Wine-savvy

[bods1000]

Just a few notes on tasting -

 

first, there are NO hard and fast rules. What works for you is what works!! However, there ARE some things you can do that are tried and true.....

 

1) don't fill up the glass. It's hard to see the color and get a good whiff of the aromas if the glass is too full.

2) make sure the wine is at the right temperature. Most people taste their reds too warm and their whites too cold. 55 deg F for whites, 65 deg F for reds is a good guide for most wines.

3) look at the color. It should be representative of the varietal. For example, cabs range from a deep claret (hence the name applied to Bordeaux which are generally cabs or cab/merlot blends) to a deep brick. A brown cab is likely to be a bad cab. Pinots are less dense and lighter, syrahs and petit sirahs tend to be inky and purplish.

3) does it have legs? Gently swirl the wine around the glass, tilting the glass to let the wine ride up the side almost to the rim. Does the wine run back down immediately? Or does it coat the side of the glass and slowly run down, forming "rivers" of wine. These are the "legs" of the wine. The more "legs" the higher the alcohol content. Higher is not always better - the alcohol content should match the varietal. For example, zins tend to be harvested riper, with more sugars, and will therefore have more alcohol (up to just shy of 16%) while a semillon may be down in the 11% range.

4) swirl the wine around the glass a bit. Gently! Best way I've found to do this is to set the glass on the table and gently move it in a small circle on the table. This aerates the wine and allows the aromas to release. The reason good wine glasses curve in at the top is to trap the vapors that carry the aromas. Is it a pleasant smell? Is there anything funky about the aromas? A wet sheep standing in the mud at your feet taking a dump, for example? Or are you getting aromas typical of the varietal? Citrus (predominantly grapefruit) in a chardonnay, for example. Apricot in a viognier. Plum or black cherries in a cab. Strawberries in a pinot.

5) NOW   (and only now!) take a sip. A small sip. Let it sit on the tip of your tongue. Now let it slide around your mouth. Take a small breath through your mouth. Does it change flavors? What do you taste? Are the flavors what you expect of this varietal?

6) swallow. How long do the flavors linger? That's the finish. The longer the finish, the longer you can savor the wine, therefore the better for you. Do the flavors change as you swallow and as the finish lingers? What are the flavors?

 

Bods posted a flavor wheel once upon a time. Backread and go look it up, print it out. It's a valuable resource.

 

One last thing - you may want to keep notes. It's a practice I started some time ago, but being the impatient person I am, I have let that practice fall by the wayside. I really should start it up again so I can note which of my wines I should be drinking and when.......and with what.

 

In the long run, what is important is how you feel about the wine. Do you like the aromas and flavors? If you do, then it's a good wine for you. Don't let anyone else impose their likes and dislikes on you. You will likely start out with a broad range of likes and if you're like most of us, you will soon develop a more discriminating palate and you will start to like some wines better than others. Make sure you know WHY you like the wines. It will help you in selecting new favorites. Remember - wine is a consumable, anqd a perishable one at that. What you love now will NOT be available forever. Wines in general (non-vintage Champagnes are a notable exception) will change from vintage to vintage. Not every wine you like will be good every year it's produced.

 

And all cabs, or pinots, or chards, or..... are NOT equal. Cabs from California taste different from Bordeaux and different from Aussie cabs and.......One thing about wines is what's called terroir - the location and soil conditions of the vineyard impart a certain character and set of flavors to the wines making the same varietal from different locations (even in the same valley!!!) taste slightly different. Some day I hope to be good enough to identify those differences, but for now, I am only aware of them when I taste the wines side by side. I do remember one cab that I tasted some time ago. I knew immediately that it was from the Monterey area. Why? There was a taste of artichokes in the wine, and that particular plot of land used to be planted exclusively to artichokes. The vineyard owner had decided to take out the 'chokes and plant grapes instead. It was a decidedly unpleasant experience for me. Not that I don't like artichokes, but artichokes and red wine, IMHO, don't mix too well.

 

Hope this helps!!!

