“The Israelis” by Donna Rosenthal — a fantastic insight into the various cultures and peoples that constitute the Israeli people.

GV,
Your answer to the Chuck Wagon question reminded me of that scene in the movie City Slickers when all of the characters are having dinner and one of the Ice cream brothers is reputed to be able to choose the perfect ice cream flavor for any meal. After he picks a desert for the meal that Billy Crystal’s character describes, the other characters take issue that he doesn’t have any proof that his answer is the perfect flavor for desert. “How do we know you are right?”, they ask. The brother responds “$? millions in sales is how we know he is right.”

So in that vein.

What would be the perfect wine substitute for a guy who loves Guinness Stout?

Hey, Gary, ‘nother great episode! I’m reading ‘Wine Bible’ by Karen MacNeil (signed copy! thanks WineLibrary!) and ‘Your Best Life Now’ by Joel Osteen. Excellent!!

Good episode. I have to say that I am a little scared by the almost total lack of reading done by your viewers. Yes, I read magazines and the internet as well. But it looks like books are disappearing from American culture (or what will increasingly be lack of culture). No, it doesn’t have to be Faulkner. It’s not about reading the “greats” but being put in the place that literature puts you, the way it challenges you to think. Geez, people are going to jail, dying, going into exile for the freedom to write what they want to write. It’s got to be worth finding what that is, isn’t it? Given what I hear in my classroom (yup, I teach) as the years go by (that is, the diminishing ability to read and think critically), where we are headed isn’t pretty. I’m assuming that those with the income to be interested in wine are generally not the working class (perhaps they are the ones reading these days). If the elite doesn’t read, how can we expect anything more than what we’ve got (I’ll let you draw your conclusions). First, I essentially read for a living (and still love it). But as fun recent reading, Chester Himes, If He Hollers Let Him Go. Incredible book. Other than that, Boris Vian, L’ecume des jours (out there). I’ll certainly get something from Orhan Pamuk, the person who won the Nobel Prize for lit only yesterday.
OK, that rant felt good.
I’d get some of that Zin but my cellar has maxed out and my bank ballance is ugly. It’s time to cull from the cellar so as to save money and make space. I’ll continue to watch so I can add to my fantasy league cellar (it’s a parallel imaginary cellar that holds ten thousand bottles and that comes with a 1.5 million budget (eg salary) cap).
To all a great weekend. Oh yea, go Iggles.

Gary,
Seems like you had that man, I have to taste cheap wine! expression going on today. You have been a bit down on the value category as of late. Glad to see you found something you like. Might be nice to do a value episode on wines that YOU thing are good.

Jets season is shaping up just like the Steeler 🙁

QOTD: Just finished reading Conspiracy of Fools. Nothing like a good corporate scandal to peak your interests. Greedy SOBs.

Just drove a couple hours to CT. So happy to see another new episode up today…I can’t sleep.

“School Night” wines!! Love the phrase. Take it, Gary!

QOD: To my to precious girls every night, I’m reading “Favorite Poems for Children,” and “Little House in the Big Woods.” For myself, I typically read bits and pieces of lots of stuff. The current hopeful pile of standbys on my bedside table includes: The Professional Chef (the new 8th edition!!..it’s great!!), Exploring Wine, Parent’s magazine, and my women’s devotional Bible. I recently finished “My Friend Leonard” (I love James Frey…in spite of the controversy around him. He’s an amazing writer.).

Gary, you didn’t share what you’re reading…so, what ARE you reading?

Oh, I forgot. Also re-reading bits of a terrific book called “A History of the World in 6 Glasses.”

Good episode, Gary! We need those value wines!

And I like the promise of free shippin for a Jets win need that free shipping! I win either way since being from Miami since you promissed free shipping for any team beating the Jets… You can already send the code! 😉

Another question for you. I see that when you swirl-aerate wine you throw your nose and your whole face into the spittoon really quickly. Doesn’t the left over wine in there and their aromas influence the wine you are tasting? I’m sure you are already used to it and by now it’s mechanical, but shouldn’t you just get into the spittoon to spit?

From Venezuela for work again! But back tomorrow in the States!

Carlitos

BTW, what I’m reading now is not at all wine related. It’s The Zahir by Paulo Coelho. I loved The Alchemist.

But you can normally see me reading your wine magazines and the occasional book.

QOD- Well my wife is 7 months pregnant so I am reading Penthouse Letters and the massage ads in the Bergen Record. Also reading FROM Vines TO Wine- I read it every year when we make our wine. Also in the middle of the Emperor series by Conn Iggulden a great read about Julius Caesar which takes the facts of his life and blends in story with it-A great read over four books. I read the fourth book first though because it is what they had in the airport in Rome. Its amazing how many people think Julias Caesar was a made up person. And the latest issue of Winemaker Magazine.

