Archive for the ‘Wine’ Category
Making Your New Year’s Eve Fizz
December 29, 2009
Far be it for us to complain about the tradition of drinking champagne on New Year’s Eve. We’ll cease just about any opportunity to pop open a bottle of bubbly and celebrate life’s good fortune - even if that good fortune is just the chance to drink champagne. Still, with tradition comes the danger of repetitiveness. As you plan your festivities for the approaching holiday, you may find your creative juices corked when it comes to selecting the right sparkling wine to punctuate your 2009.
Though it’s likely your fellow celebrators won’t be picky as they wait expectantly for the countdown with empty glasses in hand, a little attention to detail can make for a more memorable night.
If we’ve learned anything this past year, it’s that creativity flourishes in the face of challenges. We suggest that you use that lesson to plant a motif into your champagne selection this year. Make a statement about 2009 by taking a particular angle with the fizzy wines you serve. 2010-themed eyeglasses can only go so far at keeping your soiree timely. But don’t take our word for it - let the bubbles speak for themselves. Here’s some suggestions to help you pick the perfect sparkling wine to celebrate the decade, the year, or just the current moment:
Choose a green champagne:
Sustainable, environmentally-conscious living is a full-time commitment. Luckily, your green responsibilities needn’t get in the way of your night of carefree carousal. Pommery’s trendy line of POP champagnes just released a green variety called Earth that’s just as eco-friendly as it is party-ready. The champagne’s grapes were raised using reduced amounts of water and pesticides, the glass bottles are lightweight, there’s no external packaging, and the labels use water-soluble ink. And the flavor? “Warm brioche…tropical flavors and a lovely roundness,” according to Pommery’s cellar master, Thierry Gasco. Retailing at $55 a bottle, Earth is priced at an appropriate level for a special occasion, without completely breaking the bank.
Choose an affordable sparkling wine:
If you plan to party on a budget, fear not. There’s no need to make sacrifices this year. A standard rule for wine is that low price doesn’t necessarily equate to low-quality. By doing a bit of research, you can pick the winners from the weaklings when it comes to cheaper labels. Guests who inquire about your selection will be pleasantly surprised at the low prices, and will have a renewed respect for your resourcefulness. Try the crisp, citrus-y non vintage Freixenet “Carta Nevada” cava from Spain, the bubbly, peachy Nonvintage Domaine Ste. Michelle Extra Dry sparkling wine from Washington state, or the frothy, green-apple-flavored Nonvintage Piper Sonoma Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine from Sonoma. Each wine retails for under $15 and comes packed with zesty taste.
Make Champagne cocktails:
If you want to get more out of a limited supply of sparkling wine, take the cocktail route. Champagne is remarkably forgiving, so even inexperienced mixologists will find this to be a viable approach. Sweet dessert wines, brandy, and fruity-flavored liqueurs are some standard mixers, but, really, your imagination is the only limit when it comes to these bubbly concoctions. To rid yourself of all-night bar-tending duties, just provide your guests with champagne and a variety of mixing options and make the cocktails a DIY activity. Creative mixes will serve as perfect conversation starters and will get your party fizzing.
Or, splurge on an expensive label
We call this the “What recession?” approach. Be a rebel and make a statement with a famously top shelf champagne. Cristal, once drunk only by the Russian Tsar Alexander II or the equally luxurious Dom Pérignon will undoubtedly impress (or shock) and leave a sufficiently large hole in your bank account. If your going to use this approach, we recommend you downsize your party to two, to maximize your personal enjoyment. Share one of the above top notch champagnes with one special individual and make it a romantic, low-key evening at home.
No matter what kind of champagne or sparkling wine you decide to pop open, remember that you selection should complement - and not define - your celebration. Wine is only as good as the party at which it’s drunk. The joy of celebrating your relationships - romantic or otherwise, your accomplishments, and your goals is what ultimately makes the champagne delicious. As wine columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher recently posited in the Wall Street Journal, wine is a subjective art and, as they stated: “Your enjoyment of any wine is an extension of yourself, your emotions, your experiences and your circumstances when you drink it.” With that advice, make every bubble count this New Year’s Eve.
Sources:
“For holidays, let bubbly flow” miamiherald.com;
“Champagne Holiday Cocktails” blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites;
“Pop Hit | Pommery Green Champagnes” tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com;
“The Mysterious Heart of Deliciousness”wsj.com.
Photo courtesy of:
freechristmaswallpapers.net.
