tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1791453016573949082024-03-04T15:23:35.357-05:00A Boston Food DiaryBoston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.comBlogger836125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-47554428211541015272023-02-07T11:08:00.002-05:002023-02-07T11:08:28.592-05:00Restaurant Reviews: A dead art?<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Last December I declared 2023 the year I would return to food writing. It was a bold statement (even now as I look at my last published date and see the 2020 taunting me), but I truly miss being a tiny, rather insignificant part of the food community. I mentioned this to the esteemed writer behind <a href="https://www.popbopshopblog.com" target="_blank">Pop.Bop.Shop</a> (Ms. Molly Galler) over brunch one Saturday morning, but immediately backtracked using the excuse that I had no idea what it would even look like anymore. A Boston Food Diary was born from the need to make a meal last longer. My impetus was quite simply to savor even long after the last bite had been devoured. As a fresh faced 20 something I had bored my friends and family to tears with my thoughts and this was meant to be an outlet. Over time it grew and evolved as I did in my real life, and more importantly as the idea of "blogging" overall changed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">2008 was a very different time than we are looking at today. Sure we all felt very advanced with the internet- but in reality we were lightyears behind where we are today. The original iPhone was released in 2007, equipped with a (poor) camera and there wasn't the ability to record video with it. Bloggers, as we were, showed up at restaurants with large, clunky cameras in tow...and some with full lighting as well. We were not a subtle bunch. It was a key differentiator of "real" restaurant critics. Those individuals showed up under the cloak of anonymity, using fake names, no recording devices. They sat as regular people, just with highly defined palates. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The term "blogger", if I'm honest, was a bit embarrassing. We caused a scene more often than not, over indulged in absolutely everything (that may have just been me, come to think of it), and cast our opinions around like confetti. We were often regarded as more knowledgeable than the average Yelp reviewer, though for the life of me, I cannot recall why. I certainly didn't have "credentials". I had an obsession with food, taste buds, an adventurous spirit and read way too many books about food, and cook books- but chefs were wise to regard me warily. Don't get me wrong- those early days of blogging were some of the best times of my life. As time progressed little A Boston Food Diary morphed and evolved, and opened up to more opportunities for writing for other publications. I quickly leaned into the term "food writer" over blogger. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Writing, however, was the key term to me. The creative outlet of words on paper (ahem -virtual paper) was extremely satisfying. However with the advent of Instagram, and the idea of "influencers" becoming more and more prominent, I watched the written word fall from grace. The world shifted from people wanting a back story, wanting the human element, to preferring as few words as possible, more photo heavy and then came the videos. Quickly the "industry" shifted combining the idea of the influencer with the blogger and those of us who relished the written word felt out of place in this new arena. As many of those I had created a community with did, I stepped back. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yesterday, Soleil Ho, food critic for the SF Chronicle, announced that she would be moving to their opinion column. Ho held the role of food critic for just 4 years, and in that time received a James Beard Award for her writing. Let me pause for just a moment and fan girl. A JAMES BEARD AWARD- the dream! Ok...thats done...sorta. Obviously this is not a major news story. She was a food critic and now she's not- but what I do find interesting about this - how many of the commentators on this story are asking the question- is the idea of a food critic dead overall? This is precisely the question I've struggled with for years now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now that technology has advanced to this degree where we all have constant access to cameras, video and the internet- opinions are incredibly easy to find. No longer do we wait for our local expert to go to the new restaurant 2-3 times to formulate a full and complete opinion and read about it in their weekly column. No, now we do a quick Google search of a place, 25- 5,000 reviews pop up immediately, we scan the star ratings and move on. Perhaps we instead turn to Instagram or Tik Tok and find a flashy video of a "Top 5" list set to music and we get swayed by that. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'll be very clear- there is nothing wrong, per se, with any of this- it's just another form of evolution. The question that I have however is- is the written word, at least in regard to restaurant reviews dead? Are we just too inundated with information for a review to stand out? Do we prefer to see pretty videos with possibly less content over an information heavy commentary? What is next in this evolution? My hope is that we go back to "vintage" reviews because isn't that how fashion works?</span></p>Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-29199812384823917902020-05-03T11:31:00.003-04:002020-05-03T11:31:56.580-04:00Potential Impact of Covid-19?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As we sift through all of the data and information out there- I found this to be a helpful and interesting resource. This was provided by Compass as ready made material- so I can't take credit for it- but I wanted to get it out there- and I wanted to ask- what do you think? </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"What will be the Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis?</span></div>
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On April 28th, McKinsey & Company's Global Managing Partner, Kevin Sneader <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb2cL59NZYo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=5eaee1b1c4559200018a1940&utm_source=5e7cecc2736e650001bc458e&agent_id=5e7cecc2736e650001bc458e" style="color: black; font-size: inherit; margin: 0px;">appeared on CNBC</a> to discuss how his firm is advising multiple governors on when and how to reopen their states. In his words, the decision hinges on one question: <b style="font-size: inherit; margin: 0px;">how do you </b></div>
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There's no easy answer.<b style="font-size: inherit; margin: 0px;"> </b>And with 70% of the US workforce unable to do their jobs from home, states need to consider how to make sure there is enough PPE, testing and contact-tracing in place to be confident that once they reopen, they won't have to shut down again.</div>
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How This Could Unfold</div>
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A recent survey of over 2,000 global executives showed that many expect the recovery to look like one of the scenarios shaded in blue below (A1–A4) which lead to a V- or U-shaped recovery. In each of these, the COVID-19 spread is eventually controlled, and catastrophic structural economic damage is avoided. </div>
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Almost one third of these leaders anticipate a muted world recovery where US GDP could drop 35-40% in Q2 of 2020 and won't return to pre-crisis levels until Q1 of 2023 (A1). A slightly more optimistic outlook was the second most anticipated scenario, reflecting</div>
virus containment by mid-Q2 of 2020 with an economic rebound following Q2 2020 (A3). [Source: <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/risk/our-insights/covid-19-implications-for-business?campaign_id=4&emc=edit_dk_20200408&instance_id=17465&nl=dealbook%C2%AEi_id%3D64559417&segment_id=24291&te=1&user_id=a96e9c351f6448820f0b1eb247b885c5&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=5eaee1b1c4559200018a1940&utm_source=5e7cecc2736e650001bc458e&agent_id=5e7cecc2736e650001bc458e" style="color: black; font-size: inherit; margin: 0px;">McKinsey</a>]</div>
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Which Sectors are being </div>
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Hit the Hardest?</div>
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<b style="font-size: inherit; margin: 0px;">1. Commercial Aerospace</b><br style="font-size: inherit; margin: 0px;" /> May take years to recover from production and supply chain shortages<br style="font-size: inherit; margin: 0px;" /><b style="font-size: inherit; margin: 0px;">2. Consumer Air & Travel</b><div style="font-size: inherit; margin: 0px;">
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Domestic recovery is likely to recover faster than international travel</div>
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Oil price decline driven by short-term demand impact and OPEC+ decision to increase supply</div>
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Reduced interest rates and investment performance impacting returns</div>
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Trade tensions and declining sales amplified by acute decline in global demand"</div>
