Poor Merlot!
After the movie Sideways came out, sales of Merlot dropped.
Under the influence of Miles, people were turned off by the idea of Merlot; people would even be ashamed or embarrassed to admit to me that they like Merlot!
So we thought that for this National Wine Day on May 25, Merlot needs more consideration. And we happened to have handy a recently arrived sample of the 2014 Rutherford Ranch Merlot from Napa Valley! Continue reading
1) Do you know what your PHILTRUM is, where it is located and what it does??
2) Do you know why a dog or a bear or a cat or another mammal has a wet nose?
(Yes, these two questions are related!)
Wikipedia says: The philtrum or medial cleft is a vertical groove in the middle area of the upper lip, common to many mammals.
Basically, your PHILTRUM is that area beneath your nostrils.
Wikipedia also says: For mammals, the philtrum helps carry sensory information to the brain but the human philtrum has no apparent function.
I’m here to tell you that Wikipedia is WRONG!
If you get your philtrum damp, you will be able to smell more distinct notes– in wine, perfume, food, you name it. That’s why mammals have wet noses: so they can smell better! (Okay not smell better — have you ever smelled a bear? Ugh! No!)
Without water in the air , we wouldn’t be able to smell anything because the molecules are carried along with water.
To have a better sense of smell, get your nose wet! Or at least your PHILTRUM!
If you have a cold or other congestion from allergies, try licking your finger and then sliding it below your nose before you sniff and taste wine and you will know that what I saying is true: having a wet philtrum helps your sense of smell and sing your sense of smell nd taste are dirtily related, guess what? you will be able to taste more intensely!
The philtrum also is the subject of a Jewish myth that has been featured in films. The myth says that angels teach infants in utero all of the world’s wisdom in the world, then an angel lightly taps the infant’s upper lip at birth to keep the child from telling the universe’s secrets. In The Prophecy Christopher Walken stars as the archangel Gabriel who says, rather threateningly, “Do you know how you got that dent in your top lip? Way back, before you were born, I told you a secret, then I put my finger there and I said ‘Shhhhh!'”
As May is Oregon wine month, I will be posting about wines from Oregon including several interesting whites from two regions of the state, plus Pinot Noir (of course), and we’re starting this off with a wine called… you guessed it:
PHILTRUM!
2015 – Philtrum Pinot Noir Blanc, Love Potion – 13% alcohol – $29
2014 – Block B3 Old Vines Pinot Noir – Chehalem Mountain Vineyard – 13.8% alcohol – $50.00
Continue reading
the night I found out about beurre blanc…
Many of us grew up with gallon bottles of white wine around that said boldly on them “CHABLIS.”
But it is very unlikely that my grandparents were actually drinking “Chablis.” Instead, my relatives were drinking white wine, most likely Chardonnay blended with other white wines like Muscat, Chenin blanc, and Sauvignon blanc (which I think was called “French Colombard”!)
Today, just like if a bottle says “Champagne” it should be coming from Champagne France, if a bottle says “Chablis” on it, it is most likely to be wine made from 100% Chardonnay and coming from the Chablis region of France.
What makes Chablis special? Here are nine reasons: Continue reading
During May 2017, The Los Angeles Times is presenting a new food festival called “Food Bowl” featuring “31 Days of Food” with special programs, dining experiences and forums as well as conversation about issues of sustainability, food waste and hunger. L.A. area chefs and foodies as well as renown chefs from around the globe are participating in this unique Festival taking place throughout the City and LA County.
Last week, from May 10-14, a Night Market was held at Grand Park in downtown L.A. that included over 50 restaurants and food trucks plus live entertainment. For the rest of the month, there will be many more individual events in kitchens and restaurants, at bars and coffee shops, in farmers markets and even in buses. Lots to do this weekend or next and during the week too!
During the first week, on May 4, Sue and I attended the LA Food Bowl event at the New Zealand themed restaurant Tangaroa with wine from NZ Wine Navigator.
Let’s Do Brunch! So said Sue and I in suggesting this month’s Wine Pairing Weekend prompt. We had no idea that this is actually #BrunchWeek for food bloggers who are also writing about Brunch this week!
But how many bloggers are writing about BRUNCH and WINE? Well, I’ll bet quite a few because for many a defining feature and interest in brunch is that they probably invented brunch so we could have wine with breakfast!
And for many, wine at brunch means BUBBLES! And while this was indeed true for many of us participating in Wine Pairing Weekend (scroll down and you’ll see!), Sue and I fell in love with a special Brunch Negroni! Continue reading
So who’s joining the Wine Pairing Weekend Gang for Brunch on Saturday May 13? And what are we bringing to the table?
Lots of bubbles! And a lot more! Read all about it in the invite; read on to see who’s doing what! Continue reading
“Of all of the wine days to fall on my birthday,” says Sue plaintively, “why Moscato? why must it be MOSCATO? It is by far NOT my favorite wine!”
If she could have her way, I bet she’d have been born on Cabernet Franc Day. But no.
Will this Hat Ranch Dry Moscato from the Snake River Valley in Idaho change her mind? Only our taste test will tell.
HAT Ranch Winery – 2015 – Dry Moscato – Estate Grown – Snake River Valley – Alcohol 12.7% 182 cases $18
When my son saw this bottle of wine, he asked: is it an elephant or a hat?
“I showed the grown ups my masterpiece, and I asked them if my drawing scared them. They answered:”why be scared of a hat?” My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant.”
The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
In The Little Prince, we are reminded that as we age, how we see the world changes. We have certain expectations, and these expectations limit us, and our imaginations. When we were children, the world was fresh, and alive: we let our senses give us information, and we could imagine the extraordinary this way. (Read more about The Little Prince and imagination in this article from the Scientific American).
And so it can be with wine: been there, tasted that. Ho-hum.
Moscato Day.
Oh, just another one of those wine days. Continue reading
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 