What we talk about when we talk about wine
Filed Under The Wine World
In the theatre of the absurd, playwrights gave artistic articulation to Camus’ philosophy that life is inherently without meaning. How perfect a read is Desert Island Wine, where author Miles Lambert-Gocs reminds us how inherently meaningless so much wine talk can often be.
[Some important characteristics found in the theatre of the absurd: dialogue that is full of cliche’ and nonsense, characters forced into repetitive or meaningless acts, plots absurdly expansive, a dismissal of reality.]
Hm.
Lambert-Gocs loves his wine, but not at the expense of sense of humor. With wicked wit does he serve up those “mincing Brits”, traverse Boolgovia (a newly liberated communist country just east of Vienna) to try their new and exciting wines; and unearths the missing pages of such literary classics as Moby Dick (Melville), The Suffering of Young Werther (Goethe), Notes from the Underground (Dostoevsky), and The Stranger (Camus) - works that apparently suffered major cuts due to the temperant environments in which they were writ. But for Lambert-Gocs, we can now appreciate them entire.
This book is full of wonderful vignettes and laugh-out-loud moments. “Just ask Parker if he cares if his wife is a 6 or a 5 by anyone else’s standard.” That’s Dionysus talking, by the way, in the chapter covering CNN’s interview with the great god of the vine. And the interview with the proprietor of the renowned Gobs-of-Fruit Vineyards is especially enlightening.
There are chapters on appellations (”A Personal Stake in Names”), sparkling wines (”Bursting the Bubble of Effervescence”), Jefferson (”Report to Tom”), and Quality Recognition Deficiency Syndrome (”Blind Spot”). Socrates even has his say. And for those of you nature lovers out there, Lambert-Gocs’ guide to how to spot and track enophiles is a must-read.
Lambert-Gocs leaves us with a “Wine Bore Bonus (no funny business)” - a factual, sourced account on the ancient Greek grape variety that begat cabernet. As the author of The Wines of Greece - the definitive work on the history and traditions of Greek wine - Lambert-Gocs knows a thing or two on the subject, and even here his writing flows with the same brimming intelligence.
Ionesco said, “Explanation separates us from astonishment”, and Miles Lambert-Gocs puts aside punditry and all that blathering, instead laying before us a book filled with delightful anecdote, conjecture, and pure fun. Wine talk can certainly be without meaning for any number of us, but I daresay there’s few among us who would state that drinking wine is without any meaning. That said: add Desert Island Wine to your summer reading list, open whatever pleases, and enjoy.
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The Presidential Wino Poll
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Which Wine Schooler would you vote for?
Who among the staff at the Wine School would you write-in to lead us as President of the United States?
You will note that the wonderful Brian “Pony” Freedman (Roughrider that he is) and Maria “I love Jefferson in the Springtime” Valetta are missing from above below Alas, although old enough to enjoy the wine, neither is yet old enough to run this country of ours (as stated by Article II of the United States Constitution).
At press time, no candidates offered any platforms on which they stand. Platitudes a-plenty. Platforms, sadly, no.
Cast your votes and the Wine School shall endorse the Wine People’s Candidate!
The Presidential Wino Poll
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Sauvignon Blanc Season
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Finally, it seems, winter has loosened its grip on us. Or, to be more accurate, we’ve finally been treated to something resembling springtime weather: Yes, this past week, we experienced not one but two sunny, warm days. And, in fact, as yesterday was the first truly springlike day of the year so far, I marked it in my traditional way: With hard-shell crabs and sauvignon blanc. The only thing that could have made the pairing better would have been..well, someone else to pay for the wine. But barring the opportunity to drink on someone else’s bill, there is no better way to ring in the springtime than with a cool, bracing bottle of the Loire Valley’s finest. Now is the time for it. Finally.
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Italian Pick of The Week, 3/28/08
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Tomas and Giesen “Munir Bianco” 2006, IGT, Sicilia
Cataratto is one of the most widely planted grapes in Italy. It accounts for over half of Sicily’s vineyard acres and is known primarily for use as a bulk wine grape or as part of the blend for Marsala.
The Lucido variety grows in the Alcamo DOC near Palermo. Low in sugar and acidity it characteristically makes soft, mellow, undistinguished wines not unlike other whites found throughout Italy.
Thankfully, “Munir” is produced outside the box of DOC regulations. This 100% varietal has an exotic, fruity nose with floral undertones. Peaches, melon, and lemon oil pop up on the slightly effervescent mid-palate. Savory minerals and herbs add zest and freshness to the unoaked, pure mouthfeel. This is no lightweight, showing ample presence despite the low level of acidity.
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Why Wine 101?
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It’s a legitimate question, really. Why, after all, is an understanding of wine so important? No one ever really thinks of increasing their Brussel’s sprout knowledge, or whole milk tasting abilities, or aptitude in teasing out all the complex nuances in spearmint chewing gum. So why wine–and why Wine 101?
Because it’s all around us. Because it is one of the very few things in life that can provide both infinite immediate pleasure and a direct link to our past. Because the range of experience possible in a single glass of wine is so great that you owe it to yourself to do everything you can to extract as much pleasure from it as you deserve.
