Ashley Hall, the person

Guiness

2009-03-01T22:37:00.001-05:00

Cuteness.

2009-03-01T22:37:00.000-05:00

Creepy (in a good way) Sunsets

2009-03-01T22:35:00.000-05:00

Kate Barney!

2009-03-01T22:33:00.000-05:00

Snow in Atlanta - But nothing too disrupting.

2009-03-01T22:32:00.000-05:00

Pickles!

2009-03-01T22:30:00.000-05:00

Things I'm Greatful For Tonight

2009-01-18T23:17:00.003-05:00

Slumdog Millionaire - it was so riveting I forgot I was watching a movie.
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran - Thanks to Jennifer Deberry
Tina Fey's Sarah Palin impersonation. Seriously, it hasn't gotten old.
'04 Tilenus Bierzo
Annie's Thai Castle
My new camera
Jay, Erin, Kasza
Sleep....

Things to Be Thankful For

2009-01-15T22:18:00.001-05:00

Cool, Calm and Experienced Pilots.

A Slate of Things That Make Me Grateful

2009-01-14T21:13:00.006-05:00

(photo borrowed from fraudwasteabuse.com)

On a rougher day, I like to sit in my car and remind myself of many things I am thankful for.
Here's what I came up with on my way to Target tonight.

~The Krog Tunnel
~Singing
~Warm Socks
~Hot Showers
~Commercial-Free Anything
~That feeling you get in your neck halfway through your first margarita
~Fish Tacos
~Tzatziki
~Cashmere
~Down
~Snow
~Rain
~Movies
~Health
~Inside Jokes

"All will be well"

I am Grateful for Madeira

2009-01-11T21:59:00.002-05:00

Especially Sercial. Sensual, piquant, soothing. I love how the flavors seem to explode in slow motion, then it warms everything it touches on the way down. It's my absolute favorite nightcap.

Family!!

2009-01-08T07:56:00.001-05:00

Kasza Madeleine Hall

Things to be Glad About

2009-01-07T16:15:00.003-05:00

Oh, the news is too much!
I've always been eager to stay informed: waking up to NPR, reading the New York Times and the AJC throughout the day. But lately I've decided the being on top of current events is bad for the soul. The din of information is just too grim. So I'm going to offer the universe (and most likely only the universe, because no one knows I've started this up again) little morsels of hope, joy and gladness. I will post things that inspire me, or at least make me smile. This blog will be the public counterpart to my private Journal of Gratitude I started recently, which is where I record my gratitude for people in my life.
So, it's my hope that through these excercises of gratitude and gladness, I can endure this horribly challenging age with grace, and that I can erect my own personal barricade against all of the sour air that is circulating.

I am grateful,
I am grateful,
I am hopeful,
I am glad.

Drinking Outside of the Box

2008-08-18T11:15:00.007-04:00

After living a couple of years in Canada and spending an above average amount of time in France, it floors me to be reminded about how hung up Americans are on wasteful packaging.

Hopefully this article, and the continued success of my friend Matt Cain's new project Yellow and Blue wines is a symptom that things are a-changin'.

Op-Ed Contributor

Drink Outside the Box

By TYLER COLMAN

Published: August 18, 2008

Wine in a box makes sense environmentally and economically. Vintners in the United States would be wise to embrace the trend that is slowly gaining acceptance worldwide.

Jersey Tomato Comes Home to Roost

2008-07-25T09:19:00.003-04:00

Keeping the juicy, red dream alive in the Garden State.

The Return of a Lost Jersey Tomato

by Julia Moskin, New York Times

High Fructose Fatness

2008-07-25T09:12:00.002-04:00

Tara Parker-Pope, a health blogger for the NYT, wrote yesterday about something that's been suspected for years.

Ladies Who Lunch

2008-07-12T20:36:00.003-04:00

The Lovely Miss Avery Hopkins and I had the most delightful summer luncheon today. After meeting up at her parents' bread stand at the Peachtree Road Farmer's Market, we shopped for some veggies for a refreshing summer meal. I prepared the food while Avery was entertaining my niece and favorite hobby, Kasza Hall.

We had heirloom tomatoes drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and chopped organic basil; organic arugula from Love is Love Farms dressed lightly in a Sherry Vinaigrette, and roasted baby squash and sweet onions.

It was light, fresh, natural, and super-easy to prepare. And Avery had seconds!

