Inferior Good: Diminishing Marginal Stupidity in Action

I am love and acceptance

2009-07-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

My political communication (emails, conversations, etc.) is too often about setting myself apart while putting others down. This self-righteous, vainglorious and destructive anger feels warm and powerful as it flows though my veins but later, in the mirror, I see harsh judgment and rejection, which is the opposite of who I want to be. I want to be love and acceptance. Scratch that, I am love and acceptance.

Buy Local?

2009-07-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

Check out Joe Dresser’s rant against the buy local movement, which he sees as “nonsensical and… jingoistic”. Though his post may be a bit uncharitable, I tend to agree.

I recognize that there may be a certain romance associated with goods produced close to home (as with anywhere else), but otherwise simply being local isn’t enough to make something worthy of my purchase.

I get that the term “local” is about more than geography for some people, but I humbly submit that the terms “environmentally sustainable” and “artisan” describe this ethic much more clearly and accurately while avoiding the natavist, anti-cosmopolitan nature of the word “local”. It may be possible to optimize quality and environmental impact by purchasing local goods, but this is not necessarily so in many cases. Further, the term “local” is easily adopted as a simple marketing tool by producers with values quite divergent from those of the core buy local community.

[Ed: Why am I not surprised that a wine importer doesn’t view the buy local movement positively?] Fair enough, but consider also that Mr. Dresser’s vocation is probably consistent with his quite heartfelt appreciation for the world’s many wonderful wine traditions. I imagine that buy local might appear like a narrow minded assault on the diversity he thrives upon.

Hoodwink or hyperbole?

2007-08-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

Patrica Cohen’s recent NY Times article on Heterodox Economists is very disappointing. The gist is that mainstream economics won't make room for heterodox views on trade and free markets.

First, as Alex Tabarrok points out, it is absurd to cast the profiled economists as embattled outsiders fighting the oppressive mainstream, for those mentioned in the article are most prominent.

Second, the profiled economists make some ridiculous claims. For example, Dani Rodrick states:

“I fall into the methods of the mainstream, but not the faith,” which he defines as the belief that more markets and free trade are always good and government regulation is always bad...

Assuming the article correctly characterizes Mr. Rodrick’s beliefs, Mr. Rodrick is guilty here of gross exaggeration or tremendous sloppiness.

I don't think I've ever read or heard an economist say that more markets are always better than government regulation. I learned about the concept of market failure in Econ 101. Does not every other economics student do the same? I’d be shocked if 99% of economists did not concede that there are at least some cases in which a government solution may prove optimal.

Scarcity

2007-07-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

The Stranger’s Charles Mudede shares his view that Tyler Cowen and other “capitalist economist[s]” fail to understand that the problem of scarcity is manufactured by owners of the means of production.

First, when Economists talk about scarcity, they simply mean that people can’t have everything they want and that therefore, they must make choices. Put another way, resources are limited but desires are potentially unlimited. It’s not clear to me that Mr. Mudede grasps this meaning.

One example of a scarce resource is time, for all of us have a limited time here on earth. While we may want to live forever (unlimited desire), the fact is that we cannot (limited resource).

Another example of scarcity is the fact that people can only physically be in one place at one time. I physically can’t be in London and Kumasi and Seattle at the exact same time. Rather, I must choose one.

Certainly, Mr. Mudede is correct that abundance is important, for it entails more choice. If there were only one good movie in existence, then it probably wouldn’t be too hard to make time to see it. But in fact, there are probably thousands of good movies, not to mention there are many fun things to do besides watching movies. If one could live forever and one could be and do everything at once, then choice would be unnecessary. But of course, due to scarcity, we must make choices about how we spend out limited time, our limited money, our limited attention, etc. I must decide how many and which movies I will watch, and when I want to do so. Every time I watch a movie, I forgo something else that I could have done instead (aka opportunity cost).

Perhaps Mr. Mudede can identify with the phrase: So many movies, so little time. Notice the phrase wouldn’t make much sense if it were So few movies, so little time or So many movies, so much time. This is because abundance and scarcity both play a role in the meaning of this phrase. There are abundant movies one might like to watch, but one only has a limited amount of time that may be spent watching movies.

That being said, Mr. Mudede is correct that scarcity is sometimes manufactured. For example, cartels like OPEC collude in an attempt to create scarcity of oil. Governments attempt to create a scarcity of the legitimate use of force within their own borders. Labor unions create scarcity (by opposing immigration, for example) to protect their wages. Firms attempt to devise innovative products and services that will be hard for their competitors to copy, because they know that scarcity is associated with profit.

In a sense, I think one can plausibly argue that manufactured scarcity is a central problem for Africa. For example, Africa has many natural resources and of course talented, intelligent people. Yet, the lack of institutions and laws sufficiently defining and protecting property rights stifles the domestic accumulation of capital and foreign investment in Africa (see Hernando De Soto’s “The Mystery of Capital”). In this way, I suppose one could argue that African States are essentially manufacturing scarcity of capital. Of course, capital is already scarce to the extent that it is not unlimited, but surely African States have made capital scarcer in Africa than it might otherwise be.

I doubt however, that this is what Mr. Mudede had in mind. Rather, I suspect that he feels an item is scarce only when there’s not a reasonable amount to go around. So for example, he might say that food and energy are not scarce, because clearly the world can produce enough to provide all of earth’s inhabitants with some reasonable allocation of those products. So the problem isn’t that there’s not enough stuff to go around, rather the problem is the way that stuff is allocated.

A refreshing change of pace

2007-07-26T14:58:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a $5 Bairrada. It was one of the more enjoyable wines I've had in months, as: A) It was light to medium bodied; B) It was very juicy, beckoning me to take sip after sip, and C) at only 12% alcohol, it featured a welcome lack of throat burning activity. It was truly a pleasure to taste my food and wine though an entire meal (no numb tongue half the way through), to have each drink feel refreshing and to share an entire bottle's worth with my wife w/out getting all that drunk.

WBW #26 2002 La Font du Vent "Les Promesses"

2006-11-08T15:26:00.000-08:00

Long time no post. Sorry I’ve been neglecting you lately. I’ve been out of town each of the last 4 weekends. We put in new floors in the basement and new lighting in the living room. Additionally, work has been very busy. Blogging lost out.

In any case, I know you've been waiting on the edge of your seat to find out what I consumed for WBW #26. I will torture you no longer. It was the 2002 Cotes du Rhone La Font du Vent “Les Promesses”, produced by Domaine Font de Michelle. This inexpensive and enjoyable wine is made from Grenache and Syrah by skilled Chateauneuf du Pape producers Jean and Michel Gonnet. For more information on Domaine Font de Michelle, check out The Wine Doctor.

$8.99 from Esquin Wine Merchants, Imported by Robert Kacher Selections.

Give 'em a fair trial and then hang 'em

2006-10-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

I check Craig Camp’s wine blog just about every day. He has an interesting perspective on wine and so far (based on only a few data points mind you) my palate seems fairly aligned with his.

I was a bit troubled by a link in one of his recent posts, however. The linked web page calls for a boycott of Krug-Mondavi in response to a labor dispute. I commented on Mr. Camp’s blog that it’s not clear to me that Krug-Mondavi actually did anything wrong. Mr. Camp responded:

The agriculture industry's track record of mistreating and underpaying its workers is well documented. Try picking grapes for a buck a bucket for a couple of days and then decide if the Union's demands were reasonable.

I was disappointed in his response, but perhaps not all that surprised. Here is my response to Mr. Camp:

Mr. Camp, it seems that your argument may be summarized as follows:

1) The agriculture industry's track record of mistreating and underpaying its workers is well documented.
2) Krug Modavi is a company engaged in industrial agriculture.
3) Therefore, Krug-Mondavi is guilty of mistreating and underpaying its workers.

I believe this logic suffers from a fallacy in which exceptions to the general rule are ignored. Here’s another example of similarly flawed logic:

1) Craig Camp finds recent release Alsatian Rieslings to be disappointing.
2) The Albert Mann 2004 Riesling is a recent release Alsatian Riesling.
3) Therefore, Craig Camp will not like Albert Mann 2004 Riesling.

