Cooking with wine: a cautionary note.

By way of a general warning, be careful while cooking with wine. While the wine is redacting, the alcohol may still be present. I am a little tipsy after trying cooking with Syrah....

"Offerus" 2003

Lovely ruby color, and pepper dominant on the nose with some dark fruits underneath. The tannins do not seem particularly strong, and though the finish includes further pepper notes. Two and a half out of five stars -- a decent wine, though there are better Rhones out there.

Screwpull or Corkscrew?

Ok, it's time to admit something: I save corkscrews. Maybe because I never throw anything away, but I like to keep them. I've also found that they make a great memento of great wine.

Unfortunately, even a good, regular corkscrew can destroy a cork. And a destroyed cork is annoying. First, I can't keep it. Second, I have to filter the dirty cork-bits out of the wine. Too much effort, and a loss.

So, I recently bought a Screwpull -- and what a difference! It has a smooth, easy operation that removes the cork and efficiently takes it off the screw. Plus, the corks have minimal bloating from being removed, and I have not had a single one break (not even on some fairly old wine). Further proof that wine can be expensive....

Plumpjack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Sometime ago, I decided to conduct a test. I purchased two bottles of the Plumjack Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 -- one to open immediately, the other to open in a few years. I have enjoyed a number of aged California Cabernets, and I wanted to see how one would age. I chose Plumpjack, because of the quality, price (compared to other top California producers, it's cheap) and the tasting notes I found online. Tonight, I opened the "young" bottle.

It exhibited a beautiful purple color, shifting to maroon at the edges. It had powerful dark fruits, including cherry, on the nose along with mouth-puckering tannins. The midpalate added a nice touch of vanilla and a spice that I cannot place (and confirmed the nose's detection of the tannins). The wine shifted smoothly from the midpalate to the finish, which lasted nicely (a great match for steak). In short, it's very impressive right now, but I want to see it mellow out a bit. Four out of five stars.

Quinta do Vale Meao Douro 2003

An amazing red wine, though very, very young. Dark purple in color, going to the extreme of being almost inky black. Plum, currant, spice and cedar on the nose, there were also powerful tannins on the palate. The wine transitioned smoothly from midpalate to aftertaste, which lingered. This reminded me of a young Californian Cabernet Sauvignon even though it was made from native Portuguese grapes (e.g., Touriga Nacional). Truly exceptional, and worth cellaring for at least another year. Four and a half out of five stars (the only reason it did not get five stars was because it's $60 a bottle).

Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes 2001

A half-bottle, this wine was an exquisite desert in and of itself. Honey, apricot and nutmeg on the nose. Creamy and rich on the palate, it lingered for a while. It also turned two friends onto Sauternes. Four and a half out of five stars.

Dominus Estate Napa Valley Napanook Vineyard 1996

Ok, I went with the Dominus. It was exquisite. Currants and sage on the nose, the palate was smooth and perfect with a Venison-based dish. The tannins were also very, very mellow, so I'm glad I opened it now. Four out of five stars.