Good Morning!

OK so the title is fun…I think I just like using the word lover, it sounds so international. Like a spring affair while in Paris or the summer in Spain while backpacking, either way, there is something kinda wonderful about getting reconnected to something familiar. Last night, we ate at The Palms, you know the place that started in NYC and all the celebs go there and get their face on the wall. Well there are many across the country now and most major cities has one. They started out as an Italian place and really it is a steakhouse and high end seafood type of place (think Morton’s or Ruth Chris with more Hollywood or NYC flare to it).

We had no idea we were going there and neither of us had ever been to one but someone mixed up the day were we to actually attend a memorial service and we were a night early, so we figured we would have dinner out and relax. My partner in dining crime was not feeling the place I wanted to go and then we saw this cute little place with cafe tables outside and we said, Let’s try it. We walked in and the Spurs game was on in the bar and the host seated us at a booth where we could watch the score without putting on our readers!

The place looked very nice and I said this is gonna cost us. And then replied to myself, when is eating with me ever cheap? As soon as they handed us the wine list and I saw all the big ass California reds on the list I knew what kinda night it would be. This is the kinda place where I used to take clients to and let them pick out the wine and just prepped my speech to my boss on way my expense account was so out of line with “company” standards.

My pal says, can I pick the wine? This is always what people ask me to do, so I am thrilled when someone else offers to take over. I handed her the list and said I am having NY Strip as rare as they can make it without it still mooing. She said, I don’t care, I am gonna order what I want to try. I think that is awesome…I would have high fived her there, but the dudes in suits closing up deals made me watch my manners more than normal.

So the wine comes out and she had ordered the Northstar 2007 Merlot from Washington state. I love Washington State Merlots and I love that when it is 95 degrees outside there are other red options besides Pinot Noir (but I love my Pinots as well). My friend says, I like how fruity this tastes, she i not in the wine biz but knows what she likes. She said this is not as heavy as some of the cabs and I did not feel like being weighed down. I swrilled my wine and took in a deep sniff and remembered how much I have missed merlots in general. I then started going all wine foolish in my head and taking notes on the wine. I love that I can instantly tell a Napa or Sonoma Merlot from a Washington Merlot. I loved how lively this wine was. I loved how it still tasted really young and fresh, while being balanced and full bodied without the heaviness of some Merlots. I loved how I had forgotten my love of these wines and how today, I was search in my cellar to find more Washington Merlot. If you have not tried a Washington Merlot, what you will find is a ruby red color, a clean, balanced cherry aroma and in the mouth a lighter and very smooth almost more “slick” feeling than you will a Merlot from CA. Look for them, try them and write to me and tell me about your experience!

I remember how much I enjoyed their Merlot and I have a feeling I will be on a steak and Merlot kick again this weekend!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning,

Last weekend we went to a sporting event and they served wine and my pal bought me a big glass of white wine. It was served in a clear plastic cup and they filled the glass to the very top. Those of you who enjoy a great bottle of wine, well, you already know where this is going. I took the glass and said thank you for thinking of me. I took a sip so the glass would not spill since it was sloshing around and I was not going to be a fan of the insects swarming my hands.

When I swallowed, I thought, WOW, this would make an amazing marinate, cause it makes a crappy wine. But my friend was so happy he looked at me and ask, How’s the wine? I was not about to kill his good time by saying you just threw away 10 bucks so I said it’s fine and we watched the ball sail through the hoop. After a while he was headed to grab another beer and said you want another wine? I said , I’m good. I slowly sipped the wine and started to think of all the things I could do with this wine to make it better.

Here is my list:

I have a barrel at home with Balsamic Vinegar in it, I could add the wine to it and it might fit right in.

I thought I could boil this wine and throw in some potatoes and make a super fancy potato salad like Ina Gartner would make.

I was thinking I could blend the acidic wine with a really, really oaky chardonnay and make a great balanced wine.

I thought about making class and using the wine to finish them off, with a squeeze of lemon.

I thought if I had a really creamy cheese like a brie or Gorgonzola I could pair them and they would be total opposites and they might work perfectly.

I thought if I had a sore throat I could gargle with it, it felt so high in alcohol, that might force the infection outta my throat.