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this is a beautiful primer...I learned quite a few things from this - or at least a new way of going about tasting...

thanks a lot, pare!

 

I'm still looking for the flavor wheel somewhere in these pages - gonna post it back as soon as i find it..

[bods1000]

I understand...will just try to keep up and absorb as much as our braincells can manage. 

 

Spongebob.  Sabay tayo.  Page 1

 

Thanks Bods.

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I'll try to find those posts which contain some basic lessons or primers and re-post them - heck, I myself need those primers from time to time

[bods1000]

^^ I think the best way to start appreciating good wines is to start drinking really bad ones and compare.  Carlo Rossi, Novellino and other super cheap wines come to mind.  Then move up the ladder and across the world.  Huwag mo na lang isipin kung anong prutas ang nalalasahan mo.  Sila bods, masi, agxo, at lipstick kaya nila, pero kung beginner ka tikim tikim ka lang.  Huwag garapal at iinumin ang buong bote.

 

Besides, ang alak ay dapat inumin sa social setting.  Not alone dahil pag mahilig uminom ng uminom ng mag-isa, at nagpapakalaseng ka, alcoholic ang tawag dun.

 

Sabi nga, acquired taste ang wine. Just like some other things. hehehe LOL

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I remember when I was starting, I bought these really cheap wines, not because I wanted to start out with the bad ones, but because I didn't want to gamble on something expensive and not like it. The first wines I bought were really downright bad - ang hirap ubusin! But since I was serious about getting into wine, I started to get interested in the more expensive ones - iniisip ko bakit ba mas mahal ang mga ito? They must be better, or so I thought. So I began buying more expensive ones - some were still bad, but the others gave me that window where I realized that the wine world was something worth exploring.

Here I am today - not much of an expert, still drinking some cheapos and bad ones , but I think forever enamored by the seemingly endless possibilities that wine can give you.

 

cheers, pare! nice meeting you!

[bods1000]

Alas, I 've been dealing with Japanese since the 80's in a cross section of industries; aviation, property development, semiconductors and project management but never got to see Japan except for a stop over in NRT!    I know the golfing, dining and karaoke   custom too well and their decision process, too.  Japanese food tops my list of favored cuisine and I just found out that Bods' in-law used to be chef in the leading, top-end Japanese restaurant in the Metro.  (sorry bods for the disclosure!)

 

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hehehe....

speaking of disclosures, I think pinoy blew the lid on something

 

well I guess staying true-to-form and not sacrificing authenticity will still give you the best cuisine there is.....

[masi]

a happy weekend, folks!

 

gonna backread a bit and compose some sensible posts before this headache completely takes over

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a headache? must be a hangover or those "sulfites" ... see, i learn for this thread!

 

is the headache because of too much drinking or the lack of it tonight? hope you are still (inspite of the headache) having a great weekend!

[masi]

I remember when I was starting, I bought these really cheap wines, not because I wanted to start out with the bad ones, but because I didn't want to gamble on something expensive and not like it. The first wines I bought were really downright bad - ang hirap ubusin! But since I was serious about getting into wine, I started to get interested in the more expensive ones - iniisip ko bakit ba mas mahal ang mga ito? They must be better, or so I thought. So I began buying more expensive ones - some were still bad, but the others gave me that window where I realized that the wine world was something worth exploring.

Here I am today - not much of an expert, still drinking some cheapos and bad ones , but I think forever enamored by the seemingly endless possibilities that wine can give you.

 

cheers, pare! nice meeting you!

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in my case, my liking for wine started when i decided to know what i was drinking! i practically drank everything on sight! whiskey, vodka, gin, beer, wine, champagne, brandy, congac, liquer -- name it! among all these, i took a special interest on wines as it was a different taste everytime compared to say whiskey (although blended whiskey may vary in taste by their labels, they were more structured).

 

i bought a book on french wines and boy, the more i got confused !!! to cut the story short... i am still confuse at this time although i have a bit of knowledge of a few varieties. Like most of us in this thread, appreciating wine is a life long experience and while i am at it, i ma, as well enjoy the journey... and i am!

