Having worked in restaurants in many different capacities over the years has opened my eyes to a lot of things. I’ve got plenty of juicy stories, lies and exaggerations. However, I wouldn’t be doing my duty as “The Wine Guy” if I were to deviate and spill the beans. Sorry Oysterites. You can read all about them though if you pick up my newest romance novel. The title is still in the works and it’ll certainly be juicier than Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential.

Navigating through a new wine list can be intimidating and unknowledgable or pompous servers, sommeliers and bartenders certainly don’t help either. I bet it would feel good to put them in their place, on occasion. That’s not the point of this article, although you might get a few tips on how to if you read on!

You probably have noticed recently how most restaurants, whether they are fine-dining or casual, have really revamped their wine lists and selling techniques. At The Olive Garden, for instance, you can taste any of their wines before you purchase; even their wines by the bottle. A lot of other corporate restaurants have also adapted the ‘taste before you buy’ policy although they don’t extend it to wines by the bottle.

I’ve even found a new retail store/restaurant called “The Grape” where you can taste ANY of their non-reserve wines even if you are purchasing them for off-site consumption. These are just a few examples, as I’m sure you’ve noticed a lot of changes in your neighborhood restaurants and retailers as well.

First let’s expose a few secrets that will help you in your future dining experiences. We all know that wine is marked up in restaurants anywhere from 150% to 300% of the wholesale cost. Ironically, what most of you don’t know is that the higher priced wines are actually the best deals since they have the least mark up. The worst deals in the restaurant are usually the wines by the glass.

Most people think that wines by the glass are a great way to enjoy your dinner without spending much money. What you don’t know is that most restaurants charge you per glass what they pay per bottle. Generally, if you’re going to have a glass or two it’s actually worth it to buy the bottle; especially since a lot of states allow you to take an remaining wine home. A restaurant will open a bottle one day and might not finish it for three, four or five days. I can guarantee you that most wine served even hours after it was opened, even if there is a cork in it, or it was vacuum pumped, has not gotten better but worse. You might not notice it because you’ve never had the wine before, or you’re still forming a sensitive wine pallette.

Don’t you want the experience to taste as good as it can? Correct me if I’m wrong but restaurants don’t charge less per glass if the bottle has been opened for a day or longer. I only drink wines by the glass that I know the restaurant is selling a lot of, or has just opened. If I’m dining with a few people, I’ll generally push for the bottle.

Don’t be afraid to ask your server or bartender if they have just opened a particular bottle or would open a fresh bottle for you. Certainly don’t be afraid to ask for a sample of a wine which catches your fancy. Especially if it’s one you’ve never tried before. Wine loses its youthful vibrancy quicker than you think.

Oh, and as far as putting people in their place … well, ok. Here are a few questions that you can ask your pretentious server/sommelier that they probably won’t know.

1) What grapes are used in Amarone? A: Rondinella, Molinara & Corvina Veronese.

2) Have you ever had a wine from the Basque country? (For this one it doesn’t matter if they answer yes or no. Although a no response will put you up a little higher on your pedestal.) A: Wow, that one varietal, Hondarrabi Zuri, is somewhat reminiscent of a Vidal Blanc meets Torrontes or a Viognier meets Vermentino. Good luck finding it!

3) Name one grape that is made into a white, rosé and red wine? A: Pinot Noir.

Until next time friends.

Well we already know that Takeru Kobayashi is no longer the king of the hot dog eating castle. Joey Chestnut, the competitive eater with the best non-pornstar name ever, has already broken the 12-minute record.

With a much anticipated showdown next Wednesday at the July 4, Coney Island Nathan’s Hot Dog competition, it seems Kobayashi is starting to make excuses if he loses, or worse, doesn’t show up to compete.

Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi said he can only open his mouth to make a gap the size of a fingertip after being diagnosed with jaw arthritis.

