喝過真正的天價茅台酒嗎

茅台酒的提價狂想曲
貴州茅台近日宣布自明年1月1日起提價約20%。白酒價格的不斷上漲，漸漸增加了高端白酒的奢侈品和投資品屬性，或許可以用夢幻一點的眼光來暢想白酒股的未來。

Wine 101: Riesling

Wine 101: Riesling

First-time Riesling drinkers may find this wine a bit of a wild card. Your wine-drinking experience can vary greatly, depending on which bottle you pick off of the shelf.

The nose. The one thing you can be sure of is the signature Riesling perfume ─ all good Rieslings carry a strong floral bouquet.

The taste. Compared with its welcoming and upfront aroma, the way a Riesling tastes may be surprising. Rather than the big fruits and florals you were expecting, you'll find tastes that are harder to pinpoint. Think quirky metallic or flinty hints.

Sweet or dry. Rieslings can also range from bone dry to semisweet. The old-fashioned German Liebfraumilch, a heavy semisweet wine, gave sweet Rieslings a bad name, but these days there are refreshingly bright incarnations. Just make sure to read your label carefully, and confirm with wine store staff if you're unsure.

The acid. The grape grows in colder climates, and the acidity that results from that environment makes this wine a mouthwatering appetite opener, the perfect for cold starters such as salads and ceviches.

Amy Ma

葡萄酒入門：雷司令

初

次品嘗雷司令葡萄酒（Riesling）的人可能會覺得﹐這種酒有那麼一點兒難以捉摸。雷司令葡萄酒給人的感覺千變萬化﹐取決於你的具體選擇。

香味：惟一不會變化的是雷司令那種標志性的芬芳──所有的上乘雷司令都帶有一種濃鬱的百花香味。

味道：雷司令的香味濃鬱宜人﹐味道卻往往出人意表。你會發現﹐它的味道很難描述清楚﹐並沒有你預想中的那種濃烈的花果味道。大致形容起來﹐你不妨說它帶有怪異的金屬風味或是堅硬的燧石氣息。

甜度或乾度：雷司令的甜度可以在極乾（bone dry）與半甜（semisweet）之間變化。傳統的德國萊茵白葡萄酒（Liebfraumilch）是一種口味濃重的半甜酒﹐給雷司令帶來了不好的名 聲。不過﹐今天的雷司令已經有了不少清爽適口的新品種。買這種酒的時候﹐記得看清楚標簽就好﹐實在拿不準的話﹐也可以去找酒舖的店員咨詢。

酸性：釀造雷司令的葡萄產自寒冷的氣候之下﹐生長環境導致的酸性使雷司令成為了一種十分開胃的葡萄酒﹐非常適合用來搭配沙拉和酸橘汁腌魚之類的頭道冷盤。

代某光通信部品與次系統台商徵高階品管主管

代某光通信部品與次系統台商徵高階品管主管

本刊版主剛從中國回來 一周來未更新

代某光通信部品與次系統台商徵高階品管主管
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鍾 漢清
Hanching Chung (or HC/ hc)
網址：http://www.deming.com.tw
台灣戴明圈: A Taiwanese Deming Circle
http://demingcircle.blogspot.com/
地址：台北市新生南路三段88號2樓
電話：（02） 23650127

Japanese Wineries Betting on koshu

Japanese Wineries Betting on a Reviled Grape

Ko Sasaki for The New York Times

A wine importer described the wine as light and crisp with subtle citrus flavors

By CORIE BROWN

Published: October 26, 2010

Koshu, Japan

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Ko Sasaki for The New York Times

A koshu vineyard.

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Ko Sasaki for The New York Times

Shigeki Kida, left, and Koki Oyamada of Chateau Lumiere.

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Ko Sasaki for The New York Times

Ernest Singer a wine importer.

THE Japanese have made wine for years, it is just that no one outside Japan wanted to drink it, particularly if it was sweet swill made from a native table grape called koshu.

But Ernest Singer thinks koshu deserves a place among the world’s fine white-wine grapes.

Mr. Singer, a wine importer based in Tokyo, said koshu captured his imagination nearly a decade ago when he tasted an experimental dry white wine made from the grape. Light and crisp with subtle citrus flavors, it was a match for Japan’s cuisine, he said, and could become the first Asian wine to draw international recognition.

With grapes from local growers and expertise from France, he began making his own wine, seeking to help koshu reach its potential. Now he and a clutch of family-owned Japanese wineries working under the banner Koshu of Japan, are racing one another to be the first to produce koshu good enough to succeed in the world market.

“We have shown you can make real wine in Japan,” Mr. Singer said. The question remains, he said, whether established vintners will change their winemaking practices or “continue to sell their schlock.”

“The good newsI is that I’ve encouraged a small number of young winemakers,” he said. Even his chief rival, Shigekazu Misawa, the owner of Grace Wine and a leader of Koshu of Japan, said that without Mr. Singer, it was unlikely anyone would even think of exporting koshu.

“It was Ernie’s idea to raise quality to improve the position of koshu in the world market,” Mr. Misawa said. “He knew that koshu could become a wine that represents Japan to the world.”

