Food Thread: Lies, Damned Lies, And Wine Reviewers

That's a pleasant, reasonably-priced wine from northern Italy, with the legal designation of IGT, or Indicazione Geografica Tipica. It's stupidly complicated, but the short explanation is that the wines with that designation satisfy a certain minimum requirement, and fall in the middle of the various designations of the Italian wine industry.

The reason it is complicated is that there are superb wines that are among the best that Italy produces, but because of these arcane rules, they can't be given the top designation of DOP or DOCG or...whatever. And Italy isn't the only country with lunatic rules! The United States and France do it too!

Anyway, I bought this wine because it is a blend of two grapes, Negroamaro and Primitivo, one of which I like very much. Primitivo is roughly analogous to Zinfandel, and I have had very good luck with this grape. Also, it's not an expensive wine, so even if it were crap, I could still cook with it and not have to sell my other kidney to afford it.

But I arrived at the wine store and discovered that it was being touted as a great wine, which puzzled me, because I have never had a Primitivo-based wine that was anywhere near great. Tasty? Yes! Great with dinner at a classic Italian-American restaurant? Absolutely. But the "98" rating from a well-known reviewer seemed a bit odd.

A "98" should mean an incredible, special, wonderful wine that is an amazing experience. I have taken wine seriously for a very long time, and I can count on the fingers of one hand (with a thumb or two to spare) the number of "98" wines I have drunk. For you geeks, a 1971 Richebourg was the best of that short list, and while I didn't think to assign a number to it (mostly I was mumbling..."holy sh*t!), I guess it was about a "98."

So when I opened this bottle I was not at all surprised to discover that it was exactly what I expected...a pleasant and uncomplicated wine that went nicely with the cheeseburger I was having for dinner. I would give it an "85," which is a respectable score. I bought a few more bottles, because it was worth the price.

So, what's up with Luca Maroni? Bribed? Stupid? Crap palate? Or maybe he is an unabashed Italian patriot and simply wants his country's wine industry to prosper.

You make the call...

Interesting! Gold Star Distribution is headquartered in Minneapolis, its CEO is Bassam AbuSamrah, and they seem to supply a lot of Halal grocers and other places that have 3rd World-sounding names.

Remind me again about how diversity is our strength, and how immigration is a marvelous addition to our country.

I am sure that King Arthur Flour's sourdough starter is excellent. But for $12.95? That's nuts.

Make your own. It might take a few tries, but it will be yours! And KAF's starter will eventually morph into your own anyway, so why not skip the step where you pay them $13 for 10¢ worth of flour and 50¢ worth of packaging?

And I am a huge fan of their flour, which is absolutely better than commodity flour. They also have a great store in Norwich VT, which is worth a visit if you are driving on I-91.

We had grand plans for Christmas Eve...fried chicken from an excellent joint in the ghetto, my buttermilk biscuits, and some roasted Brussels Sprouts. That is a top-notch meal, and one that makes me smile.

Sadly, the person responsible for the incredibly complex part of the plan...the calling the take-out joint to order the chicken...had a few too many Negronis, and we had to rush to the store for some chicken thighs. Yup, they were tasty, grilled simply with a spice rub for half, and a wet sauce for the other half.

But now I have fried chicken on a loop in my head!

I have made it, but haven't settled on a recipe. Any experts out there who will share a good one? I always start with a buttermilk soak, because why should I play around with perfection. But everything else is on the table, so have at it!

Yes, scampydog is trolling me again. That is venison/pork sausage, and damn! It looks great!

Anyway, I have made Homesick Texan's Basic Black Beans recipe, and it is excellent. And yes, she has a long write-up before the recipe, but she also knows how to write, unlike most of the food website writers on the planet, so you won't get any complaints from me!

This is not an invitation to start food punning!

Send all of your extra antelope to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

Rumor has it that the Bourbon Bubble is bursting. I have seen no evidence of decreasing prices, but maybe the bursting started somewhere else! I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.

The problem...or the solution...is to buy lots of bourbon, take tasting notes, and eventually arrive at your favorites! It should take forty or fifty years, but it is worth it!

posted by CBD at 04:00 PM

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