Wine around the world

Last summer, we visited the small island community within Taiwan known as Penghu – a small step in our goal of seeing more of Taiwan than we did when we were last here. Penghu, being very arid and wind-swept, grows a lot of dry-loving plants, namely cactus, peanuts, and aloe. Their specialties reflect this – you can find a lot of cactus-flavoured things on the island, and they’re quite good (peanuts will follow in a later post).

We tried as much cactus food as we could while there. The cactus ice cream was probably our favourite, especially when paired with aloe ice cream. Aloe is put in a lot of drinks here as a ‘health’ additive, and I’m not a big fan of that, but the aloe ice cream was divine, especially when paired with the cactus ice cream. I’m still drooling writing about it six months later.

The cactus ice was also pretty good – this was shaved ice (a popular snack or dessert in Taiwan) with cactus jelly and juice poured over top. A nice treat on a hot day. We had this outside of a quiet temple that had a courtyard covered by two enormous banyan trees (though they were still smaller than the huge tree under which we ate the cactus ice cream – there are some amazing trees on this island!)

The cactus wine was not nearly as sweet as we thought it would be. To be honest, it was interesting but only mediocre. Probably our least favourite cactus-flavoured thing from the island. We did also try aloe wine while we were there (backing up my reason for avoiding aloe in beverages – blech) and pumpkin wine, which, surprisingly, Christine enjoyed more than I did. I think, out of the three, the pumpkin was our favourite, with a surprisingly light flavour (though writing this so late on, I’ve forgotten exactly what that flavour comprised) and a hint of sweetness.

Mochi (or muaji, as it is pronounced) is a squishy rice-flour confection that is made all over the island, though it is most famous up north, in Hualien. On the island, the two flavours sold are cactus and black sugar (as brown sugar is known here). They were both pretty tasty, the black sugar one especially – it wasn’t too sweet, as you might think a black sugar candy might be. I enjoyed these when we took them home, but a whole box for the two of us was too much, and I ended up giving some away to students.

Shortly after we got back, I discovered that a shop next to my regular tea stand sold imported Penghu food items, and we’ve stopped in for a bit of Penghu ice cream since then, amongst other things. Yum!

The first winery that I have done private labeling of Handmade Soap for is Hallcrest Vineyards in Felton, CA. It’s a wonderful little winery with a lovely tasting room manager, Amy. They make some beautiful wines including organic wines.

Using a bottle of Terra Serena Vineyard (Lower Block) wine I made them a custom batch of Red Wine Handmade Soap with custom labels. I took some photos of the bottle, soap and wine on the tasting groom bar at the winery when I delivered the soap.

Amy is using the soap for specials for wine members, but may make it available to others in the future. I hope that this is the first of many custom labeling Red Wine Handmade Soap for wineries in the future!

Plain Martini

Ingredients

• 1 83/100 oz. Gin
• 1/2 oz. Vermouth, Dry
• 1 whole Olive

Mixing Instructions

Stir 5 parts gin and 1 part vermouth with ice in a mixing glass. Strain into a cocktail glass, add the olive, and serve.

An acceptable alternate garnish is to squeeze the oil from a lemon peel into the drink.

“come winter, come frozen night
in fog, come drink the grape
tug on its green-glass vine*” (a poem)

“layers of artisanal chocolates
Madagascar, Venezuela, Columbia
hand-crafted, a dapple of cocoa to whet your palate” (a bite)

“unfolds with lush sweet cherry
and blackberries, spice, floral notes
and a hint of cola” (a taste)

Individually, poetry, chocolate and wine are inviting and enjoyable…together they are seductive and luxurious. Our special Valentine’s Day gift set brings all three of these favorite escapes from the every day together into one romantic and delectable box of love.

For a limited time only we are offering a Valentine’s Day gift set of 2007 Waits-Mast La Encantada Pinot Noir, featuring a 4-pc varietal box from San Francisco’s renowned boutique chocolatier Recchiuti. Included in the gift set is a limited edition 2009 Waits-Mast Annual Poetry Collection book. We only have a few cases of the 2007 La Encantada left and only a few copies of our poetry collection left as well, so this is a great opportunity to get your honey a unique gift.

The price for the gift set is $49 total (which is our normal SRP for this wine, so the chocolates and poetry are free) and will be available through Valentine’s Day only in our online store. Click here to order today.

SHIPPING NOTES: In order to ensure your gift arrives by Valentine’s Day, please follow these deadlines for GROUND shipping. We also offer 2- and 3-day air shipping.
East Coast/Midwest: Order needs to be placed by 2/3
West Coast (and any air shipping/express packs): Order needs to be placed by 2/8

For sub-freezing climate customers, we recommend that you ship via air to ensure the safety of the wine. We often have a hold on wines being shipped via ground to the areas experiencing sub-freezing weather to avoid any wines being frozen/damaged.

