Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer And A Few Things To Read On This Christmas Day
Meritage Time!
First of all, Merry Christmas!
Let’s start with the answer for the wine quiz #85, What is it? In the quiz (a very difficult one!) you were supposed to guess an object shown in the picture. This was the picture you had:
and here is the answer:
Champagne Tsarine
Until a few days ago, I didn’t even know that Champagne Tsarine exists. When I saw a beautiful case and the bottle, the idea of the quiz was born. It appears that Champagne Tsarine was created in 1730, with the square aim on Russian Tzar (Tzar = Tsar, hence the name “Tsarine”, meaning “belonging to Tzar”) and his royal court, and their insatiable appetite for all things French. You can find more details at the Champagne Tsarine web site. No, I didn’t try this champagne yet, it is in the plans for the New Year celebration.
As I said, this was a very difficult quiz. A number of people suggested that this was a bottle, which was definitely the right direction. I was hoping that all the curves will point in the direction of Russian architecture – this was a purposeful design behind the bottle. In case you will not care going to the Champagne Tsarine web site, so here are few sentence which describe the design: “Its exclusively designed, long, curved bottle bears certain similarities to the architecture of the great Russian monuments. Its emblematic colours, its rounded label and its evocative name are all redolent of the period of the great Russian dynasties.”
Anyway, we don’t have a clear winner today, but I have to give honorable mention to Wine And History, who came in the closest, only suggesting that this was a bottle of Prosecco, and not the Champagne. Well done!
Now, to the interesting stuff around the vine and the web.
I have a few interesting reads to bring to your attention. First, have you ever heard about 27-liter ( 3 cases worth) bottle of the wine called Primat? I personally have not. Here is a link to the article from Mike Veseth, where he is talking about his extreme wines of the year – that Primat bottle sounds very extreme to me, but there is a lot more to read there.
Next I want to bring to your attention a few posts from Dr. Vino, where is covering latest happenings around the counterfeited wines, Rudy Kurniawan trial and more. Just go and read (and watch) them – CBS Sunday Morning episode, Outtakes form the trial, the verdict.
Last but not least – a great collection of Christmas wine cartoons, as presented in the Wine Wankers blog. No other comments needed here.
And we are done! The glass is empty, but the refill is on the way. Open some great bottles tonight! Happy Holidays and Cheers!
Simple Recipe: A 20 Minute Pastry Appetizer
This simple appetizer became one of our favorites as of late – it is simple, easy to make – and it is very versatile. I’m not sure how this should be called in the cooking terms – let’s call it a pastry appetizer for the lack of the better word.
The simplicity of this recipe starts from the fact that you don’t need to make the dough – you can use the dough which is ready to go. So far our favorite was Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits, but I’m sure you can use the other brands.
We don’t need to worry about the dough, so the next step is the filling. What I really like about these pastries is that you are only limited by your imagination when it comes to what you want to put inside. Of course your filling shouldn’t be anything raw – the cooking time for the pastries is under 20 minutes. But other than that, everything goes – vegetables, chicken, salmon, pork, anything you can think of. The best is to make your filling into the salad-like consistency, fill the pastries, sprinkle some cheese on top, put in the oven and … voila!
For the pastries we made last week, we used roasted chicken breast, mixed with sauteed mushrooms and onions, a little bit of mayo, fresh dill and shredded cheese. Here is the recipe:
Baked Pastry Appetizer
Prep Time: 20 minutes (depending on what you are using, can be much faster), Cooking time: about 18 minutes.
5 tubes of small Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits, to make 48 pastries.
2 medium size roasted chicken breasts (can be replaced with any other meat), cut up in the small cubes
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
3 medium onions
1 tbsp mayo
1 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
oil spray
Preheat oven to 450F, or 425F if using the non-stick pan (follow instructions on your pastry can). Saute mushrooms and onions with olive oil over medium heat for about 15 minutes, until soft (onion should be translucent). Once ready, mix mushrooms and onions with chicken, mayo, dill and half a cup of cheese.
Take the muffin pan (we use the non-stick pan with 24 holes). Grease all the holes with oil spray. Open the package of dough. Place the dough pieces in the holes, slightly covering the edges. Put in the mixed filling. Finish filling of all the pastries, then use the remaining half a cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of the pastries (adjust the amount of cheese on top to your liking).
Put in the oven for 18 minutes. Of course your cooking time might vary, so you really need to watch for the pastries to reach right color.
Get the pan out of the oven, let the pastries cool off and … enjoy! Have fun and get creative with your filling! Cheers!
Top Wines of 2013 – Second Dozen
“Best wines I had in a year”, “my best restaurant experiences”, “top gadgets of the year” – as the year is winding down, the “best of the best” lists are being produced all of the blogosphere and traditional media. Of course, your truly is not an exception – this is the forth year in the row I would like to summarize, share, and maybe even re-live (just a little bit, okay?) the best wine experiences of 2013. And in case you are curious, here are the links for the 2010, 2011, 2012 second dozen and 2012 top dozen.
