The Unsophisticated Palate

I’m not sure how many of you tuned in this week, but Marc did something super special. He sang. Yep. That’s right. If you haven’t heard it yet, perhaps you should give it a listen, if for nothing else a good a chuckle.

What did he sing about? Barrels! This week’s episode was all about wine barrels – the history, the types…there was a lot to learn! Of course to hear all of the amazing details, you’ll have to tune in.

There are many ways to store and age wine, and all of them will impact the taste.  Here’s the short list:

TYPES OF BARRELS

Oak – These barrels aren’t just a storage vessel. They also add flavor!

Stainless Steel – This is a clean way to store the wine and there’s little wine loss.

Concrete – The wine has a purity to it, but the vessel isn’t as easy to clean.

Clay – The OG of wine storage!

Unsophisticated Tips:

• You can repurpose old wine barrels as planters, furniture, and so many other things!
• Take a photo of a those wine barrels when you go tasting!  A lot went into making them.

Until next time, drink responsibly! Cheers!

“I shall drink no wine before its time! OK, it’s time.” – Groucho Marx

Photo by Daniel Vogel on Unsplash

With all of those wineries out there, how on earth do you choose which one to go to? Do you go with the wineries you’ve heard of or do  you go with lesser known wineries? You really can’t go wrong either way!

But, how do you pick?

• Research! Do these places have good ratings? Do you they have wines you like?
• Then, find wineries that are close to one another.
• Ask friends for recommendations!
• Ask the winery for recommendations! (p.s. You can also ask them for restaurant recs nearby…guaranteed you’ll need a nosh if you’re wine tasting.)

Remember you don’t have to go to Napa to go wine tasting! There are tons of wine tasting regions, even in places you wouldn’t expect. Do a little online browsing to see if there are some tasting rooms near you!

Unsophisticated Tips:

• Call ahead if you have a big group.
• Don’t hesitate to try wines you wouldn’t normally try! You might surprise yourself.
• Hire a driver!

Until next time, drink responsibly! Cheers!

“Let us drink wine to remember what kind of mystical beauties life offers us and to comprehend what sort of magic potions existence has!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

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This week we were on location at Wright Station Winery in Los Gatos on the Santa Cruz summit to talk about one of our favorite topics…WINE TASTING!

Since the majority of us are not experts, when we approach a tasting room we are tasting wine, not evaluating it. What does that mean? Well, basically you don’t need to know all of those fancy schmancy wine terms to go wine tasting… you don’t need to know anything really, other than the fact that you want to try something delicious! When wine tasting, you’re allowed to enjoy it, and you’re also allowed to not like the wine and dump it! It’s all about YOUR experience.

There’s a suggested order to wine tasting for the best experience:

• Sparkling
• Dry/light whites
• Heavier whites
• Roses
• Younger, light reds
• Bold reds
• Dessert wines

The great news is that at tasting rooms they lay this out for you. But if you’re organizing your own  tasting, this can be super helpful!

Now, who’s ready to do some tasting?!

Unsophisticated Tips:

• You can share a tasting!
• If you don’t like the wine you can pour it into the pour out vessel…OR you can just pour it into your friend’s glasses!
• You can ask for light splashes of wines you aren’t sure you aren’t going to like instead of getting full pours so you aren’t wasting wine.
• Contemplate the wine! Actually think about what you’re experiencing.

Join us next week for Part 2 of our Wine Tasting Special!

Cheers!

“He held up his glass to the light, then gave it a sniff.’It’s got peach, oak, vanilla, lots of vanilla, Sue Ellen loves her vanilla…”
― Nina Killham, How to Cook a Tart

― Nina Killham, How to Cook a Tart

The Unsophisticated Palate took the week off so we decided to replay one of our favorite episodes for you! Here’s a recap of that very important information. Cheers!