[masi]

hehehe....

speaking of disclosures, I think pinoy blew the lid on something

 

well I guess staying true-to-form and not sacrificing authenticity will still give you the best cuisine there is.....

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well, you may want to do an "expose" unless you "taped" our event last night without our consent!

 

i'm still dry tonight but i may take a few swigs of the glen as i watch the british open on espn... sounds like a good idea! since it's at St. Andrews, Scotland the glen falls right along with it!!!

[Lipstick]

Just a quick Ola before I go back to sleep. It's damn good to be back on PI soil even if it will never be suitable for growing fab grapes to make into wines for lurid trysts.

 

Catch y'all layatah! tata!

[agxo3]

in my case, my liking for wine started when i decided to know what i was drinking!  i practically drank everything on sight!  whiskey, vodka, gin, beer, wine, champagne, brandy, congac, liquer  -- name it! among all these, i took a special interest on wines as it was a different taste everytime compared to say whiskey (although blended whiskey may vary in taste by their labels, they were more structured).

 

i bought a book on french wines and boy, the more i got confused !!! to cut the story short... i am still confuse at this time although i have a bit of knowledge of a few varieties.  Like most of us in this thread, appreciating wine is a life long experience  and while i am at it, i ma, as well enjoy the journey... and i am!

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Like most I mis-spent my youth drinking for effect, not for enjoyment. You know, all the hard stuff, even if it was bad. The vodka was no good, so we added pineapple juice or whatever was handy. Ginebra? Yup. Lots of it! Tanduay and Anejo - every weekend, just about!

 

My first exposure to wine wasw with Boone's Farm (remember Strawberry Hill? Annie Green Springs?), Lancers and Mateus (rose, even!). Then there was all that bad chianti thjat the Italian restaurants served - you know, the stuff in the bottles in the baskets that they used for candlesticks later on? Oh, yes, lots of bad wine. But what saved me was the occasional good stuff I came across. So I knew there was good stuffl, but I had no idea how to figure out what was good and what was not.

 

Then I took that trip to France - must be well on 10 years ago njow - and my eyes were opened! Burgundies (and the local pinot noirs) were it!!! Still are, IMHO, but now my tastes have broadened a bit.

 

I've read and read and ead, and the information does help narrow your choices a bit, but nothing beats tasting. That's the best education you can get, and the more good wine you taste, the better. It's easy to find something lesser that you still enjoy, but to find that one true conversion moment - that takes a GOOD wine.

[agxo3]

Alas, I 've been dealing with Japanese since the 80's in a cross section of industries; aviation, property development, semiconductors and project management but never got to see Japan except for a stop over in NRT!    I know the golfing, dining and karaoke   custom too well and their decision process, too.  Japanese food tops my list of favored cuisine and I just found out that Bods' in-law used to be chef in the leading, top-end Japanese restaurant in the Metro.  (sorry bods for the disclosure!)

 

a pinot noir would be good for the arugula.  i think its medium, fragrant  body would blend perfect with the bitterness of the leaf.  arugula with a rose, might get touchy (not the touchy you are thinking  :boo: bods/spurt) as the vinaigrette maybe a bit too acidic for since the rose's rich and light, citrus flavors. a simple oil and garlic  with some salt and pepper dressing with the rose, may cut it for me!  this is how i could sense the blending of the flavors in my mouth as i type this comment! :upside:

 

alas, again for the cheese... my cholesterol level is way out of line as my genes are simply "a mine field".  foie gras -- nothing like it -- just a quick sear and it's ready for consumption, straight up!!! :thumbsupsmiley:

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All that work and no trip to Tokyo? That's a bummer. Tokyo is a great place for food, and for wine albeit all imported wine. Their local wine industry needs a LOT of help! It is expensive, but hey, that's what expense accounts are for, right?

