by Julian Schultz
julian@oxfordwineroom.com
Poppop Leeralopoulos fondled his
glass of Montania (Moschofilero grape) 2001, $7.99, Greek white wine, purring
delightedly. “Loaded with lush fruit, exquisitely balanced, smooth swallow,
long aftertaste,” he announced to our table gratuitously; no one asked for his
opinion. We were sniffing and savoring the same wine and preferred to form our
own opinions, not to be influenced by someone else’s. Unfortunately, such
annoyances at wine tastings and dinners are all too frequent.
Full wind blowing now, Poppop continued: “This Montania reminds me of
another great Greek white wine I had 27 years ago on the Isle of Rhodes when I
toured the Greek Islands. Ah, Rhodes where everywhere bare-breasted beauties
paraded the beach. They are unforgettable – the wine, the beauties, their
charms -- ”
Poppop interrupted
himself and fixed his eyes on the four comely ladies at my table – Linda,
Cheryl, Debbie and Adele – “Please accept my most abject apologies for my
referring to the bare-breasted beauties on Rhodes, which, I see, bepaints your
modest cheeks with maiden blushes.”
His
apologies acknowledged, Poppop continued, “The wine’s flavors still resonate
on my palate and are pedestal-ed in my memory after all these years. To my dying
day, I will carry the remembrance --”
I interrupted him, saying that I evaluated the Montania to be soft with a
sweet grass nose and hints of pears on the palate. As it opened in the glass, I
imagined some lemon and citrus fruit. Nicely balanced, clean and
straightforward, it is a bargain-priced wine at $7.99; not a great wine, mind
you, but a pleasing one.
All prices shown here are after purchases of six or more bottles at
O’Hara’s Wines and Liquors on 402 W. Boylston St. Phone: 508-853-1919 to
reserve.
Poppop frowned, shook his head, said he wasn’t interested in my
assessment of the wine. Waving his arms, he continued to orate about how
remarkable his Greek wine was 27 years ago, interspersing his comments with how
stimulating were the bare-breasted beach beauties of Rhodes, and again profusely
apologizing to the “blushing modest maidens.”
He tried my
patience. I asserted that his memory of that wine was more beautiful in nostalgic
recollection – that it tasted better now in his memory than
when it was consumed 27 years ago, perhaps in the more blissful and exciting
context of Rhodes and its titillating environment, or if perhaps when he gazed
into the eyes of a drop dead, bare-breasted beach beauty on Rhodes or, better
yet, she snuggled promisingly in his arms, her lips up, inviting.
Poppop, shaking his head vigorously, was inclined the debate my
assertion. I said that I had written a wine essay on this subject some years
ago.
The essay: Beauty is best learned in memory. Most of us are unlikely to
know truly great wines except as we read someone else’s memory of them.
Occasionally, I have been able to find those great tasting “unforgettable”
wines I read about, but when I do…somehow they don’t taste quite that good.
They read better in nostalgic prose…in someone’s memory of them.
Most likely the wine became unforgettable in that it was enjoyed in
exuberant and exciting circumstances. As with so many other happy experiences,
the pleasure of the recollection is enhanced by time. Time makes memory grow
fonder: wines achieve a greater stature, an expanded dimension; they reflect a
brighter splendor than what may have been realized the time of tasting.
So, only occasionally (read: rarely) have I discovered the great wine
experience that is glorified in someone’s nostalgic prose. I suppose that
years from now when I write about a superlative wine I have drunk (Chateau Musar,
1964, Lebanon, for one), my memory will probably conjure greatness for it far
exceeding what it really was.
The passage of time tends to create legends about wine. I read brilliant,
fanciful descriptions of sight, savor and swallow; inspired paeans of vinous
delight; attributes that reach nirvana; discovered magical, biological potencies
(hum! more about some of the “potencies” later); imaginative flavor
sensations that tax credulity. This is when wine assumes a halo of spirituality,
an aura of mysticism.
I try never to permit a wine’s reputation or the myths that may
surround it to influence my sensory evaluations or affect my expectations.
