THE HOUR OF THE APERITIF

The French have always, and with justice, been regarded as the world's gastronomic authorities. They have maintained that some mildly alcoholic beverage is required to set the gastric juices in motion, and they have developed a succession of delightful predinner concoctions that they call Aperitifs to perform this function. The Italians, in fact all Mediterranean peoples-and even Americans- have joined them in their pursuit. There are a number of Aperitifs that would make an admirable introduction to a thoughtfully planned dinner, but the choice depends on the kind of dinner you are proposing to give. If it is to be a buffet-style meal accompanied by a suitable table wine, then your guests should sit down to table with their appetites unimpaired and their gastric juices no more than set in motion. If you are going to serve good wines, then it is necessary to invite guests who will appreciate them and who can be trusted out of respect for the wines to arrive punctually, so that the period of waiting can be genuine, for which one cocktail, highball or Aperitif will be sufficient. It is quite another matter if the cocktail period is going to the meal itself-as it is nowadays in many houses.
The word Aperitif comes from the Latin Aperire, meaning to open, and indeed, a variety of fresh, slightly bitter drinks have traditionally been used to open both meals and appetites. More than mere cocktail-hour stimulants,however, wine aperitifs are also thought to be healthful because many contain small amounts of quinine, an ingredient originally added to protect French soldiers from Malaria. There are four aromatic wines that have been blended with bitter bark, brandy and Quinine (Dubonnet, Byrrh, St. Raphael and Lillet). Currently, the best selling French aperitif in the United States is Lillet, first created in 1887 when two French brothers white Bordeaux wine with a mixture of macerated fruit and small amount of quinine. Today, ten different fruits-eight of which are a well kept secret- along with sweet and bitter orange peel and quinine are cold-macerated in French brandy for four to six months before they are mixed with wine and aged. Two types of Lillet are made; non vintage, also called classic, and vintage, making it the only vintaged aperitif in the world.Vintage Lillet is aged in newer oak barrels than non vintage. Lillet Blanc, both vintage and non vintage, is produced from Bordeaux grown Sauvignon Blanc,Semillon and Muscadelle grapes. Lillet Rouge, whether vintage or non vintage, is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

LEARNING THE JOYS OF WINE, THE PLEASURES OF SPIRITS!!

The wine lover need not know and usually does not care that a peeled ripe peach, pricked 99 times, revolves slowly in a bubbling glass of cold Champagne. Nor does it matter to them that this is a delectable summer drink called Stachelschwein, "the porcupine" in Germany, where it is popular. Such knowledge is reserved for the bookworm. As for the neophyte among wine  lovers, there are thousands of other pieces of information (of great or little importance) that lie ahead of him. As they get into the subject, he will find greater enjoyment in the beers, wines and spirits of their choice when he knows something of the history and characteristics of each type and its place of origin. It does not matter much whether the first wines we savor are those of Australia, or South Africa, whether the table wines of a family come from Italy, Chile or California. The important thing is that we take the time to read, learn and drink!!! Knowledge, along with the constant tasting, can bring an appreciation of why, where and how we should enjoy our wines and spirits. There are many interesting differences to learn about. A brandy from Cognac and one made in Armagnac, for example, are both Brandies- but being distilled in different ways and aged in different kinds of casks, they are quite different in taste. A whisky made in Scotland is very different from the product of Ireland or our own American ryes and Bourbons. It is perhaps not surprising that table wines differ when made from different grapes; but it is remarkable that the dry white Blanc-Fume wines of the Loire valley are very different from the sweet white Chateau d'Yquem and other wines made from the same grape in Gironde Valley just to the south.
For the person who envies the evident joys their friends derive from choosing and drinking the right wine in the right place at the right time. I truly recommend they read, listen and TASTE!! There is so much learn every time you try something new or retry a new vintage of that old favorite!!

