docoflove1974 Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 (edited) It has come to my attention that a contest was held, 30 years ago, between French and Californian wines. Kali4kneeya won. The French said: "Well, how will these wines hold up 30 years from now?" Thirty years have elapsed and the wine was checked out again. California won again! We may conclude that the price of Cali juice will now ferment to the top. And they were all California wines from the Napa Valley...Napa wines are notoriously pricey. Sonoma Valley wines, IMO, are just as good, but at half the cost. I've only had a glass of the Stags Leap one, and hot damn, that was mighty tasty. (I wasn't paying for it...so I was quite happy with one glass ) There was a big write-up in the San Francisco Chronicle's wine section this morning. Also...maybe it's just me, but I've never been big on French wines. Maybe growing up here in the shadows of the Valley, fed on Sonoma, Rioja, Barbero and wines from similar regions, I just never got into the French ones. Edited June 1, 2006 by docoflove1974 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Octavius Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 (edited) Here is one for you. Barberone. Opici Barberone. Costs about $14 a gallon. I am sure that it is aged about 3 months. I know that it is expensive, but it tastes good (to me at least). Bet the Romans had this baby and kept it a secret. Edited June 1, 2006 by Gaius Octavius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docoflove1974 Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 $14/gal is not expensive...even $14 for a 750ml is pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantagathus Posted June 19, 2006 Report Share Posted June 19, 2006 (edited) "Again I have brimmed my cup with unmixed wine and drained it at a draught!" Gggggrrrrrrrrrrh, I tried to post this in Greek for effect but I remain thwarted. Andrew Dalby seems to be the only one with the magic touch... Edited June 19, 2006 by Pantagathus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Dalby Posted June 21, 2006 Report Share Posted June 21, 2006 "Again I have brimmed my cup with unmixed wine and drained it at a draught!" Gggggrrrrrrrrrrh, I tried to post this in Greek for effect but I remain thwarted. Andrew Dalby seems to be the only one with the magic touch... Yes, but I can't seem to do the accents. I'll give you another useful quote (at least to start an argument): as the Greek poet Pindar said, αριστον το υδωρ. Water is best. And it took me an age to find the omega on the keyboard. On my recent trip to Greece I was bowled over by the range of Greek wines now available in the stores. The best wine shop on Paros (not a very big island) had 360 different Greek wines (plus 6 French, 2 Californian, 2 Italian, 1 Spanish). I took the time to count them (it gets the saliva flowing). One I brought back was a Vin Santo, a lovely, lovely raisin wine (passum in Latin) from Santorini. You have never tasted anything so rich. Another nice one that I haven't opened yet was from Crete, where (according to Martial) the best passum once came from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Octavius Posted June 21, 2006 Report Share Posted June 21, 2006 (edited) Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Spaghetti Garlic and Oil) Prepare the wine the night before: Put some cooked chestnuts and pinoli or chopped walnuts in a large glass. Add some sliced apples, peaches and orange or tangerine segments. Cover with Cream soda or Pepsi (Coke, only if you must - too sweet.) Top off with a 'jug wine' (D__o Red, as it is known in Brooklyn), burgandy or barberone. Put in fridge and let it 'breathe' and marinate till ready to drink. All this to taste. Spaghetti: Extra Virgin olive oil. 5 or 6 cloves of garlic, chopped. 1/2 half onion, chopped. 6 anchovies (packed in oil). Red pepper flakes. Dried oregano. Black pepper. Sun dried tomatoes, chopped (packed in oil). Pinoli and/or chopped walnuts. 1 lb spaghetti (or whatever). While the macaroni is being prepared, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add the anchovies, tomatoes, oregano and red and black pepper. Cook until anchovies dissolve. Add nuts. (All these, to suit your taste.) Cook macaroni 'al dente'. Drain well and add to frying pan. Toss to coat and thoroughly combine. If necesary, add more olive oil. (If you would like to add some fresh chopped parsley, or anything else, please do.) Serve immediately, topped with a generous amount of grated Parmesan or Locatelli or Romano cheese. Above all, don't forget to serve the wine! It's OK to eat the marinated goodies in the wine. It is recommended. :wub: Or, to make it easier and quicker, just use the oil and garlic. For dessert, a canoli or better yet a sfogliatelle (or both). Edited June 21, 2006 by Gaius Octavius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantagathus Posted June 21, 2006 Report Share Posted June 21, 2006 I tried to post this in Greek for effect but I remain thwarted. Andrew Dalby seems to be the only one with the magic touch... Yes, but I can't seem to do the accents. I'll give you another useful quote (at least to start an argument): as the Greek poet Pindar said, αριστον το υδωρ. Water is best. And it took me an age to find the omega on the keyboard. Which font did you use from this forum's menu? I know you can use 'symbol' for basic Greek but I don't see that as a menu option. I use SPIonic when writing in MSWord because I know the trick for accents in that font (and