Wine: Meet Your Future

posted by alesha in Wine, Guest Bloggers

Attention wine and techno buffs─ Microsoft is offering you a vista to the future.

Introducing Vista-based Microsoft Surface – touch screen tables that can do everything from download photos and video clips to store the name of the wine ordered at a particular restaurant. The technology is currently debuting at hotels, casinos, and retail stores and, according to a YouTube interview with Microsoft, is designed to “make dining more entertaining and easy.” Not sure that it’s currently so rigorous, but okay…

Wired Magazine recently revealed that an innovative wine touch screen table will be one of the attractions at Adour, Alain Ducasse’s highly anticipated new restaurant in New York’s St. Regis Hotel which opens next month. The hotel’s website promises that its “exclusive 4-seat interactive wine bar… will delight both new and experienced gourmands and oenophiles alike.” I’m hoping to try this one for myself.

It’s simple. Just grab a seat at the wine bar and search the interactive list. The screen will serve up all the info you should need- the vintage, grape, and even tasting notes. Almost like having a sommelier –or Snooth– sitting next to you.

Still unsure? No worries, there is an actual sommelier on call, at least at Adour. But personally, I don’t think you will need one.

The Return of the Green Fairy

posted by alesha in Snooth

I recently learned that absinthe, the alluring Swiss spirit of the Belle Epoque in Paris, known for its popularity with artists including Picasso, Oscar Wilde, and Vincent Van Gogh, had returned to the U.S. after a 95-year ban. Outlawed in 1912 because of its supposed hallucinogenic effects (which are reportedly untrue), absinthe is finally legal again.

Absinthe was originally banned because it contains wormwood and the chemical compound thujone, large amounts of which can cause people to hallucinate. According to a recent USA Today article, absinthe historian T.A. Breaux, who created Lucid (one of only four absinthe brands legal in the U.S.- the others are Green Moon and two from Kübler), says that neither Lucid, nor the other three brands contain a significant amount of thujone.

Lucky for me, New York City’s Waverly Inn offers an absinthe martini. I heard tales about sipping the forbidden liquor in Europe. At last I had a chance to ‘see’ for myself. Several nights ago, I ventured downtown to find out what this spirit could do for me.

I asked to see the dark, slender bottle of Lucid that the bartender poured into my drink. Its creepy celadon eyes seemed to be stalking me. Excited and nervous, I tried the drink. The verdict: quite intense (note to self: next time, sip don’t gulp). Powerful licorice flavor. Citrus balances it nicely. I finished it and sent the fairy on its way. I don’t think I’d be up for more than one absinthe cocktail- one’s enough.

The good (and bad) news: no hallucinations. Sorry guys!

There’s been a lot written on this subject lately… For more info on absinthe see Dosenation, Gayot, and Fashion Week Daily.

Biodynamics of wine

posted by alesha in Wine

[Alesha Hall, currently completing her Masters of Food Studies at NYU, is the latest addition to the Snooth team. She has a background in food, wine and marketing and will help the company marketing and PR efforts. Please join me in welcoming her for her inaugural post - Philip]

I was never much a believer of the whole Biodynamic Wine movement, but after trying Querciabella’s 2004 Batár, I became a believer. I never really understood the concept of biodynamic wines and why they follow the cycles of the moon, sun, and stars. After talking to some wine producers, they all told me that in order to make wines biodynamic, the soil must be perfect. In other words, it takes several months or even years to get the soil ready. I figured that if a wine producer is going to invest that much time into making wine, the least I could do is give it a try.

If you are anything like me, you probably thought that biodynamic wines were just another name for organic wines. According to The Organic Company, organic wine growers use no chemicals or pesticides in their soil, only natural fertilizers. Biodynamic wine growers follow the same practice as organic wine growers, but they pay more attention to the vines themselves. The main goal of biodynamic wines is to stop the years of damage to the vines caused by pollution, and to become harmonious or one with nature. Imagine what it must be like to have to wait several years for your soil to be perfect before planting your grapes.

Over the summer, my friend and I took the bottle of Batár up to my roof top to see what it tastes like. To my surprise, the wine smelled clean and fresh giving off a floral citrus like aroma; the taste was crisp and refreshing for a hot summer day. After my friend and I finished the bottle she looked at me and asked “Can I take the bottle home with me, I know my boyfriend will love to try it…by the way where can I buy a bottle?” So all you biodynamic wine lovers, I think you can add two more believers to your list!