I dislike bullies.  It seems my dad likes them less than I do.

When I was younger he told the story of a bully he had to deal with in his days in the army while serving in Korea.  At 5 foot 6 inches and 140 lbs., tanned from the Puerto Rican sun and with a Spanish accent, he must have stood out as an easy mark to his rather tall, husky, fair-haired Irish-American nemesis.  The repeated indignities served up by this fair-skinned lad included the usual stupid guy stuff– tripping, practical jokes, etc.  This got my dad to his tipping point.  Having reached his limit, and in order to confront this idiot, he had to stand on a foot locker just to be able to get eyeball-to-eyeball with him. 

Before I go on, let me say that my dad, despite his love of boxing and the episode I am about to share, is not a violent guy.  He NEVER administered corporal punishment to me.  Not once.  I find that odd.  Especially, given the era in which I was born.  But in our house, discipline was left completely in my mom’s hands.  And she, born into a family of farmers, thought nothing of making us dance to the crack of a leather belt.  While she never hit me in the face (she always emphasised that point), on the few occasions that she did strike, she almost always managed to leave me with welts on my legs– even as I tried to lift both legs up in the air at the same time to avoid the blows destined for my calves and thighs!  “No, Mami!  No!”  Those were the days… I love that woman, and seeing how frail she is today, makes me long for a time when she was strong enough to make me dance.  Not that I want to dance again– the memories are enough.  And it seems, the leather belt was preferred by other families as well.  Ms. R tells me that in her house, her dad’s belt even had a name– Catalina.  “Catalina is gonna make you dance,” he would say.  These days, Catalina would get you a quick call to the Social Services department with charges of child abuse.  Back then, it was just good parenting.  I’m not so sure we weren’t better off back then.

But back to the David & Goliath moment: Things did not look so good for my dad.  If you were the sort to make wagers, the smart money was on O’What’s-His-Name.  I’m not sure of the dialogue exchanged between these two antagonists, though I can imagine that the Irish lad must have been thinking what a good time he was about to have cracking my old man’s noggin open like a walnut.  So my dad did the only thing he could do– he struck first– breaking the poor bastard’s nose.  What no one knew was that he had put his metal cigarette lighter in the palm of his right hand giving that first punch a little extra “Was-that-a-lead-pipe-he-just-hit-me-with?” oomph.  With nose bloodied and tumbling to the floor like a giant sequoia, the Celt looked up to see Dad (filled with rage and frustration) pouncing on him like a rabid dog.  He gave this poor fellow a few more pops till he was pulled off by some spectators.  Unsurprisingly, this fellow never messed with him again.  Grudging respect they call it.

But assault of a fellow soldier is a crime– even in the military– and subject to court-martial.  A few days later, my dad was summoned into his commanding officer’s office to explain his actions.  My dad is a big fan of General MacArthur’s– and modeled his military bearing after that gentleman.  As he tells it, he went to his CO’s office in full dress uniform– an interesting tactic– but one that sent a clear message:  That he was a soldier first and understood the gravity of the situation.  He entered the office, gave his crispest salute and stood erect, statuesque, granite-like at attention.  Dad knows how to make an impression.  After inquiring into what happened, the CO offered Dad the choice of court-martial (with potential jail time and dishonorable discharge) or just a quick 2-step straight to dishonorable discharge.  Dad opted for court-martial under military law.  Being dismissed from the meeting, he gave his CO another starched salute, turned heel and marched perfectly out of the office.  That was the last that Dad ever heard of the matter from his superiors.  I think the CO, considering the two participants and other factors, probably took a boys-will-be-boys approach and was perhaps also hoping that this was the last he would hear about this matter.  

Like I said, my dad is not a violent guy.  And like the most interesting man in the world– “He’s a lover, not fighter.  But he’s also a fighter, so don’t get any ideas.”

And, like my dad, today’s wine may look like a lightweight, but don’t let the looks fool you. 

Chateau Savariaud Bordeaux Supérieur 2009 ($12).  59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Malbec.  So light-colored that I did not expect much in terms of the concentration of this wine.  At first, this had a touch of braised fennel on the nose; then a woodsy character emerged with hints of barnyard as it opened.  Whilst there was a fairly comprehensive restraint in the fruit, what emerged reminded me of black plum flesh mixed with almost bitter chocolate.  Finishing with grippy tannins and a medium length stoney quality.  I might have liked this even better had it shown just a tad more concentration and just slightly more ripe fruit.  Rated **

My boy in the photo at the top of this page doesn’t have a guilty bone in his body.  Neither should you.  No-Guilt Wednesday (NGW) is not about compromising on quality.  It’s all about drinking good wine that does not break the bank ($15 or less), eating good food and of course, it’s about sharing with the ones you love.

