In a Foul Mood

I had every intention to write a brief, informative post tonight, but I must admit I'm not up to the task. At the moment, writing is boring, discussing wine seems dull, and doing anything remotely related to wine blogging, twittering, and other assorted web 2.0 platforms sounds about as appealing as drinking a 3 oz glass of 2006 Agostina Pavia Barbera d'Asti Bricco Blina. It's a wine that unfortunately is all too present in my sensory memory as I just drank it 20 minutes ago. It smells like Manischevitz fermented to dryness, and tastes like a cheap, acidified central valley cab/merlot/whatever else is on hand blend.

Why am I in a rut? Was it the 30+ bottle line-up of primarily California wines I was subjected to earlier in the day that has soured my mood? The rigors of a weekly schedule which typically includes 1.5-2+ hours commuting, as well as a three hour evening class twice weekly? Maybe it was the strange dinner of unrelated vegetarian side dishes? Who knows. I'll be back when I'm back, ideally with more inspiring words to put to screen.

At the very least, hopefully you enjoyed the wonders of the iMac photo booth effects. If I were you, I wouldn't mess with that dude right now....

In Search of Traditional and Natural Spanish Wines in Spain

This is part of Cory Cartwright's 31 Days of Natural Wine Series on his blog, Saignee. Follow it here.

Old fermentation vats at R. Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia, amongst the most successful producers and marketers of traditional Spanish wine

For a country that boasts more land under vine than any other, with a variety of terroirs, climates, winemaking traditions and styles that is only surpassed by France and Italy, Spain has a long way to go in the natural wine world.

The definition of natural wine has generally come to encompass organic or biodynamic vine cultivation in the vineyard, fermentation with native yeasts, minimal intervention in the cellar, and significantly lower doses of sulphur at all stages of the winemaking process. Another classification of this sort of farming and winemaking could be 'traditional.' In other words, the way that conscientous, quality oriented winemakers made their wine before the advent of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides in the second half of the 20th century, and prior to the emergence of the new French oak barrique, lab made yeasts and assorted heavy handed cellar methods.

If natural wine means wine made traditionally with the fruit of well tended vines, why would Spain - a country steeped in wine tradition and covered (to the tune of 1.16 million hectares) with vines - be lagging far behind Italy and France in the production of natural wines?

"The Spanish are very attracted by a modern attitude towards winemaking and keeping up with the trends as they perceive them in the world," says Spanish wine importer Andre Tamers of De Maison Imports, a company which focuses on small production, traditional, natural Spanish wines.

"They have been very influenced by wine critics and styles that are pervasive today as a way to differentiate themselves from their past."

That past, up until fifteen or so years ago, usually involved picking grapes that were not super-ripe, and aging for longer periods of time in larger vessels, often times made of American oak, or perhaps concrete. Some of the wines which resulted from this practice tasted oaky and dried out, lacking vibrancy and fruit. Often times they were also oxidized. Many of these wines, however, were distinctive and delicious, as Santo Domingo and New York based wine blogger Manuel Camblor recalls, "[the late 80's-early '90s] was a time when five bucks could still buy you a wonderful bottle, if you had your head on straight."

Of today's similarly value oriented bottles from Spain, Camblor is far less enthusiastic, decrying most of them as 'homogenized and globalist' with 'zero soul.'

'Zero soul' wines sure are popular with the vast majority of discerning Spanish wine critics in the US, abroad and even in Spain. There are countless examples which score 90-92 pts on a 100 pt scale, and cost a mere $15 or less. While those who value consumer reports may be elated, others with more drinking experience, or even those who are relatively new to Spanish wine and have tasted the real thing, tend to look for authenticity.

Bodegas R. Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia, in Rioja, is that rare Spanish wine that appeals to a cross section of new Spanish wine drinkers, seasoned Spanish wine afficionados and even the hypercritical, generally French leaning tastes of natural wine fans. They farm organically, harvest by hand, allow fermentation to take place naturally in huge, very old American oak vats, and in many respects make wine in a manner similar to how it was made in the early years of the bodega in the late 19th century. As staunchly traditional as the wines are, Maria José Lopez de Heredia is far from critical of more modern efforts being made elsewhere in Rioja and throughout Spain.

"Spanish palates have evolved with the progressive integration in the European Union," says Lopez de Heredia, "and have become more international in the acceptance of styles and flavors. Also all palates get adapted to the products that exist on offer."

