Lobsta!

A little hint...go to the best fish shop you know off and ask them if they have any cooked lobster shells. I've found that if you do, you will often find that the shop hasn't even thought about a market for them and thus will sell them to you for under $5 a pound!

Then, go and get a kick butt recipe for lobster bisque and make it with the shells. See- luxury can still exist in challenging times- you just have to think outside of the box.

I was given some lobsters (thank you Noelle!) and enjoyed a weekend of lobster. Saturday night was classic steamed lobster with beer and butter. Tonight was lobster bisque. Wifey was very happy.

And even wifey added that the bottle of Fontaine-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet 2006 was unbelievable with the bisque! "F-G" is a grower I respresent. They are excellent and make fantastic wines. If you can't find them (or for some ood reason don't like the wines), make sure you source good, "grower" Chassagne or top grower white Burgundy.

Of note: the recipe came from Ed Brown's The Modern Seafood Cookbook.

Building the cellar

I am a fan of reading the old timer's chronicles about life in the wine business. Kermit. Rosenthal. Both have written great books about the way it was back then. The availability and pricing way back then of some of the wines that we now covet is astounding. But, more importantly is reading about that sense of discovery- it's like wine treasure hunting.

I went down into my cellar last night to grab a bottle of Bourgogne Rouge for dinner, and my mind turned to investment. Where does one invest now if you want to buy these treasures before they are discovered (ie, priced out of reach)?

Here's where I'm headed...

Loire Cabernet Franc...The best single vineyard Chinons and Bourgeuils are like $50bt retail- the best of them. Even with the currency situation, these wines are still screaming deals relative to their Right Bank Bordeaux cousins. I'm sticking to the classics: Joguet, Baudry, Breton, and Clos Roche Blanche.

Loire whites...I should write that I am actively buying white Burgundy (and red), but I'm picking and chosing my battles there. It is a place I simply can't afford overall. But, like the reds above, I can afford white Loires. The best Chenins (minus Joly's wines) are still incredibly underpriced and equally as impressive as great white Burgs. I like Closel, Pepiere, Cotat, Chidaine, and Huet.

Cornas...I think it's always been the super sleeper in the Rhone. Everyone knows of Auguste Clape and his work, and those wines are amazing. Many say Thierry Allemand is truly the guy down in Cornas. I like both, but can't afford both. Currently I'm a huge fan of Paris. I do represent him, but I love the purity in the tannins, and the guy can bring out rock in a wine like no one's business.

Chablis...There might be no better value on the planet except for Chablis. Vieilles Vignes bottlings and Premier Crus are some of best deals out there. I bought wine from 2006 for my son, and I plan on buying more as I go. You just drink in the value- and the wines only get better with time.

Single Vineyard Barbera...With all the hype about 2004, I feel like I'm on the sidelines in Piedmont this year. No cashola for the vinos. Maybe some Produttori de Barbarescos? But, single vineyard Barberas...There's value there I tell you. And if you're patient and let them age...they drink as good, if not better, than most Barolo.

Chianti...I love Chianti. I think to love it you have to be patient enough to let it age and take on that golden hue. With some time the wine starts to show rounder, softer notes and the nose explodes with all types of other things. Huge fan of Felsina, Cacchiano, and Monsanto.

Germany....2007, the year of Germany. Not to say the past couple of years should be skipped. The best producers make great wine in every year. And I plan on buying Von Volxem, Busch, Knebel, Donnehoff, Christoffel, Prum, and a number of others in this country.

Bandol...Kermit won me with Tempier. I love the wines. I hate the prices, but I bite for a couple of bottles here and there. Pradeaux peeks my interest. And I'm still looking for my next great Tempier-like producer. Maybe here is where the new treasure hunt begins?

Sloppiness

Sometimes simplicity is best.

Cheap takeout pizza.

Paper plates.

Grease all over the table and eating handfulls of cheese that have fallen off the front corners of slices.

Paper towels everywhere.

And a bottle of 3 day old F Rinaldi Dolcetto Roussot 2007.

Was freakin delicious.

Fortune Teller?

Lehman Bros crashes and burns.

Merrill gets swooped up for a paultry $50Bil.

And Amazon.com enters the wine retail biz.

There's a lot happening in the world right now. I don't necessarily think the sky is falling. I think things are shaking out; things are settling- righting themselves, if you will. And here's what I foresee in the wine business...

Very much like the hardware store business, the future of the wine shop will be divided into 2 categories- the super store, and the small custom boutique. Retail shops will either evolve into one or the other, or will get bought out, or will eventually get culled out of the market.