AS a long time Giants season ticket holder I can now officially say GO JETS- my modo is if it is free it is for me! WE like free shipping!

Gary, this was a great episode keep up the good work you Strawberry patch doll smelling guy!

QOTD – I just read Heat by Bill Buford.

Professor…yes, that’s her…kids are an unbelievable adventure for sure!

lizV…I’m definitely in favor of that…no offense to Mr. Vaynerchuk

OK….tonight was a big wine night.
Opened one of the Domaine Grand Veneur from WL…I’m starting to turn into a world wine guy, not just a CA guy….which is difficult because of where I live…however….
I never thought I would like Grenache (but then I never tried one before)
Strawberry, Strawberry, Strawberry..on the nose down to the toes!
The leather is there, but in a dirty dirt, old snack bar kind of way from when you were a kid and it’s subtle at best.

The outlaws were here tonight (I actually dig em quite a bit) and my mother-in-law brought a bottle of 2002 Columbia Crest Two Vines Merlot. I wouldn’t normally “taste” it, but at the end of the night I have decided to give it a whirl…
To me (and I have never said this in a wine before) it actually tastes like an under-ripe grape. You know, the kind you steal off of the vine when your visiting Duckhorn in early September. I think what I mean is it is very bitter, in the nose and on the palette. I have tasted and spit (Into the Domain Bottle) about ten times and even the very top of my gums have dried out from the alchohol / bitterness…I would say PASS.

In both bottles Denyce says, “I just smell wine.” Whatta ya gonna do?

Have a great weekend everone….Go Rammies!

B

QOD – The Reluctant Mr. Darwin by David Quammen

Nice work Tony!

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Go Jets cause I have my case picked out. Go Seahawks!

I just finished reading “The House That Trane Built”, the story of Impulse Records by Ashley Kahn. An O.K. and easy read. Since I have all the Impulse label reissued CD’s from 1994 on, I thought it would be interesting to find out the background on the recordings. When I read in the evening, I always had a glass of red wine to make reading more enjoyable.

Gary,

In regard to the cheese question: I’ve heard that the reason cheese is such a wonderful complement to red wines is that the lactic acid in the cheese breaks down the tannins in the wine and brings out whatever richness those tannins may have been hiding. If this is true, it would seem that the benefits of “opening-up” the wine in this manner would far outweigh any decreased sensitivity that might occur as a result of fats coating the palate. Having heard this from a source I trust, I was surprised that you didn’t mention it in response to Lev M’s question. Have I been misled? True or not, I LOVE cheese with wine, despite the fact that I prefer my coffee and tea unadulterated by the mellowing influence of cream (which is said to be a result of a similar chemical reaction).

Thanks, by the way, for referring to the scent of a fine cigar rather than just “tobacco”. You did it a couple of episodes ago, but this is the first I’ve commented since then. I don’t know if you did it as a result of my comment, but I appreciate the specificity in any case.

QOD: I’ve mostly been reading my Anatomy & Physiology textbook lately, but when I’m not bogged-down with schoolwork I like to read a chapter or two of Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. It elevates me from the mundane.

Tony (comment 47): I love the idea of wine collection photos! My collection, alas, amounts to only one bottle in my fridge that I’m saving for Thanksgiving. Oddly enough, it’s kept in the fridge to keep it warm enough that it doesn’t freeze at night.

Hey Gary,

Great episode! Informative and entertaining….you never cease to make me laugh.

QOD: “Two Years at the Mast.” (One of the Harvard classics. Just picked up a turn of the Century (1900) collection in mint condition.)

Being that you are an avid Jets fan….Do you despise the Giants?

QOD
The Long Tail by Chris Anderson
This is a book for you, Gary.
It’s all about internet marketing.
I’ve had the Kris & it’s better then most Pinot Grigios.
Which is like being the worlds tallest midget.

Tony – good video! Don’t worry about the “charisma” factor – go back and watch Gary’s first 10 episodes, the wineTVpersonality takes a bit of time to develope! In any case, thanks for wasting your $25 on the Kirkland Pouillac so I don’t have to. And – have you considered putting all those wine storage racks in a cool closet somewhere to get them out of the light and heat of the house?
Denise – I just heard a podcast interview with the author of History of the World in 6 Glasses and I’m excited to read it, thanks for mentioning you’re reading it!
I’m always reading 3 things:
The Bible – I’m reading it through and I’m in the book of James.
Magazines – Wine magazines, girl (not “girlie”) magazines (Yes, I love Martha Stewart, ex-con that she is) and food magazines
A Novel – Just started Blackbird, seems like it’s going to be heavy (Oprah style). I just finished reading Sideways, which was torture because it’s pure trash. Stupid. Vulgar. So a couple of guys spend a week totally wasted on expensive wine. Okay. Not to mention all the other loser stuff they do. The movie was dumb, as I recall, but the novel worse.
Finally – I do not even understand the rules to football (I have tried and tried over the years, especially when my son played in high school) – but this weekend I am a BIG fan of the JETS!!! I’m building my fantasy FREE SHIPPING order right now!