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Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-26476429463653083772019-11-19T11:38:00.001-05:002019-11-19T11:38:29.843-05:00Coming Home...to Terroir<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the temperatures grow colder around these parts and we start to look towards the holidays, many of us find our thoughts headed towards home. That place where it's always warm and cozy and things are just as you like them- maybe its loud and crazy, or quiet and peaceful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over the last couple of months I've had the opportunity to peek into the culture of Israel and the piece that as struck me is how much "home" is apart of their way of life. Unsurprisingly, my view into the country came through its wines. As you may know, Israeli wines haven't had the best reputation over the past few decades, often being very sweet. Today, however, they're working to bring the focus back on terroir. The wines are becoming a wonderful representative of the beauty and culture of the land, like a greeting card from home. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had the opportunity to taste several different offerings from the country and was astounded by their variety and depth of flavor. The Golan Heights Winery- Yarden Blanc de Blanc vintage 2011 is incredibly refined- utilizing the same practices as the vintners of Champagne the wine has a deep yeast driven nose with flavors of grapefruit and green apple on the palette. The mousse is extremely fine and the bubbles are as well. I would be proud to serve this at any celebration. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The wine that impressed me the most though, out of the dozen or so sampled, was the Kishore Winery Viognier vintage 2016. While we all know and love the Viognier as it hails from France, Israel put its own spin on it with naturally more body, but flavors ranging from minerals to lemon, lime and green apple. This was what I loved the most about Israeli wines- many varietals are familiar but the terroir of the country screams through and it's so very clear that these well loved grapes will soon be enjoyed in an entirely new way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To me, this is the greatest appreciation of home. Allowing the terroir of the country be obvious- not cajoling the wine into being something its not, not mimicking the influence of a different country or area, but creating something beautiful from what you are given. It's similar to bringing home your new partner for the first time and giving your family a list of instructions on how to behave, or allowing them to be their own zany selves. Wine has to be able to be itself, stand on its own, and tell you its story- it has to be authentic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So kudos to the winemakers of Israel, and to those of us heading home soon- are we brave enough to do the same? After all, the authenticity of your home is what makes you love it, crave it, miss it and eventually drive you crazy- isn't that the basis of love?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No matter what "home" means to you, I hope you enjoy its warmth in the upcoming weeks!</span></div>
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Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-90404542467406429022019-10-16T12:57:00.001-04:002019-10-16T12:57:45.650-04:00To Renovate or Not To Renovate- That Is The Question<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whether you're actively house shopping or not- touring homes can be an incredibly fun activity. Comparing designs and finishes, weighing the pros and cons of location, envisioning what life would be like if you lived there- it's an incredible opportunity to redesign your day to day. As you get more serious about the possibility of a new home one of the biggest questions that faces buyers today is do we want a "new home" - one that's either new construction or has had a major renovation already done- or do we want a home we can fix up and customize? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a few years now of the market being on an upward swing, we're seeing a lot of options facing our buyers today from homes that have been "lovingly cared for", to moderate renovations, to "down to the studs" renovations, to entirely new buildings. So the piece that buyers really need to consider is do they want to leave their mark on the property or are they excited to move in and just live? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You guys may know that my fiancé and I have gotten into doing major renovations on homes and reselling them. We love being able to redesign a house from scratch, re imagining the space to today's standards where we crave open rooms and clear lines of sight through the house rather than separate rooms and a more closed off feel. We can (and do) spend hours in tile stores finding complimentary shades and taking risks on new styles or colors. We spend weeks debating kitchen appliance placement and what pieces of the original home should remain intact (I love me some fancywork). Selling these homes is my greatest joy- watching the potential new buyers walk through, hearing their excitement (or dismay) in our choices, and observing them decide that this should be their home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I'm working with new buyer clients its one of the first questions I ask them- what are you looking for? Do you want a project or two or are you looking for "turn key"? Knowing this up front helps me to be a better resource in the search. Renovated properties often come at a premium for the convenience so we may be looking for something with a little less square footage, or in a more up and coming neighborhood. On the other hand, if you're looking for something you can put some work into, we can often use your budget to get something a bit larger, or closer to the action that has to be "discounted" in its price tag due to the work that needs to be done. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Either option is solid and really depends on the preference of you, the buyer-and that is the best part. Home buying should be all about choices and finding what is best for you and for your family- whether that choice is ALL of the decisions, or if its just a matter of neighborhood. </span></div>
Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-8873827607613127442019-08-21T11:16:00.001-04:002019-08-21T11:16:14.124-04:00Fenway Farms<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Fenway Park. If you've spent any time in Boston...really any at all... you're very well aware of Fenway. The country's oldest ball park, we, as residents, cherish </span></div>
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our summer nights there, and lord knows we parade every guest we've ever had through there as the trophy of our city. There's a badge of honor that goes along with how many games you've been to each season, and another for how many different areas of the park you've sat in. Knowing where the right sausage guy stand is and who to ask for "dust and dirt" has it's own medal. Of course there's also one for knowing how to juggle two beers, a pretzel and a hot dog back to your seat without spilling on the row in front of you. If you're in the know- you are in the know for Fenway and its a point of pride. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However- there is still one surprise hiding in Fenway that I would bet you a carton of Popcorn that even the die hards don't know about (obviously I'm not much of a gambler). <a href="https://www.mlb.com/redsox/ballpark/green-initiatives/fenway-farms">Fenway Farms</a>. Heard of it? And no I'm not talking about the gardens in the Fens. Just above Jersey Street, on the third base line, outside the EMC and State Street Pavilion levels, there sits, on a former "dead space" sits a fully functioning garden. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Begun in 2015, this piece of roof has been transformed to house a 5,000 square</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> foot garden. Now this isn't your fire escape "garden" comprised of a couple of basil plants and maybe one sad tomato plant (face it- that thing isn't going to make tomato sauce), this garden is producing 6,000 pounds of vegetables annually. Six Thousand Pounds of an incredible variety of vegetables - we're talking carrots, peppers, squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, lettuce, kale, collard greens, every herb you can think of, tomatoes (of course) and so much more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So where does this harvest end up? Two spots really- a large chunk is served right in Fenway Park. The chefs there have the incredible good fortune to design their menus (mainly in the EMC Level dining) around what the garden is growing. Talk about fresh and local. Now most of us aren't attending many games in those lux seats but that doesn't mean we </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">can't indulge in these veggies- there is a salad bar in the ground level concessions that offers these sweet picks! It doesn't end in Fenway though. There is a whole area of the farm known as the <a href="http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/fenway-park-events/event-venues/strega-deck/">Vineyard Vine's Deck</a> where private events can be held and ALL of the produce grown there is donated to my very favorite organization- <a href="https://lovinspoonfulsinc.org/">Lovin' Spoonfuls</a>. If you are a long time reader of ABFD- you love them as much as I do. We go way back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So how does all of this work? Green City Growers set up the garden using- wait for it- milk crates. Yup- milk crates, landscaping cloth, dirt and a minimal use irrigation system keeps this garden growing all season long. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fenway Park has always been one of my favorite places in the summer. It's the place of great team work, of heartbreaking suspense and incredible joy. It may well be one of the romantic places in Boston where loyalty is tested and belief perseveres- and now it's a place of growth, a return to our roots, and a place to nourish body and soul. </span><br />
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Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-65752678905065650862019-08-13T12:54:00.001-04:002019-08-13T12:54:23.907-04:00How Would You Redesign Boston Common?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm honestly not sure if there is anything as quintessential to Boston as Boston Common. It's like apple pie and America. The oldest city park in the US, it dates back to 1634 when it was used for cows to graze until it became a bit too popular for that use. Later it provided a restful location for the military to set up camp during the American Revolution, and its green calming space was where many soldiers departed from to march to Lexington and Concord. Though it was also used for darker events as it became the place for hangings, and for a while a dumping ground which caused the citizens to stay away. However since the advent of the 1900's we've seen the space used for concerts and speeches, rallies and marches. It is truly the common space for the city, open to all. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttvaPP537a9Lcx4zWnWcUi5u0mpkTuHEHxcRZPERZBH83cGbKRQOncCcEHxEgRj2AY-g8p4KWMV8aVaSPmY7aKviXc9U03C19lKsvmPSelLeD8_JiNQKHxIR1wbXBmq_0AdefjoPOvWg1/s1600/2EB07DAF-5C26-43C0-89F4-4BE7CF6BE1D5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1128" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttvaPP537a9Lcx4zWnWcUi5u0mpkTuHEHxcRZPERZBH83cGbKRQOncCcEHxEgRj2AY-g8p4KWMV8aVaSPmY7aKviXc9U03C19lKsvmPSelLeD8_JiNQKHxIR1wbXBmq_0AdefjoPOvWg1/s320/2EB07DAF-5C26-43C0-89F4-4BE7CF6BE1D5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Respecting the nature of that common space, the city is now appealing to its residents for help with the common. Boston Common has just received $28 million to be used for its revitalization. The powers that be have a whole host of people studying the common- structural engineers, environmental experts, storm water experts...all sorts of people to make real improvements to the space. However- they want to know what we as the residents, the people who frequent the common every day, weekly, monthly or even just occasionally want to see. They have opened up a <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BostonCommonMasterPlan">survey</a> and urging all to respond and give ideas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So what do you want to see? Boston is, already, the best city. We are constantly striving to achieve greatness in all aspects and often lead the way for the rest of the country. We contribute in sciences and finance, politically and healthcare, sports and the arts. Let's use those amazing brains and talent to come to get to design our common to be the best it can be. One quick favor though- please don't bring back the cows- my dog would NOT appreciate their presence ;-)</span><br />