Of course, we know you quite enjoyed the Albert Mann 2004 Riesling.

My intention here is not to be a persnickety punk, but rather to highlight the dangers of generalization. Of course, generalization is very useful tool with which we may simplify our complicated world. But imprudent use can be very hurtful.

You seem to be encouraging people to boycott Krug-Mondavi. This is a direct threat to the employees and owners of this company. Their lives could be materially damaged by this boycott, were it to be successful. Do you think it responsible to attack people’s livelihood in this manner before first knowing the facts?

If Krug-Mondavi truly behaved unscrupulously, then by all means take action. But in my view, we all deserve to be innocent until proven guilty.

Perhaps this particular issue is an emotional one for Mr. Camp. I know there are certain issues that cause an emotional response in my self that makes it difficult for me to see things objectively. It happens to me all the time really, but I work hard to avoid letting my knee jerk reaction get the best of me (not always successfully of course).

I think our world would be a much better place if we’d be a bit more careful about our use of generalizations. This is especially true for often contentious issues such as politics, race and religion.

UPDATE: Craig Camp posts this reply:

So by your own logic, as you admit you don't know the facts why are you bothering to comment. As you refer to the Mann Riesling, it is the exception to the rule, I can assure you that C.Krug/Mondavi are not when it comes to the treatment of agricultural workers. Perhaps if this boycott was successful it
would help the lives of these workers - a problem that is more pressing than helping the wealthy owners of these wineries. You could not have any other reason for taking up their banner other than you are indeed "persnickety".

This saddens me a bit. I was absolutely not trying to be an a*shole. I simple felt that the linked to webpage didn’t sufficiently support a very serious action such as boycott. I’d hoped we’d have a good discussion on the topic. Perhaps Mr. Camp had information on Krug’s past practices that he’d link to, for example.

Also, I’m simply suggesting that Krug should be treated as innocent until proven guilty. Isn’t that a basic concept in free societies? I’m in no way “taking up their banner”.

I find it distressing when a conversation turns from facts and issues to impugning people's motives. Why didn’t he just a) show me his evidence, b) grant he’s not positive Krug is in the wrong, or c) ignore my comment? Instead, he repeated his unsupported assertions and essentially called me a liar.

UPDATE II: Mr. Camp apologized in his latest comment to me. It appears that he mistook my intended tone. This certainly happens from time to time, and undoubtedly some of the responsibility is mine (I should have communicated more clearly my intentions… though of course I specifically said I wasn’t trying to be persnickety!).

He also provided this link to a blog entry talking about the poor conditions that vineyards workers face. I accept his apology of course, misunderstandings happen all the time.

[Ed. Update II was posted after Mr. Camp posted his comment at this blog. Whit intented to update earlier but was unable to do so.]

Wine Blogging Wednesday #26: Where's Wino?

2006-10-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

Beau at Basic Juice is hosting this month’s installment of Wine Blogging Wednesday.

Beau asks that each participant pen a tasting note for a red wine from Spain, France, or Washington (USA) or a white wine from Italy, Oregon (USA), or New York (USA). Beau will post each tasting note apart from the wine's name and region. Then, we will try to match each tasting note to its corresponding wine. Whoever gets the most correct will earn a prize.

So I'll post my tasting note today, but I'll not reveal the wine's name, region, etc. until after the game is over.

Here’s my tasting note:

This light to medium bodied red blend has a floral character and provides pleasingly restrained blueberry fruit. The wine is quite bright and fresh. While it had enough structure to successfully accompany my grilled rib eye, it’s definitely a juicy wine; it has a succulence that makes ya want to gulp it down.

Join in on the fun over at Basic Juice!

Anti-intellectualism and outrage

2006-10-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

Check out DCB’s rant about "anti-intellectual crybabies" that act as though "being/getting outraged by politics is a positive character trait and indicative of thoughtfulness."

Boys and girls of Columbia University, many things in life are not unambiguously good or bad. If you find yourself full of rage over an issue, count back from ten and ask yourself if the issue’s really as simple as you think it is. And even if you conclude that yours is clearly the correct perspective, remember to respect other’s freedom to voice alternative viewpoints.

Buying wine by importer

2006-10-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

Getting great stuff on the cheap feels good. With clothing it’s easy; if it looks good and fits, then you buy it. But what about wine? How do you know which bottles in the bargain bin are worth picking up?

Of course, there’s brand name. But beyond brand, what do you go by? You could go by varietal and/or appellation. But there’s immense variation among varietals made by different producers. And there’s also a lot of variation within each appellation and, frankly, I just don’t know the appellations well enough to shop like this.

So I often shop by importer. To be sure, some importers are more consistent than others, so you won’t want to try this with any old company. Personally, I’m fairly confident that I'll like (or at least find interesting) most wine imported by Therry Thiese, Louis/Dressner, Robert Kacher and Kermit Lynch.

On Saturday, my wife and I stopped by Urban Vines during a walk around the neighborhood. I perused the discounted odd bottles displayed upstairs. Based on price and importer, I purchased the 2003 Clos Roche Blanche Cabernet (Louis/Dressner), the 2004 Clos de Tue-Boeuf "Le Buisson Pouilleux" (Louis/Dressner) and the 2002 Domaine Sainte-Eugenie Corbieres (Robert Kacher). I’ll let you know how they work out.

[Ed. What about asking the merchant for assistance?] Good point. If there's a trustworthy sales person that knows your taste, definitely ask them for assistance. But keep in mind that a salesperson that doesn't know you may encourage you to buy discounted items just for the sake of clearing out inventory.

ADDENDUM: Here is a recent NY Times article about harvest time at Clos Roche Blance and Clos doe Tue-Boeuf. Also, you can find some of Eric Asimov's and wine auctioneer Ursula "Gavel Goddess" Hermacinski's favorite impoters at The Pour.

Who's the maniac?

2006-10-06T11:15:00.001-07:00

I was driving through downtown yesterday, heading home from Pike & Western Wine Shop (where I picked up the Deiss wine I blogged about on Tuesday). On the way, I passed a group of people calling for, among other things, the impeachment of President Bush and his indictment for war crimes. One protestor hoisted a professionally printed sign with the message "Impeach Homicidal Maniacs". Many of the other signs featured similar messages.

Do people think hyperbole will further their cause, or are they simply disconnected from reality? I can understand a person disagreeing with Mr. Bush’s policies (I certainly disagree with many of them). I can understand a person believing he’s incompetent, or perhaps even of questionable character. But a homicidal maniac? Please.

Nooooooooooo!

2006-10-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

The title of this post is taken from the title of a friend’s recent email to me, which carried a link to a CNN article bearing this ominous title: Beer drinkers beware: 4 percent of U.S. hops crop burns.

According to the article, the US produces about 24 percent of the world’s hops. So I suppose then that about 1 percent of global hops production went up in flames.

Is a 1 percent decrease in hops supply significant enough to increase prices in any meaningful way (what is the price elasticity of demand)? Will this have a significantly larger effect in North America than elsewhere (are transportation costs significant)? Were the destroyed hops some sort of standard product, or were they specialty hops? We shall see. Keep your fingers crossed.

Thank you Cafe Campagne

2006-10-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

I've been wine crazy for a fairly short time. Yet, through much drinking and reflecting, my palate is slowly becoming a little bit more experienced and discerning.

Unfortunately, I’m also now more likely to notice when a restaurant lacks a decent wine list. Too often the wine offerings are sweet, structureless wines that compete with, rather than complement, the food.

So these days, I appreciate it when a restaurant has a good wine list. Even better is a place with an extensive selection of wine by the glass, which allows me the flexibility to pair wines by dish (and of course with The Wifey pregnant, it’s great to not have to buy an entire bottle just for myself).

Café Campagne is one such establishment; it has a great wine list, including an excellent by the glass selection. Additionally, the food is solid and the atmosphere is warm and comfortable.

My wife and I enjoyed a pleasant dinner at Café Campagne just the other day. I ordered a three course, fixed price meal starting with a bacon and onion tart, continuing with vinegar and honey braised chicken, and finishing with Munster cheese.

