WineTasteTV.com - 365 Days

Nantucket Wine Festival: Another Sure Sign of Summer

Cathy — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:28:00 PST

There are certain surefire signs that summer is not far off.The sun is up before you are.You're thinking about brown-bagging lunch (we said thinking about) and finding a sunny spot outside.Your thirst for rosé and chilled whites has become suddenly overwhelming.And the Nantucket Wine Festival is just around the corner, from May 13 to 17.Ah, Nantucket.They don't have a single traffic light on the whole island. Yet their Wine Festival every May has matured into one of the year's must-attend events ...

Welcoming Back the Sun at Alchemy Bistro, Gloucester

Cathy — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 05:59:00 PST

Note: This article ran in today's Gloucester Daily Times.Is it possible to taste sunshine in a glass of wine?Goodness knows we want to, what with the break – finally – from the winter chill that until last week seemed like it would never end, and with the unseasonably warm temperatures the past few days, and with the simple and profound pleasure of mucking about with newly sockless feet.Sunshine in the sky. Sunshine on our skin. Sunshine in our glass...?Why not?Some wines have it there naturally. ...

Doing the Wine Math: Restaurants Get Creative with Their Down-Economy Wine Lists

Cathy — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:42:00 PST

An article by Katy McLaughlin in last Thursday's Wall Street Journal described a "wine auction" underway at the David Burke Townhouse restaurant in Manhattan. The idea is for diners to look over a list of wines ranging in price from $200 to $600, and make an offer – that is, a bid – to the sommelier. The two parties then negotiate what the diners will pay for the bottle.How's it working?Burke's wine director says he sells about five bottles a night and meets his reserve price or better.Which mea ...

Wine Lessons: Teaching Wine from Different Angles

Cathy — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:45:00 PST

Over the course of the past few weeks I have led three different groups of young people – college seniors, mostly – on a tasting session through the six universal grape varietals: sauvignon blanc, Riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon. Last week, though, I led some of them from each previous session through a tasting of eight different examples of one kind of grape, namely chardonnay. We tried chardonnay in sparkling form, chardonnay from Burgundy, oaked chardonnay fro ...

Winetaster's Secrets: What Happens In Between

Cathy — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:51:00 PST

There's no big secret to tasting wine.You pour a glass. Notice its color. Smell the aroma. Sip. Enjoy. Or not.Pretty simple.Why, then, have multiple editions of Andrew Sharp's Winetaster's Secrets: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Joy of Winetasting been published, some of them after the author's death in 2000, since the book first appeared in 1981?It could be the "small doors" that have been opened since then that Sharp describes in his preface, into which "we have peered more deeply into the whys a ...

Blooming All Over Boston: Flowers Sure, But Rose Wines Too

Cathy — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:24:00 PST

Whether it's along Marlborough Street or deep in the Boston Common, trees and their flowers are in bloom this week. Whether it's the cherry trees that catch your eye or you have a soft spot for magnolias, the spring of the year is for many of us our favorite time to be outside in Boston.The blush of first blooms has also come inside, especially in the form of this year's crop of rosé wines. They're pushing their way forward, as wine shop owners position the rosés nearest their doors on prime (bu ...

Wines from England (Yes, England): A Place to STart

Cathy — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:36:00 PST

The thing about being a wine lover is that when you throw a party, your guests have a pretty good idea of what to bring as a hostess gift.It's especially appreciated when a guest brings a wine that is somehow relevant to them or to your relationship. A bottle of bubbly you particularly enjoyed the last time you were together, for example. Or an obscure Riesling when they know Riesling is your grape-du-jour.Or a few bottles from a vineyard located just down the road from them when – this is the k ...

Spring Cleaning, With Wine: Some Tips

Cathy — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:16:00 PST

Note: This article ran in today's Gloucester Daily Times.Spring cleaning. Maybe you hate the effort. Maybe you love the satisfying after-effect. Either way, right now is the time to shake things up in the house cleaning department. For some people, that means airing out rugs dusty with winter salt, or vacuum-packing away their bulky winter sweaters. For me, it means taking inventory of the wine I have in the house. If I find that I have more bottles than room in my small wine fridge, that means ...