I really like writing this “Top Wine” posts, as it gives me an opportunity to reflect on the past year in wine and bring back the memories. In a typical year, we are probably going through a few hundred bottles of wine – if I would add all the wines tasted as part of the different events, winery visits, dinners, etc., this number will easily get close to the couple of thousands. How do you select most favorite 20 -something bottles out of all of those wines? I actually have a two-pass approach here. In the pass number one, I simply push my memory to produce the names of the wines which are on top of my mind – and write down those names. The second pass involves going through the label journals. When faced with the bottle of wine, taking the label off, putting it in my journal and adding the notes is my topmost priority. To refresh the memory, I simply go through that journal(s) with the mission of finding most memorable wines. Yes, it is possible that I gave the wine a high rating, but if looking at the label doesn’t trigger the reaction, such wine most likely will not be included into the consideration for the Top Dozen list.
Similar to 2012, I didn’t even try to limit my top list to only 12 wines. The list is split into the first and second dozens, and I think the “dozen” will be treated a bit loosely here – let’s say, a dozen and a few. The actual Top Dozen includes the most memorable (read – easiest to recall) wines of 2013, and the second dozen includes the wonderful wines which I feel I must mention. I will have the Top wine of the year, but otherwise, both lists are not prioritized – this is way too much work to decide that I like the wine #3 a 0.0001% more than the wine #4, thus please don’t look at this list as sorted – this is just the random list of my most memorable wines of 2013.
And now, without further ado, let me present to you Talk-a-Vino Second Dozen+ of wines of 2013.
27. 2011 Haute Cabrière Unwooded Pinot Noir Franschhoek South Africa – light, tangy, refreshing, thirst-quenching, crowd-pleasing wine. It is a quintessential Pinot Noir, with all the smoke, violet and cranberries, packaged in a delicate, effervescent frame.
26. 2005 Jamesport Vineyards Merlot Block E, Long Island, NY – one of the very best Long Island can produce. Powerful, concentrated and dangerous – you just don’t want to put the glass down. A pure delight.
25. 2010 Montesco Passionate Wine Parral, Tupungato, Mendoza – the wine with the soul. The passion, which s part of the name of this wine, is showing in every sip. Powerful and delightful.
24. 2008 Paritua Riesling Central Otago New Zealand – perfectly delightful or delightfully perfect? Clean, balanced, refreshing, light and delicious – all in one package.
23. NV Boroli Barolo Chinato, Piedmont – I think adding aromatic herbs to the Barolo is a stroke of a genius. Yes, it is more of an after dinner drink than the wine, but you can’t stop smelling your glass, the aromatics are just incredible. Definitely one of my personal discoveries of 2013.
22. 2011 Siduri Pinot Noir Sonoma County – beautiful Pinot Noir – clean and perfect. Do I need to say more?
21. 2010 Le Cimate Montefalco Rosso DOC – I had to include at least one of the beautiful Montefalco winesinto the Top list, as Montefalco wines (both Sagrantino and Rosso) where another personal discovery of 2013. Le Cimate was a love from the first sip – powerful, concentrated, lip smacking cherries – delicious.
20. 2007 Mount Palomar Charbono Temecula Valley, California – I probably managed to hit the sweet spot – this wine was definitely at its peak. Layered fruit, concentrated, silky smooth and perfectly balanced.
19. 2012 Mt. Beautiful Pinot Noir North Canterbury, New Zealand – pure, beautiful and classic. An excellent rendition of Pinot Noir – delicate, but present, elegant, round and perfectly balanced.
18. 2004 Coume Del Mas Quintessence Banyuls Red Dessert Wine – may be a single best (definitely one of the very best) red dessert wines I ever had. Supple dried fruits – prunes, figs – supported by balancing acidity. Outstanding.
17. 2001 Nino Negri ’5 Stelle’ Sfursat di Valtellina DOCG – I love the contrast of the sweet dried fruit on the nose, which you often get from grapes dried under the sun before they are pressed, and full and powerful body of wine. This wine had it all – sweet dried fruit on the nose, and perfectly balanced, perfectly dry palate, tons of pleasure in every sip. Yes, I would gladly repeat the experience again.
16. 1974 Quevedo Colheita Tawny Port – What can beat the taste of 40 years old port? Well, may be a 50, but I can’t tell firsthand. This was absolutely delicious, complex and still fresh, as only the old port can get. Wines of that level make the whole table to go quiet for a moment (or two), and just reflect on life.
15. NV Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition Grand Cru, Ambonay – This wine restored my love and appreciation for the fine Champagne. Somehow, for the most of the year, I was in the mode “Champagne, Cava, Prosecco, Sparkling Shiraz – who cares, they are all the same” (okay, may be except the sparkling Shiraz) – the first sip of this wine put a “wow” back into the glass of Champagne for me. This was perfectly complex, with every sip making me crave another one.