The super shops- the Costcos, Total Wines, Amazon.coms of the world will treat wine like a product, a commodity, in which it will purely be about price and what they will advertise as an infinite amount of availability. This will serve a purpose. For those looking for the major national brands- the Gallos, the Kendall-Jacksons, the Rodney-Strongs. This will now be your best option at the lowest price. And for imports, this business will include Ruffino, Yellow Tail, Jadot, DuBeouf, Lafite, and by the way...all the classified growths of Bordeaux..plus all the major Champagne houses. All gone to the lowest bidder online at these super stores.

Let me be upfront. As much as these brands, these wines, are important in the business of buying and selling wines..I'm not interested in them. Been there, done that. Not fun.

The rest of the wine made in the world- the little projects that are (hopefully) slaved over by artisans and wine companies that truly care about their product will find homes in these large shops as well. Some anyway. And those that do- will (for the most part) get lost in these shops and sit on shelves. (By the way, this will represent a hugely strategic buying opportunity for consumers that know their stuff and can find really good wines at great closeout prices because the super stores don't have the marketing to push these wines through). But, getting back to task, the rest of all of these little wine projects will be sold by equally truly passionate people in small family run shops. Just like it's always been done. And here- I foresee the need for these shops to specialize in an area of wine in order to stand out and define themselves as destination wine shops. For example, a shop that sells all, but specializes in the small production wines of Northern California, or Barolo, or Burgundy, or Tuscany. You get my point.

All in all, the two will co-exist with one simply not ever able to do the other's job and its own. The definer will be service and marketing. And that will be the future of the business of wine.

Maybe, I'll be proven wrong. But, this is what I forsee...

In search of bluefish

When you look at the grandeur and the beauty that is the classic French bistro, and you look behind the curtain, you discover the the majesty is all in making something magnificent out of nothing. The French bistro is created out of the use of the egg and the pig because they are the cheapest.

Last night my family had a bluefish cook off. One was cooked en papillote with garden grown peppers. The other dish was baked bluefish with herbs and rosemary potatoes. The fish was caught that day, and it was magnificent. A family member leaned over and said, "You never see this stuff out here." She was right, and it's sad. And so I propose that the restaurants of Long Island start putting bluefish on the menus. Grill it with rosemary. Roast it with sage and tomatoes. Serve it en papillote with heirloom peppers. Take a magnificent raw material and make it grand.

It is cheap. It is indigenous. It is fresh. And is defining of the food that should come from this place.

Just a thought...

Upstate Report Card

I just returned from a week of vacation in upstate New York. Absolutely beautiful place- specifically Lake George which if you're a fan of Caribbean quality swimming water- then you should head there.

I want to highlight two really wonderful establishments if you happen to make you're way up to Northern New York. First is Davidson's Brew Pub in Glens Falls (a small city at the base of the Adirondacks). At first you may walk up and not think much of this local pub. A burger joint that makes a couple of beers. But, trust me- order the sampler. I never got the front of the house guy's name but he made it very clear that these people are deeply passionate about beer. Their smoked Porter was simply twisted. I know, I know...but I just get all giddy when I see passionate craftsmanship like this.

The second place is the Mirror Lake Inn off Mirror Lake in Lake Placid. Solid wine program, but top notch food all around. Moreover they just care. The whole 'estate' was well done, and more importantly it left a lasting impression because although they were an upper tier hotel/spa/restaurant, their price ($275 night+breakfast) was a super value in comparison to the quality and the quality/price against the peer establishments at this level ($500+ night).

Here's where I want to give a big 'thank you' to the folks at home on the South Fork of Long Island, and I also want to question the North Country folks up in upstate NY. Making great food is all about caring. Taking the time to do the little things. Taking the time to make your own stocks and pastas, to source local produce and food goods, and think seasonally regarding your menus. And serving great wine takes zero work at all. It's simply picking the right suppliers, doing a little reading, and trusting those suppliers to send you really great juice. Overall, the North Country gets a 'B' for food, and gets a 'C to C-' for vino.

Hey maybe I went to wrong restaurants, maybe I went to the wrong shops, but pound for pound when you go out to eat (or walk into a shop inthe South Fork) you just eat and drink better. So, thank you- South Fork. And North Country NY, some wine distributors that will instantaneously make your wine programs better:

Rosenthal
Polaner (note: my own company)
Skurnik
Vias
Chadderdon
Pas Mal
Winebow (Kermit Lynch)