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PATH: Editorial
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Does Red Wine Have to Equal Stained Teeth?
Posted by GraysOnline on 2012-06-30 18:03:31
(16120 views) 
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[Editorial]
[Australia] |
| Whether you're attending a wine-tasting event, or enjoying a glass of wine with friends, you don't want to spoil your fun worrying about wine stains on your teeth. If you're planning to partake of red wine over the course of the day or evening, there are some simple precautions you can take to avoid embarrassing stains to your teeth. Here are some tricks to make sure your smile stays brilliant: |
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2011 NOWFE Grand Tasting
Posted by perle0 on 2011-10-16 20:59:10
(12009 views)
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[Editorial]
[New Orleans] |
 Held each Memorial Day weekend, the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience culminates in the two Grand Tasting sessions on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. This year's event was spectacular, as always.
Though these events have been held in the Superdome during the past few years, it was under renovation this year. So the Grand Tastings took place in the Hilton, a very appealing space but perhaps a little small for the crowds who flock to this event. The decor, however, was probably the most successful I've seen yet. Ghostly fabric trees lit from inside with strings of lights formed the centerpieces, and on the periphery, tables with luminescent plastic footing in brilliant colors gave these edges of the scene a lovely glow. |
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How to Open a Wine Bottle...with a Shoe
Posted by perle0 on 2010-06-21 12:26:37
(8269 views)
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[Editorial] |
| Sure, the commentary is in French. Sure, the real action doesn't start up until 1:00. But wouldn't this information come in handy next time you have a bottle of wine, a man's dress shoe, and no corkscrew? |
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The 2010 NOWFE Grand Tastings--A Seafood Delight
Posted by perle0 on 2010-05-30 22:48:47
(11441 views)
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[Editorial]
[New Orleans] |
Once again, the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience (NOWFE) ended with its big event, the Grand Tastings. With one held Friday night and one Saturday afternoon, they have for the last few years taken place in the Superdome, where there's plenty of room for the massive amounts of wine and food. It's definitely the event of the year for wine-lovers and foodies alike (so often, the two are combined in the same person anyway), and this year was no exception. With hundreds of wines to sample and dishes for tasting from most of New Orleans's finest restaurants, what's not to love?
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Do Glasses Matter?
Posted by perle0 on 2010-04-21 16:54:45
(6773 views)
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[Editorial] |
 It's an eternal question...does it matter what kind of glass you drink your wine from? The consensus from the experts is that it does matter a great deal. The shape of a glass can concentrate the aromas (which are so very vital to the wine's taste), and allow for the best air-surface-to-wine ratio. But how much does it matter? |
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NOWFE 2009 Grand Tasting Review Part 2: The Wine
Posted by perle0 on 2009-06-03 00:14:15
(8987 views)
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[Editorial]
[New Orleans] |
So now, the answer to the question you've all been asking yourselves: forget the details of the how the Grand Tastings went, how was the wine? The short answer is: voluminous! This year, I counted 150 wineries/importers/distributers in the event program, and each one generally had anywhere from 4 to 12 wines available for tasting. Yep, that's over 1000 individual wines, and each tasting lasts a mere three hours. So if you were able to swig one wine every 10 seconds or so, without any need to walk from table to table, point out the wine you want to taste, converse with the winemaker, etc., then you might be able to taste them all. Unfortunately, the laws of physics, not to mention the laws of human endurance, makes this utterly impossible. Even attending both Grand Tastings, thus effectively doubling the tasting time, I could not have tried even half of the wines on offer. With that in mind, let's see what wines stood out in my book....
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NOWFE 2009 Grand Tasting Review Part 1: Overview
Posted by perle0 on 2009-05-27 00:35:46
(8602 views)
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[Editorial]
[New Orleans] |
Once again, the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience was a smashing success. (It doesn't seem too hard to go right with all of that delicious wine and food, but I imagine that it's a lot harder to put together than it looks.) Like last year, the 2009 Grand Tastings were held in the Superdome, and on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon of Memorial Day Weekend. The Superdome makes for a handy venue, since it has parking available for a reasonable fee and plenty of room for the exhibitors. Since the crowds barely fit as it was on Saturday, I think they'll be sticking with the 'Dome for a while, unless somebody has a larger space to offer.