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Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-25333465322941239772018-10-05T17:26:00.000-04:002018-10-05T17:26:05.190-04:00Cline Vineyards, Cashmere Red Blend 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See here’s the thing I try to impart on anyone who will listen- wine doesn’t have to be “technically good” to be a favorite. Wine critics wax on about high acidity and gentle tannins, the aging ability, depth of flavor…and all of those are wonderful things. And wines that have excel in those categories can be amazing wine- but see wine isn’t just marking check boxes. Wine is experiences, it's memories, it’s passion, it’s love. More often than not someone’s favorite wine isn’t something that was graded high by some wine critic- its something that transports them to memory. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I bought Cline Vineyard’s Cashmere blend while I was on a business trip to San Francisco probably about 8 years ago. Long before I had studied anything about wine. I had a meeting with our Asia teams later that evening and so I declined to go out with coworkers when our day wrapped up. Instead I made my way to Fisherman’s wharf and bought dinner and a bottle of wine to bring back to the hotel. This bottle of wine. It was more expensive than what I normally drank, but I decided I deserved to splurge. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I remember sitting in my room later that night relishing every sip of a wine that was so luxurious to me. A blend of Mouvedre, Grenache, and Syrah- it was full of notes of chocolate and red fruits- I remember thinking that it felt like I was sipping the most wonderful cherry dipped in chocolate concoction I’d ever had. There were little notes of spice to keep it savory. It was perfect in my book. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I spent years trying to find it after I returned to Boston. I even emailed the vineyard for assistance. They relayed the horrible news that their Cashmere wine was still unable to be shipped to Boston -something with labelling laws, but they were working on it. Cut to tonight- when I found this bottle in my (very) local wine store. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Simple label, limited colors- I felt excited about my purchase. When I returned home I wondered- what are Cline’s practices when it comes to their wine? Are they cutting corners and finding shortcuts to getting the juice in the bottle or are they taking pride in their work. I gotta say- Im not sure I’ve ever been so impressed with a companies website. Every step of their winemaking process is outlined - from the sheep and goats they use to remove weeds harmful to the vines, to their commitment to keeping their wines clean throughout the fermentation process. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The resulting wine, 2016 vintage: ruby red, but starting to lean towards garnet. The nose is bright with red fruits- cherries and raspberries, but plums as well. Spicy black pepper, hints of chocolate, a bit of eucalyptus, and a background of cola. Dry, not bone dry, but definitely dry on the palette, high- acidity, as I’d anticipate from Sonoma. Light body, and light tannins. The flavors- strawberry was the first, then raspberries and cherries. The black pepper stayed behind, and no trace of the eucalyptus on the tongue. Cola for sure, and just hints of chocolate. Despite the color of the wine hinting at aging, the wine itself presents with youth, and the ability to age. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No matter what- remember that wine is more than just the description above. Wine is the experience and the memory. Now if you’ll excuse me- I’m going to go enjoy my wine and remember when I was a fresh faced 20 something, drinking wine in hotel rooms after meetings with Asia ;-)</span></div>
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Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-4455359859032805962018-09-12T10:43:00.002-04:002018-09-12T10:43:38.887-04:00Drop that PSL!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td valign="top">I know - it's alllllllllmost Fall and we know that Pumpkin Spice Latte is sooooo tempting to welcome the season with but what if I told you to keep sipping that Rose wine instead??<br />
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Over the past couple of years marketing geniuses have blasted the market with Spring/Summer Rose wine ads basically equating your outdoor festivities with the pink drink. Rose (which has been around since ancient times -some even think it predates red wine we know today) is the perfect drink right on through the fall. Here's the skinny- rose wines are really just a lighter version of red wine. Same grapes- less time on the skins. Here's why that's important: red wines have these beautiful deep flavors- red and black fruits, mocha and chocolate, and other savory components, paired with tannins, and often bigger body, they are typically perfect for winter. However- a great bottle of rose can contain those great big beautiful flavors and even some weighty body that will pair with those heavier meals and chillier nights that fall welcomes. <br />
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So don't rush to put away those pink sippers, keep them around for another month or two and relish in those that have deeper pink tones and definitely those from warmer climates to truly get those fall feels. <br />
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Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-1873309709220727292018-06-18T12:58:00.001-04:002018-06-18T15:46:23.073-04:00Gosset Champagne- What Wine Should Be<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I recently had the opportunity to sit across the table from, and share a meal with Bertrand Verduzier, the International Business Director for Gosset Champagne. The food was incredible, but the Champagnes they served were exquisite. What truly got me that evening was the way Verduzier spoke about wine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've had incredible opportunities to speak with wine professionals- makers, somms, vineyard owners. I've had the chance to learn about what inspires them, to hear how they've perfected their craft, to understand their joys and challenges. Never before however has one embodied so closely everything I know and feel about wine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you've ever sat down over glass of wine with me- either at a restaurant, or in a friends home, or on one of my City Wine Tours, you've heard me, sometimes ridiculously, talk about the story that wine tells. It is truly the case however- just like any party guest- that your wine should regale you with tidbits from its life thus far. It should wax on about the early days when the fruit was simply a dream to the bud, to when the yeast met the juice, to when you finally pull the cork. Every stage of its life influences its taste and attributes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Every wine you meet should tell you its life story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Verduzier, speaking for Gosset Champagne, is of the same mindset. Champagne, generally, is a funny wine- its often a blend of different vineyards for each house, and for that matter its a blend of years. Where still wines showcase the year in which the grapes were grown, sparkling typically blends together several different years to provide a consistent product. Consistent- but lacking in story. Consistent wines, showing the same flavors year after year, are lacking in personality. Gosset knows this. They limit the blending of years so that the majority of their wine is all from a single year. That means that it weathered the same storms, sought shelter from hot days together, and ripened into perfect worthy fruit together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When you pop open a bottle of Gosset, you've popped open one of your most interesting party guests. The tales of growing in same vineyards as their forefathers when Gosset began in 1584. They speak to the time honored traditions passed down as the house transferred from making all still wines to adding bubbles. Their fruit forward presence testifies to their growers commitment to not use malolactic fermentation. Their flavors aren't manipulated but instead showcase the great and tough weather of its year along with the talent of their winemaker. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Gosset Champagne is a true testament to what Champagne, and really all wines should be. The fruit is the star and whatever it has to say- we're listening! </span></div>
Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-31993715396023496722018-05-16T13:09:00.000-04:002018-05-16T13:09:06.430-04:00Rock Steady or as Balanced as a Sea Saw?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is virtually impossible to listen to a wine discussion without hearing the words - "well balanced". Every time you order a glass or a bottle at a restaurant the server always ends their description with "it's really well balanced", or even better- wine stores have an incredible habit of underlining the words multiple times on their description cards. Honestly, more than any other wine term, I find that that phrase is the used the most, and somewhat haphazardly. Based on how frequently we hear it, you might assume that it is the paramount facet of what makes wine great. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here's the thing- balance really just refers to how all of the other facets of the wine are working together. If you've ever been in a wine discussion with me- I often comment that it really just means that all the kids are in the pool playing nicely with each other. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We've spoken about sweetness, body, acidity, tannins and flavor. When you're examining body- ask yourself - is anything WAY out in left field? Is the body off the charts but body the sweetness, body and flavors don't match up? Are the tannins crazy expressive but everything else playing back up? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now here's the thing- a balanced wine doesn't necessarily mean its a GOOD wine. I'll say that again- balance DOES NOT indicate good quality. Let's take a look at the Nebbiolo grape for our example. Nebbiolo is the grape found in Barbaresco, Barolo and Langhe wines. Now these are some of the absolute best wines in the world. A good vintage can often age for 20 - 30 (and beyond!) years. Here's the thing though- a young Nebbiolo can be abrasive and tough to drink. The tannins are off the charts- and though usually there's wonderful flavor and fine acidity and body- those tannins make it unbalanced. However- let them age and everything comes into play and all is right with the world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sometimes an unbalanced wine just needs time. Sometimes however it is a poorly made wine. Sometimes a balanced wine means that the winemaker manipulated their wine with sugar or other additives to make it that way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As you get more comfortable with different varietals and how they perform in your glass it will become much easier to tell the good from the bad based on balance. Rule of thumb for now- if you trust your server or your wine store- you can trust their recommendations. </span></div>
Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-81813802110546513342018-05-02T12:36:00.000-04:002018-05-02T12:36:32.388-04:00The Case of the Aggressive Tannins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every time I run a wine education seminar I find that tannins are the piece of wine that cause the most confusion. People seem to love the word, but what they are and what they mean to wine remains a mystery. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tannins are a compound that live in the skins and stems of grapes. That's really the simplest explanation. They infiltrate your wine during the wine making process. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even more simply explained- when we make wine we crush grapes to get the juice out. The fun fact is that whether we crush red grapes, black grapes or white grapes the juice is always clear. If we're making white wine- we just push that juice through to fermentation, but if we're making a red wine we'll crush the grapes and then let the juice sit on the skins and stems to pull the red color from them. I love that fact- that's how we make white wines from red grapes, and that's why rose wines are so lightly colored- we minimize the skin contact. Pretty cool right? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK so back to tannins- when the juice is pulling color from the skins- they are also exposed to the tannins. Now when tannin presents itself in wine it feels like a drying of the inside of the cheek- sort of like a cotton ball has been wiped down the inside. The level of this expression can vary greatly- from hardly recognizable to abrasive. This is determined by several factors but for our purpose here- the root of it comes from how thick the skin of the grape is. The thicker the skin, the more tannin it can give to the wine. This will also be a strong reason for the varied colors of red wine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Think of a Pinot Noir- the color is pretty light, you can usually see through the wine to a surface below. The tannins are very light. Now think of a Cabernet Sauvignon- the color is much deeper and the tannins are far heavier. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tannins are pretty crucial when pairing wines with food. If you're dealing with a wine with big aggressive tannins, than you'll want to pair that with a food high in fat. Cheese, hamburgers, steak- anything with a fair amount of fat to it- the fat will coat your mouth and round out the tannins so they aren't as aggressive. A lightly tannic wine however can be served with less fatty foods. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I remember a few years ago the big news was the ability to drink red wine with seafood. As most sea foods are so light, and limited in their fat content, this was noteworthy. Of course the idea was to pair Pinot Noir with your fish- the light red wine does a wonderful job of complementing a big flavored fish- like the swordfish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tannins are nothing to be scared of, nor should they have an air of mystery. Paired correctly (when they are present) they will simply enhance your experience and deepen the wine. </span></div>
Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-3763192196259951882018-02-02T11:36:00.001-05:002018-02-02T11:36:05.277-05:00Do I Really Need a Real Estate Agent?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The other day I found myself in a conversation I was warned would happen when I started my training to become a Real Estate Agent. The dreaded: “why do I even need an agent?” conversation. To be honest- I get it. Prior to getting my license I looked at countless properties online, and watched all of the reality real estate TV I could – I figured- can’t I do this myself?</span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8377b45e-575e-f206-3b71-630d7de186e1" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The answer is yes, you probably could, but why would you want to risk it. As you start your home search, looking at all of the amazing listings on the various websites, sorting through the ones that are most appealing to you- you might start to wonder: how do I know how much I’m comfortable offering? How much can I really afford? Enter your Real Estate Agent. Your agent is there from day one front loading the entire experience so you are prepared for the day that you purchase. They are your go to resource for educating you on the paperwork and the market, matching you with a team of proven service providers, making your purchase seamless and protect you throughout the entire process. In a competitive market like Boston’s, being prepared is imperative. An agent worth their salt knows at least a handful of great mortgage lenders who they can quickly, and with confidence refer you to help you find the number that best works for you. </span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once a lender is on board, and you feel confident in your search, then your agent can start helping you sort through all those listings you’ve been looking at. Heading to open houses, making appointments, getting you in the front door of homes in your budget and in your desired area- that’s just the next step. Then it happens- like a gift from above- you’ve found that place that has won your heart. It’s the place that you can see settling into for years to come. Your agent is there to field all questions about the true value of the property. They’ll be there to ensure that the place you’ve found works not only in your fiscal budget, but also into your lifestyle overall. When you’re ready to make an offer, we’ll comb through mountains of data to determine how the market is performing so we can best guide you on what your offer should be. Are houses selling for over or under ask? How much over or under? How many other homes are on the market that are similar to the one you want? Therefore- how desirable is this particular place? These are chief pieces of information, and coupled with a few other items, an agent will be able to help you find the price that will win the negotiations. </span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh and those negotiations. We are bound to you, as our clients. We have a responsibility to you to keep all of that confidential information that you’ve told us, confidential. We aren’t going to and tell the listing agent- “psssst hey- my client can really spend $xxx they are just seeing how little they can get it for”. Nope – we’re going to keep that between us. We’re going to make sure that we get you the best deal on the place. </span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And that’s the next piece- you’re offer has been accepted and while you want to celebrate that small victory- we’re not quite ready to celebrate yet, but we will be right there to give you a high five…and a phone number. A phone number of a home inspector, one that we trust implicitly, who will thoroughly inspect your potential new home and let you know of any issues they may find. After that step is complete- we’re may go back to the negotiation table. We’re going to present the findings, if any, and see if the price needs to be adjusted. </span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next hurdle completed and it’s time for the Purchase and Sale agreement (or P&S). This is a lovely legal document written by those jargon loving lawyers to make sure that you and the seller are entering into a sound agreement. Obviously this isn’t something to be taken lightly, and reviewing the terms that the seller sets forth requires a keen eye for legaleze. A practiced, accomplished Real Estate Attorney is the only way to go. Your agent will know some fantastic attorneys. This is who they work with every day. </span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once the final checks of the mortgage are completed, and that wonderful lender that your agent referred you to has dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s- it’s time for the lawyers to finish everything up and schedule the closing. Your agent will be with you every step of the way to that final walkthrough on the day of closing to make sure that they left that washer and dryer you asked for among other things all the way to the closing itself to watch you receive those keys!</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Buying a home is an incredibly exciting process. It’s the space that will be your respite and your comfort for years to come, so it’s imperative that you have the real estate right team working with you to ensure that every moving piece falls into place, every date is met and no detail is missed. Your Real Estate Agent is THE person to fill that role. </span></span></div>
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Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-11738590187591385752018-01-10T12:04:00.001-05:002018-01-10T12:04:15.675-05:00Let's Talk About Acid<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Whenever I get to the part of a wine tasting where we need to look at the acidity levels I always start to imagine some cheesy movie out of the 1970's about the party culture- and then I giggle. My tour participants must think Im nuts. It's a fair assessment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After the giggles though- acidity in wine is a big deal. How much or little acidity is a big influence on what will pair best with the wine. Earlier we talked about the body of wine, and how that must match closely with the body of your food, here we follow the same principle- the acidity of your food and your wine must be close. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How do you tell how much acid is in your wine? This is one of the more challenging items to get right. However, at its base, acid will present in wine as saliva congregating under your tongue. So if you have a high acid wine you'll feel saliva pool under your tongue. A lower acidity wine and you won't feel too much. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We measure this amount by what we call "The Drip Test". Sounds pretty awesome right? It's actually insanely disgusting. Basically the idea is that if your wine has a high acidity level then your mouth will continue to "water" after you've swallowed your sip - so much so that if you tip your head forward and open your mouth you may drool. Yup- Drip Test. My fellow classmates and I finally called enough on that one and learned to just pay careful attention to the area under our tongues. Generally speaking if you feel that you need to swallow a second (or a third) time to clear the saliva from that area before talking- it's a high acid wine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Higher acidity wines are largely found in cooler climates. Acid bakes out of grapes as they mature on the vines so the warmer the grapes grow in, the less acidity will be present in your wine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So when you find yourself face to face with a highly acidic wine, don't pair it with your favorite cup of New England Clam Chowder. Your mouth won't be able to adjust quickly enough and the intricate flavors of the chowder will be lost. Instead- pair it with a food that has its own punch of acidity- lemon sauces, tomato sauces, vinaigrettes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Do your best to match acidity levels- wine to food and you'll find a pleasurable experience. But please, don't feel the need to perform The Drip Test at your next dinner party- or if you do please leave me out of it ;-) </span></div>