Ever since Japan discovered European and California wines during the 1970s economic boom, the country’s homegrown wines have been losing ground to imports. In the mid-1990s, a few Japanese winemakers began trying to make better wine with koshu.

Japanese fine-wine drinkers, however, are haunted by what koshu has been for the past 150 years. Found almost exclusively in Yamanashi Prefecture at the base of Mount Fuji, koshu is a tart, gray grape. Growers would dispose of damaged and rotten fruit by making wine with heavy doses of sugar.

Yet, while Japan’s climate, with rainstorms common throughout the summer and fall, conspires against most wine grapes, koshu is well suited to a wet world. It resists the rot that plagues vinifera grapes in Japan. Late ripening, it retains its natural acidity.

Mr. Misawa was one of the first Japanese vintners to reject the idea of sugary koshu.

“I am the fourth-generation owner of Grace Wine,” Mr. Misawa says. “Koshu is two-thirds of all of the wine we make. And we needed to make it better.”

Yet, while he and other vintners traveled to Europe and Australia to learn modern winemaking methods, progress was slow. Viticulture methods from dry regions did not translate. And no one outside Japan had ever heard of koshu (a hybrid of vitis vinifera — the species responsible for the world’s most popular wines — and an unidentifiable wild variety, according to DNA research at the University of California, Davis).

“I learned to make wine here,” said Mr. Koki Oyamada, the winemaker at Chateau Lumiere, affiliated with Koshu of Japan. A new generation is pioneering new methods, he said. “We support each other, discuss problems, find solutions. We are improving quality.” After his first taste of dry koshu, Mr. Singer gambled big on it, flying in Denis Dubourdieu, professor of enology at the University of Bordeaux, to work on his first four vintages (2004 to 2007), which were made at Mr. Misawa’s winery with grapes he helped provide. To secure a steady supply of high-quality fruit, Mr. Singer leased land in three central Japan prefectures and now has nine koshu vineyards, a huge landholding for a nonfarmer in Japan.

Mr. Singer’s confidence in koshu is due in no small part to the wine critic Robert M. Parker Jr. The two men have worked together since 1998 when Mr. Parker hired Mr. Singer to be his representative in Asia. Mr. Parker tasted Mr. Singer’s 2004 koshu at the Grace winery in December 2004 and gave it a score of 87/88 on a scale of 100 in what Mr. Parker refers to as “an educational tasting.”

That first vintage was produced with grapes grown on old-fashioned pergola trellises. The canopies of these vines can stretch 50 feet in all directions from a mother vine the size of a tree. Mr. Singer says that his new vineyards, which are planted with vines planted closely together in neat rows with new shoots trained up, a system common in Europe and America, are producing smaller grapes with more-concentrated flavors that will make even better wine.

In setting up the winemaking protocol for Mr. Singer’s koshu, Mr. Dubourdieu eliminated what was once the only thing that made koshu drinkable: sugar. The wine is bone dry with a very low alcohol content. He accomplished this by getting rid of the grape’s bitter skin early in the process.

“I tried to extract nothing from the skin,” he said. “The bitterness of the koshu skin is extreme.”

The wine is bottled in the spring to be sold fresh and young.

With such a simple wine, Mr. Dubourdieu said he was surprised that it pleased Mr. Parker, who is usually seen as a fan of full-bodied wines.

“I was afraid,” he said. “I was not sure he could like a wine with 10.5 percent alcohol. That’s not exactly the wine he ranks well. But he was enthusiastic.”

Still, Mr. Dubourdieu is skeptical that koshu will prove to be a valuable wine.

“It is simple, clean, fresh, nice,” he said. “That, and no more. It is a big mistake to think you can produce Montrachet in Japan. Koshu is more of a vinho verde.”

The Bordeaux producer Bernard Magrez is distributing a small amount of the Katsunuma Jyozo winery’s koshu in Europe and the United States. But the executive director of the winery, Youki Hirayama, said that beyond that, his company is focusing on Asian markets.

“This is Asian wine for Asian food,” he said, noting that the subtle flavors do not overwhelm delicate dishes.

Mr. Parker remains upbeat about koshu. “Up until this year, it was the best one I’ve tasted,” he wrote in an e-mail response to questions about Mr. Singer’s wine. “Now Bernard Magrez has one that is dry, crisp and very tasty, and much in the style of the Dubourdieu koshu. I think the wine, if made in these styles, has a quasi-Muscadet character — light-bodied and very refreshing.”

But there are wide variations in the new koshus, with some vintners experimenting with oak-barrel aging and each winery relying on a different level of chapitalization — adding sugar before fermentation — to increase alcohol levels along with adding weight and body to the wine. It is impossible, however, to be certain what Japanese wineries add to their wines. The country’s wine labeling regulations require that only 5 percent of the wine in a bottle be from Japanese grapes. The rest can be from anywhere.

Mr. Singer, Katsunuma Jyozo and the wineries of Koshu of Japan insist that their wines are 100 percent koshu.

But jaded Japanese wine drinkers have been slow to believe that they are worth their price tags of $20 and up.

After their first shipment to Europe this summer, the Japanese vintners involved in Koshu of Japan are hoping to gain international appreciation that would give koshu cachet in Asia.

