Open That Bottle: Thinking vs. Drinking & *The Art of Fielding*

*The Art of Fielding* by Chad Harbach
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fielding-Novel-Chad-Harbach/dp/0316126675

Thinking vs. Drinking: Open that Bottle!

A Cellargal Wine Pairing

Inspired by the novel The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

Thursday, October 4^th, 2012

Let the themes of this novel – of paralysis, over-thinking vs. action, and reaction, of art, genius, the human condition, and of our own mortality - remind us that wine, no matter how celebrated or special, doesn’t last forever…and neither do we. The time to enjoy is now.

“You loved it,” he writes of the game, “because you considered it an art: an apparently pointless affair, undertaken by people with a special aptitude, which sidestepped attempts to paraphrase its value yet somehow seemed to communicate something true or even crucial about the Human Condition. The Human Condition being, basically, that we’re alive and have access to beauty, can even erratically create it, but will someday be dead and will not.”

Quoting Gregory Cowles of the New York Times Book Review: “…it feels exactly right that Henry’s crisis is precipitated by over­analysis — he’s paralyzed by thought, by an inability to simply act (or react). This is credible from a sports point of view, and fraught with significance from a literary one. Thinking, after all, is a writer’s primary weapon, but every writer knows it’s double-­edged; live too much in your head and you don’t live enough in the world.” (09/11)

The Bottles:

Germain Gilabert Cava Brut Rosado
Contributed by hostess Esther (thanks!)

Why: This was given as a birthday present to Esther (from me!) and she had been waiting for the right time to drink it...well, there's no reason to wait to enjoy this fresh, fruity and delicious sparkling cava. Now is the time!
http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1090006


2006 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine

Why: This is the perfect book club wine. It pairs with light appetizers and snacks, is light-bodied and easy to drink. It is meant to be drunk young, and yet it has been locked up in my safe for years, for no good reason whatsoever. http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1032054

2005 City Slicker White Hawk Vineyard Syrah

Why: This is a custom crush wine I made with my dad through Crushpad in 2006. It holds great sentimental value to me, because it reminds me of him and of an earlier time in my life and in my family’s history. It is also a one-off production, only one barrel (24 cases) was made.  It is a lovely Syrah that has improved with age. I must open one at some point to see how it is evolving, for the sake of the few remaining bottles. Why not now, to share it with the wonderful ladies of book club? (Hurry, before I change my mind…)

From the same vineyard that these guys source from:

http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1109553

http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1033165

***

For fun:

Open That Bottle Night 

How-to’s from the Wine Writers of the Wall Street Journal

Whether it’s the only bottle in the house or one bottle among thousands, just about all wine lovers have that very special wine that they always mean to open, but never do. This is why “Tastings” columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher invented Open That Bottle Night, the world-wide celebration of friends, family and memories during which all of us finally drink that wine that is otherwise simply too special to open.

On OTBN, which is celebrated on the last Saturday of February every year, thousands of bottles all over the world are released from prison and enjoyed. With them come memories of great vacations, long-lost loved ones and bittersweet moments. The whole point of the weekly “Tastings” column is that wine is more than the liquid in the bottle. It’s about history, geography, relationships and all of the things that are really important in life.

If you plan to participate in Open That Bottle Night, here are some tips to help you make the most of it.

1. Choose the wine. This is the all-important first step. You don’t necessarily want to open your “best” wine or your most impressive wine, but the wine that means the most to you, the one that you would simply never open otherwise. Maybe it’s Grandpa’s garlic wine. You’re looking for a bottle full of memories. On the other hand, if you have, say, a 1929 Lafite that’s just sitting there, it’s tough to argue with that.

2. Stand older wine up (away from light and heat, of course) for a few days before you plan to open it — say, on Wednesday. This will allow the sediment, if there is some, to sink to the bottom.

3. Both reds and whites are often better closer to cellar temperature (around 55 degrees) than today’s room temperature. Don’t overchill the white, and think about putting the red in the refrigerator for an hour or two before opening it if you’ve been keeping it in a 70-degree house.

4. With an older bottle, the cork may break easily. The best opener for a cork like that is one with two prongs, but it requires some skill. You have some time to practice using one. Be prepared for the possibility that a fragile cork may fall apart with a regular corkscrew. If that happens, have a carafe and a coffee filter handy. Just pour enough through the coffee filter to catch the cork.

