Basic Juice - the wine blog for my generation

Gutenberg Would be Proud: The Juice in Print

If you happen to dwell in the land of hard copy, check out the current issue of Salt Lake Magazine.  Whilst neglecting Basic Juice in cyberspace, I have been nurturing it in the world of print.  Alas, I am still struggling to multitask.

For those who eschew paper, have a look at the extended, 'Author's Cut' of the article below the fold.

Too Many Notes

editor's note: This is an article I wrote for the fine Volks at the Austria Tourism Office.  You'll be able to see it in all its glory in finer travel bureaus and airlines everywhere.  Download a PDF preview of it here.

Discover ‘Too Many Notes’ in Austria’s Wine Regions

Upon hearing one of Mozart’s operas, 18th Century Austrian Emperor Joseph II famously remarked, “Too many notes, my dear Mozart.”  While Joseph II may have initially overlooked the genius of Mozart, fortunately, he understood the artistry of Austrian wine.  This enlightened monarch decreed that wine growers were permitted to sell wine directly to consumers.  Modern Austrian winemakers honor the country’s storied wine history by producing quality wines that will strike a chord with any culinary adventurer.

The miracle of Austria is that all of its wine regions are incredibly easy to visit.  In fact, once you step off the plane in Vienna, you have already arrived in one of the world’s most unique wine regions. No other country can boast of so much viticulture and wine-culture in its capitol city. During the Middle Ages, each district of Vienna (called Bezirk in German) worked its own vineyards.  As the city grew and modernized, many vineyards were lost to concrete, asphalt, etc.  Recently, there has been a trend towards replanting vines in the city.  There are 630 wineries (that's one winery per 2,500 Viennese - my kind of town) in Vienna.  White grapes dominate these urban vineyards.  Grüner Veltliner, the quintessential Austrian grape, is common, along with Riesling and Chardonnay.  These crisp white wines are the perfect accompaniment to Wiener Schnitzel, potato salad or any manner of wurst. For those who enjoy tasting in style, visit the Hotel Rathaus Wein & Design – a hotel made just for wine lovers.  Alternatively, if you prefer surfing and sipping, take your laptop to Wein & Co., where you’ll find hundreds of Austrian wines alongside free Wi-Fi! Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind cosmopolitan wine experience.

Thar Be th' Dao

Yar!  Ye landlubbers.  Grab a stool 'n heed me tale.  A tale of swashbucklin an' mutiny on the high seas!  It happ'nt lo many years hence.  But t'me - it seems t'be only a fortnight previous...

I was cap'n of a frightnin galleon.  She was th' most fearsome ship ever to sail the seven seas. Me 'n me crew plundered 'er from the Spanish armada.  Aye, we swashbuckled 'er in the black 'o night from th' sorriest lot o' sprogs ye ever did see.  Yar.  Me crew christen'd 'er 'The Widow' after findin the galley filled to the sails with frenchy bubbly wine called Voove.  Aye, after sendin that lilly-livered crew of spaniards into Davey Joneses locker we smashed open a hogshead of Voove bottles and swilled 'til me 'n me crew sprouted the reddest grog blossoms ye ever did see.  Arrr!  'Twas a joyous fest.  But after hours a'drinkin, me crew went a'sleep.  Yet, I, the ol' Cap'n - elder als the lot of 'em, was still carousin'.  I sat down on the empty hogshead and she smashed like a wee robin's egg.  Yar!  splinters in the backside.  Arr.  I lept to me feet and started de-splinterin, when I spied a scrap o' parchment on the deck.  'Twas a map.  A treasure map!  And lo, the treasure was buried near the Dao - miles inland in the north of Portugal.  I hid the treasure map in me pantaloons.  Avast! The Dao booty would be mine, an' mine alone.

At Dawn I shook me crew awake.  The lot of 'em were still loaded to the gunwalls with th' bubblin grog.  "Awake!  Ye lot of scallywags." I shouted.  "We sail to the Dao."  "Now smartly there drunken swabs." 

Very Simply Sherry

Sherry is one of the wine world's most undervalued creations.  Sherry's history alone could fill up a War and Peace-sized volume.  Additionally, the production of Sherry, and its numerous styles, is complex enough to add a second volume to Sherry's tome.  When confronted by Sherry & its vocabulary, many modern wine drinkers become dazed & confused by terms like flor, fino, olorosa, criadera and solera. It's easier to walk on by.  However, a little time investment in understanding Sherry, will open up an entirely new world of wine scents and flavors.  Allow me to present Sherry in a user friendly, 3-part format.  Who knows, you may experience the sudden urge to grab a bottle and whip up a few tapas.  It could happen.

Part 1: Make Sherry, Not War

Part 2: Waiter!  There's a 100 Year Old Wine in My Sherry.

Part 3: Sherry Comes to Dinner

Technorati Tags: sherry, spanish wine, wine

Cab*er*net

I love wine. Wine tasting notes - not so much. The traditional tasting note is brief, descriptive and entirely unimaginative. Occasionally I daydream of ways in which my passion for wine might be more creatively communicated. I've experimented with wine love letters, fake wine news shows and avant-garde poetry. However, I always return to the David Foster Wallace-style tasting note. Why? A Wallace note maintains the traditional form, yet at the same time, it opens wine up to adjunct information, brief and extended asides, and random weirdness. And hey, who doesn’t enjoy a glass of wine, chased by a shot of random weirdness? If you’re a Wallace fan, sit back and enjoy. If Wallace gives you hives, prepare the tomatoes!

 

Montes⁽¹⁾ Alpha⁽²⁾ Cabernet Sauvignon⁽³⁾ 2003⁽⁴⁾ (~$20)
Deep⁽⁵⁾ indigo⁽⁶⁾ in color, fading to an intense pink rim⁽⁷⁾. Classic Cabernet nose⁽⁸⁾ of cassis⁽⁹⁾, leather⁽¹⁰⁾, cigarbox⁽¹¹⁾, black plum⁽¹²⁾ and vanilla⁽¹³⁾. Dry, with balanced acidity⁽¹⁴⁾ and soft mouth-filling⁽¹⁵⁾ tannins⁽¹⁶⁾. Medium-full bodied⁽¹⁷⁾ with a fruit-dominated palate⁽¹⁸⁾ and slightly abbreviated⁽¹⁹⁾, vanilla-heavy finish⁽²⁰⁾. A reasonably priced Cabernet from the Colchaqua valley⁽²¹⁾. This wine may be drunk now⁽²²⁾, but may develop more complexity⁽²³⁾ over the next 2-4 years⁽²⁴⁾.

Very Simply Sherry I

Cross-posted at the Scotch Blog - an excellent resource for Whisky imbibers.

Sherry is one of the wine world's most undervalued creations.  Sherry's history alone could fill up a War and Peace-sized volume.  Additionally, the production of Sherry, and its numerous styles, is complex enough to add a second volume to Sherry's tome.  When confronted by Sherry & its vocabulary, many modern wine drinkers become dazed & confused by terms like flor, fino, olorosa, criadera and solera. It's easier to walk on by.  However, a little time investment in understanding Sherry, will open up an entirely new world of wine scents and flavors.  Allow me to present Sherry in a user friendly, 3-part format.  Who knows, you may experience the sudden urge to grab a bottle and whip up a few tapas.  It could happen.

Part 1:  Make Sherry, Not War

Sherry is produced within a 3-town triangle in the southern Spanish community of Andalusia.  By far, the key town in the history of Sherry is Jerez de la Frontera (Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlucar de Barrameda being the other two towns).  Jerez has been home to a who's who of civilizations.  Evidence suggests Jerez may have been founded by the Phoenicians in 1100 BC.  These ancient folk were succeeded by the Carthignians, who were in turn kicked out by the Romans.  The Romans called Jerez, "Certium."  Alas, the Romans were squeezed out in the first century AD by Vandals, who, in turn, were forced to vacate by the Visigoths.  Then came the epic battles between Islamic Moors and Christian re-conquestors.  Amazingly, during these centuries of successive occupation and frequent war, wine production continued in Jerez.  By the 15th Century, Jerez and its satellite towns began exporting wine to both England and France.  In fact, many British merchants moved into the Sherry region to take advantage of this rapidly growing wine trade.

Steal This Article: The Ten (wine) Commandments

Editor's note: Steal this article!  Whether you publish a paper, magazine, blog or scribble on the bathroom wall; fresh (& free) content is always welcome, no?  Feel free to grab this article and use it to spice up your publication. Do with it what you will - so long as you mention that the original comes from The Juice.  Now go forth, and copy & paste.

The Ten (wine) Commandments

The social and political trends in my country seem to be headed in a decidedly non-secular direction.  I figure in the not-too-distant future, we’ll all be required to say grace at our favorite restaurants before ordering dinner.  So to help wine lovers prepare for the impending religion-ization of dining rooms across the nation, I present the Ten Commandments (from a wine worshipper’s perspective).

I. Thou shalt have no other beverages before wine (Actually, it’s always a good idea to drink water.  Additionally, Japanese beer is a very tasty companion to sushi & sashimi.  Oh, and a sweating gin & tonic on summer evenings hits the spot.)

II. Thou shalt not make unto wine any graven image (You know what’s fun?  Try your hand at sculpture using the cork, foil and cage from a bottle of sparkling wine.  This is good for hours of entertainment.  And a vintage Ramos Pinto Porto poster makes for a great accent piece in the living room.  Idolatry isn’t all that bad)

III. Thou shalt not take the name of Krug thy Champagne god in vain (There is absolutely no wiggle-room here.  Krug really is sanctified, sparkling nectar of the gods and should never be blasphemed.  Of course if you do have a real cursing problem, or happen to be a sailor, I suggest creating a ‘curse cup.’  Pitch in one dollar every time foul language tumbles from your lips.  In no time, you’ll be able to afford that $150 bottle of Krug)

How To Spit in German, French & Italian

(Editor's note: This is part of the weekend series of posts by guest authors, who are fellow bloggers, wine industry folk and Basic Juice readers.  If you are interested in being a guest author on Basic Juice, contact me with a proposal, and we'll see if we can't introduce the world to your handiwork.)

