WineTime TV

Category: Food

Posts having anything to do with food.

  • Daydreaming . . . about Food and Wine of course!

    Sommelier Jodi Fritch
    Sommelier Jodi Fritch
    I sit in front of my laptop thinking about a lot of things this afternoon . . . should I go white or red with tonights creamy mushroom pasta . . . am I happy with tomorrow night’s outline for Wine 101 class that I am teaching as a guest speaker at WineMall . . . is the sun ever going to shine in Tampa again. But, my thoughts keep going back to a pressing engagement coming up. The upcoming engagement is a birthday party and wine dinner for someone who has recently become an important part of my life. I want the menu to be perfect (I always do).

    Sometimes when I am preparing a special wine dinner we first select the dish that we want to be the centerpiece of the meal. Sometimes we pick a theme and do more of a progressive style dinner. This time, however, we have selected the wine first and we are building the rest of the meal around the wine.

    Which wine holds the place of honor at this meal? Molly Dooker Carnival of Love Shiraz 2006. I am thinking that with this Shiraz we are going to need something pretty big, meaty, able to hold up to all the flavors and intensity that I am certain this wine will offer. I am thinking some Braised Lamb Shanks over Creamy Polenta.

    The other showcase of this dinner is dessert. You can’t argue with the philosophy “save the best for last.” Over the last few months, I have to un-modestly state, that I have become quite the amateur pastry chef. I also have to admit that it is truly one of the higher joys in life to make dessert for someone who appreciates it. Since this a birthday dinner, the birthday guest of honor got to pick the dessert . . . whatever you want to make is fine . . . so long as its chocolate cake. So, I have picked a recipe that has a dark chocolate cake with four layers, fleur de sel caramel between each layer and covered with chocolate ganache. It simply has to be the Yalumba Museum Reserve Muscat. I know this wine quite well. It’s one of my favorites for desserts, especially chocolate.

    As I sit here daydreaming, when I should be working, it occurs to me that the only problem is that dinner is still two weeks away. Damn it! The waiting really is the hardest part.

  • Wine Secrets

    Rachel From Loco Diner
    Rachel From Loco Diner

    Secrets. We all have them.

    I’m about to share some of my wine secrets. These are not secrets about my wine expertise. I have none. I am inspired to talk about this by a current discussion over at the Wine Whore’s blog. Don’t worry, he won’t get mad. He chose that name.

    The discussion topic comes from a recent study that finds that people are more likely to enjoy a wine if a wine expert reviews it favorably.

    I don’t buy it. In my humble, non-expert opinion, I think it’s 6th grade all over again. We all see it in our daily lives. For example, does anyone think Ugg boots look good? Of course not!

    I have two pair. They’re comfortable, ok?

    As far as wine goes, I no longer waste my time drinking wine I don’t like. On a vacation to Napa, one vineyard’s wine expert made a great proclamation that I have carried with me ever since.

    There are two kinds of wines: Wines you like and wines you don’t like.

    Since my humble beginnings as a Wine Nerd, I’ve taken this advice. Over the years, I learned that I dislike white wine and recently set white wine aside entirely. I have evolved into a full-bodied, red girl. And don’t go reading too much into that statement.

    While I make this assertion, I am guilty of a few indiscretions.

    The Wine Whore correctly and delicately pointed out to me that some people may use the wine scores because they don’t know how to select a good wine. I think this is more of the same issue: back to the 6th grade. Like pretending to get the joke when you don’t, people want to look knowledgable about wine when they’re not. They are afraid to admit that they don’t know which wine to serve at dinner and have to feign knowledge like a kid who doesn’t know the difference between Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.

    I am that kid sometimes. The wine nerd, who, I am sad to say, still has insecurities about my ability to choose a good wine. I’ve resorted to eavesdropping at wine stores which has turned out not to be the best of ideas. I also try to discreetly take note of the labels on the bottles other diners are enjoying at our favorite BYO. It brings new meaning to the term wine thief. I do this with books titles at the beach too. I freely admit to being a book snob but that’s a topic for another time.

    Now my wine secrets are out and I feel better about them. In sum, the only advice I can give you is to stop keeping secrets. Be bold, ask questions and allow yourself to make mistakes when choosing wines. That’s how I became a proud wine nerd instead of a pretentious wine snob.