14. 2005 Domaine Laleure-Piot Pernand-Vergelesses AOC, Burgundy – it is the wine like this which makes you say “boy, this is the wine I want to drink every day”. Round, supple, yet effervescent – vanilla, sweet oak, fresh apples – all painted with the light touch, everything is in the perfect balance, everything is present, but so perfectly weaved together, you can only think of this wine a whole. Ouch, I need a sip of it right now…
13. 2011 Niepoort Tiara Douro Branco – this wine should probably be called a “perfect pick me up”. If you are in a bad mood, after a long day, after your boss was the usual jerk, have a glass of this wine. Your body will straighten itself, automatically assuming the perfect posture after the first sip. After the second sip, all the problems will go away, and you will be ready to face a new day or whatever is that you need to face. Delicious.
There you have it – an extended second dozen of Top wines of 2013. Tried any of these wine? Didn’t try but have something to say? Comment away! Cheers!
To be continued…
Weekly Wine Quiz #85: What Is It?
The Wine Quiz series is not meant to intimidate. The whole idea here is to have fun and learn something new. When answering the questions, it is fully encouraged to use all available sources of information, including Google or any other search engine. There are no embarrassing answers – the most embarrassing thing is not giving it a try…
Welcome to the weekend and your new wine quiz!
As I’m taking the break from the Grape Trivia series, today’s quiz is one of my favorite types – it is a picture quiz. What you see in the picture below is definitely wine-related – you need to identify what it is and provide as many specific details as possible.
This is a difficult quiz, no questions – but you got nothing to lose and there are no bad answers!
Good luck, have fun, enjoy your weekend and cheers!
Don’t Miss Last Bottle Wine Marathon – December 19-20
The Last Bottle, a purveyor of fine wines at a great value, just announced their Chrismukkapalooza Marathon which will take place today and tomorrow. This event is very similar to the WTSO marathons, with few important differences.
For the next two days, Last Bottle will be offering lots of value-priced fine wines at their web site, changing in the rapid succession (some deals might be there only for the seconds). The event will start at 9 AM Pacific time, and will continue for two days or until they will run out of wines. There are no minimums to get free shipping (that is what I like the most – you can try lots of wines). All orders will ship after January 6th.
You should have an account to buy wine at the Last Bottle. If you don’t have one yet, make sure to sign up before the event will start. Better yet, I will be glad to be your referral – you will get $5 credit at your first purchase, and yes, I will make money on you – I will get $20. Send me an email with your email address to (talkavino-info) (at) (yahoo) (dot) (com), and I will be glad to sign you up.
[Added after original post was published]: It also appears that you don’t need to send me an e-mail, but instead you can sign up directly through this referral link:
http://www.lastbottlewines.com/invite/4618917ef4f90628fb70367611992bc630d41515.html
Have fun and happy hunting! Cheers!
Following Wines Til Sold Out – Gift and Magnum Marathons, December 2013
As a self-appointed chronicler of WTSO (Wine Til Sold Out) deals, I want to bring to your attention the details of not one, but two of the events WTSO conducted in December. The first event was done as part of the CyberMonday on December 2nd – it was a Gift Marathon. The event was different from the typical WTSO Marathon – all the wines were offered as gift sets consisting of one bottle of wine and two Riedel varietally correct glasses. There were no minimums, and you could specify multiple shipping addresses, which greatly simplifies wine gift giving. New sets were offered 36 times, from 8 AM Eastern until midnight – there was a lesser number of wines offered, as some of the gift sets were repeated. I was not able, unfortunately, capture all the prices – from the few that I did, I can say that some of the gift sets were great deals, like Sassicaia at $149 – this is much better than the regular price of that wine alone, forget the gift set packaging. Overall, there were quite a few great deals offered.
The second event was Magnum Marathon on Thursday, December 12th, from 8 AM Eastern until the midnight. There were 57 offers, with most of the wines coming as 1.5 liter bottles (magnum), and few of the 3 liter bottles (double magnums). Prices per bottle ranged from $24.99 to $499, and the minimum quantities (to get free shipping) were from 1 to 3. What was interesting is that for the first time that I remember, both marathons featured a 100-point wines. And both events were “no holds barred” type, with some of the best known names being present, such as Cristal, Heitz, Caymus, Joseph Phelps and others.
Without further ado, I will leave you on with the data. Yes, my collection was somewhat lacking this time, so you will see some missing data as to pricing and source of ratings – oh well, I hope you will still find it interesting.
As usual, before I will leave you with the data, here is the guide to the rating abbreviations: WS – Wine Spectator, WA – Wine Advocate, ST – Steven Tanzer, WE – Wine Enthusiast, WRO – Wine Review Online, W&S – Wine and Spirits, JS – James Suckling, RP – Robert Parker, JHN – Jonathan H. Newman, D – Decanter Magazine, rating goes in stars ( 5 stars is max), JH – James Halliday, TRR – The Rhone Report, BH – Burghound, IWR – International Wine Report, TLC – The Library Collection, PR – Pinot Report.
