Soft Cheese

• November 2009

  Pour less wine voulume in the glass. Take a second to swerl. That will give more than enough air. What glass it is in makes very little difference

  Forum post in the topic Stemware - Eisch "breathable"... by Doctor Bob

  
  

• November 2009

  Re: Girl Drink Drunk: The Enchanted Path needs its, ehh, "breathing time", for certain. I had a bottle of the '06 from work one day. It sat open for three hours. I then corked it, lugged it home in a backpack, on a subway, on a bus, then shlepped it a mile or so to my place. Let... Read moreRe: Girl Drink Drunk: The Enchanted Path needs its, ehh, "breathing time", for certain. I had a bottle of the '06 from work one day. It sat open for three hours. I then corked it, lugged it home in a backpack, on a subway, on a bus, then shlepped it a mile or so to my place. Let it sit on the counter, now open again, as I let a pour of it "evolve", and become syrupy and, frankly; out of this world. My point? ...It can travel ;). When it does finally begin to soften up (see: after several beatings), it's about as luscious and powerful a wine as I've had recently. Yummy, whopper-like stuff. http://www.snooth.com/wine/mollydooker-enchanted-path-2006/ !http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/Mollydooker_Enchanted_Path.jpg/430px-Mollydooker_Enchanted_Path.jpg!    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic birthday cake red wine by ChipDWood

  
  

• November 2009

  I'm curious as to what everyone here buys to store at the back of their cellar (ie long life wines)? I'm just starting to getting into wine seriously and so most of what is in my cellar is short term stuff. My first longer term purchase has so far been 1 dozen of 2007 Craggy Range... Read moreI'm curious as to what everyone here buys to store at the back of their cellar (ie long life wines)? I'm just starting to getting into wine seriously and so most of what is in my cellar is short term stuff. My first longer term purchase has so far been 1 dozen of 2007 Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Te Kahu. I had the fortune to try this at a tasting with their wine maker Adrian Baker. Liked it alot but what really sold me with the 10 year cellar est. With a young family this isn't a hobby where I can drop $US100 a bottle. I'm not in this for investment, but love the idea of buying new wine (or recent) and having the privilege of trialling it in years to come. Something about pulling out a dusty bottle of wine for friends. Am I the only one who also loves the ritual side of things too, ie the pulling of the cork, decantering, pouring the glass, swirling, sniffing, sipping and never spitting?    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Long cellar life wines. by GhostLemur

  
  

• November 2009

  How's it goin', eh? I'm a wannabe wine snob from Toronto, Ontario. I spend a couple-three months a year climbing walls in Yosemite, California, and try my best to get in some time visiting the wineries in Napa Valley. Last winter, I scored a week of timeshare off of mom [gotta... Read moreHow's it goin', eh? I'm a wannabe wine snob from Toronto, Ontario. I spend a couple-three months a year climbing walls in Yosemite, California, and try my best to get in some time visiting the wineries in Napa Valley. Last winter, I scored a week of timeshare off of mom [gotta love it, eh?] and spent a week in South Lake Tahoe skiing at Heavenly. They had a wine bar at the base of the gondola, so you know I ended up there a few times. When it became evident to the wine steward that I knew my stuff, he suggested I try drinking my wine out of an "Eisch breathable glass". Reidel is, of course, the industry leader in stemware, but Eisch is up there, too. I'm like, "Dude. A glass is a glass. Just pour the wine." And he's like, "Seriously. Try this. I'm going to pour the wine into a regular Reidel on one side, and an Eisch glass on the other. Taste the difference." So, three people from novice to advanced wine tasting, three varietals, nine blind tastings. And get this - nine fer nine, the wine tasted better out of the Eisch glass each and every time! Unbelievable! You can't reject the empirical evidence - the taste was absolutely better from the Eisch glass every time. Without doubt. Amazing. Now being the consummate skeptic, and a graduate chemical engineer, of course I had to ask "how". But the Eisch people have kept their formula a secret. The designers first approached Reidel, who rejected them - bad move. So I went back home and googled this stuff. Found a few entries, the first of which usually began with "what a load of crap," but these entries were inevitably followed by, "no, check it out - the glasses really DO work!" Now my theory, as a chemical engineer, was that there is some sort of catalytic reaction going on with the wine in the Eisch glass. A catalyst is something that affects a chemical reaction, but doesn't take part in it. Think about your platinum catalytic converter in your car - what happens is that the atoms separate and "stick" to the platinum, which enhances the combustion reaction. I wondered if this might be what was going on with the Eisch glasses. So I googled "Eisch" and "catalysis" and got a hit on this chemistry prof from a university in New York State by the name of Eisch. Too funny, eh? So I wrote him, turns out he's second cousins with the Eisch guys in Germany. Basically he told me that they wouldn't tell him how it works, but that he reckoned there was some catalytic reaction going on in the glass, that basically caused two things to happen - firstly, the wine was able to breath more quickly, and secondly, it might enhance the settling of the sediments. I'm not sure WHAT is happening, just that it IS happening. I've since done the comparison of the same wine poured into a regular glass, and an Eisch glass, and served it to friends. It's great fun to see their faces light up. We've found the most pronounced difference is in wines that "need a little help". You don't seem to notice so profound a difference with more expensive wines. I'm a cheapskate. I don't believe you have to spend more than ten bucks to get a great bottle of wine, and occasionally I will even spend 15. The "7 Deadly Zins" I am currently drinking is one such wine, in spite of its "appelation Lodi". [Sheesh, can you believe Lodi produces a great zin?] But I forked out the $30+ bucks for the Eisch glass, because it works. Anyone else tried it? If knott, you really have to give it a go. You will be amazed. Cheers, Pete P.S. Here is your Big Wall Tip of the Day - check out Amador County, California barbera! They have the climate and the soil. I had never even heard of the varietal until I tried it. It's up and coming. Mark my words - in five years, you'll be hearing about this stuff.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Stemware - Eisch "breathable"... by passthepitonspete

  
  
• 

  November 2009

  Johan Vineyards Pinot Noir Nils Reserve 2007

  Snoothrank:

  Definitely getting paint on the nose. There's some cherry fruit here but those chemical overtones are very distracting for me. Grainy finish - that is, what didn't get poured down the sink.