On a recent trip to Japan, Michael Cimarusti, the chef and owner of Providence in Los Angeles, tasted a koshu produced by Katsunuma Jyozo and was so impressed that he added it to the wine pairings on his tasting menu.

But in New York, Mr. Singer’s importer, Robert Harmelin, said koshu had been a hard sell at $50 a bottle on restaurant wine lists. “No one knows the wine,” he said.

Mr. Singer asks for more time. “I’ve been in Japan for 50 years,” he said, “this movement is going to blossom.”

How to Buy

For Ernest Singer’s Cuvée Denis Dubourdieu, $16 to $18, contact Robert Harmelin at Allied Beverage: robert.harmelin@alliedbeverage.com, (856) 234-4111.

For Katsunuma Jyozo’s koshu wines, $45 to $70, contact Toshio Ueno at Mutual Trading Company, toshio,ueno@lamtc.com, (213) 626-9458.

The wines of Koshu of Japan are not now available in the United States. To find out when they will be, contact Lynne Sherriff at lynne@lynnesherriffmw.com or at 61 Albert Drive, London, England, SW19 6LB; (44-20) 87802937.

Brimming with Beer

Brimming with Beer

Was there really a time when beer flowed through the streets of London? Yes. But it wasn't necessarily a good thing. In the 19th century, beer fermented for months at a time in huge vats that rested on the roof of the Horse Shoe Brewery on Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street. On October 17, 1814, the iron hoops supporting the largest vat — which held some 600,000 liters (160,000 gallons) of porter — collapsed under the weight. The vat burst and all the beer came gushing out, causing the vats nearby to explode as well. More than a million liters (265,000 gallons) of beer knocked down the 25-foot (7.6-meter) brick wall of the brewery and flooded the surrounding streets. Roofs collapsed and houses toppled. Nine people died, mostly due to drowning or from fatal injuries from passing timber. One man died of alcohol poisoning, after drinking too much of the beverage. Neighborhood residents rushed out with mugs, pots and buckets to collect the free beer. Though a lawsuit was brought against the brewery, the London Beer Flood was ruled an act of God and the brewery was not held legally responsible.

AKADAMA (Suntory )

日本AKADAMA赤玉紅葡萄酒550ML

日本「美味、滋養」的甘甜紅葡萄酒－「赤玉」，由日本三得利 Suntory 生產製造，於1907年在日本上市，在台灣銷售也有50年以上歷史（原公賣局進口），廣泛受到各年齡層消費者的 ...

茅台酒瓶

說句不大相關的題外話。據報道，現在在大陸，空的茅台酒瓶可以賣出上百、甚至上千元。

去處，您自己想想吧。

Cape Town bans champagne breakfasts 開普敦禁止香檳早餐

《中英對照讀新聞》Cape Town bans champagne breakfasts 開普敦禁止香檳早餐

◎管淑平

Cape Town’s elite restaurateurs are in a froth over local authority plans aimed at tackling township binge drinking which will outlaw the city’s popular champagne breakfasts.

開普敦的高級餐館為了地方當局旨在對付城內狂飲酗酒情況的計畫而怨聲載道，這項計畫將禁止這座城市極受歡迎的香檳早餐。

The proposed new liquor by-law will impose total ban on the sale of alcohol after 9pm in some areas and before 11am in all areas.

這項新提出的飲酒法規規定，部分地區晚間9時以後、全市上午11時前禁止賣酒。

It was passed shortly after the World Cup in July and comes into effect in January next year.

這項法規是在7月世足賽過後通過，將於明年1月起實施。

Its aim is to tackle the growing social ills of foetal alcohol syndrome, drink driving and wife beating, as well as cracking down on illegal bars and township shebeens.

目的是解決胎兒酒精症候群、酒後駕車和毆妻等越來越嚴重的社會問題，以及打擊非法酒吧和鄉鎮地區的私酒業者。

But tourism and hospitality chiefs say it will tarnish Cape Town’s cosmopolitan image abroad by stopping people from enjoying a glass of champagne or South Africa’s premium Méthode Cap Classique （MCC） on a Sunday morning with their meal in the more salubrious areas of town.

但觀光旅遊業者認為，這將因為不讓人們在週日上午，在飲酒行為較健康的區域，搭配餐點享受一杯香檳或南非備受好評的開普敦傳統釀造氣泡酒（MCC），而有損開普敦在海外擁有的國際大都會形象。

Dirk Elzinga, chairman of the Cape region of the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa, said the "patronising and childish" law which would also prevent international guests arriving on late long-haul flights from enjoying a night cap.

