I can't do that," she said. Because she was in a full-spectrum medical facility, her care was well coordinated, said Dr. Albert Siu, a professor and chairman of geriatrics and adult development at Mount Sinai. "For example, osteoporosis is often at root of this," Dr. Siu said. "But in a three-day hospital stay, addressing osteoporosis is not at the top of everyone's mind. There it's dealing with the pain, the complications and the repair of the fractured hip." Medications for blood pressure or pain might increase dizziness <http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/symptoms/dizziness/overview.htm l?inline=nyt-classifier> or chance of falls. In mid-July, while Ms. Arnold was angry but relatively mobile, Ms. Aliminosa seemed resigned to a loss of mobility and independence. The prospect weighed heavily on her. When asked if she had considered counseling for depression, she said she did not think she could bear talking about it. "I think as we get older it's hard to control our emotions," she said. Patients' pessimism can be self-fulfilling, because they may not walk to the extent they can. "Their stride becomes shorter," Dr. Morrison said. "They don't use their lungs." Dr. Gray-Miceli said it was important for doctors and nurses to keep the patient focused on tangible signs of progress, "so she can say: 'Today I got up by the side of the chair and took five steps. Yesterday I only took four steps.' " Ms. Aliminosa began a physical therapy regimen to build strength in her legs and upper body and improve her gait. With improvement she gained a sense of optimism and control over her body. She said the depression returned from time to time, as did the fear of falling again. But she said: "The thought that I'm getting better has helped a great deal. I try to think so each day, really." She smiled; she joked. On a recent morning, she groused amiably about her fitness program, but finished, with no sign of pain or exhaustion. "I'm walking," she said, "I wouldn't say to my satisfaction, because I used to be a hiker. I can't expect that yet, but I'm hoping for it." Dr. James Ellingson, Ph.D. 763-557-9348 Principal Engineer, www.PrototypeSys.com Prototype and Production Systems, 13,000 Hwy 55, Plymouth, MN 55441 Fax 763-374-4728 mobile 651-645-0753 13,860 Industrial Park Blvd, 55441

17 years

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