We almost went a week day without posting, but this one slips in just in time! If you’re not living in the US or American then this might not mean too much to you, but to those that are: happy Independence Day!
View of the East River fireworks in NYC
For this week’s Wine and Music pairing I have chosen a band and a bottle from Oregon – a 2007 Adelsheim Rose from Willamette and Portland based Blind Pilot.
There is a great review of the wine by Matt Kramer in The Oregonian (June 16th) which has a reference to music and wine.
Matt comments that we can all grow fatigued by complex flavor filled “symphonic” wines but that this Adelsheim Rose can be considered a – “catchy pop tune” which “you’ll be humming along with pleasure and the bottle will suddenly be empty.” I would have to agree with Matt on this and I find that a catchy pop tune from a local band is a great match.
In addition to inducing pleasure and humming, this wine has a friendly and summery mood which won’t be out of place this 4th of July weekend on the picnic table with BBQ and beer.
Blind Pilot were introduced to me last week by a friend and I’ve listened to this album at least 20 times already. It’s a phenomenal pop/folk blend with intelligent lyrics and bountiful instrumentation. The band is touring the west coast this summer (on bicycles!) from Portland, Or all the way to Mexico. Learn more by visiting the band’s website or a check out this recent article in the Oregon Willamette Weekly which talks about the band’s first tour, and the band’s founding.
Music Region: Portland, Oregon
Music Label: Expunged Records
Music Year: 2008
Music Type: Pop
Blind Pilot: http://www.blindpilotmusic.com
I am equally excited about this Pinot Noir Rose which I discovered (and finished) last night with my friend Sean. Adelsheim Vineyards, is located in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and was founded in 1971. The 2007 Adelsheim Rosé is a clean and crisp wine with present, but light fruit (cherries and strawberries). We only picked up one bottle of the Rose last night (at K&L here in San Francisco), but I will definitely be picking up a few more before the weekend and will certainly be enjoying along with Blind Pilot’s debut album “3 Rounds and a Sound“.
Wine Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Wine Label: Adelsheim Vineyards
Wine Year: 2007
Wine Type: Rose: Pinot Noir
2007 Adelsheim Rose: http://www.adelsheim.com/
Included with this post is the Blind Pilot song titled “The Story I Heard” which is my favorite so far on the album.
Blind Pilot - The Story I Heard - the_story_i_heard.mp3
Enjoy & Happy Independence Day to All!
Adam Rabinovitz is Senior Director of Retail Marketing at IODA, the global leader in digital distribution, marketing, and technology solutions for the independent music industry. IODA distributes music from over 4000 labels, representing over 50 different countries and over 170 different genre styles.
I thought I would follow the trends in some of the recent blog posts here on Snooth to talk about pairing food and wine. But first, a couple of apologies before I begin. First for not sharing this sooner with all of you and not ordering you to visit the website of fellow guest blogger, Kirstin Jackson, author of Vin de la Table. Vin de la Table is home to one of the most delicious subtitles in the blogosphere - Ambrosial Adventures in Wine and Food Pairing. If there is a chef’s table in heaven, I imagine each meal crescends with Ambrosia and a glass of d’Yquem.
A little over a month ago, I sent Kirstin an e-mail asking for her advice on what I should pair with Pinot Noir. My tasting group had decided to taste 2006 Pinots that were made by the hands and palates of those in the group. Being one of a couple in the group who is not making Pinot, I was partly responsible for some food stuffs to enjoy at the tasting. Our tastings are typically accompanied by a platter of local meats and cheeses. I was hoping to break the pattern with some more substantial victuals, so I reached out to Kirstin who wrote back with the zeal of a gastronomical prophet, owner of an enlightened sense of eating and drinking. Her suggestions below.
But first, my second apology. With the Nation’s holiday two days away, it would have been worthwhile to make 4th of July BBQ pairings a post. However, there are some moments when wine just doesn’t work. And the 4th of July BBQ is one of them (add the Memorial Day BBQ and the Labor Day fete). While I am at it, let’s say that wine and sporting events don’t work either. Sometimes you have to look that label in the face and just say, no. Go on, disagree all you Cabernet and Hamburger converts, you Zinfandel and Ribs lovers. Change my public opinion, I welcome it.
Without further ado. Pairing Pinot…My notes are in brackets after successfuly attempting these pairings at the tasting and at home.
