To some of you, I'm sure BYOB still means bring your own beer. While that is still an appropriate meaning if you are going to, say, a superbowl party, I've got another one for you. Bring your own Bottle. Sometimes a restaurant will open before they get their liquor license, and they will allow you to bring in your own bottle of wine (or beer). They will somehow designate that they are BYOB (usually on the menu and on their website, if they have one). It is also acceptable and appropriate to bring you own bottle of wine to almost any restaurant as long as you follow a few simple guidelines.
Do's
1. Call the restaurant first, or look on their website, to confirm that they allow you to bring wine. Also confirm how much they charge you to have them open it and make sure it is an amount that you are willing to pay (corkage*).
2. Once you are seated at your table, let the waiter or waitress know that you have a bottle you would like him to open, and when to open it.
3. Tell the waiter that he is welcome to save some for himself to try as well (a nice gesture that may help with the corkage fee.)
4. Bring a wine that is special to you in some way, even if the reason it's special is just because you already know that you like it a lot.
Dont's
1. Don't bring a wine that is on their list.
2. Don't bring a wine that is seriously cheapo, that's an insult to the chef and the sommelier (wine person).
3. You might not want to bring your own if you are meeting up at a bar for a drink first. I once tried to stop in to Harry Denton's for a drink before dinner, toting along the bottle that I was going to bring to a restaurant down the street, and they refused to let me in with it. I guess they were worried that I would crack the bottle open with my hands and drink straight from it, instead of waiting behind the flurry of barely of age kids for my drink. Just a warning.
You can do a little research in your area to find out if there are restaurants that waive corkage at certain times of the month or for wines purchased from a nearby wine shop.
In SF:
Mondays, no corkage at Zuppa
Tuesdays, no corkage at Zazie
Wednesdays, no corkage at Alamo Square
Fish and Farm only charges $5 for a California wine and waives the fee if you buy a second bottle.
PlumpJack doesn't charge corkage if you buy the wine from their wine shop.
*Corkage typically varies from $10-$45. I've never seen anything more than $45, which was at the four star French Laundry in Napa. The amount is meant to cover glassware, service, and unfortunately compensation for what they are not making off of selling you one of their own wines. It is highly correlated to the priciness of the restaurant. Restaurants will sometimes wave the fee if you buy a second bottle of of their list, or if you tell a really good story about why you are opening the bottle (ie your late grandfather worked for the winery as a kid, you won it from your father in a bet, its your birthday and its your favorite wine). BYOB restaurants that don't serve any alcohol of their own usually don't charge anything for corkage, but they will probably just give you a corkscrew and water glasses and let you pour yourselves. At least then you won't have to wait for the waiter to come around and fill you up!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
11-28 It Must be Drinkable
The first rule of cooking with wine is that you can't cook with wine you can't drink. If it tastes terrible in the bottle, it will taste even more terrible once you've have heated it, reduced it, and poured it on your food. Its unfortunate, I know, but the best use for bad wine is staining your sink pink as you pour it down the drain (if the wine was red that is).
That said, here's a few recipes for either your leftover, drinkable wine or a good reason to open a bottle even though you probably won't finish it (you had to...the recipe called for it!):
Sweet Meat or poultry glaze:
Once you have finished pan-frying meat on the stove, there should be a little bit of oil and some little bits from the meat left in the pan. Over medium high heat add about 1/4 cup of wine (red for red meat and white for poultry) and scrape up any bits that charred to the pan. Next add 1/4 - 1/2c of diced fruit (something chunky) and 1 tablespoon of jam or preserves (something sweet). Reduce 5-7 minutes are until it looks thick enough to hold up as a sauce on your dish. Add salt or pepper to taste. This is also a great use for that strange jam you thought sounded so interesting at the farmer's market.
Yummy Combinations
For pork:
White wine, diced persimmon, and yuzu preserves (this is a japanese citrus fruit)
White wine, mango, and jalapeno preserves (also good on chicken)
For beef or lamb:
Red wine, chopped figs, and fig preserves (if you just have fresh figs try combining with a little honey or brown sugar to sweeten)
Red wine, cherries, and molasses (also good on pork)
Its also nice to sprinkle a little of a chopped herb on top once you have added the sauce to the meat. This could be cilantro, chives, basil, etc. Get creative. Its hard to go wrong as long as all of your ingredients are tasty on their own and you can imagine them all tasting good toghether. If something does go wrong, make sure you have a frozen pizza handy. I always do!
