March 16, 2010

Would you drink a Baghdad Suicide Vest?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, I hope everyone enjoys the requisite libations that come with this festival of American indulgence and Irish stereotypes.

I’m sure many of you will enjoy Irish Car Bombs, the St. Paddy’s variation on the boilermaker, that consists of a 50-50 shot of Baileys and Jameson (or Bushmills) that is dropped into a half-pint of Guinness and then downed in one swig. It’s fun, it’s all Irish booze and it gets you drunk on a day of overindulgence that somehow has become an Irish-American, or really any American’s, right of intoxication.

I’ve had my fair share of the cocktail, and — like on one St. Paddy’s when I somehow ended up chest deep in a creek — too many.

The aftermath of a bombing attack in Ireland.

But, I’ve always been uncomfortable with the very name of the drink. An Irish car bomb can be taken as a reference to the violence in Northern Ireland also known as The Troubles. The situation, as violent as it was complex, was a result of the religious and cultural divides in Ireland. I just watched the movie 50 Dead Men Walking a frank depiction of the violence during the 1980s and this reminded me why I never really liked the name of this fun party drink that is so often enjoyed on St. Patrick’s Day. The name refers to the car bombs used by the Catholic Irish Republican Army and the Protestant unionist terrorist gangs. Both sides felt they had God on their side and therefore had the right to terrorize and kill their fellow countrymen.

Would you drink a Baghdad Suicide Vest or Hamas Rocket or Shining Path Slammer? No. I don’t think so, but for many American’s Ireland is just “cute.” The legitimate issues of the Irish movement against British tyranny for hundreds of years or the bloody and often senseless fighting in the decades following the separation of Northern Ireland are lost on the hundreds of thousands of drunks screaming Erin Go Braugh and Danny Boy while spilling green Coors Lite on their Notre Dame sweatshirts.

The Irish Car Bomb is the epitome of this attitude.

Yet the situation in Ireland has changed, and for the most part Belfast and the rest of Ireland is peaceful. As an American of Irish descent I can say that at least I’m happy the only car bombs being ordered in Ireland these days are by tourists in a pub.

And that is something to celebrate.

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March 15, 2010

CoCo in a shirt

Here's a photo of my dog CoCo wearing a T-shirt. For you to enjoy.

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March 14, 2010

What I’m drinking … free wine!

Wine just tastes a little better when it's free.

I work at a winery, my wife works at a winery so we get lots of free wine.

It’s a great industry perk and I never tire of coming home to find a case of wine sitting on our kitchen table and Christine saying they had to clean out some inventory.

For me, the real bonanza comes when my winery is bottling. As I understand it, the line crew pulls a sample at different points of the day. They label these samples “End of Day” or “Lunch Break” with the date, and the lab crew will conduct quality control analysis if they have time. Often they don’t have time or need to do multiple tests a day so samples can end up on a counter in the lab and become take home wine. When I first started at Starmont they were just beginning a massive bottling of zin and I’d come home at the end of the week with two or three bottles.

Christine and I were joking the other day about starting up a custom label under the name “Lunch Break.” I thought it had a nice ring to it and gives one a sense of indulgent relaxation. We ultimately decided that Americans still have too much of a stigma about having a glass of wine with lunch during the week. (Myself, I like a couple of gin gimlets with a Coors chaser. Goes great with an egg salad sandwich!)

The most free wine I got my hands on came when I worked at Beringer. That winery bottles an insane amount of wine under myriad labels and the line seemed to be running every day. Once a day, me and the other interns would go down to the QC lab where there was usually a couple of cases of wine with ripped labels, askew labels or other small flaws that kept them from being shipped out.

When I my harvest gig at Beringer was done the pantry in my little one bedroom apartment in Napa was stuffed with something like 13 cases of wine. In the following months of unemployment, however, that stash was much reduced.

(I’m kidding about my usual lunches, I hate egg salad!)

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March 13, 2010

This rat is now full time

Hola amigos, long time since I rapped at ya I know but I’ve been knee deep in lees and other winery muck.

But the good news: the fine fellows over at Starmont have brought me on full time. Now I can say I’m part of the wine industry and that profile photo of me on The Team page looks a little less pretentious.

I can’t say how much of a relief it was to hear that I was getting a full time gig. Especially in this economy and for someone whose career background is a little limited in terms of wine. But I worked my ass off during harvest and in the months after, crossed my fingers and it turned out OK. When I was hired, I was told I was going to be done after Thanksgiving, then it changed to the end of January and then Feb. 17. Well, on Feb. 15 they told me I had a full time job.