  Wine review by solomania9

  
  

• November 2009

  I pour Finger Lakes wine as a volunteer - best "job" in the world, as you meet lots of people from all over the world and are usually making them happy! Our Rieslings are wonderful and it is hard to find a truly bad one (OK, there are a few that are not so hot...). One of my... Read moreI pour Finger Lakes wine as a volunteer - best "job" in the world, as you meet lots of people from all over the world and are usually making them happy! Our Rieslings are wonderful and it is hard to find a truly bad one (OK, there are a few that are not so hot...). One of my favorites is from Red Tail Ridge which is on Seneca Lake. I am a dry Riesling fan although some of the semi-drys I do enjoy....    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Proud to be an New Yorker!... by FLWinepourer

  
  

• November 2009

  One at most, and if you're lucky. After that it's a crash dive downhill, except in the rarest of cases. You should definitely buy a vacuuvin. Not that expensive, and the only recurring costs are if you decide to buy more stoppers. Alternatively you can try GregDP's and others'... Read moreOne at most, and if you're lucky. After that it's a crash dive downhill, except in the rarest of cases. You should definitely buy a vacuuvin. Not that expensive, and the only recurring costs are if you decide to buy more stoppers. Alternatively you can try GregDP's and others' technique of having a spare, clean half-bottle handy, pour half of the 750ml bottle into it right away, stopper and fridge it. Then drink the remaining half of the original bottle. You won't have to worry about the saved half bottle for a few days, though I wouldn't go as long as a week before drinking it.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Wine storage / preservation by dmcker

  
  

• November 2009

  I followed the post for "How long does it take you to finish a bottle of wine?" and had a great time reading everyone's posts. For those of us who do not finish the bottle the same day, I have a question...for a simple $15 bottle of Chardonnay and a simple bottle of say, a $15... Read moreI followed the post for "How long does it take you to finish a bottle of wine?" and had a great time reading everyone's posts. For those of us who do not finish the bottle the same day, I have a question...for a simple $15 bottle of Chardonnay and a simple bottle of say, a $15 Cabernet Sauvignon...if I just re-cork it (no inert gas or pump vacuum) after pouring and store it in the fridge...how many evenings can I continue to do this without affecting the quality?    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Wine storage / preservation by TerriF

  
  

• November 2009

  Am in Tokyo for several years now, so tend to view this holiday with particular sentimentality. 10 people for dinner, with staggered arrivals. Tuna and avocado tartare, raw ama-ebi sashimi and a couple of other snacky bits yet to be decided for the earlier arrivals. With a couple of... Read moreAm in Tokyo for several years now, so tend to view this holiday with particular sentimentality. 10 people for dinner, with staggered arrivals. Tuna and avocado tartare, raw ama-ebi sashimi and a couple of other snacky bits yet to be decided for the earlier arrivals. With a couple of different bubblies, a white from Champagne (Pierre Morlet) and a rose from Oregon (Soter). Dinner itself to be turkey with a chestnut/oyster/dried cranberry stuffing. Skin-on mashed potatoes with giblet gravy. Yams baked in fresh mikan juice and Grand Marnier. Greenbean casserole with wild mushrooms. Baked zucchini with a cheese topping. Caesar salad. A couple of excellent breads from my favorite local baker, one a sourdough baquette and the other an Italian flatbread with dried tomatoes baked in. Two or three whites (a Mayacamas chardonnay with some bottle age, a Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett, also with some bottle age, and maybe a Zind-Humbrecht gewurtztraminer), and three reds (a '96 Les Forts de Latour, a 2005 Auteur Shea Pinot Noir, and a 2007 Rhone since we are giving thanks for very good things this year ;-); was originally thinking to throw in a 2007 Roger Sabon Prestige CdP, but this will likely be too many big guns, so now am thinking a 'lowly' Cotes du Rhone from either Delas or Perrin & Fils--want to lay down the CdP, anyway....). Dessert to be pumpkin pie, persimmon pudding and a venison mincemeat pie with hardsauce (the meat was gifted to me). Oloroso sherry, Madeira, coffee or black tea to accompany. To fight off the tryptophan-induced drowsiness, Partagas or Montecristo Cubans, with Venezuelan rum, Lagavulin or good Armagnac, for those who want them afterwards. I never really try to make any sophisticated efforts to match wines to foods on Thanksgiving, nor even worry too much about the progression of whites or reds, since everyone will have different wines in their glasses at the same time. Just wines that I have on hand, that I think the people at the table will like, and that I want to try. Too many people with too many tastes involved, and the intimate frestival of a dinner is generally a gastronomic blowout of potlatch proportions, anyway. More about enjoying the blowout with close friends and family, and not worrying about discipline of any sort, whether of wine appreciation or what have you....    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Hello Hello - what are you... by dmcker

  
  
• 

  November 2009

  Brick House Pinot Noir Cuvee du Tonnelier Ribbon Ridge 2007

  Snoothrank:

  This wine craves attention. Bring your nose close and it will pour out its heart in bright red cherries, sandalwood and lavender. Lift a glass and open your arms.

  Wine review by grapelab

  
  

prev 1 2 3 4 5  ...  62 next