Screw That: Debating the Highs and Lows of Stelvin Closures. A.K.A. Screwcaps

Cathy — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:47:00 PST

By Adam CentamoreThe sight of a bottle of red Bordeaux with a screw cap can be a little discombobulating, almost upsetting to some wine connoisseurs. What self-respecting winemaker would allow a top vintage from their cellar to sport such an ordinary appendage? The answer is more and more of them. And for those who vilify the tidy, efficient aluminum cap, a vinicultural day of reckoning is coming. The Stelvin closure, as it is officially called, has been a point of contention since it first appe ...

Wine Riot! A Chance to Learn About Wine, Sans Snobbery

Cathy — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 09:28:00 PST

By Courtney HumphriesWine-tasting events sometimes bring to mind a stuffy atmosphere, pretentious sellers, and incomprehensible wine-speak. An event in Boston aimed to topple that image, appealing to a younger crowd eager to educate themselves about wine without the added attitude. The Wine Riot, held April 17th and 18th at The Cyclorama in Boston's South End, sought to bring a casual, irreverent attitude to wine tasting and education. The event was presented by The Second Glass, a print and onl ...

Earthquake Relief, Boston Style: 33 Restaurant and Tomasso Trattoria

Cathy — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:09:00 PST

Last week, news of the earthquake in the Abruzzo region of Italy hit certain parts of Boston pretty hard. Which is what you'd expect, since Italy ranks way up there – second, in fact – when it comes to local residents' ancestral homes.Neighborhoods huddled together.Relatives worried. Some mourned.Politicians sent condolences.Relief funds were set up.And then restaurants and wine shops started doing what it is they do, to pay tribute to Abruzzo.All this week, Tomasso Trattoria in Southborough wil ...

"Counterculture," and Not in a Good Way: Australian Chard at the BCAE

Cathy — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:04:00 PST

"Counterculture."That's how our WSET instructor described Petaluma in the Piccadilly Valley of South Australia during class at the BCAE tonight."Counterculture" for the Piccadilly Valley and its chardonnay may refer to the area's defiantly cool climate, or it may refer to the novelty that chardonnay was in Australia when Brian Croser of Petaluma staked out the area in the 1970s.Maybe it was that set-up influencing my reaction to the 2007 Petaluma Chardonnay, but I smelled the wine and right away ...

Bidding on the Past: Fine Wine Auction at WGBH

Cathy — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:15:00 PST

I never meant to buy anything.I went to the WGBH fine wine auction a few weeks ago as an interested observer. I had written a few articles about the new WGBH studio in Brighton, and I loved the fact that it is probably the only public broadcasting station in the country with its own wine cellar. I was rooting for a good turn-out, and for a good profit for the station. My function was merely as cheerleader.But then the bidding started. And Marie Keep of Skinner Inc. auction house, in the role of ...

The Case for Drinking Alone

Cathy — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:39:00 PST

A few weeks ago I wrote about Suzanne Pirret and her incredibly entertaining cookbook called The Pleasure is All Mine: Selfish Food for Modern Life. Last week, as I was browsing the food and wine stacks in the library of the French Library Alliance Française of Boston, on Marlborough Street, I found the French equivalent: Brigitte Namour's Moi, je cuisine solo ou duo: Recettes rapides et menus malins.Where it concerns wine, the two books had this in common: it wasn't the primary focus, but food- ...

Where To Go to Get Out of Your Rut: Grand Trunk Old World Market, Newburyport

Cathy — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:18:00 PST

Browsing the wine and beer collection at the Grand Trunk Old World Market in Newburyport is like browsing the bookshelves of a few very eccentric librarians. They know their subject matter and its traditional best-sellers thoroughly; they just choose to carry instead on the unique, the untested, the hard-to-find, and the "child prodigies" of their business.In other words, it's the place to go to get you right out of a wine or beer rut.Sure, there's a selection of wines from Burgundy; but they're ...

When Romanee Conti from 1934, 1945, and 1953 is Not the Most Important Part of the Meal: A Used BookStore Find

Cathy — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:09:00 PST

"A man dies too young if he leaves any wine in his cellar." – André L. SimonA used bookseller I know usually sets 20 or 25 books on two small bookcases just outside his front door, for casual passers-by to peruse and possibly purchase. The bookseller changes the theme frequently – Cape Cod ecology in the summer, Updike novels when he passed away, how-to-entertain manuals around the holidays – but this week the theme was wine, food and cocktails.I stopped to peruse.What caught my eye first was a ...

