Because it is so freaking cold, I'm running behind today. I will post about Chablis tomorrow.
Cheers!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Fat Americans
I'm not a small guy. Anyone who has ever met me knows this. However, this last weekend, I had an experience that made me feel skinny. My wife and I were given free passes to eat at the Kitchen buffet at the Lumiere Casino. This, I must say, was quite the experience. The buffet costs $28 per person, which seems pretty ludicrous. The reason for the steep price became evident as soon as we walked in. There was a huge line of huge people all clamoring for something around a corner. What was this pot of gold that everyone wanted a piece of? Crab Legs. King Crab Legs.
I'm not kidding when I say that it was all-you-can-eat crab leg night, and boy were the people at the Kitchen Buffet excited! There were probably anywhere between 18 and 30 people in line for these things at any given time. The quantity of people wasn't the only thing that surprised me- I was shocked by how many of these things people were taking. I saw people literally with arm loads of the 2 foot long legs, walking briskly back to their tables, acting like they were foraging before going into hibernation for the winter. The shock was compounded even further when I saw one lady with a freaking soup bowl- not a ramekin- a SOUP BOWL full of butter to slosh over her legs (her crab legs, although to get out of those pants, she may have needed the butter on her real legs as well).
The wifey and I tried a couple of the legs- they were overcooked, underseasoned, and generally pretty bad. Definitely not good enough to cause the hysteria in the room. We looked around the room and noticed that there was literally one person in the room that could be described as "fit" or "thin". He was eating sushi. Everyone else was somewhere between "big boned" and "disgustingly obese".
This brings me to a bit of an emotional point- in the year 2010, I have made it my goal to focus on my own health and fitness. 2009 was my year to get my wine career to the next level, which I accomplished by earning my CSW and my Certified Sommelier degrees, starting a blog, and starting a wine consultation company. I will keep writing Sippin' Saint Louis, because I love this industry, and I love teaching people about these things. I will also probably start another blog to track my health progress over the next year. I want to do this thing right- not some "Greatest Loser" contest, where I lose a bunch of weight, just about kill myself over the course of 30 days, and gain it all back. Instead, I just want to focus more on my caloric intake, the origins of what I consume, and a consistent exercise plan.
I hope some of you all care enough about me to be supportive. The rest of you all, no worries, I will still be around, having a glass of wine or two.
Cheers!
I'm not kidding when I say that it was all-you-can-eat crab leg night, and boy were the people at the Kitchen Buffet excited! There were probably anywhere between 18 and 30 people in line for these things at any given time. The quantity of people wasn't the only thing that surprised me- I was shocked by how many of these things people were taking. I saw people literally with arm loads of the 2 foot long legs, walking briskly back to their tables, acting like they were foraging before going into hibernation for the winter. The shock was compounded even further when I saw one lady with a freaking soup bowl- not a ramekin- a SOUP BOWL full of butter to slosh over her legs (her crab legs, although to get out of those pants, she may have needed the butter on her real legs as well).
The wifey and I tried a couple of the legs- they were overcooked, underseasoned, and generally pretty bad. Definitely not good enough to cause the hysteria in the room. We looked around the room and noticed that there was literally one person in the room that could be described as "fit" or "thin". He was eating sushi. Everyone else was somewhere between "big boned" and "disgustingly obese".
This brings me to a bit of an emotional point- in the year 2010, I have made it my goal to focus on my own health and fitness. 2009 was my year to get my wine career to the next level, which I accomplished by earning my CSW and my Certified Sommelier degrees, starting a blog, and starting a wine consultation company. I will keep writing Sippin' Saint Louis, because I love this industry, and I love teaching people about these things. I will also probably start another blog to track my health progress over the next year. I want to do this thing right- not some "Greatest Loser" contest, where I lose a bunch of weight, just about kill myself over the course of 30 days, and gain it all back. Instead, I just want to focus more on my caloric intake, the origins of what I consume, and a consistent exercise plan.
I hope some of you all care enough about me to be supportive. The rest of you all, no worries, I will still be around, having a glass of wine or two.
Cheers!