It’s been a crazy few months but now everything is looking much more settled. I’m going to keep doing cellar work for the meantime but when we get into this year’s harvest I’m going to be doing lab work and act as a liason to the winery’s custom crush clients.

Thinking about where I am now as opposed to last year, I find it a little wild. I’m also struck by the host of odd little skills I’ve picked up after working for almost a year in the cellar. Skills like:

• Hose wrangling, I can coil a hose or wire in a tight spool like a champ.

• Climbing or walking on barrels. When I first started at Starmont, I was afraid of heights. Now I don’t hesitate to jump on a barrel rack and scramble 30 to 40 feet high.

• A heightened appreciation for air pressure and fluid dynamics. When you’re transferring 12,000 gallons of Cabernet from one tank to another you better make sure it’s going to get there.

• The many joys of sulphur, or azufre. Purely sarcastic here, sulfur is some nasty stuff be it in power, gas or liquid form.

And plenty of other interesting little bits of knowledge too. (Like how invaluable Avery waterproof labels are to wine production.)

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February 23, 2010

On the oyster coast

The view from the picnic area at Hog Island.

To celebrate a friend’s 30th birthday, the team headed out to the wild and rugged coastline near Point Reyes on Tomales Bay to consume large quantities of oysters.

It is unfortunate for me that most marine life is off limits. I have the appetite and constitution to consume and imbibe almost everything except for animals that swim, crawl or merely exist in the ocean. I have had my fill of trout, bass and catfish but for some reason when I have nibbled on delicacies such as sturgeon, salmon, swordfish and other such fare, my stomach revolts in a most unpleasant manner. I was not looking forward to oysters, but I was eager to get out to the coast.

I have always loved the drive out to the Sonoma or Marin county coastline. The drive is even more enjoyable this time of year during a day with an unsettled sky hung with heavy, gray clouds that occasionally part allowing brilliant rays of sunshine to drench hills that are a shade of green so vibrant it almost seems unnatural. The winding roads, gnarled coastal trees and large formations of gray rock dotting the many cow pastures make one feel as if you’re in another time and country even though Petaluma or Novato and traffic-jammed Highway 101 are almost just over the next hill.

After the pleasant drive, I had an immediate reminder as to why Christine and I don’t travel out to the coast much on food expeditions. As I stepped out of our car I was met with the nauseating smell of seafood emanating from piles of oyster shells that had been thrown on the Hog Island’s parking area. I can’t stand the smell, it’s a rotten, decayed odor that hovers over decrepit piers or bait shacks. I admit, for all my pretensions of loving the good life, I just can’t stomach the thought of eating some of the fishy things like oysters that other people love. I am resolved to try them at some point in my life, but on that particular day with a two-hour drive to get home, and the chance of digestive stress, I was not going to experiment.

If you do like oysters, I am told by many that Hog Island has wonderful oysters grown on site in the clean waters of Tomales Bay. Our group had rented two tables in the picnic area at Hog Island with wonderful views of the bay. Christine and I had brought along a bottle of sparkling rosé wine and a still rosé Syrah that she said paired well with the oysters. For myself, I had a ham and salami sandwich. (And frankly, it was a damn good sandwich.) Hog Island’s picnic area has grills available for warming oysters although you need to bring your own charcoal or buy some at the Hog Island store. Dogs are allowed and we brought CoCo our lab but you have to keep them on a leash.

Shuck, slurp and repeat.

For most of the afternoon, our little picnic point was buffeted by cold winds coming off the water. Later in the day, however, the clouds opened up to reveal a blue sky and the sun. The sunshine and convivial atmosphere of oysters and an open fire made me feel as if I was back in Nantucket or some other glamorous destination. But then I thought, no, I’m on the beautiful California coast near Pt. Reyes. This is one of the most gorgeous areas in the country. One can find Hog Island oysters at the Ferry Building in San Francisco or at the Oxbow public market in Napa. A really fun experience though, even for an unhappy soul like myself for whom the delights of oysters are forbidden by a fickle stomach, is to visit the island first hand. I may not have enjoyed the oysters but I loved the beauty of the coast and the company of good friends.

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February 1, 2010

Tasting Notes: Quixote Winery

The distinctive cupola of Quixote Winery peeks out from trees in front of the cliffs of the Stags Leap district in Napa Valley.

A buddy and me were just driving along Silverado Trail in Napa recently without any plans and time to kill when he suggested we check out Quixote Winery. A few years ago, my friend John had installed wireless internet at the winery and he remembered the winery’s wild architecture.