As I’ve said before, I like putting experts in control. So I asked the Sommelier to select me an Alsatian wine with each course. The relatively crisp and clean 2003 Edelzwicker Reserve Albert Boxler was very nice with the tart, and the tawny Port like 2000 Banyuls Cuvee Mediterranee
Domaine Pietri-Geraud was good with the cheese.

But my favorite wine of the night was the 2000 Pinot Noir Burlenberg Marcel Deiss. This wine gives you plenty of black cherry and smoke over a firm structure. It overpowered the chicken unfortunately, but was enjoyable none the less. This wine is better suited to rich red meat with mushrooms, or perhaps game.

Some web searching and an email to the old importer (New Castle Imports) led me to the NW distributor (Odom Corporation), which in turn directed me to Pike & Western Wine Shop. I ordered two bottles for $27 each, which should be in by Thursday of this week. I love it when a plan comes together.

For more on Domaine Marcel Deiss, check out Bertand Celce’s blog and Jamie Goode’s web site. For tasting notes on the 2000 Pinot Noir Burlenberg Marcel Deiss, visit Tom Stevenson and Stephen Tanzer. (Photo: The Stranger/Annie Marie Musselman)

The worst wine ever

2006-10-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

Steve De Long has a playful post and poll devoted to determining the worst wine ever. In the comments section of his post, De Long reproduces some pretty unflattering tasting notes from Wine Spectator:

Cantina del Taburno Greco Taburno 2000: (50 pts.) Repulsive. Totally flawed. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 2,830 cases made. (JS)

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 1983: (50 pts.) Simply awful. Smells and tastes of burnt rubber, sulfur and rot–it has serious flaws. Dry, lean and disgusting. DRC should be ashamed for having released this wine.–La Tâche vertical. (PM)

Perhaps it’s not good form to make fun of bad wines. But it may be useful to ask somebody about their least favorite wine experience, in so much as doing so may help reveal the kind of wines they don’t like.

The worst wine I’ve ever had is the 2002 Renwood Grandmère Zinfandel. I imagine it tastes quite like a mixture of sweet blueberry syrup, sweet raspberry syrup and rubbing alcohol. As you may have gathered by now, I’m not a big sweet wine guy, except perhaps for dessert.

Intellectual honesty

2006-10-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

We're all riddled with inconsistencies. It's refreshing to read the work of a seemingly self-aware, intellectually honest fellow that's willing to own up to his inconsistencies. That being said, the last line of the post is a bit of a setup:

That said, in the heat of argument, what would you rather have sitting between the two combatants? A bottle of Buckie or a .44 Magnum?

It's true of course, that you'd probably rather have two combatants armed with cheap wine than firearms. But undoubtedly, we could find situations where we'd want the two folks to have a gun rather than a drink; two people being attacked by a bear, for example. I'm probably being too picky here for I'm sure his point is that, all in all, firearms are more destructive and dangerous to everday folks than cheap wine. Perhaps so.

Speaking of self-awareness and objectivity, check out one of my favorite papers on political disagreement.

Expectations matter

2006-09-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

If you serve me a white wine dyed to look like a red wine, I probably won’t know it. Everything else equal, I’ll probably enjoy a bottle labeled "Grand Reserve" more than a bottle lacking a classification. I'll probably like a wine with a classy looking label more than one sporting a cute critter. And I’ll probably like a wine more if I think it's made by a mustachioed, beret wearing old Frenchman rather than a white coat wearing beverage technician from the U.S.

At least, that’s the gist of this fascinating article by wine science guru Jamie Goode and featured in The World of Fine Wine. Mr. Goode reports that one’s perception of wine is more than just taste, smell and touch (mouth feel), for scientific research suggests that expectations are also extremely important.

Our expectations are formed by things like the wine’s appearance, other’s perception of the wine (professional reviews, friend’s comments), label information (varietal, appellation, classification), label and bottle appearance (critter label = plonk?), how recently and frequently we’ve experienced similar wine and our knowledge of wine.

Additionally, Mr. Goode notes that individuals experience the same wine differently. For example, a wine’s color may be more central to my experience than yours. Furthermore, a given individual may experience the same wine differently over time. What seems great today may seem merely good next week.

Does this mean tasting notes are useless? No, but you might consider using them more cautiously. And keep in mind that your own tasting notes are influenced by the context in which you consume a given wine, so maybe your wine opinions should be a little more tentatively held.

[Ed. Is this really breaking news?] No, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard about these types of studies and it’s true that some of the conclusions are a bit self-evident. For example, I take it for granted that my expectations influence my experience. What sets Mr. Goode’s article apart is his attempt to explain the biological process through which we experience wine, rather than simply report the findings of a few studies. I’m thinking I should pick up a copy of Wine Science and/or The Science of Wine.

Lushes make more money

2006-09-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

Go ahead and lay down the cash for that nice bottle of wine, for you’ll make it back in higher pay. Andrew Gelman reports that tipplers earn substantially higher pay than teetotalers do (hat tip to Marginal Revolution). Here’s an excerpt from a Bloomberg article:

Men who visit a bar at least once a month to drink socially bring home 7 percent more pay than abstainers, and women drinkers earn 14 percent more than non-drinkers, according to the study by economists Bethany Peters and Edward Stringham.

So drink up ladies and gents.

Nominal versus material inequality

2006-09-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

Check out Will Wilkinson’s excellent post on inequality. He points out that, while nominal inequality is increasing, material inequality is decreasing. That is, the difference between the material living conditions of the poor and the rich is shrinking.

Intellectual property rights and fashion

2006-09-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here’s an interesting WSJ article on intellectual property rights and fashion. Apparently, some prominent fashion designers are lobbying for three years of copyright-like protection on original works of fashion (similar protections exist in Europe).

The key question is innovation; would copyright-like protection encourage innovation or stymie innovation? Who would benefit from such a law? What would the unintended consequences be?

I suspect counterfeiters would benefit from passage, since they probably compete to some extent with the knockoffs that would be handicapped by the legislation (illegal counterfeit fashion features a fraudulent designer label, whereas a legal knockoff is similar in design to a designer item but does not carry a fraudulent label.)

You can read a previous post of mine on intellectual property rights and food here.

Not good

2006-09-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

Seventy to 90 percent of the Iraq detentions in 2003 were ''mistakes,'' U.S. officers once told the international Red Cross.

That’s from this chilling article on the U.S.’s global network of overseas prisons. My buddy Clark Kent pointed out that .300’s pretty good in baseball, so maybe I’m evaluating this thing incorrectly. Seriously though, those 30 to 10% of correctly detained folks better be pretty valuable to justify all the innocents.

What do you have that will change my life?

2006-09-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, fellow imbiber E.F. Glutton walked into a local wine shop and asked "What do you have that will change my life?" Our favorite sales person fetched, from his personal stash, a bottle of the 2001 Damijan Bianco, Collio (about $30). Lucky for me, Mr. Glutton invited me over to his house to enjoy the Damijan and others, paired with his fine cooking. I had a wonderful time and greatly expanded my vineanshauung. Mr. Glutton’s life was changed. Definitely a good night.

First off was the 2005 Hanna Estate Russian Rivery Sauvignon Blanc, Slusser Road. This wine gives you plenty of fat citrus fruit and grassiness while still being dry and crisp. A nice wine for around $15.

After enjoying my contribution to WBW #25 with some bree, we drank the 2001 Gary Farrell Chardonnay Russian River Valley, Rochioli – Allen Ranch (about $30) with an excellent cod filet. This is the richest wine I’ve ever had and actually liked. It is a very rich, fat, modern, fruit-forward wine that gives you some oak and bright fruit. This isn’t really my style of wine, but it taught me that very rich Chardonnay need not be flabby, for this wine wasn’t.

