Moderate drinking, especially wine, associated with better cognitive function

It's settled then.

Metacognition And Strawberry Jam

Sometimes analyzing why you like something interferes with your ability to like it. I expect it works the same for wine.

The End of History

Brewdog has made a 55% alcohol "End of History" beer. They made 12 bottles at $800 each. They, of course, have sold out. Interestingly, it's served in a dead squirrel for some reason. And as to why it's called "End of History" I'll let them explain:

The End of History: The name derives from the famous work of philosopher Francis Fukuyama, this is to beer what democracy is to history. Fukuyama defined history as the evolution of the political system and traced this through the ages until we got the Western Democratic paradigm. For Fukuyama this was the end point of man’s political evolution and consequently the end of history. The beer is the last high abv beer we are going to brew, the end point of our research into how far the can push the boundaries of extreme brewing, the end of beer.

Stirrings Liqueur $12.99

Stirrings the company that produces my favorite drink mixers. Unlike almost all other mixers Stirrings actually uses real juice. I've literally have had customers who prided themselves on squeezing their own limes give it all up once they've tried Stirrings mixers. But now they've have decided to expand their brand with a new line of liqueurs. A very new line of liqueurs. As in-- "not only can't I find any mention of them on the Stirrings website I can't even find a mention of them on the whole internet"--new. But I know they exist they are in the store, I'm selling them. And I've tasted them, which is actually the important part because just like they're mixes they make the liqueurs with real fruit. Something that is unheard of at this price. I realize this post is starting to sound like a press release for Stirrings but I can't help it. It's not my fault that using real fruit rather than flavorings to make liqueur much more complex with brighter flavors and makes better mixed drinks.

Stirrings Liqueurs

Triple Sec---Aggressive orange zest flavor.

Pomegranate---Taste like fresh pomegranate juice.

Peach---Ever tasted a ripe peach from the tree? Like that.

Ginger--Spicy and tangy. I'm already imagining what kind of drinks to make with it.

Espresso---Rich dark coffee. I rarely get real espresso with this much flavor.

Apple---Granny Smith to be exact, it actually makes an Appletini seem like a good idea.

A Bit Off Topic

One of my odder hobbies is reading about ancient history. Recently, I've been listening to a lecture series on Europe in the Late Antiquity/Early Middle Ages, specifically the Goths. Not the mopey black-clad teenagers but the fur-clad German tribe that ravaged the Balkans in the third century. Now I already knew that Roman writers complained incessantly about how bad the Goths smelled but I always chalked it up to the standard Roman contempt for the non-urbanized who don't have access to baths. I might owe those Roman writers an apology (not that they'll care, being dead and all), because the Goths liked intricate hairstyles. And their preferred hairstyling product? Butter. Rancid butter. No bathing and rancid butter for hair gel? Yeah, I think the Romans might have been justified in their complaints.

Hugl Weine, Gruner Veltliner 2009 $10.99 (liter bottle)***

People have started to come into the store and ask for an Austrian varietal, Gruner Veltiners. At least I think that's what they are doing most of the pronunciation is a little iffy. This German varietal tends to be pronounced along the lines of, "groo...uhh...grooirvleti...huh...?" which can be difficult to differentiate from people trying to say Gewerstraminer "guh ..I mean...gehvreets..um..?" Not that I'm critizising of course, german words tend to be quite long and always seem to be missing a few vowels somewhere and frankly not only can I not figure out how to type the "U" with an umlaut in "Gruner" I'm not quite sure what an umlaut is supposed to indicate (yes I know, it's the Internet and I could just look it up...so I did). Anyway, I think we are all going to have a lot of practice pronouncing "Gruner Veltliner" (grooner velt-leener) because this a fantastically refreshing white wine at a lubriciously low prices. Case in point--Hugl Weine Gruner Veltliner 2009. The first thing you notice is that the wine bottle looks funny--kinda big and it is. Unlike most other places in the world wine tends to show up in liter bottles I don't know why. but $10.99 would be great price for 750ml, for 1 liter it's insane. This wine is a full bodied and crisp white wine with a mineral base and lots of delicate citrus and tropical fruit notes.***

Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Hops

And more.

Mader, Pinot Blanc, 2009, $15.99 ****

Admit it, you have not spent a lot of time thinking about Pinot Blanc. Even though it's been around for a little less than forever. And it is one of the grapes that can show up in Champagne blends. But it's true it doesn't come out as a varietal in the U.S. too often. It ends up getting swamped by oceans of Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio on the market. And that's unfortunate because Pinot Blanc can make a really nice little. Especially from Alsace (kinda like the German part of France--the cuisine involves an awful lot of pork in sausage form) which is where this lovely wine from Mader is from. It's got a rich, almost Chardonnay mouth feel but without losing the crisp refreshing feeling and citrus fruit you get from a good Sauvignon Blanc balanced with lots of soft tropical fruit notes all together lovely and really over-delivers for the price. If you've never had a Pinot Blanc before this is a great place to start. ****

Update: If you look closely at the picture you might notice that it is a bottle of Reisling and not Pinot Blanc. That's because the wine is so obscure I couldn't find a decent picture on the internet. Of course I find no one else knowing about what a good wine this to be part of the fun.

Black Forest Devil

A brand new distributor just showed up the other day. I love small, new distributors because they always have some sort of oddball interesting products that have never been in Maryland before. In this case we are talking about "Black Forest Devil" a traditional German liqueur from a family guarded 200 year recipe of 40 herbs actually from Germany's Black Forest. I guess the importer is hoping that if one traditional German herbal schnapps could be a huge hit in the US (that would be Jagermiester) maybe another one could too. there's even a traditional way to drink it. Set it on fire. Really. You're supposed fill glass (all the way to the brim to keep the rim from getting hot) and then light it (it's 102 proof), once you blow it out the the aroma is supposed to intensify. We only got it in yesterday and we have already sold quite a bit, granted, so far only to employees. But if the enthusiasm of our employees is any guide I am quite confidant that one day will sell it to an actual customer.

