There was an article in a recent Los Angeles Times food section on corked wine. It had a simple solution for this problem.
According to the article, if you take a glass pitcher, wad up roughly a square foot of Saran Wrap or other polyethylene plastic wrap. Expose all of the wine to the plastic wrap by gently swirling the wine in the pitcher for 5 to 10 minutes. The more pronounced the taint, the longer the wine should be exposed to the plastic wrap. For stubborn cases, repeat the plastic soak with a fresh wad of wrap.
Pour out a small amount of wine to test the results and when the taint is gone, decant the wine into another container. Toss the plastic and enjoy the wine. Apparently polyethylene absorbs TCA like a sponge.
Remember this next time you encounter a corked bottle of wine. All you really have to lose is a small amount of plastic wrap and some your time. It will be interesting to see it it really works.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
March 30, 2007
The last "wine" dinner at Delius tonight. They plan on having their grand opening at the new address on June 1, 2007. I am so looking forward to their new establishment and venue.
The theme of tonight's dinner was "Folio Fine Wine Partners by Michael Mondavi
An "amuse bouche" was served. A crostini with cheese and roasted beets.
Appetizer - Steamed Mussels with a pecan/pesto sauce - 2005 Oberon Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc
Soup - Butternut Squash with Toasted Walnuts - 2003 Spellbound California Chardonnay
First Course - Crispy Skinned Duck Breast with an Apricot/Dried Cherry Sauce - 2005 Hangtime Edna Valley Pinot Noir
Main Course - Provencal Herb Marinated Filet Mignon with Creamy Polenta - 2002 Oberon Napa, Cabernbet Sauvignon
Dessert - Palova with Strawberrys and Honey Sauce
I had not tasted any of these wines before. They were all pleasant wines. The Sau Blanc paired very well with the mussels. The Chardonnay was a little oaky, but the sweetness of the butternut squash in the soup cut the oak quite nicely. The Pinot Noir was nice, a little light weight for my personal taste, but paired well with the duck. The Cabernet was nice. But having just come off a high end Cab tasting the night before, it was hard to get excited about this wine. It was a light Cab and was a good food wine.
The sauce on the mussells was unusual and very good. It made you want to take a piece of the Shallot bread and sop it up.
As always the soup and the duck were great. Louise is such a master when it comes to soup, duck and lamb.
I am always happy when I attend one of the dinners at Delius. The quality of the food is always the best. It's too bad more of the restaurants around don't bring their standards up. I would rather pay a few dollars more for really good food and a relaxing atmosphere. It doesn't do anything for me to spend $50 to $55 dollars on a dinner and be either disappointed in the quality or have just plain bad food. I would rather spend $10 to $15 more and have an enjoyable experience.
Some people complain about the small size of the portions, but I am a big eater and I have never left Delius hungry. (which is more than I can say for a couple of other "high end" local establishments ). They always come around offering additional servings of the main course for those who have "huge" appetites.
The last "wine" dinner at Delius tonight. They plan on having their grand opening at the new address on June 1, 2007. I am so looking forward to their new establishment and venue.
The theme of tonight's dinner was "Folio Fine Wine Partners by Michael Mondavi
An "amuse bouche" was served. A crostini with cheese and roasted beets.
Appetizer - Steamed Mussels with a pecan/pesto sauce - 2005 Oberon Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc
Soup - Butternut Squash with Toasted Walnuts - 2003 Spellbound California Chardonnay
First Course - Crispy Skinned Duck Breast with an Apricot/Dried Cherry Sauce - 2005 Hangtime Edna Valley Pinot Noir
Main Course - Provencal Herb Marinated Filet Mignon with Creamy Polenta - 2002 Oberon Napa, Cabernbet Sauvignon
Dessert - Palova with Strawberrys and Honey Sauce
I had not tasted any of these wines before. They were all pleasant wines. The Sau Blanc paired very well with the mussels. The Chardonnay was a little oaky, but the sweetness of the butternut squash in the soup cut the oak quite nicely. The Pinot Noir was nice, a little light weight for my personal taste, but paired well with the duck. The Cabernet was nice. But having just come off a high end Cab tasting the night before, it was hard to get excited about this wine. It was a light Cab and was a good food wine.
The sauce on the mussells was unusual and very good. It made you want to take a piece of the Shallot bread and sop it up.
As always the soup and the duck were great. Louise is such a master when it comes to soup, duck and lamb.