Next was the much anticipated feature wine of the night, paired with delicious pork tenderloin. Damijan is made by biodynamic grower and winemaker Damijan Podversic, a former student of Josko Gravener. This Ribolla Gialla from Friuli looks a bit like apple cider in the glass. The wine is tannic for a white, quite dry and offers a variety of muted flavors I have trouble describing. It tastes like no wine I’ve had before… it completely stumped me. We served the wine cold, though I see now it’s actually meant to be served at room temperature. I suspect we unwittingly muted the wine's potential by doing this. Craig Camp notes intense orange spiced flavors and feels the Damijan could be confused for a red in a blind tasting.

The wine didn’t change my life, but it expanded my conception of wine. The wine apparently did change E.F. Glutton’s life. He said it was an "incredible expression of what wine can be when you don’t adhere to the mass production model". I think he liked it!

Next we enjoyed a bottle of the 2004 Mary Edwards Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley (about $37) with a deftly grilled lamb chop. Said E.F. Glutton, "These folks are world class Pinot makers. They blow my mind every time. Rich, complex, great mouth feel, unmistakable New World Pinot." The wine is lush and fruit forward in the modern style, though I remember thinking it had more sweetness than I would have liked. Frankly, this was our fifth bottle of wine that night, so my recollection is pretty hazy.

Lastly, we had a few glasses of the 2003 Chateau d’Aussieres Corbieres, but I have absolutely no idea what that tasted like. You can find Kim Marcus' impression of the wine here.

This was a really great night. E.F. Glutton’s food was excellent. Further, I learned a lot about wine. I learned that rich Chardonnay need not be flabby, that sparkling wine can be much more than a simple palate cleansing accompaniment to food, and that artisan winemakers can produce wines that taste like nothing I’ve ever imagined.

[Ed. Also, Whit was reminded that gulping down 2.5 bottles of wine will put a hurtin’ on oneself. The next morning wasn’t very pleasant for him.]

WBW #25 1998 Champagne Brut Millesime Pierre Peters

2006-09-06T22:03:00.000-07:00

Becks & Posh is hosting Wine Blogging Wednesday #25. This month's theme is Champagne.

I drink sparkling wine fairly often. I mostly buy inexpensive Cava and Prosecco, though I’ll occasionally do American sparklers or splurge on Cremant d'Alsace. I never buy Champagne.

That may change however, for the 1998 Champagne Brut Millesime 'Pierre Peters' really opened my mind. This is a very bubbly, deep and delineated Champagne made from 100% Chardonnay. My immediate thought after taking my first sip was, er… beer. The wine has a very pronounced yeasty character. Second, I got some hints of Sherry or perhaps White Port. Lastly, I got some minerality. Drinking companion E.F. Glutton described the muted citrus fruit as "juice from lemon slices that have been in the fridge for a couple of days". He also detected nut flavors. I’m quite sure my inexperienced palate isn’t doing justice to this wine, so do read the impressions of Pierre Rovani, Stephen Tanzer and Wine Spectator.

According to their website, the Peters family, originally from Luxembourg, established their holdings in Champagne sometime around 1840. Pierre Peters, the namesake of this wine, took over the operation in 1940. The current manager of the business, Francois Peters, produces over 13,000 cases annually from the family's 43 acres of chalk soil vineyards. Check out Terry Thiese’s 2006 Champagne Catalog for more on the Pierre Peters estate and its wines.

I found the 1998 Brut Millesime 'Pierre Peters' arresting. I’m still deciding whether I like it or not, but I’m definitely very glad I tried it. It really expanded my conception of sparkling wine and made me excited to try more Champagne. I simply had no idea sparkling wine could taste like this.

E.F. Glutton and I enjoyed several other palate expanding wines the same night we drank the Pierre Peters. If you’re interested, you can read about them here.

Thanks to Sam Breach for the great theme.

$49.99 at Esquin Wine Merchants, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines (a Terry Thiese selection).

UPDATE: The roundup is here.

Croaky!

2006-09-04T01:03:00.000-07:00

Wild animals can kill you.

Label Loathing

2006-09-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

I try not to take myself too seriously. I employ self-deprecating humor often. Hell, I showed up to work today (casual Friday) wearing a brown and yellow polyester shirt and sporting a Mohawk (more of a fauxhawk I suppose).

Though I sometimes enjoy wearing gaudy clothes, I prefer clean and simple wine labels. Classic even. Cute critter labels repel me. The Cayuse Bionic Frog label is probably the ugliest I've seen.

According to a recent article in Seattle Magazine, such grotesque er, whimsical labels communicate that the wine inside is carefree, fun and unpretentious. The labels are supposed to be inviting.

Well, they really turn me off. Maybe I just have a stick up my ass when it comes to wine labels.

[Ed. Well, there is that picture of you in SC with a bottle up your ass]. Yes, but the label on that bottle of 1996 Chateau Corbin Michotte was perfectly tasteful.

The best college football programs

2006-08-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

Check out the Dow Jones College Football Success Index. The index ranks each college football program’s contribution to the professional football by measuring its alumni’s performance in the NFL, popularity in the NFL draft, and NFL draft value (the quotient of performance and draft popularity).

The results are pretty interesting, if a bit rough (the creators didn’t control for a number of factors, like player injuries for example).

Florida State, Florida and Georgia take the top three spots in terms of performance, while Miami, Georgia and Ohio State are the highest in terms of draft popularity. North Carolina, Auburn and Virginia were the top three from a draft value perspective. Southern schools dominated the top ten in all three categories.

Are you in rigor mortis, or are you just happy to see me?

2006-08-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Reuters reports that Chinese police are cracking down on funeral striptease acts:

Striptease used to be a common practice at funerals in Donghai's rural areas to allure viewers. Local villagers believe that the more people who attend the funeral, the more the dead person is honored.

Personally, I like strippers. But the villager’s conception of honor seems off to me. I don’t believe one can buy honor, though perhaps one can buy the appearance of honor. [Ed. That's just it Whit, appearances are very important to these folks.]

That being said, I like funerals that have a bit of levity. I’d like my own funeral to be a big party. A funeral should of course help provide closure for those left behind (after all, funerals are really about the living, not the deceased), but a funeral can also be a chance for family and friends to unite under happy memories. It seems there are professional funeral planners out there ready to help guys like me.

UPDATE: Tyler Cowen and Scott Adams chime in.

Kanji get anything right?

2006-08-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

Kanji and Hanzi tattoos are very popular these days. You may have seen them on famous artists, big-time athletes, or even the guy at your local grocery store's checkout counter.

Properly appropriating foreign symbols can be tricky, though. These NY Times, Maclean's and NPR reports provide some embarrassing examples of malformed tattoos. If schadenfreude and tattoos are your thing, don't miss Hanzi Smatter, a blog dedicated to cataloging misused Chinese characters (especially botched body art).

Flying without your wine

2006-08-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

As you drive to the airport, you reflect on the wonderful times you had in the Napa Valley wine country (or Walla Walla, Okanagan, The Finger Lakes, etc.). Though your trip is almost over, you won't soon forget the fine dining, beautiful vistas, and many, many delicious glasses of wine you enjoyed. Even better, you know the bottles of wine in your bag promise to transport you back there at your leisure.

Unfortunately, you don't know you'll be forced to surrender those bottles of wine to airport security. That's right, your money and memories we'll be left in the terminal due to new requirements for air travel.

Undoubtedly, many folks experienced this scenario today. Of course, the goal of tighter airport security is more important than a few bottles of wine. But giving up said bottles is nevertheless a big bummer.

UPDATE: Alder says, "now they're fucking with my wine."

WBW#24 is up

2006-08-07T17:34:00.000-07:00

Wine Blogging Wednesday #24 is up at Vinography. Nearly 30 participants from across the globe blogged on white wines from the Loire Valley. My entry is below, but do peruse the many other interesting blog entries.

My apologies for the RSS feed problem

2006-08-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

I've been using rapidfeeds.com for this blog's RSS feeds. Unfortunately, the company's entire website and feed database (and backup versions) were deleted during a server upgrade. Of course, this is bad news for the 10,000 or so users of this service.

Rapidfeeds.com hopes to be up and running again in a few days. I'll create new feeds at that time. In the meantime, thanks for your patience.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #24: 2002 Domaine des Baumard Savennieres

2006-08-02T23:25:00.000-07:00

I enjoy putting experts in control. If a restaurant has a sommelier, I will almost always ask them to select a wine for me. Doing so usually works out pretty well.