 

Are you familiar with the Iron Chefs? Well, I got to eat at TWO of their restaurants - Chen Kenjichi's Chinese restaurant in Akasaka, and Nakamura's Japanese restaurant at the New Otani Hotel also in Akasaka. And had French wine both times. Good stuff! Been a while since my last trip there and I kinda miss it. I also had dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Spago in Tokyo - Cal-Ital-Asian fusion and a nice Italian wine. Apple had few inhibitions with expenses in those days, which made it fun to be footloose in a great foodie town like Tokyo.

 

Went to Neibaum-Coppola Cafe in Palo Alto tonight and had a spinach salad for dinner (my last good meal before I get off the plane from Taipei on Friday) - spinach with shaved fennel, grilled pears and crisped prosciutto, with a balsamic vinegar dressing. And a Neibaum-Coppola Sofia (rose, not bubbly) to accompany the salad. What a nice match! The balsamic was light enough and sweet enough to not compete with the wine, the peaches complemented the light strawberry flavors, and the spinach gave everything just the right bite. The prosciutto was the topper and went down well with everything else. I followed that with fresh scallops wrapped with prosciutto and grilled, with a pesto dressing and marinated cucumbers. Mmmmmm - now I am properly fortified for my week in the culinary desert of Taiwan.

[Lipstick]

Only half? You know I'm in weight trouble    because I looooove to eat, don't you? Hey Bods/Masi/mods - can we expand the discussions to food paired with wine? Aside from sitting around sipping the stuff with good friends and just shooting the breeze, good wine also calls out for good food to interact with.

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You must pardon my fast typing Mr. Agxo3. I first intended for you and Pareng Masi to share the role of wine and food gurus however I thought Masi was even more apropriate as the culture guru. I posted that one without proofreading. Profuse apologies.

 

You now own the title Wine and Food Guru 100%

 

from the way that pakistani speaks, it could be that you were his princess in a raj from another lifetime hehehe....or worse, his favorite in his harem

grabe I'd pay him 20baht to teach me how to speak those lines

 

hmmm that's why I love this thread....the song component in the wine women song surfaces every now and then....thanks ms. L for reminding us of lost loves through that song...

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Hahahaha 20baht will get you far Bods. On the last day of the workshop, the Pakistani told me "I may never see you again, God forbid that I don't but just in case that is my fate, your smile has been imprinted in my mind and heart, your charm I will always seek when I meet new women and I would always wish that I did not have to love you from afar." Of course I am paraphrasing as he took some 20mins or so to tell me all that. Guess what I told him?

 

AWARD!!! Hehe.

 

Pati AWARD ma-uuso na sa mga yabmubs! :lol: I bet he picked those lines out of some bollywood stuff he saw before leaving his motherland. Hahaha.

 

I love that word lurid...

 

if the alphabet were a classroom of boys, that lurid will always be up to no good

 

I wonder why despite the sensuous rep*tation of wine, no wine has yet been described as lurid?

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I think lurid would be better as a consequence of the wine. :evil:

 

you and your luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiddddddd imagination

 

wish you also had some magical trip to slumberland

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Haha lurid as lurid can get. My mind lives in the gutter.

 

I wonder - is Mompo a real wine? where's it from?

and why is it that it's the drink of choice of the priesthood here?

Is there a Mompo Conspiracy somewhere?

 

I wonder what the priests in other countries drink for Mass.....

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You know what I think???? I really think they drink those horridly expensive wines disguised under the Mompo brand. Now THAT'S THE CONSPIRACY!

 

Opuim, this i may have to pass!!!! but if it's opium, the woman's scent, well  it's been quite some time since smelled it, nor would i pass it up if ever i smell it in the future.

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Dude, this is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 80s! Opium and YSL!

[Lipstick]

a pleasant surpise, senorita!!!

wow!  you've been running on empty the past few days!!!!   :hypocritesmiley: yummy stawberry milk or any milk for that matter :thumbsupsmiley: , but lately, i've been told to drink non-/low-fat milk :thumbsdownsmiley: yuch!!! (some realities you get to live with as 1 goes thru life!!)

 

how are you?  how is your cold? how is the pakistani?  did you picture him the way i described him?