Gift Marathon:
| Time | Wine | Rating | Price |
| 11:30p | Sojourn Cellars Rodger’s Creek Vineyard Sonoma Pinot Noir 2011 Gift Set | PR94 | $59.99 |
| 10:51p | Brunello Conti Costanti 2007 Gift Set | WA96 | $74.99 |
| 10:30p | Silver Oak Cabernet Alexander Valley 2009 Gift Set | $79.99 | |
| 10:00p | Merryvale Merlot Napa Valley Oak Knoll 2007 Gift Set | 92 | |
| 9:33p | Joseph Phelps Insignia 2010 | 95 | |
| 8:42p | Veuve Clicquot Brut Rose Champagne N/V Gift Set | 90 | |
| 8:30p | Donna Olga Brunello di Montalcino 2007 Gift Set | JS93 | $49.99 |
| 8:00p | Clarendon Hills Cabernet Hickinbotham 2006 Clarendon, Aus. Gift Set | WA96 | $74.99 |
| 7:30p | White Burgundy 1er Cru Meursault Perrieres 2007 Gift Set | 94 | |
| 6:57p | Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet 2009 Gift Set | WA93 | $99.99 |
| 6:29p | Champagne Veuve Ponsardin Clicquot Brut NV ‘Yellow Label’ Gift Set | 90 | |
| 5:48p | Champagne Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon 2003 Gift Set | 94 | |
| 5:21p | Merryvale Cabernet 2009 Napa Valley Gift Set | 91 | |
| 4:56p | Champagne G.H. Mumm Cuvee R Lalou Prestige 1998 Gift Set | 93 | |
| 4:37p | Silver Oak Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Gift Set | 91 | |
| 4:10p | Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva 2001 Bodegas Balbas Gift Set | 96 | |
| 3:34p | Magie Rouge Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Gift Set | WA94+ | $79.99 |
| 3:15p | Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Chardonnay 2010 Gift Set | 92 | |
| 2:46p | Caymus Vineyards Cabernet 2011 Napa Valley Gift Set | $84.99 | |
| 2:30p | Clos du Marquis 2010 Saint-Julien Gift Set | 96 | |
| 2:00p | Silver Oak Cabernet Alexander Valley 2009 Gift Set | $79.99 | |
| 1:30p | Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut N/VGift Set | WS93 | $74.99 |
| 1:08p | Joseph Phelps ‘Insignia’ Proprietary Red 2009 Gift Set | 96 | |
| 12:55p | Sojourn Cellars Rodger’s Creek Vineyard Sonoma Pinot Noir 2011 Gift Set | PR94 | $59.99 |
| 12:38p | Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Reserve 2010 Gift Set | 95 | |
| 12:10p | Champagne Philippe Prie Brut Tradition N/V Gift Set | 91 | |
| 11:50a | Sassicaia Super Tuscan Tenuta San Guido 2010 Gift Set | WA96 | $149.99 |
| 11:28a | Brunello Conti Costanti 2007 Gift Set | WA96 | $74.99 |
| 10:54a | Corton Charlemagne 2006 Grand Cru Chardonnay Domaine Louis Latour Gift | WE95 | $84.99 |
| 10:32a | The Prisoner By Orin Swift 2012 Gift Set | WA90 | $59.99 |
| 10:10a | Bouchard Pere & Fils Le Corton Grand Cru Rouge 2008 Gift Set | WA94 | $74.99 |
| 9:40a | Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet 2009 Gift Set | WA93 | $99.99 |
| 9:19a | Perrier Jouet Fleur de Champagne Brut Cuvee Belle Epoque 2004 Gift Set | WS92 | $119.00 |
| 9:00a | Chiappini Guado de Gemoli 2009 Super Tuscan By Emiliano Falsini Gift Set | 100 | |
| 8:30a | Cristal Champagne Brut 2005 Louis Roederer Gift Set | 97 | |
| 8:00a | BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Gift Set | 94 |
Magnum Marathon:
| Time | Wine | Rating | MSRP | Price | M.Btls | %off |
| 12:00a | Our 2013 Magnum Marathon is officially over (sad) but what an awesome day! Hoping all of you had a chance to score some “BIG” wine deals! | |||||
| 12:00a | Brunello DOCG MastroJanni Estate 2007 | JS95 | $95.00 | $39.99 | 3 | 58% |
| 11:46p | Eagles Trace 2006 ‘Latitude 38’ Magnum (1.50L) Conn Valley | $300.00 | $199.99 | 1 | 33% | |
| 11:11p | Brut Champagne N/V Piper HeidsieckcMagnum (1.50L) | WS93 | $100.00 | $64.99 | 2 | 35% |
| 10:33p | Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2005 1.50L Magnum | WE97 | $750.00 | $499.99 | 1 | 33% |
| 10:00p | Domaine Du Grand Montmirail Gigondas Cuvee Vieilles Vignes | IWR91 | $150.00 | $54.99 | 2 | 63% |
| 9:38p | Ribera del Duero Clave de Tabula 2008 Bodegas Tabula Magnum (1.50L) | WA95+ | $300.00 | $129.99 | 1 | 57% |
| 9:07p | Chateau de Ribebon Bordeaux Superieur 2010 Magnum (1.50L) | IWR90 | $55.00 | $28.99 | 2 | 47% |