As luck would have it the winery, which is usually only open for tastings by reservation, had opened its doors  to the public for tastings that afternoon. Quixote Winery is worth a visit just to look at the grounds and the winery, but the wines turned out to be quite good too.

The building has no straight lines and is decorated with tiles and glass painted in bright shades of blue, yellow, red and other colors. My friend and I felt a little sheepish walking into such an artistic and sophisticated tasting room wearing jeans and sneakers, but we were quickly welcomed by the enthusiastic tasting host named René. (Funny side note, John thought René said his name was Ernie when he said hello and so he sat through the hour-long tasting wondering how a Swiss dude picked up the name Ernie.)

Tasting at Quixote feels like being inside a work of art and it actually quite literally is. René explained to us in detail how the building was designed by Austrian artist Hundertwasser. I’m no art student and my art appreciation is pretty poor, but René had a book of Hundertwasser’s art for us to enjoy and we received a quick tutorial on the Austrian’s bold works of contemporary art. The artist created several building projects in Europe but Quixote Winery is his only American piece and after finishing the winery Hundertwasser passed away. The building reflects his style of no straight lines, a “living roof” planted with trees and grass, and cupolas and towers dotting the structure. I had thought I would find it uncomfortable and intimidating to taste in such an artistic building but instead found it to be a warm and inviting atmosphere for a tasting.

It's a cool scene at Quixote Winery. I didn't see any windmills though.

And the wine was great. Our tasting cost $20 each (the tasting fee was waived with a purchase) and included four vintages. We started with a Cab that was quite typical of the Stags Leap area of the Napa Valley. Quixote prides itself on its estate Petit Sirah. We tasted two, an ‘05 and an ‘02. The ‘05 was quite nice with strong flavors and a bone dry finish but the ‘02 was really good although at $70 a bottle it was too steep for my modest means.

I did buy a bottle of the winery’s ‘05 Grenache-Mourvedre blend ($40 a bottle), which René said is quite a rare blend. This wine had just a great balance of fruit and acidity and it was really approachable. John, who enjoys wine, but readily admits to being a novice said he could just drink it all day. On the palate the wine had red fruit flavors like a little bit of strawberry and a nice clean, finish.

A visit to Quixote Winery brings you to an intriguing intersection of art and wine. Such a combination can be found at other wineries, but exploring the relationship and similarities of fine wine and fine art is too complex for my simple musings. Instead, I’ll just say that the art inherent to the building broadened your understanding of what a space can be and prepared your palate for the artistry of winemaking.

The Art of Hundertwasser can be found in every corner of the winery. Even the bathroom was pretty wild.

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January 24, 2010

After the storms

California and the rest of the West Coast was slammed by a recent series of storms. Here in Carneros we received our share of howling winds and pounding rain. I have always loved rainy weather, and as I was telling a friend with Midwestern roots, if the worst weather of the winter is wind and rain it’s a reminder that we Californians have it pretty good.

All the vines are dormant right now so the rain is just much-needed water. The deluge of water can erode out vine stakes and the soil around the roots, while the mud can make pruning a nightmare. I bet, however, that most farmers are just grateful for plenty of water this season.

On Saturday, a break in the rain provided for a great chance to enjoy how the storms transformed the countryside. It’s wonderful to walk through the vineyards discovering new creeks and ponds created by the rainfall.

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January 20, 2010

What I’m drinking …

Beverage here man!

The wintry weather had me in the mood for a smooth, indulgent cocktail this past weekend. I was making a big batch of carnitas and wanted a few cocktails before dinner. In light of the carnitas, I found myself leaning to the Mexican coffee liqueur Kahlua and from there it was just a short jump to White Russians.

I do like a little bit of Kahlua and cream in my coffee, but by itself Kahlua is too sweet for my tastes. Mix it with cream and vodka, as in a traditional White Russian, and the liqueur is just sublime. I like to mix an ounce of vodka with an ounce and a half of Kahlua followed by cream to taste. I like a darker cream color with a little unmixed Kahlua at the bottom. The cream lightens the Kahlua and brings out pleasant chocolate notes while the vodka provides subtle backnotes of clean alcohol flavors to remind you that it’s not a melted milkshake you’re drinking.