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Restaurant Review: Cochon
Posted by perle0 on 2009-01-22 14:08:19
(6407 views)
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[Editorial]
[New Orleans] |
 After hearing about it for a while, I have finally eaten at Cochon, a restaurant in New Orleans that somewhat specializes in meaty dishes. It had been on my "eat here someday" list for at least half a year. |
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Reviewed: The 17th Annual NOWFE Grand Tasting
Posted by perle0 on 2008-05-26 21:41:58
(7338 views)
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[Editorial]
[New Orleans] |
 Another year, another awesome Grand Tasting for the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience! This year, the Grand Tasting was held in a huge new venue...the Superdome. The event organizers had tons of extra room to play around with, and it showed in many ways. I can't say if this was the biggest NOWFE Grand Tasting ever, but it sure felt like it!
The Grand Tasting is the culmination of a five-day wine and food blow-out, and this one rose to the very high standards New Orleans has for both wine and food. More than 175 wineries from all over the world were represented, pouring an estimated 1000 wines. 75 of New Orleans' best restaurants provided samples of their finest cuisine, to make sure nobody got too tipsy. (They failed on that account in some cases, but did not fail to provide taste temptations sure to lure attendees to their regular kitchens for more.) In addition, there was constant live music, a Louisiana seafood cook-off of New Orleans' finest chefs, and even Mardi Gras floats and a Second Line parade to close things out. |
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Build Your Own Wine Bottle Tree!
Posted by perle0 on 2007-08-29 01:20:04
(38497 views)
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[Editorial]
[USA] |
 You like to drink wine. You drink a lot of wine. Of course you do; it tastes good! But what do you do with all those empty bottles? You could always recycle them...that's good for the Earth. Or you could make them into gorgeous wine bottle lamps. Or you could make a house out of them.
But if you want to do something wacky and decorative, with absolutely no practical value at all (but pretty), and simple enough for anyone with brute strength and zero crafts ability...try a wine bottle tree! |
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NOWFE Grand Tasting: 2007
Posted by perle0 on 2007-06-27 00:20:29
(5132 views)
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[Editorial]
[New Orleans] |
 With each year, the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience (NOWFE) gets a little bit better. The 2006 session was overshadowed by the recent assault of Katrina, and though it went very well indeed, everyone was wondering...would it be as good as in years past? It was. This year, almost two full years PK (post Katrina), though parts of the city are still decimated, the NOWFE is all about forgetting the setbacks and celebrating the recovery...the parts of the city where visitors go are pretty much back to normal, even if the population is down and some areas are still ghost towns with the occasional FEMA trailer. The restaurants are, for the most part, back up and running full steam. Even the beloved Camellia Grill finally re-opened, exactly the same as before (that's a good thing). |
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Food and Wine Pairing of the Week by Swirl Wines
Posted by bevo vino on 2007-05-29 07:53:28
(5540 views)
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[Editorial]
[Austria] |
 White Asparagus with Pistachio Polonaise Paired with Weingut Stadt Krems Sandgrube Gruner Veltliner
2005 Weingut Stadt Krems Sandgrube Gruner Veltliner: Weingut Stadt Krems is in a class by itself: the enterprise is owned by a municipality. Historically, Weingut Stadt Krems arose from two sources. The first source is the property of the Bürgerspitalstiftung--in 1210, Duke Leopold IV of Babenberg founded a public hospital in Krems and left important legacies to it, including vineyards. The second source was the generous bequest of the imperial Burggrave of Krems, Ulrich von Dachsberg, who presented the town with vineyards in 1452. With over 550 years of history, Weingut Stadt Krems is one of the oldest wine-producers in Austria, and even in the whole of Europe.