南非聯合餐旅協會開普敦地區主席艾欽加說，這個「傲慢又幼稚的」法規，也會讓搭深夜長途班機抵達的國際賓客無法享受睡前小酌一杯。

◎新聞辭典：

be in a froth over：形容詞片語，為某事感到怨恨、苦惱的。例句：The people are in a froth over the new tax policy.（民眾對新稅制政策感到苦惱。）

cosmopolitan：名詞或形容詞，融合多元文化的、全球性的、見過世面的（人）、遊歷世界各地的（人）。例句：She enjoys her cosmopolitan life.（她很享受她的大都會生活。）

night cap：名詞，睡前酒，或結束一晚飲宴前的最後一杯酒。例句：A night cap gives me a good night’s sleep.（睡前小酌讓我一夜好睡。）

慕尼黑啤酒节

文化人生 | 2010.09.17

慕尼黑啤酒节的迷人之处

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: 啤酒节的女跑堂

举世最大的啤酒节 - 德国巴伐利亚慕尼黑10月啤酒节今年将在9月18日揭开帷幕，为期17天，于10月4日结束。人们预测，节日期间会有大约600万来自到达现场，其中约五 分之一来自国外。200年来，慕尼黑啤酒节最重要的特征是什么？它经久不衰的魅力有表现在哪里？

啤酒节：美酒嘉宾，漂亮女人

他们站在长木凳上，碰撞着手中的大款啤酒杯，高声歌唱 - 这是慕尼黑啤酒节最普通的场景。意大利人喜爱啤酒节，尤其是20岁至40岁之间的意大利人开着他们的房车，穿过阿尔卑斯山，来到德国南部的慕尼黑市。说话 的这些人已是第7次来这里。他们解释道： "因为我们喜欢聚会，开派对，有美酒嘉宾，漂亮女人。"

美卡诺和他的朋友们来自意大利北部。他们热爱慕尼黑啤酒节，喜欢啤酒、女人和舞蹈。啤酒节跑堂施泰因贝格（Guenther Steinberg）非常熟悉他的来自意大利的客人： "音乐已经很清楚，演奏的是威尔的的《纳布科》，当然还会演奏意大利流行音乐。我们会考虑这些。如果我们发现太过沸腾了，太吵闹了，我们便会调低音量。我 们对此已做好了准备。"

啤酒是情感的润滑剂

来自纽约的恒克（John Henke）诡秘地说，这种场合很快就能交上朋友： "当然需要一些润滑剂，这就是啤酒，简直不可思议，人们是那样地和气。这完全是一个特殊的节日，而且吸引我的是，有那么多不同国籍的人聚集到了这里。"

恒克非常喜欢巴伐利亚的生活方式以及啤酒节期间的民俗风格。人们不问职业和收入，在这里，大家都一样，都以"你"而不是"您"来称呼，而悉心交流在 喧闹的啤酒棚里也是不可能的。如果是交谈的话，那也是英语夹杂着德语，波兰语夹杂西班牙语，手势身体都需用上。心理学家威茨这样解释慕尼黑啤酒节的无穷魅 力： "啤酒节的规模，人潮般的拥挤，鲜艳的色彩，慕尼黑啤酒节是独一无二的，它让人们进入一种特殊兴奋的状态，制造出来的也是一种不同心理挂钩的东西，即灵 魂。很多人都能表现出这一特征：人们欢笑，人们也流眼泪。人们可以尽情欢爱，也可以结束恋爱历史，真是一种只有慕尼黑啤酒节才有的氛围，人类情感表现达到 了及至。"

2000多个地方模仿慕尼黑啤酒节

600万游客前来参观慕尼黑啤酒节，其中20%来自海外，而意大利人则又构成最大的外国族群，其次是美国人，在依次为英国人、澳大利亚人。他们喜欢 购买当地特有的毡帽，有时也将布料制作的大酒杯戴在头上。据说，世界上有大约2000个地方模仿慕尼黑啤酒节，其中包括中国、巴西以及泰国。来自阿根廷的 罗德里格斯（Veronika Rodriquez）很熟悉本国的啤酒节，他来到慕尼黑，是为了亲身感受一下正宗的节日源头。她说： "消费的啤酒量还是让我很吃惊，一大杯便是一公升，我低估了他。"

所有旅游者的感受都是这样：人们端起一升制大酒杯，喝着酒精度为6%的啤酒。啤酒的价格也不菲：9欧元一升！半只烤鸡也是这个价钱。对意大利人来 说，这个价钱值得。这5名来自意大利的年轻人说，他们已经喝了10升啤酒，正要去其他的啤酒帐篷看看，再喝上10升。

作者：Tanja Gronde 编译：李鱼

责编：乐然

raki rakee

南歐鄉間的生活，令人驚異地寧靜。耀眼的藍天，輕柔的雲朵，村裏的房舍牆壁是白色的，橄欖樹在地中海的微風中輕搖。來自北歐的作家漫步走去，穿過美麗的峽 谷到達小村。坐在木蘭花旁，喝一杯Raki（希臘酒精飲料）。

rak·i rak·ee (răk'ē, rä'kē, rä'kə)
also
n., pl., -is, also -ees.
A brandy of Turkey and the Balkans, distilled from grapes or plums and flavored with anise.

[Turkish rāqī, from Arabic 'araq, arrack. See arrack.]