 

the thread has taken a new twist... food and wine... this will get more exciting! have a great friday and weekend... i know i will and it starts friday night!  lots of smoke, a few glens and alot of conversation!

 

everyone!  you may want to check my thread on Pens, especially agxo and pinoy.  i posted an article on your favorite pen!

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Pare, you look more fit than I do! :lol: You don't even have a beer gut like mine! har har har.

 

The cold abated next morning and I was totally fine. Must've been the dust or I was just really homesick for my girls and a very special gentleman.

 

I posted na in your PEN thread. Buti na lang hindi naging THE PEN IS IN ang title ng thread.

 

Are you feeling better after the strawberry milk? Gotta get better and back on the vino! A bottle a day keeps the doctor away! 

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Hahaha the milk went down well ... helped prevent by 2 days any progressive form of osteo I may develop in the next 4 years. I cannot wait to have my next drop Agxo3! Of vino that is.

 

Glazed Oysters with Osetra Caviar, Zucchini Pearls and Lettuce Cream

- Albariño, Valmiñor, Rias Baixas 2003

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Ola eagleyes! That menu made me hungry and thirsty to say the least but I somehow cannot help but have lurid visuals when I see the word glazed, oysters, zucchini, pearls and cream in one sentence. :evil:

 

I think that's all the milk I had last week talking.

 

Good morning guys.....with all that PROSE and POETRY about wines...food... ang hirap makasunod.

 

Wala bang puedeng magstart ng BASIC Wines 11 course / thread ???? Please start with COLD DUCK....please...

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Hello augustmoon, I love seeing your name in the thread. And I do love your new handle better. Like I said before, those words stir something inside me. Hope to read your vino experiences soon. :thumbsupsmiley:

 

oo nga eh. join ako dun. all i know about wine is that they come in red, white, and blue (nun). 

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AcquiescentOne, you still owe us lurid tales of vino in Il Ponti.

[Lipstick]

^^ I think the best way to start appreciating good wines is to start drinking really bad ones and compare.  Carlo Rossi, Novellino and other super cheap wines come to mind.  Then move up the ladder and across the world.  Huwag mo na lang isipin kung anong prutas ang nalalasahan mo.  Sila bods, masi, agxo, at lipstick kaya nila, pero kung beginner ka tikim tikim ka lang.  Huwag garapal at iinumin ang buong bote.

 

Besides, ang alak ay dapat inumin sa social setting.  Not alone dahil pag mahilig uminom ng uminom ng mag-isa, at nagpapakalaseng ka, alcoholic ang tawag dun.

 

Sabi nga, acquired taste ang wine. Just like some other things. hehehe LOL

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Heya PinoyStrigoi! Wagggggggggggggggggg mong i reco mag start with cheap wines! Wahahahahahaha baka tuluyang hindi na umulit sa vino si Ms. Augustmoon!

 

I was told that you too grew up where I grew up.

augustmoon and spongebobby...

 

i dont speak for  agxo, eagleyes, bods, pinoy, magaling, lipstick et. al, but i am learning as i go along too.  everytime is a new experience and i am enjoying the ride!!!!  sabay-sabay tayong lahat matuto sa isa't-isa... oh, pinoy... tagalog ito, ha! 

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Hehe you cannot definitely speak for me pare! Dahil mas magaling ka mag salita at sumulat. Ayan nag tagalog din ako ng derecho sa isang sentence. At sa kasalukuyan eh nagdudugo na rin ang ilong ko. Tampon pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! :sick:

 

pinoy,  you are awfully mean!!! i know you meant well when you said that starting with bad wines and comparing but your recommended wines, Carlo Rossi and Novellino, border BDSM!!! :evil:

 

but honestly though, taking from where Pinoy ended, start with P200 to P300 bottle wines.  The Gran Trillo P180 + is a reasonable blend which is truly value for money.  You may also start with Merlot  Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Try to distinguish the flavors by smelling and tasting the wine.  You can store an opened bottle for a day if you cant finish it.  It is true that better quality wines are more expensive wines but it's not a hard and fast rule, albeit true 90 to 95% of the time.