DIY: Coconut Wedding Cake

2008-07-01T14:15:00.014-04:00

My brother got married this weekend to a lovely woman named Erin. They're on a bit of a tight budget as Jay is about to start MBA school at the University of Georgia this fall and, oh yeah, they have a incandescently beautiful three-month-old baby girl named Kasza.

So the wedding was to be small. And it was. There were only 35 of us, including the bride and groom and baby and the priest. So I decided to help out by making the wedding cake.

The naively trusting couple.

Now, this is step two in my on-going quest to make the perfect coconut cake. My first effort was over Christmas. And while the flavors were sublime (if I do say so myself), the presentation was a bit lacking. Or, as one of my chef friends who saw a photo of the cake noted, "I''m a cook, not a baker. But I can tell that that cake is totally f***ed up."

So, I was to make my second effort for my brother's wedding. To be precise, I made one two-layer, 6-inch cake for the bride and groom, and 30 coconut cupcakes. While the results were more successful, I have plenty of room to improve.

How I improved:
1)Patience
My overwhelming failure over Christmas was rushing to ice the cake. So the cool knife and dense icing took to the warm cake like a machete would take to a stick of soft butter. This time I let the cakes cool overnight.

2) ........
Well, I guess that was basically it. Just one improvement. But a very important one.

Draft One: It was kind of like the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree of Cakes.

Mistakes to Overcome:

1) Timing

Timing is the most difficult part of cooking to me. It's taken me a year to get used to cooking before I'm absolutely starving. And baking is infinitely more complicated than my usual veggie stir fry.

I started the wedding cake, which involved making the cake, butter cream icing and coconut filling, all from scratch, at 10:30 on Friday night....after four glasses of wine. Thank God for Sanjay who was keeping me company and willingly went to the 24-hour Kroger twice.

Procrastination and the consequent late-night cramming have always been my signature, however, so I'll probably just have to live with this one.

2)Math

Though 35 constitutes a small wedding, it's a large batch of cupcakes. So I needed to triple the recipe. Once I was done, the cake batter worked out about right, but I made too much icing (which is wasteful). And I ended up overcommiting astronomically on the number of bags of coconut. I'm thinking I'll either start a macaroon delivery service or email the buyers at overstock.com to auction off my excess inventory.

3)Cupcakes are not cakes

I had to bake two batches of 36 cupcakes because I didn't know how much batter to use in each cup. The first batch was scrawny and embarrassing. Thank God for Sanjay (refer to Mistake #1 for elaboration.)

4) When to ice?

Though I did have extra patience here, I did not have enough decisiveness. The butter cream icing was prepped for application three times over 18 hours before I actually did it. And my aunt and mother lovingly made me pull the trigger. (This time at 10:30 on Saturday night and after about 4 bottles of wine.)

5)Occasion

After finally getting to bed at 2am on Friday night, I awoke at 6am with thoughts of dry, petrified cupcakes cooling on my counter. These worries were then compounded with thoughts of ants crawling all over them. Or roaches. Or snakes. "How could I leave them out overnight like that?" I asked my sleepy self, "I know I was supposed to let them cool. And I know my pastry-chef confidant told me it would be Ok. But what if?"
Then, "What if they just suck?"

I shot out of bed, and ran down to the kitchen. No ants. And instead of rock-hard, they were just a little crunchy on the outside. Passable, anyway.

Now, none of these things would be a big deal if I was just making cupcakes for a house-warming gift or a friend's 33rd birthday cookout. But I was cooking them for my brother's wedding. WEDDING.

So just to recap:
First attempt at coconut cake: Christmas Dinner
Second attempt at coconut cake: My brother's Wedding Cake

Perhaps I should start "practicing" this cake baking when the stakes are a little lower. Or perhaps I should stay on my current trajectory. For my next attempt, perhaps I'll call up the Make-a-Wish foundation and see if they have any requests for coconut cake.

The Finished Product - Terroir in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles

2008-07-01T13:15:00.007-04:00

Angie Mosier and Brian Woodcock did a beautiful job putting this piece together. You'd never know the whole article was one week from conception to filing date!

You can read it here.

2008-05-24T11:15:00.002-04:00

Below I've posted my very politically correct explanation of the term "terroir" that will be published as a sidebar in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles' July issue. It's politically correct not because the definition itself is sanitized, the concept is actually one of purity. It's politically correct because more often I'd rather go on a rant like this one. But you've gotta start somewhere.