喝葡萄酒需要知道的規矩 Rules to Drink By

跟

其它一次性消費品相比﹐葡萄酒的規矩大概是最多的了﹐這些規矩極其複雜﹐常常會令人莫知適從。到目前為止﹐讀者對我寫的專欄最關注的是一篇講我們把葡萄酒弄得溫度過低的文章。我承認﹐在炎炎夏日﹐一杯冰鎮過的白葡萄酒是消夏解暑的上品：但我發現在很多情況下﹐葡萄酒的溫度過低﹐反而淡化了酒的芳香﹐直接影響口感。

就個人而言﹐我在喝葡萄酒的時候﹐喜歡讓其維持在窖藏溫度。也就是說﹐對於窖藏溫度在10到18攝氏度之間的紅酒﹐如果是口感厚重的紅酒﹐如澳洲莎瑞斯(Australian Shiraz)﹐上酒時的溫度要處於這個溫度區間的高位：對於清淡的紅酒﹐如薄若萊酒(Beaujolais)﹐溫度則應處於低位。白葡萄酒的適宜溫度在4到10攝氏度之間﹐不過﹐正如我先前所說﹐我個人偏好高位的溫度。香檳的上酒溫度則是低一點更佳﹐因為這樣才能更好地突出香檳清爽怡神的口感。現在有一種紅酒冷飲的趨勢﹐但我只建議在喝清淡型紅酒時這麼做﹐比如說薄若萊或盧瓦河谷(Loire)的希儂(Chinon)紅酒等﹐而即便如此﹐這些酒的飲用溫度也應當比其窖藏溫度高一些。不過﹐最好是把葡萄酒放到冰箱里快速冷凍一下﹐而不是直接放在冰桶里。

讓很多葡萄酒愛好者摸不著頭腦的還有一點﹐就是葡萄酒怎麼跟食物搭配的問題。傳統的規則說﹐白葡萄酒配海鮮﹐紅葡萄酒配紅肉。當然﹐任何規則看上去都有點陳詞濫調的意思﹐但通常而言﹐白葡萄酒更配海鮮這是毋庸置疑的事實。不過﹐還有一個更實用的基本原則﹐就是不要考慮葡萄酒的顏色﹐而是考慮葡萄酒的酒體(body)和質地(texture)。用淺顯的非技術語言來講﹐白葡萄酒通常有一定的酸度﹐與檸檬和醋等酸味食品搭配得更好﹐還能讓富含乳脂的醬汁吃起來更可口﹐因此勃艮第(Burgundy)白葡萄酒與多寶魚這類海鮮很搭。味道偏清淡的海鮮適合與蘇瓦韋(Soave)、灰皮諾(Pinot Grigio)或盧瓦河谷的慕思卡黛(Muscadet)葡萄酒搭配﹐而沙丁魚這類油脂較多的海鮮則需要一款口感綿厚、橡木味重一些的霞多麗(Chardonnay)。霞多麗同樣適合煙熏三文魚﹐但你也可以嘗試產自勃艮第區最北部的口感更清新的梅肯紅葡萄酒(Mâcon)或夏布利白葡萄酒(Chablis)。不過﹐薄若萊、盧瓦河谷希儂等口感綿軟的紅酒﹐或者清淡果味的黑皮諾(Pinot Noirs)﹐往往能很好地搭配肉質粗厚一點的魚肉﹐如劍魚或金槍魚扒等。

我喜歡用紅酒配西班牙什錦飯﹐無論里頭有沒有海鮮﹔還喜歡用菲諾幹型雪莉酒(fino sherry)配鯖魚﹐用一款精品香檳配生蠔。不過﹐為什麼白葡萄酒一定要限於配海鮮呢口難道就不能配肉類或蔬菜嗎口還有那道晚宴上必不可少的經典菜肴──奶酪拼盤(cheese board)？

現在﹐讓我們再來考慮一下葡萄酒的口感。一款丹寧豐富的幹紅往往帶有一絲苦澀的餘味﹐讓味蕾發乾﹐而經得起咀嚼的大肉能夠中和這種感覺。通常我喜歡用波爾多紅酒(Bordeaux)或教皇新古堡紅酒(Châteauneuf-du-Pape)來搭配牛肉﹐退而求其次的話﹐可以用智利的西拉幹紅(Syrah)：西班牙的里奧哈紅酒(Rioja)配羊肉很好：禽肉或野味與勃艮第紅酒和黑皮諾可謂天作之合﹐頂級博若萊(Cru Beaujolais)配起來也不錯。

在夏日時光﹐我傾向於用玫瑰紅葡萄酒(rosé)配蔬菜類的菜肴﹐尤其是普羅旺斯(Provence)產區的一種幹型玫瑰紅。在冬天﹐一款柔和、成熟、綿密、丹寧較低的紅酒是最佳的選擇﹐如加州的梅洛(Merlot)或阿根廷的馬爾貝克(Malbec)等。

用葡萄酒來配奶酪可能會遇到各種意想不到的問題﹐因為奶酪會有一些特殊味道跟紅酒中的丹寧味格格不入。成熟的高德乾酪(gouda)﹐切達乾酪(cheddar)和米摩雷特奶酪(mimolette)跟波爾多紅酒很配：另外﹐雖然有些老生常談﹐但波特葡萄酒(port)與斯提耳頓幹酪(stilton)的確堪稱絕配。在很多情況下﹐我喜歡在吃洛克福藍紋乳酪(Roquefort )的時候﹐喝上一口蘇特恩(Sauternes)這樣的白葡萄甜酒﹐真是回味無窮。