Until 1744, the Town Hall in the historical center of the city, which is over a thousand years old, accommodated the press house and the maturing cellar. They were then relocated to the cellar in the "Corporis Christi Brotherhood." In 1915, the city acquired a wine cellar in the town moat. The estate wines of the city have been pressed there ever since. No wines or grapes have ever been bought from outside vineyards. |
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Food and Wine Pairing of the Week from Swirl Wines
Posted by bevo vino on 2007-05-14 07:27:55
(5993 views)
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[Editorial]
[Friuli] |
 Shrimp Wrapped in Prosciutto Paired with 2004 Batianich Vespa Bianco
Provided by Swirl Wines
2004 Bastianich Vespa Bianco--The region where new-style white wines reign supreme is named Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and occupies Italy’s easternmost territory. Both native and international varietals have been treated with modern technique in an effort to produce whites of exceptional distinction and equally impressive reds. |
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Food and Wine Pairing of the Week from Swirl Wines
Posted by bevo vino on 2007-05-09 02:33:26
(4956 views)
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[Editorial]
[Piedmont] |
 2005 Enzo Boglietti Dolcetto D'Alba Paired with Fusilli with Sun-Dried Tomato and Scallion Cream
Provided By: Swirl Sensational Wines
Tucked into the mountainous northwest corner of Italy, Piedmont borders Switzerland and France and sits snugly between the Alps and Apennines. In fact, the Italian word piemonte means "foot of the mountain." As a wine-producing region, Piedmont reaches rarely rivaled heights with Barolo and Barbaresco, two world-class wines made from Nebbiolo grape. Barolos are rich, rose-scented wines, robust and tannic, capable of (and often requiring) long aging. Unfortunately they are often prohibitively expensive. Barbaresco, made to be drunk earlier than Barolos, can be the more affordable choice. Other important red grapes of Piedmont are Barbera and Dolcetto, represented in the sub-appellations Asti and Alba. Barbera is very versatile with food, particularly grilled meats and tomato-based sauces. Dolcetto is a round, fruity wine best drunk young. The sweet sparkling white wine Asti is made here from Muscat grapes, as is the dry white Gavi, made from Cortese grapes. |
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The Fine Sport of Wine-Tasting
Posted by perle0 on 2007-03-06 13:27:57
(5181 views)
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[Editorial]
[England] |
 The wine societies of Oxford and Cambridge universities are lobbying to have wine tasting ratified by their schools as an official sport. Participation in such official sports gain the students prestige and special privileges, so there's a lot at stake for the students in this decision of whether or not to consider wine-tasting a sport.
That's right...wine-tasting as sport. After all, groups from the two schools meet each year to compete, and one school comes away the winner. Doesn't that constitute a sport? |
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A Memorable Wine Quest
Posted by perle0 on 2007-02-12 12:46:34
(5744 views)
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[Editorial]
[Burgundy] |
 I'd like to draw your attention to a fine article in Slate, in which the author writes about his obsession with a high-end white burgundy and his quest to taste it one more time.
"This is a story about a bottle of wine. A very expensive but also very delicious bottle of wine—a wine that so captivated me when I first tasted it that I immediately resolved to taste it again. What followed was an almost two-year odyssey that tested the limits of my resourcefulness and perhaps also exposed the warping effect that wine has had on my brain." |
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How Not to Taste Wine
Posted by perle0 on 2007-02-01 01:24:51
(4814 views)
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[Editorial]
[USA] |
| For your viewing enjoyment...a little video on what could happen if you take the concept of wine-tasting to its most extreme. Don't be this guy! |
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Training Your Palate the Grocery Store Way
Posted by perle0 on 2006-12-18 23:53:34
(5071 views)
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[Editorial]
[USA] |
A friend recently pointed out a series of videos produced by Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library. In these segments (ranging in length from around 10 minutes up to a half-hour or more if he gets going), Gary discusses a wine-related topic of interest. He's got almost 150 made at the time of this writing, so that's a lot of wine knowledge out there, available for you to suck up for free. And hey, if you are so moved, you can purchase online from the Wine Library as a thank-you.
We're providing the video below as a nice example. It's on the long side (32 minutes and change), but it gives a great lesson in how to train your palate: get out to the grocery store, make some purchases, and start tasting! |
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Orson Welles and a Little Too Much Paul Masson
Posted by perle0 on 2006-10-19 01:29:15
(13572 views)
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[Editorial]
[California] |
 If you're of a certain age, you probably remember the commercials that an aging Orson Welles did for Paul Masson wines. They featured the memorable tag line: "We will sell no wine before its time." In my house, this led to frequent shouting of "It's time to sell some wine!" often accompanied by pantomimes of turning empty pockets inside-out. (Yes, we may have been lame, but we did have fun--and a tasty beverage--on occasion.)
As it turns out, Welles may have gotten some of the inspiration from a source other than his theatrical muse--namely, the wine bottle, as this video shows. |
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NOWFE 2006: The Post-Katrina Experience
Posted by perle0 on 2006-06-05 00:58:12
(21809 views)
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[Editorial]
[New Orleans] |
I've attended the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience two times before this year's event. Like so many who are familiar with the long weekend's wine-soaked festivities, I wondered: how would this year be different? A mere 8 months after Katrina and some less-than-effective levees wiped out 80% of the city--and with most of the damaged areas still far from recovery--would the Crescent City's wine and food experience be changed beyond recognition? |
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