Like most folks of my generation, I was introduced to White Russians (or Caucasians as some call them) by the 1998 film The Big Lebowski. In this legendary bit of cult classic cinema, the main character known as “The Dude” swills White Russians as he bowls with his loser buddies and finds himself in a kidnap caper that involves vicious rug urination. I apologize for the insider humor but if you haven’t seen this movie you really need to. The Big Lebowski has retained a solid fan base that attends annual Lebowski fests, which people attend dressed up as their favorite characters (I always thought I was a bit of a Walter — “Mark it zero!”). The film’s popularity coincided with a rise in popularity for The Dude’s drink, the White Russian. I remember watching the movie when I was a senior in high school and thinking to myself: “What’s he drinking? He’s mixing vodka with … milk?“

The combination does work, although Half and Half or heavy cream is better in a cocktail than milk. Be warned though, the Kahlua and cream masks the fact you’re having a two to three ounce drink and the sugary sweetness of a White Russian can make you down them very fast. Remember, The Dude abides.

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January 18, 2010

The best bar in San Francisco and … the world?

In its most recent edition, Food & Wine named Rickhouse bar in San Francisco as one of the best bars in the world. The owners of Rickhouse are the same people who run Bourbon and Branch the legendary speakeasy in the city that requires reservations and serves exquisite cocktails.

Bourbon and Branch

The magazine has effusive praise for Rickhouse’s selection of drinks as well as its inventive punches “like a gingery Pimm’s with gin and lemon, served in white milk-glass bowls with giant blocks of berry-studded ice.” In addition to Rickhouse and Bourbon and Branch, the owners also run the premier liquor store Cask that offers delivery service of its hard-to-find liquor, wine and beer.

I’ve heard nothing but good things about Bourbon and Branch. When some friends from San Francisco were in town for a Napa wine tasting trip, they couldn’t stop raving about it. I’m intrigued by the bar’s commitment to hand-crafted, quality cocktails and I think the team will need to make a visit for sure.

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January 17, 2010

At the winery

Harvest is long gone, but I’m still working at the winery. I’m proud and thankful that my harvest internship has gone well into the winter.

This time of year the Napa Valley is covered in fields of mustard flowers that offer bright displays of yellow and green.

Right now we’re pulling lots of samples from the finished ‘09 wines, most of which are in barrels. After the wine receives an analysis in the lab, the barrels then get laid down for topping. While aging in a barrel, wine can evaporate by as much as five gallons, leaving a significant amount of head space, or empty space, in a barrel. Periodic topping keeps the barrels full preventing excessive oxidation.

Barrel work can be fun and a rush. Sometimes you’ll need to pull a sample from a barrel stacked high on top of other barrels. Barrels are laid on racks that hold two barrels. These racks then can be stacked on top of each other. The stacks can stand as high as 30 or 40 feet. To reach the top you squirm into the tight space between stacks and grab on to the barrel racks to hoist yourself up using the racks and fat part of the barrel as kind of a ladder. To keep yourself steady you rest your rear on another stack of barrels. But as you work higher up in the stack your weight and movement can cause the stacks to sway back and forth. Standing with your feet on swaying stacks of barrels about 20 to 30 feet in the air gives you the sense of working on a mast of a sailing ship.

The really hard part can be navigating the tight spaces between barrel racks. You often have to contort your body while squeezing through gaps that are only about a foot wide. I’m always keeping that good rule of thumb of climbers in mind: maintain three points of contact. For example, grasp a rack with two hands and keep a boot on a barrel before extending the other foot to move.

Spanish missionaries brought wild mustard to California. The plant is essentially a pretty weed and is not used in making commercial mustard.

Scrambling over barrel stacks has given me a little sense of the rush rock climbers may enjoy. After years of telling my more intrepid friends that I’m too afraid of heights to try climbing, I’m thinking now it may be worth a try.

Other recent winery work has included adding fining agents to some wines, mixing and adding sulfur to other wines and the start of some blending. Following harvest, there’s also been quite a bit of cleaning and maintenance. Cleaning is never any fun, but when you need to keep a sanitary environment it’s crucial to a good operation.

So when folks ask me what’s next for the journalist turned cellar rat,  I say I’m pretty honest in that I’m not sure. I’d love to stay at Starmont or find another job at a different winery, but in light of the economy I’m keep a realistic outlook in terms of a job search. Maybe I’ll just devote all my time to this little online enterprise. I’ll think of it as unpaid service for the good of all humanity. In these troubled times, one man took it upon himself to keep spirits uncorked and beverages filled. I could be that man.

Napa hosts an annual Mustard Festival, and there's a pretty good restaurant on Highway 29 just north of Napa called Mustards Grill.

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