A Nouveau Appreciation for Beaujolais: Gamay, Reconsidered

Cathy — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 11:58:00 PST

There are a few things to definitely know about Beaujolais:? Bottles labeled Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau are two very different wines.? Beaujolais is the wine of choice at many a French bistro. The fastest way to transport yourself to that bohème frame of mind is to cook up some steak frîtes and uncork a bottle of Beaujolais.? Beaujolais is one of the least expensive red Burgundies you'll find, though you'll be cheating – just a bit – if you fail to acknowledge the distinct differences of ...

Wine That's Down to Earth Too: Kunde Estates Vineyard at D2E

Cathy — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:05:00 PST

By Beth O'BrienThe Down:2:Earth (D2E) exposition at Boston's Hynes Convention Center this weekend bills itself as "an exploration into sustainable living." Host to over 100 vendors, the expo offers consumers eco-friendly choices over a broad range of categories, including makeup, clothing, home improvement and, of course, food and wine. Fortunately for the environmentally conscious oenophile, the Sonoma Valley's Kunde Estate Winery was on hand to represent the increasing number of wineries engag ...

What Wine Goes with Apriloe Think Port.

Cathy — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:13:00 PST

[Note: This article ran in today's Gloucester Daily Times.]What wine goes with April?With the weather this week, we may as well ask, what wine goes with rain?My answer, to either question, is Port.April is the quintessential transitional month. Winter weather is (finally) past us, but the sunny warmth of spring not quite here. And April 15 may as well be nationally recognized as Transition Day: there is nothing like an income tax statement to bring us face-to-face with where we are, where we've ...

Clive Coates on Rhone Wines at Boston University: Time to Up My Batting Averageoe

Cathy — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:41:00 PST

Full disclosure: I have never met a Rhône wine that I like.Just like I have never met a wine from Paso Robles that I like.It's nothing personal, and it is certainly not for lack of trying. It's just that my palate somehow doesn't accommodate the wines from these two regions. My initial reaction to the wines has not been that they are fruity or pleasurable; my initial reaction has been that they are dusty.Obviously I've been missing something. So when the opportunity arose to hear Master of Wine ...

Wine Writing that's Relevant: Book Review of Tyler Colman's A Year of Wine

Cathy — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:01:00 PST

A few weeks ago I received a book in the mail, unsolicited, from a publisher who thought I'd be interested in the subject matter. I am interested in the subject matter – it being wine and all – but a few minutes of page turning told me that I was not interested in the book.It looked, well, boring. And it looked like material I could get from any of the too-many books I already had on my shelves. So that's where it's going to stay – on the shelf – until the next time I spring clean my library or ...

What Wine Goes with Wild Rice THat's Been Hand-Harvested from a Canoe in Minnesotaoe Hint: Something Lean.

Cathy — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:44:00 PST

I showed up for my lunch with T. with a bottle of 2006 Pouilly-Vinzelles from the Bret brothers, rising-star winemakers and negoçiants from the Mâcon.That turned out to be a good choice.I know this to be true, because when I left I was carrying a mason jar of wild rice that T. had harvested with his own hands – and his own paddle, apparently – as he shuttled his canoe through the paddies near his summer cabin in Minnesota. It was a precious and generous gift. Ricing is an old Native American tra ...

When Casual Wine is Like Casual Sex: When It Looks Good, and It Sells

Cathy — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:11:00 PST

A friend of mine opened her home-goods store with a modest wine collection, but she was insistent that the wines she carried would all be "hand-crafted" and "small production" and "estate bottled" and she would have a personal connection to as many of the winemakers as possible. In other words, they would be wines she was proud to carry.That was the plan.And at first it worked very well. She developed – and still continues to nurture – a devoted clientele who trust her opinions, on wine and on g ...