In an entry on his blog entitled “Occupational hazard,” Kobayashi said: “My jaw refused to fight any more.”

The injury occurred only a week after the slender 29-year-old started training to win his seventh straight title at the annual July 4 Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating event at New York’s Coney Island.

“I feel ashamed that I couldn’t notice the alarm bells set off by my own body,” he said.

“But with the goal to win another title with a new record, I couldn’t stop my training so close to the competition.

“I was continuing my training and bearing with the pain but finally I destroyed my jaw.”

Looks like Joey Chestnut has destroyed his spirit. Or maybe, just maybe, he’s setting the stage for the greatest gastro-sports moment. A joyous victory with jaw-arthritis. If that would happen, it would easily join MJ’s Flu Game in the sports pantheon.

Stayed tuned until next Wednesday to see how this plays out.

Not sure if anyone saw this one coming. Kobayashi, the indestructable gastro-athlete, the Michael Jordan of shoving hot dogs and buns into his belly, might just have some competition this July 4 at Coney Island for Nathan’s annual Hot Dog Eating Competition.

Yesterday, 22 year old California native, Joey Chestnut shattered the hot dog eating world record by downing 59 and a half hot dogs in 12 minutes. Kobayashi previously held the record at 53 dogs.

Chestnut has been slowly creeping up in the standings and is probably regarded by most as the second best competitive eater in the world, behind Japan’s Kobayashi.

“He’s unbelievable — he just keeps on going,” said Ryan Nerz, who works for Major League Eating, which he describes as “a world governing board for all stomach-centric sports.”

“These guys’ numbers have just been going up at a tremendous clip,” Nerz said. “I always thought there was a limit — a limit to the human stomach and a limit to human willpower — but I guess not.”

Chestnut won a free trip to New York, a year’s supply of hot dogs and a $250 gift card to the mall.

He flew to New York on Saturday night for a previously scheduled trip to throw out the first pitch Sunday at a game between the New York Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Costos said.

Chestnut might want to think about finding a new agent, since the 16-pound dump he took after eating all those hot dogs might not be worth a $250 mall gift certificate. Unless of course, the mall has a Hot Topic, and then we’d be totally psyched for him.

Pink is in, I swear!

It’s officially summertime. Well, for me it is, down in Florida. Sorry to rub it in. For all you Northerners you still have a little time to go, although there have been some beautiful days scattered here and there. Which brings me to ponder….What is it about the seasons that change our wine preferences? What type of wine does summertime call for?

Don’t you find light, dry, crisp and flavorful whites to be much more invigorating on a hot summer day? The same applies during the arctic New England winter, when those dark, rich, deep, brooding Syrahs or Cabernets can really put some meat on your bones. I don’t think that the seasons or weather necessarily dictate that you should drink white in the summer and red in the winter though. It all depends on what you like. For me, summertime and sitting outside on the deck, or being at the beach watching the sunset prompts me to enjoy the most overlooked wine of all. ROSÉ!

Rosé is still having difficulty getting past the reputation that was created for it in the mid 70’s and 80’s. That was when Sutter Home and E&J Gallo paved the way for sweet pink wine with their jug “Pink Chablis” and White Zinfandel. Even though that was years ago, the American consumer still automatically associates rosé with sweet, cheap, pink jug wine. The Spaniards didn’t help either, giving rosé a bad name amongst their fellow countrymen, by putting rosé on the back burner to their great Tempranillos and Grenaches. Luckily in France, particularly southern France & Provence, rosé has always been the pride and joy of winemakers and wine drinkers alike. Their contagious enthusiasm is now spreading rapidly like wildfires throughout the world.

Fashionably speaking, pink has been in for a few years and unfortunately in the U.S. it is only recently that rosé has even been an inkling in the consumer’s repertoire. Why is rosé such a hard sell? It is a great medium between red and white wine, with refreshingly juicy flavors of strawberry, raspberry, watermelon and hints of spices. Its extreme versatility with cuisine and ability to literally quench your thirst on a hot day is reason enough.