Remember, Shakespeare refers to reputation as a “bubble.” I try to discover
the merits of the wine for myself; it must prove itself to me: I always try to
remove a wine writer’s glorification about a wine. That way there is no
disappointment when a legendary “great” wine (expensive, too!) is found
lacking.
Yes, there are those of us who are so blessed as to experience a great
wine that one reads of or is revered in legend. And when so, let them salute the
empty bottle or kneel in reverence before it with head bared and bowed and with
heart filled with humility.
But, please,
beloved Worcester Wine Society members don’t be unduly influenced when tasting
and evaluating by a wine’s reputation and the myth of greatness that may
surround it. Don’t be swayed by the smug, self-assured statements of tasters
more experienced than you, or by the wine’s price, or by the opinion of the
taster majority when your perception of the wine may be a minority of one.
How
many times in my early years of tasting had I cowardly backed away from
disputing statements about wine with which I totally disagreed! They were
pontificated about with such authority and finality that to demur would seem to
border on the sacrilegious and to reflect scornfully my inexperience…And that
goes for me -- for my tasting evaluations and pronouncements that
I make at our WWS meetings. If you disagree with me, say so with confidence!
Tasting is subjective! Our palates and thresholds are individual! Don’t be
intimidated!
Anyway…if
the beauty of wine is best learned in memory, let it be your memory, not
someone else’s memory of a wine that may be enshrined by time.
Wine has its
“potencies.” I referred to this earlier in the Newsletter. In this day of
the emancipated female, it is both female and male who ask me, “What’s that
aphrodisiac they make with wine?”
“I
wish I knew,” is always my reply. Then I decided to check some research on
this fascinating subject.
The action of wine in sex begins by eliminating the inhibitions imposed by a conforming society. When wine is used for such purposes as sex, however, the amount should be small! In Macbeth, Shakespeare expressed it well: Drink may be said to be an equivocator in lechery; it provokes the desire but it takes away the performance.
Be
that as it may, wine has been consumed as an aphrodisiac for a long time.
Albertus Magnus used partridge brains in red wine as a love potion. He
died of excessive physical activity and extreme exhaustion.
The
ancient Greeks believed in the stimulation of spices; their wines were
all generously flavored, and Aristotle had special praise for oil of
peppermint in wine. He died young, of advanced old age.
Ever
since it was first made in the 14th century, Cognac has been held in
high regard – especially with an egg yolk, which apparently added
confidence as well as calories. Households stocked Cognac in the cellars and
chickens in the hencoops.
The
Italy of the Middle Ages recommended red wine spiked with ginger, cinnamon
and vanilla. Males strode the streets proudly and conspicuously erectioned.
Rebelais
would put his prowess to the test only after a draft of the traditional
stimulant called “Hipprocas,” made with red Burgundy wine, cinnamon,
cloves, sugar, vanilla and ginger. He fathered 27 offspring.
But
the most effective aphrodisiac of all was that described by a learn-ed
contemporary of Alexander the Great who put his faith in the plainest wine,
which was dispensed by a nude woman (or for the women, by a nude male).
He lost count after the 35th birth.
That’s the best I could find. Hope it helps. Good luck!
To
the Greek dinner and the…aphrodisiac (?) Greek wines:
Appetizer of
Cephalonian-style savory pie of ground beef, lamb, chicken, fresh vegetables and
Mediterranean herb blend baked in a crisp phyllo triangle. Full house 55 of us
reveled in the unforgettable flavor combination, especially augmented by the
Boutari Moschofilero white wine 2001, $13.59.
First
timers at a Greek dinner gaped in awe as they savored the savory pie. The
complexity of the meat mixture, the scallion/tomato contribution, the interplay
of the cinnamon, light nutmeg, salt/pepper and herb reduction sauce – all
resulted in a flavor adventure delight.
The
Moschofilero wine’s aromas and tastes were similar, but more assertive than
that of the Montania (some grape). Poppop discerned “peach,” “apricot,”
“honey.” The more he sipped, the more his imagination soared, the wilder his
descriptors sounded.
