This important discovery just in from the French: Bubbles in Champagne are excited by bubble-formation hot spots located in hollow cellulose fibers such as those found in cloth and textiles, including wool. These bubble "nucleation" sites are responsible for creating the bubble strains that course up your Champagne flute in animated streams. The more cellulose pockets in a stray fiber, the more animated the bubbly "regime," as the French dubbed it, will be.

This all led Sharon Begley, a WSJ writer who recently reported in on the subject, to recommend that readers leave Champagne flutes out prior to pouring so that stray fibers from guests' clothing can waft into them. The subsequent bubbling "regimes," which can last from seconds to minutes, will be much improved, she reasons, if stoked by the occasional stray fiber or two that may settle into the glass courtesy of your coworker's fuzzy wool cowl neck.

Now, I probably ought to add here that Begley also quite reasonably suggests that the same effect can be achieved with much less waiting around time by toweling off the glasses before your party. However you do it - depositing the fibers in the glasses yourself courtesy of a towel or waiting patiently for your guests' clothing to do the trick - getting some extra fibers in your flutes should definitely improve your bubble watching experience.

The Frenchies, who reported on the topic lately in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, closely examined the bubbling regimes of Champagne from esteemed producers Moet & Pommery (helLO they've got a great job!) before reporting that the magnitude and duration of bubble streams are directly related to the number and size of gas pockets inside the fibers. Basically, the more pockets, the more combinations of bubbles you get: triplets, quads, and so on - up to a whopping 12 bubbles at a time!

Right before the pocket gives up (meaning its gas has been used up by the bubbs), the bubbles settle into a single stream of slowly rising soldiers, which is your cue that the show's over and it's time to knock the good stuff back.

Posted by Courtney at 09:04 PM • Comments (2)

I've got to thank my buddy Rick Dobbs over at The Mixologist blog for bringing something to my attention that has great bearing on the lives of hip cocktailers concerned with keeping their waistlines trim enough to fit into the latest Marc Jacobs creation. The University of Rochester, gravely concerned with the measurements of weight-conscious drinkers across the land, recently released a listing of the calorie content in many of the alcoholic drinks we enjoy regularly, including your average glass of red wine (70 cals), rose (just 62) and dozens of brands of beer such as Amstel Light (99) and Dos Equis XX Special Lager (156). The most caloric cocktail registered a whopping 789 calories (Long Island, baby) while a Margarita registered a still-high-but-not-quite-so-shockingly-fattening 300.

The groundbreaking study, which will certainly herald clarity in cocktail consumption for countless revelers, also includes a technical definition of the term "beer belly" and states, in crystal clear bullets, the bottom line when it comes to booze and the waistline: "Simply put, alcohol reduces the amount of fat the body burns for energy."

Mon dieu. But at least stylish cocktail denizens across the land are now armed and fabulously prepared to at least moderate their booze intake, utilizing, perhaps, one of the University of Rochester's insightful tips such as "Substitute your "alcopop" for a shot of spirit and a low calorie mixer - about a quarter of the calories!" (Verbatim.)

Cheers.

Posted by Courtney at 09:02 PM • Comments (2)

I'm currently enjoying a pretty wine from Germany's northerly Ahr region (sorry for the silly title; just be glad I didn't go with the pirate thing), where a unique strain of Pinot Noir called Fruhburgunder makes mega light reds that have been compared to light Burgundies. I actually find this one more similar to a Beaujolais Villages, but no matter: it's always a treat to find a wine I've never tried before, and it's even better when it's surprisingly tasty.

Not your everyday red
Meyer-Nakel is the producer of this rather simple but good drink, and I'm currently enjoying it while puzzling through the chapter in my soon-to-be-published-book about Grape Varieties. Because the Hip Tastes book will be for the wine novice, I'll in all likelihood not be including a profile on Fruhburgunder. So instead, I'm jotting my thoughts and tasting notes on the stuff here, where I can write whatever I want, no matter how "out there" the stuff may be.

But before the notes, a few words on the Ahr: Germany's most northerly wine growing district, the Ahr is climatically extreme for wine grape growing and produces, surprisingly, mostly red wine. In a country known for making boatloads of mostly white wine at varying quality levels (but don't you bag on my Mosel Riesling!), Germany is the last place that comes to mind when I think red. But, against all odds, here's the Fruh. ** Quick trivia: Pinot is actually called Spatburgunder in Germany.

