Washington Post Food Section

[JPW]

I miss Ben Gilberti.

I wonder what the widow Clicquot did to piss them off to not be included with the rest of the usual suspects.

psst. Jake, where are our case numbers?

[Pat]

More, please, of articles like the one about "family meals." What Your Waiter Had For Dinner.

The Staffmeals cookbook they talk about is one I reported on in the cookbook challenge thread. The recipes I've made from it have been consistently good. The design of the book is quite appealing as well, and the commentary interesting.

[giant shrimp]

What Your Waiter Had For Dinner."The family meal at Ceiba is for the back of the house only. The servers order from among the same choices as the customers. "We try to promote that, so they know what's on the menu," Albisu says."

This part made me curious:Is that unusual?

i believe it can be. i used to work in a seafood restaurant where they served us sponge, and the cost was deducted from your check whether you ate it or not.

[Pete]

Anybody else notice this google ad at the bottom of the Ann Amernick article?

[jparrott]

WS rarely reports case numbers on Champagne (the data is provided them by whoever submits the wine, and I doubt Moet wants to reinforce that there are millions of bottles of Dom made every year).

[jparrott]

Osborne Solaz: 35,000 cases imported.

Loosen Bros. "Dr. L" Riesling: 50,000 cases made.

Nora Albarino: 5,000 cases made.

Edna Valley Vineyards Syrah: 13,800 cases made (2003 vintage data).

Hill of Content Shiraz: 1,900 cases imported

Ken Forrester Petit Chenin: 8,210 cases made (I have serious doubts about this number, will check in the Cape next week)

Mulderbosch Rose: 7,500 cases imported.

Casa de la Ermita Castillo de Jumillia Crianza: 2,000 cases imported

Di Majo Norante Sangiovese: 25,000 cases made

Crios Torrontes: 13,000 cases imported

Foliette Muscadet (!): No data available

Cantina del Taburno Falanghina: 54,165 cases made

The Jibe Sauvignon Blanc: No data available

Brancott Sauvignon Blanc: 60,000 cases imported

Burgans Albarino: 15,000 cases imported (2004 vintage)

Elsa Malbec: 60,000 cases made

SoloRosa rose: 2,000 cases made

[Waitman]

Osborne Solaz: 35,000 cases imported.

Loosen Bros. "Dr. L" Riesling: 50,000 cases made.

Nora Albarino: 5,000 cases made.

Edna Valley Vineyards Syrah: 13,800 cases made (2003 vintage data).

Hill of Content Shiraz: 1,900 cases imported

Ken Forrester Petit Chenin: 8,210 cases made (I have serious doubts about this number, will check in the Cape next week)

Mulderbosch Rose: 7,500 cases imported.

Casa de la Ermita Castillo de Jumillia Crianza: 2,000 cases imported

Di Majo Norante Sangiovese: 25,000 cases made

Crios Torrontes: 13,000 cases imported

Foliette Muscadet (!): No data available

Cantina del Taburno Falanghina: 54,165 cases made

The Jibe Sauvignon Blanc: No data available

Brancott Sauvignon Blanc: 60,000 cases imported

Burgans Albarino: 15,000 cases imported (2004 vintage)

Elsa Malbec: 60,000 cases made

SoloRosa rose: 2,000 cases made

At least they mentioned some of that swill fine South African table wine some people are always going on about. And they talked to some local folks. The Riedel Vinums may be half full.

[DonRocks]

At least they mentioned some of that swill fine South African table wine some people are always going on about. And they talked to some local folks. The Riedel Vinums may be half full.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the Post recommending wines with wide availability - look at the newspaper's circulation figures. I think high production numbers in and of themselves are a benefit to their readership, because that means the readers will actually be able to find the wines.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Heather]

I agree, to a point. How often does "wide availability" translate to boring, safe choices?

Could someone try the recipe for pecan burgers and report back? That's the weirdest combination in the food section in a long time.

[mdt]

The banana split at Central is not really worth the trip.

[Waitman]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the Post recommending wines with wide availability - look at the newspaper's circulation figures. I think high production numbers in and of themselves are a benefit to their readership, because that means the readers will actually be able to find the wines.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Though there's no reason they couldn't mix a few more obscure and adventurous selections in with the mass produced stuff for the more serious winos in the circulation area. It isn't either/or.

