“Penicillin cures, but wine makes people happy”
~Sir Alexander Fleming, English bacteriologist
Malolactic fermentation (or sometimes malolactic conversion) is a process of a change used in winemaking where tart-tasting malic acid, naturally present in grape must, is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid. (more…)
The Enological Society board has determined that the dues for membership will be universally due on May 1st starting with 2009. In order to be able to accomplish this, a process has been established. (more…)
…this I know, ’cause the calendar tells me so. But let me run out to the garden and dig through the snow, and see if my still-sleeping perennials know this. (more…)
Here we are, only in the first week of February, and it’s beginning to look like the end of winter. I’m already thinking of fresh asparagus, salmon, and baby radishes, and perhaps a Gruner Veltliner from Austria, or a Vermentino or Verdicchio, or a Spanish Albarino, yet I know winter is not over. We had this Pork and Hominy Chili* (recipe follows) on an icy night recently, with an Estancia Zinfandel, and a salad. Estancia is one of the better Zins at a reasonable price. This was under $10. (more…)
It’s the last night of the year, and we are celebrating in our usual way, with a special dinner and very special wines at home. We just finished a Kestrel Signature Edition Old Vines Merlot 1998…thank you, Ray Sandidge. It was a worthy accompaniment to the last dinner of a most unsettling year. We started with a tiny onion, apple, apricot tartlet and a small glass of Scott Benson’s fruity Curious and ended with my own chocolate truffle and Wedge Mountain Winery’s Roses and Rubies in a small Edinburgh crystal Thistle glass. I enjoy wines and foods which engage all the senses. (more…)