A Question of Taste
This wine has a little bit of syrupy sweetness on the finish from (I'm guessing) the oak that's rather clumsy, in my opinion, but otherwise it's overall a pleasant, will o' the wisp sort of red. It's pale ruby in color with an extraordinarily light pink-orange rim and packs aromas of powdered sugar-coated raspberries, clove, orange rind, hazelnut and brown sugar. Its light body is reminiscent of a Beaujolais villages, as I mentioned earlier, and it has moderate acidity and low tannin underpinned by flavors of cinnamon stick, cranberry juice, dried cherries and mocha.

I'd score it an 82 or 3 out of 5 stars, depending on which of those systems floats your boat. A fun diversion from the livre, best of all.

Get some Fruhburgunder

Posted by Courtney at 06:55 PM • Comments (0)

Avignon may sound like a sleepy town, but there's actually a very cool sub culture there that I was happy to discover with my tasting companion, ole JC, this past summer in Provence. In my reviews of that trip here on the blog I spent a ton of time talking about the vineyards of Bordeaux and the Rhone, but I didn't cover as much of the other side of things - everyday life - that we thoroughly enjoyed in those areas. Here's an initial taste of that, courtesy of a gnarled old grape vine left out on someone's porch on a side street in Avignon, presumably to be taken away with the next morning's trash. The graffiti was a nice touch, I thought.

Posted by Courtney at 09:52 AM • Comments (0)

Word has it that global warming has finally hit the wine scene in a major way. According to a report in respected British wine pub Decanter earlier this month, ice wine - the fabulously expensive dessert wine made from frozen grapes - won't even be produced in much of the world due to unseasonably warm temperatures.

'All hope is lost' is how Ernst Buscher of the German Wine Institute frankly put it to Decanter.

He went on to explain that, because much of wine grape growing Germany hasn't experience enough of the requisite low temperature of about 18 degrees Fahrenheit (or lower) this winter they simply can't make the stuff. He then compared the languishing un-frozen grapes on the vine to food left in a broken refrigerator. Eek - I must say a poignant (and scary) comparison.

On the other hand, Canada's Okanagan Valley - another prime spot for IceWine production, as they call it, had a banner year. Producers there did note, however, that the past few years in this area near Vancouver, BC have shown other signs of global warming, such as migratory animals sticking around longer and increased plantings of Pinot Noir, a grape variety generally held to be unfit for such cool temps.

Because most of the wine growing regions of the world are concentrated inside what I like to call the "wine friendly" bands situated between 30 and 50 degrees latitude north and south of the equator, this brings up yet another interesting question. With the onset of global warming, are we going to see the regions of vine suitability extending...upward? Logic would seem to say yes. The reason that grapes traditionally haven't done well above 50 degrees is it's too cool; below 30 and it's too - yes - hot.

Will we soon be growing Chardonnay in Quebec and harvesting ice wine is Oslo? Stay tuned.

Quick aside on GW'ing:
I've been reading more stats on global warming - all of which are frightening - but this is really the first time the phenomenon has really resonated with me. Maybe that sounds shallow, because I had to wait until it impacted the good stuff rather than just thousands of animal species/deteriorating glaciers/disappearing wetlands and the like. If that's the case then I completely own up to it.

But the fact of the matter is that global warming is petrifying and I don't really think that any of us wants to believe it's really here. Maybe for everyone there needs to be a similar wake up call that places the problem squarely in their consciousness, front and center. Whatever. Here's to hoping we all wake up and start to do something about it. And no, it's not just because it threatens the good stuff!

Want to read more about how global warming's impacting the world's vineyards?
Here's a link to a follow up article on Decanter titled "Winemakers fear 2007 global warming threat"

Posted by Courtney at 03:06 PM • Comments (1)

I know, you're going to feel really sorry for me. Today when I made a routine visit to my mail box down the street I found - much to my total delight - this absolutely fabulous - no, beyond fabulous (is there a word for super fabulous?) - magnum of vino. Ta da! Guess who's the proud new owner of a magnum of 2004 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir from the Santa Rita Hills? That's right - a MAGNUM of Sea Smoke! For those who're wondering just what the big deal is, Sea Smoke is consistently rated in the top 100 Wines of the Year by Wine Spectator (the '02 Southing made the list not long ago with a score of 93 pts) and has received countless other insanely high marks and praise from the wine glitterati of the globe.