Tony – good video! Don’t worry about the “charisma” factor – go back and watch Gary’s first 10 episodes, the wineTVpersonality takes a bit of time to develope! In any case, thanks for wasting your $25 on the Kirkland Pouillac so I don’t have to. And – have you considered putting all those wine storage racks in a cool closet somewhere to get them out of the light and heat of the house?
Denise – I just heard a podcast interview with the author of History of the World in 6 Glasses and I’m excited to read it, thanks for mentioning you’re reading it!
I’m always reading 3 things:
The Bible – I’m reading it through and I’m in the book of James.
Magazines – Wine magazines, girl (not “girlie”) magazines (Yes, I love Martha Stewart, ex-con that she is) and food magazines
A Novel – Just started Blackbird, seems like it’s going to be heavy (Oprah style). I just finished reading Sideways, which was torture because it’s pure trash. Stupid. Vulgar. So a couple of guys spend a week totally wasted on expensive wine. Okay. Not to mention all the other loser stuff they do. The movie was dumb, as I recall, but the novel worse.
Finally – I do not even understand the rules to football (I have tried and tried over the years, especially when my son played in high school) – but this weekend I am a BIG fan of the JETS!!! I’m building my fantasy FREE SHIPPING order right now!

This weekend’s Jets game:
“Loss Projected – One of 2005’s strongest finishers plus Dante Culpepper. But it’s the Dolphins third road game in a row so the Jets could be catching them at just the right time to pull the mild upset.”
I guess I won’t hold my breath for that FREE SHIPPING but we can hope for the “mild upset”!

If anyone is looking for a great “school night” white try Pumari Chardonnay easy on the wallet and very refreshing. Give it a try

Another great episode.
QOD: Perfectly Legal, The covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich – and Cheat Everybody Else. By David Cay Johnston.
Yesterday’s QOD: 30 bottles. Todays episode addressed the problem I’m having with my collection. I’ve accumulated some nice wines, wines that I’ve been saving for special occasions. So on that weekday when I’m going through my wine stash I have nothing to drink (That drives my wife crazy.) So after the Jets win I’m going to order some 2003 Pieve Del Vescovo Piovano and
2004 Rocky Creek Zinfandel. Thanks Gary.

I have a question for you: Tannins. Wine Spectator defines it as: The mouth-puckering substance–found mostly in red wines–that is derived primarily from grape skins, seeds and stems, but also from oak barrels. Tannin acts as a natural preservative that helps wine age and develop.
So how can you have fine or structured Tannins? What do Tannins taste like or what is the sensation I should look for in wine? Can you compare it to something a regular person can understand?

Thanks

Gary-
Madison was just tooooo precious! Love that!
I am glad you did a school night episode. Not exactly rolling in the dough right now sooooooooooooooooooo….
I just got a new job and haven’t received the first paycheck yet…………………………
I need the value wines episode!!!!!!
I am reading Genesis and I give it a big thumbs up!
I am a big magazine person: Food and Wine & Cooking Light. They also give wine tips but……………..
Your tips are FAR better!
Keep up the fantastic work!!!!

“Modern winemakers take great care to minimize undesirable tannins from seeds by crushing grapes gently to extract their juice. Pressing the grapes results in press wine which is more tannic and might be kept separately. Wines can also take on tannins if matured in oak or wood casks with a high tannin content. Tannins play an important role in preventing oxidation in aging wine and appear to polymerize and make up a major portion of the sediment in wine.”

Arnold…its the part that hits your inner jowls and makes you think of puckering up…That is how I descirbed it to my girl.

“Tannins are detectable by a dry, sometimes puckery, sensation in the mouth and back of the throat.”

Arnold (#72) – Learning the sensation of tannins is easy–just brew a cup of very strong tea. That drying feeling on your teeth and tongue are caused by tannins.

Brandon M (#20) — A 3-bottle vertical of Corbett Canyon White Zin sounds awesome. I’m a huge fan of their April, June, and November vintages. I’ll bring the box-cutter and some Kraft Singles…

Rick