Confessions of a Former California Cabernet Drinker
By Neil Crain
I must confess I have been a drinker of California wines for almost 30 years. That is to say that I have been with Californian wines through good times and bad. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Napa Valley wine makers would drag you into their wineries to taste their wine, and some times they had to block the door to keep you from leaving.
Times have changed. Californian wine is better and you stand in line to get into some wineries. The wine industry has become big business, generating almost $20 billion a year in California. Vineyard land in Napa sells for more than $150,000 per acre and you have to be a rock star to afford good Californian wine.
Two things brought the rising cost of Californian wine into focus for me. The first was a recent issue of the Wine Spectator. In their Cabernet Sauvignon issue, the magazine editors rated 500 Californian Cabernets most from the 2004 vintage. For these 500 wines the average price was almost $70 and the average rating was less than 87! That is almost twice the annual subscription price of the magazine for a bottle of wine that is just OK!
The second event was a WineEnabler wine tasting. We tasted 6 bottles of wine for under $15 and I decided to open a bottle of Cabernet from the cellar. The wine had been rated 94 points by the Wine Spectator and I had bought it for less than $50. The wine was good, but showing some fatigue from its time in the bottle. I would say that today it would get about an 89-90 point rating. Based on today’s prices that would mean it would sell for at least $100! It was a good bottle, but I will not be replacing it with another from California Cabernet. Instead I will look for Cab from Washington, Shiraz from Australia or Malbec from Argentina. There are exceptional wines from these regions and many of them do not cost the equivalent of a days pay. I will miss my old friend from California, but sometimes friends grow apart.
To learn more about wines go to www.wineenabler.com
Cocktails and Contemplation
By Neil Crain
At our house wine means it is time for dinner. We almost always have wine with our evening meal. As a practical matter that means that we tend to buy and drink wine that pairs well with food. For many dishes that requires a wine that does not overpower you or your food with oak or alcohol. Food also benefits from a wine with acid. The acid prepares the palate for food and balances fat in the food.
These are characteristics that are found in wines from Europe, British Columbia, New Zealand and wines from the US that are “old world style”. Many wines from the US, Australia, and some from Argentina and Chile are made with a much more fruit forward style. The warm climates where the grapes are grown produce a wine that can be high in alcohol and often lacking in the acid required to pair well with food. But, these wines still have great merit. This past Sunday, we had a great day in Austin. The weather was terrific and we got a lot done in the garden and in the kitchen. As the sun started to set we opened a bottle of Chateau St Jean Fume Blanc Sonoma County 2004. Just the name sends purist heading for their Poly Fume and some squab. But this wine was just the ticket. The wine’s melon, pear and smooth oak went great with the beautiful afternoon, the sense of a day well spent and the company. At WineEnabler.com we refer to these as C&C wines-Cocktail and Contemplation wines. These are typically big wines, wines with an attitude that command your attention. C&C wines that do not always leave room for food but they do leave plenty of room for enjoyment, and isn’t that what wine drinking is all about.
To learn more about wines go to www.wineenabler.com
Art
Roy Lichtenstein
Recently I went to see the work of Roy Lichtenstein at Austin Museum of Arts. I was impressed by his prints. Exhibition opened on November 17, 2007. It will be open till February 3, 2008.
Roy Lichtenstein Prints 1956-97 includes over seventy prints, spanning the career of one of the most important artists of the twentieth century—from the time of his first proto-Pop image to the print he was working on at the time of his death in 1997. Although best known for his comic-book images, Lichtenstein took on a wide range of subjects that included still life, portraiture, landscape, and modern art history.
To find additional details go to Austin Museum of Art website...
Food
Delicious Chicken Pullao
During holiday season delicious Chicken Pullao had been the great hit in my house. This dish is a complete meal on its own, but is also delicious served with a lentil dish such as Tarka Dhal. Here is the recipe. Cook and enjoy with your family!
Serves 4
Ingredients
75 g/3 oz/6 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 tsp mixed onion and mustard seeds
3 curry leaves
1 tsp ginger pulp
1 tsp garlic pulp
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 medium potato, cubed
50 g/2 oz/1/3 cup frozen peas
175 g/6 oz/1 1/4 cups chicken, skinned, boned and cubed
400 g/14 oz/2 cuos basmati rice
4 tbsp chopped frash coriander (cilantro)
2 fresh green chillies, chopped
700 ml/24 fl oz/3 cups water
1. Wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes, then set aside in a sieve (strainer).
2. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil and put musturd seed, ginger Gralic for 30 seconds.
3. Then put sliced onion and fry it until golden brown.
4. Add curry leaves, ground coriander, chilli powder and salt, Stri-fry for about 2 minutes.
5. Add the sliced tomatoes, cubed potato, peas and chicken and mix everything together well.
6. Add the rice and stir gently to combine with other ingredients.
7. Finally, add the fresh coriander (cilantro) and chopped green chillies.
8. Mix and stir-fry for a further 1 minute. Pour in the water.
9. Bring to the boil and lower the heat. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes.