The Onion's wine-appreciation tips. Sample: "Many liquor stores offer a "Try Before You Buy" program, whether they know it or not."
 :: posted by Dante Ramos at 12:49 PM
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Hot wino tip(s). I'm just back from Dorignac's, where they've received a new shipment of 1997 Paraiso Springs Syrah -- you know, the best of our best-of-the-best night. It's $14.99. I didn't buy a bottle, but am now wondering why. I did pick up a 1999 Jessie's Grove Old Vine Zinfandel for $13.99, one of the hits from Chris's beach house adventure last month.
 :: posted by Stephanie Grace at 4:50 PM
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Sake reconsidered. I'll admit it, I've never really enjoyed sake. I usually order a light white wine or stick with water at sushi restaurants, and the few times someone would order sake, I would knock it back quickly with a grimace.
But on Wednesday, I went to a newish Japanese/korean restaurant Anjou on a review dinner with Craig. They had an extensive list of sake - even more than the Iron Chef's restaurant Morimoto - so we sampled a few. I was amazed by how smooth the sake was - you could sip it instead of slamming it - it was an experience akin to that time when Jerry gave us that premium tequila. My favorite, Hakusake Gold, had a light taste to it that I can only describe as flowery (and it came in a totally cute bottle!). Anyway, I don't know how much they cost because Craig dominated the list. But I'm thinking that more Japanese/Asian restaurants are going to jump on this trend and put more premium sakes on their menu.
 :: posted by Chris Gray at 10:22 AM
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Rosé's bad rap? A person who commented on this post by Stephanie asked whether horror over rosés had something to do with the widespread derision of white zinfandel. In other words, do people refrain from drinking perfectly decent pink wines because they're afraid of being thought gauche?
     This page talks about differences between the production of "insipid" blush wines (like white zin) and that of rosé: "If red grapes are pressed and there is only minimal contact between juice and skins, the resulting wine will have a light-pink tint. In the case of blush wine, the contact comes during the crushing only; in the case of rosé, juice and skins are left in contact a day or two. For both wines, the juice is run off and allowed to continue to ferment on its own, just as for most white wines."
     The article goes on to say this: "Blush wine is typically quite pale, slightly to moderately sweet and not terribly interesting. The best that can be said about it is that it is light, fresh, inexpensive and frequently the first wine that people drink — I just hope that it will not be the last. Rosé, on the other hand, is a darker, drier and more distinctive drink that appeals to a more sophisticated palate."
 :: posted by Dante Ramos at 3:03 PM
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Cape Cod eating and drinking. In Hyannis over the weekend, G., my parents, my sister and I happened across a couple of good restaurants with decent food and wine lists. One was a place called Retro Cafe. Another -- the more impressive of the two -- was V.J.'s Grille Room, which we kept calling the "Girlie Room" that's what the sign looks like from a distance if you don't have your glasses on.
 :: posted by Dante Ramos at 12:43 PM
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