Guest Author: Emily of Winemonger - an importer and online retailer of Austrian wine.

How To Spit in German, French & Italian

In honor of Beau’s upcoming Live Austrian Wine Adventure, and for all of you out there who are planning your own wine tours abroad, I thought I would put together this small guide of words you may find yourself needing to say when you are in a German, French or Italian winery (in that order).

AGE: alter – age – eta

ALCOHOLIC CONTENT: alkoholgehalt - teneur en alcool - gradazione alcolica

BOUQUET, NOSE: bukett – bouquet – bouquet

CORKY TASTE: korkgeschmack – gout de bouchon – sapore di tappo

DRY: trocken - sec - secco

EARTHY: erdig – gout de terroir – terroso

FAT: fett – gras – grasso

FRESH: frisch – frais – fresco

FRUIT: frucht – fruit – fruttato

GRAPE: beere – baie – acino

GRAPE CLUSTER: traube - raisin - grappolo

GRAPE VARIETY: rebsorte – cepage - vitigno

LEES: geläger – lies – feccia

Steal This Article: Pink Drinking

Editor's note: Steal this article!  Whether you publish a paper, magazine, blog or scribble on the bathroom wall; fresh (& free) content is always welcome, no?  Feel free to grab this article and use it to spice up your publication.  Do with it what you will - so long as you mention that the original comes from The Juice.  Now go forth, and copy & paste.

Real Men Drink Pink

OK, I admit it.  I used to snicker at people who drank White Zinfandel.  My thoughts went something like this: “Why drink a wine that more closely resembles iced tea or cherry Kool-Aid than real wine?”  Luckily, that was as far as I made it down wine snobbery lane.  A very enlightened wine guru helped me do a U-turn when she shared her cardinal rule of wine enjoyment:  “If you happen to like a particular wine, then who cares what anyone else thinks about it?  Just drink and enjoy.”  Wine is all about enjoyment.  If you happen to like White Zin then bully for you!  I must admit; it takes a courageous person in the often hyperpretentious lounge culture to order a glass of pink wine.  I’ve seen an entire table collectively roll its eyes at a courageous (or blissfully naïve) thirtysomething ordering the lone glass of White Zinfandel amidst a sea of inky Cabernet and oaked up Chardonnay.  Well, I now proclaim myself to be a rosé drinker and I’m damn proud of it.  I still don’t care for White Zinfandel.  But I have discovered a nice little universe of rosé wines outside the White Zin realm that are perfect for springtime sipping.

Steal This Article: Bitters

Editor's note: Steal this article!  Whether you publish a paper, magazine, blog or scribble on the bathroom wall; fresh (& free) content is always welcome, no?  Feel free to grab this article and use it to spice up your publication.  Do with it what you will - so long as you mention that the original comes from The Juice.  Now go forth, and copy & paste.

Nostrum Remedium: Bitters

An Extraordinarily Brief history of Patent Medicine
The term “snake oil salesmen,” the modern advertising industry (which, some might consider to be synonymous) and dozens of liquors and spirits owe their existence in our lexicon, on our televisions and behind countless bars to something prosaically referred to as patent medicines.  Patent medicines were the early industrial age expressions of nostrum remedium, or, “our remedy” – various concoctions of secret ingredients, sold as miraculous cures, with varying degrees efficacy.  Mid-19th century pushers of snake oil liniment claimed their product would cure everything from arthritis to dropsy.  It didn’t; and a pejorative was born.  Lest these liniment salesmen take all the blame, let it be known that outrageous claims weren't restricted to the snake oil marketing department.  Competition amongst patent medicine producers was fierce.  Thus, the task at hand for pioneers in advertising was to differentiate their products, or, in other words, to create a brand.  As a result of advertising’s big bang, products such as Mug-wump Specific were born.  Mug-wump was touted as a, “cure and preventative for all venereal diseases.” Not to be outdone, Bonnore’s “electro magnetic bathing fluid” was hailed as a cure for necrosis, epilepsy, cholera, scarlet fever and something called “mercurial eruptions.”  It’s nice to see that ad-men and ad-women aimed high right from the get-go.  Aside from cure-alls for V.D. and speedy eruptions, many products of the patent medicine age made more believable claims.  For example, Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper were introduced primarily as energy elixirs.  While the paleo soft drink manufacturers duked it out on the pep-in-step front, one maker of an herb-based, alcohol-containing tonic went for the gut.