I am always happy when I attend one of the dinners at Delius. The quality of the food is always the best. It's too bad more of the restaurants around don't bring their standards up. I would rather pay a few dollars more for really good food and a relaxing atmosphere. It doesn't do anything for me to spend $50 to $55 dollars on a dinner and be either disappointed in the quality or have just plain bad food. I would rather spend $10 to $15 more and have an enjoyable experience.
Some people complain about the small size of the portions, but I am a big eater and I have never left Delius hungry. (which is more than I can say for a couple of other "high end" local establishments ). They always come around offering additional servings of the main course for those who have "huge" appetites.
March 29, 2007
MAWL Wines had a "high end"end "Cali Cab" tasting this evening. 8 wines and 9 people. I was only familiar with the Justin and the Cain. The rest were all new to me (which is not surprising).
David served a prime rib bruschetta, a grilled eggplant "pizza", stuffed mushrooms and a decadent chocolate cake for dessert. He is quite the "cook".
The wines served that evening were as follows:
2003 Kamen, Cabernet, Sonoma, $53
2004 Justin Isosceles, Paso Robles, $55
2004 Kolbalt, Cabernet, Napa. $95
2004 Arieta, Variation One, Hudson Vineyard, $100
2004 Kapcsandy Family Winery, State Lane Vineyard, Cab/Merlot, $120
2003 Cain Vineyard, Meritage, Spring Mountain, $105
2003 Pahlmeyer, Proprietary Red, 5 varietal Bordeaux Blend, $110
2002 Pride, Mountain Vineyard, Napa, Cabernet (this was brought by one of the attendees)
I was disappointed in the Justin. I liked the Kamen but was really impressed with the Kapcsandy. Deep rich color, dark fruit, a hint of chocolate and light toast, a tad of licorice. Extremely well balanced wine.
The nice thing about these high end tastings, is that I get to taste wines I would never have access to and cannot afford to buy, but I do get the very enjoyable experience of tasting them
MAWL Wines had a "high end"end "Cali Cab" tasting this evening. 8 wines and 9 people. I was only familiar with the Justin and the Cain. The rest were all new to me (which is not surprising).
David served a prime rib bruschetta, a grilled eggplant "pizza", stuffed mushrooms and a decadent chocolate cake for dessert. He is quite the "cook".
The wines served that evening were as follows:
2003 Kamen, Cabernet, Sonoma, $53
2004 Justin Isosceles, Paso Robles, $55
2004 Kolbalt, Cabernet, Napa. $95
2004 Arieta, Variation One, Hudson Vineyard, $100
2004 Kapcsandy Family Winery, State Lane Vineyard, Cab/Merlot, $120
2003 Cain Vineyard, Meritage, Spring Mountain, $105
2003 Pahlmeyer, Proprietary Red, 5 varietal Bordeaux Blend, $110
2002 Pride, Mountain Vineyard, Napa, Cabernet (this was brought by one of the attendees)
I was disappointed in the Justin. I liked the Kamen but was really impressed with the Kapcsandy. Deep rich color, dark fruit, a hint of chocolate and light toast, a tad of licorice. Extremely well balanced wine.
The nice thing about these high end tastings, is that I get to taste wines I would never have access to and cannot afford to buy, but I do get the very enjoyable experience of tasting them
March 28, 2007
Attended a "bring your own brown bagged bottle of wine" at MAWL Wines. A new retail store just four miles "as the crow flies" from my casa.
There were approximately 23 to 25 people all with their little brown bags. After a wine was poured, we tasted then discussed. ( Clyde really enjoyed the discussing) Single varietal or blend ?, old world or new world ?, young or old ? At least we did not have to decide if it was red or white.
It was an interesting evening. I came to the realization that if you cannot see the bottle, shape and label, you are really out in left field. I know there are "super tasters" that make the rest of us look like simpletons, but thankfully this evening they didn't show up. Granted there were a few attendees that seem to guess correctly more than the rest of us but they did not come close to having a perfect score.
I feel somewhat vindicated when I correctly guessed the wine that I brought. I had drank a glass of this wine a few weeks ago and wanted to see if it showed as well, if I was not influenced by the sight of the bottle. It definitely did and I will endeavor to obtain a few more bottles before it is sold out. It just screamed "sangiovese". It was the just released 2004 Stoplman Vineyard Sangiovese.