You Don't Know Unless you Try: Tasting New Zealand Up and Down at BiNa Osteria, Boston

Cathy — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:02:00 PST

Think of wine from New Zealand and you're likely to think Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Noir.But how about Syrah? Once in a while.Or a Bordeaux blend?Uhhh....Pinot Gris? Gewurztraminer? Riesling?Not so much.That – namely, sampling many, many wines outside the typical New Zealand cache – was the beauty of the tasting hosted by the New Zealand Winegrowers at BiNA Osteria in Chinatown yesterday. Like the 2008 Dry River Craighall Riesling from Martinborough, whose assertive minerality-laced finish boded w ...

Stay-Cation-ing and Wine: Restaurant Week Package at the Emerson Inn, Rockport

Cathy — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:18:00 PST

[Note: This article ran in the business section of today's Gloucester Daily Times.]Number of restaurants who participate in Boston's Winter Restaurant Week: 227.Number of those restaurants on the North Shore: 1.What does the Grand Café at the Emerson Inn in Rockport know that no one else on the North Shore knows?That even in a recession – or maybe especially in a recession – the hospitality industry needs to keep moving forward.That an economic downturn is actually the right time to expand a res ...

Doing it Just Because: The Belgian Malinois Cocktail at L'Espalier

Cathy — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:50:00 PST

Sometimes you do get the whipped cream on your hot chocolate. Sometimes you do get the bagel toasted, with extra butter, thank you very much.Just like sometimes you order the Kir Royale rather than just the Kir.You do it... just because.It was the same way this week during lunch at L'Espalier. I did order the Belgian Malinois Cocktail, not because the Belgian raspberry-infused beer wasn't enough (it always is), and not because the Champagne by itself wouldn't have been enough either (it certainly ...

Wine for Breakfast, and the Perils of High-Alcohol Pinot Noir from Sonoma

Cathy — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 10:30:00 PST

A local restaurateur invited me to a small tasting this week with a sales rep from one of the major distributors. We'd be trying wines from two vineyards, both in California, from primarily two varietals – Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. And it was going to be at 10:30 in the morning.Wine for breakfast! My favorite way (almost) to start the day.It was, at least, until they started pouring the Pinots from Sonoma. Something was off. It wasn't that I was expecting the Pinots from Sonoma to taste like Pi ...

Domaine de Canton: The World's First Ginger Liqueur, at BRIX Wine Shop, Boston

Cathy — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:08:00 PST

You find the darndest things at BRIX. Or else, they find them – or special-order them – for you.Canton, said to be the world's first premium ginger liqueur, is infused with VSOP Cognac and baby Vietnamese ginger, along with a little ginseng just for good measure.It's a clever combination, drawing on the appeal of the exotic (Domaine de Canton is a ginger estate in French Indochine popular during colonial times), the classic (French eau de vie, Grande Champagne Cognac), and the vaguely homeopathi ...

Cooking (and Drinking) for One: Suzanne Pirret at Northeastern University

Cathy — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:19:00 PST

Suzanne Pirret does not follow many of the rules.You'd know this if you happened to see her noon-time cooking demonstration at Northeastern University yesterday. No one actually cooks wearing a dress like that, just like no one is allowed to make chocolate cookies like that that have the consistency of fudge, are rolled in sugar, topped with sea salt, and then dunked – as Pirret advises at the end of her no-ingredient-list-only-prose recipe – in a glass of 2004 Vin Santo del Chianti Classico fro ...

In Search of Clicquot: Sourcing Fine Champagne in Gloucester

Cathy — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:26:00 PST

[Note: This article ran in today's Gloucester Daily Times.]Champagne, especially from premium houses like Charles Heidsieck and Krug, is a pricey endeavor. It helps to share, both the experience and the expense. Which is what I plan to do with my book club next week when we meet at Cornerstone Books in Salem to discuss our pick of the month: The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It. Each month the club comes together to sip wine that is somehow relevant to t ...

Upping the Everyday (and Mob Wine) at Sportello, Boston

Cathy — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 07:12:00 PST

Looking over Congress Street from Sportello's second-story window is like watching setting for the Boston version of a situation comedy. Storylines pass at the rate of four per minute.It's early evening. A young mom and her son wait in their cherry-red low-to-the-ground sports car for the dad – dressed in baggy jeans and black sweatshirt – to come out of work. He gets in, she slides over, the child tumbles into the back seat.A middle-aged professional woman catches a cab to the airport. The cabb ...