And to whom do I owe a big thank you for this super fabulous gift? My buddy Ian Blackburn over at Learn About Wine (a very cool wine education organization down in LA), to whom I'd recently referred some business. This is Ian's way of saying "thanks," and that's a pretty darn sweet way of saying thanks in my book. He also decorated the bottle with all sorts of cool writing, which made the gift extra special and personal. Thanks, Ian!

And so what's a girl who's on lockdown while writing the Hip Tastes book do with a beautiful magnum that's destined to continue improving in the bottle with each of the next, oh 3 to 8 years? Duh! Drink it! I'm sure my collector friends' eyes are all rolling back in their heads right now thinking of me drinking this rather than squirreling it away for some better day, but - hey - the way I look at it is I'm drinking TOTALLY TOP vino for the next few days while I slave away.

It's like the ultimate cure for a shut-in sommelier. Really HOT DAMN good vino, in a large quantity, to be savored and enjoyed slowly, glass by glass, with each glass improving upon the last. Because one thing I can already tell you about this bottle is that it's getting BETTER by the hour. My tasting notes - which I've put down below as they are at this time - keep changing with every glass I have. Basically, it's like my perfect wine.

What makes the Sea Smoke so darn good, and capable of this awesome evolution in my glass? It's all about the location of the vines, my friends: the vineyards are located on 100 acres of hilly slopes situated at the far western end of the Santa Rita Hills AVA just north of Santa Barbara. Cooling winds from the nearby Pacific funnel through the Santa Ynez River canyon and create late afternoon fog ("smoke") that cools down the vines and leads to an extended ripening season that's perfect for Pinot Noir.

This "sea smoke" is the key ingredient, although ideal soil, vineyard exposure and yield maintenance play critical supporting roles in the creation of this delightful wine that's truly a product of great care and attention from people I can only gather must be very intelligent, patient and creative.

I know, you're really jealous. To provoke you just a little more, I've included some snaps of the awesome view out my office window. These were taken this afternoon right after the rain went away. So now you know that I'm drinking really awesome wine while enjoying this sick view while...writing a book on lockdown. Suddenly it doesn't sound so sexy. And speaking of which, I guess I better get back to that...

But first, my tasting notes. Enjoy, and if you get the chance pick up a bottle of Sea Smoke yourself - I guarantee you won't regret.

TASTING NOTES
Where: My place, SF
When: 1/4/2007
Food: pasta with good olive oil & parmesan (simple but good)
Notes: Aromas of sweet ripe cherry, pomegranate, caramel, cinnamon stick, mint, brambly raspberry, sandalwood, little licorice, orange liqueur, saddle soap; then on the palate, good acid (this could last a few more years - but I couldn't wait!) and moderate tannin; flavors of cherry, strawberry, cocoa, subtle baking spice & earth. Finish is medium+ and concludes with some nice toast and caramel in a lovely broad mouthfeel; tannins are silky; nice balance. Conclusion: Much improved upon aeration (closed at first); very good quality although could have some more depth. It probably will in a few years!!! But who can wait that long for this gem? ;)

Seasmokecellars.com

Posted by Courtney at 02:06 PM • Comments (6)

Ok, so perhaps that's a little extreme. But in preparing to tuck into the really serious, crunch-time phase of writing the HIP TASTES book, I've been stocking up on household provisions to such an extent that I actually feel kind of like I'm preparing to go to war or something. I mean, I just spent $312.56 stocking my fridge and pantry with all this stuff. I couldn't quite believe the bill at the cash register at Safeway - truth be told I don't know if I've ever spent HALF this much on groceries!

Clearly, tough times (and an impending deadline) lie ahead. But at least I can rest assured knowing that when they arrive I'll have plenty of Lean Cuisines/dehydrated fruit/microwave oatmeal/Q-tips/garbage bags/Swiffer mop replacements on hand to handle the situation. Phew!

In other news, read on for some fun New Years pics. - CC

Posted by Courtney at 10:26 PM • Comments (1)