如果你拿不定主意用什麼奶酪來配葡萄酒﹐我強烈推薦孔泰奶酪(Comté)。它是一款百搭型的奶酪﹐那種果仁焦糖味與盧瓦河谷的桑榭爾(Sancerre)這樣的白葡萄酒、清淡的薄若萊紅酒、年份香檳甚至產自法國朗格多克-魯西永(Languedoc-Roussillon)地區的綿厚紅酒都很相配。事實上﹐可以說這款奶酪無酒不搭﹐徹底打破了所有的紅酒配搭規則。

Will Lyons

Wine, perhaps more than any other perishable consumer good, is hidebound by an often unfathomable set of rules. By far the largest reader response I ever received for an article was when I dared to suggest that we chill our wines too much. In the height of summer, I admit it can get stiflingly hot and one craves a chilled glass of white. But far too often I find it is served just too cold. This only serves to neutralize the nose and kill the taste.

Personally, I prefer to drink my wine at cellar temperature. That is, if it is a red wine between 10 degrees Celsius and 18 degrees Celsius, with heavier reds, such as Australian Shiraz, served toward the higher end of the temperature range and lighter reds, such as Beaujolais, served at the lower end. White wine can be served between four degrees Celsius and 10 degrees Celsius, although, as I said, I prefer mine on the warmer side. Champagne often benefits from being served a little cooler as it accentuates its crisp, refreshing character. There is a trend toward chilling red wines. I would only really advocate this if they are lighter reds, again probably a Beaujolais or a Chinon from the Loire, and their temperature has exceeded that of the cellar. But they really need a quick burst in the fridge, as opposed to an ice bucket.

One area where a lot of us get into an awful muddle is with food, in particular, the old rule that dictates white wine with fish, red wine with meat. Of course, all rules are a little bit of a cliché but generally it cannot be denied that white wine more often than not pairs best with fish. But a good rule of thumb is to think not of the color of the wine, but of its body and texture. Without getting too involved in the technicalities, white wine usually has a fair amount of acidity that works well with tart flavors such as lemon and vinegar. It also cuts through creamy sauces so it makes sense to pair a white Burgundy with a dish such as turbot. Lighter flavored seafood pairs well with Soave,Pinot Grigio or Muscadet from the Loire Valley, while oilier fish such as sardines may need a heavy, oaked Chardonnay. This can also work well with smoked salmon or you may prefer something a little fresher from farther north in Burgundy such as a Mâcon or Chablis. But delicate red wines such as Beaujolais, Chinon from the Loire or light, fruity Pinot Noirs can often match very well with tougher fish such as swordfish or tuna steaks.

I prefer red wine with paella, whether it has fish or not. I also like a dry fino sherry with mackerel and for a very special treat champagne with oysters. But why limit the rule to just fish? What about meat or vegetables? And of course that perennial dinner party course-the cheese board?

Again, it's best to think of how the wine leaves your mouth feeling. A dry, tannic red wine often leaves one's mouth bitter and the tastebuds dry. Heavy meat with a chewy texture can soften that sensation. As a rule of thumb, I prefer to serve red Bordeaux or Châteauneuf-du-Pape with beef, second choice would be a Chilean Syrah. With lamb, generally Rioja. Any sort of poultry or game goes very well with red Burgundy and Pinot Noir. Cru Beaujolais is also a good match.

In the summer months, I would not hesitate to match vegetable dishes with rosé wine, preferably a dry example from Provence. In the winter, a soft, ripe, smooth red wine low in tannin is the order of the day such as Californian Merlot or Argentinean Malbec.

Matching wine with cheese can pose all sorts of pitfalls as certain flavors associated with cheese can react badly with the tannin in red wine. Aged gouda, cheddar and mimolette cheese go very well with red Bordeaux. It may be a cliché but port and stilton work very well together. But in many cases, I prefer to serve a sweet white wine such as Sauternes, which goes superbly with Roquefort cheese.

If you are in any way unsure pairing cheese with wine, I would strongly recommend just opting for Comté. It's hugely versatile and its nutty, caramelized flavor matches superbly with white wines from the Loire such as Sancerre, light red Beaujolais, vintage Champagne and even heavy reds from the Languedoc-Roussillon. In fact, you could say it breaks all the rulebooks.

Will Lyons

Consumers pushing beyond sake to Japanese whiskies

前月看到一名老外買葛瑪蘭威士忌 2000多 說還有一3000多的

Map

Consumers pushing beyond sake to Japanese whiskies

By MICHELLE LOCKE (AP) – 16 hours ago

SAN FRANCISCO — It wasn't too long ago that Owen Westman's customers at Rickhouse Bar didn't even know there were Japanese whiskies available, let alone ask for them by name.

"They certainly do now," he says.

Although best known for sake, Japan has a whisky tradition stretching back more than a century. It's not widely available in the U.S., but that's changing as companies like major producer Suntory work to boost overseas sales.

And maybe Bill Murray had something to do with it. His character in the 2003 movie "Lost in Translation" goes to Japan to shoot a whisky commercial.