  • Wine Time TV Webisode 6 feat. Tanya Melillo

    No body and I mean nobody can Hobnob like my current guest, Wine Pro and Foodie Tanya Melillo. The Wine Time TV series continues with Part 2 (of 3 or 4 clips) of my then live Skype interview with one if the new stars of PBS’ The Winemakers Season 2, where I learned of Tanya’s exciting encounters with French Laundry’s Thomas Keller, top chefs Gary Danko and Traci des Jardins, retired Playboy and current Mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom and more!

    Thanks for reading!
    Kamary

  • Wine Time TV features Foodie Tanya Melillo-TEASER

    Given that Wine Time TV is currently a low to no budget production, what do you do when you really want to involve some amazing talent in the show but they live 7 hours away by car (LA -> SF) or even 12 hours by plane (Hamburg -> SF) and you can’t simply travel to meet each other for an hour or two to have an engaging interview?

    You use SKYPE!

    That’s what my next guest (Tanya Melillo) and I managed for a first time attempt. She’s a terribly interesting Wino with lots to talk about. Yes, that’s a compliment! Tune in October 1st for Wine Time TV Webisode #5!

    Here’s a teaser…

  • How to Become a Master Sommelier

    Since the last few webisodes of Wine Time TV have covered Sommelier James King, I thought it appropriate to share a little information I originally found (by accident) at SFSommelier.com. Good stuff and should give everyone yet another understanding of the role a Sommelier might play on the ‘wine stage’.

    What is a sommelier, let alone a Master Sommelier, and how do you become one? The dictionary’s definition of a sommelier is a bit lame. However the the job of a sommelier is no secret within the industry; To manage the wine selection, purchasing, receiving, storage, sales and service for a restaurant, club, hotel or other institution. Did you know there is no legal requirement in the U.S. to be certified for this position? However, there is one internationally recognized organization for certification; The Court of Master Sommeliers which was founded in London in 1977. The organization conducts general education and testing for restaurant wine professionals. There are at least 3 levels of certification within the organization: introductory, advanced and Master Sommelier Diploma (MS).

    The Introductory Course is a two day educational seminar. It covers wine regions of the world, viticulture, viniculture, appellation rules for various countries and regions, production methods for beers and spirits, cigars, food and wine pairing, service and blind tasting techniques. At the end of the seminar is a multiple choice exam for which a score of 60% is required.

    The Advanced Course is a big step up from the Introductory. It covers all of the same material but with far greater detail. The pace is also faster as it is expected that you are prepared for the exam before you get there. The seminar is also one day longer than the Introductory Course. The biggest difference is the test itself. It is a two day test split in to three sections.

    The first section is theory. It is an 82 question test with 20 multiple choice and 62 short answer questions. One hour is allowed for completion.

    The second section is blind tasting. Which personally I would suck at beyond differentiating between a Chard and a Merlot! The candidate enters a room with a table with six glasses of wine on it and two Master Sommeliers sitting on the opposite side of the table. They listen as you swirl, sniff, taste and comment about each wine. You have 25 minutes total to identify all the varieties set before you. These wines may be from anywhere in the world thogh sticking to classic examples. Points are given for your analysis and deductive reasoning as well as your identification of the wines.

    The final section is the toughest of all; Restaurant service. Master Sommeliers judge your skills at opening still and sparkling wines, decanting, cigar service, freehand pouring, wine and food pairing, proof reading of wine lists, setting tables for a variety of menus, conversing with the guests and even complaint resolution. You can also expect test questions which need to be answered correctly during all of this. A passing score of 60% is required on all three sections.

    The final test is by invitation only. You are also required to wait at least one year between passing the Advanced and your first attempt at the Master. The test is the same as the advanced but the theory portion is verbal instead of written, with far more detailed answers needed as well as a 75% passing score. An example of the difference between an Advanced question and a Master question might be: name six of the Anbaugebiet (high quality wine regions) in Germany for the Advanced versus name all 13 Anbaugebiet for the Master.

    Though very few people pass it on their first attempt the pass rate for this exam is approximately 4%. As of the first 29 years of testing, only 142 people in the world had completed the Master Sommelier (MS) level. It’s likely safe to assume that 2 years later (now) there are still less than 150 Master Sommeliers on the planet.

    Thanks for reading!
    Cheers,
    Kamary