So, when are you going to stop writing about the obscure stiff in your column and give us a guide to something I can pick up at the neighborhood bodega?

[jparrott]

Woodbridge horizontal?

[ol_ironstomach]

Lots of synchronicity this week - great beer in cans, hamburgers...maybe it's the influence of the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

It seems that in recent weeks, Page and Dornenburg have been adjusting their formula in response to the criticisms leveled at them here and elsewhere, and frankly I find that to be commendable. This latest column is exactly what most of the readership wants - the only things better than a "find" (IMHO) are a bargain, or best of all a bargain find. This week's recommendations were selected by local chefs and sommeliers, after all...it would be interesting to hear from some of them whether other "more interesting but less commercial" suggestions were made but edited out of the final list.

[DonRocks]

So, when are you going to stop writing about the obscure stiff in your column and give us a guide to something I can pick up at the neighborhood bodega?

I come to establish trends, not to report on them.

Cheers,

Marc "de Bourgogne" Antony.

[Mark Slater]

Lots of synchronicity this week - great beer in cans, hamburgers...maybe it's the influence of the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

It seems that in recent weeks, Page and Dornenburg have been adjusting their formula in response to the criticisms leveled at them here and elsewhere, and frankly I find that to be commendable. This latest column is exactly what most of the readership wants - the only things better than a "find" (IMHO) are a bargain, or best of all a bargain find. This week's recommendations were selected by local chefs and sommeliers, after all...it would be interesting to hear from some of them whether other "more interesting but less commercial" suggestions were made but edited out of the final list.

I would be happier if they tasted wine offered by local importers like Olivier Daubresse (Vinifrance), Didier Simonin (Simon N Cellars), Laurent Givry (Elite Wines) and Fran Kysela. All of them offer plenty of value priced wines with a direct connection to an actual vintner, not a wine factory.

[zoramargolis]

So, when are you going to stop writing about the obscure stiff in your column <snip>?

So Rocks has been writing about little-known dead bodies lately, eh?

[deangold]

Though there's no reason they couldn't mix a few more obscure and adventurous selections in with the mass produced stuff for the more serious winos in the circulation area. It isn't either/or.

So, when are you going to stop writing about the obscure stiff in your column and give us a guide to something I can pick up at the neighborhood bodega?

I think size alone is not an inherintly bad thing to a certain extent. FOr example, on the list of wines this week is Cantina del Taburno which is a cooperative that produces about 400,000 cases from 200-300 member vineyards. Given their incredible quality at the basic level, this is one hell of a coop and I woould be willing to bet they ahve done much to improve the standards of winemaking in the area, the financial lot of the farmers etc. De Majo Norante from Molise is organically farmed, family owned and a very good member of the community in what is one of Italy's poorest areas.

I do use CdT's wines at times and I don't use DMN's but that is not because of either's size. But I do think both have been very good for their local economies. I just like the wines of CdT a lot more than I do DMN's. I also like a lot of smaller producers from Campania who estate bottle, but their wines tend to be a lot more expensive than CdT's so there is room for both. To me, what makes CdT so good is that their wines stay true to type and express terroir. I think they o a better job of that than most any other mid sized producer in the area and better than some of the smaller producers in Campania.

[eRaserhead]

Osborne Solaz: 35,000 cases imported.

Loosen Bros. "Dr. L" Riesling: 50,000 cases made.

Nora Albarino: 5,000 cases made.

Edna Valley Vineyards Syrah: 13,800 cases made (2003 vintage data).

Hill of Content Shiraz: 1,900 cases imported

Ken Forrester Petit Chenin: 8,210 cases made (I have serious doubts about this number, will check in the Cape next week)

Mulderbosch Rose: 7,500 cases imported.

Casa de la Ermita Castillo de Jumillia Crianza: 2,000 cases imported

Di Majo Norante Sangiovese: 25,000 cases made

Crios Torrontes: 13,000 cases imported

Foliette Muscadet (!): No data available

Cantina del Taburno Falanghina: 54,165 cases made

The Jibe Sauvignon Blanc: No data available

Brancott Sauvignon Blanc: 60,000 cases imported

Burgans Albarino: 15,000 cases imported (2004 vintage)

Elsa Malbec: 60,000 cases made

SoloRosa rose: 2,000 cases made

I wonder how useful wine recommendations like these are, since most are offered without vintage dates. The French, Italian and Spanish wines in particular vary in quality from year to year, often dramatically.

