tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102055582011-07-07T16:05:22.934-07:00Musings on taste and perception.Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.comBlogger251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-86664317975769928262010-02-15T18:25:00.000-08:002010-02-23T00:07:41.501-08:00

This Valentines day my lovely Valentine gave me 4 bottles of Bordeaux!! I love my wife!We had just finished my first vertical tasting of Linne Calodo Nemesis, and I was lamenting how I'd like to do that with the great wines of France and Italy... you know, in the interest of science.Anyway, lo and behold.. happy Valentines Day to me!So these 4 Bordeaux selections were not the extreme high end

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-38515241572175866752010-02-13T21:26:00.000-08:002010-02-22T22:45:51.013-08:00

For years I've dreamed of a vertical tasting. A really focused comparison of the same wine over three or more years... to really discover the differences, both subtle and crude, of the effects of climate or blend.Unfortunately, I've never held onto anything for long enough to have actual bottles to open... if you know what I mean. Really, wine's for drinking, not keeping, no?This week was it,

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-78574271730665743732009-07-01T00:32:00.001-07:002009-07-01T00:32:43.742-07:00

I read an article recently that said over 90 or 95% of all blogs are left fallow within two months. Yes, yes. That's mine. Growing weeds, untended, lying fallow. OK OK. We can't dwell on the past. I've been on the hunt for good, BUDGET conscious, wines of late. Why on earth would I be so concerned about price, you may ask? It's the hip new thing... being poor. Well, you can find them, but you've

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-64193291866454946762008-09-23T22:33:00.000-07:002008-09-24T00:12:41.160-07:00

I've kept this bottle around for almost a month now because I couldn't remember where I bought it. I hate when that happens. Especially when I want some more.Casisano Colombaio Brunello di Montalcino at Trader Joe's for something like $40!! Go now! Buy!! Usually Brunello's go for well over $65 a bottle to start. For a Brunello this good, that is a great price... uh, I'm sounding like a traveling 

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-68610741780614211442008-09-21T01:06:00.000-07:002009-02-27T12:43:35.490-08:00

It's been a while....What can I say, I'm busy. But there's always time for good food and wine. It's important to take a moment each day and reset your attitude and your outlook. One of the best ways is by having satisfying food and wine. If your mouth is happy, you'll eat less, and be healthier. My love and I recently broke away for a weekend and went to the Russian River. Just a couple of hours

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-55844658960731398802008-01-27T12:51:00.000-08:002009-02-27T12:57:51.393-08:00

OK When you go to the ZAP Grand Tasting at Fort Mason you must restrain yourself! Really. If you don’t you’ll wind up with pictures like this..Restraint, and patience my friends. Restraint and patience.So, let’s start from the beginning shall we? “Zapped at the Fort” (as we like to call it here in the City) has been going for 17 years! I trust they counted, because I know I can’t. But seriously,

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-34757022774854839562007-11-27T12:59:00.001-08:002008-12-09T14:59:09.606-08:00

My wife and I recently returned from a much-needed 3-week vacation in Italy. There was much wine and wild boar consumed, and clothes purchased. Just why is it that nothing I buy in the U.S. ever fits? I can buy off the rack in Italy and look 10 times better than I do here! Honestly, look around in the States, and you’ll notice that nobody seems to have clothes that fit!! Hrrumph! That’s another

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-36609778447016540062007-08-27T23:31:00.000-07:002008-12-09T14:59:09.727-08:00

Mmmm grass. Pasture, in fact. Yummy. I bet you've forgotten what steak tastes like. Real steak. Real pasture raised, grass fed and finished beef. Youknow, like the way things used to be before corporate farming pushed the overproduction of corn and corn by-products, and then corn-fed everything down our gullets. (That damn Michael Pollan has ruined my life. Well, he didn't actually ruin my life.

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-78079455667901881692007-03-14T22:40:00.000-07:002008-12-09T14:59:11.167-08:00

Wine tasting. I like wine. I really like zin. It's my birthday.........I can cry if I want to. Well, it was my birthday. But everyone was so stressed, or tied up, or coughing and sick, or some such nonsense that we had to reschedule to March. Better late than never.For fun I thought I'd organize a tasting of Zin's from some of California's famed Zin growing areas. To see if we could really find

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-3039623702162842872007-02-04T21:04:00.000-08:002008-12-09T14:59:11.574-08:00

My blog zealous wife, (my lovely, wonderful wife) who is faster at a blog entry then Wyatt Earp was at drawing his gun, well she has already blogged about our dinner last night. "So what," you may ask. Well, she included this line....Cherries and chocolate were the overwhelming winners in Zinfandel notes for Ridge and Paso Robles' maverick Zin Alley. Notes of Fennel and Star Anise interestingly

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1167686564481285912007-01-01T13:18:00.000-08:002008-12-09T14:59:12.111-08:00

I'm not capable of posting as frequently as my partner in kitchen crime, so for up to the week happenings in our kitchen stadium you'll have to check her blog.But here's the latest on my new Armagnac obsession. In my last post we met Delord, a luscious woody, slightly caramel-sweet Armagnac, which helped us with our Riedel glass test. A very scientific and rigorous series of tests to determine if

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1162282328065432302006-10-31T00:04:00.000-08:002007-07-25T10:02:41.448-07:00

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that all this hullabaloo about drinking each varietal of wine from a special glass designed just for that grape is just chock-full-o nonsense. Indeed, a well made wine should be a satisfying experience even if you guzzle it directly out 'O the jug! Oh you cause me great mirth. For I too once thought such foolish notions. A while back my wife and I

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1153553564685745732006-07-21T23:35:00.000-07:002008-01-27T14:06:54.206-08:00

After many years of Northern California wine country trips (Napa, Sonoma, Russian River) I felt it was time to discover something a little farther south. ME had emailed me some articles from the front room (communication is the key to a good relationship), detailing a central California region that produces some of the most sought-after Zinfandel. Yes, Zin! My sister recently stopped there on her

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1152940847586612792006-07-14T22:15:00.000-07:002007-07-25T10:03:44.032-07:00

And now... Ladies and gentlemen.... I give you...... The clean........ The refreshing....... Fuzzy Butt Pale Ale!!O.K. I know it doesn't sound appetizing, but it really is, really. Don't knock it until you've licked it.... or something like that.Nice golden color. Just a hint of hops (even the wife likes it). And now that we've got our bottling issue solved.................. a firm head as well!