5. Otherwise, do not decant. It’s safe to assume that these are old and fragile wines. Air could quickly dispel what’s left of them. If the wine does need to breathe, you should have plenty of time for that throughout the evening.

6. Have a backup wine ready for your special meal, in case your old wine really has gone bad.

7. If you are having an OTBN party, ask everyone to say a few words about the significance of the wine they brought. This really is what OTBN is all about, sharing.

8. Serve dinner. Open the wine and immediately take a sip. If it’s truly, irretrievably bad — meaning vinegar — you will know it right away. But even if the wine doesn’t taste good at first, don’t rush to the sink to pour it out. Previous OTBN participants have said they were amazed how a wine pulled itself together and became delicious as the night wore on.

9. Enjoy the wine for what it is, not what it might someday be or might once have been.

10. Drop Dottie and John a note at wine@wsj.com about your evening. Be sure to include your name, city and phone number, in case they need to contact you so that they can share your account with other readers.

This article was adapted from a Tastings column by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher published in January 2007.'

Source: http://guides.wsj.com/wine/entertaining-and-celebrating-with-wine/open-that-bottle-night/

Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit: Lessons in Wine from Lonesome Dove



Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
http://www.amazon.com/Lonesome-Dove-Larry-McMurtry/dp/067168390X



Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit

A Cellargal book & wine pairing inspired by the novel

Lonesome Dove

By Larry McMurtry

August 15^th 2012

The  Latin motto, "Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit," is inscribed on Gus and Woodrow’s Hat Creek Cattle Company sign.  It refers to a Latin proverb - "Uva Uvam Videndo Varia Fit"- first attributed to the Roman Poet Juvenal.  Literally translated, it means "A grape (uva) + other grapes (uvam) + seeing (videndo) + changes (varia fit)”--"A grape changes when it sees other grapes"—or, to quote the more modern proverb of 18^th century Jamaican origin, “monkey see monkey do”.  However, McMurty has Gus’s character in the novel write it slightly differently, changing “videndo” to “vivendo” (living) so it reads "A grape is changed by living with other grapes. This alters the meaning slightly, suggesting a moral: “we are changed by those around us” (quoting Aesop, “birds of a feather flock together”), or, as the novel will later teach us in its own words: “you ride with an outlaw, you die with an outlaw”.

***
“Great wines are made in the vineyard”

Bruno Michel "Blanche" Brut Champagne 

From the villages of Pierry and Moussy in the sud-Epernay sub region of Champagne.  Organic/biodynamic 53% Meunier and 47% Chardonnay. All vines are the estate’s own seleccion massale, meaning propogated and grafted from all 100% estate mother plants.   http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1022679

2011 Domaine de Reuilly Pinot Gris Rosé

Reuilly is an appellation in the eastern part of France's Loire Valley (sometimes referred to as "poor man's Sancerre) that is blessed to share the same Kimmeridgian clay and limestone terroir with neighboring Sancerre and Chablis to the north, which explains where these wines get their mineral drive and precision. Denis Jamain has been practicing sustainable agriculture for many years and has recently started the conversion process for organic certification.

http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1106773

2009 Domaine Rimbert "Le Mas au Schiste" Saint Chinian

Winemaker Jean-Marie Rimbert has a thing for Carignan, particularly Carignan from the northern edge of the Saint-Chinian appellation, where the soils are comprised of flaky schist. Named for the schisty soils of the region, but it also reveals some of Rimbert's playful side. Say it out loud and you can hear it--masochiste--since Rimbert thinks he must be one to farm the flaky, rocky, challenging vineyards that he does. The wine is comprised of equal parts Carignan, Syrah and Grenache. http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1081165

2009 Chante Cigale Châteauneuf-du-Pape

“A blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and the rest Mourvedre and other varietals, the 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape is a round, generously endowed, corpulent effort with lots of garrigue, pepper, smoked meat, kirsch and raspberry fruit notes. This full-bodied, silky smooth, sexy Chateauneuf can be drunk over the next decade.” (RP) http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1090413

2010 La Fleur des Pins Supérieures Graves Blanc

From a small commune in Graves bordering Sauternes, this noble sweet wine features a blend of 90% Semillon, 5% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle. As botrytis developed in the vineyard late in the 2010 growing season, the 50-year-old vines were harvested in 3-4 passes depending on the vineyard block. http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1095887

 

Terms:

Terroir (French pronunciation: [tɛʁwaʁ] from terre, "land") is the special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place, interacting with the plant's genetics, expressed in agricultural products such as wine, coffee, tomatoes, heritage wheat and tea. The concept has also crossed to other Protected Appellations of Origin (PDOs a form of Geographical Indication), products such as cheeses.