Suntory exports a number of products, including Yamazaki single malt whiskies and Hibiki, a blend. Like Scotch, the Japanese product is spelled without the extra "e." In fact, the origins of the Japanese whisky industry have ties to Scotland. Suntory founder Shinjiro Torii hired Masataka Taketsuru, who studied distilling in Scotland. Taketsuru went on to found Nikka, also a major producer.

Despite that history, Suntory whisky is "not Scotch made in Japan," points out Eric Ariyoshi, a Suntory brand manager based in San Francisco.

One of Torii's goals was "to really create a Japanese whisky that catered to a more subtle palate," says Ariyoshi. "If you think about Japanese food it tends to be on the lighter side, very subtle flavors. One of his specific goals was to create a whisky that fits into that palate."

Overall, Japanese whisky is a fraction of total U.S. sales. Suntory launched the Hibiki brand in Europe and the U.S. last year with sales of 6,000 cases. This year, they hope to sell 8,000 cases of Hibiki overseas and 31,000 cases of Yamazaki. To put that into perspective, 2009 total whiskey sales in the United States amounted to 46.5 million cases, according to the U.S. Distilled Spirits Council.

But with interest in spirits rising, there's more attention being paid to all types of whiskies, says council spokesman Frank Coleman.

"There clearly has been a whiskey revival over the last decade and consumer interest is at an all-time high," he said. "You have the explosion in the number of small craft distillers getting into the whiskey game. Consumers have become more and more interested in trying these new and different products and there's no doubt some very good whiskies being made in Japan."

Barrel aging is key to how a whisky tastes and Suntory uses three kinds, American and Spanish oak as well as Japanese mizunara oak. American white oak contributes a dry flavor with hints of vanilla, the Spanish oak has flavors of raisins, chocolate and caramel and the mizunara gives subtle sweetness and spiciness, reminiscent of incense.

The Hibiki is a blend of more than 30 individual whiskies, with the final blend topped off with a whisky aged more than 30 years. Elegant and smooth, Hibiki uses old plum liqueur casks for aging some components and a bamboo charcoal filter that "just mellows out the flavor. Gives it a very sweet and gentle flavor," Ariyoshi says.

In a nod to tradition, the Hibiki packaging has 24 facets to represent the ancient Japanese calendar that divided the year into 24 "seasons."

At Rickhouse, bartenders pour the Yamazaki 12-year-old and 18-year-old single malts as well as the Hibiki blend. Most customers ask for it neat, although the bar has some interesting cocktails, including one involving cherry preserves.

You can get the 18-year-old Yamazaki at the Father's Office bar in Los Angeles, too. But you have to know what to ask for.

Chef and owner Sang Yoon, who also has a Father's Office in Santa Monica, couldn't find a way to mesh the whisky with his menu, but since he likes it, he kept a bottle at his LA location for friends. Those in the know ask for "Relaxing Times," a tagline from a Suntory advertising campaign that was also in "Lost in Translation."

If Murray happens to stroll in, bartenders have been advised he can just ask for "a me," Yoon says.

___

Online:

Suntory: http://bit.ly/9oOuqt

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew

When we set out to create Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew, we wanted an outstanding cup of coffee that we could enjoy anywhere, at any moment.

That’s even more true with new Starbucks VIA® Decaf Italian Roast, because now “anytime” includes those occasions that call for the rich, bold taste of coffee – but not the caffeine. An after-dinner dessert? A late, late study break? A nightcap on the town? You’ll find all of these situations (and a thousand more) are perfect for our high-quality, 100% arabica, naturally decaffeinated instant coffee.

吳老師
恭喜"生"教授 不過
一杯美味的Cointreau on ice 似乎太便宜啦

Cointreau

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Cointreau

Type	Liqueur
Manufacturer	Rémy Cointreau
Country of origin	Angers, France
Introduced	1849
Alcohol by volume	40%
Proof	80
Colour	colourless
Flavor	Orange

Cointreau (pronounced [kwan'-tro]) is a brand of triple sec liqueur, and is produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, a suburb of Angers, France. Cointreau sources its bitter oranges from all over the world, usually Spain, Brazil and Saint-Raphaël, Haiti.^[1][2]

In addition to being imbibed as an apéritif, Cointreau is sometimes used as a digestif. Cointreau is considered to be either a premium brand triple sec or a unique category of liqueur. With a 40% alcohol content, Cointreau is strong for a triple sec which usually have an alcohol content between 15 and 40 percent.^[1]

Contents [hide] 1 Production 2 Cocktails 3 Liquor reviews 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Production

Cointreau Distillery was set up in 1849 by Adolphe Cointreau, a confectioner, and his brother Edouard-Jean Cointreau from Angers. Their first success was with the cherry liqueur, guignolet, but it was when they concocted a blend of sweet and bitter orange peels and pure alcohol from sugar beets that the success of the enterprise was definitively confirmed.^[1] In 1875, the first bottles of Cointreau were sold. It is now estimated that thirteen million bottles are sold each year, in more than 150 countries. Ninety-five percent of production is exported.^[1] The company is still owned and run by the Cointreau family, although a notable descendant, André J. Cointreau, left the company to run the famed Paris-based Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in the 1980s.

The production methods and recipe are a family secret, but tours of the distillery are open to the public. Photography is restricted in many areas to protect the production process from being copied.

