In Need of Your Creative Minds

Hello to my loyal readers and followers.

As some of you whom I know personally know, I have been working for Beam Global for about 7 months. The reason that I tell you this is that, while I still love wine and all that it brings, I want to expand the blog to be able to include some of the experiences, knowledge, and culture that I find in my travels and time with liquor. My outlook and presentation will not change, and I will still talk about wine from time to time.

Given that I will be talking some about liquor as well, I have been playing around with the idea of changing the name of the blog to reflect the broadening subject of this site. So I turn to you, my wonderful readers, to help me. I am looking for ideas that reflect the spirit of the blog, from your perspectives, that would show the wider idea of it.

Send me your ideas. I look forward to hearing them and I want to thank you for continuing to read and follow One Young Somm!

Thank you all!

T

Sipping the Germs away

So, as the title of the post might suggest…I’m sick. No one likes being sick and as much fun as the Nyquil and EmergenC are, figuring out how to cure what ails you with more “homeopathic” methods can make being sick at least slightly more amusing.

I know saying that alcohol can assist in healing will upset some people. They will more than likely state that alcohol actually weakens the immune system and makes sickness last even longer. To that, I make two cases. My first is to point out that a lot of the modern medications out there actually include small amounts of alcohol. Secondly, I am speaking about this from two perspectives: the assumption of moderation and the historical use of alcohol for healing. So, with that little argument set aside, lets talk a little about the history of healing with alcohol.

Evidence of early liqueurs date as far back as the 10^th century, where herb and fruit elixirs were used as medicines by ancient civilizations.  This tradition was carried through many centuries later into some of the most well known cocktail ingredients of today. Two such ingredients were Benedictine and Green Chartreuse. Both of these were made by monks and thought to have medicinal applications long before they became ingredients in modern cocktails. The next thing to examine is bitters. Most bitters are made from an alcohol base (Fee Brothers is the most well known non alcoholic bitter). For years, they were sold at pharmacies as cures for everything from stomach sickness to headaches. Bartenders to this day believe in the power of bitters for hangovers and stomach ailments. To put an even more modern perspective on the healing powers of alcohol, we examine the history of rum. Until 1970, the Royal Navy gave out high proof rum rations as a way to combat disease, though over the years the rations decreased because of the adverse effects of alcohol on the performance of the sailors. This just goes to show that the tradition of using alcohol for medicinal purposes has been a common one for centuries and I figured, why not try some things to help me kick my cold.

For this, I decided to make a few cocktails using some of these classic “healing agents” and show you a few that might help you feel a little better while all bundled up.

The Hot Toddy

This classic winter drink is great for keeping you warm. There are a few ways of making this drink. The instructions are below:

 1 ½ oz of Irish whiskey (Greenore is my favorite), Bourbon (like Makers 46 of Bookers) or Rum (Cruzan Black Strap is my favorite)

¼ lemon

¼ oz honey

1 tea bag or fresh baking spices like cinnamon, cloves, allspice

3 oz hot water

In a mug or Irish coffee mug, pour the honey, lemon juice, and liquor of choice in the bottom. In hot water, either steap the tea bag of the spices (or both for more intense flavor) for 3 minutes. When it is ready, pour of the mixture in the mug and stir. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and either a lemon wedge or twist. Sit back and sip.

The Cartesian Sure

Named for the monks who gave us Green Chartreuse, this cocktail is an instant feel better. This is one of those magical cocktails that I’m convinced would heal a broken leg if you poured it on it.

1 oz Irish Whiskey (again, for this I use Greenore)

1 oz sweet vermouth of choice

1 oz Green Chartreuse

2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Combine these ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on low heat, until steam starts to appear. You don’t want to heat too much or the alcohol will burn off. Once warm, pour into a glass that is safe for you to grip when warm.  Then sit back, relax, and let the healing powers take over.

Ginger Toddy

This combines the healing power of ginger and bourbon. Can’t really go wrong with this combination.

1 oz favorite bourbon (I used Bakers for this)

½ oz ginger beer

¼ oz honey

Squeeze of lemon

Hot water

Combine ingredients in mug Irish Coffee mug. The ginger beer measurements can be altered depending on how much of the ginger spice you want in your drink. The kind of ginger beer also matters to for the taste. Some are more sugar based and others carry more of the spicy nature of ginger. Garnish with candied ginger or orange twist.