Monday, December 7, 2009
The Blind Tasting
Because I'm in the wine industry, I have been fortunate to meet and become friends with a number of people that are also very interested in learning about wine. This has lead to some really fun nights. I am part of a certain group that likes to get together once a month, and blind-tastes wine. What is blind tasting? It is simply tasting wine that you don't know what it is, and trying to, out of your own past experiences, ascertain what the wine is. Some people get all geeked out over single-blind versus double-blind. Single blind is where you know the varietal (say cabernet), but don't know anything else about the wine. Double-blind is where you don't know anything about it. The group that I'm in does both.
Here's how we do it-
we pick a night (usually a weekend, so people can sleep in the next day if they over-indulge), and a place. The host picks the theme. This last weekend, it was to bring any white you wanted, and a bottle of something cabernet-based. We then show up with the bottles covered with either foil or newspaper, and start pouring. The goal is to guess the varietal, country of origin, and vintage of each wine. It really is amazing how much stuff you taste in a wine when you are really paying attention. The whole thing is all in good fun. What I like about this group is that people bring cool, interesting things, and don't necessarily try to "one up" each other by bringing the biggest, baddest, most expensive wines. Don't get me wrong, cool stuff is definitely poured- we had 1975 and 1982 Bordeaux, Pride, Caymus, a wine from Lebanon, White Burgundy, White Hermitage, and all kinds of other amazing wines. I even tried to sneak a two-buck-chuck in there, to see what happened. Needless to say, it didn't win the "wine of the night" prize. However, the group didn't get mad- they laughed at it.
So, if you want a really simple, inexpensive party idea, give this a shot. It's a lot of fun, and you really do learn a lot about what you like and don't like regarding wine.
Cheers!
Here's how we do it-
we pick a night (usually a weekend, so people can sleep in the next day if they over-indulge), and a place. The host picks the theme. This last weekend, it was to bring any white you wanted, and a bottle of something cabernet-based. We then show up with the bottles covered with either foil or newspaper, and start pouring. The goal is to guess the varietal, country of origin, and vintage of each wine. It really is amazing how much stuff you taste in a wine when you are really paying attention. The whole thing is all in good fun. What I like about this group is that people bring cool, interesting things, and don't necessarily try to "one up" each other by bringing the biggest, baddest, most expensive wines. Don't get me wrong, cool stuff is definitely poured- we had 1975 and 1982 Bordeaux, Pride, Caymus, a wine from Lebanon, White Burgundy, White Hermitage, and all kinds of other amazing wines. I even tried to sneak a two-buck-chuck in there, to see what happened. Needless to say, it didn't win the "wine of the night" prize. However, the group didn't get mad- they laughed at it.
So, if you want a really simple, inexpensive party idea, give this a shot. It's a lot of fun, and you really do learn a lot about what you like and don't like regarding wine.
Cheers!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Things I love
My wife took the day off of work today, and I'm working from home. Since she was around, I asked her what to blog about today. Her response was "If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?" That would be a very short post, consisting of two words: French Fries. Instead, I'm just going to list some of the things that I love. Hopefully this will give you a little bit of insight into this whacked out brain of mine.
Things I love:
My wife (obviously)
God
My Friends/Family
A hot cup of coffee on a blustery cold morning
A perfectly cooked steak with fries and a great bottle of red wine
The feel of freshly washed sheets when they are cold, and you lay down in them
Cars that accelerate much faster than necessary
Sunrises in the mountains
A table full of people all eating, laughing, and not caring about a thing in the world
Being right
When ballpoint pens work on the first try
Hot, fresh, soft chocolate chip cookies
Hot tubs
Being able to shoot a handgun more accurately than most people
Children's laughter
The smell of a new pair of shoes
Foie Gras, Truffles, and most other foods that are bad for you
Finishing a book
Really nice watches
Seeing someone else be successful, and realizing that I'm truly not jealous of them
Playing poker
Playing Pool
Getting my hair washed after a haircut
Finding a parking space right in front
Movies where they don't give the whole thing away in the trailer
Bands that look like they're having fun on stage
Coming home to a clean house
The fact that you can turn the hot water off in the shower, and hot water will still come out of the shower head for a couple of seconds before turning cold.
What do you love?
Cheers.