What is Terroir?
By Ashley Hall

Terroir (pronounced tehr-‘wahr) has no direct English translation. The easiest way to define it en anglais is “sense of place.” The term is most commonly associated with wine, but also applies to cheese, meats and even flowers. A wine that projects its terrior is said to taste, smell and feel of its birthplace.

While, clearly derived from terre, the French word for earth, terrior actually includes the entire physical environment of a vineyard. In addition to the soils, sun and wind exposure, the steepness of terrain, rainfall and humidity, all affect a wine’s terrior.

Can you smell chalk? Herbs? Jasmine? Bacon? It doesn’t necessarily mean that there are pigs roaming around the vineyard. But the holistic conditions of a plot of earth can lend these traits to grapes, which tend to be incredible media for a universe of smells and flavors.

While this concept is almost second nature to many Old World winemakers, it’s foreign to most Americans. Traditionally, Americans discuss what a wine is—Pinot Noir, for example-- and neglect where it’s from. In the tradition of terroir, the provenance of the wine is the grape’s equal. For instance, is that Pinot Noir from Burgundy, the home of the most revered, elegant and long-lived Pinot Noirs in the world? Or is it from Sancerre, a village in the Loire Valley that produces Pinot Noir, though typically leaner, earthier and more minerally?

To this day a proud school of winemakers all over the world like to say that they make their wine in the vineyard, not the cellar. This is to say that their goal is to let the character of the vines’ terroir be heard as loudly as the character of the grape varietal. They wouldn’t label a fine Burgundy simply “Pinot Noir” any sooner than a Georgian would call a Vidalia, just “onion.”

View From My Desk

2008-05-23T15:41:00.001-04:00

Reporting from Buckhead, Friday Afternoon.

Oink

2008-05-13T23:24:00.001-04:00

Charleston, SC

My DeathRow Meal

2008-05-13T23:22:00.001-04:00

Frites fried in duck fat and mayo.
Do they allow Provencal rose on Death Row?

La Fourchette, Charleston, SC

So, how's that cubicle?

2008-05-13T23:20:00.002-04:00

We tasted wine here today. Sold a couple, too.

Kiawah Island, SC

OK, this might look gross, but...

2008-05-13T23:17:00.003-04:00

It's not. Quite the opposite of gross. Just wait til you hear it is a Benton's Country Ham from Fig in Charleston! That's Benton's ham on top of a crostini and fava bean puree from a James Beard nominated chef!
(I need a flash on my iPhone)

Fig, Charleston, SC

Bandol Rose

2008-05-13T23:15:00.002-04:00

Sometimes there's something beautiful waiting for you at the bottom of an unfiltered bottled.

Gros Nore' Bandol Rose, 2005

How Could You Leave Her Alone with this Creepy French Guy?

2008-05-13T23:11:00.003-04:00

Impossibly Beautiful.

2008-05-13T23:00:00.002-04:00

It's Swanderful!

2008-05-09T01:36:00.007-04:00

Swan Oyster Depot was the perfect swan song for our sublime Northern California experience. We had oysters (duh), shrimp cocktail (pictured), Crab Louie, Anchorsteam and house-aged tequila...by 9:50 am. Gotta love the time difference.
A Vacanza!

Chez Panisse: All Will Be Well

2008-05-09T01:34:00.003-04:00

So, did you know that life actually is a bowl of cherries?
Well, fate couldn't have sent Angie, Gina and me a clearer communicae than our May 6 lunch at Chez Panisse Cafe. It was blissful, peaceful, grateful, swanderful and out and out perfect. I am so full.

Angie and Gina: Cali 08

2008-05-09T01:32:00.003-04:00

Where for art thou, Salade Verte

2008-04-16T23:24:00.005-04:00

When I first got into this business, I could not pass up an opportunity to order foie gras. If there were a foie gras appetizer on a menu along side a sweetbread appetizer, I would probably order both. And a cheese course was a bonus, not a burden.

These days, all I really want is salad and fish. I'm slipping rapidly into a pseudo-vegetarian lifestyle. I'm not certifiable or anything, but I'm eating more greens than I ever have in the past. I suspect I always will love a bite of all such glands. But, now, after seven years in the business, hosting lunches and tasting wines, I'm usually in detox mode by 6:30 p.m. And I look for a salad.

Lately I've noticed that, while every restaurant with a host-stand carries at least two or three salads, they're never very salad-like. When I'm looking for a salad, I want a salade verte, as the French call it. It's some greens on a plate with an ephermeral vinaigrette. (period.)