For customers in the SF Bay Area can save on shipping costs by choosing “local pickup” from the shipping options. You can then pick up the wine at the Crushpad shipping and logistics center in San Francisco, located at 566 Minnesota Street, just off of Third Street and Mariposa. Call ahead at (415) 558-9181 to schedule your pickup.

*Jay Rubin, Tasting Ojai (from the 2009 Waits-Mast Annual Poetry Collection)

RYAN:

About a year ago around this time, I gave myself a homemade tattoo.  On my hand.  I had drank nearly an entire jug of Carlo Rossi wine, and had a bit of a fire in me.  So I sat down and stabbed at the web part of my hand between my thumb and my index finger with a sewing needle, thread, and pen ink for about a half hour.  When I was done I passed out.  It has since faded, but now I find myself halfway through the same jug and looking for some better ink.  I really hope this isn’t an annual thing.

I boarded the  1 Train at 103rd Street headed downtown from my apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on Saturday. At 96th Street, a rather peculiar passenger entered our car.

He was an elderly man with white tangled hair and dirty, beaten and worn-out clothes. By itself, that wouldn’t be that odd. Lots of homeless people ride the subway, especially in the winter. A subway train is a lot warmer than a street corner when the wind is ripping across the city.

What made this man unique, though, was that he boarded the train pushing a full-size shopping cart. Now, it isn’t that strange to see a kid bring his bike on the subway or for a woman to push her stroller onto a crowded train, but a shopping cart, well, that I had never seen before. In fact, between last summer and this winter, I’ve lived in New York City for about four months, and I can’t think of too many places that even have full-size shopping carts in the city. A lot of markets don’t because their aisles are too narrow. K-Mart might.

The guy pushes his cart onto the train and starts making announcements about a scheduling change for the train. This downtown 1 Train will not be making local stops because of construction he announces to no one in particular. After the man has been in the car, for a few minutes, his stench is overwhelming. Soon, his body odor would be the least of my problems.

The guy, as he stood there screaming at the top of his lungs that we would not be stopping at 86th Street or 79th Street stations, reminded me about an old Bill Cosby routine about how riding the subway was the best and cheapest entertainment in New York because “they put a nut in every car.”

Once the man had finished sharing his knowledge about the train schedule (the same information was actually announced over the train’s speakers a moment after the man quit talking), he moved to the next item on his agenda – cleaning his shopping cart. The man removed a large, plain white bottle of rubbing alcohol from his jacket, along with a small cloth and a couple of napkins.

Rather than dabbing the alcohol onto the cloth, he opted for just pouring it over the shopping cart. Needless to say, the alcohol splattered everywhere. His hands were not particularly steady, so he dumped out far more than he needed creating a sizable puddle. As the fumes from the alcohol filled the car, a couple of women sitting close to the man started to cough. My asthmatic lungs burned.

The man didn’t seem bother by the smell as he sopped up the alcohol with his cloth and then meticulously shined every inch of the cart, which went from dirty and a little rusty to a shiny, pristine chrome color in a matter of a couple of stops.

Satisfied with his work on the shopping cart, the man then did something that I will never forget. The image has been ingrained in the back of my eyelids all week. Seeing what a great improvement the alcohol had done to his cart, he must have assumed it could do equally wonderful things to his organs.

He raised the bottle of alcohol to his lips and started chugging like it was a water bottle.

This wasn’t just a couple of sips. This wasn’t a shot. This was swallow after swallow of pure alcohol with the bottle turned vertically upside down above his head. He didn’t finish the entire bottle, but he came pretty close. Just the thought made my stomach churn.

He didn’t seem phased in the least. There was no grimace. No nauseated expression on his face. Just a refreshing beverage.

By this point, I had seen enough. I rushed off at the next stop and moved a couple of cars toward the front of the train.

Unfortunately, putting some physical distance between this man and me did nothing to loosen his shaky grip on my mind.

Sorry folks!  Been going through some personal drama lately…apparently, some places would rather have Section 8 than people who pay their rent on time via bank check…it seems that collecting EFT’s is easier than worrying whether those of us on the up and up will pay our rent on time.  (Not that I have anything against people who need help.  I have a problem with places that start off as “luxury communities” and then push out those of us they worry they might have to chase after…if you are a FB “friend” you know my story…) Needless to say, I am moving by March and that may put this blog in a place in my life where it will take back stage to the things I need to do.  Pity…I like my place.  But the good thing is I am moving back to the bay into a larger apartment and back by my friends!  Enough about me–let’s get into some Cheap Date ideas!