Let’s be clear on one thing though, when I refer to rosé I am not speaking of anything with the word “white” in the title. White Zinfandel, white Merlot, white OUT! What I am referring to is what the Italians call “Rosato”, the Spanish call “Rosado” and what is also occasionally referred to as “vin gris”, or grey wine.

Rosé can range in color from apricot to salmon, pale pink to a non-opaque magenta. It all depends on the grape(s) used and how long the juice stayed in contact with the skins before being drained off to ferment. This is called the saignée method, one of two methods to make rosé. This ‘skin contact’, or maceration, is necessary to give rosé both its color and flavor. Tannins, that dry tactile sensation associated with big reds, and color both come from the amount of time that the juice spends macerating and fermenting with the grape skins, stems, seeds and pips.

Traditionally, rosés are usually made from a single, light press of red grapes and then left in contact with the skins anywhere from hours to a few days at the most. The wine is then drained off after the short maceration to ferment. This results in a wine that marries the vibrant freshness of a white wine with the color, flavors and tannins of a red wine. The most common grapes used for rosé are Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Cinsault, Counoise, Sangiovese and Pinot Noir.

Interestingly enough, the saignée method was originally used as a means to create more flavorful and intense red wines. Once the wine intended to be rosé was drained off, there would be a higher skins to juice ratio. This “leftover” juice was actually the initial focus of the winemaker. With less juice in the tank the resulting unfermented wine had more opportunity to gain color, flavor and the potential to be a great red wine. It’s crazy to think that making rosé was only the means to an end.

There has been a paradigm in the way rosé is made now though. Winemakers are still using the saignée method, however they are “bleeding” off all of the wine focusing their efforts entirely on rosé. Grapes are being picked specifically for it. There are even producers who specialize in making only rosé. No longer does rosé have the back seat. Now if only consumers would realize what they have been missing out on we could have a full blown rosé revolution on our hands. Maybe we’re not quite ready for that though!

A few tips on rosé.

1. Only drink the freshest available, unless it’s vintage rosé champagne. That’s an entirely different subject and article!
2. The darker the color, the more it is going to taste like the full blown red version of the grape(s) that it is made from.
3. It’s great with Asian flavors & dishes, especially sushi.

For all you rosé lovers I thought this would be a fun way to test your knowledge. Match the region with the primary grape or grapes used for making rosé.

Region:

a. Anjou

b. Marsannay

c. Tavel

d. Provence

e. Colchagua Valley

f. Navarra

g. Rioja

Grape:

h. Grenache

i. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault

j. Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon

k. Pinot Noir

l. Cabernet Franc

m. Grenache, Mourvedre, Counoise

n. Malbec

Answers after the jump!

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Unpretentious, rustic and comfortably affluent, Burgundy consists of 50-plus villages and 100-plus appellations. From the minerally laced Chablis at the far north to the freshly crushed strawberry flavors of Beaujolais at the southern end, Burgundy is one of the most fascinatingly different wine growing regions.

You could say its diversity comes from its vast expanse of land, stretching over 200 miles from north to south, while only a few hundred yards wide at some parts. It’s also where the first vineyard designated wines were made. Think about how many times you have bought a bottle that listed the individual vineyard the grapes came from. Kudos to the Benedictine and Cistercian monks who began analyzing and dividing individual Burgundian vineyards back in the 11th century.

Unlike Bordeaux, there is NO varietal blending in Burgundy. It’s a crime that not only can land you in jail with hefty fines but tarnish a family’s hard earned reputation. It is here that a family’s vineyard inheritance is more desirable than a fiscally liquid option. Vineyards are passed down from father to son or father to daughter in some cases. As much as Burgundy is a family operation there are some big players called negociants who buy wine from various families to blend together to produce under their own label. Just to clarify, this blending is only Pinot with Pinot and Chardonnay with Chardonnay from within the same appellation, so it’s entirely legal. You will probably recognize most of them: Jadot, Latour, Joseph Drouhin and Bouchard Pere et Fils.