How come I drink alone and am not an alcoholic... uhaw na ako!  I need a drink!!!!

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Agree, agree, agree. Sa akin eh patayin nyo na lang ako kung kelangan kong bumalik dun sa vino na parang suka.

 

If I start with apple cider...you think...i will develop a taste for good wine?  may pag-asa ba Strigoi...or my tongue will acquire another skill LOL

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Augustmoon... hehehe your tongue will definitely acquire the skill to cuss in every language you know if you start with apple cider!

 

just finished an impromptu wine and single malt session with a few initimate friends tonight in my humble abode listening to an mp3 of tunes of the 60s and 70s!

 

we finished a bottle of a 1999 Joseph Drouhin - Nuit-Saint-Gorge  Grands vins de bourgogne.  It was just a bit overripe and there were signs of an overflow at the cork!  Good thing, I decided to open it tonight.  It was, to my impression, past its best as the nose was alluring as the ladies of this thread, aka, augustmoon, lipstick, miss manners, lana, cutie  :*  et. al.  It was teasing me and my buddies, as well, and we cannot put a handle of what it wanted us to discover.

 

dish!!!)

 

After we vanquished the wine, we proceeded to popping the cap of a Glenfiddich Special Reserve Single malt, a casualty of war from rummaging through my mom-in-law's pantry.

It had a visual of transluscent ruby, practically no tannins, smooth, buttery on the palate and the transition from mouth to follow through was seamless.  Was it because of its age or may be "mishandling"?  I, personally, would not know.  My buddies were similarly baffled... like Bo Derek in the movie "10" by its flirtation.

 

I have to refer to my french wine encyclopedia to know more about it... and like any bourgogne, it was a pinot noir?!!  All I can say up to this point is WOW!!! I'm so ignorant! perhaps, this, I may not forgive myself.

 

In between sips, we had so much to talk about... youth, how we got into this beautiful lifestyle of wine appreciation and of course, as in any gentleman's conversation wouldnt remiss....ladies in the house.

We had a simple bar chow of sauteed schubligs with champignons in EVO golden roasted garlic, dashed with fresh ground black pepper corns and kosher salt. (I can't believe that i can be so flowery with a simple "ginisa"

 

Such a discovery!  as we poured in  our shot glass,  the nectar met our simplistic sense of smell with a visual which i could only describe as a speck of virgin morning dew touched by the golden rising sun... simply superb.  the nose revealed a simple, understated elegence of an elaborate sceptre of nuttiness!  A sip... ahhh!  simply elegant... mild, like a carpet deserving  of.... pardon my lack in eloquence... beyond words.

 

After a few shots of the nectar, and a lot of beautiful exchanges, my friends and I unanimously agreed that life has to go on ... tonight shall continue at another time next week!!! :thumbsupsmiley:

 

am i in a druken stupor or am i overwhelmed by tonight's experience... i keep that a secret!  and you can only surmise. :goatee:

 

have a good weekend!!!!

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Obviously I am not counted as a friend! Hmpppp!!! How come I didn't receive an invite hah?!!!! Quesejodang wala ako sa pinas nung friday! it's unfair (mala Susan Roces delivery)!!!!!

 

Another award for me please.

 

Boy pare, can I just tell you I could almost taste the wine and the single malt while reading your description?????? Galing mo talaga! Kaso nung nakita ko yung word na CARPET eh hahaha my mind went off-tangent na.

 

Plus, let me in on that secret!!!!!!!! Dali!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You boys aren't allowed to keep secret from the bar wench ano!

 

By the way, we should take a look at each others MP3 listing some time! Exchange!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Put yourself in our hands    and your tongue WILL develop a new skill! 

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Hehe. Natawa ako. Hehehe. Solid ng hirit mo Agxo3.

[Lipstick]

well, you may want to do an "expose"  unless you "taped" our event last night without our consent!

 

i'm still dry tonight but i may take a few swigs of the glen as i watch the british open on espn... sounds like a good idea!  since it's at St. Andrews, Scotland the glen falls right along with it!!!

