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11/19/09
There is only one event in the wine year calendar that is tied to time. Think about it: Here is a product that is absolutely driven by the efforts of the sun and the phases of the moon, and nowhere, except once, is there a moment when we honor “the moment.”
Heck, every bit of produce and fruit is available only at certain times of the year, and seafood is at least better –– if not available only –– at particular seasons. But wine, a product that is made from a fruit that provides only one harvest each 12 months, does not define itself by the passage of time.
Except one time, on the third Thursday of every November.
To the phrase, “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé,” at one minute...
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11/12/09
The aging of wine is one of those topics that always comes up in wine reviews and when collectors gather. In fact, if you want to spontaneously pull together a group of wine collectors, the question to ask aloud is, “How long should I allow (insert name of wine and vintage here) to age?”
Like birds flocking to scattered bread crumbs in Jackson Square, collectors will gather, and each will have a different answer.
For a moment, let’s step back from the question and consider the whys of wine aging. Wine is a living thing. Over the course of its creation and continuing for all time in its life in the bottle, wine will change. The bouquet, the flavors, the tannins, the color and the fruit are on a mission of metamorphosis, and the only constant in...
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11/05/09
The recent demise of the Destin, Fla., location of Pat O’Brien’s, which followed the closure of the Memphis, Tenn., location, reminded me of the difficulty of transporting a culture.
Just about every town in America with at least one traffic light has a New Orleans-themed restaurant or bar. But duplicating what is here –– and not some faux image of what is perceived to be the “feel” of the Crescent City –– is not easy. We are a difficult place to capture when the surroundings are Dollar General Stores and fast-food drive-throughs.
And before you start writing to chastise me for being an elitist, check out the French Quarter neighborhood (yes, neighborhood because many people make their homes there, shop...
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10/29/09
… while wondering if Dom Pérignon ever considered that his precious wine would be spewed all over race courses by testosterone-overloaded winning drivers.
A Soggy End
The Northern California Harvest of 2009 was practically flawless. Perfect growing conditions throughout the entire season will deliver to us some really fine wines, beginning with the whites in about a year.
But after more than 90 percent of the fruit designated for wine had been picked, the rains came. And it poured. Normally the rains do not occur until early November, but this time, in mid-October, le deluge.
Flooding took place all over Wine Country and even in San Francisco as streams immediately became torrents of rushing...
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10/22/09
Recently the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine were asked to rank certain cities in a wide variety of categories.
The categories ranged from Friendly, Intelligent and Athletic/Active to Music, Theater and Museums.
There were more than 30 cities included in the rankings, and they were ranked in more than 50 categories. It was a pretty extensive survey, though to be fair, it was open only to subscribers and/or readers of Travel + Leisure, a good collection of folk, no doubt, but also a demographically narrow group with specific interests.
Anyway, we will take our kudos where they lie and not quibble over the shortcomings of an opt-in-only survey.
And the meaning with which we will not quibble is that our fair burg did...
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10/15/09
BOO!!!
The way the whole Halloween thing has turned out is really logical when you think about it.
As children, most of us would find some costume that suited our desires, our situations or our available resources, and we would then go about looking like who-knows-what, asking our neighbors for candy. Nice touch for a pagan holiday, sending your offspring out to beg for sugar.
Yet it was fun and another opportunity to roam the neighborhood, only this time in the dark and with sweeter results.
As we grew up, Halloween parties ensued, complete with friends, at least a few of whom surprised us with their creativity and/or sheer gall to leave the house looking like that.
From there, because we live in a city that simultaneously...
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10/08/09
You don’t have to look far to find someone who is willing to give you advice on a wide variety of subjects. Sometimes it’s one person on many subjects who is looking over your shoulder and watching your every move.
But this column is not about your mother, your wife, your husband, your best friend, your personal trainer or your yoga instructor –– pick as many as apply.
You need only go to the Internet, as you have here, to find no end of people who are full of … advice. And Web sites that rate experiences are as numerous as the experiences they are rating.
Wine is a particularly favored topic for folks who are more than happy to advise you on what you are supposed to like and what you should be buying. It is amazing for a...
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10/01/09
Inevitably a friend, or even a relative (they can be different, you know), comes to New Orleans intent on enjoying the great cultural opportunities that we mostly take for granted.
And along with the where-do-you-suggest-we-dine questions comes one that’s sometimes a stumper for locals: Where can we go to hear some good New Orleans music?
Then you pause, you think, you wonder, and maybe you call one of your friends who spends more time in such pursuits than you. Frenchman Street comes up, maybe Snug Harbor, but, of course, you have no idea who is playing there.
After that, the pickings seem to get slim. Who’s at Tip’s? House of Blues? Anywhere?
Even if you settle on a place, there is a downside that has to do with the quality of the beverages. In many places, emphasis is placed on entertainment and not on cocktails or wine.
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09/24/09
We often experience how much in a hurry Americans seem to be all the time. There are always those, maybe even us, who appear to operate at maximum speed even when the situation does not demand it.
Let’s also note that we Americans aren’t the only ones. Anyone who has tried to cross any street in Rome or Paris can attest to the fact that those folks driving are also extremely late for whatever their next appointment is –– or maybe not. Maybe they just don’t have another speed, like us.
Maybe we all have just become accustomed to one speed, and when we’re “on,” we’re going full force.
But when it comes to enjoying fine food or beverages, it is absolutely not the way to be. Remember when your...
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09/17/09
OK, so that strange “equal access” rule does not apply to Internet media outlets, but that does not let us off the hook to provide balanced reporting, even when that reporting comes with a heavy dose of personal opinion.
(Yes, you read that right; one of us has finally admitted it.)
Anyway, last week, we discussed some excellent ways to learn more about wine, including naming a few books that will set you in a nice direction.
And in the interest of fairness, this week we will look at some ways for you to better understand spirits. No, not that kind, though Halloween is right around the corner, and year-round, New Orleans treasures her other-world residents.
In my little corner of the Internet, spirits are defined by alcohol...
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Tim learned to appreciate wine from his wife-to-be, Brenda Maitland, and it has been a fascinating 35-year journey for the couple. Tim graduated from Jesuit College Prep in Dallas, then earned a journalism degree from the University of North Texas. He came to Louisiana because of his love of New Orleans, then fell in love with Brenda and simultaneously fell in love with all things wine. 