That said, here's a few recipes for either your leftover, drinkable wine or a good reason to open a bottle even though you probably won't finish it (you had to...the recipe called for it!):
Sweet Meat or poultry glaze:
Once you have finished pan-frying meat on the stove, there should be a little bit of oil and some little bits from the meat left in the pan. Over medium high heat add about 1/4 cup of wine (red for red meat and white for poultry) and scrape up any bits that charred to the pan. Next add 1/4 - 1/2c of diced fruit (something chunky) and 1 tablespoon of jam or preserves (something sweet). Reduce 5-7 minutes are until it looks thick enough to hold up as a sauce on your dish. Add salt or pepper to taste. This is also a great use for that strange jam you thought sounded so interesting at the farmer's market.
Yummy Combinations
For pork:
White wine, diced persimmon, and yuzu preserves (this is a japanese citrus fruit)
White wine, mango, and jalapeno preserves (also good on chicken)
For beef or lamb:
Red wine, chopped figs, and fig preserves (if you just have fresh figs try combining with a little honey or brown sugar to sweeten)
Red wine, cherries, and molasses (also good on pork)
Its also nice to sprinkle a little of a chopped herb on top once you have added the sauce to the meat. This could be cilantro, chives, basil, etc. Get creative. Its hard to go wrong as long as all of your ingredients are tasty on their own and you can imagine them all tasting good toghether. If something does go wrong, make sure you have a frozen pizza handy. I always do!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
11-27 Peeling a Grape
Have you ever peeled a grape? Probably not. For some reason I used to peel them when I was a kid. Wierd, I know. If you had, you would know that almost all grapes are white (or green) on the inside, not red. So where does wine get its color? It all comes from the skin. The amount of time the skin is left with the juice will determine how much color the juice absorbs from the it. This makes red grapes very versatile; winemakers are able to make clear, pink and red wines from just about any red grape. Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are both red grapes used in making Blanc de Noir sparkling wines by removing the skins immediately after the juice is pressed. Rose's are pink wines that are made from any of a number of red grapes, such as, syrah, sangiovese, zinfandel, and pinot noir. Rose's are typically made by the saignee method which means that the juice from the wine is kept with the skin until right before fermentation, and then some of the juice is removed to make the remaining juice more concentrated. The juice that was removed becomes the Rose. As far as red wines from red grapes go, I think you all have examples of that covered.
There are a few grapes that have red flesh on the inside, none of which are commonly used by themselves (as varietal wines) in winemaking. Alicante Bouschet is probably the most well-known red fleshed grape (not among anyone I know, but among oenologists). It was very popular during prohibition because its dark color and robust nature allowed bootleggers to stretch the juice a lot further by adding water and sugar. It is now illegal to add sugar to wine in California, limiting its popularity here. Without sugar, the wines that are made from Alicante by itself are usually harsh and bland in flavor, but in blending with other grapes it can add structure. It is still used for blending in southern France and the central valley of California. Spain is one of the only countries still making it into wine on its own.
In any event, there's nothing special about red wines made from red fleshed grapes. White fleshed ones are tastier!
There are a few grapes that have red flesh on the inside, none of which are commonly used by themselves (as varietal wines) in winemaking. Alicante Bouschet is probably the most well-known red fleshed grape (not among anyone I know, but among oenologists). It was very popular during prohibition because its dark color and robust nature allowed bootleggers to stretch the juice a lot further by adding water and sugar. It is now illegal to add sugar to wine in California, limiting its popularity here. Without sugar, the wines that are made from Alicante by itself are usually harsh and bland in flavor, but in blending with other grapes it can add structure. It is still used for blending in southern France and the central valley of California. Spain is one of the only countries still making it into wine on its own.
In any event, there's nothing special about red wines made from red fleshed grapes. White fleshed ones are tastier!
