Pretentious Salad: O, Texasbaum

Friday, December 12, 2008

O, Texasbaum

Here is our Christmas tree for 2008. Thanks to Beth for reminding me our identical cameras have a "night" setting. I have pretty much stuck to basic picture taking, only changing the dial for an occasional 2 minute movie. Boy, do I feel sheepish.

Still, nothing takes place of being there. Christmas trees and fireworks just don't photograph like their true selves.

(NB: no fireworks were used in our Christmas decorating this year.)

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Enhancing the Experience

It's a cruel twist of nature that nothing will make a bad wine good and plenty of things can make a good wine bad. These are some things I (Sean) have learned to enhance the enjoyment of a decent wine.

Temperature is as important as it is misunderstood, particularly with reds. The usual rule for reds is "room temperature", but that was translated from the [pick your European language and insert here]. Room temp on the continent is somewhat cooler than in the U.S. and therefore, since our cellar consists of shelf space in various closets around the apartment, we arrive at the 65-68⁰F by putting a red in the fridge for a while. Usually we chill it for hours and take it out an hour ahead; vary the formula as you see fit. Also, see below for a further tip that will impact temperature. Just don't suffer through a warm bottle of red wine. It pains me and you won't like it, either. As for whites, we put them in the fridge a couple hours and go, or in an ice bucket (filled with water and ice to maximize contact with the cold) for 30 minutes or so. Whites can handle a little experimentation with temperature, so pay attention to how you like various wines at various temps. Sometimes we take a cold bottle of some white wine out of the bucket and just leave it on the table if we like it to warm slightly over a short period.

Speaking of suffering, Karen suffers my "clean glass" obsession with great patience. I have been known to wash the glass to store it, wash it again before using it, possibly twice if I detect any problems, and she's so indulgent with me that she got me the coolest microfiber finishing cloth (from Riedel, maker of those fun but ultimately non-wine-glass stemless stemware). I just believe wine is a beautiful thing for the eyes as well as other senses and it kills me to look and drink through spots and watermarks.

Our glasses are Schott Zwiesel. We have a couple for white and a couple for red, essentially the same shape but different sizes.

Don't fill the glass. You want to be able to tilt and swirl (yeah, we ooh and aah over the color and hold it to the light [sunlight if possible]) and put your nose in it without drowning (see my picture for why this is important). I also find it rushed and unnecessary to pour more than a couple ounces at a time -- our rule of thumb is "to the point on the glass where it begins to taper toward the top". We often have several courses and the smaller pour allows us to keep pace with the meal without guzzling. Also, you get more control over temperature by going slow. Whites don't warm up too much and reds, if too cool in the bottle, can be warmed by cupping the bowl of the glass in hand.

Wines We Love, Wines We Hate

ROSE
Give Rose a try. Find the nice and dry-ish ones, not the ones with BartlesnJames on it.

2006 Turkey Flat Vineyards Rose (Grenache, Shiraz, Cab and Dolcetto): This was the prettiest wine we have ever seen, and also one of the tastiest. It was hard to find, so try mail order sources. About $16.00? We would actually buy a case of this one, its so yummy.

2005 Marques de Caceres (Rioja): Very accessible and great value. Remember, there is hardly anything you would eat in the summer that a Rose wouldn't complement.

2005 Castello di Ama Toscano Rosato: Not a great Rose, so we include it as a public service. Save your money for the better ones.

2005 La Brasserie Rose: This was the best value we've ever had in a Rose. Under $7, and very tasty. Nice and dry, crisp, strawberry. Works with a variety of dishes, like seared ahi tuna. We would buy a case of this, and that's saying a lot. We have only found it at Sherry-Lehman in NY (online purchasing).

SPARKLING WINE
Includes Champagne, as well as domestic and other international sparkling wines.

2006? Gruet Brut: I was shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, when I tasted this one. I haven't been a Brut fan in my past (KK), but this one was so delicious. I can't even remember what we ate with it, but sparkling wine goes with anything. This winery is in Albuqueque, NM of all places, about $15. Buy several.

Friday, December 12, 2008

O, Texasbaum

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