In The States you're more likely to find a salad topped with caramelized pears, chili-rubbed walnuts and a dollop of St. Andre. Where's the refreshment in that?

See here the "House Salad" of a North Carolina restaurant that touts its fresh, local ingredients
"from organic farms".
'Baby Greens, Dehydrated Pears, Maytag Bleu Cheese, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and White Balsamic Vinaigrette"
Well, I'm just not sure why you would buy organic greens just to dress it up like that.

Robert Parker as Muse?

2008-04-01T10:52:00.004-04:00

I'm having trouble deciding if Robert Parker is a good subject for a film. My instinct is that he's not. There's too much faux-grandeur surrounding him. To some he's a legend to other's he's a punchline. It's impossible to deny his influence or to exaggerate his impact on the wine world. But he's just some dude who became obsessed with wine. I don't know. He's imminently accomplished, but as what? Arbitar of taste? Traveler? Researcher? To me, there's something inescabably uninteresting about him. But perhaps a film will uncover or even create something captivating from a famous name.

In Paris

2008-03-18T12:45:00.001-04:00

I must say I'm a bit disappointed in my blogging performance on this trip. But part of me also knows that I've had some legitimate obstacles, technical, temporal and physical.
But I have a bunch of good entries marinating in my brain. So I intend to recount some stories for you over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, I'm going to savor being in Paris for just a short time.

I'll be home Thursday....

A Bientot!

No Real Solution Flies Over Oceans

2008-03-14T19:08:00.006-04:00

So clearly, American engineers haven't learned how to speak, read or understand European yet.

These folks have had dozens of super-simple conservation ideas for years. I'm not sure why a single American would have a fraction of a problem with either of these ideas. But let's float them.

1) Two flush triggers.

The little one is for #1, and the big one is for #2. The buttons control how much water is used, and they've been all over Europe for years. Too easy? Maybe.

2) The master light switch.
I was in more than one hotel room that had several nooks and crannies with their own light swiches. The bed-side tables, the bathroom, the shower, the main overhead light, the WC, all had different light switches.

Well, at Le Cep in Beaune, you have six different light switches for one non-suite room. But, by the exit door, there is a pair of switches. One is for the immediate foyer light. One is for the electricity in the entire room, which means, you could have your TV, both bedside lamps, your bathroom light, your hair dryer and your flattening iron all activated at the same time. And instead of running around the tiny space to turn each outlet off, you could flex your fingers by the exit, and be done with all of it. No more lazy excuses for wasting energy.

Two Things That No French Hotel Room Has

2008-03-12T17:20:00.006-04:00

1) Shower curtains or shower doors.
Seriously, not a one. You get water all over the floor.

2) Clocks.
You live with a constant paranoia that you'll oversleep. It's really annoying.

2008-03-12T17:13:00.003-04:00

"Worst Blog Ever"

2008-03-12T16:08:00.008-04:00

Well, this blog is already gaining notariety. It's been dubbed by one of my friends the "Worst Blog Ever" because of dearth of posts. Or, more correctly utter absence of them.

I certainly won't argue that I have been conscientious about keeping you in the loop so far. But I think you'll forgive me.

We started tasting wine on Sunday morning, and as of two hours ago (Wednesday night),we have already sampled 351. And I don't count the bottles popped at lunch or dinner (I consider myself off the clock during mealtimes). Monday our first tasting was at 9 a.m., and we finished the day with 20 or so samples in the hotel lobby at 7:30 p.m. On Tuesday, our first appointment was at Robert Chevillion in Nuits-St Georges to taste their 2006s. We were there at 8 a.m. Our last tasting wrapped up at 7 p.m. Then dinner.

So, I'm tired. The last two nights in Beaune, I was able to go out for vintage Champagne after two world-class dinners and excessively luxurious buffets of old burgundies. (Last night we had the equivalent of 30 red and white burgundies, from the 1990 vintages to the present, served to a table of 22 people. Then we went for beers.) So I'm sleep-deprived and dehydrated, but kind of honored to be a part of this hysterical celebration of connoisseurship and decadence.

And this experience is so rich. Despite the fact that I am not recording tasting notes as tediously as last trip, or taking a million pictures, I am getting the opportunity to digest the personality of the complex 2007 vintage. I am testing my opinions of the 2006s and highly touted 2005s. I am reinforcing my understanding of our producers' styles and terroirs, and getting to know the producers themselves better.