| 8:36p | Fontanafredda Barolo Reserva ‘Tilson’ 1997 Limited Edition (1.50L) | $450.00 | $119.00 | 1 | 73% | |
| 8:06p | Mont-Redon Rouge 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Magnum (1.50L) | ST92 | $150.00 | $54.99 | 1 | 56% |
| 8:01p | Eagle Trace Conn Valley Cabernet 2006 Double Magnum (3.0L) | $300.00 | $199.00 | 1 | 33% | |
| 7:30p | Red Bordeaux Castillon Cote de Bordeaux Chateau Hyot 2010 Magnum (1.50L) | WS90 | $45.00 | $24.99 | 2 | 44% |
| 7:00p | I Giusti & Zanza Dulcamara Super Tuscan 2009 Magnum (1.50L) | $175.00 | $54.99 | 2 | 69% | |
| 6:45p | Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas La Louvee 2008 Magnum (1.50L) | WE93 | $225.00 | $99.99 | 1 | 56% |
| 6:15p | Brunello Magnum (1.50L) La Mannella 2007 | WE95 | $160.00 | $99.99 | 1 | 38% |
| 5:47p | Champagne Philippe Prie Brut Tradition N/V Magnum (1.50L) | WS91 | $125.00 | $49.99 | 2 | 60% |
| 5:27p | Super Tuscan Magnum (1.50L) Cabreo Il Borgo 2010 Tenute del Cabreo | JS91 | $135.00 | $79.99 | 1 | 41% |
| 5:20p | Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet 2005 Magnum (1.50L) | WS93 | $400.00 | $249.99 | 1 | 38% |
| 5:02p | Ribera Del Duero Reserva Miros De Ribera 2004 Bodegas Penafiel Magnum (1.50L) | WS92 | $120.00 | $39.99 | 2 | 67% |
| 4:37p | Domus Vitae Brunello DOCG 2007 By Attilio Pagli Magnum (1.50L) | WA93 | $160.00 | $69.99 | 2 | 56% |
| 4:23p | Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne ‘La Cigalette’ 2011 Domaine de Dionysos Magnum | IWR91 | $80.00 | $29.99 | 3 | 63% |
| 4:19p | Heitz Cellar Trailside Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (1.50L) | 93 | $189.99 | $129.99 | 1 | 32% |
| 4:07p | Paulo Scavino Barolo Bric Fiasc 2006 Magnum (1.50L) | WA95 | $325.00 | $199.99 | 1 | 38% |
| 3:48p | Veuve Clicquot Magnum ‘Yellow Label’ Brut Champagne NV | WS92 | $150.00 | $82.09 | 1 | 45% |
| 3:36p | I Balzini White Label I.G.T. Rosso 2006 Magnum (1.50L) | WS93 | $130.00 | $49.99 | 2 | 62% |
| 3:24p | Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas La Louvee 2007 Magnum (1.50L) | WS93 | $250.00 | $99.99 | 1 | 60% |
| 2:54p | Maroon Cabernet Signature Reserve Napa Valley 2010 Magnum (1.50L) | $90.00 | $44.99 | 2 | 50% | |
| 2:43p | Podere Poggio Scalette Il Carbonaione I.G.T. Alta Valle Della Greve 2009 Magnum | WA94+ | $200.00 | $119.00 | 1 | 40% |
| 2:36p | Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut NV Magnum (1.50L) | WS93 | $225.00 | $99.00 | 1 | 56% |
| 2:27p | Domaine Chene Macon Milly-Lamartine 2012 Magnum (1.50L) | JHN91 | $55.00 | $24.99 | 2 | 55% |
| 2:20p | Burgess Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet 2009 (1.50L) Magnum | $128.00 | $59.99 | 1 | 53% | |
| 1:53p | Chateau Haut Gravet St. Emilion Grand Cru 2010 Magnum (1.50L) | JS92 | $105.00 | $54.99 | 2 | 48% |
| 1:32p | Amarone 2007 Magnum Tenuta Lena di Mezzo Monte del Fra (1.50L) | WS93 | $119.00 | $59.99 | 1 | 50% |
| 1:25p | Jarvis Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2004 1.50L Magnum | WE96 | $350.00 | $319.00 | 1 | 9% |
| 12:57p | Mont-Redon Rouge 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Magnum (1.50L) | ST92 | $125.00 | $54.99 | 1 | 56% |
| 12:49p | Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas La Louvee 2006 Magnum (1.50L) | WS93 | $250.00 | $99.99 | 1 | 60% |
| 12:23p | I Giusti & Zanza Perbruno Syrah Toscana 2010 Magnum (1.50L) | WE95 | $110.00 | $59.99 | 1 | 45% |
| 12:16p | Burgess Cabernet 2002 Vintage Selection Napa Valley Magnum (1.50L) | WRO90 | $116.00 | $44.99 | 2 | 61% |
| 11:54a | Champagne Charles de Cazanove Brut NV Magnum (1.5L) | WS92 | $125.00 | $59.99 | 1 | 52% |
| 11:38a | Eagles Trace Conn Valley Napa Cabernet 2006 Magnums (1.50L) | $150.00 | $99.99 | 1 | 33% | |
| 11:30a | I Balzini Black Label 2006 Tuscan Red Wine Dai Colli Della Toscana Magnum (1.5L) | WS92 | $130.00 | $49.99 | 1 | 62% |
| 11:20a | Grand Cru Blanc 2009 Louis Latour Magnum (1.50L) Corton-Charlemagne | IWR98 | $225.00 | $159.99 | 1 | 29% |
