ellen_datlow: (Default)
ellen_datlow ([personal profile] ellen_datlow) wrote2007-09-30 07:39 pm
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The weekend

I had a fine time yesterday afternoon at the wine tasting organized by the amaziing puppeteer, Mary Robinette Kowal's apartment. Her husband is a wine geek and was a boutique winemaker in Portland, Oregon.

So about 12 of use nibbled, chatted, and sampled three "flights" of wine: rose, Chardonnay, and Cabernet. It was fun and illuminating. One thing learned: you can't eat asparagus with wine--the chemical reaction makes the wine taste awful. So cleanse your palate with bread if you're drinking wine with your dinner and asparagus is being served. We tasted a cooked cork wine (I think that's what it's called)--when the cork starts coming out because the wine has been overheated in transit (or in your apt)...awful. Throw it out should this happen.

I've never been a fan of rose but we had one pretty good one. We had three whites (one the cooked cork one) and one was excellent. Again, I started out disliking whites a lot, probably because the ones I had tried years ago were either cheap California whites or Liebfraumilch from Germany--too sweet for a dry but not sweet enough for a dessert wine. I've come to like them since Dirk Flinthart of Tasmania took me on a winery tour a few years ago. That's where I drank lichee nut wine that was brilliant (and unfortunately, not exported from Tasmania). I still prefer deep reds. Margaux, medoc, that sort of stuff.

Last night my living room blacked out for over an hour--this happened several months ago and I had no electricity in my living room and in the overhead light in my bedroom over a holiday weekend. It wasn't the fuse. The electrician came the Tuesday after that holiday (I had to take my laptop to a cafe around the corner to use their wifi) and said it was something in the connection in the overhead light in my living room. He supposedly fixed it so it should not have happened again--and there's no reason it should have gone back on after a period of time. I left a message with my super last night and will confer with him tomorrow.


Finally, a wonderful brunch today with friends (upper west side two days in a row-shock!).
themadblonde: (Default)

Lovely weekend!

[personal profile] themadblonde 2007-10-01 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)
& I'm w/ you on whites. Just haven't had enough to my taste to really appreciate them. I know I do NOT like Chardonnays. But then I'm very "middle of the road" in my wine taste- I don't like it too dry either (don't much care for Cabs). My favourite is probably a GOOD Pinot Noir, but I also love good Margaux (are there BAD margaux?) & bordeaux. Not enough experience w/ medoc to know how I feel about them.

Re: Lovely weekend!

[identity profile] ellen-datlow.livejournal.com 2007-10-01 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
I've never met a margaux I didn't like --so no! Medoc and Haut medoc are yummy. I don't really know the diff between Margaux and Medoc's but I think they're "chewier" if you know what I mean ;-)
themadblonde: (Default)

I do!

[personal profile] themadblonde 2007-10-01 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
I like a chewy wine as long as it's not so dry that it tastes like blood. I've had one or two bordeaux that were THAT dry & still chewy.

Re: I do!

[identity profile] ellen-datlow.livejournal.com 2007-10-01 08:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Don't think I've had wine that tasted like blood, but sometimes they're more sour than I think they should be...I don't know the correct descriptive words for wine so I'm flailing about here!
themadblonde: (Default)

Despite the fact...

[personal profile] themadblonde 2007-10-01 08:46 pm (UTC)(link)
that the wine afficianados are always going on about art & technique, I swear they make 1/2 of it up as they go along.