So, in short, I'm very happy to be here. I've finally realized, this is my Burning Man.

I will discontinue writing about the grandiose themes of the experience, because, to do it justice, you would seriously need to write a book. And Kermit beat me to it.

On to mentioning the delicious morsels that make this trip special...

Orchid

2008-03-06T16:20:00.002-05:00

Manning the Psychological Barricades

2008-03-05T00:52:00.008-05:00

So, I am on the eve of the eve of the eve of the day I return to France for two weeks of wine-tasting and liver-eating for my boss Kermit Lynch. This will be my third trip on his dime, and also my second anniversary with the company.

Typically if you have a cool job, you knew it was cool when you obtained it. Usually people who open plant nurseries or chocolatiers or, in a simpler time, record stores, were people who became disillusioned with the dog-eat-dog worlds of sales or project management. They were going to lead a blissful existence following their passion. And, as "seller of French wine" I can tell you it doesn't take most of those cheese-mongers or florists or restaurateurs long to realize that they're still in sales and project management, just making less money.

So in your cool job with the real-life consequences, you are easily jaded with the comments of the uninitiated.

I can only estimate the number of times I have been tasting wine with an uninterested, hungover and snarky retailer at 10:30 a.m. on a Wednesday when a customer catches a glimpse of the interaction and says,
"How do I get your job?"
or
"Have an extra glass???"
or
"Rough life you're leading!"

And you smile. And try to form a polite expression that says, "You're right, sir. This is the pinnacle. If only you had figured it out sooner."

And you know he does have to go back to his cubicle at the end of his lunch break. And you know that you could down the rest of that bottle by 4 pm and get away with it, but still, your gut knows: it's a job. And so is the KLWM France trip each year. It's an irreplaceable, particularly pricey and somewhat exotic aspect of my job. But it's no Saturday-afternoon pedicure.

Both years previous I was sick at the end. Last year I had a wicked head cold by the time we got to Paris. And the first year, I threw up on the last night. Not because I was drunk or had food poisoning. My theory is that my body had gone on strike after 14 days of long car rides, cold cellars, foie gras and no exercise. I was packing for the haul back to Atlanta, and I just knew it, "I'm going to throw up for no particular reason." (I felt fine before and fine after.)

In 2007 on this same trip, we tasted 622 wines in 12 days, not counting lunch and dinner. We travel to 40+ wineries in more than 10 non-contiguous wine regions. France is about the size of Texas. We drive from Dallas to Midland via Corpus Christi.

We begin tasting shortly after 9 am, and usually end after dessert (and cheese) around 10:30 p.m., that's if you don't go out for cocktails afterwards, which, oddly enough, often hits the spot.

But you don't just drink. You eat. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day. I'm sure you've managed that much before. But for this trip, you must consider the incredibly hospitable wine makers who host you between each breakfast, lunch and dinner. Many of them seem to feel outright primitive if they don't offer you pate, sausages, quiche, omelets, and gougeres. (Please note: Bread and cheese are part of every food exchange in France. I asked for a lime with my water once in Montpellier and the bartender included a baguette and a wedge of Gruyere.)
So, obviously, you don't want to be rude.

I'm already tired of my own cynical ramblings. This trip is a pretty amazing opportunity. I can't deny it. And our French hosts are all princes and princesses as far as I'm concerned. But it's taxing. And traveling with 12 customers and your boss for 14 days does not make it particularly refreshing. But there's nothing like it. And I know when I get there, I will literally and figuratively be in another world.

It is my most honest intention to fill you in from time to time on what we see over there. For all (3) of you who I know read this, please stay tuned.

BTW, it's hard to believe I've powered through two years with KLWM, as we Cool Kids love to call it (OMG! WTF?!). Here's to getting what you ask for.

Cin-Cin!

Kermit Lynch for Spring!

2008-02-29T11:48:00.008-05:00

International Wines March and April Features, Birmingham, Alabama:

Warm Weather Primer

The lusty months of Spring will be here any day.
Here are some wines to help you air out from Winter.
By Ashley Hall

2007 “Unique” Sauvignon Blanc, Vin de Pays

We’re pleased to introduce a new addition to the Kermit Lynch line-up. Made by the always charming and reliable producers of the Salvard Cheverny, this wine is the perfect springtime sipper. Whereas the Cheverny (which has sold well in Birmingham for years) has a touch of Chardonnay in it, the Unique is 100% Sauvignon Blanc.