I like the look of it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantagathus Posted June 21, 2006 Report Share Posted June 21, 2006 Most exhalted Gaius, I have a culinary delight for you (and all) that I prepared last night: Sirloin Steak & Chimichurri Sauce For the Chimichurri: 1/2 cup extra virgin o.o. 1/4 (heaping) tsp of Spanish pimenton (smoked paprika) 2 cups fresh parsley leaves 2 tbsp fresh oregano 1/4 cup chopped red onion 1 big mofo garlic clove 1/4 tsp chilli pepper flakes 6 tbsp sherry wine vinegar 1 tsp sea salt Heat the pimenton in the oil until infused & set aside to cool. Put everything else into a food processor (or chop it all up yourself if you don't have one & put in a bowl) once oil is cooled, put that in there too. Cook the steaks to your hearts delight and then liberally put the chimichurri on every last morsel. ^_^ Went well with some Chianti I had laying around but I would recommend a good Argentinian Malbec.(more 'authentic' per se) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docoflove1974 Posted June 21, 2006 Report Share Posted June 21, 2006 Chimichurri is one of my all-time favorite Argentinian imports...that stuff makes the proverbial bumper taste good. Another garnish/sauce is a mint pesto...works wonderfully with a roasted leg of lamb. Same as any other pesto, just substitute mint leaves for basil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Dalby Posted June 22, 2006 Report Share Posted June 22, 2006 I tried to post this in Greek for effect but I remain thwarted. Andrew Dalby seems to be the only one with the magic touch... Yes, but I can't seem to do the accents. I'll give you another useful quote (at least to start an argument): as the Greek poet Pindar said, αριστον το υδωρ. Water is best. And it took me an age to find the omega on the keyboard. Which font did you use from this forum's menu? I know you can use 'symbol' for basic Greek but I don't see that as a menu option. I use SPIonic when writing in MSWord because I know the trick for accents in that font (and I like the look of it) I didn't take it from the menu. I changed from English keyboard to Greek keyboard on my Windows status bar (if that's what it is -- down at the bottom there). Or I can use the character table utility that came with Windows XP, and with that I can do modern Greek accentuation, thus άριστον το ύδωρ but I don't see the extra accents needed for classical Greek. When I type Greek in Word I use Silver Mountain fonts, SGreek or SGkClassic, because they go with the software I use for the TLG CD-ROM of Greek texts, but those fonts wouldn't work in this kind of environment I don't think. Goodness knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Octavius Posted June 22, 2006 Report Share Posted June 22, 2006 One of my many quacks has informed me that 'any' Chianti with a black rooster (cock) pictured on the cork seal is potable. Is this merely 'suggestion' or fact? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted June 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2006 One of my many quacks has informed me that 'any' Chianti with a black rooster (cock) pictured on the cork seal is potable. Is this merely 'suggestion' or fact? Your quack informant suggests righteous fact. About the Chianti Classico Black Rooster By the by, I'm not a very good wine snob... I simply know what I like without being able to truly express what it is that I like. One of my criteria is... Does my wife like it? Yes, then even if I don't it's still a decent choice. No she doesn't like it... Well generally I'll skip it, though I can't give up Shiraz simply because she has a softer pallet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pertinax Posted June 22, 2006 Report Share Posted June 22, 2006 May I humbly suggest home grown sage as an add on to both these exquisite recipes, and possibly sechuzan pepper if you prefer a less robust pepper with a sweeter tang. Nice work chaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Octavius Posted June 22, 2006 Report Share Posted June 22, 2006 (edited) One of my many quacks has informed me that 'any' Chianti with a black rooster (cock) pictured on the cork seal is potable. Is this merely 'suggestion' or fact? Your quack informant suggests righteous fact. About the Chianti Classico Black Rooster By the by, I'm not a very good wine snob... I simply know what I like without being able to truly express what it is that I like. One of my criteria is... Does my wife like it? Yes, then even if I don't it's still a decent choice. No she doesn't like it... Well generally I'll skip it, though I can't give up Shiraz simply because she has a softer pallet I generally give him a couple of bottles of stuff that I haven't tasted. If he likes it, I won't. If Domina Claudia likes it; I won't and vice versa. As a wine S. Nob., most of the stuff tastes like my idea of weasel pee. May I humbly suggest home grown sage as an add on to both these exquisite recipes, and possibly sechuzan pepper if you prefer a less robust pepper with a sweeter tang. Nice work chaps. That is the Joy of Neapolitan Cooking. Do it 'Your Way'. Edited June 22, 2006 by Gaius Octavius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantagathus Posted June 22, 2006 Report Share Posted June 22, 2006 I didn't take it from the menu. I changed from English keyboard to Greek keyboard Thank you Andrew, I will play around with that when I have a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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