This week on The Unsophisticated Palate we took a step away from wine and did a little political correctness dance. We talked about cocktails, and how what one orders may influence perceptions. Is that drink “manly” enough?  Is it too “frou frou?” “OMG, is he really ordering a pomegranatini after he just ordered an appletini?!?!?!”

There are some drinks that are considered (stereotypically) manly:

• Whiskey or Scotch on the rocks (ice) or neat (no ice)

• Martini – think Bond, James Bond!

• Manhattan
• Old Fashioned

But as we discussed, these are also Jen’s favorite drinks! They are not just for the hombres! Men and ladies alike love these strong cocktails.

Interestingly, there is a certain category of drink that seems to be safe from stigma. Anyone can order a Bloody Mary (any time of day in fact!) and no one says a thing about it. Same thing goes for margaritas, vodka tonics, and Moscow Mules. It’s this interesting happy place.

Then we get to the sweet drinks, the “frou frou,” or what some would call, the “girly” cocktails. Around here at the Unsophisticated Palate, we call these,  “Marc Drinks” Let’s get this straight, most people like sweet things. I have seen my brother chow down an entire plate of chocolate chip cookies. So, it is no surprise that there are guys out there that enjoy a sweet alcoholic beverage, and they should be allowed to do so without shame.  

For today’s Unsophisticated Tip, we only have one, and it’s a big one!

Unsophisticated Tip:

DRINK WHAT YOU LIKE!!

Until next time, drink responsibly! Cheers!

“Here’s to alcohol, the rose colored glasses of life.”

— F. Scott Fitzgerald

Photo Credit 

According to F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right.” We couldn’t agree more! There’s something special about a glass of bubbles. It feels celebratory and kind of fancy.

On this week’s podcast we talked about the difference between “Champagne” and other sparkling wines. In order to be called Champagne, it actually has be from the Champagne region of France. Yep, that’s right! Other types of sparklings that you’ll find from around the world are Prosecco (from Italy), Cava (from Spain) and Sekt (from Germany).

The sparkling wine making process is really interesting.  Check it out!

First  Step – They pick the cuvee, or base wine.

Second Step – There’s some blending.

Third Step – There’s a SECOND FERMENTATION. This is the key to the sparkling wine making process!

Fourth Step – The aging process begins.

Fifth Step – Riddling – the bottles are turned just the right amount to move the dead  yeast cells into the neck of the bottle

Sixth Step – Disgorging – The neck of the bottle is frozen so a plug of frozen yeast cells can be removed.

Seventh Step – Dosage – wine, brandy or sugar is added to adjust the sweetness

Eighth Step – Cork it!

Unsophisticated Tips:

Opening a Bottle

• Cover the cork with a towel and twist the cork.
• Always face the bottle away from you.
• Never shake the bottle of bubbles first!

Ideal Temperature for serving: 45-48 degrees

“There comes a time in every woman’s life when the only thing that helps is a glass of champagne.”
― Bette Davis

When people start talking about wine, there are all sorts of wine terms get thrown around – Tannic! Acidic! Bold! As we started doing research for this episode, we realized that there was no way we could cover every single winey word that you would need to know, so we picked our tops in the hopes that they would give you a good foundation.

We started with what we called the BIG THREE:

Acidity:  the fresh, tart, or sour taste that comes from natural fruit acids in the wine

Dry:  the opposite of sweet , a taste sensation that is often attributed to tannins and can cause your mouth to pucker a bit

Tannins:  Textural elements (from skins, seeds, and wood) that cause a bitter, dry, and puckery mouthfeel 

Then we got into some other really important terms we thought you should know:

Varietal:  type of grape

Body/Structure: How heavy or full wine feels in the mouth

Earthy: A smell or taste related to the earth – think soil, forest, mushrooms

Finish:  Basically, the aftertaste

Vintage:  Year the grapes were grown and harvested

Nose/bouquet:  nose is the singular smell, bouquet indicates it has secondary smells other than primary fruits

Blend: combination of different varietals

Vinotype: basically your wine preference by combining your own personal sensory sensitivities with your culture, tradition, and life experiences

Unsophisticated Tip:

You don’t have to use these terms to enjoy wine!