“Sautee ‘wild’ mushrooms with butter, parsley, salt and pepper, and a little finely chopped shallot or garlic. Place on top of a crostin - a rustic baguette toasted with olive oil, salt and pepper. Risotto with Truffle oil. Blanched fennel with brown butter and parmesan. Wild rice with mushrooms or mushroom, risotto balls. [Pinot Noir has the ability to take on, as the French say, les gouts de terroir, the tastes of the earth. Mushrooms are regularly described as a flavor profile for Pinot. These above are classic aperitif pairings and more.]
[Local plug] If you are near the Oxbow Market or Fatted Calf Charcuterie, any of their pates would be perfect with Pinot. [An acidic wine will help elevate the palate pairing with flavorful and texture driven pates. White wine or sweet wines are common pairings, but the acidity in Pinot will work wonders as well.]
Cheeses: Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk (triple cream, cow’s milk), Cypress Grove Fresh Chevre (goat), a Gruyere or Comte (cow). [Kirstin breaks the wine and cheese pairing rule by offering a goat’s milk cheese, the Chevre, which can have an acidic/tart bend that doesn’t play well with Pinot. Try it yourself. The answer always lies in the mouth of the beholder.]
Meats: Roast chicken, roast pork loin, carnitas (swear!). Seared duck breast or Peking duck, Prosiutto. [The one pairing I have yet to try is the Carnitas. But because of Kirstin’s emphasis, I will, promise!]
Let me know if you’d like any other ideas. I’m glad you asked!”
I am glad I asked too. I hope you all enjoy these options and report back when you have.
Happy Fourth of July.
Dan Petroski is Assistant Winemaker at Larkmead Vineyards in Napa Valley. Dan has an MBA from New York University and worked as an Ad Exec in New York for several years, before switching it up and trading his suit for a move out west.
So now you’re searching, rating, reviewing, and wishlisting wines like a Snooth pro — what’s next? Wine is a social product, and Snooth provides a good complement of social networking features you can use to communicate with like-minded oenophiles.
5. Find your friends.
The quickest way to find your friends who are already on Snooth is to use your email address book. If you log in and head on over to the contacts importer page you’ll be able to use the email addresses in your Gmail, MSN Live, AOL, or Yahoo mail. If your friend has already signed up, we’ll let you know that, too.
6. See what your friends are up to.
Once you add a few friends on Snooth you can keep up with what they’re doing by taking a look at the Grapevine on your profile page (log in and visit http://www.snooth.com/).
Here I can quickly see what my friends have been drinking, who their new friends are, the messages that are being posted, and what everyone is talking about in Snooth Talk. You can use the tabs to filter by the type of update you want to see. Wines will show you what your friends have wishlisted, rated or reviewed. Messages is for site messages and social recommendations. And notifications will tell you when your friends add friends or when they post in Snooth Talk.
7. Message your friends.
Whenever you are viewing a Snoother’s profile you will see a link to send them a message. Click that and you’ll see the messaging form. Send them a public or private message!
8. Share wines with friends or the community.
A relatively new feature of Snooth is the ability to share wines directly into Snooth Talk or in a message to a friend.
a) Find the wine you’re going to share. Here I’ll use the Bernardus Chardonnay 2005.
b) Click under the picture to share the wine.
c) Choose the friend you want to share the wine with and add a message.
d) The message will show up on your grapevine and theirs, too! There will be a link directly back to the wine details page so your friend can read all about the wine.
It’s hard to read the title of Alice Feiring’s new book without construing the work as a well-aimed character assassination on the world’s most prolific wine critic, but she makes it fairly clear throughout that she is crusading against on an icon, and not the man himself. For a war-monger, Feiring writes charming prose, extolling the virtues of simple, natural wine-making, and exposing the cruel, technical methods that have robbed many wines of character. In parts, it reads like a Sinclair exposé of the horrors of modern viticulture, and in others, she reminisces over the fleeting loves of her life, be they vino or vir.
In The Battle for Wine and Love, or How I Saved the World from Parkerization, Feiring’s travels and discussions with hundreds of wine-makers points to a truth that has been lodged into conventional wisdom for many years: much of today’s wine production is geared for the palette of one man, Mr. Robert Parker. Throughout her travelers, Feiring was accustomed to being asked what Parker would think of a wine, whether she could arrange a visit, etc. Homogeneity is a standard when it comes to processed foods in America, but applied to something delicate and complex like wine, and you have a sacrilege. This is how Feiring sees it, anyway, and she tells tales of reverse osmosis, drip irrigation, genetically modified yeast, and poisonous fertilizer, all incorporated and engineered to cut costs and please the Parker palate.