Monday, November 26, 2007
11-26 Send it Back
When I go out to dinner these days, its very rare that the whole table doesn't turn to me to do the tasting (and they've probably deferred to me for choosing the wine anyway). Most people have no idea what to do or what to look for when the waiter pours that first taste into the glass. Some people don't have any idea why the waiter poured half a sip into one person's glass. Here's the what, why, and how.
The waiter usually defers to the person that ordered the bottle to taste it. He should do this whether or not the person that ordered is a man or woman (no bitterness intended). The reason for the taste is to determine whether the wine has any flaws, not to determine whether you find it to your liking. The waiter will pour about 1/2 oz. of wine in the taster's glass. If you are the chosen one, you should first pick up your glass and smell it. It should not smell like, wet dog, wet newspaper, vinegar, nail polish or rotten eggs, and if it does, you should send the wine back. If you ordered a Pinot Noir or Gigondas, it may smell like a barnyard. Unfortunately mild barnyard smells are characteristic of those wines and you are supposed to keep it (major ones are license to send it back).
If you have chosen to send the wine back, let the waiter know that you think the wine is flawed, and that you would like another bottle. He should not argue with you, but should recommend whether or not you should try another bottle of the same wine or not. It is usually best to pick something entirely new, especially if you are not sure of the nature of the flaw. You can attempt to impress your friends while sending the wine back by using this cheat sheet to deduce which flaw is the cause of your wine's bad smell.
wet dog, wet cardboard= the wine has been affected by TCA. Also known as "corked".
vinegar= the wine is too old ("turned" or "past its prime")
nail polish= the volatile acidity (VA) of the wine is too high
rotten eggs = there is hydrogen sulfide in the wine
barnyard= brettanomyces or "brett" has effected the wine.
If the wine smells pleasant, then you should swirl the wine in your glass (the small pour should keep you from spilling), smell again, then taste. You don't need to do the fancy sip that wine snobs do, but it does help you taste all the nuances in the wine. To do the fancy sip, put a little of the wine in your mouth, open up, and breathe in a little air. This will enable the wine to spread over all of the sensory parts of your tongue, which you may not care about, and may result in you tasting things like nutmeg, pepper, or cassis. If it tastes good, you are good to go. Smelling the wine should have uncovered any bad news anyway.
One thing you never need to do is smell the cork. This will tell you nothing, except what cork smells like, and you probably have known that since grade school.
Good Luck!
The waiter usually defers to the person that ordered the bottle to taste it. He should do this whether or not the person that ordered is a man or woman (no bitterness intended). The reason for the taste is to determine whether the wine has any flaws, not to determine whether you find it to your liking. The waiter will pour about 1/2 oz. of wine in the taster's glass. If you are the chosen one, you should first pick up your glass and smell it. It should not smell like, wet dog, wet newspaper, vinegar, nail polish or rotten eggs, and if it does, you should send the wine back. If you ordered a Pinot Noir or Gigondas, it may smell like a barnyard. Unfortunately mild barnyard smells are characteristic of those wines and you are supposed to keep it (major ones are license to send it back).
If you have chosen to send the wine back, let the waiter know that you think the wine is flawed, and that you would like another bottle. He should not argue with you, but should recommend whether or not you should try another bottle of the same wine or not. It is usually best to pick something entirely new, especially if you are not sure of the nature of the flaw. You can attempt to impress your friends while sending the wine back by using this cheat sheet to deduce which flaw is the cause of your wine's bad smell.
wet dog, wet cardboard= the wine has been affected by TCA. Also known as "corked".
vinegar= the wine is too old ("turned" or "past its prime")
nail polish= the volatile acidity (VA) of the wine is too high
rotten eggs = there is hydrogen sulfide in the wine
barnyard= brettanomyces or "brett" has effected the wine.
If the wine smells pleasant, then you should swirl the wine in your glass (the small pour should keep you from spilling), smell again, then taste. You don't need to do the fancy sip that wine snobs do, but it does help you taste all the nuances in the wine. To do the fancy sip, put a little of the wine in your mouth, open up, and breathe in a little air. This will enable the wine to spread over all of the sensory parts of your tongue, which you may not care about, and may result in you tasting things like nutmeg, pepper, or cassis. If it tastes good, you are good to go. Smelling the wine should have uncovered any bad news anyway.