Our native son, Dixon Brooke played a hand in getting this item for Kermit Lynch. Here’s what he has to say about it:

“A very aromatic wine, with aromas of grapefruit and lime zest that jump out of the glass immediately. The palate is extremely bright, crisp and lively with zesty lemon, pear and honeydew melon flavors and a great vein of acidity and chalk, very refreshing. It finishes crisp and clean with lingering floral notes. Incredible value. “

2006 Champalou Vouvray

Reacquaint yourself with a classic. Catherine and Didier Champalou have been loyal stewards of the Chenin Blanc grape since 1984. They know how to coddle their vines into producing some of the most aromatic dry white wines you’ll ever find. Jasmine, Bosc pears and honeysuckle make an impression on the nose, and the palate offers a cool stoniness and a pear-like juiciness. There’s certainly a luscious texture on this darling little Vouvray, but the vivid acidity leaves your palate clean as a whistle.

2006 Lavantureux Petit Chablis

By now we all know that Chablis is not the insipid, cloying schlock that comes in a gallon jug. We know that first and foremost, it is a place, but we also know that it is the purest, freshest, most mineral expression of Chardonnay in the world. Petit Chablis is a, well, petite sub-appellation of Chablis with slightly different soils and terrain than its more famous sibling. Roland Lavantureux’s (Lah-VAHN-tur-oh) Petit Chablis is as concentrated and sophisticated as most Chablis I’ve tasted. So take this opportunity to experience the charm of sleek, un-oaked Chardonnay from one of the most classic wine growing regions in the world. This wine will erase all memories you had of Chardonnay in the buttered-popcorn school. Instead you’ll start thinking of Granny Smith apples and chalk.

2006 Le Pigeoulet en Provence, Vin de Table de Vaucluse

In every market I sell to someone eventually calls this wine the “little piggie”. And this wine does have an irreverent charm that such a nickname suggests. Still, it’s got some major pedigree, as it’s made by the same hands that make Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This soft, approachable Grenache-based wine is what Daniel Brunier, the gentleman who makes the famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape, drinks on week nights. Think of this wine as the Princess Fergie of the Rhône. She’s royalty all right, but how could someone with that smile be intimidating?

2006 Nicole Chanrion Côte de Brouilly – Cru Beaujolais

I probably drink this wine more often than any other red in our portfolio. Why? It’s not really intentional, but this bottle fits so many bills. It’s the perfect Party Red. I dare you to find a rough edge or a vagrant tannin. The fruit is juicy and dominated by irresistible strawberries. The alcohol is rather low, so there’s no sweating a couple of glasses of it. And if you stick this wine in your fridge for 15 minutes, the slight chill makes this one of the most refreshing reds available. It’s the least expensive of Kermit’s preeminent Cru Beaujolais collection, and just about ideal for the warm weather to come.

2005 Gachot-Monot Cote de Nuits-Villages

Lucky you! We found some affordable 2005 red burgundy for Birmingham! 2005 is heralded as being one of the best vintages for Burgundian pinot noir in recent memory. And while we don’t like getting too caught up in wine-press-driven vintage hysteria, we have to admit, 2005 was just about perfect in burgundy. And while all of the collectors are frantically rooting out the most famous (and expensive) sources for red Burgundy (aka 100% pinot from the grape’s birthplace), we’ll let you in on a little secret: Great vintages are great years to buy the less expensive wines, because, by definition, a hugely great vintage like 2005 is great all over! So if you’ve jumped on the pinot noir train in recent years, this might be the perfect chance for you to investigate the burgundy mystique. I would stock up on this one; it will be beautiful for years.

2005 Catherine Le Goeuil Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages “Marie Rouvière”

It’s not often that you find so much feminine influence in Rhône Valley wines. Rhône wines are known for their rural charm and quiet power. You smell the wildness of the terrain in these blends of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and others. You’ll still find those classic indicators here, but, as you can see by the name, this wine is made by a woman and in honor of one. Female winemakers are still strikingly rare in old France, but Catherine is doing a spectacular job with this wine that is named for her paternal grandmother. I’m not trying to say that women winemakers are better than men. But I do believe that you can find a woman’s finesse in the bottles made by the best female vignerons. There is an air of sophistication in this wine that you might expect to be a mere country beverage. And because the 2005 offers an added brawn and heft, you know you are drinking something both special and long-lived. Drink it beside your bar-b-que this summer; it will sing with anything cooked over an open flame.

