farce
One of the potentially dangerous tasks I am charged with at work is helping to buy wine. One purveyor thinks I am the way to get new bottles into the ever changing 'menu'; this is news to me. I have some input and make some decisions, it is certainly not my show. Today I was invited to a local restaurant to be wowed and spend money on wine for the store. Was I wowed? I did get to taste a Bordeaux from 1970. I wish I had some basis for comparison and had not tasted 18 things beforehand.
If nothing else, I am learning the limits of my palate. With wine tasting this means give me four things to compare and contrast. Two proseccos, four roses, five whites, six cotes Du Rhone, six wines in a blind tasting BEFORE moving on to the potentially spectacular? Thanks, I'm confused. Not that our customers are looking for this aged beauty. Alas, it was lost on me. What I remember most about the experience was that it had to be drunk (the entire bottle mind you) within about ten minutes or it would be too oxidized. Not my idea of enjoying a quaff. Granted I was one of twelve so this was not difficult. Given that I spent the two hours spitting (had to close the store) I was in it for the education, not the release.
Did I learn some stuff? Sure. Will it stick? Doubtful. I, unfortunately, do not have the time or resources to devote to becoming this educated. To be honest, I don't currently have the energy either. Hit me with the guerrilla off the cuff taste this, be impressed, hear the price, buy it on a whim, hand sell it and (this is the most important sellers take note) give me some simple tasting/selling/pairing points to sell your product. To be honest, I have too much shite flowing through my head from the moment I wake up to writing my daily list (and the carryover list), thinking about the mental meez, getting hit with moment to moment needs, produce, meat, fish, local, bread, cheese, beer and wine purchasing, scheduling, meetings, planning events, doing catering proposals, managing staff shortages, costing, inventorying (you get the idea here) to have space mentally to stash all these tiny sips and have instant recall from the name, let alone the label. Catch me when I have wolfed down some food and the tastes manage to interest me. Acid, bright, sour, earthy and probably not California or jammy.
The food today? Pate de foie- a bit oxidized on the outside layer- dragging a knife around the edges would do wonders- lovely and creamy with a solid liveriness to it. Nice counterpoint to the dried fruit and whole grain mustard. Seared sea scallops over mixed greens with guanciale vinaigrette- heaven. Crisply crunchy with still tender semi-raw centers, musky cured pork jowl with baby bitter greens. Perhaps the vinegar aspect fucked up my tongue for tasting anything else. Dessert? Had to leave before that course. I'll be heading back.
If nothing else, I am learning the limits of my palate. With wine tasting this means give me four things to compare and contrast. Two proseccos, four roses, five whites, six cotes Du Rhone, six wines in a blind tasting BEFORE moving on to the potentially spectacular? Thanks, I'm confused. Not that our customers are looking for this aged beauty. Alas, it was lost on me. What I remember most about the experience was that it had to be drunk (the entire bottle mind you) within about ten minutes or it would be too oxidized. Not my idea of enjoying a quaff. Granted I was one of twelve so this was not difficult. Given that I spent the two hours spitting (had to close the store) I was in it for the education, not the release.
Did I learn some stuff? Sure. Will it stick? Doubtful. I, unfortunately, do not have the time or resources to devote to becoming this educated. To be honest, I don't currently have the energy either. Hit me with the guerrilla off the cuff taste this, be impressed, hear the price, buy it on a whim, hand sell it and (this is the most important sellers take note) give me some simple tasting/selling/pairing points to sell your product. To be honest, I have too much shite flowing through my head from the moment I wake up to writing my daily list (and the carryover list), thinking about the mental meez, getting hit with moment to moment needs, produce, meat, fish, local, bread, cheese, beer and wine purchasing, scheduling, meetings, planning events, doing catering proposals, managing staff shortages, costing, inventorying (you get the idea here) to have space mentally to stash all these tiny sips and have instant recall from the name, let alone the label. Catch me when I have wolfed down some food and the tastes manage to interest me. Acid, bright, sour, earthy and probably not California or jammy.
The food today? Pate de foie- a bit oxidized on the outside layer- dragging a knife around the edges would do wonders- lovely and creamy with a solid liveriness to it. Nice counterpoint to the dried fruit and whole grain mustard. Seared sea scallops over mixed greens with guanciale vinaigrette- heaven. Crisply crunchy with still tender semi-raw centers, musky cured pork jowl with baby bitter greens. Perhaps the vinegar aspect fucked up my tongue for tasting anything else. Dessert? Had to leave before that course. I'll be heading back.
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