Things I love:
My wife (obviously)
God
My Friends/Family
A hot cup of coffee on a blustery cold morning
A perfectly cooked steak with fries and a great bottle of red wine
The feel of freshly washed sheets when they are cold, and you lay down in them
Cars that accelerate much faster than necessary
Sunrises in the mountains
A table full of people all eating, laughing, and not caring about a thing in the world
Being right
When ballpoint pens work on the first try
Hot, fresh, soft chocolate chip cookies
Hot tubs
Being able to shoot a handgun more accurately than most people
Children's laughter
The smell of a new pair of shoes
Foie Gras, Truffles, and most other foods that are bad for you
Finishing a book
Really nice watches
Seeing someone else be successful, and realizing that I'm truly not jealous of them
Playing poker
Playing Pool
Getting my hair washed after a haircut
Finding a parking space right in front
Movies where they don't give the whole thing away in the trailer
Bands that look like they're having fun on stage
Coming home to a clean house
The fact that you can turn the hot water off in the shower, and hot water will still come out of the shower head for a couple of seconds before turning cold.
What do you love?
Cheers.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Number 100- the beginning of Burgundy
Since this is my 100th post, I figured it had better have some substance to it. Also, it just happens to be Thursday, when I typically write about a particular wine region of the world. These both led me to talk on one of the most complicated subjects in the wine world- Burgundy.
I'm just going to give you the basics today. Over the next several Thursdays, I will go deeper- we will never get to the bottom of the subject, as you could fill a library with the amount of information in the world about Burgundy. Nonetheless, here we go-
Most wine geeks, if you ask them what wine they would choose to drink it only for the rest of their lives, would most likely say Burgundy. The romantic notion of palacial domaines, and $1000 bottles of red wine evoke emotion in anyone that is somewhat of a wine fan. In order to understand why simply the notion of Burgundy will bring a mist to the eye of a collector, one must understand the intricacies of the area.
In its simplest form, Burgundy is about two grapes, and the soil. All of the great red wines from the area are made from Pinot Noir, and all of the great white wines are made from Chardonnay. As for the soil, there is very little manipulation in the wines. Most of the wine makers simply make the wine, and let the terroir speak for itself.
Geography-wise, Burgundy is located on the eastern side of France, and is comprised of five major regions- Chablis, Cote d'Or, Cote Chalonnaise, Maconnais, and Beaujolais. I will address each of these regions in future weeks individually.
Wines in each of these regions are broken into increasingly smaller categories:
Bourgogne- Wines made from grapes sourced from anywhere in Burgundy
Villages- Wines made from the vineyards in and around a specific village
Premier Cru- Wines from a specific, very well rated vineyard
Grand Cru- Wines from the top rated vineyards in Burgundy
The ownership of the Domaines in the area is a bit different than in other areas of France. In Bordeaux, a Chateau consists essentially of the facility, and the vineyards around it. In Burgundy, the Domaine consists of small plots of several different vineyards that they own- most not directly around the actual facility. This is further complicated by the Napoleanic Code, which states that the children of a vineyard owner all inherit an equal portion of the vineyard. You can see how, after multiple generations, the vineyards get broken up into smaller and smaller portions- each person owning a few rows of vines. One example of this is the Clos de Vougeot- which has about 125 acres, owned by over 80 people. Each of these owners will make a wine called "Clos de Vougeot", but the quality and price can vary wildly.
Confused yet? Don't worry, it gets worse. For example, if you look at the label of a wine, how are you supposed to know if it is a Village, Premier Cru, or Grand Cru wine? Most of the time, it will say 1er cru, or grand cru on the label. That's your biggest hint. If it doesn't, look at the name. If there is a hyphen, then it's likely a Village wine. For example, the village of Chambolle-Musigny used to be called Chambolle, until they noticed that people were buying wine from their famous Le Musigny vineyard. At that time, they adopted the name of the vineyard, and hyphenated it. If a wine has a "le" or a "la" on it, it is likely a Premier or Grand Cru.
Enough confusion for today. Go out, and just start looking at Burgundy labels. They are really cool, and you will eventually start getting the hang of deciphering them.
Cheers!
I'm just going to give you the basics today. Over the next several Thursdays, I will go deeper- we will never get to the bottom of the subject, as you could fill a library with the amount of information in the world about Burgundy. Nonetheless, here we go-
Most wine geeks, if you ask them what wine they would choose to drink it only for the rest of their lives, would most likely say Burgundy. The romantic notion of palacial domaines, and $1000 bottles of red wine evoke emotion in anyone that is somewhat of a wine fan. In order to understand why simply the notion of Burgundy will bring a mist to the eye of a collector, one must understand the intricacies of the area.