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1152940533335636472006-06-03T10:09:00.000-07:002007-07-25T10:04:03.786-07:00

For this second batch, (or as we call around out little back woods mash pit, Batch #2) we made Black Poodle Porter. Can you guess why? This is Zootie, one of the pair that haunts; nay owns, controls even, the famed Linwood Brewery.So here's the recipe this time. And a malt extract picture for your viewing enjoyment.Batch #2 (Black Poodle Porter)Brew Date: 3/26/06 Style: Robust Porter Racked:

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1144659789663466232006-04-09T23:45:00.000-07:002007-07-25T10:04:18.676-07:00

We have Beer!!! Really good beer!! Pictures are spotty here because my lovely and wonderful better half has my camera.........in Spain. (I had to steal my sister's old camera for this shoot.) No, no. That's o.k. Don't worry about me. All alone in S.F. with my beer. Anyone hear the violins yet? Hey, she's with her dad and I've got gig's and work piled up. Anyway.......The Great Hope was a great

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1144658392806444842006-03-26T19:00:00.000-08:002007-07-25T09:37:17.816-07:00

Bottling day is here!! Time to bottle the "Great Hope" Ale, and well, make some Porter. I mean, why not. The stoves not in use. Might as well put on a pot of grain tea, no? It looks kind of like dirt in black water, but the aroma of the well roasted grains was terrific, full of chocolate coffee, wood and oatmeal. For the Porter the recipe calls for:Batch #2 (Black Poodle Porter)Brew Date: 3/26/

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1144345940048150272006-03-04T17:30:00.000-08:002007-07-25T10:05:08.622-07:00

So today we move the Great Hope Ale (a.k.a. Linwood Brewery, Batch No. 1) to the secondary fermenter. This involves simply moving it from the plastic bucket into a glass carboy. A carboy is like those big water bottles that sit on top of your water cooler at work.First you wash and sterilize your carboy, plastic tube and the spigot on the primary fermenting bucket.If you don't clean and sterilize

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1141287705054450062006-02-26T22:56:00.000-08:002007-07-25T10:05:27.313-07:00

Over the weekend I celebrated my birthday with friends... at a friends. You see my apartment is small. The kitchen is small, but more importantly, I have no storage. You see, I need storage so I can store stuff to make beer. Well, actually, I don't make beer all the time.... Well, actually, this is my first time at making beer. Why, why would a first class food snoot with a fetish for Zinfandel

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1130398819869633832005-10-26T22:00:00.000-07:002007-07-25T10:07:37.191-07:00

Tuesday night was ME and my anniversary (no. 2) so we took each other to our favorite restaurant in San Francisco, Zuni Café. Zuni is not the French Laundry (nothing is like the French Laundry) but it’s the most consistent, high quality, low stress, always a good time restaurant in the city. The food is spectacular and you get a very large “bang for your buck!” Zuni always makes me feel happy. I

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1115940096441017482005-05-12T15:56:00.000-07:002005-08-29T23:13:52.286-07:00

Wow! I was lucky enough to be a tag-along with the host of my radio show to a tasting event for a new catering company. He has some connection to the chef of Saffron Hill catering. This would be the ultimate job; show up, taste all of the food, write your comments down, and then have a glass of wine! Yea! I could do that! I cook. I can use a knife and I never have anyone say no to one of my

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1114810936306386802005-04-29T14:38:00.000-07:002007-07-25T10:08:32.445-07:00

Boy, keeping up the blog postings is a challenge. In late February I had a birthday celebration at Vino Venue in San Francisco. What a great expansion on the idea of wine tasting before you buy! A wine automat! Woo Hoo! You buy a card with a couple of Jackson's (or any denomination) and go around to the circular wine dispensing stations for a taste of the wines you see in front of you. Just put

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1106284760890630402005-01-20T21:19:00.000-08:002007-07-25T10:08:50.836-07:00

Ahh. Finally I get word of Petite Sirah's Nobility! Of course I'm a little late to the news, gee what with all the emabarassing political goings on can you fault me for being a little behind on my reading? This link is to an article in the SF Chron about the grape that some of us love soooo much. I know what you're saying. "If you love P.S. so much why isn't that the name of your web site?" Well

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1106079587082731342005-01-18T11:42:00.000-08:002007-07-25T10:11:51.022-07:00

The New Year is also right in the middle of flu season, and boy what a season it's been. On Christmas I got the cold. You know, the one where you cough incessantly for weeks it seems. Then the first full week of the year I got a ticket on the stomach flu freight train. Don't worry. I'm not contagious anymore. You're safe. But seriously, if ever you needed proof that the drug industry is a scam it

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205558.post-1105948268734663762005-01-16T23:48:00.000-08:002005-01-16T23:51:08.733-08:00

Here we go. Inspired by my lovely partner and wife, I've added a blog to my website. A good place to keep track of events and how much I've spent on wine. Dangerous. I guess I have to go and make a link on my web page now.

Eric Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098078404762131804noreply@blogger.com