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This page contains Winings from the 1st Quarter of the year 2002. To contact WinoBob, click here March 31, 2002 “Whenever
two or more of you are gathered around a wine bottle, rejoice and celebrate” Happy Easter and Happy Passover to one and all. The weather is a balmy 68 degrees, buds are awakening from their winter slumber and a sense of renewal is in the air. Last evening, I had a most enjoyable dinner at Bacchus with my buddy Wino Rocker. Yes, the one I was sharing a wine with when he was telling me about his life’s new direction. Turns out that things have turned around and he and his old lady are doing well. Needing
my shot of Red Meat, I ordered the pastrami encrusted Buffalo shell Steak Medium
Rare, kick-ass. This was done with
a Cabernet reduction that made it fantastic. Since the rest of the crew had the tuna special, I selected a
Spanish Wine from a producer who made his money to buy the winery from trading
barrels. Everyone enjoyed the wine
so much we ripped through 2 bottles before the meal was over.
I am taking a liking to the Spanish wines from the Priorat region and
this one did not disappoint. 1998
Alvaro Palacios Les Terrasses $$ (40.00 rest.) March 27, 2002 Fat, large,
huge, mammoth, gigantic, rotund….gigundis.
When I was a kid, to speak politely about my fat Aunt, we called her
gigundis. As a lover of Rhone wines
and one lacking in the mega dot com dollar windfalls, I look for those bargains
on Big Fat Red Wines. With
restaurant mark ups on Chateauneuf du Papes reaching insanity, I grabbed a
bottle of wine from a neighboring region- Gigondas. I read, and was
told, that these wines are quickly becoming the “Great Value” wines to go
after. Quality is great and the pricing structures will not sink the
boat. So I gave one a try recently,
but feel there is a lot of tasting for me to do before I am convinced.
Promise is there, but the richness and fullness I was hoping for did not
show itself with my dinner last night. I will make an
effort to hunt down the diamonds in the rough, so if any of you winos have
suggestions, please keep me informed. 1999 Domaine
du Pesquier, Gigondas $$
(32.00 rest.) March 24, 2002 Well the move
is finally over and 18 years have been sent in different directions, some to the
new office (with the original 18 years of dirt), some to our PA branch and the
rest to that big landfill in the sky. Working
out of two places has left little time for wine.
By next week I will be ripped off my ass every night so it will be
business as usual. I did manage a
lunch meeting with Wino John and a monthly card game. From the descriptions
below, can you guess which one I enjoyed with Wino John? 1999
Monterra Merlot $
(10.99) 1998 Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon $$
(41.00)
March 18, 2002 You know how I am always confused about bringing wine to people’s homes. If you bring a really good bottle and they hide it, I feel like I lost an appendage. Then again, if you bring a so-so bottle and they serve it, it reflects poorly on me as a wino. I found the solution, become friends with Wino Lou. Not only did he save the wine I gave him a gift; he’s also a top-notch cook and lays out a spread like you wouldn’t believe. With his cooking ability and my wine selections, we can open a restaurant; only I don’t have any revenue stream from this web page that would allow me to bankroll the deal. Just, Wino John, how much more do we have in the bank this month then last? Oh, right, we still don’t have a bank account… As was expected, dinner was fantastic and the wine worked well. Nothing better than a slab of bloody cow and a big California Cab (I learned that from Wino John). How’s this for the name of a fine dining establishment, Wine and Food and Shit. I use the words and shit as a general description of all the other stuff that would be included, like the ability to smoke a cigar or have a scotch instead of wine. I do not use the term "and shit" to mean what it means. We spent most of the meal
discussing the wine and how it went well with the food and what other foods Wino
Lou is versed in cooking. He threw
down the challenge for several dinners I must pair the wine to, I can’t wait;
though it sounds like I am getting too serious about the wine and food thing.
It kind of detracts from my Wino moniker. 1996 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
($ It was a B-Day present to Wino Lou, I can’t
tell him how much I spent but you can look it up) March 17, 2002 Happy St. Patty’s Day to you Irish Winos, though now that I think about it, you can’t add green food coloring to wine, so I doubt there are any of you reading this. At what point do people think it enhances food and drink by adding a green color to the things that should not be green. When I was in college, there was a lot of shit in my refrigerator that was green, but I threw that stuff out. Green fuzz is not a pleasant tasting item. For those of
you who like their wine red on St. Patty’s Day, Erin Go Bra, or something like
that. A close friend
of mine had a first date last night and he emailed me that he wanted to impress
this young lady by taking her to Bacchus. So,
like the bad penny that I am, I waited till they were almost finished with
dinner and stopped up to check this new situation out.
They were just on their way out when I popped in and convinced them to
stay for a nightcap. Interestingly,
they told me how good the meal was. When
I inquired as to what they had, they informed me of the seafood special.
And what fine wine did they enjoy? Amstel
Light, who the, what the? You go to
a wine bar and chop house and have fish and beer? What is up with that? Anyway, towards the end of the evening, Ryan offered us a taste of a wine that a customer informed him it just doesn’t taste good. It is a new winery coming out, which has employed the former winemaker from Duckhorn Vineyards. Yes, the Duckhorn vineyards of Pinot Noir fame, et al. As truth is told, I wasn’t much impressed with this wine either, but that’s why you go and taste. 1999
Provenance Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford $$
(50.00 rest.)
March 10,
2002 Greeting from Never Never Land. As has been customary in my life, I have a confession to make. (What the hell is with this religious context all the time?) I can hear Wino John clear on the other side of Route 80 shuddering at those words. Oh no Wino Bob, not another time you tells us about your time in court when the judge asked you to show him where on the puppet the priest…. Never mind. Yes, ever since I can recall, I am a binger and purger. So that explains the stick-like depiction on your page. No, I have never put my finger down my throat after a meal. My binging and purging relates to my work habits. Are you Winos like me? Either I am lying around on my fat ass watching 20 hours of TV Land or I am juggling 3 major projects. As you know from over the summer, I submitted early pictures of the wine area I was fixing up. Then it seemed like I couldn’t motivate myself to finish the job. So what changed and got me back into the project you ask? OK, so you didn’t ask, I’m just going to tell you anyway, it’s your choice to read this or not. Geek life has
me in a major move of my office after a seven-month complex situation, the end
is near for the building I worked out of since 1988 and I am moving 14 years of
shit. This pressure to get the move
over in 2 weeks has me revved up to complete the wine area in the cellar.
So this weekend, I tiled, plumbed and grouted every spare moment to get
me through another milestone in the creation process. I have so much PVC cement and grout stuck on my right hand, I
am afraid to scratch myself in that way for fear of sanding it off. So here are the latest rounds of updated pictures:
Afterwards, I decided to layout a few of my favorites to see how they look on my new counter top, what do you think?
While I was
finishing up the plumbing last night, I opened a bottle I enjoyed. 1997 Mystic
Cliffs Shiraz $
(7.99)
March 3, 2002 I was passing by my closet today and a voice called me over, “Hey Wino Bob, it’s me, your Black Suit. You should put me on and head into Manhattan.” Actually, friends of mine that own the Happy Dog Gallery were exhibiting at the Art Expo show taking place this week at the Jacob Javits Center. Picking out my best black shirt, I headed to NYC to walk the show. Art is not something that comes naturally to me and understanding art is near impossible. Why is it that a tree by a brook painted by one-artist sells for tens of thousands of dollars and a tree by a brook by another artist is available at a show price of twelve hundred dollars? I did find myself captivated by the female form in all it’s natural beauty, but it was that art that looked like what I see on the web as opposed to the art where a woman’s breast appears somewhere on her shoulder and her buttocks is firmly depicted where her arm should be. Over half of the booths had at least one piece containing a patriotic image if not the World Trade Centers themselves. Frustrated for
not getting the point, or the beauty or the desire to spend my life savings on a
naked lady (picture that is), I walked down the last aisle ready to head for the
door. Just then, I glanced over at
a picture of a bottle of Silver Oak, and then I looked in the booth and saw a
painting of an Opus One wine poured out for enjoyment.