One thing you never need to do is smell the cork. This will tell you nothing, except what cork smells like, and you probably have known that since grade school.
Good Luck!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
11-25 Cheaper than Gas
As gas prices continue to rise, and the season of credit card debt is upon us, I thought it would be helpful to start a list of inexpensive wine that I taste and find enjoyable. This will be a running list, so please check back anytime you are looking for something yummy and inexpensive to bring to a party or just enjoy at home with dinner. If you have a particular inexpensive wine that you like, please post a comment. I'd love to try it!
One falsehood about wine is that is if its expensive, its better. Plenty of people that I talk to about wine think that just because what they like isn't what is demanding high prices, that they like wine that is not good. This is a terrible thing to believe. First of all, if you like an inexpensive wine, then good for you. You won't have to spend this weeks gas money to impress yourself or your friends. Good wine is what you like, not what some critic has determined is good. Wine critics are just there to tell you what wines they like. If you like to refer to wine critics for recommendations, and find that you agree with some of a particular critic's tastes then you should try others that she recommends, otherwise find someone else to follow. Remember to always listen to your own tastebuds.
Here's the list*
2006 Kenwood Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc (Bevmo $8.79)- This is a bright and zippy wine with lots of citrus flavors (mostly grapefruit which is typical of Sauv Blanc). It is good with just about any fish, chicken or pasta dish.
Non-vintage (NV) Piper Sonoma Blanc de Noir Sparkling wine (Bevmo $9.99)- Blanc de Noir means that one or both of the red grapes Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier (which is not a very common grape, but is used in champagne and sparkling wine) is used in addition to Chardonnay (Blanc de Blanc would mean that only Chardonnay was used). The addition of red grapes give this wine a fuller body and hints of black cherry and spice, but add very little color (the skin is not used in the process). This wine is great on its own or with just about any non-red meat dish. Its even great with dessert.
* Keep in wine that wines will vary with vintage year. Also, inexpensive wine sometimes has more bottle variation than expensive wine. The famous "Two Buck Chuck" is a wine that has particularly high bottle variation because they don't follow the normal cycle of bottling once per year. Instead they bottle based on demand (at least this is what I've been told), so some bottles of that wine have been stored longer before they were bottled than other bottles. This will mean that not all of the bottles will taste as similar as they would if the wine was all bottled at the same time.
One falsehood about wine is that is if its expensive, its better. Plenty of people that I talk to about wine think that just because what they like isn't what is demanding high prices, that they like wine that is not good. This is a terrible thing to believe. First of all, if you like an inexpensive wine, then good for you. You won't have to spend this weeks gas money to impress yourself or your friends. Good wine is what you like, not what some critic has determined is good. Wine critics are just there to tell you what wines they like. If you like to refer to wine critics for recommendations, and find that you agree with some of a particular critic's tastes then you should try others that she recommends, otherwise find someone else to follow. Remember to always listen to your own tastebuds.
Here's the list*
2006 Kenwood Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc (Bevmo $8.79)- This is a bright and zippy wine with lots of citrus flavors (mostly grapefruit which is typical of Sauv Blanc). It is good with just about any fish, chicken or pasta dish.
Non-vintage (NV) Piper Sonoma Blanc de Noir Sparkling wine (Bevmo $9.99)- Blanc de Noir means that one or both of the red grapes Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier (which is not a very common grape, but is used in champagne and sparkling wine) is used in addition to Chardonnay (Blanc de Blanc would mean that only Chardonnay was used). The addition of red grapes give this wine a fuller body and hints of black cherry and spice, but add very little color (the skin is not used in the process). This wine is great on its own or with just about any non-red meat dish. Its even great with dessert.
* Keep in wine that wines will vary with vintage year. Also, inexpensive wine sometimes has more bottle variation than expensive wine. The famous "Two Buck Chuck" is a wine that has particularly high bottle variation because they don't follow the normal cycle of bottling once per year. Instead they bottle based on demand (at least this is what I've been told), so some bottles of that wine have been stored longer before they were bottled than other bottles. This will mean that not all of the bottles will taste as similar as they would if the wine was all bottled at the same time.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
11-20 Beaujolais Nouveau
Tonight I stopped by my local wine shop to pick up a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau. If you've been following this blog from the beginning, you'll know that my interludes with Nouveau have not been pleasant, for any given vintage (I'm not a big fan), but nonetheless, because its Nouveau's time of year, I feel compelled to give you my opinion of this year's attempt.
