Getting the most of your restaurant wine experience!

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More great tips from Karen MacNeil.

RULES OF THE RESTAURANT
Here are four tips on how to order from a restaurant wine list:

1. Relax. Most people sit down and think they need to know immediately what to do about the wine. Buy yourself some time by first ordering a glass (or bottle!) of Champagne. It’s a classic, elegant way to begin, and it will give you time to mull over the wine list.

2. Ask for help. A wine steward’s job is to know about the restaurant’s wine list. It makes no sense not to take advantage of that expertise.

3. Be specific. Name a wine that you’d like to try and say how much you plan on spending. Example: “I would like to try a zinfandel, and I want to spend around $30. What do you suggest?”

4. Get excited about learning. Every so often, resolve to spend more than you’re used to on a bottle and just randomly choose something you don’t know. Ask your wine steward for information about your random selection. After a year of this, you’ll be over the fear of not knowing—and you’ll have learned a ton!

**MORE "Ask Karen" Tips & Notes here.

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Chianti, Vinho Verde & Finish

Your wine lessons for today from Karen MacNeil:

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Dear Karen: I am interested in trying wines from the Chianti region of Italy, but when I visit retail stores, I see that some labels say Chianti and others say Chianti Classico. What’s the difference?

Dear Reader:The Chianti area in Tuscany was once much smaller than it is now. When the wines of Chianti gained recognition around the world, the Italian government decided to take advantage of their growing popularity. In 1932, the original Chianti region was enlarged to include neighboring villages and vineyards. Thereafter, the original area was designated the classic zone, or Chianti Classico. Wines produced in the Chianti Classico region have stricter regulations regarding grape growing and winemaking.

Many believe that the Classico wines are the true rich and age-worthy versions that elevated Chianti to its world-famous status. There are, however, good Chiantis made outside the original zone. Traditional aromas and flavors include dried cherry, orange, plum fruit, a dusty earthy character, cedarwood, chocolate, spice, and a distinct minerality.

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OENO FILE: The name Vinho Verde means “green wine,” a reference not to the color of the wine but to the fact that the grapes are picked early in the season.

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Finish: There are few absolutes in the world of wine, but here’s one: The longer a wine’s finish, the better the wine. The finish is the lingering flavor of a wine after you’ve swallowed. Some people use the word aftertaste as a synonym, but for many wine pros, aftertaste has a negative connotation and thus the term finish is preferred.

Interestingly (and luckily), only really good wines have a finish, and great wines have a finish that can go on for many seconds (wine judges have been known to take out stopwatches). Conversely, a poor-quality wine often ends tasting of nothing. Obviously, a long finish enhances the pleasure of a wine by prolonging the flavors and sensations it provides. So remember, when it comes to wine, great ones finish last.



**MORE Ask Karen Tips & Notes here.

Minerality

Your wine lesson today from Karen MacNeil:

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Minerality: One of the most fascinating contemporary questions about wine is What is minerality? Despite its frequent use in describing all sorts of different wines, there is actually no agreed-upon definition of the word.

A number of the world’s great white wines are described as having a mineral flavor, usually meaning that the wine smells and tastes of crushed minerals, stones, wet stones, or even ocean water. For many wine professionals, however, minerality goes beyond these descriptions and is used to characterize a wine that is remarkable for its absence of fruit flavors. The greatest French Chablis or Austrian rieslings, for example, do not so much smell or taste of fruit (apples, pears, peaches, and so on) as they do of some primal element of the earth.

I shared my own theory about mineral wines, both white and red, with two sensory scientists from Cornell and Yale: Minerally wines activate the salt receptor taste buds—that is, they’re picked up on the palate just as salt is. As such, minerally wines make other (food) flavors livelier; like salt, they make them “jump.” So even though there’s never any actual salt in the wine, minerally wines enhance foods. The scientists heard me out (as we tasted through a flight of four red wines). Their conclusion? Said one of them: “I think you’re onto something.”

More wine lessons from Karen MacNeil here.

va-COW

The Wachau Region of Austria. Photo Source.

Another bit of information from wine guru, Karen MacNeil:

Among the most exciting wines that have burst upon the scene in the in the last decade are the wines of Austria—in particular, the white wines of the Wachau, Austria’s top wine region. Less than an hour’s drive west of, upstream along the Danube, the Wachau (pronounced va-COW) is best known for its elegant, rich, yet bracing rieslings. Wachau wines are organized into three quality levels, which are indicated on the label.

Wachau Grapes. Photo Source.

Steinfeder: The most basic level of Wachau wines, steinfeder wines are delicate and light and, by law, can have no more than 11% alcohol. The name comes from steinfedergras (literally, “stone feather grass”) that grows among the rocky terraced vines, giving the landscape a sense of feathery lightness.