As for Feiring’s remedy to the whole mess, it is simple, reasonable, and fair: veritas in vino. She doesn’t suggest the banishment of highly technical practices in wine-making, on which the Californian, Australian, and increasingly European wine industries may be highly reliant. What she demands is clear print on the bottle: what techniques were used? what kind of yeast? were there actual grapes involved? I personally support the move for openness; more data for us to get our Snoothy hands on!
For voicing a dissenting opinion and advocating natural wine-making, the likes of Matthew DeBord have branded Feiring a “Terroir Jihadist”: a fear-mongering, post-9/11 pejorative offensive to anyone with half a sense for decency and rational thought. She believes that many modern techniques rob a wine of its essence, the natural characteristics of which the earth expresses itself. In expressing this belief, she has come out against much of the California industry, and in doing so, garnered some rather serious enemies. This is an indication of success by some accounts.
In rattling the Parker cage, Feiring may have gone too far. She recognizes that Parker holds a great power in his hands, and in one of the final chapters, she considers him a victim of his own toasty machinations, a man who has unwittingly become a symbol, and now must take responsibility for his influence on the world of wine. She could have made that idea clearer in the title; it was reported that Parker considered this book a “disgrace”, and refuses to comment on it. He further suggested (hoped) that Feiring would “fall into obscurity.” For the world’s most powerful critic, his skin isn’t very thick.
Perhaps Parker would take solace in the fact that Feiring thought of him as her own personal “Moses,” and had a great potential for winning her admiration, if only he would accept the burden of great power. The fact is, both of these individuals are in the wine profession because they are passionate about the product, and a healthy dialog between the two would be good for those of us who prefer great wine to mediocre drama.
Early on I had blogged about the responsibility of wine knowledge and how people rely on you for recommendations. I have found out the one thing that is even more nerve racking than making a recommendation on a good wine… that is trying to identify a wine when you can’t see the label. Yes, that is right, the evil and frustrating blind tasting.
A friend of mine hosted a wine gathering where each couple brought a bottle of wine. Each bottle was quickly wrapped in a brown paper bag and received a number as its only identification. Okay, this wasn’t as bad as a pure blind tasting event as my friend had printed out, in advance, all the labels and tasting notes for each of the wines. So instead of a pure blind tasting we did a blind matching.
In case you are wondering a pure blind tasting often requires that the tasters are given wine without any details and are expected to rate them quality. The idea is to determine the ‘best’ wine based on its taste alone. Considering the broad spectrum of where wines can be from, blind tasting are often limited to one type of varietal, style or a region.
For our event, the only rule was the wine had to be a red but could be from anywhere. Tasting notes were provided and the goal was to guess the wine based on the tasting notes. Below are the wines that we had tasted.
This red is described as an inky-dark wine, with medium to full body, and a lot of spice. The bottle with its catchy label houses a robust, full bodied, country style wine that, at this price, can be a house red for barbecue and that sort of thing. It’s totally dry, with plumy-coffee flavors and sturdy tannins. Out of this world!! Made up of Syrah, Mouvedre, Grenache, Carignan, and Clone X
This estate red is produced from dry farmed vines that average 50 years of age. Following fermentation, the wine is aged twenty months in a combination of American and French oak barrels, adding complexity. The result is a soft and approachable red.
2005 Twelve Vineyards Yamhill-Carlton District Pinot Noir
Another poor set (we were starting to believe it rains every year during bloom) resulted in our lowest yields ever. The year was a little cooler than 2004 and we picked right at our target sugar levels. The wine has higher acidity and slightly less alcohol which was very characteristic of the vintage, some of the angular edges had smoothed over. Another year of bottle age couldn’t hurt.
2005 Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
The dark ruby-colored 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon resembles a classic Bordeaux both in aromatics and flavor. A rich bouquet of cinnamon, spice, licorice, graphite and caramel are followed by integrated layers of cherry, currant, fresh cream and balanced, sweet tannin, all of which contribute to a youthful, bright, multi-layered wine.
