Port to Pair (but not with pear)

the wine : Porto : 20 Year Tawny

successful matching : Beemster [butterscotchy] XO Gouda. Thomas Hoe [stinky] aged blue stilton. ITA [grainy] Parmesan grana. An assortment of nuts (esp. walnut.)

undesirable tastes : hazelnut milk chocolate. 3 types of pear.

Creative Uncorkage

I neglected to pack a corkscrew on vacation... It could happen to anyone. When faced with the dilemma, we had to get creative in opening a bottle of Château de Vaugelas (from Corbières > Languedoc > France.) Since we'd had a glass the previous night, there was a bit of airspace in the re-corked bottle. After scouring the hotel room for a possible thin, sharp or blunt object, I opted for a tube of mascara. Two minutes of pounding later, the tattered cork floated stubbornly in the bottle, and we finished every last sip before embarking on our first night of celebratory vacationing.

step 1 : you've forgotten your corkscrew! realize your simpleton oversight.

step 2 : stare at the bottle in annoyance.

step 3 : furiously forage around for a tiny hammer-like tool.

step 4 : mascara?

step 5 : hammer the cork in.

pound pound pound. it's not working.

pound pound pound. grrr........

step 6 : success! genius! haha! uncorking a bottle wine with a tube of mascara? they said it couldn't be done. they thought me insane! give yourself a well-deserved high five and a pat on the back.

Party Blind!

We met with Ali from Dumas Station & Group Vino (a conglomeration of eager wine enthusiasts) for a raucous blind tasting of nearly 30 wines---the rules? Grab a $20 and skip down to your local wine shop for a bottle of the owner's favorite wine for the dough. We sipped our whites and slurped some reds (and 1 rose!), munched on fabulous home-made bites from Portland Palates, and casted our votes. Wouldn't you know it---a new world Cab beat the competitors and was hence crowned "Mister Group Vino" for the evening---my personal under $20 fav was the 2002 Lucien Albrecht Pinot Gris (Alsace.)

the Superlative Intoxicant: Mercurey

2007 Mercurey E.A.R.L. Domaine Patrick Size

origin: chardonnay > 1er cru > Côte Chalonnaise > Burgundy > France.

visuals: very canary yellow.

sniffings: baked apple crumble, brie pie + honey.

palate: a pineapple cocktail with salted rim + lemon zest. wet vanilla + spring blossoms. delightfully funky & highly acidic!

spendings: $25

the Superlative Intoxicant: * D L *

Dominique Lafon 2008 Vire Clesse

stats: Chardonnay. Maconnais > Burgundy > France.

visuals: buttercream daffodil

sniffings: bright yellow pears + honey, fresh apples, roasted macadamia + asian sesame soy.

palate: perfectly balanced cooling ginger + lime with mouthwatering acidity.

spendings: $20

to pair:

premiere

fresh arugula salad featuring whole raspberries, crumbled goat cheese, finely chopped pistachios, cucumber + raddish---drizzled with olive oil and a spritz of lemon.

deauxieme

seasoned Dover Sol in lemon caper sauce served atop sauteed broccolini, grilled onions, garlic + celerac.

Winefile: Speak German

Understanding Riesling : What am I buying?

1. Kabinett [cab-ee-net] | vinified to dryness. everyday fabulousness!
2. Spatlese [spot-lay-suh] | late harvest. slightly sweet.
3. Ausalese [ow-saw-lay-suh] | later havested, hand selected, perfect bunches of grapes. a sweet wine.
4. Beerenausalese | individually selected berries, usually affected by "noble rot."
5. Trockenbeerenausalese | intense petrol. full bodied sweetness. capable of long-term ageing. very expensive.