So are Spanish palates becoming more international, appreciating the same sorts of richer, heavier, higher alcohol wines which have sold so well in the US? Not necessarily so, according to Andre Tamers:

"Spain is still a very classic wine drinking nation and many of the wines that show up on our shores are expressly for a foreign market very similar to the way Sherry was sold two hundred years ago to the British (sweetened)."

Another importer who has been seeking out authentic, traditional Spanish wines is Jose Pastor, who imports properties such as Señorio de P. Pecina in Rioja and the unusual, but rewarding Monastrell based wines of Primitivo Quiles outside of Alicante.

"I would say that it is getting harder to find honest [Spanish] producers," says Pastor.

Neatly summing up the current lack of conviction plaguing Spanish winemakers, as well as importers and retailers, Pastor observes:

"The problem that I see here, is that we are trying too hard to please other people when we should first learn how to please ourselves."

07 Do Ferreiro Cepas Velhas and Leftover Chicken Tacos

What a terrific way to spend time on a Sunday (or any day off, or for that matter any day you spend partially at home): cook lunch and take your time eating it with a glass or two of wine. Americans need to drink wine more frequently with their lunch!

I sauteed red onion, diced cherry tomatoes and fennel leaves together with some leftover roasted chicken in a pan, and then placed a large spoonful over top a warmed corn tortilla.


The 2007 Do Ferreiro Cepas Velhas had been opened for 5 or so days. What started as a fairly rich, intensely flavored, fleshy stone fruited wine with a touch of smoky mineral transformed into a more tense, more mineral, less fruit driven albariño. That's what 200 year old albariño vines will do for a wine. Was it worth the extra $15 (we sell for $40) compared to the regular '07 Do Ferreiro? Maybe not for a regular go-to, but as a splurge or an aging experiment (both wines, by the way, will be better in a year and still very drinkable in another 4) I would say yes.

Friday PM Hip-hop returns with Pete Rock

I'm going to do my best to get back on track programming real hip-hop every Friday afternoon, just like I did back in the day, circa '07. Pete Rock, one of hip-hop's greatest producers, proves here that he's also got some mic skills. He's accompanied by one of the most promising MC's at that time, Inspectah Deck along with west coast by way of Philadelphia rapper Kurupt. From the 1998 album Soul Survivor. For the record, a 10 year-old record in hip-hop definitely qualifies as OLD SCHOOL.

In an Euskadi state of mind

This evening, on the train ride home from work, my friend Chiara and I shared some txakoli (alternatively known as txakolina, maybe it's a declension thing - Basque language majors?) There's nothing better than drinking on Caltrain, especially if you're drinking Basque wine. Xarmant, our Caltrain txakoli for the evening, is the largest producer in the Arabako Txakolina D.O.

Let' break it down first with some Txakoli (-na) basics.

There are 3 sub-regions, differentiated by place and levels of dissolved CO2. Here they are from fizziest to least fizzy:

Getariako Txakolina(Ameztoi, Talai Berri, Txomin Etxaniz and I believe 9 other producers) - these wines are produced in the area just outside of San Sebastian
Arabako Txakolina (Xarmant, plus a few other very tiny estates (?) ) - from the Basque province of Alava, a bit further south than the other two D.O.'s
Bizkaiko Txakolina (Uriondo, Gurrutxaga, Gorrondona, Berroia) - Centered around Bilbao.

Since my work pays me to be geeky (for those who know me, easy on the comments, bitches!) I decided to taste the remaining Caltrain bottle of Xarmant side by side with the famed fizzy Ameztoi and the Uriondo. At the expense of preparing/eating a proper dinner, I did this.

Xarmant Arabako Txakolina- Green fruits, especially lime. Simple but very thirst quenching and satisfying.
Ameztoi Getariako Tkakolina- Also green fruited, but noticeably fizzier. Mineral, tighter, more complex (but it's txakoli, after all, so not too complex)
Uriondo Bizkaiko Txakolina - This was my clear favorite. It's the least fizzy, but also the most textural and distinctive. Slightly underripe Anjou pear flavor, excellent purity and mouthfeel, and a faint suggestion of white pepper on the finish. Txakoli 'gastronomique,' if you will.

Off to eat some cheesy toast and salad for dinner; hopefully this has been of interest to one or two people....

A Quick Foray into LA

As much as I love my adopted city of San Francisco, I do enjoy the occasional jaunt to our southerly neighbors in LA. Well, now that I think of it, I have only been to LA twice since moving here two and a half years ago. Anyway, LA does have a lot to offer: fake boobs, killer poolside scenes like that of the Viceroy in Santa Monica and a much more vibrant club scene with better VIP services than we have here up north.