Hopefully these give you some ideas on how to feel a little better as the weather gets colder and the germs start to roll through the office. Stay healthy, drink smart, and happy sipping as always! Cheers. 

Openin’ it Old School!!

There are numerous stupid human tricks involving different ways to open a bottle of wine. I have seen people do it with a phone book, a high heel, hell, I even did it with a fork once (no at all advisable by the way!) On a recent trip to Napa and Sonoma, I decided to try my hand in opening a bottle the way it used to be done.

We have all see the pictures of the old school cork screws. I even have one as a tattoo. They all consist of the same thing; the screw and a handle at the top with which to pull. The one thing they lack that most modern cork screws have is a fulcrum, or point at which the person opening the bottle has leverage on the cork and can open it easily.

I got my hands on a fairly simple one from the late 1800’s and decided, since I collect them but had never used one, that it was time for me to experience this. Now, mind you, this is how sommeliers used to have to open bottles and there is no graceful way to do this. You have to put the bottle between your legs and pull hard enough to get the cork out, but not hard enough you pop it out and spray wine everywhere. Well I achieved the later, but broke the cork in the process and had to then be even gentler, which is not always my forte. As a matter of fact, I am not for my strength, not my finesse.

Enjoy the video and the laughs that may ensue. And stay turned for the next article and as always, drink up!

A little love from Burgundy complements of Albert Morot

I think that is it has been well established that I have an affinity for wines that are unique, interesting, fun to talk about, and are all around just kind of bad ass. Well, this wine certainly fit all of those characteristics and is also a really great introduction to Burgundy for those who are a little scared by it (and for those of you who are, fear not; you are not alone in that fear).

Before I get too much into the wine, how about we settle the fear slightly, or at least go over a little info so that the fear might subside. Consider this your nightlight. Let’s start with the basics. Burgundy is a region in France known mostly for their lush, delicate, and somewhat feminine pinot noirs and their many complicated styles of chardonnay (my favorite of which is Chablis, but that will be another article). Their wines are lauded as some of the best in the world, and most of the time that distinction can come with a hefty price tag. There are many different sub regions in Burgundy, but for today’s purposes we will be focusing on one: Savigny-le-Beaune.

I will now warn all that the following section is a WINE GEEK RED ALERT section. If you wish, skip to the next section and read about the wine itself (and don’t worry, I will not be offended in any way shape or form). Savigny-le-Beaune (mostly refered to  as Savigny, which I will do for the remainder of the article) is in the larger region of Cote du Beaune. It has 22 vineyard sites that grow grapes classified as premier cru and all of which are delicious. From here, if you are interested in knowing more about Burgundy, I encourage you to do a little research on your own. It is a great region and full of wine history, but is horribly complicated to get down and I feel like I am boring myself by getting into the details. If you have question, feel free to contact me and I will do everything I can to answer them. Now…to the good stuff.

Albert Morot is a bit of a nut job (and don’t we all love a crazy man making our wine?) His wines are super traditional in terms of growing style and wine making. However, that is where the tradition stops. His wines are bruisers and right out of the bottle are as tight as a kid’s grip on their blanket on the first day of school. Upon first opening the wine, the fruits are muted and overpowered by earth and Christmas spices. The fruits decide to show up fashionably late to the party, about an hour in.  When they do, they come in with a bang; bright, vibrant, and young, like the attractive person at a party that turns everyone’s head.

The cool thing about this wine is the fact that the next day, it was even better. I decided to leave it out on my dining room table with just the cork in it and see what happened, which is not an advised way to save wine. The next day, the fruits had darkened, the flowers had wilted and yet magic was still in the bottle. This is a wine that, while not a P Funk Allstar, is certainly one that will make your eyes widen a little further when you drink it. Luckily, the price tag won’t.

One bit of self promotion. If you are not already, follow me on twitter and facebook. The facebook page will have a lot more pictures, while on twitter you can get my up to the second where abouts, what I’m drinking, eating, or ranting about. The links for both of those are to your right, but I’ll leave them here for you as well. And tell your friends!!! Drink up!!

Another wine geek video, and this one is amazingly cool

Ok, I know that the last few posts have been more on the wine geeky side of things, but you will have to bare with me a little bit; I will get back to the my Anti Fancy Pants ways soon.