Federspiel: The middle level of wine, this comes from riper fruit and therefore has slightly more alcohol and body. The name literally translates as “feather play” and refers to the feathery lures local falconers once made to tempt hawks.

Smaragd: The top level, these wines are the ripest and fullest in body, and must have at least 12.5% alcohol. The word smaragd means “emerald” and refers to a local emerald green lizard that basks on the warmest rocks in sun-drenched vineyards.

I look forward to trying some of the Wachau wines. Some of my favorite white wines are from an Austrian producer; Anton Bauer. Anton Bauer wines are produced in the Wagram region of Austria. Grüner Vetliner Gmörk and Riesling are both crisp, bright wines that are easy to drink and pair well with a variety of foods. I recently picked up another bottle from AB, I believe it is their Rosenberg wine, which by it’s description sounds like a softer, rounder, ripe wine, perhaps similar to a Chardonnay.

More Ask Karen tips, tricks and facts.

Zinfandel will get you drunker, quicker.

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Another bit of information from wine guru, Karen MacNeil:

Dear Karen: Why do zinfandels always seem to be high in alcohol? I often see zinfandel labels indicating an alcohol content of 15% or more.

Dear Reader: There are two reasons for zinfandel’s higher alcohol level. First is the current (and, in my opinion, unfortunate) trend across the board toward higher-alcohol wines. Wines with high alcohol have a full body and feel powerful in the mouth—traits that often win high scores.

The second reason, however, is perhaps even more important. Zinfandel has a genetic proclivity to ripen unevenly. On the same cluster, some grapes will be perfectly ripe, others will be underripe, and still others will be so ripe that they’re virtually raisins. If a winemaker picks clusters like this, there’s a chance the wine will taste discombobulated, both unripe (green) and overripe (pruny). To avoid this unevenness, most winemakers let zinfandel clusters hang on the vine until all the unripe grapes become perfectly ripe, at which point some of the perfectly ripe grapes have become raisins. During fermentation, yeasts convert this abundant sweetness into considerable amounts of alcohol. Thus many zinfandels can’t help their potency.

Previous tips from the Page-A-Day calendar by Karen: One, Two, Three, Four, Five

New Year, New Wine Resolutions

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More great thoughts on wine from Karen MacNeil:

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS, PART 1

It’s the beginning of a new year! Let’s start the year with ten good resolutions that may just be some of the most fun and delicious things you do in 2008.

1. Experience different kinds of wine. There are more than 5,000 grape varieties: Why drink the same ones, week after week?

2. Begin a Wine Supper Club. Having friends over to cook and taste wine is a wonderful way to spend an evening.

3. Set aside a “wine discovery” budget. Each month, buy a new wine that you otherwise wouldn’t have experienced.

4. Upgrade your corkscrew. A good corkscrew makes opening wine a snap.

5. Buy better wineglasses. Wine tastes so much more vivid from the right glasses.

Previous tips from the Page-A-Day calendar by Karen: One, Two, Three, Four

Hanukkah, Latkes & Wine!

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HAPPY HANUKKAH

From the Ask Karen Page-A-Day 2008 Calendar

HANUKKAH

When I lived in New York, I was “culinarily adopted” by a Jewish grandmother, a good cook who assured me it would take years to perfect latkes—the traditional dish of Hanukkah. Okay, so she was right. But it took only seconds to experience just about any latke in an out-of-this-world fashion. I’d have it with a chilled glass of Alsace riesling. One of the sheerest, most elegant, and crisp white wines, rieslings from this French region, also have the paradoxical ability to be rich and bone-dry at the same time. It’s a lusciously winning combination, since the crispness of the riesling will make the latkes seem light and airy, while the richness of the wine will underscore the richness of the fried potatoes and sour cream.

Other Ask Karen entries on Eat With Me: one, two, three

An of course, you need a great latke recipe. Check out this recipe I shared over a year ago. Yum!

Wine Swirling-Snobs or Necessary?

Should you swirl your wine or is that something only wine snobs do?

Here's a little info about swirling, from the wine master herself, Karen MacNeil.

Dear Karen: Should all wines be swirled before you drink them?

Dear Reader: The short answer is yes. Red, white, and rosé wines should all be swirled. And not just before you drink them, but also a few times while you’re enjoying them. One varietal—syrah—especially benefits from a lot of swirling. Winemakers point out, for example, that syrahs need oxygen to taste right. In fact, a glass of syrah that isn’t swirled vigorously will often smell skunky for a few minutes, until you do swirl it. Perhaps the only wines that should not be swirled vigorously are red Burgundies or pinot noirs that are quite old—say, 25 years or more. Pinot noir is a notoriously fragile grape, and aggressively swirling an old pinot could actually cause it to “collapse” and taste like virtually nothing.


