Well, an alert reader reminded me of an important factor in
wine appreciation, which I should have mentioned in the previous post about wine (which you should probably read first if you haven't).. I neglected to point out that just because
Mr. Parker bestows 100 points on a wine; it only means that HE considers it
perfect. It does not (necessarily) mean
that YOU would consider it a perfect wine.
It does imply the fact that this wine should be a “perfect” example
of what (in this case) properly made Cabernet
Sauvignon can be. The balance and weight
are right, the color is right, the tannins are correct, the nose brings you the
aromas that are associated with the varietal, there are no “off” factors
present, and the wine maker aged it correctly.
But, maybe you don’t prefer a Cabernet, you like a lighter variety such
as a maybe a Pinot Noir. Or even a
Chardonnay. To be sure there are 100
point examples of these wines, but you don’t HAVE to like them. The pleasure of wine appreciation is finding
what you like regardless of whatever
somebody else thinks. Perhaps over the
years as your tastes and knowledge evolve, and you increase your familiarity with wine and grape
varieties, you might eventually think a 100 point is worth it. Make no mistake; I would LOVE to have a
chance to taste one of his 100 point, three hundred buck Cabs, just to see what
it is like. But, I personally would
probably would prefer a 91 point Burgundy rather than a big boy cab. Don’t think I’ll have to worry about it,
however.
Back in the formative days of the Bottom Feeder, I would
normally put out (say) a Thanksgiving column, relating a compendium of “pairings” of wine with
various preparations of the miserable fowl, mostly gained by reading through many food magazines. But after that, regardless of what the pundits say, I would always point out that
you should drink what you personally enjoy (even if it is (gasp) White Zin),
giving rise to yet another Feeder acronym: DWTHYL, (Drink Whatever The Hell You
Like). It always comes down to your
enjoyment, so find something you enjoy and drink it. Maybe expand your horizons here and there,
and using Parker’s Points, or listening to the likes of Jancis Robinson can be a good guide to point you toward something
worth trying, without wandering into the Barefoot kind of stuff. Okay, i'm trying to remember DWTHYL...but there are limits..
Market Day
Yesterday, MFO and I stopped in at our local Giant to pick up a few
items. I love to go to food markets, even
our local ones, it’s a smorgasbord of food. It’s fun to see what is “new” or
featured. One thing I’ve noticed over
the years is that there is less “ingredients” and more (almost) ready to eat
stuff. Not just the Marie Callendar or
Swanson (dating myself) meals in a box, but more individual food items. Nuggets, patties, pastas in a bag, steaming this and that, things like that which
require minimal prep (if at all). Also,
paradoxically, there are more exotic things showing up on the shelves, which without the "foodie" explosion wouldn't have been there ten years ago.. Like this selection of Vinegar's
And of course there are “in a box” soups, and here’s one
that combines two of the flavors I rather dislike (gaack!)
Think they’re trading on trendy stuff?
And lastly in the meat section I came up with this beauty
I thought that a “rotisserie’ was a hunk of equipment, not a
flavor (small brown panel). What's up with that? And only goodness (and apparently only Shady Brook Farms) know what goes into those “Turkey Breast Tenderloins”. I suspect one doesn’t want to know.
Anyhow it’s fun browsing the aisles looking for interesting
things. And just as an aside, a
reminder that here in Lexington Park our Shopper’s Food Warehouse has a
wonderful section of “international” foods, representing many cultures. A lot of the stuff I don’t even know what
is. Cento seems to be heavily invested
in those products.
Happy hunting, and whatever you select and however you
prepare it (even “ding”!) you must always be
DFD
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