In life, we rarely get second chances. 

Unless your name is Chris Brown.  Hearing about his apparent reunion with Rihanna recently, I was a little taken aback. 

I mean, as talented as you are, and that talent is in my opinion, undeniable, there are just some things you don’t do to any woman, let alone the woman you “love”, Dude.  

Now I’m not gonna show you pictures of Rihanna with a busted face.  You can look those up yourself.  Girl, what were you thinking?!  Rhetorical question.

Just because mornings are amongst my favorite time of day, does not mean that I don’t love the nights as well.  While the mornings are made for strong tea, solitude and introspection, the nights are made for good wine, consumed with good food and followed by some good old-fashioned tittering in the dark.   

Being the kind of person who craves balance if not moderation, this makes sense to me.  The morning routine–  and the unfurling of the mind– begins shortly after I wake.  After a quick stroll with Jake, the wonder-dog, we head home and there share breakfast together.  He has his doggie comestibles and I have a couple of robust cups of Punjana Irish Breakfast with whatever else captures my fancy.  Sometimes cereal, or buttered rye toast or, maybe just a glass of strawberry kefir.  The house is usually breathtakingly and comfortingly quiet.  Since the day is a blank slate, this is my most productive time to write.  It is the time when I read a bit as well. 

Unlike some folks, I can’t really read in bed at night.  Usually, I’m too tired during the week  and too, umm, “delicious” on the weekends to read so late.  And there are so many things to do when you are in a delicious state of mind–

Need ideas?  Well, take for example, Englishman Henry Purcell, one of the most renowned composers of his time, who wrote a few overtly suggestive tavern songs, including this uncensored little 17th century ditty that aptly illustrates how un-innocent those times were: 

Sir Walter enjoying his damsel one night,

He tickled and pleased her to so great a height,

That she could not contain, t’wards the end of the matter,

But in rapture cried out: “Oh sweet Sir Walter!”

The Montepulciano grape has become so associated with Abruzzo that it would be difficult imagining these wines being produced anywhere else.  It is one of the most exported wines in Italy.  But in my mind, so many of these wines are over-ripe and a tad too rustic– and as a result they feel a little bawdy to me.  But there is a time and a place for everything. 

And in keeping an open mind, today’s NGW may turn me around on my way of thinking.  Many a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is intended to be drunk young.  Not so with today’s choice.  This is from the 2006 vintage.  Price-wise. this wine is right at the cut line for NGW.  A release price of $29 per bottle and an average price on the internet, of $22 per bottle– though you should not pay that much for this.  Still, at $15, this needs to be considered and having said that, happily consumed.    

Il Feuduccio Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Feuduccio 2006 ($15) .   There are some woodsy characteristics that emerge on my sniffer.  What is that?  Cigar box?  Wet ash?  A medium bodied, fruity red with ripe raspberry, low tannins and medium acidity.  This does not have the usual rusticity that I associate with Montepulciano wines.  Although from the 2006 vintage, the wine maintains its freshness so much so, that I thought it was younger than it was.  This is a fantastic pasta wine and at $15, this is a compelling buy.  Rated **1/2 

Eat this with a Spaghetti Puttanesca.  Put on some Henry Purcell tavern songs (click on the red links) and sing along: 

A health, a health to the nut-brown lass with hazel eyes

She that has good eyes has also good thighs

Let it pass, let it pass!

The little guy in the photo at the top of this page doesn’t have a guilty bone in his body.  Neither should you.  No-Guilt Wednesday (NGW) is not about compromising on quality.  It’s all about drinking good wine that does not break the bank ($15 or less), eating good food and of course, it’s about sharing with the ones you love.

I have my demons, don’t you? 

Hieronymous Bosch had them.  Henry Miller too.  Maybe that’s why their work continues to resonate with me.

I discovered both of these dudes many years ago when I came across Henry Miller’s autobiographical “Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymous Bosch”. 

Miller Time: “Now, where is that girl with the two cherries?”

Just the title alone was enough of a draw for me.  Don’t ask why, perhaps, it just sounded so incongruous.  Perhaps it was because at the time I had no idea that a place called Big Sur even existed.  Maybe it was unfamiliarity with Hieronymous Bosch.  And perhaps it was just the way it sounded as I spoke it out loud. 

“What have you been reading lately?”  

“A cartoon fantasy, Scoobie and Shaggy Do Vegas…”

“What?”

“Would you believe, Big Sur and…?”

“Huh?”

Now if you know some of Miller’s more notorious work and you have been reading this blog, you will understand my attraction.  But there is more to Miller.  He is poetic, prophetic, honest, though capable of fibbing, he is misunderstood–sometimes by me.  But it is clear that he had extreme clarity in his view of the line between right and wrong even if he sometimes blurred, crossed or moved that line in his personal life.  And there was his colorful lifestyle– wives and lovers, including the erotic poet, Anais Nin, a collection of friends and people who were drawn to him– interesting, tortured, bizarre, dull people.   

Hieronymous Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights

And then we have Bosch.  A man who could be credited with the creation of information overload.  But it is not imagery for imagery’s sake.  There are all of these seemingly insignificant details that are pregnant with meaning.  He seemed to be very aware of the imperfections of human morality, frailty, ecstasy and agony.  Was Bosch a man who was haunted by his demons in his everyday existence?  A picture, in Bosch’s case, is truly worth at least a 1,000 words. 

Whatever the motivation or inspiration, he let it all flow from his paint brushes.  Miller’s writing is a bit like that as well– reading his books is a bit like being a being a river rock as he rushes over you with a torrential flow of words that erode and polish your surface at the same time.

One of Bosch’s more famous works, a moralistic triptych, The Garden of Earthly Delights, depicts the fall from grace, the post-Eden world cast as orgy and the retribution exacted from the human race for those sins.  The fact that he devotes the largest part of the triptych to the party tells me that understood human weakness on personal terms.  How else to explain what appears to be two people getting it on inside a giant mussel shell and elsewhere in this painting.  Plato’s Retreat, that notorious 1970’s New York City sex club, had nothing on the stuff going on in Bosch’s head! 

Yet, despite their lascivious natures, his characters have hollowed out eyes and a bored detachment that is not particularly inviting.  It seems that some of his characters themselves are voyeurs looking out at us.  I suppose we can be both spectators of the freak show and perhaps we are the freak show as well. 

Where am I going with this?  To be able to channel some of the creativity that these two guys had, booze HAD to be involved.  Miller was a drinker.  While at Sig Sur, he certainly drank some very good California wines, and being a writer, he was piss-poor most of the time.  So the wines usually came courtesy of his generous friends.  And there were those years in Paris.  And Bosch must have had his share of mind-twisting elixirs, as well.  In Bosch’s case, it was probably good Belgian beer or perhaps some very young wine like today’s 2011 vintage offering.

Here’s where we pull it all together, kids.  First, a word about the 2011 vintage: Bosch’s message still rings true today.  Pundits and critics alike are strongly suggesting that 2011 Bordeaux wine prices will need to drop significantly from the levels for 2009 and 2010 vintages to reflect the relative drop in quality as compared to 2009 and 2010.   Greed is the demon that is gorging itself at the banquet fueled by these two stellar vintages– how else, can you explain U.S. $1,000++ prices for single bottles from top château?  Some would argue, there is a comeuppance on the horizon when the prices for the 2011 wines are set.  The most avaricious of these producers should face consequences akin to those depicted in the third panel of the triptych.  Facing an abundance of good wine from 2009-10, they may have to price their wines below prices for the decent 2008 vintage.  It’s a nice theory, and it would be great to see, but I don’t really believe that they will reduce prices by the 40-50% that some are calling for.    

Now, onto today’s NGW Wine.   A young wine, from a small producer in what is considered a lesser vintage, does not have to be bad wine.  From the 2011 vintage, this white Bordeaux is an absolute steal at the price I paid– yes, it is the first 2011 we are reviewing.  I thought that this was particularly good when I tasted it and brought some home from a wine tasting a couple of weeks ago.  This is a crowd pleaser of a wine– and at $7 even my financial advisor would be pleased.  

While you could have this on its own, it is so much better with food.  Put some shrimp, I mean prawns, on the barbie and start your dinner off on the right foot.  Today’s recommended dish was truly inspired by the Blanc de Barat.  But it takes it name from one of our featured artists.

Grilled Hieronymous Orange Marinated Prawns

• 2 lbs. of deveined and shelled prawns (leave tails on)
• 1 tsp. of grated Orange Rind
• 1 tsp. grated Lime Rind
• Juice of 1 Valencia Orange
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 2 tbsp. Rice Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Roasted Peanut Oil
• 4 Garlic cloves crushed and mashed into a paste with 1 tsp. of salt
• 1/2 tsp. Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

1. Whisk together all ingredients and taste the marinade.  Adjust to your taste.
2. Pour over prawns and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour– every 15 minutes or so turn the prawns over to make sure the marinade seeps into all the crevices
3. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking
4. Preheat grill to highest setting. 
5. Immediately before cooking oil the grill
6. Cook for no more than 1-2 two minutes per side.  Do not overcook– nobody like rubbery prawns.  If you are not sure how long it will take, do a test run with 1 or two of the little bastards.

Suggested variations: Add a little soy sauce to the marinade.  And how about a little crushed red pepper for touch of lively spice!

Works great as an appetizer for a party or as a main course over a citrusy salad or even an aromatic jasmine rice.

 © Sybarite Sauvage

Dirty Birds

If you want to learn more about Bosch, here is a link to a great little review of this painting by a fellow blogger, Taylor Alexandra.

 My boy in the photo at the top of this page doesn’t have a guilty bone in his body.  Neither should you.  No-Guilt Wednesday (NGW) is not about compromising on quality.  It’s all about drinking good wine that does not break the bank ($15 or less), eating good food and of course, it’s about sharing with the ones you love.

 

THE END.

 

 

 

 

Washington State has been coming on for some years now.  The Columbia Valley especially.  Today’s wine grabbed our attention with a high rating to price ratio from one of the wine mags of record.  You know the one… 

As for wine ratings, and especially the 100 point scale goes, I have to admit that I struggle with it because it does not reflect the way that most people drink wine.  First, let’s face it, most people will not drop the serious coin that’s often needed to get one of those 93+ point wines.  So, for them, the 100 point scale is truly meaningless.  Second, most of the time, you know in the first few sips whether you like something or not.  My dad has the simplest approach when it comes to wine– (a) Don’t Like It, (b) Like It and (c) Like It a Lot.  The rest of the process is really just a refinement and confirmation of those first impressions.  

Another thing that I do not like about the 100 point scale, and indeed my own 4 star system is the fact that it places wines from across all regions on equal footing.  The presumption being that you could readily exchange one for another at any point in tme.  What wines I drink at any point in time are a function of my mood, food, and ‘hood– how I feel, what I’m eating and where I am.  And with the star system, there is more flexibility to accommodate mood, food & ‘hood.  That’s one reason I try to include some information about speciifc subregions and varietals.   

Charles Smith Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 ($14).  Disarmingly Dark in a back alley kind of style, I half-expected to be mugged by this wine.  A whiff of cocoa and herbs and the scent of freshly fallen leaves in late October.  As expected, the fruit is dark and brooding.  Ripe black plum and a touch of spice.  And while this has the structure, with a touch of grippiness from the tannins, it just seems a bit too heavy and extracted.  I noticed that one reviewer rated this at 91 points.  So, who is checking the checkers?  Me, that’s who.  While a good wine, I think that rating is overly generous.  As you know we shun the 100 point scale around here in favor of a more flexible standard that does not have the veneer of arithmetic certitude. Your palate is not mine and vice versa.  So who will check me?  YOU will.  Tastes twice.  Rated **

Washington State Wine Map

And what can you pair with something like this?  I’m thinking of this a great pizza wine.  But you had better put some serious meat and garlic on that pizza.  I’m thinking about a pizza that requires you to wear your Big Boy pants– sausage, meatball, garlic, pepperoni.  The same sartorial advice applies to you ladies out there.

I can’t speak for the this green-shirted little guy, but my boy in the photo at the top of this page doesn’t have a guilty bone in his body.  Neither should you.  No-Guilt Wednesday (NGW) is not about compromising on quality.  It’s all about drinking good wine that does not break the bank ($15 or less), eating good food and of course, it’s about sharing with the ones you love.