Vodka Snobs Are Not Crazy

Not completely crazy anyway. They seem to be responding to the different combinations of ethanol hydrates. "Even in the absence of 'taste' in the traditional sense, vodka drinkers could express preference for a particular structure." Good to know.

Brew Dog Paradox Macallan $13/12oz*****

I'm reposting this because we only have two bottles left if you want to try it now is the time.

There was just one case left in Maryland. Just one. So we bought it. Without ever tasting it. Simply because it was Brew Dog. And then...we tasted it. It's an Imperial Stout aged six months in whisky casks. Not in just any whisky casks but Macallan single malt whisky casks from 1987 that had previously used to age sherry. Wow, just wow. The beer is rich and thick and it almost has the mouth feel of port. for those who were wondering, yes you can taste the Macalan. Let me rephrase that, YOU CAN TASTE THE MACALLAN!! It is without a doubt the most interesting and different beer I have ever tasted in my life. If you are a beer nerd, this is the beer you need to taste before you die. If you are not a beer nerd it's worth becoming one so you can learn to appreciate this extraordinary work of art.

So What Are You Waiting For?

Way back in the year 2000 (which was either the last year of the 20th century or the first year of the 21rst, depending on who you ask) Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher who wrote the Wall Street Journal's wine column got tired of hearing people with a fantastic (and expensive) bottle of wine somewhere in their house refuse to open until an undefined "special occasion" that never seemed to arrive. So they did exactly what you would do in that situation--they created their own holiday. "Open That Bottle Of Wine Night", where the "special occasion" would be opening that wine. They scheduled it for the last Saturday night in February (which means of course that we missed it--but hey, I've only been doing this blog for less that two, weeks cut me some slack). It's a great idea but I don't think it goes far enough, every night is open that bottle of wine night. Hmm, maybe that goes a bit too far--not that I'd be averse to everybody buying a bottle of Duckhorn Vineyards Three Palm Vineyard Merlot 2001 $99 (one of my favorite wines in the world) every night after work, especially if they bought it from me, but what I mean is that people a messing up the price value ratio when they are talking about wine.

Say you you and three or four friends meet a bar or restaurant for couple of drinks to sit around and talk. Each one of you can easily spend 10 or 20 bucks on two or three glasses of wine or mixed drinks. for that kind of money you guys could have bought a bottle Duckhorn and sat around in someone's living room talking with your friends and drinking the best wine any of you have every tasted. Heck for less than $15 dollars per person you could try Chimney Rock Napa Cab. The purpose of wine (kinda like life) is to create memories. And aren't you going to create better memories at someones house drinking a spectacular wine then sitting in some booth somewhere drinking generic beer and eating chicken wings underneath a stuffed moose head that's wearing sunglasses? Well aren't you. So what are you waiting for?

By the way, I am aware that I'm not a disinterested observer in this as I am actually selling the wine we're talking about. But seriously, how many times have you balked at buying a $15 bottle of wine and the next day paid $10 dollars for a glass of wine at a restaurant? Add it up, I think my point will remain valid.

Sbragia Home Ranch Chardonay 2008 $25.99****

Whoa...is this ever a good California Chard. I mean really good. Most California wineries are moving away from the old fashioned oaky style that so many people complain about. But not Sbragia. For a while there is seemed like wineries were competing to see who could make the oakiest, most syrupy, most unbalanced Chardonnay. And people got sick of it and so wineries started changing styles. Well. Sbragia reminds us why that nonsense started--why lesser wineries started too much oak. They were trying to get the opulence, honey and honeysuckle flavors. The difference is those other wineries fail at it while Sbragia succeeds magnificently. 92 points Wine Enthusiast, 92 points Wine News, 92 points Wine Spectator. On sale for $20.99.

Maker's Mark Announces Their First New Product in 50+ Years

I can't wait.

What's New

It's Friday again and we are doing our weekly Friday wine tasting and this Friday we have brand new wines to taste:

Shaya Old Vine Verdejo 2009 $14.99, 90pts. WA---A traditional Spanish white with refreshing minerality and dry fruit notes making this a perfect summer wine.

Botani Moscatel Seco 2008 $17.99, 90pts. W&S---The Moscatel (also known as Muscat) is a grape you may have heard of and tried but only as a sweet desert wine. Botani is not that wine. Oh, it has residual sugar but instead of being sweet it translates into a heavy mouth feel but with reserved citrus notes and a wonder spiciness that lends itself pairing with food wonderfully.

Venta Morales Tempranillo $9.99---An pleasantly inexpensive Tempranillo from Spain (La Mancha to be exact) rich, ripe, and what I like to call "gulpable"---order a pizza, pour it into a water glass and have a great great evening.

Tarima Monastrell $9.99---Did I say pleasantly inexpensive? Well, Tarima is insanely inexpensive. Because this wine is AWESOME. If you've never had a Monestrell (and you should have had a Monastrell before because I push Jaun Gil ($17.99 91pts. WA) on just about anyone that comes into the store. Tarima is just a good and only $9.99! Dark violet notes rich chocolate and one of the best price to value ratios in the store.

Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale 1pt 9.4oz. $11.99 ***

The New York Time had an article the other day about a new trend in craft brewing under the headline "Sour Beer is Risky Business, Starting with the Name" This, just two weeks after I brought in a Flemish Sour Ale that I was just blown away by (Ladies and Gentlemen it is official,...I am a trend-setter). Of all the Sour Ale's I have Monk's Cafe is without a doubt the best. Admittedly, of all the Sour Ale's I have tasted Monk's Cafe is without a doubt the only one I've tasted. Still, having tasted Monk's I am really excited to taste my next one. This just a great and unique style of beer.