2003 Frank Family Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2003 Frank Family Vineyard’s Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon leads with generous aromas of dark chocolate black cherry and spice which are layered with dusty cedar and loam. The palate is vibrant and concentrated; bursting with ripe black cherries plum currant and blackberry which are balanced with well structured tannins providing a lasting grip while maintaining a refined elegance.
2003 Hess Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
It delivers keenly-defined cassis and black-plum fruit and picks up a nice boost in richness from its liberal oak. While it is well-balanced and fit with fairly trim tannins, it has the capacity to grow for a handful of years if left to age in the cellar.
2001 La Fiorita Laurus Toscana IGT
80% Sangiovese and 20% Merlot. Rich, deep red in color. More modern in style, but oak is not really apparent. Round tannins and nice acidity. Dark berries, black cherry, some spice, and a pleasant earthiness. Very enjoyable and a nice value. While enjoyable now, it should continue to improve.
2005 Loxton Cellars Cabernet-Shiraz ‘Grandfather’s Cuvee’
This wine is a classic Australian Cabernet-Shiraz. 70% Cabernet and 30% Shiraz. Australians consider cabernet to be a donut wine; there is a whole in the middle that is filled by the shiraz. Smoke, leather and spice in the aroma. Herbs, spice, current with black fruit in the taste.
As you can see there were some very similar wines and some that should be easily identifiable. The trouble is that when you get into a blind tasting everything that you think should be easy becomes more difficult. When you have the tasting notes it is like having the labels there. You can’t help but persuaded by the words, vintage and reputation of the wine. You might think this would be easier but I think I might have fared better without the notes to confuse me. In my defense, I have never claimed to be able to pick out a producer or a vintage or a producer & vintage. I’ve always claimed that I could pick out the varietal.
Out of the 16 people there the best score was 3 out of 8. What did I get? I’m not telling but I was able to identify the wine I brought with me which is all I really care about. The next time you host a wine event make it blind tasting … you’ll find the results very interesting.
For today’s Wine and Music pairing I chose a refreshing 2006 California Chardonnay and a flavorful Dub album which was released in 2007. The wine is fermented in 100% stainless steel and therefore has minimal oak influence. Unoaked wine is known to emphasize the natural flavors of the grapes, along with elements of the soil in which they grew.
‘Dub’, an increasingly popular offshoot of Reggae, is achieved by manipulating, remixing and reshaping previously recorded sound bytes. Dub music is known to emphasize the original “riddims” of a reggae track, and to expose the unique and new ideas of the dub producer. In much the same way that Dub producers do, Wine producers must also mix and test the results of their manipulations before releasing their product to the public. Both Dub and Unoaked wine are heavily influenced by their local region.
As the world’s favorite white wine, Chardonnay is widely consumed in the summer time. Reggae music is also widely consumed in the summertime (having originated in Jamaica) and thanks to artists such as Bob Marley, is one of the world’s most popular genres.
In the spirit of all things summery and refreshing, the song included with this post is titled “Sun Shines on You”. The track pairs fantastically with the Balletto 2006 Teresa’s Chardonnay, but will also pair nicely with other whites being enjoyed during the summer months.
2006 Balletto Teresa’s Chardonnay
Wine Region: Sonoma, CA
Wine Label: Balletto Vineyards
Wine Year: 2006
Wine Type: White: Chardonnay
Wine Description:
This pale straw colored wine is refreshing and delicious with enticing green apple and melon flavors that harmonize well. The grapes were harvested in October of 2006 and 722 cases of this wine were produced. Balletto has been named one of Santa Rosa’s top ten wineries and offers Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. The 2006 Teresa’s Chardonnay is estate bottled.
John Balletto, founder of Balletto Vineyards, began farming at the age of 17. After expanding from vegetables into grapes, John eventually decided to release his own wine. All of his grapes are hand picked, and the company’s slogan is “Taste the Bounty that is Balletto”. The Balletto Winery is located in the southwest area of the Russian River Valley in the middle of the 280-acre Balletto family property.
Music Region: London, England
Music Label: Interchill
Music Year: 2007
Music Type: Dub: Electronic
Music Description:
Ashtech, who started his music career in Italy at the age of 12, is a solo artist, a musician (in the Italian mainstream pop band Almamegretta) and as a producer whose style combines original dub and urban electronica. Ashtech’s works are uniquely characterized by the flavor of his heavy and dubby bassline. Ashtech’s premier solo album titled “Walking Target”, was released in the summer of 2007 and has been considered a masterpiece of dub by the worldwide music press.