Screw the naked ladies, there are paintings of wine… I had an enjoyable chat with the people representing Thomas Arvid, an artist gaining national notoriety for his passion for wine. Recently, Mr. Arvid was covered in Wine Spectator for his compositions being sought out by art and wine collectors alike. My favorite was titled, “Two To Choose”. I don’t know if it was that I am starting to understand art or the fact that I have a bottle of the 1993 Silver Oak Napa in my cellar. If anyone is interested in more information regarding Mr. Arvid’s work, let me know and I would be happy to pass along more details. March 1, 2002 I can’t believe we are into March. Bless me father for I have sinned, I have enjoyed the following wines without updating my entries in a timely fashion. I have been spending time tiling the counter in my cellar and have neglected to post. These are my wines: 1997 Wynns
Coonawarra Estate Shiraz $ (12.00) 1998 Oxford
Landing Shiraz $ (9.00) 1998 Casa
Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Cabernet Sauvignon, Rapel Valley $$
(31.00 rest.) 1997
Sonoma-Cutrer
Chardonnay, The Cutrer, Sonoma County $$ (27.99) 1998 Echelon
Syrah ? (Only had one glass at $6.00) February 18, 2002 In my techno-dweeb life, I have recently begun representing a manufacturer located in Barcelona, Spain. After we reached our business agreement, I turned the conversation over to wine and began negotiating several cases of wine with our first stocking order. When hit with the simple question, by the owner of the company, “What kind of Spanish wine do you like?”, I quickly blurted out, “Red, is there any other kind made in Spain?” Uh, that’s a good one, Butt-head… So back to the
books and learning more about Spanish wines other than Rioja Grand Reserva. With the
company located in Barcelona, I read up on many of the surrounding regions and
located a wine style that sounded like it would go well in my CAVA.
The region that captured my interest is Priorat. For those
Wino’s out there knowledgeable on the offerings from Priorat, please email me
or post a note, I need all the input I can get.
What interests me most is the description of the wines from this region.
Wines made largely from Grenache and Carinena, intense in flavor, color
and body. Big, bold, purple wines,
with adverse growing conditions, arid climates and minimal water.
Let’s see, what other region makes intense reds with blends of Grenache
and flavors described as black cherry, plum, rosemary, mint and pepper?
Could this wine cradle me in the comfort of a Spanish Rhone style
beverage? Could this be a not to
well know region for me to buy up some great inexpensive wine? Wrong, I went
wine hunting this weekend and the wines of Priorat do not come in the bargain
bins. I managed to average down by
finding a ten-dollar bottle at Kings, but most wine from Priorat range in the
$35-50 dollar bracket for the ones on the shelf. With dinner
tonight, I put this wine to the challenge, peppercorn glazed pork loin.
Much to my delight, the cheap one held it’s own and has me craving a
Wino dinner party to open up the more expensive stuff.