This video is something you may never see again, unless you ever meet Fritz Hatton. For those who don't know who he is, and in some ways I really wouldn't be shocked if you didn't, Fritz Hatton, is owner of Arietta winery in Napa Valley. He is an avid wine expert himself and also a complete classical music buff, so much so that his wine, Arietta, is named after the Beethoven's 32nd sonata and it's "arietta" movement.

Now, I tell you that to tell you this: the video you are about to see is a video of Fritz himself playing the very piece of music for which is wine is named. It was certainly a special thing to be able to hear the very man responsible for the name of the wine play that piece. Enjoy and again, I promise that less geeky stuff is to come! (and by the way, I do need to apologize for the video quality...not the best I've taken yet)

Wine Geek Video

Ok, I will not say that this post will be the most interesting thing ever, but it is still kind of fun to see. For those people who have read the blog for a while, you have possibly seen a video of me opening a bottle of sparkling wine under water. The video of the Movia opening wasn't the easiest to see, so hopefully this one will be.

On a recent trip to Sonoma, I visited Donkey and Goat winery. The owners, Jared and Tracey were extremely welcoming and they had one of the coolest tasting rooms I've seen in some time, with graffiti art from a local artist adorning the wall above the bocce ball court. As we tasted through their wines, they mentioned a bottle that they made to be opened under water and I couldn't help but ask to do it. Below is the video of me doing it. Hope you enjoy and please visit their website that will be linked at the bottom of this page.

Once again, please visit the website for the winery and learn more about this husband and wife team: Donkey and Goat

Keeping Wine Relevant: Part 4

The Solution


             I am not going to pretend that I have pointed out all of the issues that face the wine industry as younger generations of consumers get older. There are a lot of issues that might see the wine industry go through a very hard time ahead, including how wine is perceived, waning interest from younger drinkers, and even environmental problems that will effect the ability to grow good grapes. However, most of the issues come down to one thing; accessibility.

             With all of the issues outlined in previous articles, there is one main theme that flows through them all; wine has become something that is seen as largely inaccessible by a younger generation of drinkers. People are becoming more and more interested in cocktails and beer, finding them to be more fun to explore. So, with that said, it in time to think about how to make wine more fun for people to explore and understand.

            There is one thing that I must point out as a positive for the future of wine and it comes from Virginia wine country. More and more people are going to Virginia wineries for tastings, and a lot of those people are younger. They are driving out of DC and going on day trips or weekend getaways and stopping by winery tasting rooms to sample their products. This mere fact gives me some hope that wine can keep up, but it has to do so more globally than just the DC area. It also needs to bring that fun experience back to the consumer in restaurants and stores.  

            In the first article, I explained how the perception of a “wine expert” is that of an old school, unapproachable, stuffy older gentleman that would look down his nose at people who say they like malbec and pinot grigio. However, with a younger drinking crowd also comes younger wine professionals. That means that the responsibility of educating and exciting the masses now falls on their shoulders more that ever. It also means that selling wine for these professionals becomes a completely different game. Where as a lot of people used to buy wine based on name and stature, more people are paying attention to price than ever before. So it comes down to really listening to what the consumer is asking for. I am no saying this isn’t done by professionals, but I am saying that this is becoming more important. This conversation will help put customers at ease and allow them to really be excited about the exploration of wine.

            Another thing that really needs to evolve is how we both speak and write about wine. There are many times that I read some of the major wine publications and I lose interest. So, if someone who focuses on wine for a living isn’t interested by articles and editorials, then how can someone just getting into wine? This does not mean dumbing things down, because that would make wine seem even more arrogant than it can already. What it does mean is that focus needs to be on attention grabbing and quick education. There is so much information out there that is vying for our attention these days that it is hard to hold people’s attention. How that is done and quality is not sacrificed is the tricky part. As technology evolves, so should making wine interesting, fun, and interactive with that technology.

            I know that this article doesn’t outline the “exact” way to solve all of wine’s woes. However, there is a rather large message seen here: wine professionals are the key to making wine accessible and fun. The biggest key is encouraging the exploration and knowledge by presenting the information that we have in an interesting, interactive, and unobtrusive way. Encouraging the exploration of all of that the wine world has to offer is exceedingly important to gaining new wine lovers. How that is done is for each person to decide and I hope that my decision to write on this blog helps with that possibility of your exploration.