I’ll often do the same at a fine wine shop. And so I did for Wine Blogging Wednesday #24. Unfortunately, the shop’s remodeling had cast the Loire Valley section in disarray. Initially, I expressed interest in Muscadet. But alas, my guide couldn’t find his favorites, so we looked for Savennieres. He wanted to sell me Domaine des Baumard Savennieres Clos du Papillon, but it was nowhere to be found. Thus, we settled on the same producer’s basic Savennieres.

Not that basic was bad. Rather, I found the Domaine Des Baumard 2002 Savennieres to be a very enjoyable wine. It’s a medium to full bodied Chenin Blanc that is very dry with strong, tangy acidity and plenty of minerality. My wife detected white peach and wet newspaper. After a few seconds in the mouth, the wine’s white fruit balances nicely with its acidity. You get a nice, long finish.

To accompany the wine, I fried up some sole (w/ butter, onion, dill, thyme, lemon juice, salt and pepper) and served it on a bed of Basmati rice cooked in chicken bouillon with a side of steamed zucchini. The Baumard Savennieres’ cleansed my palate with every gulp, making each bite of fish almost as good as the first. That’s the great thing about pairing rich food with a dry, acidic wine; the pairing nearly overcomes the law of diminishing marginal utility.

Next, I tried some goat cheese with the Baumard. Delicious. As with the sole, the wine made each bite of cheese almost as good as the first. I suspect Savennieres and goat cheese is a pairing I’ll soon revisit.

Domaine des Baumard is situated in Rochefort sur Loire, near the city of Angers. The vines for this wine grow on south-facing slopes featuring slate and limestone soils. This wine is not aged in oak.

Though the Baumard family has grown vines in the Loire Valley for about 370 years, Jean Baumard established the modern vineyards in the mid 20th century. He expanded the family’s holdings in Anjou, making them the first to establish vineyards on both sides of the Loire River. In addition to being a Professor of Oenology, Jean served as President of the Wine Federation of Anjou and participated in the Loire Valley AOC’s Federation of European and International Public Service Unions. Florent Baumard, also a trained oenologist, took over from his father about 15 years ago. For more information on Domaine des Baumard, visit their thorough website or check out this summary.

Thanks to Alder at Vinography for selecting such a delicious, food friendly theme for WBW#24. [Ed. Whit, I think you’ve got something on your nose.] Come on now, nothing wrong with a little apple for the teacher, eh?

$18.99 at Esquin Wine Merchants, imported by ExCellars Wine Agencies Inc.

Vineanschauung

2006-07-30T21:40:00.000-07:00

On his excellent blog The Pour, Eric Asimov asks “What is the role of the wine critic?” To me, one must first ask “What is the role of wine?” As I’ve written before, I agree with the Washington Post’s Ellen McCarthy who wrote, “The pursuit of good wine is part culture, part science, part geography, all in a framework of merriment and indulgence.” So for me then, the wine critic’s role is to address those aspects of wine and, even better, to challenge and expand my wine worldview, my err… vineanschauung if you will. [Ed. Actually, I won’t allow that term you unfunny, pompous twit.] Ouch, that’s rather uncharitable. Go easy on me Chief, I had a tough weekend.

Having a kid's gonna be sweet

2006-07-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

My wife is 11 weeks pregnant. A few days ago, we saw the little dude moving around via ultrasound. We’ll probably learn the gender in a few weeks at her next appointment. My wife’s been really tired and feels sick often, but hopefully that will ease up as she moves in to the 2nd trimester. The due date is February 14th 2007. It’s a relief to finally be able to tell everybody. We're both very excited.

Henceforth, our lives will be singularly devoted to making little Jimmy/Jenny the best. Only the limitations of our feeble bodies will bound the love, devotion and adoration we shower on this child. Unless of course he/she turns out to be a total dork or, worse, a vegetarian. In that case, the child will receive ridicule and scorn.

But seriously, we're really looking forward to getting some help around the house. In a few years, we figure we won't have to do ANYTHING.... the kids will cook dinner, mow the lawn, go to work, etc. It's going to be awesome. I bet I could even make them wash your car or something, so come over if you need something done.

Unintended Irony

2006-07-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

The Guardian reports on a somewhat controversial photo exhibit by Photographer Jill Greenberg. Ms. Greenberg took lollipops from her young models and then photographed their distressed faces. Not surprisingly, some people felt this was inappropriate.

The photos evidently convey the artist’s frustration with the Bush Administration. My buddy Dog comments:

Apparently lost on this ‘intellectual’ artist is the irony involved with comparing your views on politics to a blubbering baby.

The artist is trying to depict her feelings, not her views. Nonetheless, his comment cracks me up. (Photo: Jill Greenberg)

"I will do what I do"

2006-07-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, the Wizards signed 6-foot-8 Lithuanian forward Darius Songaila to a 5-year, $23MM contract. The 4th-year player spent two seasons in Sacramento working with Pete Carril, the inventor of the Princeton offense the Wizards use. This WaTimes report quotes Darius thusly:

I like to come out and play the elbow game," Songaila said. "I can take a big man outside and go around him. This team is good for me because it has players like Gilbert and Antawn Jamison. You won't see me doing a lot of crazy dunks but I will do what I do. I'll be an outside threat and I'll do some passing, play good defense.

I imagine Songaila delivering this quote with an ice cold stare and thick accent ala Captain Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) in Rocky IV. I really like the "…I will do what I will do" part. He could mean shooting/passing/picking from the top of the key, or he could mean slicing opposing players’ Achilles tendons with razor tipped shoes, kidnapping their children, etc. Either way, he'll improve the Wizards.

Friday Factoid

2006-07-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

According to De Long's, Niagara is Brazil's most widely planted white varietal. Earth-shattering news, no?

From ahuacate to avocado

2006-07-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

Howard Yoon tells the story of U.S. avocado production and consumption in this NPR piece. Interestingly, the term avocado was created by enterprising US farmers who considered the Aztec name, ahuacate, too hard to pronounce and rather unappetizing (it translates to testicle). Check out the full story.

You don't say?

2006-07-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

Wolf hybrids do not make good pets, experts say (Hat tip to my buddy Wiseman).

Status, image and customer satisfaction

2006-07-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

Tyler Cowen’s latest NY Times column reports that customers of luxury restaurants pay a large premium for status and image rather than just quality. Further, this premium appears to be increasing over time. Highlights of the column include:

According to research by Chistian Barrere, Veronique Chossat and Florine Livat, prices for Parisian meals defined by the Michelin guide as "very comfortable" to "luxury" rose 217% in real terms, while nonluxury food became cheaper during that period.

Researchers Olivier Gergaud and Vincenzo Verardi created a value index of Parisian food, which compares price with customer satisfaction as measured by the Parisian Zagat Survey. Many prestigious restaurants faired badly.

Research by Sebastian Lecocq and Michael Visser finds that wine consumers pay similar premiums for status and prestige. Their study of Bordeaux and Burgundy vintages found that prices reflect professional ratings and label information more than customer satisfaction (as measured by subjective taste tests).

These studies seem to show that expert opinion correlates with price more than consumer opinion. This probably means that, from a taste perspective, it doesn't sense for an average guy like myself to stock up on Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. But if you happen to have "expert" taste buds, it may be worth it to spend the extra money. Alternatively, some people undoubtedly go to fancy restaurants and by expensive wines precisely for the prestige and image.

By the way, the wine research appeared in the brand spankin’ new Journal of Wine Economics. Cool, an entire journal devoted to the allocation of scarce wine resources (hopefully bearing in mind that "There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch")!

Friday Factoid

2006-07-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

The New York metropolitan area has a larger GDP than all but eight nations in the world. (source)

Intellectual property rights and food

2006-07-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

This post at tastingmenu got my gears turning. The post discusses whether or not it’s ethical for a chef to copy recipes created by another chef. I wonder, are there any legal issues involved? Is it possible to assert intellectual property rights on the construction of a dish? I’m not talking about trademarking the name of a dish, but the actual makeup of a dish.