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Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-30011108401217883122017-12-18T11:55:00.001-05:002017-12-18T11:55:31.652-05:00Wines for Holiday Fun!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: green;">Happy Holidays!</span></h1>
<img data-file-id="76731" height="125" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/64c1a332810ff4a8004387c6b/images/35deb26b-4f27-4dcc-b0c3-c15b05647731.gif" style="border: 0px; float: left; height: 125px; margin: 0px 8px 0px 0px; width: 125px;" width="125" /><span style="font-size: 15px;">It's that time again to host and toast! There are parties aplenty </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">and gifts to be </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">given, but everyone knows the best gifts are those that can be </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">drunk. I'm here to help you navigate the wine stores and score the perfect </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">bottles to be given and shared.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 15px;"><strong>For the occasion that sparkles:</strong><br />
When you want your wine to complement the twinkling lights popping a bottle of bubbly is always the right decision. Wowing your friends will be easy with sparkling wine from France called Cremant. Made outside of the Champagne region so it can't use the fanfare of the name, it is made using the same practices but clocks in around $20.00 a bottle making it much easier on your holiday budget.<br />
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<strong>For a cookie tasting:</strong><br />
Hundreds of sugar cookies all lined up and ready to be devoured calls for a special wine. Those fancy desert wines, usually hidden away in the bowels of your wine stores are the perfect accompaniment. I would highly suggest splurging on a bottle of Sauternes. They are small bottles- 375 mL, and are typically found for about $40, but their sweet style and flavors of almonds and orange marmalade make them a perfect complement to a cookie eating afternoon.<br />
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<strong>For reunions and catch ups that last for hours: </strong><br />
These are the nights we dream about -friends and family back in town, and hours can be wiled away with good conversation. These occasions demand a sipping wine- a wine that doesn't require intricate pairing, a wine that can be drunk on its own and is presents a pleasing palate. Valpolicella is the perfect wine for these nights. This Italian wine has medium high acidity, coupled with medium body which makes this easy to drink glass after glass. The bright fruit flavors of plums cherry and often chocolate make it a pleasure to enjoy. Valpolicella can normally be found for about $20 a bottle and be sure to find one marked with the DOC or DCOG label for the best quality.<br />
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No matter what wine you choose to accompany your gatherings and gift to your hosts, I wish you the merriest of festivities!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13px;">Questions on what bottles will pair with your meals? Send them over- I'm happy to help you plan!</span><br />
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Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-33124622284226563462017-11-16T16:12:00.001-05:002017-11-16T16:12:48.703-05:00The Kitchen- At the Heart of It<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been thinking a lot about the idea that I mentioned last week- that food is home. For me, it always has been. Certain, many, tastes and smells can bring me the same comfort that being home does. They can make me feel that same warmth, love and acceptance as being surrounded by family can do. If that is the case, if food is truly the key to home, than in the physical home it comes as no surprise that the kitchen is the epicenter of the household. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of my favorite memories as a child are watching my mom cook. We had this great kitchen in my childhood home- where the stove sat on a peninsula separating the room. We had put these two wooden stools, ones enhanced by stray paint brush marks from art projects and spray paint from Halloween costumes of past years, on the backside of the peninsula so when my mom was cooking I could talk to her. I would sit there for as long as she cooked- trading stories about the day, observing her methods, breathing in the scents. In a time when "open concept" wasn't a thing- we're talking the 80s here kids- we were ahead of the times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today so many homes are designed to create this exact feel. Every renovation I see, and all of the new builds, have this central idea in mind- to open the kitchen to the living space. We take down the dividing walls and create a flow- a flow of space to foster a flow of conversation, of camaraderie, of family. All of this stems from having that kitchen open. Islands and peninsulas are far more common now than missing in kitchen designs so that in our busy lives we still have time, even if we're multitasking making dinner, to trade stories and make plans. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What do you think of the open concept idea? Anyone miss the formal dining room (I do sometimes!)? When you think of your dream home- is it open or more traditional? </span></div>
Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-66119335030930686102017-11-06T11:24:00.002-05:002017-11-06T11:24:53.807-05:00Food, Wine and Real Estate!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's been almost TEN YEARS. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No, not since my last post though it feels like it, but since this little space of A Boston Food Diary began. Ten years. On January 23rd, 2008 I hit publish for the first time and man...I cannot believe the journey its taken me on. Hopefully it's taken you, my dear reader, on one as well. Over these years we've walked into countless restaurants, we've eaten lord knows how many calories, we've had incredible kitchen successes, and some unmentionable failures. We've tasted wine together. We've gotten to understand its story, it's trials and jubilations and its become something so much more than alcohol. A Boston Food Diary has been there through an incredible chunk of my adult life and now we're going to start a new path together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Are you ready? This is a big one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Several months ago I joined Unit Realty Group here in Boston. I have plunged into the incredible world of Real Estate as a buyer/seller/rental agent. I decided it was time to put all of my knowledge of this amazing city, every nook and cranny, every hidden gem, to even better use, and help people find their home here. As you all are aware- I don't believe there is any better city in this country to live than Boston, and I cannot wait to help people experience all that it has to offer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So what does that mean for A Boston Food Diary- it means exploring the market through the eyes of the food and wine world. Looking at kitchens and finding the ones that make me swoon to entertain in them, revisiting old haunts and introducing the new ones as we traverse the neighborhoods, and going back to what made me start A Boston Food Diary in the first place. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Food is home. Food is family, and friends, and laughter, and comfort. Your residence should be the same. I can't wait to start this next part of the journey with you all.</span></div>
Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-82470456512090611262017-03-15T16:49:00.001-04:002017-03-15T16:49:05.927-04:00It's All About That Body<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGm8l6FmoCefIfH6MR32W0xRN5nI9Kvv1FsIpoNGtjWjjUq4sy2Jk0uwcnCnbOHATUJpH3TkaRgy-fUkFD1I6pHHMvQYJvhHPD2_A88W7emzQCPsYphVD7HEiC1XUzwmS-lfi3tFYHn1Y/s1600/P1010015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGm8l6FmoCefIfH6MR32W0xRN5nI9Kvv1FsIpoNGtjWjjUq4sy2Jk0uwcnCnbOHATUJpH3TkaRgy-fUkFD1I6pHHMvQYJvhHPD2_A88W7emzQCPsYphVD7HEiC1XUzwmS-lfi3tFYHn1Y/s320/P1010015.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Is your wine tasteless? Have you noticed that you've had a sip of something fantastic and then you eat a little something and all of a sudden that awesome wine has no flavor at all? It may be a simple fix- it might be that the wine was simply paired poorly. One of the biggest errors that you can make when pairing wine with your food is not taking the body of the wine into consideration. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBMoYG_xCsHv3Z6HfJlZ0ere5APgwyjmD0wVlXAF7zrAH9tZjxRaOToTnmtvWVyVnZSYF8jed821VQpzzL4VK9At9dPn0U07vwSB3_TRRt4B-4RxPbYg52r5iYiscmgiqpMqxFil5nBcQ/s1600/P1010106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBMoYG_xCsHv3Z6HfJlZ0ere5APgwyjmD0wVlXAF7zrAH9tZjxRaOToTnmtvWVyVnZSYF8jed821VQpzzL4VK9At9dPn0U07vwSB3_TRRt4B-4RxPbYg52r5iYiscmgiqpMqxFil5nBcQ/s320/P1010106.JPG" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Body of wine however doesn't refer to waist measurements or how it looks in those jeans- instead it refers to how it feels in the imbibers mouth. We have a little analogy to help make sense of this. Skim milk- you know how that feels when you drink it? Weightless right? Sort of like water? But then if you were to drink heavy cream, or maybe when your ice cream melts in the summer- you know how that feels in your mouth? It coats your teeth and tongue. It lingers on the surfaces. Wine will do the same- a light bodied wine washes back like skim milk, and a full bodied wine lingers like heavy cream. And just like there are gradients between milk types- 1%, 2%, Whole...there are with wine as well. Every wine will feel different in your mouth.