As a good Wino knows, to date I have only tasted the second best wine of
my life. OK, so I borrowed the line from Get Smart…. 1999
Vinicola del Priorat Onix, Priorat $
(10.99)
February 17, 2002 I found myself in a routine lately that had me drinking wines I have already posted. Not much about the wines or the situations was interesting to me, so I won't bore you with it. However, yesterday I had a meeting in Piermont, NY, a town that collectively wears black. If you have never been there, Piermont rests on the western bank of the Hudson River about 11 miles North of the City. It has become a chic place for the art world with tons of small galleries. I am working on a project with a friend that will eventually lead to an art exhibit in NYC and a coffee table-style book. After several hours of discussion over wine and cheese, we went to a nearby restaurant to celebrate our endeavor. I requested the wine list and was handed a two-inch binder. Wow, this should be a treat, selecting a wine at a waterfront restaurant in an area that is frequented by famous residents like Al Pacino, William Hurt, and Joe Smith. Ok, so nobody knows Joe Smith, but he’s wealthy enough to live on the same block as Al, I saw it on a mailbox. As I flipped through this book, my stomach twitched, not from the likes of finding rare and expensive wines that famous people like to spend their money on; but rather a wine book that was thickened by pasting a wine label on a page to add girth. The worst thing you ever want to do is falsely add girth to anything, because sooner or later you have to drop your pants and you quickly become the laughing stock of your seventh grade gym class……never mind. This list from
this famous steakhouse in Piermont was disappointing at best and on the pages
that listed multiple wines, the type looked like 32 point New Times Roman. 1998 Cline
Syrah $ (10.49)
February 10, 2002 Reading Wino John’s side bar about Zinfandel and its DNA being traced to Croatia, I realized how little I paid attention in school. Other than Vladi Divak (sorry for the inability for me to spell a second string center who is seven feet tall and has the vertical leaping ability of 3.5 inches), I admit to you I never learned much about Croatia and it’s wines. This weekend, I sat in the Wino Bob resource room and drank a bottle of this Croatian grape we are now calling Zinfandel and looked through book after book with very little resulting information. The most information I was able to get was from a book entitled, “Oz Clark’s encyclopedia of Grapes.” But Oz himself ties the Primitivo-Zinfandel knot and discusses Croatia as the link dating back to 700 B.C., but identifies a grape called Plavac Mali has the genetic forefather. All this confusion leads to one simple answer; we must assemble the O.J. courtroom in total. Who better to help us untangle this Zinfandel genealogical nightmare then Denis Fang, Johnny Cochran, F. Lee Bailey, and Judge Lance Ito? Look, just because O.J. and the killer had the same DNA, pointing to a one in five billion chance it was not him, then maybe Zinfandel really isn’t Primitivo or from any grapes in Croatia. Maybe it was really a Chardonnay grape planted in a vineyard in Southern California, behind a cottage, in the dark of night by an angry winemaker. Besides, is Oz Clarke related to Marcia Clarke and is that the reason we cannot get to the truth in this matter? Whatever the
genetic history of the Zinfandel grape, I will stand by it as the Grape of the
Year 2002. So think less about where it originated, don’t think at all about
White Zinfandel, and go out and drink the grape that now is thought of as a
California powerhouse.
February 8, 2002 February 5, 2002 I realize it
has been longer than reasonable since I posted something fresh and new, but
after that beer-, too-kill-a-, and sake-soaked trip to San Diego, I had to check
into the dry-out room and exchange my blood for that of a small boy’s.
Like a vampire, I must retire from the light and replenish the elements
necessary for basic life. As the
moon rises high in the night, my thirst for wine gets the better of me and sends
me back on the prowl. Blood, wine,
I have to stay away from these religious tie-ins. Over the past
several days, I did have some wine, but nothing too exciting and the
circumstances around the drinking were far less noteworthy then ever.
So for the sake of brevity and the inability for me to allow my mind to
ramble senselessly, I wanted to post up the following. Rest assured,
better things are on the horizon, Wino John has called an emergency meeting this
Thursday of the WinoStuff staggering and weaving committee. (Most companies call
it a steering committee, but most companies do not require committee members to
imbibe a bottle of wine over a 2 hour period. You should see us leave the
place.) 1998 Clos Du
Bois Alexander Valley Reserve Merlot $$ (36.00 rest.) 1999
Vermonte Cabernet Sauvignon $ (7.99) 2000 Bruno
Giacosa Dolcetto D’Alba $ (9.99) January 25,
2002 Day 5 - Weak from
mal-winishment, I have been trapped in a warp of Mexican food and margaritas.