Terroir can be very loosely translated as "a sense of place," which is embodied in certain characteristic qualities, the sum of the effects that the local environment has had on the production of the product. Terroir is often italicized in English writing to show that it is a French loanword.

The concept of terroir is at the base of the French wine Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system that has been the model for appellation and wine laws across the globe. At its core is the assumption that the land from which the grapes are grown imparts a unique quality that is specific to that growing site. The amount of influence and the scope that falls under the description of terroir has been a controversial topic in the wine industry.^[1]

Sélection massale:  A breeding method wherein a large number of plants having the desirable traits are harvested individually from a standing crop. The seeds from all selections are then bulked. From the bulk, a seed sample is taken and used to plant a population from which desirable plants are selected at maturity. The procedure is repeated for several cycles until the population becomes uniform and homogeneous. A variety developed by mass selection is fairly uniform and contains fewer genotypes than the original population.

Botrytis/Noble rot (French: pourriture noble; German: Edelfäule; Italian: Muffa nobile) is the benevolent form of a grey fungus, Botrytis cinerea, affecting wine grapes. Infestation by Botrytis requires moist conditions. If the weather stays wet, the malevolent form, "grey rot," can destroy crops of grapes. Grapes typically become infected with Botrytis when they are ripe. If they are then exposed to drier conditions and become partially raisined this form of infection brought about by the partial drying process is known as noble rot. Grapes when picked at a certain point during infestation can produce particularly fine and concentrated sweet wine. Some of the finest Botrytized wines are literally picked berry by berry in successive tries (French for "selections").

Galets: The characteristic terroir of Châteauneuf-du-Pape comes from a layer of stones called galets ("pebbles"). The rocks are typically quartzite and remnants of Alpine glaciers that have been smoothed over millennia by the Rhône River. The stone retains heat during the day and releases it at night which can have an effect of hastening the ripening of grapes. The stones can also serve as a protective layer to help retain moisture in the soil during the dry summer  months.^[7]

(Sources: Amazon.com, KLWines.com, Wikipedia)

[Cellargal Book & Wine Club] tQsting

tQsting
Inspired by Haruki Murakami’s Novel 1Q84
June 20th 2Q12


IQ84 by Haruki Murakami
 



“Then, as if it had just occurred to him, he asked if they had Cutty Sark*…Not bad thought Aomame. She liked the fact that he had not chosen Chivas Regal or some sophisticated single malt. It was her personal view that people who are overly choosey about the drinks they order in a bar tend to be sexually bland. She had no idea why this would be so.” **



Glenrothes Select Reserve Single Malt Whisky "John Ramsay, the Malt Master for Glenrothes, has taken great care to pick out the finest casks from different years to create the "Select Reserve. From the distillery: "Appearance: Pale golden; Nose: American oak vanilla and coconut, hints of plums; Palate: Full malty flavour, medium sweet, vanilla and orange zest; Finish: Long and slightly spicy."

~
“…and a glass of white wine” (Fuka Eri)

“Tengo opened the refrigerator to see if he had any chilled white wine. In the back he found a bottle of Chardonnay he had recently bought on sale. The label had a picture of a wild boar…it was a bit too chilled, and a bit too sweet, but the alcohol calmed Tengo’s nerves somewhat.”

2008 Mt. Difficulty Chardonnay Central Otago New Zealand "The 2008 vintage in Central Otago was a nearly ideal growing season, with a warm spring and less wind than usual that allowed excellent flowering conditions. The bouquet offers tropical notes, along with a nutty character, spiced apple, pear and lemon citrus highlights."

~
“…the dowager had a glass of Chablis, and Aomame kept her company. The wine was just as elegant and simple as the food.”