As I mentioned before, Beaujolais Nouveau is released on the 3rd Thursday of November and is the first wine released every year. Its purpose is mainly to make the winery money and make it fast. Its inexpensive to produce and is released at a time when most wineries aren't able (or willing) to sell wines made from the current harvest yet. It goes through a less-desirable (cheaper) method of fermentation where the grapes are fermented (the process of converting sugar to alcohol) as whole berries (called carbonic maceration), as opposed to the traditional method of crushing the grapes and pressing the juice from the skin, and then fermenting the juice. It isn't stored in barrels, and is instead fermented in stainless steel tanks which are also much cheaper (barrels sell for $300-$700 a piece). The resulting wine is considered to be fruity, with very little structure (tannins), and is ready to drink immediately.
I had a little discussion with the shop owner when I purchased my bottle (the 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau from Dominique Piron) this evening, and he had a similar opinion of Beaujolais Nouveau. He recommended that I chill it to make it taste a little better, and then jokingly added that I could also toss in some cut fruit (sangria anyone?). I tought of my suggestion yesterday to chill wine you didn't like to make it taste a little better, and I had to chuckle a little about our common ideas. I took his advice (and mine) and chilled the wine for 30 minutes. The first sip went down okay. It was fruity (very tart raspberries), and simple (very little body), but it wasn't terrible. My husband got home shortly after my initial tasting and I had him sit down for a taste. I gave him a notepad and asked him to write down what he thought. After explaining that he was not even up to par as an average wine taster, he gave in to my pleading. "Harsh" and "Pedestrian" were the words that summed up his opinion. I would say those are some pretty impressive descriptions of a very unimpressive wine and I'd have to completely agree with him. After tasting the wine again when it had warmed up a few minutes, I didn't want another taste, ever. Maybe tomorrow I'll add some cut fruit.
At $13.99 a bottle you can definitely find a better wine (probably for even less). You'll have to go for last year's vintage (2006) but who cares? Probably only the region of Beaujolais.
As I mentioned before, Beaujolais Nouveau is released on the 3rd Thursday of November and is the first wine released every year. Its purpose is mainly to make the winery money and make it fast. Its inexpensive to produce and is released at a time when most wineries aren't able (or willing) to sell wines made from the current harvest yet. It goes through a less-desirable (cheaper) method of fermentation where the grapes are fermented (the process of converting sugar to alcohol) as whole berries (called carbonic maceration), as opposed to the traditional method of crushing the grapes and pressing the juice from the skin, and then fermenting the juice. It isn't stored in barrels, and is instead fermented in stainless steel tanks which are also much cheaper (barrels sell for $300-$700 a piece). The resulting wine is considered to be fruity, with very little structure (tannins), and is ready to drink immediately.
I had a little discussion with the shop owner when I purchased my bottle (the 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau from Dominique Piron) this evening, and he had a similar opinion of Beaujolais Nouveau. He recommended that I chill it to make it taste a little better, and then jokingly added that I could also toss in some cut fruit (sangria anyone?). I tought of my suggestion yesterday to chill wine you didn't like to make it taste a little better, and I had to chuckle a little about our common ideas. I took his advice (and mine) and chilled the wine for 30 minutes. The first sip went down okay. It was fruity (very tart raspberries), and simple (very little body), but it wasn't terrible. My husband got home shortly after my initial tasting and I had him sit down for a taste. I gave him a notepad and asked him to write down what he thought. After explaining that he was not even up to par as an average wine taster, he gave in to my pleading. "Harsh" and "Pedestrian" were the words that summed up his opinion. I would say those are some pretty impressive descriptions of a very unimpressive wine and I'd have to completely agree with him. After tasting the wine again when it had warmed up a few minutes, I didn't want another taste, ever. Maybe tomorrow I'll add some cut fruit.