Until next time, drink responsibly! Cheers!

Photo by Rafael Barquero on Unsplash

“Wine makes all things possible.”

― George R.R. Martin, The Mystery Knight

Happy Holidays, everyone!!! With a great deal of festivity so close we can taste it, it’s time to dust off those reindeer glasses from last year, pull out the peppermint schnapps and fill our cups with cheer! Are you excited? We sure are! If you listened to this week’s episode, I’m sure you could tell.

There are so many holiday bevvies out there. The funny thing is, when it comes to holiday cocktails, many of them are regular cocktails we have all the time with a holiday twist. That just adds to the fun.  Change out the plain vodka with a gingerbread vodka, give it a fun name and voilà,  now it’s a Christmas cocktail!

There are some some drinks that are traditionally “holiday,’ however, like eggnog and mulled wine, two of our favorites! For the history on those libations, make sure to tune in.  Check out Marc in that pic above with the eggnog. We would like everyone to know that the shirt he is wearing is NOT a part of a PJ set. It is in fact a “dress shirt” that he wears on special occasions…Feel free to comment below! 🙂

Unsophisticated Tips:

• To create a holiday cocktail, look for flavored spirits – gingerbread, peppermint, sugar cookie, pumpkin, etc.

• Mulled Wine isn’t just delicious, it’s also a way to make your house smell like winter!
  

• Don’t put dreidels in your cocktails…
  

• Drink what makes you happy!

Until next time, drink responsibly! Cheers!

“Alcohol, taken in sufficient quantities, may produce all the effects of drunkenness.”
― Oscar Wilde

When it comes to giving wine, there aren’t any hard and fast rules. The same goes for receiving it! In this week’s episode we talked about the ins and outs of giving and receiving wine, and some of the challenges the come along with both of those scenarios. How much do you spend? How do you decide what to pick? What do you do if you receive a wine that you straight up don’t like?

There are so many occasions where etiquette dictates that you should bring wine: housewarmings, dinner parties, etc. And now, here you are, standing in the wine section of the grocery store, baffled about what to bring.  If you are new to wine and and completely stuck, join the masses and pick a wine by the pretty label (go with red wine though because studies show that most people prefer red wines). I know that this may seem like odd advice, but we are all drawn to pretty things, so in a pinch, it’s not a bad idea to just go for it!

If you have a little more time, ask for advice from someone who may know – perhaps an expert who works in a wine shop. They can guide you.

Now, when you get to this dinner party where you have spent all of this time choosing the wine, will the host actually open the bottle? Probably not. Sorry! It may not go with their menu. It may be something the host wants to save for him or herself. It’s just how it goes sometimes!

If you’re on the receiving end, you are under no obligation to open wine that is given to you. If you receive a bottle of wine that you know is just…well…not your cup of tea, fix your face immediately! Be as gracious as ever, put that wine someplace “special” and then decide what you want to do with it later.

Unsophisticated Tips:

Giving wine

• Avoid common or well-known wines, go with well known varietals instead.
• Match to the recipient: ex:  Health conscious – go with organic
• Avoid gift sets – usually it’s full of stuff that people already have
• Going to a party – go for  a $15-$20 bottle
• If it’s an actual GIFT, maybe consider spending a bit more, splurge a little bit!
• Magnums are a fun alternative to the regular bottle of wine.
• If you’re giving a gift to a non-wine drinker, tailor the gift to what they like – vodka for the vodka drinker, whiskey for the whiskey drinker, something completely non- alcoholic for the person that doesn’t drink.
• If you want to make sure they know it’s a gift and not to be consumed that night, put it in a gift bag.

Receiving wine

• You don’t have to open it that evening!
• There is no etiquette on researching the wine you receive. Do what feels right to you!
• What if you don’t like the wine?! YIKES!
  • Is it kosher to regift a wine? We’ll leave that up to you!
  • Use it for cooking!