2010 Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis "Classic nose of green fruit and oyster shells gives way to rich, intense and agreeably racy middle weight flavors that possess a fine minerality on the minerally, pure and linear finish. Like the Petit Chablis, this is worth a look as it offers very good quality at this level. (Burghound) “The 2010 Chablis is simply dazzling, and makes for a great introduction to the estate’s 2010s. It boasts gorgeous, bright fruit supported by attractive minerality. High toned floral notes add further lift on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020.” (WA)

~
“…in fact there is absolutely nothing wrong with the wine. The man is a famous politician who likes to think he’s a wine connoisseur, but he doesn’t know a damn thing about wine. He did it to show off. ‘I’m afraid this has might have a slight edge,’ he says. We had to humor him...this is a highly respected Burgundy …from a noble domain, a good year.” Ayumi: “Who could possibly object to a wine like this?” Aomame: “You can always find somebody to complain about anything”…They were both pretty drunk. The excellent Burgundy in their blood gently coursed through their bodies, giving the world a faint purplish tinge. Aomame: “the world is going to end before we know it...And the kingdom is going to come.”

2002 Domaine de la Vougeraie Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru "Les Marconnets" "Les Marconnets is a vineyard that has been planted since at least the 13th century, and it is one of the first where Dr. Guyot worked at improving vineyard management and invented the now widely-used pruning method that bears his name. It's on the border with Beaune and is just hiting its stride. This wine was burly in its youth, but is now settling down and emerging as a more elegant wine, with finer tannin structure. The vines here are a range of ages, but most all of them were planted between 1929 and 1967, so they have good maturity. Clive Coates writes: "Ripe and succulent. Fresh and stylish. Medium to medium-full body. Good length. Good Plus."

~

*Cutty Sark is a range of blended Scotch whisky produced by Edrington plc of Glasgow whose main office is less than 10 miles from the birthplace of the famous clipper ship (left) of the same name. The whisky was created on March 23, 1923, with the home of the blend considered to be at The Glenrothes distillery in the Speyside region of Scotland. The name comes from the River Clyde-built clipper ship Cutty Sark, whose name came from the Scots language term cutty-sark, the short shirt prominently mentioned in the famous poem by Robert Burns - "Tam o' Shanter". The drawing of the clipper ship Cutty Sark on the label of the whisky bottles is a work of the Swedish artist Carl Georg August Wallin. He was a mariner painter, and this is probably his most famous ship painting. This drawing has been on the whisky bottles since 1955. The Tall Ships' Races for large sailing ships were originally known as The Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Races, under the terms of sponsorship by the whisky brand. (from Wikipedia)


**An empty Cutty Sark box serves as a plot device in Haruki Murakami's novel The Wind Up Bird Chronicle, it is a character's favourite drink in the 1978 novel The Human Factor by Graham Greene and featured prominently in Murakami's novel 1Q84. In Charles Bukowski's novel Women (novel), there is a scene where the main protagonist - Henri Chinaski fights over a bottle of Cutty Sark with his girlfriend. Eventually the bottle is broken and he takes a sip from what's left at the bottom. (from Wikipedia)

Sources: K&L Wine Merchants, Wikipedia

[Cellargal Book & Wine Club] Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand + Sake

Sake Survival Guide

A Cellargal* Book & Wine Pairing

Inspired by the Novel

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival,

 Resilience, and Redemption

By Laura Hillenbrand

 04/26/2012

http://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World-Survival-Resilience-Redemption/dp/1400064163



Sawa Sawa Sparkling Sake Milled to 70%, this sparkling sake is off dry and very popular with aficionados and novices alike.  It tastes like angel food cake - light, delicate, uplifiting. Not overly sweet, with a hint of marzipan at the finish. This is a lively party starter and/or clever alternative to sparkling wine. It pairs with spicy foods espeically those featuring nutty sweet flavors (e.g. apps with spicy peanutdipping sauce). Packaged in a cute, single-serving bottle, this also makes a clever gift or party favor.

Hakutsuru Excellent Junmai Milled to 70%, this Sake is insanely delicious for the price, great with grilled salmon kama or miso beef! Can be enjoyed warm or chilled.


Taru Sake, Kikusakari Milled to 60% and aged in japanese cedar, which give the distinctive woody aromas and lingering finish that it is known for. It also preserves a sense of freshness and some delicacy, which not all taru-sakes do. One of the best taru-sakes we have tried. Cedar ageing adds a warmness that you can breathe in. pair with smoked tomatoes with burrata and Thai basil.