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Now I am even more intrigued! Ano yannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!! Spill na! Otherwise I will make both of you drink VINO KULAFU!!!

[masi]

Now I am even more intrigued!  Ano yannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!  Spill na!  Otherwise I will make both of you drink VINO KULAFU!!!

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HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! ok bods, we have to decide who drinks the vino kulafu and who is the "talker"!!! "hell hath no fury than a woman scourned!" so pare, before liptick makes us drink a drum of that stuff at our next eb, you might as well "spell it out!" :hypocritesmiley:

[masi]

Obviously I am not counted as a friend! Hmpppp!!!  How come I didn't receive an invite hah?!!!!  Quesejodang wala ako sa pinas nung friday!  it's unfair (mala Susan Roces delivery)!!!!!

 

  Another award for me please.

 

Boy pare, can I just tell you I could almost taste the wine and the single malt while reading your description??????  Galing mo talaga!   Kaso nung nakita ko yung word na CARPET eh hahaha my mind went off-tangent na.

 

By the way, we should take a look at each others MP3 listing some time!  Exchange!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

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Oh, senorita, don't think that way . The only reason you were not invited was simply that we didn't want to impose and aggravate the agony of being distant from the wine and friends. :hypocritesmiley: I know how difficult business travel may get especially at it's tailend when the adrenalin is faltering and the events of the week are slowly sinking. Time ticks in anticipation; vision tunnels as you walk the hallways of your hotel lobby to settle your bills, the drive to Don Muang and the check-in and boarding process seem to drag forever.

 

i was supposed to describe the sensation of the single malt as rolling out like a carpet on my palate but.. i said to myself that it may be too revealing that nothing is left to the reader's imagination. so i inhibited. never thought that the "carpet" was already sufficient to get your imagination working ... off-tangent nga lang.... for being off-tangent, Carlo Rossi for you, senorita!!!! :sick:

 

Sure mp3s, deebidi, cds... new wave, rock and roll, dance, opera, classical, standards, etc.. choose anything that catches your fancy...

[masi]

All that work and no trip to Tokyo? That's a bummer. Tokyo is a great place for food, and for wine albeit all imported wine. Their local wine industry needs a LOT of help! It is expensive, but hey, that's what expense accounts are for, right?

 

Are you familiar with the Iron Chefs? Well, I got to eat at TWO of their restaurants - Chen Kenjichi's Chinese restaurant in Akasaka, and Nakamura's Japanese restaurant at the New Otani Hotel also in Akasaka. And had French wine both times. Good stuff! Been a while since my last trip there and I kinda miss it. I also had dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Spago in Tokyo - Cal-Ital-Asian fusion and a nice Italian wine. Apple had few inhibitions with expenses in those days, which made it fun to be footloose in a great foodie town like Tokyo.

 

Went to Neibaum-Coppola Cafe in Palo Alto tonight and had a spinach salad for dinner (my last good meal before I get off the plane from Taipei on Friday) - spinach with shaved fennel, grilled pears and crisped prosciutto, with a balsamic vinegar dressing. And a Neibaum-Coppola Sofia (rose, not bubbly) to accompany the salad. What a nice match! The balsamic was light enough and sweet enough to not compete with the wine, the peaches complemented the light strawberry flavors, and the spinach gave everything just the right bite. The prosciutto was the topper and went down well with everything else. I followed that with fresh scallops wrapped with prosciutto and grilled, with a pesto dressing and marinated cucumbers. Mmmmmm - now I am properly fortified for my week in the culinary desert of Taiwan.

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Much as i would like to share a Tokyo experience, I have none! Albeit, i got alot of gifts from my clients from gold leaf vases, to special tea cups, a lot of cakes and other food, pens!, suntory whisky and single malt, and a bottle of a special sake which my client said was even more expensive than a bottle of Johnnie Blue!

 

Yes, i do get to watch the iron chef here and at the rate those chefs use truffles and foie gras, there would certainly be a shortage!

