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Chinese Dumplings on Chinese New Year
One of my fondest childhood memories is the celebrations around Chinese New Year. This was a time of great excitement and joy, families came together, children were given gifts, and everyone enjoyed traditional New Year's foods. Perhaps my favorite...
Frugal Cooking With Herbs
Herbs are fun to grow and easy to use. Herbs can
be a frugal cook's best friend because they can
enhance even the simplest fare making it seem
grand! Herbs are easy to grow--you can even grow
them on your kitchen windowsill.
The addition...
In Praise of the Humble Salad
If there is a cuisine that America can truly call its own, then this has to be it.
So much so, that I'm going to make no attempt to replicate the many and varied recipes that make up that country's version of "salad".
Hopefully, one of my...
Is your "Italian" olive oil really Italian?
There is a small scandal on the Italian olive oil scene these days.
Through a quirk in the way Europe's olive oil labeling laws are written, the "Product of" label signifies the location of the bottler -- not the source of the olives themselves....
Salmon Steak with Apple and Horseradish Garnish
Salmon is a fresh water fish that is loaded with omega-3 fatty
acids it is even one of the fish that is recommended on the
popular Makers Diet.
It is a healthy light fish with a pink meat that lends itself
well to smoked flavorings and...
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Determining if a wine is spoiled
How to spot a bad wine
When a waiter brings the bottle of wine to the table and offers
you the cork, do you sniff it? What do you do with that splash
of wine he pours into your glass? Why doesn't he just deliver
the wine you ordered, place it on the table and walk away?
This is your opportunity to ensure the wine is not only the one
you ordered, but also that the bottle has not been ruined by
improper storage or by wild bacteria and fungus. And since it
takes only a sip to determine of the wine is good, that is how
much is placed in your glass to start. But how will you know if
the wine is good or bad? The first test is simple, smell it. If
the smell of the wine does not invite you in for a sip it is
most likely spoiled. Here are the most common things that make a
wine taste terrible.
"Corked" Wines
These are wines that have come in contact with wild fungus that
produces a cbhemical named TCA. Depending on how long the wine
has been in contact with the fungus, the aroma can be only
faintly noticeable to striking. If you detect any mustiness,
like your basement or wet cardboard, you have a corked wine. On
the fainter side of the spectrum you may notice a wine you
regularly drink is missing much of the aroma of fruit or
berries, and that the nose is generally lifeless. Since upwards
of 5% of wines using real corks can be infected, do not hesitate
to send a wine back that does not seem right.
Cooked Wines
Improper storage, especially exposure to excessive heat, can
quickly destroy a wine. This is quite often a problem in
restaurants where storage space is limited and done near the
kitchen, and is more prevalent during summer months when
distributors may allow wine to get heated during delivery. The
first thing you may notice about these wines is the cork appears
to protrude over the lip of the bottle. Or the capsule (or the
foil) looks like it is bulging. When the sommelier hands you the
cork, don't sniff it, rather look for signs that wine has
escaped around the sides of the cork, another good sign of
cooking. This break in the sealing can also lead to another
issue addressed later, oxidation.
While cooked wine is great if you have just ordered Coq Au
Vin,
it is not acceptable in your glass. These wines will present
themselves as dull with no aroma of fruit, berries, or other
esters left at all. They will even taste as though they have
been on the stove, with flavors resembling a stew, and body that
is very thin and lifeless.
Oxidation
While a small amount of oxidation may be desirable in aging
wines for a long time to aid in tannin breakdowns, too much will
ruin a bottle. Natural cork may let very small amount of air
interact with the wine in the bottle over years, but a poor
sealing cork will let so much air in the wine will be left
tasting like cheap sherry. If you have spotted a break in the
seal of the cork, oxidation is more likely to have occurred.
Oxygen is a highly reactive element and quickly changes the
components of the wine. In addition to the sherry like flavors,
be alert for a noticeably brown color of the wine when viewed.
Sediment
Wines that have been stored for a long time, many years like
Bordeaux, will often produce a lot of sediment in the bottom of
the bottle. When serving these aged wines it is imperative that
decanting be done properly, and that the bottles be handled
gently to avoid rousing the sediment. Once the sediment has been
stirred, the only way to make the wine drinkable is to let it
sit for a long time again. Often longer than you have for dinner
that night. If you see a preponderance of silt, and the wine
tastes excessively dry and chalky when tasted you will need to
sent back. Hopefully this expensive lesson will teach the server
to d
ecant properly before serving next time.
While there are a few other potential faults that can be found
in a wine, the general rule is if the wine is not enjoyable or
does not seem right, send it back. Any good restaurateur will
realize that spoiled wine is a fact of life and will gladly open
a new bottle without question.
About the author:
Michael Briggs is a wine fanatic and a frequent contributor to
Winery-Mall
where you can learn all about win
e ordering.
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