WineWiki

According to an article in the LA Times, “Red Wine Ingredient Linked to Mice Longevity“, a chemical in red wine called resveratrol has life-prolonging effects.

Sounds very promising.  Of course the equivalent human dose as what they gave the obese mice  would be around 20 bottles a day. 

Better loosen up that corkscrew!!

Technorati Tags: Wine, health, Red Wine

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A wine that I was introduced to by Steve Day has turned out to be one of my favorite dinner wines. It’s Gabbiano an Italian Chianti. The vintage I have had so far has been the 2004 and at @ $7.00 a bottle it’s a great value!

From what I understand it used to sell for considerably more. But I am happy to get it at the current price.

I have enjoyed it with everything from Chicken to Hamburgers and just on it’s own. Give it a try, I have always been able to find it at Total Wines, and it often shows up at Harris-Teeters as well.

Bobster

Choosing a wine, especially one I am going to take to someone else, is always a less than enjoyable experience for me. So I have come up with a solution.

I don’t choose one. (or two, or three). I find someone I respect in an establishment I respect and set a price range and describe the event and let them choose!

Works like a champ. And best of all, if it turns out to be horrible, I can blame the ‘other’ guy!

Seriously, choosing wines has always been a mystery for me. As a life long smoker, my palette cannot distinguish the nuances others can. So tastings are essentially wasted on me. I know as a rule, for reds I tend to like Merlot’s and some Pinot Noir’s. For whites I tend to choose Californian or Chiliean Chardonnay’s or Italian Pinot Grigio’s.

I know that I have never had a Rose that I liked, nor any of the sweet German wines. However after reading Ken’s post on ‘Pinks’ I may ask him for a suggestion of a dry Rose to try. I do know that I really enjoy what others describe as ’smokey’ reds. But if there is a hint of smoke in there I can’t tell. It just tastes good!!!!

Wine is something I really do enjoy, it’s just not something I am qualified to pass judgement on for others. So my future posts will be about wines I have had and liked, and equally as important ones that did not make the grade. But take my postings for what they are. My own, uneducated, and unprofessional opinions.

 Happy Drinking!

 Bob Porter

Originally posted on Rants and Raves, May 22, 2006

• 1 (7oz) package spaghetti - salted, cooked, and drained
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 2 1/2 T all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 (10oz) jar diced pimento
• 1/8 t garlic powder
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (or water)
• 1 (4oz) can sliced mushrooms drained
• 4 chicken breasts halves - cooked & cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 cups (12oz) shredded processed american cheese (or use a mixture of Monteray Jack, cheddar, and American)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Combine butter and green pepper in a sauce pan & saute. Add flour, and stir well. Stir in next 6 ingredients and 2 cups of shredded cheese. Heat thoroughly, stirring constantly.

Add the cooked spaghetti and stir to combine. Transfer to your Dutch Oven. Sprinkle remaining cheese over casserole. Top with almonds. Cover and bake on 300 for 45 minutes.

I doubled everything except the cheese. Used about 3-4 cups total. Baked using 8-10 coals on the bottom and 14-16 on top. Baked for about an hour, until nicely browned and bubbling.
Great Success!!

Originally posted on Rants and Raves, May 18, 2006

Maybe a better title is “What Can’t You Cook In A Dutch Oven”.

Many who are in Boy Scouts know that you can make a tasty cobbler in a dutch oven. All it takes is 2 cans of pie-filling (your choice), a boxed cake mix (your choice) and a little butter. Dump the pie-filling in, cover with the dry cake mix, place a few pats of butter on top and you are ready for the coals. I’ve had apple with yellow and spice cake. Cherry with devil’s food is good. Raspberry with devil’s food is even better.

You can cook beef stew, chili or soup. I made the Grand Prize winning Seafood Jambalaya from Scouting Magazine’s Campfire Cuisine contest. I have made my own Chicken Chili Verde.

You do not have to stick to “Dutch Oven” recipes. Oh no!! You can cook almost anything!! I adapted my Mom’s Buttermilk Pound Cake recipe and it turned out great. OK, I didn’t adapt the recipe. I adapted the dutch oven. I cut the top off of a soda can and used it to make the dutch oven into a tube pan. Worked like a charm.

This weekend, I am off on another Scout camping trip. I am planning to fix Cheesy Chicken Tetrazzini in the dutch oven. Should be good……..

Originally posted on Rants and Raves April 17, 2006

Over the Easter weekend, Slee and I hosted an Easter cookout. This was the second time that we have invited friends over for roasted Leg of Lamb, wine and fellowship.