Revolutionary Wine

2008-02-25T12:30:00.006-05:00

I think everyone in America who can trace their roots back before the Revolutionary War thinks that they are related to Pocahontas. My great-grandfather told me that very thing when I was a girl, and I reeled with the knowledge of how famous and important my family must be. He also told me that one of my relatives, Lyman Hall, signed the Declaration of Independence. This could be true, as he's on there (Left-hand column, second down). But I grew to just take it as good-spirited yarn to spin around the dinner table.

Something else I like to do around the dinner table (and the conference table, for that matter) is to imbibe a glass of wine or two. Though I drink it, I will say that I've never made it. But according to some information my grandmother dug up, someone in my ancestry did.

It seems that Thomas Livezey lived in what is now known as the Roxborough or Wissahickon neighborhoods of Philadelphia, meaning he would have planted grapes along the edge of what is now the Schuylkill Expressway.

This is how a the author of the blog "Roxborough Trash" describes the neighborhood today, "A blog about Roxborough, our fair neighborhood. It's a nice little upper class place where our "main street" is trash covered and the kids are as annoying as the old folks. We're harded by overexposure to TV and radio waves and the dioxins in the soil."

This family tie to Thomas Livezey the farmer and winemaker is rather more solid than the Pocahontas legend. My mother's mother's mother's mother was a Livezey, May Elizabeth Livezey Young. And my mother and grandmother were both named Virginia Livezey, though my mother is called "Livy" for short.

According to the genealogical account that my grandmother dug up, "Thomas Livezey... was a man of distinction, and a prominent member of the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1765- 1771. "

"He was also a member of the American Philosophical Society founded by Benjamin Franklin. His residence was in Roxoborough (sic), Philadelphia, and bordered on the beautiful Wissahickon. He owned mills and carried on milling, besides cultivating a large farm. One the hill side he had a vineyard, and, as was custom of his day, made his own wines."

Whats more, Horatio Gates Jones, once the vice president of the Philadelphia Historical Society, wrote about these wines:

"No doubt it was good, for in 1768 Robert Wharton sent a dozen bottles to Dr. Franklin, who in a letter dated February 20, 1766, wrote to Wharton as follows,

Dear Friend--- I received you favors of November 17th and 18th, with another
dozen of excellent wine, the manufacture of our friend Livezey. I thank you for
the care you have taken in forwarding the same, and for your good wishes
that accompanied them.

Mr. Livezey was a member of the Society of Friend's and when the British were in Philadelphia, and our troops used to go about seeking provender, he sunk a number of barrels of wine in his dam in the Wissahickon where it remained until the close of the war. Some of the wine was bottled and preserved by the late John Livezey... until a short time after he died in 1878. He gave me a small bottle of Revolutionary wine, which I shall deposit in our Society."

There you have it. Not only was my ancestor a glutton, but he hid his bounty from the Colonial Soldiers.

Tangentially, I was stunned to see that Pennsylvania has more than 60 wineries today, though none seem to be in inner-city Philly.

Nothing to Do With Food. Or Wine.

2008-02-24T22:06:00.001-05:00

I just paused the Oscars to watch this 60 Minutes video on the prosecution of Don Siegelman, former governor of Alabama. I wish it hadn't aired on Oscar Night.

My YouTube Debut

2008-02-14T21:12:00.000-05:00

I did this for the customers of Village Wine Market in Nashville on behest of the store's uncompromising owner, Hoyt Hill.

Apparently I was the guinea pig. I expect they'll have Hollywood-worthy special effects by fall.

I Couldn't Have Said It Better. But I Wish I Had Published It First.

2008-02-14T21:06:00.000-05:00

This article is my dream come true. I've been writing it in my head for years, but laced with profanity. Still, Eric deserves props because he took the time to write the article. And I would have had a lot more trouble having it published in the New York Times.

Um, You Think?

2008-02-13T01:08:00.003-05:00

Turns out lab rats gain more weight eating fake sweeteners--specifically saccharine-- than on natural sugar.

According to this scientific study covered by CNN, rats in a lab setting who ingested saccharine, the ingredient in Sweet 'n' Low, gained more weight than those that were given sugar.

Now, I thought I would enjoy this story for the duh-factor, like, "Tell me, Elizabeth, how do they explain the fact that eating a patented mixture of saccharine (benzoic sulfinide), dextrose and cream of tartar is not as nutritionally beneficial to rats as natural sugar? I mean, the calories!"