Now I'm going to have to pause a moment and agree with the NYT that the word "sour" is problematic when trying to sell this beer to Americans who have never heard of, much less tried the style before. Were I the PR flack for the world brewing industry I might advise them to use the word "tart" instead. But since that isn't a real job much less on I am qualified for I guess we are stuck with "Sour". But anyway "sour" is the traditional word in Belgium and Monk's Cafe is a traditional Belgian ale. Did I mention I was blown away by it? A blend of old and young ales light bodied with an amazing apple cider vinegar aroma and long, very refreshing, sweet and sour (I mean "tart") finish. If you are a beer nerd, TRY THIS BEER.

The Pickleback Cont.

Okay, I'm back and I tried a Pickleback. And it's......not bad. In fact it's actually almost...pretty darn good and really surprisingly (if oddly) refreshing. I tried first the way it was invented as a shot bourbon with a shot of pickle juice as a chaser (also known as a "back", hence the name). Now normally when I drink whiskey neat I do not bother with chasers, first I tend to avoid what is know as "rot gut" so I don't want to obscure the flavors of good spirits and second, I am also quite good at drinking "rot gut" so the whole chaser thing is unnecessary (What can I say? Practice makes perfect). But in the cause of science I changed my normal pattern.

The pickle juice was surprisingly enjoyable, and the salt and herbs of the juice complemented the wood flavors of the bourbon very well. And if I found myself in funky bar in Brooklyn (where it seems to have been invented) I could see myself having quite a few of these. But as I said I'm not much on chasers but, like Max Watman, I do like the occasional cocktail and that's what I was interested in. Max calls it Bourbon and Brine but quite frankly I think Pickleback is such a cool name that I'm just going to keep using it to refer to the mixed drink too (Max is not the boss of me!).

So, here's my recipe:

two parts...bourbon

one part..pickle juice

on the rocks

fantastic

Okay, it's not going to be my new favorite cocktail. But it sure as heck is not going to be my last one either. Try it. You will be surprised how much you like it. And how refreshing it is. This is definitely going into my Summer cocktail rotation.

The Pickleback

I am definitely going to have to try it. I'll report back when I do.

Apropos of Nothing

If you happen to come by for a wine tasting and you just happen to taste my new favorite summer white wine, don't make a face and declare it "Too sweet". First, it's not sweet, there is hardly any residual sugar at all. Second....it hurts my feelings.

How To Open Wine.

Unscrew the cap. Really. Hear me out on this people. Corks stink. Sometimes literally. It's call cork taint it's caused by a fungus and it makes around 10% of all wine that use a natural cork smell like wet dog. As you can imagine it doesn't do much for the taste either. If only they would invent some sort of closure that wouldn't ruin so much wine. Yeah, well, they did...it's called a screw cap (okay, for wine it's technically called a stelvin closure). The objections come fast an furious, but they usually boil down to two basic ones---aging and aesthetics.

The theory of wine aging is that over the years a little oxygen seep around the cork and slowly oxidizes the wine changing and (if the wine maker knows what they are doing) improving the wine. And if no air can get past a screw cap the wine won't age properly. But really, the theory is actually more of an hypothesis because frankly, no one really knows. We're not even really sure how much, if any, oxygen can get around the cork over the years. After all, for generations now Champagne has been aged while being closed with bottle caps and people still think it's pretty good. And anyway when is the last time you personally aged wine? How a wine will age over the next 10-15 years is nothing but a purely academic exercise for everyone except an exceedingly small number of wine nerds. Personally, when I buy a bottle of wine the only reason it makes home un-opened is that Maryland has strict "open container" laws.

That leaves the aesthetic argument. Oh wait,...before we get to the aesthetics of the whole let just address some of the inchoate free floating hate out their for the screw cap. It all began way back in the twentieth century, most American wine was cheap garbage and I mean garbage, the kind of stuff I would not wash my feet with much less drink (and honestly I'm willing to drink most anything, remember--I'm a connoisseur not a snob). This cheap garbage was always, always closed with a screw cap. Hence everybody who was alive in the 1970's now associate the screw cap with garbage. But times have changed cheap...excuse me, I mean inexpensive american wine has improved tremendously and anyway those wines are always closed with a cork because it's really important that no one associate them with wine from the '70s. Right now, only interesting wine comes in a screw cap now.

But what about the ritual? The history? the tradition? Okay, fine. You got me. I'm as much a traditionalist as anyone. And I suppose the last time I was at a restaurant and had a bone in ribeye (just) medium rare with an awsome bottle of 2007 Caymus Cabernet (I wasn't paying), I would have been a tad disappointed if the sommelier hadn't gone through the whole rigmarole. But really how often does that happen? Wine is a daily drink (at least for me) ritual is not really all that important and why risk buying a bottle of bad wine? (end rant)

Update: I realize I used an excessive amount of italics and parenthesis in this post (but that's just how I roll).

Yasa Macabeo Old Vine Calatayud 2009 $10***+

Have you ever had a Macabeo? I love asking this kind of question because it always starts a great conversation because the answer is invariably, "no". And what that means is I get to talk about a varietal that they have no preconceptions of. Here we have a refreshing Spanish white wine with bright peach pair and melon flavors yet still crisp and dry. The Wine Enthusiast gave it 90 points. Now at this point, I usually receive an unsure look and they say something along the lines of "I didn't really plan spending a lot."

"Ten bucks."

"Oh." their eyes get wide. "I'll take two."

Do You Like Light Beer?

HEY...... you're not supposed to like it, it's light beer. Okay, that too harsh. It's long been my contention that everything has it's place even.....ahem.....light...uh...beer. The pros an cons of light beer go something like this:

Con: It's flavorless.

Pro: It's thirst quenching!

Con: It's flavorless.

Pro: It's low calorie!

Con: It's flavorless.

Pro: You can drink a lot of it without.........oh, heck you get the idea.

The thing is, the pros are right (of course so are the cons)---it is thirst quenching and low calorie and there are time where that actually counts for quite a bit. For instance I love Guinness, but let me tell you after I finish mowing the lawn (or maybe just before) stout is not what I'm aching for. A little extra water in your beer may be just what the bartender recommends. Admittedly, you could just a non light beer and and add some lemonade and make a traditional English shandy. But, really that's a different post, don't you think?