Classic Pinot Noir/Burgundy stemware

There are three main grapes grown in Burgundy: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay. Yet there are five main growing regions: Chablis, Cote d’Or, Cote Chalonnaise, Maconnais and Beaujolais. Chardonnay is the sole grape grown in Chablis. The wines produced there are pure & focused, sporting flavors of tart apple and citrus. Here they almost always use stainless steel or cement vat fermentation and aging instead of oak. Hence if you love the buttery, rich, oaky taste of Chardonnay these wines are not for you.The Cote d’Or can be divided into two regions, the Cote de Nuits in the north (Pinot Noir country), and the Cote de Beaune in the south, where both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are grown. These two regions are the heart and soul of Burgundy. Home to almost all of the best wines in the area, they can leave you speechless and awestruck. Be prepared to shell out at least $25 for a decent wine and don’t be surprised to find $50 - $75 bottles from the same vintage and village but from a different producer.

Both the Cote Chalonnaise and the Maconnais are regions where value is to be found. It’s just slightly south of the Cote d’Or, and both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are subject to the same growing conditions and held to the same standards there. All the way to the south is Beaujolais, the fruity, forward quaffer that can be so delicious, just slightly chilled on a hot summer day. Made from the Gamay grape, it is a wine best enjoyed in its youth; unless made from one of the top ten crus.

Labeling in Burgundy is a little different from Bordeaux. The producer’s name is usually at the bottom of the label in smaller font while the appellation or commune and/or vineyard takes the focus in the center of the label. This is because each village and vineyard within the Cote de Nuits, Cote de Beaune, Cote Chalonnaise & Maconnais are known for different styles of wine and I will be doing an article on each of those areas in the future.

For starters, the best way to understand the wine hierarchy in Burgundy is to picture a triangle. Vineyards are ranked according to the quality of wine that they have produced over time. The best are known as grand cru of which there are around 40; they are at the top of the triangle. Just below them are premier cru vineyards (around 500), followed by village level wines ( i.e. Pommard, Volnay, Chassagne-Montrachet, Nuits St. George, Vosne-Romanee, Meursault, Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny), and at the bottom are the basic Borgogne Rouge (red) and Borgogne Blanc (white).

Generally speaking, wines of the highest price, smallest production and best quality are at the top of the triangle, while value priced wines with a larger production are at the bottom.

Unfortunately there can be a lot of variation in Burgundian wines from within the same appellation, even vineyard. Some individual vineyards are divided amongst many growers. Some of those growers may produce their own wine, some may sell to another grower, while others may opt to sell to a negociant. I don’t know every producer’s business but there is one dead giveaway to determine the basics. Any producer whose name is prefaced by ‘Domaine’ is the proud owner of an estate produced wine. Meaning all the grapes are grown by the person producing the wine. None of the grapes were purchased from someone else. Having autonomous control of the vineyard allows the grower/producer to better control, yields, sun exposure & overall grape quality.

Three stellar vintages to look for in Burgundy are the 2002, a very classic vintage for both red and white. The super ripe 2003 vintage produced some profound reds due to the extreme heat. Be leery of the 2003 whites though, some are lacking the vivacity and freshness that white burgundy is known for. Yet to be seen is the 2005 vintage which is being touted as the best of 2002 and 2003. If you have money to buy futures of these wines, DO IT! Your palate won’t regret it, although your wallet or significant other might.

It inspired Van Gogh, Oscar Wilde and Arthur Rimbaud. Now it can inspire you perhaps?

Absinthe, the cocktail preferred by Parisian artists, writers and poets of long ago is returning to the United States after a 100 year absence. The alcohol hasn’t been seen in these parts since 1910, but now it’s available in New York City and the Hamptons courtesy of Viridian Spirits via France.

