The Wine Commonsewer™

Pomegranate

Good Morning Gentle Readers.

What are they good for?

Like artichokes, pomegranates are difficult to eat and there is a mess to get through before you get to the delicious seeds. Technically, pomegranates aren't quite as difficult to eat as artichokes. Mess? Si! Noisy? Si! Yummy? Si! Don't get the juice on a white shirt. Dude, worse than red wine.

Pomegranate juice drizzled into the finished drink is what puts the sunrise in a Tequila Sunrise. Pomegranate juice defines a good Singapore Sling. Oprah makes an excellent pomegranate martini. King Solomon made spiced pomegranate wine. The The Jewish culture holds that the 613 seeds found in a pomegranate represent the 613 commandments of the Torah.
 
And, get this: The odds are eight to one that Eve was offered a pomegranate from the Tree of Life by the serpent. Scoff if you will, but apples need at least 700 hours of winter chill to thrive, something you won't find in Mediterranean climates.

Just so you know: Most commercial grenadine syrup is no longer made from pomegranate juice. It is icky old corn syrup with artificial flavors. Don't bother.

Sidebar: Israel is way ahead of the curve, having developed two apple varieties which have little or no winter chill requirement. Anna, a Golden Delicious style apple, and Ein Shemer, a yellow/green variety, both tolerate climates with 300-400 chilling hours.

As Ever,

TWC

Annapolis Harbor on Thanksgiving

 

Santa's Gotta Make It To Town

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Thanksgiving comes first. No mistletoe, no Christmas shopping, no holiday lights, no red ribbons, no sleigh bells, no Adam Sandler tunes, no Santa hats.

The kids know it's officially Christmas Season at Casa de las Rocas Grande when we crank up the raucous, upbeat, Southern Fried Hockey Boogie version of the familiar Chuck Berry classic, Lynard Skynard's Run Run Rudolph. Dimes to donuts you've not heard it although it's the hands-down best version of that tune ever.

Can't see the video, it's here.

There wasn't a video so I made one sometime back. Yes, those are my kids.

As Always,

The Wine Commonsewer

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Thanksgiving comes first. No mistletoe, no Christmas shopping, no holiday lights, no red ribbons, no sleigh bells, no Adam Sandler tunes, no Santa hats.

The kids know it's officially Christmas Season at Casa de las Rocas Grande when we crank up the raucous, upbeat, Southern Fried Hockey Boogie version of the familiar Chuck Berry classic, Lynard Skynard's Run Run Rudolph. Dimes to donuts you've not heard it although it's the hands-down best version of that tune ever.

Can't see the video, it's here.

There wasn't a video so I made one sometime back. Yes, those are my kids.

As Always,

The Wine Commonsewer

Day 24 of Thanksgiving

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

When the apples were all gathered and the cider was all made, and the yellow pumpkins were rolled in from many a hill in billows of gold, and the corn was husked, and the labours of the season were done, and the warm, late days of Indian summer came in, dreamy and calm and still, with just frost enough to crisp the ground of a morning, but with warm trances of benignant, sunny hours at noon, there came over the community a sort of genial repose of spirit—a sense of something accomplished, and of a new golden mark made in advance on the calendar of life—and the deacon began to say to the minister, of a Sunday, I suppose it's about time for the Thanksgiving proclamation.--Harriet Beecher Stowe

Happy Thanksgiving 

As Always,

The Wine Commonsewer

Thanksgiving Protest

 

Day 20 of Thanksgiving

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

TWC is grateful to stand where the flag that inspired Frances Scott Key to write that poem still flew the morning of September 14, 1814.

Ft McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

As Ever,

The Wine Commonsewer

Help With Finding the Perfect Wine

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Gina at the American Sommelier Association offers the following guidelines to help you with your holiday wine shopping. Some of this may seem self-evident to an old hand, but for those who are new to the world of wine, there is some good information here.

Pay particular attention to the admonition about price and quality. TWC's rule number eleven looms large. I've had wines that cost three times as much that weren't as good as this inexpensive wine I'm drinking tonight. The converse is true as well.

Case in point: Over the last several weeks I've sampled about a dozen wines in the under ten dollar range. Three or four of them were simply awful. Three or four of them were very good. The others were quite satisfactory for Wednesday night with Simon and the X Factor.

And now, here's Gina:

A great wine can make the perfect addition to a festive party or a quiet dinner at home. However, with so many varietals and vintages available, walking into a store to purchase wine can be overwhelming. American Sommelier has a few simple tips to guide you to the perfect bottle of wine every time.

• Know What You Like: Be conscious of the qualities that you enjoy in a red or white wine and relay those specifics when speaking with the wine shop staff by adding words such as: dry, fruity, crisp, bold, full bodied, soft, tannic and oaky. Noting that you prefer a juicy wine made with dark red fruits that are jammy can lead the expert to the “new world” portion of the store’s list.

• From a Discussion to the Perfect Wine: Provide advisors with as many indicators as you are able to allow them to guide you through the wine list. This could range from the type of event you are buying for to the different wines you have enjoyed or disliked in the past. The more concrete information you can provide, the better the staff will be able to pinpoint your perfect wine.

• Price Doesn’t Equal Quality: Exceptional wines come at all prices. Know and stick to the price point you are comfortable with and be firm. The staff member at the wine store will be able to guide you to the ideal wine no matter your budget.

Be the sommelier of your own home by serving a bottle of wine that is ideal for your tastes and the event you’re hosting. By asking the right questions and knowing what you like, a fitting bottle of wine is easily attainable.

Cheers and warm Thanksgiving wishes.

As Always,

The Wine Commonsewer

Over The River

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Some kids never realized that this was a poem of Thanksgiving. Most never realized it was about going to grandfather's house.

As Ever,

TWC

Wine Induced Brilliance

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

As Ever,

TWC

Tip of the glass to Mrs TWC

Image courtesy of Grimm

At the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month, Anno Domini

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Beyond pop culture's fascination with the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of this century (or is it the twelfth year?) lies something a bit more profound.  

At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in the Year of Our Lord, 1918, Germany signed the armistice that ended The War To End All Wars.

Once it became abundantly clear that The War To End All Wars didn't, maybe it became imperative to distance ourselves from the past. What better way to do that than to honor those who served. As we do that, may we also remember the original reason this day of remembrance was set aside?

Gallery here.  

It is also worth a mention that The House Blond and her friend Hailey volunteered to serve breakfast to those who once served and are now residents of a retirement home.  

As Ever,

TWC