| 11:08a | Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (1.50L) Magnum | WS88 | $400.00 | $249.99 | 1 | 38% |
| 11:00a | Brunello Magnum (1.50L) Vertical 3-Pack Scopone 06/07/08 | 94 | 51% | |||
| 10:38a | Chateau de Macard Bordeaux Superieur 2010 Magnum (1.50 L) | IWR90 | $55.00 | $28.99 | 2 | 47% |
| 10:32a | Joseph Phelps Insignia 2010 Magnum (1.50L) | ST94 | $600.00 | $369.99 | 38% | |
| 10:12a | Sette Ponti Oreno 2010 Magnum (1.50L) | JS96 | $225.00 | $134.99 | 1 | 40% |
| 10:04a | St. Supery Napa Valley Cabernet 2005 (1.50L) Magnum | WE90 | $80.00 | $49.99 | 2 | 38% |
| 9:47a | Domaine Du Grand Montmirail Gigondas Cuvee Vieilles Vignes | IWR91 | $150.00 | $54.99 | 2 | 63% |
| 9:35a | Franco Martinetti Barolo Marasco 2008 Magnum (1.50L) | 93 | 40% | |||
| 9:31a | Jordan Cabernet Alexander Valley 2003 Magnums (1.50L) | 34% | ||||
| 9:22a | Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2005 1.50L Magnum | WE97 | $750.00 | $499.99 | 1 | 33% |
| 9:19a | Howell Mountain Cabernet 2007 Ladera Vineyards Magnum (1.5L) | 93 | 20% | |||
| 9:00a | Cotes du Rhone 2011 Domaine de Dionysos ‘La Deveze’ Magnum (1.50L) | 90 | 62% | |||
| 8:41a | Guado De Gemoli 2009 Super Tuscan Magnum (1.50L) | WE100 | 38% | |||
| 8:19a | Corton Grand Cru 2007 Domaine Louis Latour (1.50L) Magnum | 92 | 65% | |||
| 8:16a | Burgess Cellars Napa Cabernet Vintage Selection 2001 Magnum (1.50L) | 89 | 60% | |||
| 8:00a | Super Tuscan (1.50L) La Torre “Esse” 2010 | 95 | 58% | |||
| before | Brut Champagne N/V Piper Heidsieck Magnum (1.50L) | WS93 | $100.00 | $64.99 | 2 | 35% |
That’s all I have for you for today, folks. Did you get anything during either one of the marathons? What do you think of the deals?
Cheers!
Instead of a Wine Quiz Today…
Yes, I had a full intention of publishing the next wine quiz. But I stumbled. The quiz was supposed to be about Dolcetto, and I really couldn’t figure out my approach to the questions, hence… no quiz.
But you know that nasty feeling, when you created a program, a plan, a schedule, if you will – which you now can’t fulfill? Yeah, not pleasant. So, as I usually do in the difficult blogging moments, I bring the videos to the rescue.
Below are some of my most favorite food videos – I’m even surprised that I didn’t share them before. Two of them are the commercials of the Lurpak butter. No, they are not new, but to tell you the truth, they represent food porn in such a pure form, that I keep coming back to them just for a quick minute of pleasure.
I also recommend watching these videos in the full screen mode – for the maximum effect.
The first one was called Kitchen Odyssey:
The next one, is a whole group of Lurpak commercials:
The last one is not for the faint at heart – if you are on a diet, or simply despise heavy foods, skip it. For the rest of you – this is a hard core food. This video comes from the Epic Meal Time, which has a whole series dedicated to fun and radical cooking. Disclaimer – no, I don’t eat like that, but find watching this video very enjoyable.
That’s all I have for you for today. Off to work on my Beef Bourguignon recipe – will be shared soon. Cheers!
Simple Recipes: Beer Braised Beef Stew
What defines the simplicity of the recipe? For me, it is the limited number of ingredients, and ease of the cooking process. For instance, I would never designate my beloved traditional cassoulet as a simple recipe – it takes about 24 hours to make and the list of ingredients is a page long.
The recipe I would like to share today fit the simplicity bill quite well. It has only 3 ingredients (or four, if you would consider garlic as a separate ingredient), and the cooking process is quite simple (but you do spend a bit of the time prepping). As this is a beef stew, you can even reduce the list of ingredients down to two – the beef stew for me must have beef (huh, really?) and onions – everything else is a bonus.
