My friend Lucy recently came clean about her posting habits and the fact she’s 6 weeks ahead. Which, I think now she’s up to maybe 8-10 weeks as I heard her bring up October post topics not to long ago.
Recently, we were having dinner and both commented on our desire to post about a certain topic. She commented first, but I was thinking it. Anyway we started talking about who was going to post about it. No, it didn't result in a mud wrestling match (much to the dissaspointment of both Mr. Luce and Mr. Lush) but it got me thinking. Can friends post about the same thing or do they have to respect each other's blog topics on a first come first serve basis? Like the "shotgun" of post topics?
First, if we’re going to start “calling" topics I could never compete with her. She’s an amazing planner and has probably thought about and drafted a post for every wine related topic I could even think about. And to top it off, she’s very clever and witty and her posts are usually fun to read. (Not that mine aren’t sometimes) Secondly, how do other friends handle this? We socialize a good amount together and thus have quite a few of the same wines and pairing experiences and since we are friends, we also have in common a lot of the same ideals. (minus the desire to breed, of course) So naturally, if you were to read my topics and hers we overlap a bit. In addition our tastes in wine are similar, minus my love of Chardonnay.
So, naturally, now and then our posts will be similar, whether it be because each other’s posts remind us of a topic or by pure chance and overlap of thoughts and experiences. Is this a big deal in the world of blogging etiquette? If so, I’ll be signing off soon, because really, Lucy is the Queen of Blogging and I’m a mere “blogging wannabe” compared to her.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Hazy shade of... pink?
In the spirit of the summer and expanding my non red drinking selections beyond Chardaonnay, I’ve been trying some Rose’s. Its been a bit of trial and error method because frankly I haven’t had enough to know how to pick one out. I think I tend to like darker roses, but last year I had a really good Domaine Ott Rose and if I recall it was very light-a pale, but sort of dull pink. Of course, it was $35, if I recall. It was fantastic, but I wouldn't pay $35 for it.
We tried a Cali Rose that was medium pink – the Line Shack Syrah Rose a few weeks ago and it was just bleh. Almost “white zinfandel”-esque. Last week we had a Mission Trail White Merlot- it was a medium pink. It wasn’t complicated, it was almost like a simple sauvignon blanc, minus the grassiness. Crisp, clean, good for a hot day and I think I got it through a wine order for $11. That was the same price as the Line Shack and while the same level of complexity, it was so much better.
So, now I’m back on the darker pink=better thought process. Last night I had a really great California Rose that was a beautiful dark pink color-2007 Pianetta Rosato. Its 58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 42% Syrah. “A light blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah with a lot of dry fruit flavor. Made by the Saigner method, in which grapes are crushed and pink juice is removed from the must early. This process, known as bleeding the vats, results in a richer wine with more tannins and red color. Barrel fermented and aged, this light but rich wine can be enjoyed with cheeses, fruits or as an aperitif.”
We brought it to the Luce’s and it was yummy. It’s full bodied for a rose and did have a smidge of tannins. Of course, the price tag matches the yummy factor-retails for $21.
In our wine fridge we currently have a French rose that’s the same color as the Domaine Ott. Perhaps I like pale pink on in French Roses? Stay tuned-I’ll probably be posting a few more roses over the summer.
We tried a Cali Rose that was medium pink – the Line Shack Syrah Rose a few weeks ago and it was just bleh. Almost “white zinfandel”-esque. Last week we had a Mission Trail White Merlot- it was a medium pink. It wasn’t complicated, it was almost like a simple sauvignon blanc, minus the grassiness. Crisp, clean, good for a hot day and I think I got it through a wine order for $11. That was the same price as the Line Shack and while the same level of complexity, it was so much better.
So, now I’m back on the darker pink=better thought process. Last night I had a really great California Rose that was a beautiful dark pink color-2007 Pianetta Rosato. Its 58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 42% Syrah. “A light blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah with a lot of dry fruit flavor. Made by the Saigner method, in which grapes are crushed and pink juice is removed from the must early. This process, known as bleeding the vats, results in a richer wine with more tannins and red color. Barrel fermented and aged, this light but rich wine can be enjoyed with cheeses, fruits or as an aperitif.”
We brought it to the Luce’s and it was yummy. It’s full bodied for a rose and did have a smidge of tannins. Of course, the price tag matches the yummy factor-retails for $21.
In our wine fridge we currently have a French rose that’s the same color as the Domaine Ott. Perhaps I like pale pink on in French Roses? Stay tuned-I’ll probably be posting a few more roses over the summer.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
All the wrong temps
Recently, my friend Lucy blogged about being served wine at less than ideal temperatures. Which, evidently, based on her comments, my experience, and those who commented on her blog, is a frequent happening. Really, as she said, if we’re paying a premium for a bottle of wine, I expect it to be served at the idea temperature for that wine. (that means I want my sparklings iced for a few minutes and my pinots colder than cabs…)
But I’m going to take this one step further…if you’re a wine bar, or a high class restaurant with many bottles on your list in the $200-400 range (or higher) and you aren’t serving it at the correct temperature that means you aren’t storing at the correct temperature. So, should I ever have $1000+ to spend on a bottle of Harlan Estates, (go Powerball) I expect it to have been stored in ideal, climate controlled area so it will not be spoiled. And if it is spoiled, is it because that "just happens sometimes" or because they stored it incorrectly??
Furthermore, lets talk about wine stores and how even those are room temp. Perhaps it’s a regional thing, who knows, but all the wine shops here are the same temp as a clothing store. Not that I expect wine shops to be 55 degrees, but perhaps less than 70 would be nice. Even "grocery store temp" would be fine. Or even have a high end room, housing things above a certain price point, that’s more temp controlled?
I guess it baffles me that we as consumers, are supposed to know all the rules about wine serving and storing temps, but those who sell us the wine can totally disregard them.
But I’m going to take this one step further…if you’re a wine bar, or a high class restaurant with many bottles on your list in the $200-400 range (or higher) and you aren’t serving it at the correct temperature that means you aren’t storing at the correct temperature. So, should I ever have $1000+ to spend on a bottle of Harlan Estates, (go Powerball) I expect it to have been stored in ideal, climate controlled area so it will not be spoiled. And if it is spoiled, is it because that "just happens sometimes" or because they stored it incorrectly??
Furthermore, lets talk about wine stores and how even those are room temp. Perhaps it’s a regional thing, who knows, but all the wine shops here are the same temp as a clothing store. Not that I expect wine shops to be 55 degrees, but perhaps less than 70 would be nice. Even "grocery store temp" would be fine. Or even have a high end room, housing things above a certain price point, that’s more temp controlled?
I guess it baffles me that we as consumers, are supposed to know all the rules about wine serving and storing temps, but those who sell us the wine can totally disregard them.
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