This time we had a friend, Thornton, offer to bring a Vertical tasting of Paraduxx. How could we refuse????

Here is a little history of Paraduxx. Paraduxx is blended California red wine. The Winery is Duckhorn Wine Company, located in Napa Valley. Paraduxx is their proprietary red blend. From their website, they explain….

Paraduxx is a unique Napa Valley Red Wine in the tradition of the world’s great blends. From the Super Tuscan wines of Italy to the Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon blends of Australia, each great winegrowing region has created its own authentic varietal pairings. Paraduxx’s goal is to craft a world-class blend with a distinctly Californian personality by using Zinfandel, a grape synonymous with California, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

So, the two wines that are in each vintage is Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The vintages that Thornton brought were the 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001. He would have brought the 2000, but he only had a Magnum and we did not need that much for our guests. After all, most brought a bottle to share…..

The 1997 is 65% Zinfandel and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon with a recommendation to drink now to 2008. It tasted of cherry and chocolate. Rich and drinkable. You could definitely taste the Zinfandel influence.

The 1998 is 65% Zinfandel, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot with a recommendation to drink now to 2007. At first it seemed closed, as if it needed to breathe more. The fruit was definitely there, but so were the tanins. A little time in the decanter and it opened up. There was even more cherry than in the ‘97.

The 1999 is 60% Zinfandel and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon with a recommendation to drink now to 2009. Lots of fruit, mainly berries. Raspberry, cherry, currants. Still some good tanins which give it a good finish. This was lovely with the lamb.

The 2001 is 70% Zinfandel and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon with a recommendation to drink now to 2010. Like the ‘99, the 2001 was rich in fruit. Lots of cherry, dried cherry. Paired with the lamb, it was out of this world. Good structure and a long finish.

I would recommend any of these wines for any occasion. But if you are having lamb or game, they rock!! The jamminess of the Zinfandel which matches so well with game, paired with the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon is a great combination. The winemaker has been able to get a blend that remains true. That is you can recognize the wine from year to year. The core taste and value is there in each vintage with some distinction each year. This is not some mass marketed blend designed to be the exact same year in and year out. It is artistically crafted each year, adding just the varietals required to get the depth and palette that can be indentified as Paraduxx.

Thanks, Thorton for sharing with us… and maybe next time we will try with rabbit, venison or maybe even duck.

Originally posted on WineWiki, 02/07/2006

Do you remember the Pink Wines? You know the White Zinfadel and Grenche. Sweet, almost cloying wines. The wines that people love to hate, now. I’ve heard the snickers and seen the smirks. What self-respecting wine lover would ever drink pink wine?
But Pink Wines are making a come back. No, not the white zins, but the Dry Rose’. I have enjoyed dry Rose’ wine for many years. Often enduring the misguided snickers and disdain of the misinformed. But I now see that there are more Rose’ in the stores.

A misunderstood wine, the Rose’ can be sweet but usually is dry. I have had some that were “bone dry�, crisp and refreshing ice-cold. Lovely as an Apertif or with grilled seafood. Some of the best were Tavel from Rhone. When I suggested Rose’ for some wine friends, I got the “Pink Wine� look and questions. Isn’t it sweet? How can you drink it? But when I finally convinced them to try it, they were hooked. Now, they are always looking for a new Rose’. And I can’t blame them.

There are some really good new Rose’ out there. Winemakers are working on varietal Rose’. I’ve seen Barbera Rose’ and Shiraz Rose’. Both fruity but not sweet. While not as dry and crisp and the Tavel Rose’, still very good with seafood and served ice-cold.

I think that is what is appealing about dry Rose’. It can be served ice-cold. It is dry, crisp and refreshing. It makes a perfect summer wine. During the summer here in the Raleigh, NC area, I attend summer outdoor concerts with a group of friends. As is typical with these outdoor concerts, we bring a picnic to share. There is almost always 1 or 2 bottles of Rose’. It is so refreshing!! And it goes with almost all picnic food. Of course, we all have to try and out do everyone else with the food, so we get some high end food, not the typical fried chicken.

With the summer approaching, I for one am glad to see the Pink Wines. It is time for me to stock up on my favorites and seek out some new offerings. My favorite has been and continues to be the Tavel Rose’ Canto Perdrix.

So, if you haven’t tried a Pink Wine recently, don’t hesitate. You may be surprised!

Originally posted on WineWiki, 01/30/2006

What makes a wine into an “every day� wine? Is it price, drinkability, quality (or lack of) or is it the ability to go with lots of different foods? I don’t know. Perhaps it is a combination of all these traits.

Here are some of my criteria for an “every day� wine.