The only temporary relief I received came from an evening of Sushi and
sake. How does one come up with the
idea of making wine from rice, then heat till hot enough to blister your tongue?
Can this be an ancient secret that the French have ignored for 4000
years? Would a nice 1997 Lafite
Rothschild be enhanced by microwaving it to a temperature just below the
formation of tiny gas bubbles? I
think NOT. Day 6 - Relief
came in the form of a steak-eating, wine-loving friend/customer.
Dinner at The Dakota Grill on 5th placed the first wine list
in my bony fingers and xylophone-ribbed body.
I did it and enjoyed it. I
ordered the lamb shank in a mushroom, red wine reduction and a bottle of syrah. Day 7 - Color is
starting to creep back into my pasty-white face. You know, pasty-white is
a stark contrast to my black apparel. To
further combat my mal-winishment, I found a restaurant that was well suited for
high-powered people, like our own Wino Wally.
They only let me in because of the person I was with. I half expected to see WW seated in the large wingback chair
in the wine cellar (which happens to be located on the second floor).
The menu item that grabbed me was the ELK chop (lean, medium-rare with a
peppery crust). Though it took 6
days, I finally found salvation at the top of the punt. 1998
Turnbull Syrah $$ (45.00 rest.) 1997
Meritage “Valley of the Moon” Reserve $$ (it was 15.00 per glass) January 19, 2002 I know it has
been awhile since I posted, but it has been awhile since I drank wine.
I feel like I’m on an expedition in a remote location.
Journal entry: Day three here in San Diego. I am surrounded
by unfamiliar scenery (sunny and warm with palm trees and a view of the harbor).
I have yet to find a native I can communicate with (the guys at Dick’s
Last Resort serve more than 75 different beers and the bartender at Rock Bottom
Microbrewery nearly threw me out when I asked if they only serve the 8 beers
they brew on location). Things are
looking up. Today I went on a scouting mission and saw a sign on 5th
Street that read “Wine Bar”. I
will await the darkness, don my best black shirt and pants and see what the
local Gas Lamp Quarter has to offer for outsiders wanting to learn about the
local customs. January 12,
2002 How’s your
Endothelin-1? Have you suppressed
it lately? Do you think that
quercetin, resveratrol, malvidin or peonidin will help?
Can the results of BAEC (bovine aortic endothelial cells) suppression
from Cabernet Sauvignon relate to me? Why
are bovine drinking Cabernet Sauvignon and are they getting Screaming Eagle?
Do I sound more intelligent since I have been hanging out with the smart
crowd that Wino Lou treated me too? OK,
let’s get back to Wino Bob speak…. I was discussing my depression oriented,
cut-your-wrist and slowly bleed style music I enjoy with a group of friends and
told them how Joe Jackson has hit the nail on the head.
One of my favorite songs is, “Everything Gives You Cancer”.
You know it, sing it with me, Everything gives you cancer.
There’s no cure, there’s no answer.
Don’t touch that dial, don’t try to smile, no caffeine, no protein,
no booze or nicotine… Ok, I can’t sing. In the midst of
my depression, Wino Lou informed me that there is chemical evidence that a
compound or series of compounds depress the production of ET-1 which has proven
to reduce coronary infarctions, or infractions, or instructions, I just can’t
seem to understand when Wino Lou uses words bigger than my name.
I did enjoy a bottle of wine during the discussion and will continue to
work on my ET-1 suppression, if in fact there is a ET-1 suppression, depression,
or regression. Hey call Bob Dylan, I think there is a song here. January 7, 2002 Major props go out to my friend,
neighbor, and wine/food-pairing partner, Wino Lou.
Yesterday, Wino Lou and his family had tickets to the Giants game so we
carpooled to the stadium. Wino Lou
works for a mega-health services company (the evil empire, per Mrs. Clinton) and
as one of the resources for the elite to unwind and plan the next major drug
scam to suck the life savings out of poor old people, the wildly successful
company has a box a Giant stadium. After
plying Wino Lou with just enough wine, he fell into one of those, “I love you
man” moods and cleared they way with the powers that be to get me into the
corporate luxury box.