Print ThisPosted in Champagne and sparkling wine, Impress, Mixology, New Year, Wine, holiday season | No Comments »
Rituals in the Era of Instantaneous Reinventions
December 23, 2009
Holidays herald the typical rituals of gift-giving and other burdens associated with traditions. For better or worse, the celebration of Hanukkah, Christmas, Orthodox Christmas or Kwanzaa calls us to look on the past and connect it with the present moment. The most common holiday tradition is the family gathering. Whether or not it’s with relatives we see often isn’t the main point; rather it’s the symbolic weight of the event that lends it its importance. Of course, getting together with family can serve the practical purpose of reconnecting to and updating each other on our lives.
These days, however, such reconnection could just as easily (if not more easily) be done by email.
What matters most is the repeated gesture of joining each other in the same place. Whether or not you need to hear updates or enjoy eating your grandmother’s cooking is merely tangential. It’s the repetition of these actions that gives them meaning. They offer us comfort through their constancy. They humble us.
The rituals of this time of year still retain value, especially in this era of instantaneous reinvention. Reflect on the various symbolic gestures that occur this time of year and enjoy them thoroughly. If that proves to be a challenge, then it may be time to spark a new holiday tradition.
Perhaps you find yourself in an unexpected place or situation this year, be it by duty or desire, that distances you from those you wish to have at your side. There may be no choice but to see a loved one through a Web camera; chat with them on Skype, AIM, or Google Talk; or, email them a letter.
You might be sharing a holiday meal with people who, though not directly related to you, still connect with you by common interest. Or, you might be spending the holiday with only yourself. The reality of our increasingly mobile society is that fewer things feel permanent. Our economy strengthens and weakens. Our physical locations are short-term. And our distance from the ones who know us best can change unexpectedly.
You can use a ritual–whether it’s the lighting of a candle, the decorating of a tree, or just a moment of meditation–to keep yourself grounded in the midst of any changes and transitions that you may be undergoing.
If you feel that traditional modes of celebrating the holidays aren’t relevant to your modern lifestyle - find or design a ritual that speaks to you. This is a technique that we aptly call Ritual 2.0. Consider that there are always anchors in your life that are constant–a relationship with another, a love of wine, or a simple life goal. Channel these constants and celebrate them. Start an annual bottle-opening to taste that vintage wine you’ve been saving all year, splurge at a restaurant that tops your must-try list, or start working on one of your resolutions for the following year. Life may be full of changes, upgrades, downgrades, and surprises, but it’s also full of things that can bring us pleasure and inspiration.
This holiday season, all we ask is that you indulge and be merry.
Photo courtesy of:
candleconnection-eg.com.
Posted in Lifestyle, Mobility, Traditions, Wine, holiday season | No Comments »
The Top Ten Culinary Trends of 2009
December 16, 2009
With the many culinary breakthroughs that bubbled to the surface of the national restaurant scene in recent months, 2009 is fated to be remembered as a year of culinary renaissance. Perhaps the recession was the muse that sparked everyone’s renewed thinking about food, serving portions, costs, and restaurant business models. It’s the year that gourmet kitchens turned mobile, restaurants discovered the benefits of local meats and produce, and Americans explored “the fifth taste.” Above all, it was the year in which America’s renewed interest in well-crafted, high quality meals reached its defining moment. There’s never been a better time to eat in America. Below are ten reasons why.
Read More »
Posted in Culinary Trends, Eating Trends, Gourmet food trucks, Health, Ingredients, Restaurants, Tech Chic, Trends, Wine | 3 Comments »
Foreseeing the Future of Restaurant Guides: An Interview with Alain Gayot
December 3, 2009
UBI UBI is excited to welcome another highly respected, well-established lifestyle reviewer to our flourishing database: GAYOT.com. The family-owned restaurant, hotel, shopping, and tourism guidebook series has been published in France and the U.S. for nearly five decades. As one of the first to adopt Internet distribution, they continue to shape the future of culinary guides by partnering with UBI UBI, itself an innovator in smartphone-accessed, portable dining reviews on the mobile Web.
You’ll find that GAYOT.com reviews are clear, detailed, witty, and invaluable. Quickly absorbed one-sentence summaries provide an overview of each spot, while the toque (chef’s hat) rating system provides an instant snapshot of the restaurant’s quality. In the helpful Quick Bites section, you’ll find only in-and-out, to-go venues. We think GAYOT.com provides another smart, honest perspective to help you use your hard-earned money wisely while getting the dining-out experience that best satisfies your cravings. The addition of Gayot reviews also means more expert opinions, more restaurant coverage, more updates, and smarter dining decisions for the Ubi Ubi community.
