WOFW did a feature by Jamie Goode on cellar management software, if
anyone surprised Cellartracker was the clear frontrunner?
http://www.cellartracker.com/WFW20GoodeUnderground.pdf
Congratulations to Eric.

Last month CT added a couple new features:

1) I like the "Favorite Author" feature, which is either new or I just
discovered recently. I've always put MUCH more weight in notes from
people I've tasted with or recognize from posts on various fora, if I
feel I have a sense of their tastes. With wines with dozen+ notes, if
I see a couple are from "favorites", I can concentrate on those more
meaningful (to me) ones.

2) They integrated John Gilman's View from the Cellar. If one is a co-
subscriber, one can view John's notes on wines he's reviewed.
Previously one would have to search the VFTC pdfs ("let's see, was
Mugnier in part 1 or part 2 of the 2004 Burg reviews?"). If you are a
CT user and would like to do a trial subscription, John is offering 2
weeks e-trial. I don't think that gets you the in-depth producer
profile articles, that comes with a full subscription.

After a 7.5 hour Interstate 75 drive I opted for the tasting menu with
wine pairing since I didn't feel like working hard and perrusing a 100
page wine list which is listed on their website. The food was really
quite good:

We started with a glass of Laurent Perrier Brut with an amuse of
chilled cantelope soup. Nice brioche and apple sweetness that went
well with the soup.

Tennessee Padlefish Caviar on homemade potato chip with tradional
garnishes.

2002 Bodegas del Placidio de Fefinanes Albarino Rias Baixas-short,
clean, helped by the caviar to gain some weight. "B-"

Chilled seared foie gras with sour cherry glaze and sheeps milk yogurt

2005 Reichsrat Von Buhl Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling Spatlese Pflaz-
lot's of petrol on the nose. Nice off dry sweetness brilliant with
the foie and cherry glaze "B+"

Roasted Monkfish with Ratatouille

2006 Qupe Marsanne Santa Ynez -Not a good pairing the wine was very
lean and austere and no complimenting flavors were dicernable-I would
have preferred a chard. "C"

Betsy's mom got into NYC, in preparation for a "girl's trip" to DC
with Betsy, Betsy's sister, and niece. We had my mom-in law, sister in
law, and nephew over for dinner Saturday night. Started with a white
bean and garlic scape dip, along with the 2007 Loosen "Dr. L" Riesling
(Mosel). Lighter and lither than a couple recent vintages, this is
bright and an excellent value at under $10. Peach and golden apple, a
little hint of lime. Good length for an inexpensive QbA. I've
generally thought of Dr L as good for the money, but this is just good
without qualifier. B+/B. .

Dinner was grilled lobster, scallops, and shrimp, served with a
grilled zucchini and tomato salad  and a green salad. Dinner wine was
the 2005 Manciat Macon-Charnay Vieilles Vignes. Ripe pear fruit, a
little hint of canned pears, the vanilla aromas don't seem integrated.
I can't find my previous note on this but thought I remembered liking
it, but this comes across like a mediocre CalChard, albeit with more
acidity. I prefer the cheaper straightforward Franclieu cuvee to the
old vines bottling. B-/C+

Nice evening, though humidity and heat drove us into the AC.

People who know I'm a wine geek invariably ask my opinion of their
"special wine."
I don't want to offend them by saying I don't like it (as is often,
sadly, the case) and
I end up hemming and hawing, trying to think of something positive to say.

This happened again this weekend, I was served some awful Bordeaux that
was made
by a cousin of the Hostess. She was really proud, but I thought it was
herbaceous but
at the same time over concentrated, with an addition of oak juice and
elmers glue. I
took a couple of sips politely but drank water with the rest of the
meal. (Got a headache
anyway, but maybe not down to the wine, although it had "headache" writ
large on the
label.)

She pressed me for an opinion so I waxed on about how wonderful it must
be to drink
juice produced by one's very own family. Blech.

As there have been a few obituaries in this NG recently, it might be useful
to add that on 2nd May, Romano Levi passed away in his home town of Neive,
Piemont, where he had build a legendary reputation as a grappa distiller
over the last half century.

His bottles with the odd, handmade "donna selvatica" label have been
collectors' items for years.

There seem to be plans to turn his home & workshop into a grappa museum.

Yves

I am having Elk for dinner and I would like a wine pairing. My cellar is
95%%+ Bordeaux. This is not much notice, but any help would be appreciated.

Fred.

Sad to hear that Art Stratemeyer passed away 8 April 2008.

Art's wife Betsy informs me that as a result the wonderful wine-related site
Stratsplace.com will go offline 31 August 2008.

Art was kind enough to publish my articles at Stratsplace and though we
never met he seemed like an all round good guy.

He and Stratsplace will be sorely missed.

Martin

Last night Betsy made a duck breast salad, callalou (apparently the
greens from the taro plant, a new one to us, we are alternates on a
CSA package), and mashed potatoes. Most days I feel like experimenting
wine-wise, sometimes I just want an old friend. Friday was the
latter. I opened the 2001 Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny. Betsy found it
acidic/tart at first, but I said "just wait." By dinner time it was
showing beautifully. Ripe red cherries and plums, a little strawberry,
framed by bright acids and a little ripe tannin. A super welterweight,
light on feet but packing a punch. Damp earth and chalky minerality
emerge over evening. Best glass is the last, 4 hours after opening.
A-/B+

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
 

This is a weekly reminder that the FAQ for this group resides at the website
http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com. Additionally, it is posted monthly
to the newsgroup alt.food.wine. Questions or comments about the FAQ are best
posted to the newsgroup itself.

Table of Contents:
1. I have just found a bottle of wine in my parents' cupboard and...
1a. I want to know how much it's worth
1b. I want to know whether it's OK to drink
1c. Will it taste good?...

Last night we had dinner on the patio, with David and a friend. Flank
steak in an Asian marinade with zucchini (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/
fullpage.html?
res=980DEEDF1531F932A25755C0A96E9C8B63&scp=5&sq=&st=nyt ) , Cambodian
style corn, and a salad. Recipe was billed as a pairing for Malbec,
but I wanted something lighter to serve cool, and opened the 2007
Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny (CSW called this the ""Printemps"
bottling, but I didn't see that on label. though I didn't really
search). One of those times where a simple not-very-complex wine just
sails down the lane for a strike. Pretty light cherry and raspberry
fruit, good but not screeching acids, just enough tannin for the beef
but otherwise almost invisible. Fresh and juicy. A light spiciness to
the wine blended well with the 5 spice...