1. Price - My current price point for an “every day� wine is under $10/bottle. I enjoy searching for bargains.
2. Drinkability - Is always a top concern. A bottle of wine for $2/bottle that tastes like swill is the same as a bottle for $100 that tastes like swill. I won’t drink either one.
3. Quality - This goes right along with Drinkability. Besides being drinkable, I like my wines to have some character, some depth of flavor. Just because a wine is drinkable doesn’t mean it is good.
4. Flexibility - Because I don’t eat the same thing every day, I want a wine that is able to adapt to a variety of foods. Of course, I like to have some variety in my “every day� wines too.

My Every Day Wines

I’m not going to mention any by name; instead, I’ll talk about varieties and types.

For an every day red, I usually go with something a little fruity. Maybe a Pinot Noir or a Shiraz. Pinots go well with a large variety of foods and can be enjoyed alone. The Shiraz goes well with red meats and spicy foods, which I really like. (Some time I’ll have to tell you about my Habenero Vodka.) I’m not talking about the really big Shirazes. The big ones wouldn’t meet my price criteria. Of course, they aren’t as flexible either. I’m not a fan of Merlot, at least not the run of the mill Merlots. I have had some excellent Merlot. And I usually describe them as “This doesn’t taste like a Merlot�. Most of the Merlot I have tried in my every day price range, I didn’t like.

For an every day white, I usually go with a Pinot Grigio or other Italian white. They are reasonably priced and go with a variety of foods. I also like Sauvinon Blanc, its typical crispness is great with grilled foods. It is also good alone. I don’t usually like the Chardonnay at this price. It seems to be too “oaky� for me. I’m not a fan of that big buttery taste.

Of course, as usual, this is just my opinion.

Ken - Drink what you like and like what you drink!

Originally written on WineWiki.com May 9,2005……

This past weekend, I had the pleasure to sample 2 fairly mature wines. A 1989 Chimney Rock Cab and a 1983 Chateau Palmer Bordeaux, both excellent wines. I don’t often get the chance to enjoy mature wines. And to be able to have 2 in one weekend was a real treat.

Let me start with the 89 Chimney Rock Cab. We decanted at 5:00 PM for our dinner which was to be at 8:30. After about 9 hours in the decanter, the wine still had a tannic aroma, a little harsh and astringent. We were worried that the wine may have gone past prime. A quick taste revealed that there was still some fruit. And if anything the wine probably needed to open up and breathe a little more. We went ahead and poured glasses, sloshing it about some to air it. It was unbelievable. It only took about 10 minutes in the glass to really open up. Gone were the tannic overtones. The fruit came forward and there was still quite a bit of fruit left. This wine had not aged too long!! Neither had it suffered from poor storage. Someone commented on it having lost some color, but that was to be expected after 15 years. It was a very smooth drinking wine which paired well with the pork tenderloin. All together a lovely experience.

The 1983 Chateau Palmer was a completely different creature. Again, we opened it around 11:00 for a 8:00 dinner. We were planning steaks with it. On opening the cork nearly crumbled but I was able to extract it intact. There was very little lees in the bottle. The wine had very little aroma in the decanter. We were on pins and needles, concerned again that it may not have survived storage. Dinner arrived and it was time to sample the wine. The nose in the glass was pleasant. You could smell the fruit. There was no tannic or astingent quality at all. The color was still a deep ruby/garnet. A quick sip. Nothing harsh here. If I thought the 89 Chimney Rock was smooth, it was only because I had it before the 83 Bordeaux. This was liquid velvet!! So rich, so smooth!!!

Looking back on the weekend, I realize that the anticipation, the excitement of waiting on those wines to unfold, was as entertaining as actually drinking them. To see and experience the magic that can occur over time is a wonderful thing. Patience is a virtue.

Many of today’s wines are crafted to drink now. And that is no bad thing. But if you get the opportunity to lay down some really structured wines, do so. And then wait 10-20 years. The wait is worth it.

Ken - Drink what you like, and like what you drink!

It is with joy that I report that winewiki.com has been reborn.

WineWiki was a great idea that just didn’t make it as originally envisioned. It was supposed to be a place for anyone to share a wine review. Wine reviews for the everyday person. Unfortunately, no one would post reviews. I had several people sign up, but they never posted.

But, rebirth has occurred. I have parked and redirected winewiki.com to spryken.com. Winewiki will now be my blog for both wine and food.

Life goes on…..

I am moving my Wine Rambles to this site. I must admit, that the experiment has expanded my horizons. I have learned more about wiki’s, php and blogging.

Stay tuned…..Wine Rambles to follow……