They’re still trying to find online distribution and break into other markets, but keep an eye out for Lucid. It’s made with actual wormwood, fennel and anise, along with other herbs. It’s also 62% alcohol per volume. From the NY Daily News:

Viridian is trying to correct the misperceptions that have given absinthe a bad rap. A liquor distilled from herbs, including wormwood, anise and fennel, which give it its distinct color and licorice taste, absinthe was first introduced in late 18th century France as an herbal remedy. It later caught on with artists and the Cafe Society, who nicknamed it “The Green Fairy” for its supposed clarifying effects on the mind. That absinthe was cheap and there was a wine shortage didn’t hurt. At its height, the French consumed 36 million liters a year. Absinthe, however, soon came to be blamed for rampant drunkenness and gained a reputation as a dangerous elixir that produced hallucinations and bizarre behavior, leading to its ban in Europe and many countries. The culprit was believed to be thujone, a toxin contained in wormwood. (Absinthe also figured in the mysterious disappearance of George Allen Smith IV, of Greenwich, Conn., from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in 2005 while on his honeymoon. He and a group including his wife were reported to have been drinking absinthe purchased in Italy the evening he presumably went overboard.)

Modern science has debunked many of the myths surrounding absinthe, including that it contains large amounts of thujone. But its reputation as the Lindsay Lohan of liquors lingers on. To counter that reputation, Viridian turned to an American-born absinthe expert and historian, T.A. Breaux, to develop its formula. Lucid is made using authentic techniques, including antique copper stills and pure French herbs. The product has just a minute amount of thujone, allowing it to pass U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives regulations. But since it’s a whopping 124 proof, the company recommends it be consumed in the traditional manner: diluted with water. As for its edifying effects, Jared Gurfein, president of Viridian and a lawyer by training, would only say that Lucid ($59.95 for 750 ml) delivers “a unique buzz.”

No hallucinations. Boo to that. I guess that’s a good thing tough, so presumably this won’t happen?

Not sure what Ozzy has to do with anything, but if that’s how Absinthe makes you feel then I want to scream like “The Prince of Darkness.”

I know how intimidating it is when you go into a wine store and not only do you not recognize any of the wines but they’re all in a different language. You ask yourself, “What the hell does Bordeaux and appellation d’origine controlee mean?” Now, maybe you know the basics and hopefully you’ve all moved on past the pseudo French product boycott of 2001/2002 due to their decision to not assist us in the Middle East.

Because within the last six years, Bordeaux has cranked out three blockbuster vintages. The demand for these “classic wines” is strong and the dollar is still getting pummeled by the euro so you might as well consider the top wines out of reach fiscally; unless you want to take out a loan. First growth red Bordeaux retails for at least $500 a bottle now! The good news is that all of the basic entry level Bordeaux AC, Bordeaux Superior & cru bourgeois wines will be amazing across the board in these spectacular vintages. Should you be able to splurge once or twice on a killer bottle you will be rewarded whether you opt to drink it now or “lay it down” (await its peak patiently).

Bordeaux is the pompous, aristocratic, grand region & city on the western edge of France that is divided by the Gironde river (see map here). As the Gironde travels further southwest it splits into two rivers: the Dordogne & the Garonne. Here it is not a matter of hillside & mountain fruit versus valley fruit like in Napa & Sonoma. It is a fairly flat land with centuries of sedimentary deposits and a gravelly soil with good drainage that allows the king, Cabernet Sauvignon, to thrive. Here, there are wines of all styles: dry & robust reds, succulent & delicious sweet whites as well as the dry, food-friendly whites.

But to make matters the most simple, I am only going to focus on the reds today.

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Who said stress was a bad thing?