I’m assuming there is no legal framework in which to do this. Otherwise, wouldn’t there be disclaimers on cookbooks warning that use of the enclosed recipes is exclusively for your non-profit use? Wouldn’t I have heard about restaurants paying royalties to famous chefs across the world?

If there is no copyright system for food, why isn't there? Why aren't intellectual property rights for food protected, whilst those for music, literature and film are? Would a system of food copyrights increase or decrease culinary innovation?

Online wine buying guide

2006-07-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

Stephen Bainbridge (of Professor Bainbridge on Wine) offers online wine buying advice in his latest TCS column. Bainbridge asserts that the web is a great way to find small lot and cult wines that aren't available at your local wine shop(s).

Since shipping charges can add considerable cost to online wine purchases, I only shop online when I can’t find something locally (consistent with Mr. Bainbridge’s advice I suppose). I’ve had good experiences with both wine.com and K&L Wine Merchants. I feel K&L offers better descriptions than wine.com, but neither beats a conversation with the staff of a great local shop like Esquin or Pete’s.

Price is the ultimate tool of conservation

2006-07-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

Knowledge Problem’s Lynne Kiesling nicely frames the central grid management issues confronting public power.

Paraphrasing Lynne, the current goals are regulated retail prices, no new transmission lines, no new generation, and no blackouts. Assuming continued growth in electricity demand though, the best publicly run electric system can only achieve 3 of the 4 goals in the long run.

As demand increases, you need to A) allow dynamic pricing mechanisms to properly allocate scare energy resources, or B) build more power plants in the region, or C) build transmission to bring power from another region, or D) suffer blackouts.

California is a great example. Grid management options A through C were basically off the table, which eventually led to the selection of option D by default. Indeed, NIMBY politics makes it very difficult to exercise options B and C.

Of course, by far the most efficient solution is option A with occasional use of options B and C.

[Ed: What about conservation?] Yes, conservation efforts do play a role. But generally conservation efforts are not sufficient to mitigate demand increases. This is because regulated price schemes destroy the best conservation incentive; market-based price signals.

For example, prolonged heat waves can put a lot of pressure on the northeastern power grid. Why? Because millions of homes, offices, school’s etc. crank of their electricity hogging’ air conditioners.

But if most consumers faced variable, market based prices for energy, you can bet they’d take energy conservation more seriously. For during that heat wave, electric prices would increase (reflecting increases in energy demand). As a result of these higher prices, some consumers would take mitigating action. Perhaps they’d set the thermostat to 78 degrees instead of 72 degrees, or maybe they’d invest in better roof insulation. These actions would serve to lessen the increase in demand, thereby protecting the integrity of the grid.

In this way, price is the ultimate tool of conservation.

The Rodney Dangerfield of the wine world?

2006-07-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'd love to have dinner with Fred Franzia at French Laundry. I imagine it'd be just like hanging out with Al Czervik at the Bushwood Country Club.

Vinography has the story.

All wine is manipulated

2006-07-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

Manipulation free, all natural wine isn't available in a bottle. Perhaps you can find it on a sun-drenched rock somewhere in the forest, but otherwise you’re SOL. Apparently, some people haven’t thought this through yet.

You see, planting vines in neat little rows is manipulation. Growing them in the desert using drip irrigation is manipulation. Picking and crushing grapes is manipulation. The use of oak is manipulation. Indeed, the wine making process is but a series of manipulations.

So please, let’s avoid using meaningless terms like "manipulated wine". For example, let’s stop arbitrarily classifying oak barrel maturation as natural, while considering the use of oak chips a manipulation. It’s all unnatural manipulation, darn it!

This is not to say one shouldn’t favor certain winemaking practices over others. For example, stand up and be heard if you only drink biodynamic wine, but don’t support your view with vaugeries. Rather, give some specific reasons why you like biodynamic wine.

Taste is a great rationale. But wine is more than just a sensory experience, so tradition and or culture might be good reasons too. Or maybe you believe biodynamic wine is produced in a more environmentally friendly manor. Or perhaps you feel biodynamic wine puts you in touch with Mother Earth. It doesn’t really matter, just know why you think what you think (and try to be intellectually consistent).

Whatever your reasons, keep in mind that taste and preference are subjective. For example, I’ll fully support your right to believe wine is best produced and consumed in terra cotta pots. But please, don’t start acting as though you are drinking wine the "right" way, while the rest of us poor idiots are drinking the "wrong" way. Remember, you don’t have the moral high ground and you’re not "right" in an objective sense.

Addendum: Vinography’s got a great article noting that many wines are not produced in accordance with some wine lover’s romantic standards. Said one commentor, "Perhaps [some wine lovers have] been drinking a fairy tale, passionately arguing in support of a perspective on wine that scarcely exists in the real world…"

Economic knowledge, economic interest and gender

2006-07-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

EconLog's Bryan Kaplan has written an interesting paper on gender and economics. He finds that males tend to know more and be more interested in economics than females at any given education level. Further, this gender grap grows with education.

Kaplan suspects the knowledge gap results becuase men, due to their greater interest in Economics, are much more likely to study economics than women. The more schooling one has, the greater the time to study more econ, and thus the greater the gap.

Why are men more interested in economics? Kaplan doesn't venture a guess, though he offers some suggestions. Check out the paper here.

WBW #23 - 2003 Château La Vernède Coteaux du Languedoc

2006-07-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

The theme for this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday, hosted by Vivi's Wine Journal, is wine that pairs well with grilled and/or barbequed foods. Since July 4th is (American) Independence Day, I decided to choose a wine that fits said holiday.

To me, the Fourth of July means grilled (as opposed to barbequed) red meat, especially burgers. A good Independence Day wine should a) be able to cut through rich, greasy meat, b) be easy to drink and accessible, c) complement typical grilled meat flavors (smoke, spice, pepper), and d) be reasonably priced.

I decided to go with the 2003 Chateau La Vernède Coteaux du Languedoc. Firm tannins enable this blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Carignan to cut through red meat. This smoky wine’s sweet, dark fruit flavors complement grilled foods and are easy to enjoy. And the price is right at only $6.99.

Writing tasting notes is really hard. The above description could accurately describe hundreds of wines that really don’t taste all that much alike. I like to taste several wines at the same time, for I find that side by side comparison helps me to better understand what I'm drinking (and to enjoy a lot more of it, of course).

For comparison’s sake then, I drank the 2004 Fess Parker Frontier Red Lot #41, a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Carignan. This soft, round, medium-bodied wine tastes like Fess Parker started with the La Vernede, but then turned the style knob to obnoxious. It’s so absurdly rich and savory, it’s as if some kind of mocha fudge flavoring was added. What food would I like with this wine? What food could I even taste with this wine?

I hope my description of the Frontier Red isn’t coming across as too harsh. If you want your wine to be a meal in itself, then Fess Parker’s Frontier Red is for you. Lot's of folks (including Robert Parker) like this wine. But I prefer something a little more food friendly. I'll take the La Vernede.

2003 Château La Vernède Coteaux du Languedoc, $6.99 from Esquin Wine Merchants.

2004 Fess Parker Frontier Red Lot #41, $8.45 from Pete’s Wine Bellevue.

UPDATE: Joel Vincent's excellent round up of WBW#23 is here. Check it out for some great recipes and great wine.

Also, here's the recipe for my 4th of July burgers (actually, this is my old buddy Randy's recipe):

Mix 3 parts ground beef (not more than 80% lean) with 1 part ground, spicy breakfast sausage. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, paprika, cayenne, fresh minced garlic, fresh minced onion (white or red), and your favorite barbecue sauce to taste. Don’t be bashful with the seasonings, esp. the bbq sauce and the onions. Form the mix into patties (the meat will bind better if you add an egg or two). Store in fridge, preferably overnight. Bring burgers near room temperature and grill to desired doneness.