When I hear music…

…it makes me dance!  Yes, I am one of those fools who shakes her booty when good music is played.  Doesn’t matter what it is…if I like it, I get my groove on!  Tonite was Live in the Lobby meets Red Cross to raise money for the Haitian earthquake victims…lots of great bands, and I got to chat up a gentleman I am a huge fan of, James O’Malley!  After giving him grief about how he doesn’t update his gigs often enough on the Web and giving him my card, let’s hope I have some info from him being emailed in soon so I can tell you all where he is playing.  (BTW, what a nice guy!)  James…I see the Historical Society and Last Licks…how about some smaller gigs?!  (I’ll add these to the blog as the dates get closer!)

Anyhow, I’m going to update to include next week’s gigs.  I admit freely that I root through other websites to find gigs, but sadly, not a lot going on for the next week.  However, I am totally thrilled that Gathering Time will be playing the Patchogue Theatre along with Six Gun next Thursday!  Anyone who follows the blog knows I am also a big fan of GT…do not miss this show!  I’ve seen both live and can tell you these are two bands worth seeing! (And hey…what’s going on?  I can’t pull links to either of the bands?  I’m posting a link to the Lobby show, but if you both have new URL’s, shoot me an email and let me know!  And Stu…could you play a chantey for me?  I may be moving back to the bay, but I need a bay chantey NOW!)

Mmmm…beer….

Homer Simpson had it right.  Beer is good.  Living within walking  (stumbling?) distance of Blue Point Brewery and the Brick House means I get to sample fabulous microbrews on a regular basis.  However, I do like to sample other beer from time to time and for some reason, two holiday brews that would normally be sold out by now are still available:  Krampus for you hop-heads, and Mad Elf for those who like warmers.  Get thee to a beverage center ASAP and don’t miss out!  Krampus pairs well with chicken and seafood (i.e. sushi, wings) and Mad Elf is a great brew to pair with gamey foods or as an aperitif.  Note:  both have high alcohol contents, so make it a night in if you are going to enjoy these!

And another brew worth sampling is Monks Blood…DO NOT even consider shotguns even though this yummy brew comes in cans!  This is a sipping brew, I’m not sure if it’s technically a porter, but WOW!  It reminds me of some cask aged Imperial Stouts…lots of flavors here, and a good transition beer for the people in your life who drink wine and say, Guinness, who you’d like to introduce to the world of microbrews.  Again, not for light weights!

Wine me, dine me…

Get yer mind out of the gutter!  You men are all alike!  (And yes, I do know that most of my readers are male!)  However, wine is something that appeals to both genders, and if you’ve noticed, I do like things that aren’t on the dry side…give me hearty food and a beverage that can accompany it, and I am one happy girl!  Lately, I’ve been drinking whites (my stomach just can’t handle the reds after I hit the big 4-0!).  I like wines that have a bit more…body?  Is that the right word?  Flavor?  I’m not sure how to phrase it.  I’ve never been a fan of anything with a lot of mineral taste to it, but Clean Slate Riesling is a sweet, yet understated wine with a strong mouth feel and clean finish that can pair with most foods and hold its own.  I even pair this with steak…and thank you, Lori, for turning me on to this!  (You may have to search for this one, but if you need some resources, shoot me an email.)

All for now…I’ll be back in about a week to update you on some other Cheap Date ideas, etc., and so on.  Have something that should be here?  Let me know at cheapdateli@gmail.com.  All for now, you kooky cats!

This year, Royal Wines and its wine producing arm, Herzog Cellars, will once again be hosting wine festivals.  For the past four years, Royal has had a wine event in New York, to showcase their wines before Passover, as that is one of the busiest times of year for kosher wine stores.  Think of it as the Black Friday for kosher wine producers, importers, and stores.  Well, to further showcase their California winery, Three years ago, Royal Wines started a west coast version of the wine festival.  I have had the great luck to be part of the past two International Food & Wine Festivals.  The first International Food & Wine Festival was grand, with many wine vintners; tons of great wine, and great food.  The second International Food & Wine Festival was a huge success, with some new and returning vintners; some great new wines, and as usual Chef Todd Aaron showcased his wares from his world class Tierra Sur Restaurant.

The New York event will be on Monday February 1st!  This is the first year that the New York event comes before the Herzog Cellar wine festival.  Also, Adam Montefiore (of Carmel & Yatir) will be at the New York event, but not at the west coast Wine Festival – which is a real bummer!!!!

The West Coast event – the 2010 International Food & Wine Festival will be on Wednesday, February 3rd.

Hopefully we will see you all at the 2010 International Food & Wine Festival this coming Wednesday!  Please remember that you should not drink and drive.  So, please get a designated driver, or get a room at many of the hotels near the winery!

“LONG -TERM SUPPORT  FOR VICTIMS OF HAITI EARHQUAKE”

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