I also correctly guessed 2 California "over oaked" Chardonnays just by smelling them. I do not understand why certain winemakers think, that the first thing someone wants to smell and taste in a wine is"wood". Wine comes from fruit not trees.
I think most of us came away from this tasting a little humbled, we are not the great wine aficionados that we thought we were.
I hope David decides to have this type of tasting again in the future. I really had a lot of fun and the people were great also.
Attended a "bring your own brown bagged bottle of wine" at MAWL Wines. A new retail store just four miles "as the crow flies" from my casa.
There were approximately 23 to 25 people all with their little brown bags. After a wine was poured, we tasted then discussed. ( Clyde really enjoyed the discussing) Single varietal or blend ?, old world or new world ?, young or old ? At least we did not have to decide if it was red or white.
It was an interesting evening. I came to the realization that if you cannot see the bottle, shape and label, you are really out in left field. I know there are "super tasters" that make the rest of us look like simpletons, but thankfully this evening they didn't show up. Granted there were a few attendees that seem to guess correctly more than the rest of us but they did not come close to having a perfect score.
I feel somewhat vindicated when I correctly guessed the wine that I brought. I had drank a glass of this wine a few weeks ago and wanted to see if it showed as well, if I was not influenced by the sight of the bottle. It definitely did and I will endeavor to obtain a few more bottles before it is sold out. It just screamed "sangiovese". It was the just released 2004 Stoplman Vineyard Sangiovese.
I also correctly guessed 2 California "over oaked" Chardonnays just by smelling them. I do not understand why certain winemakers think, that the first thing someone wants to smell and taste in a wine is"wood". Wine comes from fruit not trees.
I think most of us came away from this tasting a little humbled, we are not the great wine aficionados that we thought we were.
I hope David decides to have this type of tasting again in the future. I really had a lot of fun and the people were great also.
March 25, 2007
Today was the monthly gathering of the "SAWG" members. A group of "winos" that get together once a month to taste wine, eat food and catch up with the latest. The months hosting member provides a main dish and sets the "wine" theme and everyone else brings the extra food dishes and a bottle of wine that matches the theme.
Most people seem to really enjoy coming up with new ideas for their food dishes and we also have some old favorites that we hope someone will bring. I think some of us come for the food more than the wine.
I will not go into too much detail about the 29 wines that were opened that day. Too lengthy and boring. But one such wine was a nice treat. It was interesting to taste a vertical of BV Tapestry, 1992, 1993 and 1994. They were all different. The 1993 was the one that I liked the least but since I did not get a chance to get a second taste , it may have evolved after a few hours of being opened.
A couple of others that I personally liked were the 2003 Terlato, Angels Peak, 2004 Cain Cuvee and the 2004 Stelzner Claret.
Today was the monthly gathering of the "SAWG" members. A group of "winos" that get together once a month to taste wine, eat food and catch up with the latest. The months hosting member provides a main dish and sets the "wine" theme and everyone else brings the extra food dishes and a bottle of wine that matches the theme.
Most people seem to really enjoy coming up with new ideas for their food dishes and we also have some old favorites that we hope someone will bring. I think some of us come for the food more than the wine.
I will not go into too much detail about the 29 wines that were opened that day. Too lengthy and boring. But one such wine was a nice treat. It was interesting to taste a vertical of BV Tapestry, 1992, 1993 and 1994. They were all different. The 1993 was the one that I liked the least but since I did not get a chance to get a second taste , it may have evolved after a few hours of being opened.
A couple of others that I personally liked were the 2003 Terlato, Angels Peak, 2004 Cain Cuvee and the 2004 Stelzner Claret.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Thursday - January 24, 2008 - Argentinan Wine Dinner $50 - Delius Restaurant - (1-562) 426-0694 - http://www.deliusrestaurant.com/
Sunday - February 10, 2008 - 2008 Wine Classic - Loyola Marymount University , events@lmu.edu, $75 if bought before January 18, 2008, $90 after
Sunday - February 10, 2008 - 2008 Wine Classic - Loyola Marymount University , events@lmu.edu, $75 if bought before January 18, 2008, $90 after
March 25, 2007
Dinner at Kinokawa. A Japanese restaurant in Long Beach that has been there since the early 60's or late 50's. I remember going there in the early 60"s when I was first married. The place has gotten a little worn down but hey, we're all old and getting worn down. This was a dinner put together by a friend who has a "Wine & Dine" group . Every month there is a dinner at a small ethnic restaurant. Among the criteria is "small or no corkage" for the places he picks out, along with good food at reasonable prices. There were 18 people attending. Since we all brought bottles of wine, it is a miss mash of what is poured. I found that all the wines I tasted were good. Some didn't necessarily go with the food but that is not that important in this type of venue. Its always a "crap shoot" to what wines are brought but there is always enough to drink. It's always a lot of fun and "that's what it is all about".