Aegean
shrimp salad followed: grilled marinated shrimp over a classic Greek salad, the
salad a combination of lettuce, feta cheese, marinated sweet red onions, red
wine, seasoned vinegar and imported oil from Greece. The subtle pear, apples,
hint of metal flavors of the Boutari Santorini 2002, $11.99, escorted and
perfectly complemented the salad. Debbie, a professional chef, rolled her baby
blues and whispered aloud, “Oh, how innovative, thrilling and unusual this
salad!”
Poppop,
excitedly: “I was in Santorini, also, when I toured the Greek islands! I
wasn’t offered any Santorini wine, but I rode up the steep, narrow mountain on
an ass and when I came down my ass was so sore I and it could hardly walk. But
no one served Santorini wine. I wish they had, if it would have been as
delightful as is this Boutari.” Full agreement from head nodding tablemates.
Some members
at our table and nearby tables applauded, and applauded again after repeated
bites and swallows, as they tasted the Apollo chicken course: two rolled,
stuffed breasts of chicken with fresh spinach, basil, goat cheese, roasted red
peppers, egg-lemon sauce and Greek pilaf.
Poppop
popped off again: “Ah, now we’re tasting traditional Greek cooking at its
best!” Loudly speaking to Chris Liazos, Webster House owner and mine host, his
words pervaded the function room: “I’m sure I speak for all here when I
congratulate you for this dish. I would ask for seconds, except that my belly is
bulging from having eaten too much of what was much too good.” Poppop bowed to
the guests, accepting their “hear, hears!” of agreement.
I
said that the accompanying Greek Cambas Chardonnay, 2001, $7.99, added positive
accent and taste to the chicken with its aromas and flavors of orange, peach,
melon, hints of oak, vanilla and nuts, that its price was a superlative bargain.
Poppop, damn it, had to have the last word: “A fresh, full bodied, fatty wine
with good structure and aromatic aftertaste of honey and vanilla.” No applause
for me, but acknowledgement for him.
Came
the piece de resistance: rack of three roasted spring lamb chops Greek
style with lamb/herb reduction sauce and completed with lemon roasted potatoes
and lima beans baked in herbs. The chops were small, pink and tender. Chris,
ever solicitous that we had enough to eat of a good thing, served seconds to
those of us who couldn’t resist it despite our being surfeited to the eyeballs
– I among them.
Served
were two red wines for conversation and comparison about which wine more
successfully paired with the lamb: Cambas Korinthia 2002, $7.59; and
Katogi Averoff Red, a blend of cabernet sauvignon and St. George multi-vintage,
$14.39. Result: no general agreement; each had its adherents who firmly stated
their preference.
Notes
on the Korinthia: “combination of agiorgitiko and cabernet sauvignon grapes;
deep with assertive fruit aromas and flavors, with balancing nuances of sweet
oak, tannin and black pepper; nice wine, the price is right.
Notes
on the Katogi Averoff: “full bodied with deep ruby color; balanced, smooth
with flavors of currants, blackberries, wood and hints of vanilla and nuts; big
time wine, compassionately priced for its quality.”
Dessert:
As much happy excitement was expressed here as there was with any of the food
courses. A variety of assorted traditional Greek cookies, comprising baklava
topped with dark chocolate, honey cookies stuffed with dates, and almond cookies
infused with Metaxa brandy. As Poppop said, exuding dreamy-eyed pleasure,
“Tonight we dined in true Olympian splendor, and the Webster House and Chris
Liazos are generous ambassadors of traditional Greek cuisine.”
Amen!
Wine
pick: Carmody McKnight Chardonnay “Select Blend” 2000, $11, subtle flowery
nose; melon, peach, nuances of vanilla, cinnamon and allspice; rich, clean, firm
with balancing acidity. Superb chard, superb price.
Wine
Pick: Errazuriz (Chile) Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, $12-$13, aromas and flavors of
spicy raspberry, pomegranate, plum and dried cherry with hints of maple, coconut
oil vanilla, mint, and oak from eight months barrel aging. Has to be good,
it’s a Robert Mondavi!
Wine
Pick: Trinchero Winery Merlot 2000, $13, deep purple color; aromas of
blackberry, black plum and notes of leather, vanilla and black olive transfer to
the palate; nicely balanced with oak, soft tannins and fruit acids. Excellent
price/quality value.