According to Ashtech: “The way I play the bass is very instinctive - many artists ask me how do I get this sound. I always reply that it is the way your fingers touch the instrument, that give the right resonance to the strings.”
Ashtech releases his music on a number of music labels including Interchill Records. Founded in 1995, Interchill got its start in the in Montreal with a focus on ‘organic electronica for expanding minds’. Now, after 13 years in operation, the label has soundly established itself as a key player in the downtempo/electronic scene and is known worldwide for releasing hi-fidelity music that lasts.
Tasting Notes:
The chardonnay grape is very malleable, in that it reflects and takes on the impression of its region and is sensitive to its local soil. Dub is also very malleable in that it reflects and takes on the impression of the original sounds and regional creativity of its producers. As with Reggae, Dub initially came from Jamaica, but has since expanded to have uniquely routed scenes in regions such as London and San Francisco.
As I am not as much a fan of buttery/vanilla as I am of crisp/refreshing, I prefer my chardonnay on the unoaked side. In this pairing, I find that the metallic and crisp, yet bright and flowery sounds of the dub sit nicely with my understanding that this wine was fermented in stainless steel.
This wine and this music compliment one another in many ways - contextually in that they are both seasonal and great during the summer, but also philosophically in that they are hand picked, and produced with extreme personal care.
John Balletto began farming in 1977 at the tender age of 17. Ashtech began music at age 12. John Balletto was a successful grape farmer before releasing his own wine brand. Ashtech was a successful bass player before releasing his own album. Both John Balletto and Ashtech still make a living selling their craft to others (John as a Grape farmer, and Ashtech as a remixer), but focus their truest and most passionate attention on their own work.
Ashtech’s entire album “Walking Through” is a great dub experience. I recommend it in it’s entirely. I find that the track “Sun Shines on You” is an especially good example of the benefits of pairing Dub music and good summer wine. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
For more information on Dub, and to access some great (free) mixes check out www.dub.com
Ashtech - Sun Shines On You
sun-shines-on-you.mp3
Adam Rabinovitz is Senior Director of Retail Marketing at IODA, the global leader in digital distribution, marketing, and technology solutions for the independent music industry. IODA distributes music from over 4000 labels, representing over 50 different countries and over 170 different genre styles.
If you’ve spent time on the blog or on the forums, you’ll have noticed we’ve been building a lively community on Snooth. And to make it even better, we need more people.
To make it more enticing to invite friends and colleagues who haven’t yet checked out the site, we’ve come up with a contest in partnership with the Wine Enthusiast Catalog.
In exchange for signing up new members to Snooth, you get credit towards a prize—something that we think just may tempt oenophiles the world over. The more people you sign up, the more chances you have to win. We’ll be drawing the winner on August 4th.
More specifically, the main prize is a EuroCave temperature-controlled Wine Cellar (valued at $1,200) which will keep your wines at the perfect temperature. Short of having your own drafty castle to age your wines, this will do the trick nicely. There are several smaller prizes as well.
More about the EuroCave:
According to the Wine Enthusiast Web site - The EuroCave Premier Wine Cave is a self-contained wine cellar that recreates the natural cooling environment of a chateau wine cellar. Suitable for small, growing, and extensive wine collections alike, these cellars are flawless in temperature and humidity control, remarkable in hand craftsmanship, and supremely beautiful.
The rules are straightforward. Sign up to Snooth, or if you are already a member just opt in to the contest, and you will have an entry to win the EuroCave. Sign some others up and you’ll have more chances.
Want to get started? Check out full contest rules here.
I have prematurely become an old man in at least one respect, I yell at mass media devices when I am angry or upset. I haven’t crossed the line to where I am screaming at horror movie characters to not enter rooms that are clearly occupied by axe wielding felons, but that is only a matter of time.
Thankfully there is precious little random wine talk in the main stream media – although get ready for some flag waving fun at the movies later this summer – to really rile my inner curmudgeon.
Yet somehow a famous food writer had me boiling while I was getting ready for work one morning.
Cutting to the chase, the radio bit was extolling the virtues of simple summer entertaining. Innocent you say? Hmmm. Like most of these pieces a grain of salt is necessary but usually not offensive. Easy enough to let go the assumption that most New Yorkers have manicured lawns with croquet courses out back and certainly easy to ignore the triple layered confection being extolled – I am sure it is simple for those handy in the kitchen – but impossible to let go the suggestion for summer wine.