But this clip is worth watching to witness these journalists squirm and sweat as they drive home the point that they're NOT saying to boycott Sweet n' Low, for the love of God! They even give the Sweet n' Low rep an opportunity to share some choice wisdom like, "Rats and humans are not the same species."

Other interesting facts from Sweet n' Low's web site:
- As of May 2000 the National Toxicology Program took this product off the list of possible carcinogens. (Yay!!)
- Sweet n' Low has been used by hair stylists to reduce scalp irritation during hair coloring. Apparently, it soothes the burn.

Natural Sweetener, Titillating Name

2008-02-13T00:43:00.001-05:00

Atlanta's own Co-Cola has gotten smoked in the natural ingredients department, as Pepsi Raw is launched in Great Britain. There's a small band of local epicures who have been petitioning the hometown Coke execs to champion cane sugar in their colas, instead of corn syrup. I've heard it's in the works downtown, but it looks like, at least in the UK, score one for Pepsi.

Still, until they get the "Real Thing" back to the pre-corn, original recipe, I know folks who will continue trekking up Buford Highway to buy Mexican Cokes at the immigrant grocery stores.

Against All Odds...

2008-02-11T21:45:00.002-05:00

According to Appellation America, each state in the South has at least a few functioning wineries. How many? More than I thought. These people have to be seriously thirsty for a challenge. In the best of geographical circumstances, winemaking is a total money-sucker. So these guys must be either 1) uber-rich and don't care 2) working their asses off for peanuts 3) making money elsewhere but losing their shirt on their hobby.
And even if you strike vintage-gold and make the best wine Virginia has ever seen, even if it scored 102 points in blind tastings, I estimate that 98.99% of the wine-drinking public wouldn't touch the stuff on a dare.
You're all made of sturdier stuff than I. Cheers to y'all!

Alabama: 9
Arkansas : 6
Georgia: 24
Florida: 14 (no vitus vinifera varietals grown)
Kentucky: 24
Louisiana: 5
Mississippi: 3 (no vitus vinifera varietals grown)
North Carolina: 58
South Carolina: 5
Tennessee: 26
Texas: 81
Virginia: 126

Wine and Southern Heritage

2008-02-11T16:03:00.001-05:00

Do the annals of Southern Food Culture have a place for wine?

In October of 2008, the Southern Foodways Alliance will be hosting their hottest-ticket event, otherwise known as their annual, three-day symposium in Oxford, Mississippi. This is a retreat-ish type of convention where 300 SFA members from all over the country converge on this "Ole" Southern college town to digest pounds and pounds of bacon fat, as well as lectures on subjects such as
1) Cornbread - dry or moist, savory or sweet?
2) The literary and cultural connections between BBQ and cannibalism
3) Why are there so few African-American celebrity chefs?
4) Peanuts - can they be made into a cotton candy flavor?

Being such a ga-ga fan of the SFA and a wine salesperson to boot, I was just thrilled when I heard that the theme for the 2008 symposium will be Southern Drinkways. What could be better? I love anything liquid, especially when there's alcohol in there. And this born-again Alabaman is just juiced about the SFA. So, bam! Perfect combo.

But not so fast. After a few discussions with other members, I realized that wine is not necessarily on the menu. Like last year, it will be easy-peasy to find a reason to celebrate Iced Tea, Coca-Cola, Bourbon, moonshine and even Absinthe. But the connection between wine and Deep South Southern Food Culture is not so obvious.

For one thing, naturally-occurring parasites, such as the glassy-winged sharpshooter, and the soggy nature of most summers make growing healthy vitis vinifera hrapes in the South a monumental challenge; Southern-produced bottles have been rare and irregular for generations. Then there's the strong history of southern, Christian temperance and the resulting anti-alcohol laws, which made alcohol consumption in many places the pass time that dare not speak its name. So the South's true alcoholic legacy is one of country bootleggers and the John Grisham-style intellectual alcoholics. Whiskey is far less perishable and alcohol-efficient, making it a more attractive choice for drinking discreetly.

But if I submit to this line of thought, at the next symposium-- should I be lucky enough to go--I will have nothing but hot, brown liquids pushed in my face, which, is not my chosen ticket to a good time.

So it is my personal project to find and spotlight whatever gossamer connections exist between Southern Food Culture and my personal passion, wine. I'm going to use this forum as a way to outline the challenges, showcase new morsels of information, and seek advice from other Southerners who love to sip the most ancient of alcoholic beverages.

Salut, Chin-Chin, Cheers