KOSHER WINE

Until the 1980's many Kosher wines tasted like a cross between Kool-Aid and Children's medicine. Today, however, Kosher wines are  in an entirely different league. Made by winemakers with good credentials from  such classic varieties as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, Kosher wines now compete with fine wines made anywhere in the world. To be Kosher, a wine must be made under rabbinical supervision and must be handled throughout vilification by a Sabbath-observant Jew. Wine handled or served by a non-observer is considered unfit for sacramental use. Historically, of course, Jewish religious authorities knew that wine was used not just for sacramental purposes but also socially. Wine eased and encouraged social interaction. Religious scholars speculate that rabbis and Jewish intellectuals may have feared such socializing, viewing it as the first step toward the disintegration of Jewish culture and the assimilation of Jews into other cultures. To mitigate against this, two versions of Kosher wine were made. The first, Mevushal (cooked) wine, would be boiled, making it in a sense morally sterilized. Though Mevushal wine would therefore be less palatable than regular wine, it could be shared by non-Jews and nonobservant Jews with observant Jews. The other type of Kosher wine would be non-Mevushal and, as result, generally better tasting. Non-Mevushal wine could be drunk and served only by Sabbath-observervant Jews. If a non-Jew or a non-Sabbath observant Jew touched a non-Mevushal wine, even accidentally, it could not be consumed by someone who strictly followed Kosher dietary law. Initially, Mevushal wines were quite literally boiled. Today the unfermented grape juice or wine is flash pasteurized- a more modern method of sterilization- and the wine is then aged. Flash pasteurization is also kinder than boiling when it comes to preserving the wine's aroma and flavor. In both Europe and Israel, Kosher wine has always been made from classic European grape varieties, such as Cab Sav, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Merlot. While that is now true in Untied States as well, in the past most American-made Kosher wines were produced from foxy-tasting native grapes, such as Concord, which were also used for jelly. These grapes thrived along the East Coast, where the largest centers of Jewish population were to be found. Over time, American-made Kosher wine became inextricably linked with syrupy sweet wine, such as Manischevitz. The largest U.S. importer and distributor of Kosher wines is the New York based Royal Kedem. As for specific producers of Kosher wine, the best in California include Weinstock, Hagafen, Gan Eden and Baron Herzog. The most famous French Kosher wine is the one called Baron Rothschild, an expensive Kosher Bordeaux produced by Baron Edmund Rothschild of Lafite-Rothschild. From Israel, the producer to look for are Yarden and Golan.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN WINE

There are five qualities a taster must assess in order to determine whether a wine is great: Varietal character, Integration, Expressiveness, Complexity and Connectedness.
Distinct Varietal Character is a good thing. Each variety of grape presents itself in a unique way. When a young wine that has been made from a single variety of grape presents its inherent grape aromas and flavors in a straightforward, clear and focused way, it is said to have varietal character. Not all varietal characteristics have mass appeal. Some wine drinkers think the assertive, tangy green herb, olive and straw character of some Sauvignon Blancs is quite nasty, especially if the aromas go one step further and take on what is often described as cat piss smell. "Cat piss" as long as its not extreme, is a description used approvingly by some wine drinkers (including me) who do like Sauvignon Blanc. There's an obvious analogy here with cheese. Just because some people cannot bear smelly cheese, is blue cheese awful? Should every cheese be remade in the image of Kraft singles, just because these have widespread appeal? I think the idea is absurd.
Integration is a state whereby the components of a wine are so impeccably interwoven that no one characteristic or component stands out. Integration means more than just balance. Integration implies that all the components have come together in harmonious fusion.
Expressiveness is the quality a wine possesses when its aromas and flavors are well-defined and clearly projected. While some wines seem muddled and diffused, others beam out their character with almost unreal clarity and focus.
Complexity is not a thing but a phenomenon. Unlike, say jamminess or acidity, you cannot go looking for the thing called complexity. Complexity is more like a force that pulls you into a wine and impels you to repeatedly return for another smell and sip because each time you do, you find something new.
Connectedness is perhaps the most elusive of these concepts and the most difficult quality to ascertain. It is the sense you get from the wine's aroma and flavor that it could not have come from just anywhere but rather is the embodiment of a single piece of earth. Connectedness is the bond between a wine and the plot of land it was born in.