Plus, the more you know about wine, the more adeptly you can wade through all those “myths that are too often bandied about”–in other words, wine pretense. A solid understanding of the major grape varieties, of their aroma and flavor characteristics, of what to pair them with and why we do all those strange rituals like swirling and slurping–all of this will ultimately enrich your life in ways you likely never imagined, because it will make your wine-drinking more enjoyable.
An item posted today in the excellent Din’s World blog addresses a number of questions that I suspect most people have about wine. Which, it seems to me, is itself a good answer to the question. So: Why Wine 101? Because the amount of pleasure a solid understanding of wine will bring to your life, and the way it will make every sip that much better, is nothing short of miraculous.
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Brian is Awesome
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Brian is known by many names. Son, Husband, Director, Author, Teacher. Those of us ground to dust under his mighty heel know him by another name. Champion. The hills of Philadelphia echo with the triumphs of the True and Just Champion Brian. There are dark rumors from the very pit of Harrisburg that he is riding west to sweep the city of those whom would stand up against him. To them I say, fear not, for there is no shame in falling in defeat against such an adversary. Brian is nothing sort of being exquisitely and profoundly Brian.
Some say that I should remain silent, that it is unseemly for the defeated to sing the praises of those who crushed them. But I say, this is work that must be done. I am the man who must speak the truth, since I was once this city’s greatest hope to end the shaggy-fisted rule of Brian. If I can praise the man, and speak to his enormous greatness, then perhaps there may be a few souls who think twice when challenging the wonderful and most awesome Brian. Perhaps I will save the reputations of a handful of foolhardy souls. Mostly, I am doing it because we had a wager going, and I am a man of my word. I lost by three *&$#%@%#$ points, dammit.
Let this be a warning to all of you –Celebrities and Sommeliers alike– who believe they can defeat Brian Freedman in a Sommelier Smackdown. Fools! You have been warned! Beware of the Champion, he will ride his pony to victory over your crushed dreams!
Keith Wallace
Founder
The Wine School of Philadelphi
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Ramblings on a Smackdown
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by Beth Case
We were lunching at Amada – Keith and I – hoping to woo Eric Arnold with our Wine School ways. We wanted him to want us.
“I still don’t know what horrible and wicked thing passed between Eric and Keith”
Specifically, we wanted to turn him on to the idea of participating in a Smackdown against Keith. After all, he is a very respected editor at an popular wine magazine and the author of the wonderful book First Big Crush.
It was going well enough, I thought, to leave Keith alone with Eric and I excused myself to the Ladies Room. It was painfully obvious, upon my return, that in the short amount of time that I was away something had happened. Something unspeakable.
“Something had happened. Something unspeakable.”
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Italian Pick of The Week, 1/28/08
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Selvapiana Chianti Rufina Riserva “Vigna Bucerchiale”, 2003, Toscana
Of the seven sub-zones of the Chianti DOCG outside the Classico area, Rufina is the most highly regarded. Tucked into the foothills approaching the regional border with Emilia-Romagna it’s production is dominated by Frescobaldi and Selvapiana.
Here Sangiovese becomes more aromatic and elegant. The somewhat cooler elevations bring out yet another dimension of this familiar, adaptablre grape. The source of Selvapiana’s single vineyard riserva contains the estate’s premier vines.
The ‘03 vintage shows the effects of the extreme heat that settled during the growing season. Paradoxically, it created this ripe and powerful “winter” wine with the tannic-acidic balance to drink well for another eight or nine years.
Intense, complex scents of cherry, mint, plum and earth emerge. Concentrated and dense cherry, spice and licorice flavors are backed by minerals and mildly toasty oak, with the always welcome earthiness that underlies classicly Tuscan wines. The overall effect is full yet smooth, leading to a warm, lingering finish.
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The UC Davis Diary
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My former student Jenny S. is a first year grad student in the Oenology & Viticulture Department of University of California at Davis. Her emails about her first year have been a great read. She gave me permission to reprint portions of them here. Thanks, Jenny!
I just got back from helping out at Folio, one of Michael Mondavi’s new wineries. A first year V&E master’s girl is working there for harvest so another new girl in the program went to work with her to get a feel for the winery world (since her and I are the only 2 kids in the program with no winery experience). It was fun. I bulked up my biceps doing some punch downs.
I was there about 2 weeks ago when we were visiting Napa and I managed to insult the Mondavi name infront of Robert Mondavi Jr. (not knowing who he was). Yea, leave it up to me to put my foot in my mouth … But he took it pretty well and I managed to turn it into a joke and just kept going with it.
They said they had some good laughs for the next week at my expense. Thought you would appreciate that. Some punk-ass Philadelphia kid coming out to Napa and telling Robert Mondavi that “the Mondavi’s like to throw their name around to get anything they want”
Keep ‘em coming, Jenny!
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Much Ado About Something
Filed Under The Wine World
“The market for wine-bottle closures is a $4 billion battlefield where an epic confrontation is now taking place.” - George Taber, from To
The much-needed discussion about wine closures is upon us and none other than George M. Taber is taking the podium. Former reporter and editor of Time Magazine, Taber is no stranger to wine. His earlier book Judgement in Paris captured the moment when California bested the great wines of Bordeaux, and it quickly became the definitive text on the subject. With his new book, Taber has once again brought clarity to a major controversy in the wine world. Read more
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