Today’s dish is a beer braised beef stew, which includes onions, garlic and Sicilian eggplant. There is no any particular reason whatsoever to include the Sicilian eggplant into this dish, except that I was in the store, the eggplant looked very good and wanted to buy it, and then I had to actually do something with it.
Below is the recipe, and then I will give you step by step guide with pictures – for no other reason that I like to take food pictures. Here we go.
Beer Braised Beef Stew Recipe
Total time – about 3 hours. Prep time: 40-50 minutes, Cooking time: 2 hours
5 lb of beef – you can use any cut. If you will use a very lean cut, you might have to increase the cooking time until meat is tender
4 medium onions
half a cup of garlic (adjust to your liking)
1 Sicilian eggplant (replace with any other eggplant or skip altogether)
1 can/bottle of beer, 330 oz – you can use any beer, but I would suggest that it should have some intensity to it – lager is good, porter is good too.
Olive oil (any oil you use for frying)
1 teaspoon of Smoked Paprika
Salt, Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of the Kosher Salt or any other large grain salt
You initial step includes a bit of slicing and dicing. You will need to peel and slice the onions:
Yep, crying is part of it:
While you are at it, you can also slice the Sicilian eggplant:
Slice it into the small cubes, put into a bowl, add the kosher salt, mix together and let it stand for 15-20 minutes. The salt will make the eggplant to lose some of the water, so it will be a bit faster at cooking.
Prepare the garlic – you can use the whole cloves, only break them slightly with the knife:
Add olive oil to the pan, put it up at the medium heat, and start sauteing the onions with garlic, turning them periodically, for about 15-20 minutes, or until the onion gains color and becomes soft and translucent:
In parallel, you should start searing the meat. I’m using here a beef stew cut from the store – of course you can cut the piece of beef on your own. We need to sear the meat to get rid of all the unnecessary liquid and to gain the nice color. From here on, I’m using my favorite cooking vessel, the enameled cast iron casserole. To sear the meat, you will need to add oil and then put on the high heat – how high the heat should be depends on your stove. I have an electric stove, and if I will heat up the cast iron on the highest setting, the food will burn before it will sear, so I have to adjust it accordingly – but you do need high heat for searing.
You can add salt, pepper and smoked paprika, and continue searing for about 15-20 minutes, turning once:
And now, it is the beer time! Well, you can take a sip, if you want, but remember, you need this beer for cooking:
At this point ( we are at about 20 minutes into our cooking process), the onions should be ready the meat is seared, so you can first pour the beer into the casserole dish, and use it as a deglazing agent. Add onions to the meat, reduce heat to medium, cover casserole with the lid and let it be.
Add olive oil to the pan which is now freed up, put the eggplant and saute for about 15-20 minutes, or until it softens up and gains color:
Add the eggplant to the casserole, replace the lid and let it cook for about two hours or until the beef is tender, stirring periodically.
And you are done! Your dish should look similar to this:
Beef stew works well with lots of starch options. Serve over (or with) boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, buckwheat – anything your heart desires.
That concludes our picture presentation of the recipe. I hope you will find this dish easy enough to make, and if you will end up making it or have done something similar before – let me know. Until the next time – cheers!
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, WTSO Magnum Marathon, Globalization!, #MWWC6 and more
Meritage time!
First, let’s start with the answer for the wine quiz #84, grape trivia – Barbera.
In the quiz, you were supposed to answer 5 questions about red grape called Barbera. Here are the questions, now with the answers:
Q1: Based on the latest DNA analysis, which well known Spanish grape appears to be a close relative of Barbera?
A1: Spanish grape Monastrell (known in France as Mourvèdre) appears to be a close relative of Barbera (but ohh so different).
Q2: What well-known grape became popular blending partner of Barbera as of late?
A2: As of late, Nebbiolo, a close neighbor of Barbera, is often used in the blends with Barbera to round up the resulting wine.
Q3: The new technique was introduced in making the wines out of Barbera in the second half of the 20th century, which helped to improved the quality of the wines. Which one do you think it was:
a. Malolactic fermentation, b. Fermentation and aging in the small oak casks, c. Carbonic maceration, d. Reverse osmosis
A3: b, Fermentation and aging in the small oak casks, seems to be the preferred method to tame the acidity and add some tannins to the resulting wine, making it also age-worthy.
Q4: Wine Spectator calls wines rated in 95-100 range Classic (the highest and the most prestigious category). True or False: there are no Barbera-based wines rated in the Classic category
A4: False. But I have to admit that Barbera is only marginally there, with just 2 wines having 95 rating.
Q5: Fill in the blanks: Barbera typically ripens two weeks later than _____, but at the same time it is two weeks earlier than ____.
A5: Barbera typically ripens two weeks later than Dolcetto, but at the same time it is two weeks earlier than Nebbiolo.