In its simplest form, Burgundy is about two grapes, and the soil. All of the great red wines from the area are made from Pinot Noir, and all of the great white wines are made from Chardonnay. As for the soil, there is very little manipulation in the wines. Most of the wine makers simply make the wine, and let the terroir speak for itself.
Geography-wise, Burgundy is located on the eastern side of France, and is comprised of five major regions- Chablis, Cote d'Or, Cote Chalonnaise, Maconnais, and Beaujolais. I will address each of these regions in future weeks individually.
Wines in each of these regions are broken into increasingly smaller categories:
Bourgogne- Wines made from grapes sourced from anywhere in Burgundy
Villages- Wines made from the vineyards in and around a specific village
Premier Cru- Wines from a specific, very well rated vineyard
Grand Cru- Wines from the top rated vineyards in Burgundy
The ownership of the Domaines in the area is a bit different than in other areas of France. In Bordeaux, a Chateau consists essentially of the facility, and the vineyards around it. In Burgundy, the Domaine consists of small plots of several different vineyards that they own- most not directly around the actual facility. This is further complicated by the Napoleanic Code, which states that the children of a vineyard owner all inherit an equal portion of the vineyard. You can see how, after multiple generations, the vineyards get broken up into smaller and smaller portions- each person owning a few rows of vines. One example of this is the Clos de Vougeot- which has about 125 acres, owned by over 80 people. Each of these owners will make a wine called "Clos de Vougeot", but the quality and price can vary wildly.
Confused yet? Don't worry, it gets worse. For example, if you look at the label of a wine, how are you supposed to know if it is a Village, Premier Cru, or Grand Cru wine? Most of the time, it will say 1er cru, or grand cru on the label. That's your biggest hint. If it doesn't, look at the name. If there is a hyphen, then it's likely a Village wine. For example, the village of Chambolle-Musigny used to be called Chambolle, until they noticed that people were buying wine from their famous Le Musigny vineyard. At that time, they adopted the name of the vineyard, and hyphenated it. If a wine has a "le" or a "la" on it, it is likely a Premier or Grand Cru.
Enough confusion for today. Go out, and just start looking at Burgundy labels. They are really cool, and you will eventually start getting the hang of deciphering them.
Cheers!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Ninja Assassin
Due to lack of time, energy, and inspiration, this is going to be short.
Happy 30th Birthday to my dear friend Scott- the "guys" are getting together tonight to cook steaks, potatoes, creamed spinach, and a great bottle of red wine- I'm thinking Fisher Unity Cabernet, but time will tell. We will follow that by taking Scott to see the cinematic genius of Ninja Assassin. Nice.
Tonight we feast, tomorrow we learn more about French wine.
Cheers to all my readers- thank you again for your devotion!
Happy 30th Birthday to my dear friend Scott- the "guys" are getting together tonight to cook steaks, potatoes, creamed spinach, and a great bottle of red wine- I'm thinking Fisher Unity Cabernet, but time will tell. We will follow that by taking Scott to see the cinematic genius of Ninja Assassin. Nice.
Tonight we feast, tomorrow we learn more about French wine.
Cheers to all my readers- thank you again for your devotion!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Something to pair Champagne with
I found this recipe from the 19th century in England, and thought it would be something for a local chef (Gerard? Josh? Nashan?) to try:
The Monster Egg
Bread a dozen or two of eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. Tie the yolks in a pig's bladder, boil them hard, and remove them. In a larger pig's bladder, place the whites. Into the midst (Note- I love that the recipe uses the word "midst") of the whites, place the set yolks and tie the bladder tight. Boil the whole until the whites harden and then remove from the water. Serve the Monster Egg on a bed of spinach.
Sounds easy enough. Now someone cook the thing up, lets pop open some champagne and some orange juice, and go to town. I'll bring the bacon.
Cheers.
The Monster Egg
Bread a dozen or two of eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. Tie the yolks in a pig's bladder, boil them hard, and remove them. In a larger pig's bladder, place the whites. Into the midst (Note- I love that the recipe uses the word "midst") of the whites, place the set yolks and tie the bladder tight. Boil the whole until the whites harden and then remove from the water. Serve the Monster Egg on a bed of spinach.
Sounds easy enough. Now someone cook the thing up, lets pop open some champagne and some orange juice, and go to town. I'll bring the bacon.
Cheers.
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