 

Until next time, drink responsibly! Cheers!

“Either give me more wine or leave me alone.”

― Rumi, circa 1200’s

This week on The Unsophisticated Palate we took a step away from wine and did a little political correctness dance. We talked about cocktails, and how what one orders may influence perceptions. Is that drink “manly” enough?  Is it too “frou frou?” “OMG, is he really ordering a pomegranatini after he just ordered an appletini?!?!?!”

There are some drinks that are considered (stereotypically) manly:

• • Whiskey or Scotch on the rocks (ice) or neat (no ice)

• • Martini – think Bond, James Bond!

• • Manhattan
  • Old Fashioned

But as we discussed, these are also Jen’s favorite drinks! They are not just for the hombres! Men and ladies alike love these strong cocktails.

Interestingly, there is a certain category of drink that seems to be safe from stigma. Anyone can order a Bloody Mary (any time of day in fact!) and no one says a thing about it. Same thing goes for margaritas, vodka tonics, and Moscow Mules. It’s this interesting happy place.

Then we get to the sweet drinks, the “frou frou,” or what some would call, the “girly” cocktails. Around here at the Unsophisticated Palate, we call these,  “Marc Drinks” Let’s get this straight, most people like sweet things. I have seen my brother chow down an entire plate of chocolate chip cookies. So, it is no surprise that there are guys out there that enjoy a sweet alcoholic beverage, and they should be allowed to do so without shame.  

For today’s Unsophisticated Tip, we only have one, and it’s a big one!

Unsophisticated Tip:

DRINK WHAT YOU LIKE!!

Until next time, drink responsibly! Cheers!

“Here’s to alcohol, the rose colored glasses of life.”

— F. Scott Fitzgerald

Photo Credit 

This week on The Unsophisticated Palate, we focused on open bottles of wine. We took you on a journey – from popping the cork to storing the leftovers (assuming you have leftovers…)!

Before we got to the nitty gritty of storing wine, there were some important basics that we went over. First of all,  you have to be able to get the darn thing open. There are so many different types of wine openers out there, some loosely shaped like woodland creatures (picture a cute little bunny here). There are even some wine openers out there that are completely battery operated and do the entire job for you! Find the one that works best for you! For a full description of how to use a variety of the openers, listen to the podcast. If you’re ever confused about how to use one, consult our friend…YouTube! There’s no shame in that! As Marc hopefully made pretty clear, although some of these wine openers seem intuitive, they are not.

Now, some of us (ah-hem) finish the entire bottle of wine every time, but for those that don’t, here are some important tips for you:

Unsophisticated Tips:

How long will my wine last once I’ve opened it?  

• Sparkling 1-3 days  – If you have a champagne stopper it will last longer! Also, if you stick a metal object like the skinny part of a spoon in the bottle it will last longer (don’t ask me why, but it works!). 
• Light whites/Rose – 5-7 Days in fridge with cork
• Full Bodied whites – 3-5 Days in fridge with cork
• Red wine – 3-5 Days in a cool, dark place with cork
• Fortified – 28 days  (although, in our experience they seem to last longer) 

BUT REMEMBER:  The flavor will not be the same after day 1!!!

Re-cork it the right way – you really want to put the wine-stained side back in the bottle.

Use Half bottles – Put the rest of your wine into a screw-top half bottle so the wine isn’t exposed to as much oxygen.

Refrigerate it – This will slow down the breakdown process

Don’t open it- use a Corovain instead. This is a needle-through-the-cork system that lets you to siphon wine out of bottles without spoiling what’s left! It’s pretty miraculous and a great option if you have super pricey bottles of wine!

Finish it! – Haha! My favorite suggestion!

 

Until next time, drink responsibly! Cheers!

“Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.” — Benjamin Franklin

 

5 Tips for Storing Open Wine – Wine Enthusiast

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