The major affront was the presentation and not the wine. The wine was rosé by the way, I know, bold to recommend what I think has become a summer standard in the US with sales rising steadily every year and most major producers, even those outside the typical production zones in the south of France and the Mediterranean, ramping up production using a wider variety of grapes and in a wider variety of styles than ever before. Rosé has long since shaken the misperception that the category is monolithic and composed entirely of thick sweet confections suitable for kids. We used to carry a particular rosé at Vino made from nebbiolo that was impossible to keep in stock from April through September. That’s rosé made from one of Italy’s premier grapes made famous by Barolo often in short supply. Either a sign of the apocalypse or an indication of the acceptance of rosé by a wide swath of the imbibing public who can walk into an all Italian-wine store and walk out with a northern Italian “pinky” from atypical grapes.
What really had me yelling was the contention that the recommendation would be an affront to self styled wine connoisseurs who would surely look down their collective snouts at such a simple wine. I am aware that there exists a cabal of wine snobs – probably hold up in a wood paneled room somewhere in Yorkshire – that is quick to label wines with less than first growth pedigree as plonk. However, my experience is much different from the cultivation of airs this imagined connoisseur affects to establish superiority (an attitude present in many fields by the way, and the adjective for them is the same across the board) and much more akin to the individuals’ voracious search for the new and the interesting. I suggest that people both expert and novice have embraced an attitude that looks not constantly for the affirmation of pedigree and label but seeks balance in choice with a healthy respect for a wine or beer or cocktail’s place in the setting. To suggest that a category of wine is put upon by a large number of expert’s is to miss the evolution of connoisseurship and simply an excuse to spread misinformation to bolster one’s own bona fides – a form of snobbery. This makes my job more difficult and ignores the rise of this class of drinkers I like to call Omnibibers.
Anyway, this wine connoisseur and omnibiber is going to have a bottle of Lambrusco with a bowl of broccoli raabe and pasta tonight, I hope no one is looking.
Robert Scibelli is a lecturer and administrator at New York’s premier wine school, International Wine Center.
My next post promises to dive into that not-so-elusive yet expansive realm of food and wine pairing, but before that post comes into fruition, I wanted to direct your attention to a very special food and wine project.
I discovered this project while researching at Cal, where in the depths of the UC Berkeley Regional Oral History Office, next to the Civil Rights interview shelf and above the Rosie the Riveter interview folders, is the UC Berkeley Food and Wine Archives. This department, funded primarily through philanthropic donors such as Chuck Williams of Williams and Sonoma, records and transcribes interviews with THE movers and shakers in the San Francisco Bay Area food and wine world. Needless to say, these shelves are overflowing.
Just some wine interviewees include, for example: Ernest Gallo, Miljenko Grgich, Justin Meyer of Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Maynard A Amerine, Joseph E Heitz, Merry Edwards, and Paul Draper. Many include insights on the 1973 Paris Tasting. Just some of the people interviewed in the food realm include: Mary Risley of Tante Marie Cooking School, Cecilia Chiang of Mandarin, Chuck Williams, and (sigh…) food writer Doris Muscatine.
Unlike journalistic interviews, when the interviewees voice shines only when the journalist allows it, these interviews are rarely edited. Granted, this can make for a very long read- we learn about the person’s background, childhood, and their extensive path to wine and food, however, while long, these oral histories are detailed, telling, and amazingly interesting. Depending on whose interviews you select to read, you might even get a dirty joke or two out of the journey (hello Mary Risely of Tante Marie Cooking School).
Most conveniently, all of the aforementioned interviews can be downloaded online at either of these two following web addresses, and all other interviews are available in hard copy through the University.
WINE: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/projects/food_wine/wine.html
FOOD: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/projects/food_wine/food.html
I was fortunate enough to interview some of the movers and shakers and transcribe others in which I was not otherwise involved, and consider myself very lucky. I learned so much! As you Snoothers are wine and food lovers, I’m sure that all of you will enjoy exploring this important historical project that at great lengths poignantly examines the world of food and wine.
Let me know what you think.
Kirstin Jackson Ellis works as a wine bar manager and wine and food consultant in the San Francisco Bay Area and writes about wine and food pairing at Vin de La Table, her luxurious and lighthearted blog.