DISQUS

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  • Milton · 1 year ago
    I don’t think additives are in the same boat as sugar, acidity, wood chips, etc. even though I can’t find a perfect technical reason for it. It’s more of a philosophic point of view. And sugar, acidity, wood chips are also additives!

    As for food I love to use only natural ingredients and master the use of them. Do you doubt that you can do food as tasty as the one processed with flavor or color enhancers? Maybe it requires more commitment from the cooker or winemaker.

    My idea of wine is what might be called “slow wine”. Toady wine is being made to taste all the same. I prefer a unique wine, a wine that is a product of specific local conditions and traditions.

    It might be a psychological thing but to me local food pairs better with local wine…
  • Dylan · 1 year ago
    I need more ADD posts such as these. The constant change of new information. I feel like I got my money's worth reading this (please, ignore the fact that I've read it for free and see the compliment I'm attempting to propose).

    As far as diketopiperazines go (yes, I copied and pasted it in fear of typing it myself). I don't know if using that term will be as important as the actual pairing with savory foods. That kind of promotion, given to the right community (chef and cooking community) will likely take advantage of this factor if they haven't already. You would even have the potential of prix fixe meals doing Sherry Pairings with the more savory dishes.

    +1 for Sherry.
  • Patti Anderson · 1 year ago
    Love the "On the Road" series as it airs on Sundays at 6:00 pm on PBS in Minnesota. I really enjoy Mark Bitteman who has his own show and writes for the NY Times. He makes difficult recipes into easy to prepare ones. Bitteman loves Spain and has visited it often talking about their wonderful Market In Barcelona (which I think is one of the best in the world!)...and their wonderful wines. Am looking forward to the Sunday series....lovely scenery also included.
  • Arch Bell · 1 year ago
    I live in Austin, TX and "On The Road" comes on every Friday night. Unfortunately I missed the first episode last week but I believe this week they are in Galicia which will be fun to see. Gwyneth Paltrow actually study abroad in Spain when she was a teenager and has always had a 'carino' for the country dating way back. I'm willing to bet her enthusiasm in this series which will make it better.
  • Hank · 1 year ago
    Thanks for the hat tip -- if you look at my latest post, I am indeed making a "slow wine" with some El Dorado County Mourvedre (Monastrell) grapes.

    As to the additives thing, if I am on my own "estate" and can watch my grapes day by day until they are precisely ready, then get a crew (friends, family, etc) out to pick and crush, then I would not really need to add much beyond a little sulfite and yeast. And don't get me started on those who look down their noses at *those* additions...

    The other additives are there to fix flaws in a wine. Every winemaker will do this within his or her own personal boundaries. At what point does tinkering become full-on engineering? There are mass-market wines specifically engineered to have the same flavor profiles as very expensive wines; California cabernet is notorious for this. I say that's too much.

    But adding a little tannin? An enzyme to get me a bit more color? Those additions bring more out of these particular grapes -- they heighten terroir and what goodness is within, IMHO. Think of them like thyme or salt: Both add more to the finished dish than just their own flavors.

    Anyhoo, that's my $0.02.