Las Colinas Del Ebro Granacha Blanca $11.99 ***++

The new Granacha Blanca's here! The new Granacha Blanca's here!! The new vintage of Las Colinas is back baby!!! Okay......(deep breath)......chances are you are not quite as excited about this as I am. But you should be. Because this wine ROCKS!!! Wait a moment....(another deep breath)....alright, I'm calm now. Now you may ask what the heck is Granacha Blanca? The short answer is, it's Granache. You know, the grape that makes the red wine? It's the the exact same grape, white and red wine to be made from different grapes. They don't have to be. For the most part, the grapes are the same color it's how the wine is made that changes the wine. In red wine the wine is fermented with the skins in and in white wines the wine is fermented without the grapes skins. Normally Granache is made into red wine but Las Colinas has made it into a white wine and it is wonderful. A very Spanish white dry and austere but full of mineral and tropical fruit flavor a darn near perfect white wine. ***++

Bordeaux is Wasted on the Young

At least according to the New York Times. Actually I think their point is well taken. Almost nobody comes into the store asking for Bordeaux. And nobody is interested in the under thirty dollar Bordeaux. The good stuff is just over $30 and that's that. It's also a problem. Bordeaux is a very specific style of wine. Remember, "Wine is an acquired taste" to quote a great writer about wine*. And learn to appreciate a wine style you need to start somewhere. And no-one wants to start at $30 a bottle that they might not like the the first five or ten times you try it.

*Me.

Husch Chenin Blanc 2009 $13.99***

Have you thought seriously about Chenin Blanc? Don't bother replying, I already know the answer--plus, I can't hear you I'm not blogging live you know. Of course you haven't thought about Chenin Blanc and why should you? It was never one the varietals that dominated new world wines. And when it does show up it becomes obvious the wine makers haven't settled on a style, resulting in someone finally trying a Chenin Blanc and they don't happen to like it that particular bottle they then decide that they don't like the grape. Which is totally unfair to the grape not to mention that it makes my job harder. Because Chenin Blanc can make fantastic wines in a bewildering number of styles. Case in point, Husch Chenin Blanc. it's off-dry which means that they leave in enough sugar to bring out the fruit flavors and give a nice heavy mouth feel but not enough to taste sweet. The lemon zest flavors play with honeydew notes making it a very refreshing and full flavored Summer wine.

Spike Your Juice

That's what it's really called "Spike Your Juice". Basically it's a a few packets of yeast and an airlock. With OJ and a couple of days you have yourself some alcohol. I can't imagine that it tastes particularly good, so frankly I'm not worried about the competition.

Man Tries to Exchange Stolen beer Because it Was Warm

Obviously a beer connoisseur.

Leftover Wine II

Lifehacker has an article about what you can do with leftover wine---other than try and drink it. I've pointed out before that leftover wine is not really an issue for me (an open bottle around me tends to evaporate fairly quickly) but really, I quite like in the idea of making my own vinegar.

We Sold The "Bakon" Vodka

No, we will not be getting in anymore.

Van Ruiten Vineyards, Old Vine Zinfandel 2007 ***++ $15.99

Zinfandel was considered to be unique to the the U.S. and "America's vine and wine" at least until someone figured out that it was in fact the same grape as Italian Primotivo and then they started looking around Croatia and.....look why don't you just read about it on Wikipedia where there is a long article on it that is just fascinating (at least to me). In the mean time we can talk about Van Ruiten "old vine" Zinfandel. Voted best Zinfandel of 2009 by the Wall Street Journal and given 90 pts. by Wine and Spirits Magazine this is a rich and intense blackberry jam with a long lasting black pepper spice finish. perfect for grilled meat or simply sitting and drinking by itself (my favorite way to drink wine).

I'm Back

Did you miss me? No? Well, then..........I'm glad I didn't bring you back any souvenirs.

Hardy's Whiskers Blake $14 ***+

It's one of only two ports that we buy by the case (the other is Six Grapes). It is so good and inexpensive that we sell half a case a month of this quintessential winter fortified wine in the summer. Hardy's is a wonderful place to start to find out if you like port it's rich and intense unctuous in a very good way and raisiny lingering on the palate in that wonderful way that has made port famous.

Mark Davidson Cab Merlot $9.99 reg $15***

Every now an then we get the opportunity to carry wine that hasn't been moving to well anywhere else. Distributer reps like to bring these kinds of wine to us because we are one of the few places that specializes in getting our customers to try something they haven't tried before, which means we can sell something obscure nobody has ever heard of before. But before we do that we check to see if the lack of sales was the fault of the wine and we do that the old fashioned way--we taste it. Well, whatever caused Mark Davidson to not sell so well it certainly wasn't the fault of the wine. This is a rich jammy full-flavored but still medium-bodied wine with soft tannins that is just a lot lot of fun to drink it's what I call a "crowd pleaser". For some reason there is no vintage on the bottle which I suppose means it's a blend of wine from more than one year. We got few cases at a steep discount and were selling at a steep discount. Grab one while they last.

Bakon--A Premium Bacon Flavored Vodka $33

I am so not kidding. This is either the best marketing gimmick ever or the end of civilization. Probably both. it's the logical extension to the endless bacon obsession that shows up on the internet where with very little effort you can find whole albums dedicated to picturing endless kinds of food wrapped in bacon. So why not bacon Vodka? Well, for one thing it sounds pretty disgusting and for another----actually, what else do you need to say? The reason I voluntarily tasted it was...oh, wait I didn't voluntarily taste it. I walk into the store and the distributer rep is there with every store employee gathered around him like they have found a land mine in the middle of the store. Then hiding the bottle they hand me a tasting cup with a clear liquid. Apparently, I'm supposed to guess what it is. This is not a good sign. Anyone who has ever gone to seventh grade knows that drinking something that no one will tell you what it is...is a very very bad idea. So I smelled it and it smelled like bacon and I mean very like bacon. Which was of course impossible. So I tasted it. It tasted...not bad, I mean, really not bad salty and savory sort of like a very light dirty martini. I think I want to try it in a Bloody Mary. In any case if you take to a party you will be the most popular person there at least until every one tastes it at least once.