Ex Avirex LTD., nowadays Cockpit USA, issued in the 1990s an A-2 limited edition leather flight jacket featuring Cointreau Original Margarita noseart on the back of the jacket. In early 2008, burlesque entertainer Dita Von Teese became the new face of Cointreau's "Be Cointreauversial" advertising and marketing campaign, an arrangement slated to continue through 2010.^[3]

[edit] Cocktails

In addition to being consumed neat (or often on ice), Cointreau is used in cocktails including the Sangria, Margarita, Cosmopolitan, White Lady and Sidecar.^[4]

[edit] Liquor reviews

Cointreau has performed consistently well at international spirit ratings competitions. For instance, it received double gold ratings at the 2007 and 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It received gold medals at the prior two years' competitions.^[5]

香槟酒自己发明了自己

社会 | 2009.12.31

喜庆、气氛与奢侈的象征：香槟

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:

还有比香槟更适合于烛光晚宴的酒了吗？在新船下水仪式及一级方程式赛车的颁奖仪式都少不了香槟酒。这种世界上最著名的带气泡的葡萄酒是喜庆、气氛及奢侈的象征。但香槟酒是怎么来的呢？

法 国有一个叫作香槟的地区。这个地区的葡萄种植面积并不大，只有33000公顷。这不大的面积上却集中了15000家葡萄园。尽管有5000种牌子的香槟 酒，但仅少数几种创出了世界品牌。以家庭为单位的大型酿酒厂只剩不多的几家了。香槟地区的葡萄只允许手工采摘。机械化在香槟地区是被禁止的。

但香槟酒是怎么以及什么时候出现的呢？实际上我们今天喝的香槟酒并没有多少年的历史。大约150前才有了现在这种倒在杯子里冒泡的，清澈的香槟酒。

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:

香槟酒的酿造是随着高卢被罗马人占领开始的。罗马人将葡萄酒带入香槟地区。而地窖是罗马人建造城市过程中的副产品。泰迪格香槟酒厂老板雷东解释说："公元4世纪，罗马人在建造罗马帝国比利时省的省会城市杜罗克托鲁姆时需要大量的石料。而整个地区的地底下都是白垩纪岩石。"

这样就挖出了大地窖。杜罗克托鲁姆就是现在的法国城市兰斯。罗马人将白垩纪岩石挖得千疮百孔，就象瑞士奶酪。但将这些岩洞当作酒窖使用还是在此之后700年的事情。雷东讲述道："是中世纪的那些修道士将这些岩洞利用起来。他们改建了这些采石场，在岩洞之间造了通道。"

在 16至17世纪之间，法国贵族开始享用香槟产的葡萄酒。但当时的这种酒象其它葡萄酒一样，还不起泡。根据传说，豪特维利修道院修道士佩里尼翁是香槟酒的发明者。他自1668年之后当了酿酒师。但导游米雷认为这种说法并不完全对："佩里尼翁只是个传说而已，我们根本就没有文字来证明佩里尼翁是香槟酒的发明 者。我们所能确定的是，佩里尼翁是第一个使用混合技术酿酒的人。香槟酒没有真正的起源，也没有发明者。香槟酒自己发明了自己。"

佩里尼翁将不同酒桶里的酒混合成新的品种。新品种比原酒要香醇，但仍旧没有汽泡。佩里尼翁还发现了用红葡萄酿造白葡萄酒的方法：在榨汁时，尽快捞出葡萄皮。

香 槟地区北部在秋季降温很快。天气太冷就会阻止发酵的进程。这样，葡萄汁里的糖份不能完全转化成酒精。当第二年天气转暖后，发酵过程才能继续，发酵形成的碳 酸使酒里面出现汽泡。但人们在十八世纪前没有发现这种现象，因为当时的酒存放在木桶里，碳酸都漏了出去。之后出现了瓶装酒。

1728年，法国国王路易15允许用玻璃瓶来运输香槟酒。但用当时的瓶子装碳酸含量很高的香槟酒给酒商带来很大的麻烦。因为那时的瓶子不结实，在高压下很容易爆炸。几乎两瓶香槟酒里就有一瓶会爆炸。这种现象一直持续到19世纪中叶。

英 国人在18世纪就非常喜欢无泡的香槟酒了。而带汽泡的香槟酒在英国一上市便成为抢手货。Clicquot夫人在1810年创立了Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin香槟酒厂。1813年，该酒厂的德国籍酿酒师米勒发明了在香槟酒酿造史上具有革命性的去渣转瓶法，去除了香槟酒发酵过程中产生的沉淀， 使VCP香槟酒泡沫丰富，质感晶莹，毫无渣滓，成为世界畅销的品质高贵的顶尖名酒。1785年的香槟酒销量仅为几十万瓶，而1845年便飚升到650万 瓶。而21世纪的今天，香槟酒的销量又翻了好几番。大部分香槟酒是在送旧迎新之际被喝掉的："在圣诞节与新年之间，香槟酒的消耗量要占到全年的65％。 2008年，香槟地区共生产了三亿瓶香槟酒，其中三分之二便是在一年最后的这个星期喝掉的。"

作者：Cornelia Rabitz / 王雪丁

责编：乐然