.

.

[Mark Slater]

I wonder how useful wine recommendations like these are, since most are offered without vintage dates. The French, Italian and Spanish wines in particular vary in quality from year to year, often dramatically.

.

.

The short answer, eRaserhead, is they are not useful at all to the consumer. The writers seem to be more concerned with helping struggling companies like DIAGEO get their wines into our homes.

(Purple is the color of extreme irony)

[ol_ironstomach]

Though there's no reason they couldn't mix a few more obscure and adventurous selections in with the mass produced stuff for the more serious winos in the circulation area. It isn't either/or.

I would be happier if they tasted wine offered by local importers like Olivier Daubresse (Vinifrance), Didier Simonin (Simon N Cellars), Laurent Givry (Elite Wines) and Fran Kysela. All of them offer plenty of value priced wines with a direct connection to an actual vintner, not a wine factory.

Sorry if it sounds like I'm only playing devil's advocate, which isn't my intention. These two comments, I agree wholeheartedly with. Instead of reporting 100% on wine-for-the-masses, why not toss in a few real finds? Although some would argue that the Mulderbosch and Forrester were only recently in that category.

Mark, I'm surprised that they haven't hit you up for quotes yet. That way we might either see more meat in the column, or hear from you if they're editing out the really good info.

The broad lack of vintage dates is a disappointment. To recommend one or maybe two better-than-they-deserve-to-be yet factory-reliable products is not a bad thing. But it shouldn't be the backbone of the article, unless that article is about "decent plonk".

[Mark Slater]

The broad lack of vintage dates is a disappointment. To recommend one or maybe two better-than-they-deserve-to-be yet factory-reliable products is not a bad thing. But it shouldn't be the backbone of the article, unless that article is about "decent plonk".

Dave,

The good thing about recommending factory wine is that the vintage doesn't matter!

[Mark Slater]

Today's wine recommendations come from a struggling ( ) company called Constellation Brands

You might have heard of them since THEY ARE THE LARGEST WINE AND SPIRITS COMPANY IN THE WORLD. Does anyone see a pattern developing here?

[DLB]

I thought it was bit much for the "Food Section".

[vinist]

Today's wine recommendations come from a struggling ( ) company called Constellation Brands

You might have heard of them since THEY ARE THE LARGEST WINE AND SPIRITS COMPANY IN THE WORLD. Does anyone see a pattern developing here?

Yes indeed.

Every week I hope for something a little more interesting, from an conscientious importer, thrown into the mix with the Big Brands....and every week I'm disappointed.

There are so many widely available, good quality wines from serious producers that would have fit nicely into this week's column- and been better values to boot.

If they continue to have Constellation et al. feed them their wine recommendations, this is going to get stale really quickly.

[dinwiddie]

I thought it was bit much for the "Food Section".

Actually, my biggest complaint with the Food Section is that minimal space given to wine and spirits. They used to do a much better job when Ben Gilbertti (I'm sure I spelled that wrong) was there.

[Mark Slater]

The critics have critics. Ha!!

[Waitman]

The critics have critics. Ha!!

Surely there's a happy medium between painfully "middlebrow" and unbearably upscale.

Next time I'm cruising Charles County for 'cue I'll be sure to bring my iced Billecart-Saumon and a couple of flutes. Nothing says authentic barbecue like bubbly.

[treznor]

The critics have critics. Ha!!

Any those critics evidently read dr.com :-) Check out the bottom paragraphs now in the update.

[ol_ironstomach]

The critics have critics. Ha!!

Plus, those meta-critics have some unearthed some awesome thespian treasures on their blog.

[crackers]

Any those critics evidently read dr.com :-) Check out the bottom paragraphs now in the update.

Welcome Simon!

[deangold]

Surely there's a happy medium between painfully "middlebrow" and unbearably upscale.

Next time I'm cruising Charles County for 'cue I'll be sure to bring my iced Billecart-Saumon and a couple of flutes. Nothing says authentic barbecue like bubbly.

Reminds me of my honeymoon.... we went hiking in the redwoods in Northern California (Redwood National Park) carrying a couple of Orrefors Crystal Champagne flutes, a bottle of well aged Veuve Cliquot La Grande Dame (I think 76 and this was in 88) and a half roast duck from the Larrapin Cafe in Arcata. Very civilized repast int he woods!

Nothing to do witht he WaPo wine columns tho...