Previous Ask Karen posts on Eat With Me: One, Two.

Nouveau!!! Almost Time.

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Sorry folks...been busy and will be leaving tomorrow to Phoenix for work...yummy foodie posts will be few and far between for the next week.

In the meantime, I read this fun bit from Karen MacNeil author of The Wine Bible:

ASK KAREN
Dear Karen: I read recently that Beaujolais is made differently from regular red wine. The article mentioned “carbonic maceration.” What is that?

Dear Reader: It’s a good time to be thinking about Beaujolais, since Beaujolais Nouveau (the young fresh version) will be released with much fanfare later this month. Most winemakers in Beaujolais do indeed use a special fermentation technique called semi-carbonic maceration. In this method, the grapes are not crushed but put whole into a tank, which is then closed. The grapes begin to ferment from the inside out, meaning that the juice inside the grapes ferments without the skins breaking until the very end of the process. This method reduces contact between the juice and components in the skins such as tannin. As a result, wines made by semi-carbonic maceration tasted extremely fruity and have little of the tannic bite that many other wines possess.

Here's a previous ASK KAREN I shared with you.

Wine Times

I recieve an email on a daily basis from the PAGE A DAY calendar people. The emails I get are from the Karen MacNeil Wine Lover's Page A Day calendar. On occasion, I may share some of the interesting notes and ideas Karen shares in the calendar. Karen MacNeil is the author of The Wine Bible, a must have for any enophile, amateur or professional! She's also the author of Wine, Food and Friends, which I recieved for Christmas.

This poster available for purchase here.

BLUEBERRIES WITH SYRAH
Sometimes I like to carry a wine right through the meal—from appetizers through the main course—and even turn it into dessert! One of my favorite wines to do this with is syrah, whose deep sensual berry flavors are unbeatable. I serve wild mushroom bruschetta with syrah as a first course, then go on to grilled lamb chops (a perfect syrah partner) and finally a dessert of blueberries with syrah syrup in old-fashioned coupe glasses. Here’s how to make this delicious dessert:

In a saucepan, combine one 750-milliliter bottle of syrah with 1/3 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture is reduced by half (about 20 minutes). Add 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and a small dash of cracked black pepper. Cool. Put three 6-ounce cartons of blueberries in a bowl. Pour syrah mixture over them, cover bowl, and chill for at least 2 hours. Serve in shallow coupe glasses with chocolate biscotti alongside. Or, for a real hedonistic treat, pour over vanilla ice cream.

COMPARISON SHOPPING
The other day, a magazine editor asked me to recommend a certain type of wine. The bottle I suggested cost about $30. “But that’s a lot to spend on a bottle of wine,” she said. I then asked her if she drank coffee. Her response? Lattes, two or three a day from a nearby coffee chain at a cost of $10 or so a day. By comparison, the spectacular wine I was suggesting was $6 per serving.

Moral of the story: Most beverages are sold in single-serving containers. Most wine, of course, is not. There are five glasses of wine in every bottle—an important factor to consider when you think about the cost of a wine. A glass of great wine might just be less expensive than your daily caffeine fix.

WINE WORDS
Earthy: Many red wines, notably pinot noir, are described as “earthy.” While this single word can describe a wine, there are permutations of earthiness that are fascinating to smell and taste. An earthy wine, for example, may exhibit one or more of the following:
Garigue: the smell of wild resinous herbs (thyme, lavender) against the hot baked earth. Many Provençal wines are described as having a garigue aroma and flavor.
Duff: the smell of the wet forest floor and rotting leaves (called sous bois in French)
Mushroom: a raw mushroom or truffle aroma
Animali: the attractive sensual/sweaty aroma of the human body
Barnyard: the aroma, sometimes pleasant, sometimes not, of animals in a barnyard

ASK KAREN
Dear Karen: A wine shop in my neighborhood recently advertised an event called a vertical tasting. What exactly is a vertical tasting?
Dear Reader: A vertical tasting is a tasting of several different vintages of the same wine, made by the same producer. For example, a tasting of six different Château Margaux—let’s say, from the 1961, 1982, 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000 vintages—would be called a vertical tasting. Vertical tastings are conducted in order to understand how the same wine differs from year to year, as well as to experience ways in which it remains the same no matter what the weather might bring. Vertical tastings also provide an opportunity to see how aging affects wine and to identify personal preferences for younger or older wines. For example, although much fanfare always attends older wines in a vertical tasting, some tasters may discover that they actually prefer the younger ones for their richness and lively fruit characters.