Since he will put out the wine list on his next announcement I did not keep track of anything other than what I brought. I don't think its too important to know the entire list. This was his dinner and I won't tread on his territory. But I did bring a 2002 Windward Pinot and a bottle of Sake. I got into Sake after attending a seminar on it last year at Wine Country. The pinot was nice but not great. I'm finding for myself, that Windward is a little light and I'm really not to sure of the holding of this wine. I do not think it would have lasted another year. Since I'm starting to drink some really good pinot's , I will probably not buy anymore Windward.
I did make an other observation - 18 people and only 3 of us used chop sticks. The rest went with the "wimpy fork".
The menu for the evening is as follows - all good but personally for me I would have liked a little traditional sushi and less salads. But then the price jumps up so you can't have it your own way. It's a shared experience along with sharing the bill at the end.
Bean Sprout Salad
Cucumber Salad
Gyoza - filled with pork and vegetables
Jeff & Marta Sushi - tuna & avocado on top of spicy tuna roll
Vegetable Sushi - Asparagus, avocado, cucumber, gogo roots, radish sprouts & kanpyo
Chicken Yakitori
Salmon Sushi
Tempura - shrimp & vegetable
Tuna Sashimi
Beef Teriyaki
Salmon Teriyaki
The dishes I enjoyed the most were the bean sprout salad and the salmon teriyaki.
I've had better Gyoza and since I eat at a sushi restaurant near where I work a couple of times a week, I get really great sushi and sashimi. The tempura was nice but I think that the coating could have been a little lighter.
Overall the food was good, the wines were good and the company at the table were great. A good time was had by all.
Dinner at Kinokawa. A Japanese restaurant in Long Beach that has been there since the early 60's or late 50's. I remember going there in the early 60"s when I was first married. The place has gotten a little worn down but hey, we're all old and getting worn down. This was a dinner put together by a friend who has a "Wine & Dine" group . Every month there is a dinner at a small ethnic restaurant. Among the criteria is "small or no corkage" for the places he picks out, along with good food at reasonable prices. There were 18 people attending. Since we all brought bottles of wine, it is a miss mash of what is poured. I found that all the wines I tasted were good. Some didn't necessarily go with the food but that is not that important in this type of venue. Its always a "crap shoot" to what wines are brought but there is always enough to drink. It's always a lot of fun and "that's what it is all about".
Since he will put out the wine list on his next announcement I did not keep track of anything other than what I brought. I don't think its too important to know the entire list. This was his dinner and I won't tread on his territory. But I did bring a 2002 Windward Pinot and a bottle of Sake. I got into Sake after attending a seminar on it last year at Wine Country. The pinot was nice but not great. I'm finding for myself, that Windward is a little light and I'm really not to sure of the holding of this wine. I do not think it would have lasted another year. Since I'm starting to drink some really good pinot's , I will probably not buy anymore Windward.
I did make an other observation - 18 people and only 3 of us used chop sticks. The rest went with the "wimpy fork".
The menu for the evening is as follows - all good but personally for me I would have liked a little traditional sushi and less salads. But then the price jumps up so you can't have it your own way. It's a shared experience along with sharing the bill at the end.
Bean Sprout Salad
Cucumber Salad
Gyoza - filled with pork and vegetables
Jeff & Marta Sushi - tuna & avocado on top of spicy tuna roll
Vegetable Sushi - Asparagus, avocado, cucumber, gogo roots, radish sprouts & kanpyo
Chicken Yakitori
Salmon Sushi
Tempura - shrimp & vegetable
Tuna Sashimi
Beef Teriyaki
Salmon Teriyaki
The dishes I enjoyed the most were the bean sprout salad and the salmon teriyaki.
I've had better Gyoza and since I eat at a sushi restaurant near where I work a couple of times a week, I get really great sushi and sashimi. The tempura was nice but I think that the coating could have been a little lighter.
Overall the food was good, the wines were good and the company at the table were great. A good time was had by all.
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