[Simon]

Surely there's a happy medium between painfully "middlebrow" and unbearably upscale.

Next time I'm cruising Charles County for 'cue I'll be sure to bring my iced Billecart-Saumon and a couple of flutes. Nothing says authentic barbecue like bubbly.

Hello. I'm the author of the blog post that Mark Slater linked to. And I absolutely agree that there's a happy medium between the industrial wines written up in the Post article and my "unbearably upscale" counter suggestions. My post was deliberately reactionary -- to bring out the big guns that would still pair well with barbecue in taste, if not necessarily in spirit. I'd probably prefer a beer or two with Charles County 'cue, myself. I just found it incredibly frustrating to see the Post's wine writers trotting out four seemingly arbitrary "factory wines," as someone called them, without any discussion of where they come from, how they're made, or how they relate to other wines. Of course, as Mark pointed out, they weren't that arbitrary after all.

If I had been writing in a more temperate frame of mind, I probably would have suggested something like Tempier's Rose or Mordoree's Tavel Rose. Usually, my co-blogger Jeffrey and I try to stick to writing about wines $20/under. There definitely is a sweet spot to be found for the Post's audience of reasonably priced, artisanal wines, particularly given, as someone noted, DC's lax importation laws and quality retailers. But, again, it's frustrating to have these writers based in New York with little apparent knowledge of or curiosity about the DC market -- on their website, they ask distributors sending in samples to New York to document that these wines are available in DC stores, which puts the onus on the wrong party. It's not surprising that they ended up with three Constellation wines.

[Waitman]

Hello. I'm the author of the blog post that Mark Slater linked to. And I absolutely agree that there's a happy medium between the industrial wines written up in the Post article and my "unbearably upscale" counter suggestions. My post was deliberately reactionary -- to bring out the big guns that would still pair well with barbecue in taste, if not necessarily in spirit. I'd probably prefer a beer or two with Charles County 'cue, myself. I just found it incredibly frustrating to see the Post's wine writers trotting out four seemingly arbitrary "factory wines," as someone called them, without any discussion of where they come from, how they're made, or how they relate to other wines. Of course, as Mark pointed out, they weren't that arbitrary after all.

If I had been writing in a more temperate frame of mind, I probably would have suggested something like Tempier's Rose or Mordoree's Tavel Rose. Usually, my co-blogger Jeffrey and I try to stick to writing about wines $20/under. There definitely is a sweet spot to be found for the Post's audience of reasonably priced, artisanal wines, particularly given, as someone noted, DC's lax importation laws and quality retailers. But, again, it's frustrating to have these writers based in New York with little apparent knowledge of or curiosity about the DC market -- on their website, they ask distributors sending in samples to New York to document that these wines are available in DC stores, which puts the onus on the wrong party. It's not surprising that they ended up with three Constellation wines.

The wine world is full of snots, and not having encountered you before I mistakenly took you for one on the power of my morning caffinations and the apparent absurdity of your suggestions -- though I confess to having certain visions of chilled bubbly served on one of the picnic tables that crouch behind JB's, hoping that neither the Charles County cops nor the pickup-truck locals kicked my ass before I figured out if it went better with the ribs or the pulled pork. I should have known that, if Mark was linking to you, you brought a democratic -- and educated -- palate and a sense of humor to the discussion. Having flipped through the blog a bit, I formally withdraw any implication that you are a rarefied dandy and look forward to gunning through the tobacco fields with you some day in hopes of finding the perfect match for smokey pork, be it Domaine Tempier (don't you think that's a little pricey because of the whole Richarld Olney connection, compared to a Brand X Bandol?) or a PBR.

Cheers.

[Mark Slater]

Simon has the right idea. Barbecue and beer.

For people who are not familiar with Constellation Brands, this is the company that absorbed the Robert Mondavi winery several years ago when it tanked, including its lucrative Woodbridge division.

[dmwine]

For people who are not familiar with Constellation Brands, this is the company that absorbed the Robert Mondavi winery several years ago when it tanked, including its lucrative Woodbridge division.

Ed Sands of Constellation told Marvin Shanken in a Wine Spectator interview shortly after the acquisition that Constellation wanted Mondavi specifically for the Woodbridge line, because it filled a (much needed) gap in their portfolio. They didn't care about the quality stuff.

Sad. So sad.