 

I remember days when my brother used to live in Daly City in the late 80s and on weekends, we would bike down to palo alto using portions of 280 and canada road. we would stop for coffee and a cinnamon roll at bakery in a strip mall at the corner of canada and road which leads to stanford. this was also the time that we went to napa valley and did a tour of some wineries... christian brothers and the winery use in the tv series, "falcon crest". i had more of a fancy for victoria principal than wines then...:boo:

Edited July 17, 2005 by masi

[masi]

Just a quick Ola before I go back to sleep. It's damn good to be back on PI soil even if it will never be suitable for growing fab grapes to make into wines for lurid trysts.

 

Catch y'all layatah!  tata!

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welcome back!!! i bet the wine tastes better here than anywhere else!!! the vintage here, too, is so much better... :thumbsupsmiley: , right bods!!!!

 

well, while you were gone aka... fending off the pakistani assault, we were raising our glasses to you!!!

[bods1000]

a headache?  must be a hangover or those "sulfites" ... see, i learn for this thread!

 

is the headache because of too much drinking or the lack of it tonight?  hope you are still (inspite of the headache) having a great weekend!

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that headache was a result of some scuffle I had with a bloke named Glen in a dark and gloomy chateau hehehe....

 

yes, I'm still having a still...........wine this weekend

 

pare i hope your weekend did not fall into some sand trap!

cheers!

[bods1000]

well, you may want to do an "expose"  unless you "taped" our event last night without our consent!

 

i'm still dry tonight but i may take a few swigs of the glen as i watch the british open on espn... sounds like a good idea!  since it's at St. Andrews, Scotland the glen falls right along with it!!!

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yes, I did a Hello, masi tape but it's not in my possesion anymore. Perhaps in my drunken clumsiness, it found its way to a guy with a ghostly name. Good luck, pare, in trying to retrieve it as I am at a loss at which tape is the original

 

don't get too drunk, pare, as your imagination might get you to see some monster in some loch hehehe.

[bods1000]

...........a look that time can't erase.........

 

aahhh.....such a lovely night listening to the strains of The Look of Love , with some cabernet sitting on the tip of my tongue, poised on the cusp of a lingering finish....

 

 

cheers, winos!

have a cuspy week ahead - whatever that is

[pinoy_strigoi]

hehehe....

speaking of disclosures, I think pinoy blew the lid on something

 

well I guess staying true-to-form and not sacrificing authenticity will still give you the best cuisine there is.....

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Duhh... sorry for that. Pero alam mo na ang fave kong sushi...hehehe. Sana makatkim ako uli, and with Chateau wine (La Fitte ba Masi?) or the glenfiddich - sweet as sugar- single malt. Lips macking good talaga.

[pinoy_strigoi]

Uy tanong lang. Bakit ako na-off topic post warning? Dahil hindi tungkol sa wine? And who's to say if my post was wine related or not.

 

OK, will post that I like Old World wines better than New World Wines. OT pa ba itong post?

[masi]

that headache was a result of some scuffle I had with a bloke named Glen in a dark and gloomy chateau hehehe....

 

yes, I'm still having a still...........wine this weekend

 

pare i hope your weekend did not fall into some sand trap!

cheers!

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who is this glen? bring him on!!! tell him to bring his friend, johnny and i'll beat them black and blue (no offense to Ateneans on this thread )

 

i will meet them wherever, lowland or highlands.. i will fight!!!!

 

(mukha na talagang, kwentong lasingan 'to, ah!!)

[masi]

Uy tanong lang.  Bakit ako na-off topic post warning?  Dahil hindi tungkol sa wine?  And who's to say if my post was wine related or not. 

 

OK, will post that  I like Old World wines better than New World Wines.  OT pa ba itong post?

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may warning ka? how come i dont see it? only mods can give you warnings! maybe you didnt get it on this thread but other threads you posted!!!! well, i got mine from a different thread... so i didnt bother going back there!

 

naku bods... baka our favorite mod is giving us warnings coz neither of us are spilling the beans or should i say, cutting the foil on what happened last fri? then, again, she is too civil for that... i take it back!!!