Joking...in all seriousness LA is a city with a flavor all its own. It's a bit warmer, the radio is much, much better, many people seem genuinely happy, even the hipsters are friendlier. Here's a quick re-hashing of my day in LA:

I checked in to the Hotel Miyako, saw Liza Minelli and Quincy Jones chatting with Larry King about you know who (not live, on the tv), and then headed off to the Hungry Cat to meet fellow K&Ler and blogger Leah G for cocktails and soft shell crab. After that it was off to Lou, where I had a decent if somewhat lower acid, less intense than I remember glass of '07 Viñedos de Ithaca PX (that's dry pedro ximenez, from Priorat). Also enjoyed an '04 Viña Ijalba Graciano (plumper and fleshier, but also better balanced than when I last tasted 8-10 months ago). Ijalba makes good wine in Rioja, they are also reasonably priced so you should check them out. It went really nicely with the savory, tangy Basque style grilled sausage and black lentils. Certainly better than the '07 Foillard Morgon Cotes du Py, which perhaps was showing softer, rounder and friendlier than I would have liked. Should probably note that I would not fully trust my palate after drinking a cocktail, and I had in fact consumed two coktails. I think that was it for wine. I was distracted a bit by the small talk with proprietor Lou (very cool guy) and Frank from the Bronx, a regular, who as you may imagine about a guy named Frank who hails from the Bronx, has got some stories to tell.

The next morning I got a taste of Valencia St mission gone south in Silver Lake. I went to Intelligentsia for some decent fancy coffee with fancy cheese n sausage muffin. Oh yeah, there is a Saturday farmer's market in Silver Lake if you're in the area and want to procure some fresh produce, floppy fishing hats, fedoras, or homemade soap, all while listening to the smooth reggae guitar stylings of Ernest Ranglin from one of the booths. Yes, this is very much an LA farmer's market.

From Silver Lake it was off to Santa Monica for the LA which many people know and love best. I did in fact hang out poolside at the Viceroy (yeah, I did it) primarily to catch up with an old friend who was in town for a bachelor party. Managed to hang out and have a pretty good time, though in a rather douche-y environment.

And that, fellow blog readers, was the trip. I'd be remiss if I did not mention the very good tacos served to the primarily gringo populace of Santa Barbara at La Super Rica (thanks, Leah for the tip!) They have more vegetarian options then any other taqueria I have been to, while still providing some authentic ingredients and flavor combinations (chayote, roasted pasillo peppers, cheese). Not the ubiquitous NorCal Michoacan style here. The seasoning of the pork, with terrific savory- sweet interplay and prominent cinnamon, suggested regions further south. Jamaica (hibiscus tea, slightly sweetened) was rich, tangy and terrific. If someone opted for this instead of a beer, I would not give them a tough time for doing so.

La Super Rica was enough to tide me over until I arrived at the Monterey In n' Out Burger to walk off my restless leg syndrome and provide a bit more sustenance for the home stretch.

I do not, by the way, recommend driving from San Francisco to LA for merely a one day visit. Try to catch a flight, at least until the high speed train is ready in another 10-25 years.

MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON

The news about Michael didn't really sink in until the ride home from work on Thursday afternoon. I was listening to the local hip-hop station's inevitable afternoon drive time tribute, and to be perfectly honest tears were welling up in my eyes during the set. When they played 'Human Nature,' a beautiful ballad on the best selling album of all time, Thriller, I damn near lost it.

Why did Michael Jackson's death affect me in a way that no other celebrity death has? Maybe it's the tragic human element to his story, a tremendous, once in a generation talent that happens to belong to a very sick person, who had to grapple with an ugly three headed monster of celebrity, severe depression and HUGE debt. Or maybe it's just that it's, as my friend Matt put it, the worst celebrity death of our generation. Either way, I realized that whether or not I knew it, I am - like millions of others around the word - a huge Michael Jackson fan. I should qualify that, since we are strictly old school here. A huge fan of Michael Jackson pre-1984.

If you're of a similar mind, then I would definitely check out J. Period's 'Man or the Music' (great title) Michael Jackson tribute mix. I heard it on the freeway yesterday while en route to Santa Monica. Great stuff, focusing primarily on Michael Jackson's earlier career, with some fun mixes and demo versions.

Long live the music.