Wine Fraud

Alright this is a bit above are usual price point around here ($150,000 a bottle). But the AP has an interesting article about a billionaire wine collector's (and yachtsman--of course) lawsuit against Christie's International for selling him fake Bordeaux. It was supposed to have been owned by some guy named Thomas Jefferson, it wasn't.

Bink, Merlot, 2003, $30 ****

Bink is her cat. Let's get that out of the way first because people keep asking me--what's with the name? And I met her and tasted wine while she talked about them. I've mentioned before that when you are in front of the wine maker tasting the wines they made, there is a distinct tendency for the wine to taste better than it would otherwise. So, what I try to do is re-taste which I just did with the 2003 Merlot. And I was right the first time, it's great. Rich blackberry and earthiness with some spice just to keep things interesting. As you drink it just keeps getting better and better.

Santa Digna, Miguel Torres

I've been concentrating a bit too much lately on some of the high end wines (it's not my fault you try to drink Grange and and then talk about something else). So I thought to make up for it I would talk about an inexpensive line of wines. Miguel Torres is fairly big name in the wine industry, they are most famous (at least in our store) as the makers of Manso de Velasco which is one of the best Cabernets on the planet for under $100. It really over-delivers for $40. But they also have a line of wine that over-delivers for $12---Santa Digna. What great about these wines is that they are not trying to imitate the California industrial style. You know what I mean, fruity, not much tannins and......not much else, good but boring. Santa Digna is not like that it's wine with a point of view accessible but still interesting.

Santa Digna, Sauvignon Blanc 2008---Not a New Zealand citrus bomb, much more reserved with a lot of herbal notes and pineapple perfect for drinking with food. ***+

Santa Digna, Cabernet Sauvignon 2008---instead of going for California fruit or French minerality This cab brings in lovely leather notes and liquorice silky and elegant and once again perfect for food.***+

Santa Digna, Carmenere 2008---You can tel the same palate that made the Cab is behind this wine. Elegant and fruity it keeps the vegatal flavors that made Carmenere famous without making you feel like you took a bite of a green bell pepper.***++

Penfolds Grange !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shiraz, with--depending on the vintage--a tiny bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. Ladies and Gentlemen the deservedly legendary Grange:

1994---Intense but somehow still soft with gentle tannins. Aged and elegant ****

1998---Intenser, rich cherry flavor rolls over the palate in suprising ways a very heavy mouth feel and a long unbelievably complex finish****+

2004---Intenserest, astoundingly rich thick and complex. Lots of everything, deep. This is the Platonic ideal of Australian Shiraz. It's almost impossible to tease out the various flavors because there are so many of them and it so balanced. The Wine Advocate gave it 99 out of 100 points. I gave it ***** plus several OMGs and twenty or thirty exclamation points. It is the single best wine I have tasted in my life (and at $500 a bottle it had better be).

Chateau St. Jean, Cinq Cepages

Mostly Cabernet but blended with Merlot, Cab. Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verodot (hence the name).

1996---The Wine Spectator named it the wine of the year, and it deserved it. Heavy mouth feel, lots of rich fruit and gentle tannins, aging very gracefully ****++

2001---Rich and very spicy with heavy minerality and wonderful violet notes ****

2003---This one is smokey with rich leather flavor the dark fruit just a supporting player ****+

2006---Very approachable with less leather (don't get me wrong I love leather in wine but most wine drinkers find the intensity of leather off-putting) spicy with the fruit once again playing a supporting role ****

Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

1989--- A rich berry nose smooth, elegant, soft, with refined wood flavors, and spice not to mention gentle rose flavor. If you happen to own a bottle of this one drink it now it's ready in a few years it will be past it's prime ***+

1992--- A brighter version of the 1989 smooth with a long lingering spicy finish ***++

2001---My favorite of the five vintages. Oak and fruit bomb, lots of dark cherry flavor and cedar****

2005---Very similar to the 2001 one but softer less of a bomb ***++

2006---Biggest and fruitiest of the five vintages. The dark cherry flavor is moved forward and the the oak has turned into a supporting player just great ****

And How Was YOUR Tuesday?

Because mine was pretty good. Foster's Group (yes the company with the beer) had a big wine tasting at the Harbor Court Hotel. This might not mean much to you but that's only because you don't know which wineries Foster's owns. For instance not only do they own the behemoth Beringer but they also own more obscure but but much more prestigious wineries like Stag's Leap. But there was a special wine tasting just for V.I.P.s (ahem). Four different vintages of Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepages (current vintage about $70 a bottle). Five different vintages of Beringer Private Reserve (about $100). And three vintages of Penfold's Grange (around $500 per bottle). We should do this every week.

Once Again I know What I'm Talking About

Over the weekend we opened up a bottle of Bila-Haut for people to to taste. In a matter of a few hours we sold two cases of it. It's always a lot of fun when I find a wine I like and everyone else likes it too. For a short time after it happens--I think I'm smart.

M. Chapoutier Cotes du Roussillon-Villages Les Vignes de Billa-Haut $15 ***++

A new 90 pointer! And it's name is..... well to be honest I'm not quite sure what it's name is. The problem with French wine is that their naming conventions are so complex that looking at label you might not be able to tell the difference between the wine, the wine maker or the area it's from I was all set to just call this wine Bila-Haut and then I read the review in the Wine Spectator which referred to it as M. Chapoutier, with what I thought was the name coming third after the appellation. All of which means that what I thought was the name is in fact.....I still don't know. Wait a minute, I'll Google it----and I'm still not sure, but the only reference to Bila-Haut is for the wine we are talking about which means that the name is Bila-Haut, but why doesn't The Wine Spectator think so? Oh well it's just the mystery of French wines.