As a life long Giants fan and one who sat through the 1986 play-off game
against the 49ers with wind chill in the sub-zeros, getting to see a game from
the comfort of a luxury box is a football fan’s utopia.
Though the game was a route and Mike Strahan’s sack record is under
question, it just doesn’t matter this morning.
Wino Lou made my year with a hot dog, sausage and peppers, and Robert
Mondavi Costal Chardonnay (OK, I lied, the Chardonnay sucked and didn’t make
my year). I must say at this time, I offer
myself as the Official Sommelier to the Giant Stadium’s luxury box
organization. With the prestige of a luxury box, one would expect 1963
Lafite or a 1982 Sassicia. For the
mere cost of a ticket on the fifty-yard line, Wino Bob will stock the luxury
boxes with wines that the owners will talk about during the game and throughout
the week. Side note to Wino John-
can we budget for a Winostuff luxury Box at Giant Stadium where we could host NY
elite wine industry Big Wigs while watching a football game and eating Goose
Liver Pate? What? Oh yeah, we
don’t have a budget. Right, we don’t have an income. Sorry, I
forgot… 1999 Dry Creek Vineyard
Heritage Clone Zinfandel $ (16.99) January 5,
2002 Has this
happened to you yet? I say YET, because, trust me, it happens to all of us.
I had a room-painting project to do today.
The toughest thing for me in this operation is trimming the ceiling/wall
interface. As usual, instead of
getting the appropriate ladders and materials from the basement, I find the
closest object that looks like will support my weight and I hop up on it. Then, the still youthful thinking side of my cerebral cortex
(I really don’t know if that is such a body part in the head, I heard it on an
episode of Dr. Quinn Medicine Man) has my body trying to stretch and strains to
reach as far as I can without moving the box I am perched upon.
You know, your brain starts talking to you, “Go ahead, you don’t have
to climb down and move the box, if you put the brush in your left hand and stand
on your left foot with your right leg extended to the side for balance, you can
reach the corner from here.” The part of the
process that has me most worried is realizing I have started to make “Old
People” sounds when I stress myself like that.
Yes, I found myself making grunts and groans akin to the noises
Frankenstein made on his wedding night. These
low grunts and growls that involuntarily leave my body as I twist and contort
myself in a project seem to be coming more frequently.
Don’t worry; you too will be hearing these sounds as you move on in
age. Then, the reality stick hit me
and I internally acknowledged that these are the same orgasmic Frankenstein
noises that came out of my father when I helped him during my misspent youth. The question I
needed to ponder with the help of a bottle of wine is, “Are these sounds
inherited or are they the sounds I learned while helping at the Wino Bob
homestead?” As time moves
forward, I catch myself making a gesture or comment I could clearly see my
father making. Have I crossed
over? Has the second hand of my biological Timex swept past the number twelve of my
youth to permanently place me in “Old Manhood”? Warning, the gravitational force of the Black Hole called
“Over-the-Hill” has increased to the strength that there is no escaping it.
Wino Bob, soon you will be unable to suppress your farts in mixed
company. Gravity will begin, from
this day forward, to overtake those parts of your body that, as a youth, seemed
to never want to come down. Crisis- shop
for fire engine red convertible. Mid-life approaching at next exit, dangerous
curve, slow down to 45 mph… Wanting to not
push myself into a fat, balding, stick figure, I whipped up some tofu stir-fry
and sat with a Riesling wondering, “Since I’m past the picture at Splash
Mountain, will wine enhance the rest of the ride?” 1997
Storybook Mountain Vineyards, Zinfandel, Eastern Exposure $$
(27.00) 1999
Millbrook Cabernet Franc $
(8.00) 1997
Charles Krug Family Reserve Generations, Napa Valley $$
(28.00) |