Ten To Chi "Heaven and Earth" Junmai Daiginjo Sake  Milled to 50%, this sake was originally tasted at the annual Sake Day in San Francisco and has been in demand ever since. Produced by the Kobayashi family on Niigata by toji master Kenji Fujii who has been making sake for more than four decades at the Musashino Shuzo. The rice used in Heaven and Earth is Koshi Tanrei. Grown only in Niigata, the Niigata Sake Institue spent 15years developing the varietal. Heaven and Earth is one of the first Koshi Tanrei based sakes to be made commercially available in Japan and was launced in 2011. Made with 100% soft water sourced from natural spring water from the Maki district of Niigata, this sake has sweet and savory notes of chestnuts, is texturally pleasing, and subtley aromatic. This is more of a powerhouse sake fit for more substantial meals like fettucini alfredo or a cream based soup.


Rihaku "Dreamy Clouds" Tokubetso Junmai Nigori Sake (Unfiltered) Milled to 59%, this unfiltered sake still has the lees in it, which gives it a cloudy appearance and a bit sweeter taste than a more modern filtered sake. Made from the Gohyakumangoku rice by Rihaku Shuzo in the Shimane Prefecture, it is rich, creamy and quite long at the end.

Legend


Junmai: Sake that is made up of water, koji mold, yeast and rice that has been milled 30% with 70% of each grain remaining.
Honjozo: Sake that is made up of rice, water, koji mold, yeast and a portion of added distilled alcohol, and the rice is milled 30% with 70% of each grain remaining.
Junmai Ginjo: Sake that is made up of water, koji mold, yeast and rice milled 40% with 60% of each grain remaining.
Ginjo: Sake that is made up of rice, water, koji mold, yeast and a portion of added distilled alcohol, and the rice is milled 40% with 60% of each grain remaining.
Junmai Dai Ginjo: Sake that is made up of water, koji mold, yeast and rice milled 50% with 50% of each grain of rice remaining.
Dai Ginjo: Sake that is made up of rice, water, koji mold, yeast and a portion of distilled alcohol, and the rice is milled 50% with 50% of each grain remaining.


-Sake can be made in different fashions to produce more variations of sake. For example if a brewer were to leave in some of the rice polishings the result would be a cloudy sake commonly referred to as Nigori (unfiltered sake). If a brewer decided to store his freshly brewed sake in cedar tanks this would result in Taru (cedar sake). Or as most breweries in Japan do, if they release a sake that has not been pasteurized the typical two times - in most cases - then the result is Nama (unpasteurized sake.)


-If brewers decide to age their sake longer than a typical fermentation cycle, then the result is Koshu (aged sake). If brewers are looking to try something different by adding more sake instead of more water to the brewing process the result is Kijoshu (dessert sake). And lastly if a brewer decides to allow his sake to reach peak fermentation without adding the typical amount of water to bring sake back to a diluted state of roughly 15%-16% alcohol level then the result is a sake that has a alcohol percentage along the lines of 17%-19% called Genshu (undiluted sake).

The Marriage Plot: A Tasting




The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

 

The Marriage Plot: A Tasting

A Cellargal* Book and Wine Pairing
Inspired by The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

January 18, 2012

mar•riage

noun \ˈmer-ij, ˈma-rij\

Definition of MARRIAGE (from Merriam-Webster)

1 a (1) : the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2) : the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage
b : the mutual relation of married persons : wedlock
c : the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage

2: an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected; especially : the wedding ceremony and attendant festivities or formalities

3: an intimate or close union

Examples of MARRIAGE

1. “A marriage between form and function.”
Michel Arnould Verzenay "Brut Reserve" Champagne
75% Pinot Noir , 25% Chardonnay from estate vineyards in the Grand Cru of Verzenay.

2. “A marriage of science and art.”
2010 Cyprus Russian River Valley Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay. From one of the oldest vineyards in the Russian River Valley. 100% French oak (40% new)

3. “A marriage of sweet and spicy flavors.”
2010 Ligeriens Rosé d' Anjou
Demi-sec (off-dry) blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay and Grolleau, made from the saignee method.

4. “They have a very happy marriage.”
2008 Valle dell'Acate Cerasuolo di Vittoria
70% Nero d'Avola (aged in oak) and 30% Frappato (aged in steel)

5. “She has old-fashioned ideas about marriage.
2010 Bedrock Wine Company "Heirloom-Pagani Ranch" Sonoma Valley Red Wine
From the historic Pagani Ranch vineyard in northern Sonoma, planted in the 1880's to a field blend of Zinfandel, Alicante Bouschet, Grand Noir de la Calmette, Petite Sirah, and Lenoir. Co-planted and co-fermented with native yeasts and aged in 40% new French oak.

"That is my point about “The Marriage Plot”: you read books and they change your life." -Jeffrey Eugenides