You might wonder what people and grapes have in common; well maybe not. I on the other hand have. We both need water, time and room to grow, as well as training. It is only when we are firmly rooted that we can begin to yield our plentiful bounties. Who and what we become depends on where we are planted and how well we are nurtured. If things come too easy for us the ultimate satisfaction will only be par. However, once we are challenged, the “gratification cork” begins to eek its way out of the bottle and anticipation builds. The ever-so-noticeable pop of the cork is so much more enjoyable when it’s the culmination of hard work and success that has been fermenting for months.

Most people who have seen vineyards are familiar with the wiring that hold the vines up. They are known as trellising systems and also what I call the vines’ training. Without it the grapes would be lying on the ground, getting scorched by the sun, probably producing nothing. How much easier is it to teach children to walk when you support them? The ‘training’ doesn’t end once the vines or children are able to stand on their own either. Leaves need to be removed to make sure that the grapes get the full amount of sunlight that they require (a.k.a. canopy management). There are also some varietals that don’t need to be trellised and simply grow closer to the ground in a bushy format: Grenache, Mourvedre & the gnarly, stumpy Zinfandel vines are a few. Just like children who are independent at a young age, these vines are still treated with the same “TLC” as the others who may need more attention.

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Duke students, I guess, are capable of more than playing basketball and allegedly raping local prositutes/strippers/exotic dancers. One of them, a Mr. John W. Cornwell, put his smarts to good use by inventing a beer launching fridge. Anyway, I keed, because this guy probably has more smarts in his pinky then I have in my entire body. And we’re so happy he’s putting it to good use.

He made a trip to Letterman to show of the fridge, which launches beers by remote control so you don’t have to get up off the couch. He’s even thinking about producing a limited run of these to sell for about $1500. Not a bad little gadget to buy with your tax return.

Have you ever gotten up off the couch to get a beer for the umpteenth time and thought, “What if instead of ME going to get the BEER, the BEER came to ME???” Well, that was how I first conceived of the beer launching fridge. About 3 months and several hundred dollars later I have a fully automated, remote controlled, catapulting, man-pit approved, beer launching mini-fridge. It holds 10 beers in its magazine with 14 more in reserve to store a full case. It is controlled by a keyless entry system. Pressing unlock will start the catapult rotating and when it is aiming at your target, pressing unlock again will stop it. Then the lock button can be pressed to launch a beer in the selected direction.

Almost all of the raw materials for the refrigerator were purchased from McMaster-Carr, some motors came from Jameco, and the switches/potentiometer were purchased at RadioShack. In total the beer launching refrigerator uses 3 limit switches. Two of which are triggered when the elevator reaches the top or bottom of its travel, and one is triggered when the catapult arm is fully cocked. I also have a potentiometer that is connected to the rotating catapult platform. The voltage across the potentiometer is read by the microcontroller to sense the angle of the catapult platform.

We’ve always wanted one of these for our man-pit, but is it possible to get one for our man cave as well? Behold! The glory of the beer launching fridge!

Steamed Mussels & Clams

20 PEI Mussels

10 cherrystone sized clams

8 oz Sauvignon Blanc (if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it!)

1 oz chopped garlic

2 oz compound almond butter (just throw in some sliced or shaved toasted almonds)

1 carrot julienned

Garnish with fresh cilantro

Directions:

Heat up large sauté pan to med-high heat. Pour 1-2 ounces olive oil in pan. Add garlic and any other vegetables you want to add to recipe. After you can smell the garlic cooking, toss in clams and mussels. Cover (ideally with another sauté pan of the same size). After a minute or so add the white wine. Once the wine reduces to about half the volume add butter, almonds and the julienned carrot. Cook until all shellfish have opened up (shouldn’t take longer than 6-8 minutes, total cook time). Garnish with fresh cilantro, basil or sage; whatever you like. Make sure you have your new best friend, SB, chilled and uncorked too, of course! Bon Apetit.

We’ll be back on Monday to resume our weekly duties with another trivia question. Let’s go folks you’ve been slacking on your answers! Cheers!