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently I have no photos of Beef Stew...imagination</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now with that much intricacy- that means that you can't just pair any old food with every glass of wine. That's recipe for disaster. Lets say you have a light bodied Sauvignon Blanc and you decided to pair that with beef stew. Beef stew is full of richness. The beef is fatty and the broth is hearty. That will coat your mouth all on its own. Now when you take a sip of that delicate Sauvignon Blanc, well it just can't compete. It's own body is so light that it is overwhelmed by the richness of the stew and you no longer taste any of its flavor. Poor Sauvignon Blanc. Let's say, instead, that we pair that Sauvignon Blanc with roasted chicken or sushi? Now every flavor of that Sauvignon Blanc can be relished, and so can your food!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That's of course the other side- if your wine is too full bodied, let's look at a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa, then your food gets overshadowed. That fresh Lobster Roll you've been dreaming about all winter. It's finally in front of you- lightly dressed with butter, but really the lobster is the star, and then you pair it with a big Cab. Yikes- good bye lobster- your layers of flavor will have to be taste</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">d a different day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Of </span><span style="font-family: "verdana", sans-serif;">course</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> I'm speaking in extremes, but we want to be careful of the body of wine when we're pairing with food. Make sure that the body of your food matches (as closely as you can) the body of your wine and avoid the unpleasantness. </span></div>
Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-73836613635481025562017-02-08T10:28:00.002-05:002017-02-08T10:28:30.868-05:00Sweet Wine or Dry Wine? Dry Wine or Sweet Wine?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SEVEN! We have talked about wine for SEVEN different posts without even tasting it yet..that seems sorta criminal doesn't it? I mean it's almost rude of me to make you wait that long to taste wine. However, it's a good thing I promise. Your primary senses have now been prepped. You've visualized and breathed in the scent of the wine and through those acts, you know so much. You've learnt about how old the wine is, you've prepped for what flavors may present, you may even know the type of grape. You're ready to dive in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we taste wine- take a small sip and let it sit on your tongue for just a couple of seconds and it will settle naturally in your mouth, then swallow. Under 5 seconds for all of it. Every time, that first sip of wine gets me. My mouth lights up- it immediately reacts to acidity, to alcohol, to the body, to the tannins and to the flavors that are ever present. Wine has so many different facets to showcase, your mouth has to play catch up a bit. We allow it time to catch up by taking it piece by piece- starting with the age old - dry or sweet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we're talking about a dry wine or a sweet wine, at its core, we are talking about how much residual sugar is left in the wine from the grapes that made it. You remember those grapes- similar to the ones you snack on- sweet and bursting with flavor. Well when you convert the right types of grapes to wine yeast eats the sugar in the grapes and makes alcohol. Sometimes a winemaker might stop this process a little early and that leaves what we know as "residual sugar". You'll taste this sugar in the wine and, depending on how much is left behind, you might end up with an off dry, semi sweet or sweet wine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now here's the thing- we want to be mindful of this residual sugar when pairing food with wine. As a general rule of thumb- always try to match a wine and food so that, if necessary, the wine has more sugar than the dish does. If your food has more sugar to it than your wine, you may risk making that wine taste bitter or harshly astringent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So if you're having a meal with very little sugar- which would account for many of our roasted chickens, salads, sandwiches, soups etc, than the driest of wines will do, but say you prepare lamb with a cherry glaze- you'll want to pair a wine with that with a bit of sweetness to it. Wines grown in warmer climates, and those Rieslings are great for having a perfect range of sweetness to them. The other key pairing note? Spicy food LOVES a sweeter wine!</span></div>
Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-80300081947601449212016-12-22T13:53:00.001-05:002016-12-22T13:53:17.772-05:00Sweden's Greetings, Happy Holidays<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ladies and gentlemen we have a paradigm shift! No
longer do Bourbon and Whiskey rule the oak infused liquor shelf- heavyweight
Absolut has stepped into the ring! That's right, vodka is stepping up its game
and giving our winter cocktails a run for their money with Oak by Absolut.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But it’s only in a few select markets – and Boston is one of
the lucky ones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Utilizing a quick aging on a combination of American and
Swedish oak as well as former bourbon barrels, the vodka takes on subtle
flavor. Notes of chocolate, caramel and toasted oak make Oak by Absolut
incredibly malleable. Paired with almost anything or served on its own,
versatility is its knockout punch. Below are some inspirations for everyone in
Boston looking to enjoy some festive and delicious cocktails at home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fall Harvest<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm never quite ready to abandon the light crispness of
summer white wines when the temperature begins its descent, so I created this
fall inspired sangria, utilizing a robust rose wine to help ease the
transition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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bottle rose wine (I suggest one made from Garnacha or Sangiovese)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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cup Oak by Absolut<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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tbsp honey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Macintosh Apple, cored and then cubed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Bartlett Pear, cored and then cubed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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orange, sliced, halved and cut into quarters<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Instructions: Combine wine, Oak by Absolut and honey in a
large pitcher, stir well. Add the fruit, and serve over ice. If a
little fizz is appealing, top with seltzer water (local favorite Spindrift in
the lemon flavor is perfect).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Mighty Oak<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The advent of the Fall season is always welcomed with warn
sweaters, comfy boots and all things apple. A base of good apple cider,
combined with the oak flavor of Oak by Absolut and the nuttiness of Amaretto makes
this cocktail king of the fall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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shot Oak by Absolut<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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shot Amaretto<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a shaker with
ice. Shake well, pour into glass, serve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flannel and Cords<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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visibility:visible'>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While the fashion this time of year might be oh so
"basic", this cocktail is anything but. Nutrients burst out of
this one to help ward off the common cold, and it pairs perfectly with your
perfectly trimmed beard, and of course the standard flannel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->1
cup pure carrot juice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->1
shot Oak by Absolut<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->1
tsp turmeric <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->1
tsp cayenne pepper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->2
tbsp pepperoncini juice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l4 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->1
pepperoncini (for garnish)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Instructions: Combine all ingredients except for the garnish
in a shaker over ice. Shake well. Serve over ice in a mason jar,
garnish with the pepperoncini and a handlebar mustache. Basic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Snow Shovel<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxczs9-Xizx-NUqOCAEOBA_BjWa7o9rWaq3KGGdu2iDx63gbqZc03kLgPLWjUiuA1RfXaZid0dGdhrHgtUDC7g5P7t3VGNexpjdvGp587nPMn9DU1Zt_0Lbjrup6kmPsfYuhd03We_0mP/s1600/image_3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxczs9-Xizx-NUqOCAEOBA_BjWa7o9rWaq3KGGdu2iDx63gbqZc03kLgPLWjUiuA1RfXaZid0dGdhrHgtUDC7g5P7t3VGNexpjdvGp587nPMn9DU1Zt_0Lbjrup6kmPsfYuhd03We_0mP/s320/image_3.jpeg" width="240" /></a></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's coming...we all know it is. Soon enough our days
will be spent shoveling- sidewalks, parking spaces, driveways, outdoor
bars...shoveling will be done. It's a task that desperately needs a cocktail
to fix that inevitable throbbing back. Enter, The Snow Shovel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->1
cup Oak by Absolut<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->2
tsp good maple syrup<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->1
tsp vanilla<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Combine all ingredients in a shaker over ice. Shake
well. Serve straight up. Shake off the chill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Comm Ave<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSUe0pGRRu4NVyLYT5oUJbhdBXjJTSn6s0GAxzGHzBy-uty7AQpCOoyGo40jSH3n0apSQhbEQA6SHvPQZ0XStu6v5GmpZFrmHbQiBZobIfBXKSpE8ae0-BK31dXZ9Hpz6-Tuv_YRSdiht/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSUe0pGRRu4NVyLYT5oUJbhdBXjJTSn6s0GAxzGHzBy-uty7AQpCOoyGo40jSH3n0apSQhbEQA6SHvPQZ0XStu6v5GmpZFrmHbQiBZobIfBXKSpE8ae0-BK31dXZ9Hpz6-Tuv_YRSdiht/s320/image.jpeg" width="253" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Winter brings ice, snow, and the obligation to shop.
The obligation to shop with thousands of your favorite Bostonians, all jamming
into stores and creating crazy traffic at every turn. The Comm Ave is an
ode to all those brake lights that line our favorite "mall" during
the winter, and it's sure to calm your nerves from a stressful drive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->1
cup cranberry juice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->1
shot Oak by Absolut<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->1
shot Cointreau <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Orange
zest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Combine all liquids in a shaker over ice. Shake
well. Strain into a martini glass, squeeze the zest of an orange peel
into the glass and add as a floater. Be glad your drinking and not
driving.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Noche Nevada<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgF0qD4aBjoeT1UySAJmN2w32SwnYT9lD-FF3Tsk3BPMES3RUgiY9hbkWMBbyqc4-TopLDcq10NQdR8Z9ZaursqmodU77IUA6zTqzMO_TJzudZnbtXXk_0lj2SUwb42E1GB5J2IBPYKcwB/s1600/image_5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgF0qD4aBjoeT1UySAJmN2w32SwnYT9lD-FF3Tsk3BPMES3RUgiY9hbkWMBbyqc4-TopLDcq10NQdR8Z9ZaursqmodU77IUA6zTqzMO_TJzudZnbtXXk_0lj2SUwb42E1GB5J2IBPYKcwB/s320/image_5.jpeg" width="230" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once the winter settles in, we're all looking for ways to
escape the doldrums, and start cashing in those miles to get to the nearest tropical
location. For those of us whose points don't add up enough, fear not:
Noche Nevada is your ticket to island time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo6;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup pure coconut milk<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo6;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tbsp good maple syrup (optional)<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
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</ul>
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<br /></div>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a shaker with
ice. Shake very well. Serve in a martini glass and picture the sand
between your toes.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-19193818000488896432016-11-18T11:39:00.000-05:002016-11-18T11:39:01.834-05:00Is There Bacon In My Wine?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alright- so you’ve picked out some scents. You sniffed the wine, you pushed past the “Wine” smell, and you recognized some fruits or flowers or savory scents in your glass. The next thing to look at is are those smells fresh or manipulated? How the scents present themselves will tell you if the wine is aging. So let’s take a closer look. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you smelled lemon- is it a fresh lemon that you’d use to squeeze into your tea, or is it a lemon curd or jam? Is it candied zest? If you smelled apples- is it the smell of a fresh apple you just bit into as a healthy snack to keep that doctor away? Or is it a baked apple or a bruised apple? If you smelled flowers- are those flowers in a bouquet or dried? Are you getting baking spices? Smoked wood? Cedar box? The more mature the scents are, the older the wine is getting. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So earlier we talked about how when wines age we talked about how their colors change- the vibrant blues or the fresh greens fade and are replaced with ruby or straw yellow, as that is happening, at the very same time, their scents are also changing. When wines are young, their scents are ripe and smell young. You’ll get those awesome lemon or green apple- fresh fruits . However as those wines start to develop in the bottle, and get a little older, those scents change too. This is where you might start smelling things like candied lemon peel, or apple butter, bruised apple, peach jam, raisins, dried flowers, or even more savory scents like cedar box, or smoked meats. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My general rule of thumb is if the fruits or flowers smell like they have been manipulated in some way (baked, candied, jammed) the aging process has begun. The older the wine gets, the more those fruit scents will lessen and the more savory scents will appear. Its a fascinating process to observe. </span></div>
</div>
Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-67093089550144486212016-10-19T09:59:00.004-04:002016-10-19T09:59:51.995-04:00Introduction to Smelling Wine- What ARE We Looking For?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK! We’ve swirled our wine, we’ve watched the pretty rhythm of the rotating liquid, and we did so without spilling it on ourselves, our neighbor or the table! Or….not- either way- that wine has gotten some fresh air in it and that means we start smelling. The color of wine tells us so much, but the real personality of the wine comes out through the nose. The scents that rise out of the glass alert you to what is waiting for you- is it a simple or complex wine? Savory or sweet palette, showing age or maintaining freshness? Smelling a wine always starts to open my mind up to the possibilities- what to pair it with, how will it develop the longer it sits out, should I be looking for another bottle? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here’s the deal- smelling wine is like the Tinder of wine tasting- it lets you know just enough to let you know if you want to know more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here’s the first note- when you’re starting to smell wine, start sniffing as soon as you stop swirling and start to lift the glass towards your nose. How close does that glass get to your nose when you start to smell the aromas? Is it shy or extroverted? Does it jump out of the glass and rush to meet you, or do you need to coax it out of the bottom of the glass, asking it to share it’s story? Every varietal has it’s own DNA, and that make up will allow it to either be unreserved in its scent, rising out of the glass powerfully, and some have low intensity, and you need to really work to get the smell. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every wine has it’s own personality. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then concentrate on what scents are present. “Wine” is the most common answer here- yup I get that. Take another smell though. Every wine is comprised of a variety of other scents- fruits, flowers, herbs, vegetables, savory things like cedar box or smoked meats, general smells like earth, or wet rocks, or damp forest…all of these scents appear in wine and we just need to use our noses to narrow them down. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This may be one of the most interesting facets of wine though- so I urge you not to breeze past it. You know how I waxed on about how every wine tells a story? Every wine tells you all about where it came from, what the soil and the climate was like there, what the weather did in that particular year, and the efforts of the farmer. Every single scent that you can smell in that glass contributes to the story. Dig in- do you smell citrus fruits? What about apples- green or red? Plums? Blackberries? Strawberries? Maybe white flowers or lavender? Dried fruits? Black pepper? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Training your nose to pick out these scents isn’t easy- believe me. Here’s the big trick though- ready for it? Next time you’re in your local grocery store, or at a farmers market- smell the produce. Smell the herbs. Smell the flowers. Smelling is free- you may look a little weird- but do it anyway. Then when you smell your next glass of wine- try to narrow in on the different sections of the store. It’ll help you to narrow down the flavors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you get more comfortable with smelling wine, you’ll start to recognize more and more about the wine from the nose, and next time we’ll talk more about what some of those scents mean. However, for now, smell your wine and allow it to introduce itself to you- swipe left or right but at least you’ll have a little more information to help with the decision. </span></div>
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Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-86450189493002139442016-09-29T11:34:00.000-04:002016-09-29T11:34:00.182-04:00Give That Glass a Swirl! Why We Swirl Wine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">Ahhhh the swirl. Gently rotating your glass with a modest pour of wine in it so it rises and falls around the sides of the glass...it's a little hypnotizing to watch. I won't lie to you- I love the swirl. Yes it looks rather pretentious when you're out, but man it does an important job, fast. And, lets face it, it's fun. </span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxZLwFGzgHP52fSqbxeJJttYa1ZSOjc_vm8GCzSh6-22E_8DnbWAkfokypjU-lYN4xI6McpuBltH8xKyYoKkg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So the main reason we swirl wine is to aerate it. If you really think about it your wine has been a little cooped up. Let's assume that you have a recent vintage- perhaps even just a year or two old. In the grand scheme of things, that would be deemed a young wine. However, that means though that for a year or two, at least, that wine has been contained in that bottle. It's been sealed in, trapped. So when you free it from the confines of its enclosure- well, its gotta stretch its legs. Think about when you get off an airplane after a long flight and standing has never felt as good as those first few steps. Swirling your glass, letting air in, it mimics that sensation. It gives your wine a chance to breathe. That air you add to the glass is allowing the wine to open, and letting its flavors shine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Swirling doesn't need to be done with too much gusto, a simple rotation will get the wine going. The big secret is that this can easily be done in two ways- either holding the glass in the air, watching the wine catch the light, or doing so with the base firmly planted on the table. Sometimes, with red wine, that's the safer choice unless you're feeling like your dry cleaning bill has been a bit low lately.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No matter which way you choose to swirl - always do so. Allow that wine to breathe, stretch its legs, and makes it ready for your consumption. </span></div>
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Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-10804799034916691762016-09-15T09:00:00.000-04:002016-09-15T09:00:10.445-04:00Check Out Those Legs!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ok so you know how earlier I was making fun of that guy for staring at his wine in the light of the chandelier in that fancy restaurant? I may have been a bit to judge…maybe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He may have been looking at the legs, also known as tears. When you swirl wine, which is done to aerate the wine and we’ll discuss in more depth later, you’ll note that some of the liquid clings to the glass and slowly falls down the sides. To a total wine nerd- this is beautiful. There is something almost enchanting about watching the liquid slowly move down the glass and join the pool below. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There’s a secret to be found in those tears though (I guess there always is in tears isn’t there?)- this is a good secret though. They hold the key to the level of alcohol in the wine. The slower the tears, the higher the concentration of alcohol. So if you see the liquid almost suspended, stuck to the sides, you can bet that the alcohol content is pretty high, if it falls naturally to its resting place, it’s lighter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On that note- another tip- by law the percentage of alcohol has to be within one point of what is stated on the label- it doesn’t need to be exact. So if it says 13.5% it could be up to 14.3%, or as low as 12.6%. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Neither of these is integral to the tasting of wine of course- but they are fun facts, you know, party trivia and the like.</span></div>
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Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-82863305184688872192016-09-13T09:00:00.000-04:002016-09-13T09:00:10.257-04:00Secrets in the Color<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">’m not going to lie to you- looking at the color of wine isn’t exactly the sexiest topic. Normally, when I start to cover this in my tours people glaze over. I can’t lie - it amuses me a bit. I ask everyone to start examining the color of their wine and I get a few looks that tell me that they all think I have 20 heads, and that they are now dreading the next two hours. It’s cool- I win them back later on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The color of wine will tell you a lot. I like to think that the color of the wine is the secret holder of the wine. The nose is extremely important and of course so is the palate, both of which we’ll talk about, but the color is the best lead in. It gives subtle clues to the type of grape, and even the age of the wine. Every grape varietal (or, you know, type) has it’s own DNA. That DNA will affect multiple facets, such as the climate it’s happiest growing in or the thickness of the skin. This DNA affects multiple aspects of the wine, but the first, of course, is the color. So let’s get to it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here’s the thing - there’s a right way to look at wine, and a wrong way. You know when you’re out to dinner at a nice place, and across the room you see a fellow diner hold his wine glass up to the light, critically inspect it, and immediately make a big show about swirling and sipping the wine? We’ve all seen him, and as much as we’ve wanted to roll our eyes at him, a part of us has thought- well he must know what he’s doing. Let me tell you for once and for all, if he’s holding that glass above his head and staring into the chandelier light- please go ahead roll your eyes. I’m definitely rolling mine. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XVBWdrgxTjiOkk2ilM6QVMCIg4pEdXl2TGWuIF4Ixn-bQnJhpBzOz6InmKYpOqVk7glhBCFQf918gcxUz4rRifh0H_JzA4vkZydLxB1DkGrqCTHrlG0MuEJAa6575GibUXIUxtD9JqBP/s1600/WineColor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XVBWdrgxTjiOkk2ilM6QVMCIg4pEdXl2TGWuIF4Ixn-bQnJhpBzOz6InmKYpOqVk7glhBCFQf918gcxUz4rRifh0H_JzA4vkZydLxB1DkGrqCTHrlG0MuEJAa6575GibUXIUxtD9JqBP/s400/WineColor.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The best way to look at your wine to properly view the color is to tip your glass, carefully, to a 40 to 45 degree angle, over something white. This could be the tablecloth, a plate, napkin, a white sheet of paper you carry especially for this purpose…oh is that just me? Moving on…Once the glass is tipped correctly, then look to what’s known as the “rim”. The rim is the edge of the sides of the wine. So where the wine volume is thin. Here look at the color. White wines that are young in age will be a light yellow, maybe like straw, and may show signs of green. As those wines get older, that green will become less and less, and the yellow will start to turn more golden and then start showing more and more soft brown notes. A well aged white wine will take on the color of amber. Red wine behaves very similarly- a young red however will show bright blue in the rim which will fade as it matures. Here, again, brown notes will creep in and we’ll hedge towards the color tawny when we have significant aging.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I realize I’m writing in generalities when it comes to how many years it takes for those colors to fade or deepen. Unfortunately that’s on purpose. This is not an exact science. Every wine will age differently and on their own timeline, but typically the first year or two of the vintage will show the green or blue notes, the following stage will remain for the next couple of years after that but each year will bring more and more brown tones to the color.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The other piece that we’re looking at in that glass is the depth of pigment. Now this is harder to see in white wine, but in red - when you’re tipping your glass can you see through the center of the liquid? This gets a bit more advanced but the different concentrations of pigments indicates the type of grape. Pinot Noir is easy to see through, whereas Cabernet Sauvignon is much more difficult. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You might be wondering why all of this matters. Well it’s like seeing an old friend from down the street- when you can recognize what’s in your glass, or at least start to understand what might be there, you can get excited for what’s ahead- or you know…cross the street ;-)</span></div>
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Boston Food Diaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18256772773836850313noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179145301657394908.post-16820281120522420372016-08-22T14:18:00.002-04:002016-08-22T14:18:16.431-04:00Boiling Down the Facts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkgtq8vNSFJufvTk-xKk5562ZQ8JTeweDIZ8_pyKKTMSDdrk4d23NeSd02l9uoniHW-zPwFrSkxysvQu2TNc3mWnjwLCeBPFs3oXo8jG_TwJW3hVMA-hyJImZJlCYl_4HPbpBZMWaZxWe/s1600/IMG_3931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkgtq8vNSFJufvTk-xKk5562ZQ8JTeweDIZ8_pyKKTMSDdrk4d23NeSd02l9uoniHW-zPwFrSkxysvQu2TNc3mWnjwLCeBPFs3oXo8jG_TwJW3hVMA-hyJImZJlCYl_4HPbpBZMWaZxWe/s400/IMG_3931.JPG" title="Wine grapes ready for harvest" width="291" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ok so I got a little romantic in my last post- talking about the story that wine tells, but hey- according to Homer (no, not the lover of donuts and Duff beer, the other one- from the Eighth Century) “No poem was ever written by a drinker of water”. I'm allowed to get a little caught up, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That story that wine tells though- what are the pieces? Let’s look at some common wine terms. I'll go into more detail on each of these in future posts:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Color:</u> just as it sounds- we are literally looking at the color of the wine. How much pigment is present will tell us the type of grape in the wine, and the actual color of the wine will tell us the age of the wine. As wines age they show more and more brown in their pigment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Legs/Tears:</u> Called either legs or tears, this is what people are looking at when they swirl their glass of wine and watch the liquid fall down the sides of the glass. Simply, this is an indicator as to the level of alcohol in the wine- slow tears, high alcohol.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Nose:</u> Ah this where people get finicky- but this is where the story starts to reveal itself. The presence of fruit, or flowers, the types of fruit, if there are hints of minerals, or spices…all of these start the story of the land that this wine comes from. Each of these reveals so much about how the grapes were cared for. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Dry/Sweet:</u> We’re talking about how much grape sugar is left in the wine after </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">fermentation. This is pretty big deal when pairing wine with food, which we’ll get into later. For now- just go with pairing dry wines with savory foods, and sweet wines with sweet food….um and cheese goes with either cause its cheese and cheese is awesome.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Acidity:</u> Ok acidity is another big one when it comes to pairing food. What we’re talking about is literally, how much acidity is in the wine. Sometimes this gets a little confusing if you are tasting flavors like lemon in the wine- you might anticipate that you taste a lot of acid as well. Thats not necessarily true. The way we tell acidity in wine is by gauging the amount of saliva that congregates under your tongue once the wine has been swallowed. High acid wine equals a lot of saliva. We’ll talk about this with pairing but general rule- pair an acidic food with an acidic wine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Body:</u> The third biggie when it comes to pairing- body is all about mouthfeel. If it feels like water in your mouth then it has low body, if the wine feels like it coats your teeth and your tongue it’s a full bodied wine. Same principle applies here- pair body for body- a big dish with a lot of body (think beef stew) should be paired with a big bodied wine. A low bodied meal (scallops) pair with a light bodied wine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Tannins:</u> Oh tannins- there is so much confusion with this one. Basically tannin is a compound that lives in the skins and the stems of grapes. It gets imparted into wine when the juice is allowed to sit on the skins after pressing. This is normally done only with red wine- but there are some outliers. We’ll chat. For now- pairing for tannin- fatty foods! YAY! Tannin presents as a drying sensation on the insides of your cheeks- like swiping a cotton ball down the sides. There are varying degrees of this- and sometimes it can be unpleasant. Eating something fatty (read cheese, burgers, cream sauces, steaks) will coat your mouth and round out the tannins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Balance:</u> You see this word all the time in wine stores on those little cards that they put on their stacks- “Well balanced wine!!” - there are always multiple explanation points- always. All this means is that all of what we talked about already is sort of in line with each other. This will make more sense later on- but we’re looking for the levels of acidity, and body, and tannins, etc to all be in line with each other-nothing is extreme without its pals. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Finish:</u> This is, quite simply, how long the tasty flavors of the wine stick around in your mouth after swallowing. Sometimes they fade to something bitter or sour, or to just nothing at all- when we talk finish we just want to know how long the good ones are there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Palette:</u> Ahhhhh the palette- the flavors you taste when you drink wine- here is where the wine will really tell its story. You got a taste of it in the nose, but here, when you taste the flavors of the wine and take into account everything else we talked about- this is where we really get the full story. We get to know if the summer was hot, or cooler, we feel if the rain came at the wrong time, or the right time, we become aware of the effort that the farmer committed to his crop…this is what wine is all about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It might sound overly flowery or romantic, but thats where the beauty of wine comes from. That’s why people wax on about the flavors of the wine, thats why they train for years to be able to pick out minute aspects- because wine isn’t just a drink- wine is a representation of history. Its a unique tool to travel the world, its a testament to hard work and dedication. Grape juice- it does all that. </span></div>
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