Wait..WAIT! I forgot to talk about the wine. Which is stupid because it is great. A classic Syrah (Shiraz), Grenache, Carignane blend. Fruit forward enough to please the American palate with enough French minerality and structure to let you know you are in France. A deep rich elegant wine. The Wine Spectator gave 90 pts and put it in the top 100 wines for the year.

Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc 2009 $9.99***+

Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc is one of our big sellers the previous vintage got all sorts of high ratings. The new vintage hasn't been rated yet but I have tasted it and it's the same aggressive citrus flavors very much in the New Zealand style even though it is from Chile and owned by Rothschild (Lafite, that is). Very crisp and refreshing and tastes like a $20 Sauv Blanc.

$9.99

Mike Steinberger at Slate (whose wine articles I've mentioned before)has an article where he tries to find good wine for under $10. He has some trouble finding --in his words, wines of "character and individuality". But he does manage to find a few. One of which I already reviewed. It got me thinking that I should mention a few that we have here. I mean, that I haven't already reviewed.

H3 Merlot 2007***++

It's the fault of that damned movie. You know the one I'm talking about. The one about wine, with those famous actors whose names you can almost remember. You know the movie I'm talking about, the one you didn't see? That movie that almost no one saw. But the commercials were ubiquitous. Remember? "No, NO, if anyone orders Merlot I am leaving!". Doesn't that ring a bell? That commercial, killed, killed, the demand for Merlot. Everyone assumed that drinking Merlot meant that you were an unsophisticated wine drinker. OK, granted there had been a lot of, shall we say, soft and fruit forward Merlots in the marketplace that did appeal to people who haven't been drinking wine long. But still, it's so unfair. Because Merlot can make wonderful, supple and and not-fruit-forward-at-all wine. Case in point. H3 Merlot has subtle tannins with a soft earthiness and flower flavors it's deep and rich and if you didn't know better you might guess you were drinking a Cabernet. The "Wine Spectator" gave it a deserved 91 points.

H3 Cabernet Sauvignon 2007***++

I've mentioned H3 before, about how the last vintage wasn't available. But I didn't review it. Now the reason I didn't review it was because I hadn't...you know...tasted it. This is actually a bit embarrassing, we try not to bring wine into the store we haven't tasted. But since we had tasted the vintage before last and it was so good, and it had been so long since you could get it in Maryland, and the reviews had been so good, and the price was so good, and it was so unlikely that we weren't going to like it, well...we jumped on it. And I'm glad we did. Because it's great. For a wine that has Columbia Crest on the label it's an idiosyncratic California Cab, it cannot in any way be described as a "fruit bomb". Oh there's plenty of fruit going on, but the action is in the other flavors and the structure. There's a lot of minerality and well integrated tannins and floral notes with perhaps a hint of leather with a long chocolaty finish. "Wine and Spirits" gave it 91 points and made it one of the "Top 100 Buys of the Year".

Brew Dog Paradox Macallan $13/12oz*****

There was just one case left in Maryland. Just one. So we bought it. Without ever tasting it. Simply because it was Brew Dog. And then...we tasted it. It's an Imperial Stout aged six months in whisky casks. Not in just any whisky casks but Macallan single malt whisky casks from 1987 that had previously used to age sherry. Wow, just wow. The beer is rich and thick and it almost has the mouth feel of port. for those who were wondering, yes you can taste the Macalan. Let me rephrase that, YOU CAN TASTE THE MACALLAN!! It is without a doubt the most interesting and different beer I have ever tasted in my life. If you are a beer nerd, this is the beer you need to taste before you die. If you are not a beer nerd it's worth becoming one so you can learn to appreciate this extraordinary work of art.

Important Question

"What are the drawbacks to drinking an entire pot of coffee before noon?"

Bashah Brewdog/Stone Brewing $6/btl ****

Yes, you read that right $6 for a twelve once bottle--it's worth it and then some. The beer is a joint venture between the the legendary Scottish brewery and the legendary American Brewery Stone Brewing. It is worth every penny. They call the beer a black Belgian style double India pale ale--whatever that is. The beer is pitch black in the glass with a tan head the nose is sweet coffee malt and it taste like a stout with subtle (very subtle) Belgian citrus flavor. A big heavy stupendous beer. 9% alcohol so be careful.

Penner-Ash Pinot Noir, Willematte Valley ****+ $57

First, before you freak out about the price, $57 is not out of line for a fantastic Oregon Pinot Noir. And second, we managed to make a deal with the distributer by buying way too much of it, so that we've managed to get the price down to $42 which for a world class Pinot Noir is chicken feed (and is less that what you'd pay if you bought directly from the winery). And make no mistake, this wine is world class. It has the lush red cherry of a new world Pinot Noir but with the chocolate and spice that adds incredible complexity leading to a long an luxurious finish of vanilla. The Wine Spectator mode it one of it's Top 100 of 2009, the Wine Advocate gave it 90 points and Steven Tanzer gave it 92 points. This wine is an experience not to be missed.

Penner-Ash Voignier 2009****+ $33

Carrol from the wine rep from The Country Vintner Came by with the wine-maker from Penner-Ash Wine Cellars, Lynn Penner-Ash herself. One of the problems with meeting the wine-maker when you first taste the wine is that the wine has a tendency to taste better. There's nothing especially mysterious about this, drinking wine with the whoever lovingly made the wine just puts you in a better mood and that would make any wine taste better. With that caveat---This is the best Viogner I have ever tasted. The winery specializes in Pinot Noir which are spectacular (more on them later), but I've had spectacular Pinot Noirs, before this is my first spectacular Viogner. A rich almost oily texture, creamy with lots of fruit flavors, melon, pear, tropical fruit, and long sweet finish. The Wine Spectator gave it 91 points. This is a truly great white wine.

Sabor Real toro Crianza 2005 $12.99****

Since I talked about expensive wines I thought might bring up a very inexpensive that is at least as good as anything in the rare wine room. I love this wine. Incredibly rich, big, spicy, fruit forward of a Spanish wine but still has that austere Spanish style. Lots of mineral floral notes supported by juicy cherry and blackberry flavors. The vines are all over 100 years old yielding a wine of immense intensity. The Wine Advocate gave it 91 points. When I tasted it I gave it 4 stars.