I knew I could use this to clean my silver….I might be kidding about this one.

I could find a person on the street that is holding one of those signs that says will work for booze and hand it over.

But my biggest complaint is they serve crappy bulk wine at the Field house…or is my bigger complaint really that I am not seated in one of those really awesome suites where the celebs and players’ family are drinking up the good stuff?

I can not complain, I got to see the game for free and my team won and I got a free glass of wine!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

I just had an interesting conversation with an elderly woman at the grocery store, she and I were standing in the same row of the wine section and she was talking out loud to herself and I heard her say, this used to be easy, now there are too many wines. I looked up and smiled and said, do you need some help finding a wine? She ask if I worked there, I said, no, but I am kinda familiar with a lot of these wines and if you want I could help you.

She went off on a tangent about how “back in the day” she could come in and get a bottle of red or white and that was the end of the decisions. She then went off about if you go to the wine shop, they have the expensive “fancy” wines and she thinks french wines taste like dirt. She also said the Texas wines she has tried are not good to her. She said, I used to like that Mondavi red and the Chardonnay made by the Toasted Head guys (you know the one with the bear on the label). She said she sees no reason to spend more than 11.00 on a bottle of wine. Then after going off about all the choices and trying to help the american economy by buying only wines from the US, but the state of California needs to get control of those liberal hippies out there (Hahahaha). She grabbed two bottles of whatever was on the end cap and headed to the produce section. I felt used….She just needed someone to rail on today (that’s how I chose to look at the conversation that transpired).

So, I took a deep breath and thought about what she had just told me. I will keep in mind that she was probably about 80 years old and likes a glass of wine every night so she can sleep a little better. If you think about what has changed in the wine industry since she started sipping Carl Rossi’s jug wine back when she was 30 years old. The California wine industry went through a revolution and to the average wine drinker this was all overwhelming. I am sure she is not even aware of the grape varietals she has been consuming. I am also sure most of her buying decisions came from what she has drank in the past.

I did not really start drinking wine until I was in my mid 30’s and I still learn something every time I buy or drink wine. If you buy from the labels you recognize or if you understand what regions grapes are grown or if you at least understand what varietals you enjoy, you can start to navigate the rows of the big box superstores. I just got a huge kick from the woman’s rant and I could honestly hear so many people I know that just want to drink a reliable and enjoyable wine without spending much money.

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

I received an email asking me about corkscrews and other wine openers and asking what do I use to open my wine. I have used just about anything to get my wines opened. I have even watched the youtube video that shows the guy who puts his wine in his shoe and then whacks the shoe on the side of a wall to eventually have the cork stick out the end of the bottle and then you can grab the cork and pull it out. (We tried this once and yes it worked but it shook the wine so much, it had to relax for quite sometime before we drank it). But that being said, it does work and I figure if you need to open a bottle and have to use this method, you do not care about waiting for the wine to calm down.

I have been given all kinds of openers over the years and I love anything that helps me get to my wine the easist but I do have my favorite. There are 4 major types of wine openers and the most traditional is the corkscrew and it will have some sort of transverse handle and a pointy metal tip on the end of a spiral or screw. The corkscrew is normally offset to create leverage on the helix.

Fine wines normally have about a 2 inch cork so you really need to have a corkscrew that will penetrate at least 1.5 inches into the cork. If you have an older bottle of wine, go all the way through to the bottom of the cork, and pull up slowly, these corks can be fragile and and can be prone to breaking off. (It’s not a tragedy if the cork breaks, but it will also not make your day).

The 4 common openers are Waiter’s Corkscrew, Winged Corkscrew, Ah-So and Screwpull. Their are versions of these now that have been automated and some new ones that have a needle that you would pierce the cork and push through the cork and then the canister will force air into the bottle and it will force the cork out of the bottle. I have seen in many restaurants that a bar mounted corkscrews that are made of brass and they are impressive looking and I am sure when the orders are stacking up, the server can open bottles quickly.

Waiter’s Corkscrew is a small, classic corkscrew that contains a worm, a knife and a lever that also has a bottle opener. All of these fold up and it is kinda like a pocket knife. It is easy to use, you would insert the worm slightly off center and screw it all the way into the cork. Prop the lever against the bottle rim and pull straight upwards, easing the cork out. (This is my personal fav…I have one in my purse, in my car and my travel make-up bag).

