Harvey Steiman's Blog Archives
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June 2006
Good Cheap Aussie Pinot? Don't Laugh
Posted: 09:16 PM ET, June 28, 2006
Conventional wisdom says that Australia does great at Shiraz and pretty well at Cabernet. But Merlot? Pinot Noir? Not on the radar. Especially, you might think, at the low end.
So explain this. I am blind-tasting through a lot of low- to mid-priced reds as I prepare my next Australia red wine report, which Wine Spectator will publish in the fall. Read more
Michelin Makes San Francisco Chefs Nervous
Posted: 12:57 PM ET, June 22, 2006
If San Francisco's chefs and restaurateurs look pale these days, blame it on the Michelin Man. Or men. The restaurant inspectors have been visiting the city's eateries recently for the Michelin Guide's first book on San Francisco, due out in October. Read more
Penfolds' Sidelines
Posted: 11:41 AM ET, June 20, 2006
As the winemaker for Penfolds, Peter Gago is responsible for some of the iconic wines of Australia, including Grange and Bin 707. Who knew he had a jones for Gewürztraminer and Sangiovese?
On a recent visit to San Francisco, over lunch at Ame, he poured a few wines that are, well, out of Penfolds' mainstream. Read more
A Little Ice Goes a Long Way
Posted: 01:38 PM ET, June 16, 2006
Some years ago I shocked a room full of Pinot Noir nuts by plunking an ice cube in my glass of red Burgundy.
It was one of the first International Pinot Noir Celebrations in Oregon, and Willamette Valley was experiencing one of its inevitable, if not too common, heat waves. Read more
Modern vs. Traditional—In Barossa?
Posted: 11:15 AM ET, June 15, 2006
Barossa Shiraz. Does it mean "goo monster" to you? That's the caricature of Australia's signature red wine, or at least the wine type that many wine aficionados think of first when someone says "Aussie red."
Rolf Binder, one of the most respected winemakers in the Barossa, maker of some of the most prized reds in Australia (including his Hanisch Vineyard Shiraz), wants that to change. Read more
Straight Dope on Screwcaps
Posted: 12:50 PM ET, June 13, 2006
James Molesworth pressed a hot button in his blog when he asked how his readers felt about screwcaps. The responses are running strongly in favor of screwcaps, but a few misapprehensions are also popping up. Let's try to set the record straight.
Number one, a good cork doesn't breathe. Read more
Australian Wine Countdown
Posted: 11:33 AM ET, June 12, 2006
Sometimes I get a little silly in the middle of a tasting, not from the alcohol (I don't know about you, but I'm spitting) but probably from trying to concentrate too hard.
So I take the bag off a wine, and the label is "Five Geese. Read more
Sunday Dinner After the Opera
Posted: 01:02 PM ET, June 09, 2006
A few months ago, Oregon winemaker Harry Peterson-Nedry called with an idea that went right to my heart. A charity auction he was involved in wanted to offer a weekend in San Francisco that would include two performances at the San Francisco Opera and dinner at Jardinière. Read more
Coming Soon—The Keller Burger?
Posted: 11:58 AM ET, June 08, 2006
When super chef Thomas Keller announced he was opening a casual family restaurant in July down the street from his much-venerated French Laundry in Napa Valley, he said it was only temporary, until he unveiled a more permanent restaurant next year. Read more
Crudo, Crudo, Everywhere
Posted: 11:43 AM ET, June 06, 2006
The other day my friend Tom and I were talking about all the raw fish appetizers we've been seeing on menus lately. He mused, "What's the difference between crudo and sashimi?" I thought about it for a few seconds. "Olive oil," I said. Read more
Why a Ste. Michelle-Owned Erath Winery Makes Sense
Posted: 11:00 AM ET, June 01, 2006
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates' surprise purchase of Erath Vineyards looks like a good deal all the way around. The Washington-based buyer has a long history of pursuing quality, especially in its marquee labels. And the Oregon winery, which makes more Pinot Noir than anyone else in Oregon, needs a lift. Read more
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