Chartreuse Martini

While we are on the subject of Chartreuse, I should bring up one of my favorite mixed drinks. It goes by a bunch of different names, most of which are stupid, so I just call it a Chartreuse Martini. There only two ingredients:

Chartreuse--one part

The best gin you can find--two parts

Chill in a shaker of ice and pour into the smallest martini glass you can find. I'm serious about that last part, this is a strong drink--very strong. Good gin tends to be at least 90 proof (my current favorite for this drink is Tanqueray Ten which is 94.6) and Chartreuse is 110 proof. This drink is not for amateurs. Even on a full stomach one is pretty much enough for an evening.

But what a great evening, the herbal complexity of the flavors is mind blowing. The gin cuts the sweetness of the Chartreuse to make it almost refreshing. One sip never fails to put me in a good mood.

The Cure For The Common Cold

Piping hot peppermint tea lots of sugar and a big shot of Bourbon. Repeat as necessary.

I had a cold yesterday and today I don't--conclusive proof.

Chartreuse

Without any equivocation Chartreuse is my favorite liqueur. And by "favorite liqueur" I mean it is my FAVORITE liqueur. I have have evangelized this liqueur to every single one of my friends and without exception once they taste it they consider me completely insane. Now, I don't blame them (too much), Chartreuse has a very (an I mean VERY) intense flavor unlike anything else any one has ever tasted. People who've never tried it ask me what it tastes like and I', at a loss nothing else tastes like Chartreuse. For instance here's The Spirit Journal's attempt to describe the flavors:

"cloves, angelica*, fennel, citrus, thyme, rosemary, hyssop**, cinnamon, mace, pine....."

As you can see there's a lot going on. And though we are a small percentage of the population, Those of us who love Chartreuse are not alone both "The Spirit Journal" and The Wine Enthusiast" gave Chartreuse perfect scores in their reviews. Oh and by the way, the color is named after their color of the liqueur not the other way around.

*No, I don't know what angelica is.

**No, I don't know what hyssop is either.

So What Are You Waiting For?

Way back in the year 2000 (which was either the last year of the 20th century or the first year of the 21rst, depending on who you ask) Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher who wrote the Wall Street Journal's wine column got tired of hearing people with a fantastic (and expensive) bottle of wine somewhere in their house refuse to open until an undefined "special occasion" that never seemed to arrive. So they did exactly what you would do in that situation--they created their own holiday. "Open That Bottle Of Wine Night", where the "special occasion" would be opening that wine. They scheduled it for the last Saturday night in February (which means of course that we missed it--but hey, I've only been doing this blog for less that two, weeks cut me some slack). It's a great idea but I don't think it goes far enough, every night is open that bottle of wine night. Hmm, maybe that goes a bit too far--not that I'd be averse to everybody buying a bottle of Duckhorn Vineyards Three Palm Vineyard Merlot 2001 $99 (one of my favorite wines in the world) every night after work, especially if they bought it from me, but what I mean is that people a messing up the price value ratio when they are talking about wine.

Say you you and three or four friends meet a bar or restaurant for couple of drinks to sit around and talk. Each one of you can easily spend 10 or 20 bucks on two or three glasses of wine or mixed drinks. for that kind of money you guys could have bought a bottle Duckhorn and sat around in someone's living room talking with your friends and drinking the best wine any of you have every tasted. Heck for less than $15 dollars per person you could try Chimney Rock Napa Cab. The purpose of wine (kinda like life) is to create memories. And aren't you going to create better memories at someones house drinking a spectacular wine then sitting in some booth somewhere drinking generic beer and eating chicken wings underneath a stuffed moose head that's wearing sunglasses? Well aren't you. So what are you waiting for?

By the way, I am aware that I'm not a disinterested observer in this as I am actually selling the wine we're talking about. But seriously, how many times have you balked at buying a $15 bottle of wine and the next day paid $10 dollars for a glass of wine at a restaurant? Add it up, I think my point will remain valid.

Let's Talk White Zinfandel

No, really. I'm serious this time. Let's talk about it, I know it's hard to believe, but I am going to defend it. Granted I going to defend it with faint praise but with praise non-the-less. First, let us get the elephant in the room out of the way, "doesn't it taste like watered down Hawaiian Punch?" The short answer is, yes, yes it does. It was invented by Sutter Home as an inexpensive wine that is sweet and light to appeal to people who don't like wine but would still like a glass of wine. Now that sounds like an accusation, but if you want people to who don't like wine to drink wine and enjoy it, you need to create a wine that tastes more or less like...White Zinfandel.

As I've said before the problem with wine like this is not that it's bad it's that it's boring. And it is boring but it is also wine. There are real wine flavors in these wines--granted not much--but the flavors are in there. Remember wine is an acquired taste, it takes practice. I've seen the progression of people who who would only drink White Zin. but then they try a Moscato andthen move on to a light Pinot Grigio wihtin a year they're drink oak and fruit bomb Napa Cabs with enough tannins to suck the moisture out of your socks. Look White Zin is not the best wine style in the world (to say the least) it's like training wheels for wine drinkers. And you need to start somewhere.

Mulderbosch, Cabernet Sauvignon Rose' 2008

Let's talk White Zinfandel.......or not. I'm kidding of course.....well....sorta. One of my favorite wine styles is rose'. That's right rose'. Dry rose'. It can be a wonderful expressive full-flavored, refreshing, and (not unimportantly) quite inexpensive wine. And I get everyone I can to try it. Which isn't that many, because when I show someone a bottle they look at me as if I am completely insane. At wine tastings I've had sophisticated wine customers that I've recommended dozens of wine to that they never would have tried on their own and I know that they trust my judgement that I have to go through a 10 minute song and dance just get them to taste it.