Winged Corkscrew this style has a center worm, with a winglike lever on each side. (When I first started drinking wine, this was my favorite opener). To operate, simply place the mouth of the corkscrew over the bottle’s lip and turn the center handle until the worm is fully inserted in the cork. As you are turning the handle the lever’s on each side will raise upwards. Then pushing downward on the wing levers the cork will easily lift out of the bottle. (This corkscrew feels very sturdy and because the bottle stays flat on the table).

Ah-So, this is also called the butler’s friend and this is a cork puller as opposed to a corkscrew. It is two flat metal prongs attached to the handle. (This is my least favorite opener, I find it works great, but it takes me forever, I have used it 4-5 times and if I used it more, I am sure I would get better at using it). The prongs are pushed down between the inside of the bottle and the sides of the cork, then the device is pulled and turned at the same time until the cork slides out of the bottle.

Screwpull, This was invented by an engineer named Herbert Allen and this corkscrew is practically infallible and easy to use. You might have seen this advertised at a “Rabbit”. I love mine, I find it to be one of the best things to give as a gift for the wine drinker. The screwpull lever model is a sort of rack and pinion gear mechanism. You place the opener over the bottle, then with one hand you hold the grip to tighten the hold on the bottle and with your other hand you just pull the lever over the opening. Two moves and the bottle is open, it is really effortless and the worm pulls the cork out. Really easy and clean cork removal for most all corks.

Of course there will be corks that will put uo a fight and their will be corks that are damaged or have issues in the bottle, but any or all of this openers will work very well.

I hope this helps you find the perfect opener.

Thanks and Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

First of all, thank you for all your notes asking where have I been! I took a couple weeks off from blogging to focus on a project and I finished up last week and I now I have all new stories to share with you. I hope you all have been trying some new wines and I will start addressing your questions tomorrow in my “daily” blogs.

I meet a lot of people via the internet, I try to meet them for all different reasons, mostly because I think we all have so much in common and I’d like to hear everyone’s story. But a few weeks ago, I met a Texas winemaker and he and I hit it off and I said if you ever need a hand let me know, I’d be glad to give you a hand. He was blending and bottling and I went to help him.

When I found his place it was part warehouse/barn and he makes about 4000 cases a year and he grows his own vineyard and is growing his own grapes, which is quite ambishish. It is hot in Texas and the type of wine grapes that should be grown here are not the normal Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. They have really long, humid days and the sun can be so intense, the grapes get ripe quickly but the sugars do not mature like they really should to make a smooth (meaning mouthfeel) in the wine. The wine can taste “thin” and almost rough in texture/mouthfeel.

So as we were working and setting things up to bottle, we tasted the wine. I was a little taken back by the almost abrasive feeling in my mouth. The wine had a nice aroma and the finish was a decent length. I said to him, this might be the most unique mouthfeel I have ever tried. He said we need to add Glycerine. I said, I have never added it, what will it do. He said it will make the wine feel like velvet. He goes and gets this clear liquid and he dumps it in the vat and stirs and hands me a sample. It was 100% smoother, I was taken aback.

When I make wine, I try to never add anything…I even mostly use natural yeast and as we were discussing the things he adds to his wines, he had an entire list. He said, the weather here can produce grapes in certain years that you do not need to add a thing, last year was a terrible drought and I can just about throw in everything but the kitchen sink.

So, I had to do some research and teach myself all about glycerine it is also known as glycerol, what is might remind you of is in cooking there is simple syrup (combo of equal ratios of water and sugar, boiled together and after it cools, it’s a sort of sugar water) But glycerine is actually a byproduct of the fermentation process. Some grape varietals will create more glycerine than others. If you think about super velvety wines like Pinot Noir it creates a very smooth texture.

Glycerine is a clear and odorless product that as a winemaker you can buy to add to your wines to adjust the overall mouthfeel of the wines. It will give the wine more body and taste richer and more viscous in general.

So, I learned a few things that day and I wanted to share with you my newly acquired knowledge!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi