[QUOTE=lauratchi, post:79, topic:102671]
I must have been breathing down shh64’s neck last night. Not that I was trying for first sucker, but that is always fun.
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Me too! <g>
You’re absolutely right, a savory cheesecake will rock (or vice versa) with any of these. I don’t know what cheesecake you have in mind, but there was a Crab and Wild Mushroom Cheesecake recipe in Bon Appétit magazine back in '98 that would be sensational. I’ve made it a number of times. It’s a bit of work, but worth it. You can find the recipe on epicurious.com, along with some helpful reviews.
[QUOTE=conroo, post:78, topic:102671]
WD, no love for Ohio? Will my order be canceled? I need to know this so I can “gift” a set to my Wisconsin sister.
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No Ohio i’m afraid this week. Mumm exceeds the winery volume limitation (such a stupid law…).
WD
I can’t wait to hear from the La Brats this week. There are so many new posters out there begging for the honor. It’s really cool. Glad you are all here.
[QUOTE=winefarm, post:83, topic:102671]
No Ohio i’m afraid this week. Mumm exceeds the winery volume limitation (such a stupid law…).
WD
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Whaaahaaahaaaa! I have been begging for sparklers and now there is none for Ohio. Nallie, now I know how you feel when there is no love for Mass. FREE THE GRAPES!
Finally got my order in before the 10am cutoff. Monday mornings are busy at work, good thing I’m off today. This seems like a nice assortment - I think the single vineyard is the big selling point.
In, just under the wire, hopefully I can labrat this week
[QUOTE=conroo, post:85, topic:102671]
Whaaahaaahaaaa! I have been begging for sparklers and now there is none for Ohio. Nallie, now I know how you feel when there is no love for Mass. FREE THE GRAPES!
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You’re confusing Nallie with Natalie - they’re both lovely, unique individuals. Nallie never has state issues.
Actually from what I remember previously they said they shoot from differant locations around the building as well, to maximize the light. So differant angles, differant locations, differant bottles, differant times, make for a collage of opportunities!!!
I’d love to know how they get the bubbles into the wines?? I seem to remember some story about monk accidentally figuring it out, and commenting on the stars or something, but I’d love to know the science behind this process as well. (and maybe a better memory about the truth in the discovery story)
from the description: “[n]ow sparkling wine lovers from Lake Champlain to Champaign-Urbana can enjoy its slight peachy-creamy sweetness. Mumm Napa recommends taking yours…Chardonnay’s shameless acidity echoes in this wine’s citrus and apple notes, while the Pinot Noir provides a full-bodied berry character. The Devaux Ranch’s round and creamy mouthfeel goes down as smooth as chamois and soft as chambray, and its flavors of ripe fig, red apple, and French vanilla taste nothing like shampoo.”
a few questions: is this very enticing description from the winery or winewoot? and perhaps more generally, who/how decides the tasting notes from the wineries themselves-is it just the winemaker or a combination of tasters? is this what the winemaker hopes for or acutally tastes. and for the tasters, how accurate/influential do we find these notes?
With all the “Cham” words being a running gag in the description, I’m guessing Woot wrote it… as for the accuracy, hopefully our lab rats will clear it up for us
[QUOTE=jimvarney01, post:71, topic:102671]
Yeast only consume sugar and make it into ethanol in the ABSENCE of oxygen. This is the fermentation reaction. This reaction breaks down the sugar (C6 H12 O6) into 2 molecules ethanol (CH3 CH2 OH) and 2 molecules carbon dioxide (CO2). When in the bottle (in the traditional champagne method) the inoculated yeast is usually dead when they add the dosage (after primary fermentation). The dosage is a precisely calculated amount of yeast/sugar/champagne or wine. This is to take up the space of the primary fermentation yeast that has been disgorged out of the bottle. The champagne then goes through a bottle fermentation to use up the remaining sugar and that’s what gives it the bubbles. Because of the added sugar, the grapes are usually picked at a low brix as to not make the resulting sparkling wine too sweet.
Now yeast in the presence of sugar and oxygen will undergo a respiration reaction. Sugar (C6 H12 O6) and 6 molecules of oxygen (O2) will produce 6 molecules of water (H2 O) and 6 molecules of carbon dioxide (CO2). Not a very beneficial reaction in my eyes! HA! This could explain the reason sealed tanks and airlocks on home fermenters are used.
With that being said, I’m buying a set of 3! WOOT!
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Thanks for correcting my 10+ yr. old cell biology recollections. The aeration I was thinking of for homebrewing is (I believe) required to create conditions that are beneficial to yeast growth & reproduction and, once they’ve consumed the oxygen, the cycle over to the anaerobic fermentation process we know & love which continues until the yeast consume the fermentable sugars.
At least with beer, some of the yeast stays in solution. When bottling, a measured amount of sugar is added to the beer in the bottling bucket that consists of little (if any) lees sucked off the bottom of the secondary fermenter.
If I’m understanding the “Dosing” explanation correctly, the concept is that the wine is zapped to kill any active yeasties before disgorgement. After the dead yeast have precipitated & been removed, a measured dosing is added to each bottle that contains a defined amount of yeast and sugar/food to achieve the desired end product. If the idea is to provide only enough yeast to process XX% of the available sugar, there would have to be very tight controls on aeration of the wine to prevent the measured popualation of yeast from reproducing, thereby increasing the % of sugar that would be turned to CO2.
I’m trying to wrap my noggin around this quandry to help my BiL make an off-dry sparkling hard cider. Anything I come up with that doesn’t involve blending a carbonated product with a non-carbonated sweet product & yeasticide mathematically results in bottle-bombs (this assumes we keep it natural and don’t resort to using non-fermentable sugars to add sweetness).
Awww, UBlink, you are the sweetest. Yes, it is Natalie who must resort to wootlegging and other crimes against nature to order. I live where the grapes run free.
WD, thanks for the cham- errr, sparkling wine. They will help the frantic holiday season in more than one way, as my idea of the perfect comfort food is bubbly and pizza consumed while soaking in a warm bath.
Ak, if I recall correctly the legend is that blind monk Dom Perignon shouted,“'Come quickly; I am tasting stars,” when he experienced the bubbles that were a result of the second, in the bottle, fermentation of the first champagne. But I think others have suggested that the monk thing was an urban- errr, abbey myth.
In for two sets. Yummmm.
Meant to mention it last night, but I caught the Vermont reference in the production description this week and it made me smile.
As for the first part of your question - just guessing, but several times I have noticed that the tasting notes mentioned in the description of the offer have been very similar to the adjectives and nouns used to describe the wine on the vintners’ sites. I figured the copy was written in-house by woot based on the winery’s notes and maybe WineDavid’s take, too. Maybe not, though. Perhaps the flavors were just that universally appreciated. I would love to know the accurate answer. So, thanks for asking.
C, if the copy is making local references (i.e. -acknowledging our volunteer mod’s home state), that kind of affirms it is woot written, right? It would be excellent to know, though, how the winery and woot come up with the tasting description.
not really. they referenced urbana-champaign also which is in illinois. i think they were just picking out places that sound like sparklin–err, champagne.
EDIT: i just noticed that i’ve turned RED! i know, not as good as you black box folks, but i’m at least better than you blues now!
I’m hoping the winery will show up and answer some questions this week. I would like to see Corrado’s question about cellaring answered by the winery. I am interested in this week’s offer, but I have a bottle of the Goosecross offering and a bottle of Domaine Chandon I bought at about the same time. I don’t drink sparklers very often.
I’m pretty sure it was a Sauvignon Blanc (sp?). Whatever it was, it was absolutely delicious, and as a general rule, I don’t (didn’t?) like whites, though admittedly my experience with them was limited (mostly to the Gavi di Gavi my mom used to drink). I am certainly open to new things and am starting to expand my wine horizons as is possible on a budget :).
I think it’s the carbonation itself that turns me off a bit to bubbly. I don’t mind bubbles in beer, but that’s the only beverage with CO2 I’m a fan of. If I’m drinking soda, I generally shake the bottle to try and get out most of the bubbles. Flat soda is absolutely fine with me; only more preferable is soda that’s just got a little fizz left in it. Even in certain beers like Coors, the carbonation is definitely a turnoff. Guess it’s just a personal taste.
Out of curiosity, why would novice wine drinkers (and I would consider myself so) have preference towards strong reds? By the way, I do enjoy pretty much all red, just prefer the heavier bodied ones…most likely a result of my dad drinking a lot of cab and Brunello.
You are correct, sir. 
It gets a much more vigorous fermentation going really quickly, especially when you’re pitching packeted or older yeast. I ran into trouble with aeration when trying an 11% Belgian in a carboy with an airlock…beer mini-explosion in the dorm closet over Christmas break. Thankfully it stayed non-contaminated.
<—Homebrewer
[QUOTE=bmckenna, post:98, topic:102671]
I’m pretty sure it was a Sauvignon Blanc (sp?). Whatever it was, it was absolutely delicious, and as a general rule, I don’t (didn’t?) like whites, though admittedly my experience with them was limited (mostly to the Gavi di Gavi my mom used to drink). I am certainly open to new things and am starting to expand my wine horizons as is possible on a budget :).
I think it’s the carbonation itself that turns me off a bit to bubbly. I don’t mind bubbles in beer, but that’s the only beverage with CO2 I’m a fan of. If I’m drinking soda, I generally shake the bottle to try and get out most of the bubbles. Flat soda is absolutely fine with me; only more preferable is soda that’s just got a little fizz left in it. Even in certain beers like Coors, the carbonation is definitely a turnoff. Guess it’s just a personal taste.
Out of curiosity, why would novice wine drinkers (and I would consider myself so) have preference towards strong reds? By the way, I do enjoy pretty much all red, just prefer the heavier bodied ones…most likely a result of my dad drinking a lot of cab and Brunello.
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i would actually disagree (in a most respectful way of course) with kkv123. i think most novice wine drinkers are big white drinkers. or that has been my experience anyway. people typically dont start drinking reds until a little further into their wine-drinking “careers”