Red wine is made by crushing the grapes and fermenting the wine with the grape skins still in, which brings out all that rich color and flavor that you drink at room temperature. White wine is made by crushing the grapes and taking out the skins before fermentation making the wine light and refreshing that you drink chilled. Rose' is made by crushing grapes and pulling the grape skins halfway through fermentation that make a wine that you drink chilled that is like a red wine that drinks like a white wine or maybe a white wine that has the flavors of a red wine. Either way it can make a totally AWESOME wine. Like say, Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 and it tastes like what it is--a sorta white wine version of Cabernet Sauvignon. It has all that fruit (especially strawberry) and structure (especially herbal) that you would find in a good cab but the flavors are reserved and refreshing and won't overwhelm food. It's perfect for a hot day and at $14, it's a steal. Once I get someone to buy a bottle they come back and buy more. But the first bottle is difficult, to say the least.

It just happened again five minutes ago, a woman was making dinner for her brother--grilled salmon, I had the perfect wine took her over to our South Africa section and picked a bottle of Mulderbosch Rose' and she shakes her head and looks at me like she's slightly nauseous and says,"I'm afraid he's kind of a wine snob."

Never Argue With A 4 Year Old At 3AM

4yr old: Daddy! (louder and more irritated) Daddy!

Me: (waking up groggy) What?

4yr old: I need a fluffy pillow.

Me: (still groggy and now confused) What?

4yr old: I need a fluffy pillow.

Me: Okay. (returning with a the first pillow I could find could find "fluffy") Here.

4yr old: A white fluffy pillow. (it's a brown fluffy pillow)

Me: (Returning with a white fluffy pillow) Here's your white fluffy pillow.

4yr old: (offended) No, the other white fluffy pillow!

Me:(Tempted to argue, but desperately wanting to go back to sleep, so quickly getting a different white fluffy pillow) Here it is.

4yr old: I said white!

Me: It is white!

4yr old:(Suspecting some kind of trick, peering suspiciously at the pillow through the darkness) Oh,....okay. (she lays her head down and instantly starts snoring).

Why My Job Is Tiring

Alright, I'm not exactly looking for sympathy here. I am well aware that there are much worse jobs in the world that don't involve drinking wine in order to decide what to carry. But let me just give a short run-down of what I've been tasting:

Pey-Marin Riesling 2008 ***++

Az.Ag. Prevenza Goppello Classico 2008 ***+

Ricossa Barberra D'Asti 2005 ***

Chateau Val Joanus Cotes de Luberon Reserve ***

Textbook Cab Sauv "Fin de Journee" Napa 2004 ***++

Moletto Prosecco Marca Trevigian ***

Eikendal Blanc 2008 *+

Iona Sauv Blanc **

Quoin Rock Chard 2008***

Vansha Sauv Blanc/Chenin Blanc/Vioner Blend***

Vansha Shiraz 2008***

Vansha Cab Sauv/Merlot 2008**+

San Elias Sauv Blanc 2009**+

Domaine Michel Thomas, Sancerre 2008***+

Safeway Go2 Cola Diet 2010**

Obvio Malbec 2008**

Just Seeing If You R Reading 2010***

Tres Ojos Old Vine Granacha 2007***++

You're Not Are You? 2010***++

Maison du Midi, Plan de Dieu, Cote du Rhone Vill. 2005****

Scharz Wine Co., Nitschke block, Shiraz 2006****++

And that's just Wednesday. The big tasting days are Monday and Tuesday and there is a lot more wine--not to mention beer and spirits. So why is this so tiring? Each sip of wine has literally of thousands flavors and I'm trying to pay attention to as many of them as I can. Then I judging the as to how good it is and decide if the quality of the wine justifies the price. And een if the price is justified will I be able to sell it at that price and if I room in the store (how many Chardonnays do I really need to carry?). And if I do decide to carry it, how much should I get and which of our customers might like it? And remember I am doing all this while drinking alcohol. No wonder I need a nap at the end of the day.

And those little *'s and +'s? That's my own personal short-hand for rating wine quickly. Basically it's a five star system with the plus signs equaling around a 1/3 of a star.

'06 Cloudy Bay, Te Koko, Sauvignon Blanc

New Zealand made it's wine reputation with inexpensive, incredibly aggressive, citrus bomb Sauvignon Blancs. Te Koko is not one of those wines. First of all it's not inexpensive, it usually retails for significantly north of $50. And that is not all that is different, the wine-maker uses native NZ yeast for fermentation, they harvest a night to preserve the fruit and, they age it in oak. Making it unlike any NZ Sauvignon Blanc I have ever tried.

It's not a citrus bomb, oh, the citrus is there but it is more reserved so it won't overwhelm food. There are wildflower and vanilla flavors The oak brings an interesting structure creaminess to the wine. A deeply rich and interesting wine.

Now, the price. We've manage to get a bunch at a much lower price. Which means we can sell for around $30, at least until we run out.

Wow

I bought a lot of different great wines today. Now I just have to figure out how to sell them.

'06 Scharwz Wine Co., Nitschke Block, Shiraz

OHH MYYY!!! Kenco is now permanently on my list of distributors always allowed in the store. This wine is spectacular you could pay $100 for this wine and still think you got a fantastic deal. Deeply concentrated dark plummy fruit and all that Australian Shiraz Rock-n-Roll that I love so much with a long sensuous finish. One of my favorite Shiraz's is d'Arenberg's Dead Arm Shiraz. This is at least as good and at $45 which is $20 less than The Dead Arm. The International Wine Cellar rated it 92 points, Wine Advocate gave it 94!

'05 Maison du Midi, Plan de Dieu, Cote du Rhone

Oh my. Also old vine Granache but instead of Spanish--French. Dense, but not as fruit forward as you would expect from Spain. It is earthy and wonderfully leathery and firmly tannic. Perfect for drinking with beef. It drinks like a $40 Gigondas rather than a $19 Cotes du Rhone. The Wine Advocate gave it 90 points--it deserves every one.