[Mark Slater]

Ed Sands of Constellation told Marvin Shanken in a Wine Spectator interview shortly after the acquisition that Constellation wanted Mondavi specifically for the Woodbridge line, because it filled a (much needed) gap in their portfolio. They didn't care about the quality stuff.

Sad. So sad.

Well it makes perfect sense. Would you rather sell your wine in a handful of lah-dee-dah wine shops or in thousands of supermarkets across the country? Seems like a no-brainer to me. Especially when everything else you sell is cheap, too.

[deangold]

Hate to say it but Mondavi itself is a Supermarket Brand! Maybe not every super int he country that sells wine, but I am sure that boatloads of the stuff is sold theu the supers!

[Simon]

I should have known that, if Mark was linking to you, you brought a democratic -- and educated -- palate and a sense of humor to the discussion. Having flipped through the blog a bit, I formally withdraw any implication that you are a rarefied dandy and look forward to gunning through the tobacco fields with you some day in hopes of finding the perfect match for smokey pork, be it Domaine Tempier (don't you think that's a little pricey because of the whole Richarld Olney connection, compared to a Brand X Bandol?) or a PBR.

Cheers.

Waitman,

Thanks for your kind words - and someday, indeed, we'll have to gun through Charles County in search of that perfect BBQ pairing.

Simon

[Mark Slater]

Raspberries and Chateau d'Yquem! And all those years I thought it went with peaches and pears.

[ol_ironstomach]

Raspberries and Chateau d'Yquem! And all those years I thought it went with peaches and pears.

To be fair, they said raspberries and Sauternes, generically.

However: more of their book recommendations came with vintages (2) than their wines (1) did. What a mockery. I wonder if they'd buy a used car without a model year?

[Mark Slater]

To be fair, they said raspberries and Sauternes, generically.

However: more of their book recommendations came with vintages (2) than their wines (1) did. What a mockery. I wonder if they'd buy a used car without a model year?

Right, Dave. Yquem with berry crepes. (makes my teeth hurt just thinking about that)

Also, sweet Vouvray? Which is it, demi-sec, moelleux, trie speciale, quintessence? Inquiring minds, and all....

[ol_ironstomach]

I was going to say something about how, mysteriously, this weekend's brief Sunday Source Tip Sheet was a better-written wine column than most of the Post's actual recent wine columns, even though the topic happens to be wine-in-a-box. And no wonder - a look afterward at the byline shows that it was written by Dave McIntyre.

No DTour?

[dmwine]

Thanks, Dave!

I looked for DTour, couldn't find it, and the company's Web site indicated it wasn't distributed around here. Did I miss something good?

Wouldn't be the first time!

[ol_ironstomach]

I looked for DTour, couldn't find it, and the company's Web site indicated it wasn't distributed around here. Did I miss something good?

Unfortunately, I couldn't really say...I'm not much of a Chardonnay drinker In any case, I'm not seeing stacks of it around town, so the point is moot unless they succeed in expanding their distribution.

Nice write-up on rosés in, uh, that other Washington periodical!

[jparrott]

"Hello, master of slow cooking! Here's some pork and chicken with no fat or connective tissue and a grill that runs 200 degrees too hot! Work your magic!"

[Heather]

The rum article was entertaining, and so was the printed recipe for rum and tonic.

[Hannah]

No more Robert Wolke? Given the previous replacements of good or excellent writers with lesser ones, I'm not filled with optimism here.

[JPW]

The rum article was entertaining, and so was the printed recipe for rum and tonic.

You know, I always wondered how to make a rum and tonic. I mean I can make a pretty mean gin and tonic, but I could never quite figure out how to make a rum and tonic. Genius!

[jyonan]

"Hello, master of slow cooking! Here's some pork and chicken with no fat or connective tissue and a grill that runs 200 degrees too hot! Work your magic!"

A grill that runs 200 degrees too hot? Nah. It's the charcoal, the amount you put in, the amount you might take out, how you arrange it, how you use the vents, the timing, etc. that all affects the temperature. A Weber kettle grill doesn't run too hot or too cold on its own. It doesn't do anything on its own, for that matter! And no fat on a whole chicken, you say? Where, pray tell, might I find those?

[crackers]

I could never quite figure out how to make a rum and tonic. Genius!

Directions:

Fill the glass with ice. Add the rum and tonic water, then squeeze the lime wedge into the drink and drop it in. Stir well.