2005 Horton Viognier, Orange County

2006-07-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

Virginia wine pioneer Dennis Horton has been experimenting with grapes in the state for nearly 30 years. After mostly unsuccessful attempts with the big Bordeaux and Burgundian varietals, he moved to Rhone varietals and, more recently, to Iberian varietals. He also grows Norton, a Virginia native widely cultivated in his home state of Missouri.

Horton planted Viognier after a visit to the Rhone Valley, believing the warm weather loving, somewhat frost and mildew resistant varietal would be a perfect match for Virginia’s climate; hot and humid summers that often follow late spring frosts. He was right.

In the late 1990’s, Decanter Magazine wrote, "Horton is probably making the USA's finest Viognier." A WaPost article quotes an oenologist's assertion that, "[Horton’s]… 1993 Viognier is considered by many to be the finest Viognier ever produced in this country", and notes its inclusion in Paul Lukac’s new book The Great Wines of America. Clearly, Denis Horton’s Viognier has been well received.

I wanted to try this wine because it’s from my home state of Virginia and because I’d read Horton makes his Viognier more in the French style than the California style. That is, his wines supposedly emphasize crisp acidity rather than big, fat fruit. Sounds like my kind of wine. My wife graciously bought a bottle of the stuff on her recent visit to DC/Virginia and hauled it back to the Emerald City for me.

With all the hype, I was frankly preparing myself to be disappointed. I was not disappointed. This wine gives you peach and vanilla and some overt residual sugar. The Horton Viognier would be too sweet for my taste, were it not deftly balanced by tongue tickling acidity. The acidity creates a sensation that reminds me of Moscato d’Asti’s effervescence. This is a really enjoyable, food friendly wine that will please a wide range of palates. Good stuff. E.F. Glutton and I were most impressed.

$12.99 from Total Wine & More.

Addendum: My bottle was labeled "The Tower Series". According to Horton Vineyards, this is identical to the wine sold at the vineyard tasting room and other wine shops for $20. The Tower Series Viognier has a black label with a gold drawing of the Horton winery, whereas other bottlings feature the traditional grape clad label shown above. I’d pay $20 for this wine, but at $12.99 I’d buy a case of it. Unfortunately, Total Wine & More does not ship.

Mmmm, shellfish and white wine

2006-07-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

I had E.F. Glutton over for dinner last Wednesday while my wife was out with her girlfriends. It was a good opportunity for me to make some shellfish, since a) my wife is currently avoiding shellfish, and b) I’ve been dying for an excuse to pull out a few white wines that happen to be shellfish friendly.

Lemony crab salad with baby greens paired with the 2005 Horton Viognier started us off. I recommend using less olive oil and including a big, fat lemon wedge garnish, as this salad needed more acidity. Also, it’s worth getting quality crab meat, for if the crab is bland the salad will be bland (unfortunately, I lazily bought crab from my local grocery store instead of the seafood store near my house). The delicious Horton Viognier will get a full post later today. We loved this wine.

Next we enjoyed a small serving of pan-seared scallops with champagne grapes and almonds (the same dish I talked about here). This time I seared the scallops perfectly, but the sauce came out a bit thin. I think one should use medium-high heat for the scallops, but probably only medium heat for the sauce. Still, great flavors.

We finished off the Horton and opened up a bottle of the 2003 Sakonnet Vidal Blanc, Southeastern New England. E.F. Glutton loved this Rhode Island wine a year ago and very thoughtfully picked me up a bottle during a recent trip to Beantown. The 2001 vintage was featured as one of ten All-American wines in Food & Wine Magazine.

E.F. and I were very excited about this wine, but alas we were disappointed. The Sakonnet tasted flat in comparison with the Horton. While it delivered some nice richness, it lacked bright fruit flavors. E.F. wondered if the wine hadn’t passed it’s prime. Don’t get me wrong, this was an enjoyable wine. It unfortunately didn’t meet our high expectations, however. To be fair, it’d have been tough for any wine tasted after the Horton.

Our entrée was a simple and delicious Seafood Catizone. The crushed fennel and basil matched well with the scallops and shrimp. Once again, a lemon wedge garnish amplified the flavors (and seemed to improve the Sakonnet as well). I was pleased with this dish, though next time I’ll try adding a splash of white wine. Epicurios strikes again!

Finally, for dessert we enjoyed some excellent smoked Gouda and the 2004 Josef Leitz Rudesheimer Drachenstein. I feel this wine lacks the acidity needed to balance its conspicuous sweetness. While pleasant as a desert, I probably wouldn’t enjoy it that much in another context. Keep in mind that I tend towards dry, acidic whites. If you like sweet wines, this may be for you. (Photo: Leo Gong/Bon Appetit)

1996 Chateau Corbin Michotte

2006-07-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

This Saint-Emillion Grand Cru Classe is an affordable taste of mature, right bank Bordeaux. Chateau Corbin Michotte is a round and soft blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon that gives you dark fruit, chocolate, and smoke. I enjoyed it very much with grilled beef tenderloin. Why wait when you can drink a mature wine now?

$16.99 at Esquin Wine Merchants, imported by Bordeaux Wine Locators, Inc.

Friday factoid

2006-06-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

Delaware, a Vitis Labrusca varietal, is the most widely planted wine producing grape in Japan (according to De Long's).

And if that little tidbit doesn't make your Friday, then surely this article on the viticultural potential of West Virginia will [Ed. Stop calling me Shirley].

Take what you want

2006-06-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

Making a trip to the big city? Concerned about getting mugged? Perhaps this video will help you keep cool and respond appropriately. And while you learn, you'll burn some calories too.

If you ever have to use the training, I recommend reciting the phrases sans aerobic moves.

Was the video designed for Japanese travelers to the US? What would an equivalent video for American travelers to Japan be like? Perhaps the phrase would be "I prefer to eat food that isn't moving".

Wizards take pair of Soviets

2006-06-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

The Washington Wizards selected Ukrainian Oleksiy Pecherov and Belarusian Vladimir Veremeenko with their first and second picks in the NBA draft, respectively. Read more here.

I'm encouraged by these comments from an unnamed scouting service:

[Pecherov is] ...a very skilled big man who can play both inside and out. Decent athlete. Excellent shooter. Has the ability to put the ball on the floor though that seems to be somewhat diminished as he's filling out. Has developed into an excellent rebounder.

I'm discouraged by his size (7ft, 210 pounds... this guy needs to start eating breakfast) and the fact that he last played for a team called Paris Basket Racing (sounds like a small town fair event). But hey, he doesn't have to be great to improve the Wizard's anemic inside game. 10 boards and 6 points a night would be huge.

Check out TrueHoop and Bill Simmons for comprehensive draft coverage. (Photo: Dusan Vranic/Associated Press)

2002 Jose Maria Da Fonseca Periquita

2006-06-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

Periquita ("little parrot") is the nickname for the Castelao grape upon which this wine is based (70% Castelao, 20% Trincadeira and 10% Aragonez). Castelao is a relatively acidic varietal, whereas Trincadeira and Aragonez (aka Tempranillo) are relatively low in acidity.

Periquita comes from a part of Portugal south of Lisbon called Terras do Sado, featuring both sandy and clay-lime soils. The wine is aged for 5 months in a combination of new and used oak.

Periquita is the oldest brand of Portuguese table wine. Jose Maria Da Fonseca began marketing wine under the name Periquita in the mid 19th century, using grapes planted on a property know as Cova de Periquita.

I really like this wine. Periquita is medium-bodied with good acidity and smooth, soft tannins. It delivers red berry fruit and a pleasing tobacco finish. This wine is juicy, a good red wine to enjoy in hot weather. And best of all perhaps, Periquita tastes like few wines I’ve had at this price. It’s refreshing to have something different.

$7.99 at Esquin Wine Merchants, imported by Palm Bay Imports, Inc.

ADDENDUM: Another version called Periquita Classico is produced in select vintages. Here is Jancis Robinson's glowing review of the 1995 Periquita Classico.

Clown saboteurs

2006-06-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

Coworkers referring to me as a clown used to make me feel bad. But this article, sent to me by my buddy Clark Kent, makes me feel better. Now I realize my coworkers are simply emphasizing the importance of humor and laughter to the realization of the firm’s goals. Huh?