At $13.99 a bottle you can definitely find a better wine (probably for even less). You'll have to go for last year's vintage (2006) but who cares? Probably only the region of Beaujolais.
Monday, November 19, 2007
11-19 Hold it Like a Man
My husband titled this article for me when I told him my topic for today. It seemed fitting, since what I'm about to share with you convinced him to hold his glass properly, as any man should.
Wine etiquette says that one is supposed to hold the glass by the stem, not by the bowl (the part that holds the wine). Most casual drinkers would rather not worry so much about etiquette, and I understand the holding your glass by the stem often encourages the pinkie to raise kind of like you are drinking tea with the queen, but please take just a minute to digest the following reasons to pay attention to etiquette.
1. When you hold your glass by the bowl, you increase the temperature of the wine. This is a more appropriate reason not to hold your white wine glass by the bowl, as most everyone likes their white wine cold, but it also plays a part in red wine. Raising the temperature of your wine heightens all of its aromas and tastes. If you are drinking inexpensive wine, you will most likely have increased unpleasant aromas and tastes, which never benefits your tasting experience. On that note, and off topic, you can always chill a wine you're not ecstatic about a little bit more to see if you like it better.
2. Holding your glass by the bowl leaves ugly finger prints all over it. Remember that glass is (usually) clear, and when you are walking around at a cocktail party you are probably touching many different foods, people and surfaces that will leave significant filth on your hands. All of this grime will transfer right onto your glass and leave unpleasant smudges for your fellow partygoers to gawk at. If you are out on the prowl and a little nervous around the person that your are speaking with, this will only worsen those finger prints for sure.
3. And finally, the way I was able to convince my husband to hold his glass by the stem was by toasting with him. He was holding his glass by the bowl on one of our early dates, and I told him to stop and listen a minute while we toasted. For this experiment, and only for this experiment, I also held my glass by the bowl. When our glasses hit one another it gave a dull thump, not a noise to be combined with the phrases "Cheers", "Salud", or "Prost". Then I had him repeat the toast with me, this time holding both glasses by the stem. A beautiful chime rang from our glasses and continued to resonate a few moments. Next time you toast, do you want a dull thump, or a beautiful chime to go along with your "Kampai"? (That's cheers in Japanese.) I suggest you hold it like a man, or (wo)man.
Wine etiquette says that one is supposed to hold the glass by the stem, not by the bowl (the part that holds the wine). Most casual drinkers would rather not worry so much about etiquette, and I understand the holding your glass by the stem often encourages the pinkie to raise kind of like you are drinking tea with the queen, but please take just a minute to digest the following reasons to pay attention to etiquette.
1. When you hold your glass by the bowl, you increase the temperature of the wine. This is a more appropriate reason not to hold your white wine glass by the bowl, as most everyone likes their white wine cold, but it also plays a part in red wine. Raising the temperature of your wine heightens all of its aromas and tastes. If you are drinking inexpensive wine, you will most likely have increased unpleasant aromas and tastes, which never benefits your tasting experience. On that note, and off topic, you can always chill a wine you're not ecstatic about a little bit more to see if you like it better.
2. Holding your glass by the bowl leaves ugly finger prints all over it. Remember that glass is (usually) clear, and when you are walking around at a cocktail party you are probably touching many different foods, people and surfaces that will leave significant filth on your hands. All of this grime will transfer right onto your glass and leave unpleasant smudges for your fellow partygoers to gawk at. If you are out on the prowl and a little nervous around the person that your are speaking with, this will only worsen those finger prints for sure.
3. And finally, the way I was able to convince my husband to hold his glass by the stem was by toasting with him. He was holding his glass by the bowl on one of our early dates, and I told him to stop and listen a minute while we toasted. For this experiment, and only for this experiment, I also held my glass by the bowl. When our glasses hit one another it gave a dull thump, not a noise to be combined with the phrases "Cheers", "Salud", or "Prost". Then I had him repeat the toast with me, this time holding both glasses by the stem. A beautiful chime rang from our glasses and continued to resonate a few moments. Next time you toast, do you want a dull thump, or a beautiful chime to go along with your "Kampai"? (That's cheers in Japanese.) I suggest you hold it like a man, or (wo)man.
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