Monthly Archives: December 2007

Champagne Sabering

  By admin | December 31, 2007 - 1:00 pm | Everything Else
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Since it’s almost New Year’s Eve, I thought I’d show you guys the wonderful art of Champagne Sabering. I’ve never seen it done successfully in person, but I have seen it attempted. And believe me, if something goes wrong the whole bottle can just sort of….explode.

http://www.youtube.com/v/nZQVvovxTSU&hl=en&fs=1

Here is a step by step instruction on how to do it. Personally, I don’t recommend trying it unless you’ve been taught by someone that knows how, but it’s still kind of fun to see how it’s done.

  • Make sure to use a cold bottle that has been in the fridge for at least an hour prior. A warm bottle has more pressure, and thus can be more dangerous. Oh, and apparently French bottles work best, the glass is thicker.
  • Remove all of the foil from the cork and neck of the bottle, you don’t want it to get in your way. And then carefully remove the cage from the cork.
  • Find the seams of the bottle (the little lines running from top to bottom, one on each side). Where the seam meets the lip is where you will strike.
  • Grip the bottle firmly, place your thumb in the indentation in the bottom of the bottle. Make sure the bottle is pointing up at a 30 degree angle. You may also want to have a towel wrapped around the base to catch glass in case your first try doesn’t go so well.
  • Lay the saber, or back of a heavy knife, flat against the seam. Slide it firmly up the neck to the glass ring at the lip. That should be the point where the glass breaks.
  • If executed properly, the cork along with the glass ring will fly up a few feet in the air. So make sure to not be aiming at anything.

Good luck! Have a Safe and Happy New Year!

Clef-du-Vin

  By admin | December 31, 2007 - 12:57 pm | Tech & Gadgets
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I came across this gadget tonight, and thought it was really interesting. The Clef-du-Vin is a device used to simulate aging in wine. For every one second you hold it in a glass, it “ages” the wine a year. Seems like an odd device right? But it can be helpful in determining what wines will age well, and even allowing you to drink wines that may otherwise be too young to drink.

The process has something to do with the type of alloy the Clef-du-Vin is made out of, and how it influences oxidation in the wine. I’ll be honest, I read the press materials on their website, and I don’t fully understand how it works. I think it’d be a lot of fun to try out at a wine tasting though, and potentially very useful. They run a little on the expensive side. At www.wineenthusiast.com they run from $89.95 to $199.95.

Chateau Grand Traverse

  By admin | December 21, 2007 - 12:54 pm | Reviews
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My company had it’s annual Christmas potluck yesterday, and several of my coworkers bought me bottles of wine. The one that interests me the most is a bottle of Riesling from Chateau Grand Traverse in Michigan. I’m a sucker for Rieslings in general, but the person that gave this bottle to me swears by this wine. The company’s website describes the wine this way:

“This premiere Late Harvest Riesling from Michigan abounds with dazzling fruit and crisp citrus flavors balanced with a naturally sweet finish. We created this exquisite after-dinner wine to match well with cheese and fruit as well as roast pork, glazed ham, poultry, or most barbecued fare.”

The winery also has an Inn on site overlooking the vineyards and Grand Traverse Bay, with rates starting at $125 a night. You can make reservations by calling 1-800-283-0247. Check it out, it looks gorgeous.

Napa’s New Oxbow Market

  By admin | December 13, 2007 - 12:51 pm | Food & Wine
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This coming spring Napa will welcome a new public market created by Steve Carlin, the driving force behind Oakville Grocery and San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace. The idea behind the Oxbow Public Market is to bring back the marketplace feeling that was once common in a shopping experience, and allow shoppers to see where their food comes from and how it is prepared.

The $11-million structure on the banks of Napa River, with 18 stalls for constantly changing vendors will operate seven days a week. And not only is the market going to change the way we shop, but also feature some high-end and extraordinary products. Eventually the market will feature only wines made at the market, and will offer six locally produced olive oils from the Olive Press of Sonoma, that can be tapped from giant metal cans. A rotisserie cooker, Venezuelan arepa stand, and even an oyster bar are among the ideas Carlin has for the market. Personally, I would love to have something like that near me. I’ve always adored the markets I’ve been to in Europe and Central America, and of course farmer’s markets over the summer. If something like this was available to shop at instead of a supermarket, I know I’d be there for everything possible!

Check out the LA Times article, http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-oxbow12dec12,1,6772133.story?coll=la-headlines-food&ctrack=1&cset=true

Wine Blogging Wednesday #40

  By admin | December 12, 2007 - 12:42 pm | Reviews
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This is officially my first Wine Blogging Wednesday post, I always seem to miss it by a couple of days. But this time I’m right on schedule. This month WannabeWino is the host, and our theme is Que Sirah Sirah. Also known as Durif in some areas, Petite Sirah is a red wine mostly produced in Israel, Australia, California, and France.

Honestly, Petite Sirah is not a wine I have a lot of familiarity with. So this should make for an interesting tasting. I decided to try Beringer’s 2003 Single Vineyard Petite Sirah from Tuttle Ranch. I got this bottle in a shipment from the Taste of Beringer wine club. It retails for about $35 on Beringer’s website and in their vineyard gift shop.

I’m not always the biggest fan of full-bodied reds, but I have to say that I enjoyed this one. After fermentation, the wine was aged for almost 24 months in 100-percent new French oak barrels. I think partially because of that attention to detail, it wasn’t a difficult wine to drink. It has a beautiful deep, dark burgundy color to it and an absolutely wonderful aroma full of berries. The taste is full-bodied and intense, but well-balanced and easy to drink. It’s not an overbearing wine.

Vinewords Rating: 8 out of 10