Also, those clowns must have been pretty hungry. You know, to start eating gravel and all.

The best ketchup

2006-06-26T12:37:00.001-07:00

The August issue of Cook's Illustrated (subscription required) features a taste test of 8 widely available traditional Ketchups. The overall winner chosen by the 29 person tasting panel was... Hunt's! Hunt's scored highest for both taste and texture and was praised for a tangy and fresh flavor. Market leader Heinz finished in the middle of the pack, though Heinz Organic was the runner-up.

In summary, author Leigh Belanger observed that:

Ketchup is best when it's smooth, thick, and tangy, with balanced, bold flavors. The parameters are tight - not to thick or too thin, not too tangy or too sweet. Bright red, but no chunks.

[Ed. Aren't these just simple condiments? Does it really matter?] Look, I'm not a big ketchup guy. But I love mayonnaise, and I enjoy my fries much more with Hellmann's/Best Food's mayonnaise than with boring old Kraft. So yes, condiments do matter.

Enjoying all this condiment talk? Here's a Cook's tasting of BBQ sauce.

UPDATE: Dr. Vino mentions a Malcom Gladwell piece on ketchup in the comments section. You can find the article, a favorite of mine, here.

The golden age of the alternative fringe

2006-06-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

Jamie Goode expresses a popular sentiment on his wine blog; concern for the uniform and sanitized civilization resulting from the world's alleged increasing sameness. It sounds to me as though he’s worried the mainstream is crowding out the alternative fringe.

In my view, the alternative fringe is quite healthy. Indeed, the fringe will continue to expand with the creation of ever better tools that help people like Mr. Goode keep the world interesting.

Communication and trade are cheaper and more accessible than ever before in human history. It takes mere minutes on the Internet for a small producer of interesting wine in say, Slovenia, to find some folks that might enjoy her wine. Perhaps she’d send a bottle to Mr. Goode. If Mr. Goode wrote a glowing review of said wine, surely other like-minded promoters of wine would notice. Somebody like blogger and NY Times writer Eric Asimov, for example. Perhaps Mr. Asimov would tell a sommelier friend about the Slovenian find. Maybe the wine ends up on the wine list of the sommelier’s influential NY restaurant, causing a stir in the local fine wine scene. Next thing you know, a fine wine shop is recommending the bottle to a regular guy like me.

You get the idea. Globalization is connecting the world’s alternative fringe. As long as there are people that want to be different, there will be alternatives outside the mainstream. Music is an excellent example of this phenomena. For a much more eloquent expression of these ideas, see Tyler Cowen’s Creative Destruction: How Globalization Is Changing the World's Cultures and Chris Anderson’s The Long Tail.

What's so interesting about wine?

2006-06-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

A few days ago my wife asked me why I find wine so interesting. I stammered a bit as I tried to form vague feelings and notions into words. Wine tastes good of course, but my interest is deeper than that. Wine is also culture, business, and history. It’s like social studies plus drinking and food. The WaPost’s Ellen McCarthy puts it thusly:

The pursuit of good wine is part culture, part science, part geography, all in a framework of merriment and indulgence.

Well put Ellen. Her account of everyday Washingtonians enjoying wine is here. I was surprised to learn that DC residents consume more wine and champagne per capita than residents of any other US city.

Watch out [yellow tail]!

2006-06-23T16:06:00.000-07:00

Dr. Vino reports on a slick new box wine from France called French Rabbit. Let's see now...

Brightly colored label featuring cute animals? Check.
Value price? Check.
Proclaimed commitment to the environment? Check.
Round, soft, easy-drinking wine? Check.
Hot mp3 music file prizes ala Cracker Jack? Check.

Okay, I made up the music file prize. Nonetheless, I wouldn't bet against this wine gulping down a big share of the value market.

A hole lot of difference between theory and practice

2006-06-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

My friend Dog sent me this article on the world's deepest hole, which reminded me of the following quote:

In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.

The quote is attributed to both baseball legend Yogi Berra and computer scientist Jan L.A. van de Snepscheut.

Mmmm, delicious scallops

2006-06-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

Last night I made pan-seared scallops with champagne grapes and almonds. This is a quick and simple recipe that delivers rich, sophisticated flavors without overpowering the scallops.

I paired the 2003 Mason Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley with the meal. It had adequate acidity and fruit, but I found it too buttery. In general, I don't want a rich, buttery wine with a rich, buttery dish. With rich seafood dishes, I want a wine that cleanses my taste buds, thereby allowing my next bite to be almost as fresh and enjoyable as the first.

So far, two out of the three dishes I've made using epicurious.com recipes have been quite good. Go internet! (Photo:Bon Appetit/Brian Leatart)

When I grow up...

2006-06-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

As a child I loved to browse toy catalogs. I read my favorite catalogs over and over again, pondering which toys I liked best. I often thought that, when I got older and had some money in my pocket, I'd be able to buy all of the toys I wanted. Even though I knew that I probably wouldn't want those same toys when I was older, it was fun thinking about it nonetheless. Today's WaPost reports on a Virginia man that actually did it. Also, be sure to check out the short video. (Photo: WaPost)

If you think that's cool, check out these old Atari catalogs.

Mmmm, delicious venison

2006-06-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

The wife was in Capital City for a few days last week. The ostensible purpose was work, but the chance to visit family and old friends also motivated her visit. Working for an organization based in your hometown has its advantages.

In any case, my wife’s absence provided me a good opportunity to cook a dish I’d been thinking about for a while; medallions of venison with port and cranberries (she doesn’t like the idea of eating Walt Disney characters, you see). So myself and fellow imbibers Starbuck Jr. and Rizza (more on them later) came over for a feast.

I highly recommend this recipe. The sauce is simple, easy to make, rich and delicious. If necessary, you can mail-order the venison medallions or you can substitute beef. Just give it a try.

I paired a couple of Rhone reds with the meal; the 2000 Feraud-Brunel Cairanne and the 1999 Guigal St. Joseph Rouge. The Grenache based Feraud-Brunel offered dark fruit, leather, earth and a nice gaminess. The Guigal St. Joseph, consisting of 100% Syrah, was more structured and delineated and offered somewhat similar gamy flavors.

The unanimous favorite however, was the 2003 Chateau Mouton Bordeaux Superieur that Starbuck Jr. brought over. This round and somewhat modern-styled wine’s rich, forward fruit best accompanied the strong flavors of the meal. I felt as though the dish was a bit too much for the Rhones, though sans food (or with a different dish) I think I’d prefer the Guigal.

Gender and generosity

2006-06-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

Tyler Cowen of Marginal Revolution links to an AEI published article on gender and giving. Which is the most generous of the sexes? Resident Scholar Christina Hoff Sommers writes:

The truth.... is that both sexes have their graces and their own styles of being virtuous.

So what are the policy implications? According to Ms. Sommers:

While there is nothing wrong with encouraging males to be more empathetic and females bolder in the charitable donations, ambitious programs for resocializing children to be more like the opposite sex are ill advised and, in any case, of unproven effect.

Read the whole thing here.

Miami Heat, 2006 NBA Champions

2006-06-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Miami Heat for beating the Dallas Mavericks by a score of 95 - 92 to win the 2006 NBA Championship in 6 games. Despite some sloppy streches, game 6 was entertaining basketball featuring intense play.

Dwyane Wade recieved the Most Valuable Player Award.

More from the pros at TrueHoop, ESPN and Fox.

Welcome to my humble blogdom

2006-06-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

Dearest reader(s), welcome to my tiny little piece of the infobahn. Here I plan to discuss topics of interest including (but not limited to) food, wine, economics, politics, sports, music, and cinema.

What's with the name you ask? First, as a wannabe econ nerd, I think it's funny to use economics terms unexpectedly [Ed. There goes your first reader]. Second, it's an attempt at self-deprecating humor. For someday, when your time becomes more valuable, I suspect you'll consume less of this inferior good. But until then, I'll endeavor to provide you rich bloggy goodness.

Perhaps you're wondering why you should visit Inferior Good? I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal. People know me. I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany. Just ask Ron Burgundy.