Talking about the results, Jeff, a.k.a. the drunken cyclist, answered all 5 questions correctly so he gets (again) the prize of unlimited bragging rights. Well done! I also would like to mention Alissa, who put the quiz upside down and instead of answering the questions in the quiz, asked me a very interesting question. As a “bonus question”, I would like to pass it on to you: “Outside of Asti is a place which pays homage to a man who helped with the unification of Italy, commercialization of Italy’s wine industry, and houses the first regional enoteca in the Piedmont region. Name it.” If you know the answer, don’t be shy and comment away!
Now, to the interesting stuff around the vine and the web!
First, don’t miss the WTSO Magnum Marathon tomorrow, December 12. Starting at 8 AM Eastern time, WTSO will be offering large format wines, at least 1.5L or more in size. The wines will be priced from $24.99 to $499.99/bottle, and the new wines will be offered every 30 minutes or sooner, if the previous wine will sold out. The new wines will be announced only on Twitter, follow @WTSO so you will not miss out.
Next, I came across a very interesting article by Mike Veseth of The Wine Economist fame, talking about Globalization of wine and food. Actually, his article in itself is already an aggregation of a number of other articles. It is definitely worth a few minutes of your time, so please head to Mike’s blog to read it.
Now, it appears that The Drunken Cyclist is definitely a star of today’s Meritage. In addition to correctly solving the quiz, he is behind two noteworthy events. First, as a winner of the Monthly Wine Writing Challenge #5 (#MWWC5) – Congratulations, Jeff! – he announced the theme for #MWWC6, which is going to be … Mystery. Sharpen your pencils, or may be flex your fingers, get your thinking cap/hat/fedora on and start writing. #MWWC6 Rules and regulations can be found here.
Second event is also a brainchild of TDC, and it is a secret Wine Santa project. The idea is to get all the bloggers (and readers) who is interested in playing a secret wine Santa by sending the wine to the completely unsuspecting recipient (and of course also getting the one him- or herself) to provide their address information back to Jeff, who will then randomly assign the aspiring alcoholics in pairs. All the rules can be found here, and if you are interested in participation, make sure to get back to Jeff not later than this coming Friday 12/13.
That’s all I have for you for today, folks. The glass is empty – but refill is on its way. Until the next time – cheers!
Trader Joe’s Wines Update
Few weeks ago, I wrote a post about noteworthy wine discoveries I made at Trader Joe’s store in California. As we visited our close friends in Boston for the Thanksgiving, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to explore the wine shelves at the nearby Trader Joe’s store, looking for great values. Once again, the mission was very successful – I can definitely recommend 3 wines out of 4 that I tried, which is an excellent outcome.
As we are now in the “holiday mood”, I’m trying to focus a bit more on the Sparkling wines of all sorts, so two out of four wines I want to present to you today are sparkling wines.
2012 Cecilia Beretta Brut Millesimato Prosecco Superiore Coneglian Valdobbiadene DOCG, Italy (11% ABV, $9.99) – I mentioned this wine already in my November “Month in Wines” update, so here are the same notes again – tiny refreshing bubbles, notes of fresh apple on the nose, round and roll-of-your-tongue on the palate with more of the fresh apple and yeast notes. Excelllent sparkling wine, and probably one of my very best in that price range. Drinkability: 8-
NV Trader Joe’s Reserve Brut Sparkling Wine, North Coast, California (12.5% ABV, $9.99, 62% Chardonnay, 26% Pinot Noir, 12% Semillon) – hint of fresh apples on the nose. Simple and clean on the palate, notes of white apples, good acidity. I would prefer a bit more substance in my glass (a bit heavier in the body and higher intensity of the bubbles), but this is definitely a very good wine for the money. Drinkability: 7+
2010 VINTJS Cabernet Sauvignon North Coast, California (13.5% ABV, $7.99) – I bought this wine based pretty much on the label alone – it looks very grand. Well, the content behind the label was not as grand as I would want it to be. Dark garnet color in the glass, dark fruit notes on the nose, hint of raspberries on the palate, medium to full body, good acidity – but no harmony, all the components where on their own. There are better choices at TJ’s at the same or lesser amount of money. Drinkability: 7-
2012 Marchigüe Carménère Reserva D.O. Colchagua Valley, Chile (13.5% ABV, $8.99) – quite honestly, I was craving Carménère for a past few month (I have none in my fridge), so when I saw this wine at the Trader Joe’s, it was an instant “yesss” decision. This is a very young wine for what it is, so if you want to enjoy it right away, I recommend decanting it – it needs to open up for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Dark ruby color in the glass. Perfect herbaceous hue on the nose – a hint of mint, so characteristic for the good Carménère. Sweet mint on the palate, cassis, a touch a eucalyptus, ripe raspberries, silky smooth texture, full body, excellent acidity and overall very balanced. This wine is definitely highly recommended. Drinkability: 8-
Here are all the wines I presented to you, now in pictures:
Note: the same wines might have different prices in the different states. The prices mentioned above are all from the Trader Joe’s store in Massachusetts.
If you tasted or will taste any of these wines, let me know if you like them! Cheers!
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