Alain Gayot, the Editor-In-Chief at GAYOT.com, recently stopped by the UBI UBI office, and we seized the opportunity to learn more about his restaurant guide philosophy and his opinions on current restaurant trends. Below is a sampling of questions from our interview, in which we discussed what kind of traveler GAYOT.com appeals to, how the company made the transition from print to Web, and what justifies a negative restaurant review.
Read More »
Posted in Culinary Trends, Dining Reviews, Lifestyle, Restaurants, Trends, Wine | Comments Off
The Four Hidden Corners of the Wine World
November 11, 2009
It’s a small world, especially when it comes to wine. Italy, France and Spain’s strangle hold on the wine industry may have been slightly loosened by the blossoming of New World wine regions in the Americas and Australia, but much of the world of oenology has remained bafflingly closed. Isn’t there a whole globe of soils and flavors yet to be discovered?
As consumers’ general interest in specialty foods and drinks, as well as the public’s ability to research and educate itself on wine, continues to strengthen, it’s inevitable that more grapevines will take root in unexplored regions. To accelerate this process, we’ve assembled a brief geography lesson on some of the world’s most under-the-radar wine regions. It’s time to dust off your atlas and fill up your glass with bold new tastes, for the world of viticulture has much in store for your palate.
Read More »
Posted in Canada, China, Discover, England, India, Wine | 1 Comment »
Michelin Anoints Bay Area’s 2010 Culinary Elite
October 19, 2009
The MICHELIN Guide released its much-anticipated list of San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country stars today, just before tomorrow’s release of the 2010 Red Guide. As was the case for New York, this year’s guide includes several newly starred restaurants.
UBI UBI congratulates all the owners, chefs, and staff members for these honors, and welcomes Aziza, Commis, étoile, La Toque, Luce, Santé, Solbar, and Ubuntu to the list of star recipients. Cheers, to all of you! Read More »
Posted in Awards, Design-inspired, Dining Reviews, Impress, San Francisco Bay Area, Wine | No Comments »
Michelin Awards NYC Restaurants Its 2010 Stars!
October 5, 2009
The release of the 2010 MICHELIN Guides is upon us and word has already spread about the newly awarded - and highly coveted - MICHELIN Guide stars within the New York restaurant scene. Without further ado, read below for the list of restaurants that made it into this year’s guide.
UBI UBI would like to extend congratulations to all the owners, chefs, and staff members who earned these special honors, plus give a warm welcome to all newcomers on the list. Kudos! Read More »
Posted in Awards, Dining Reviews, Impress, New York, Restaurants, Wine | No Comments »
Vive le Vin!
October 2, 2009
As if Parisians needed another excuse to drink wine, October is upon us, and next week (October 7 – 11, 2009) marks the arrival of the yearly Fête des Vendanges (Grape Harvest Festival ) in the Montmartre district.
The iconic neighborhood has for centuries been Paris’ wine growing region – grapevines have occupied the hill since the days when the city was known as Lutèce, and nuns operated a wine press in the now destroyed Benedictine abbey founded in the 12th century. Nowadays, there’s a small vineyard called the Clos Montmartre that still produces about 1,700 bottles yearly (these are all sold by a charity auction at the festival). Formerly the garden of actor and comedian Aristide Bruant, the Clos was dubbed public land and planted with grapevine in 1933. The following year marked the first grape harvest festival, and since then the Fête has been a celebration of the successful production of the annual wine - but we’re pretty sure there would be a party either way.
Read More »
Posted in Wine, World Festivals | No Comments »
The Touch-Screen Tablecloth: Ultra-attentive Service or Another Impersonal Interface?
April 22, 2009
Vacuums, centrifuges, and other high-tech kitchen equipment may be de rigueur these days, but few restaurants have gone so far as to replace the waiters with computers. At least one restaurant has made that leap: Inamo, an Asian fusion venture in London’s very chic Soho neighborhood. Each table is a touch-sensitive pad filled with images from an overhead projector, and every seat at the table is fully interactive: Orders are placed by manipulating menus projected on the table.
While you’re waiting for your food, you can change your virtual tablecloth, play video games on the tabletop, see movie and theater schedules, view your running tab, arrange a taxi, or view the chefs at work via kitchen webcams. The food itself is served by real human staff, who can also help you with the technology if you’re having trouble. Inamo’s owners, Danny Potter and Noel Hunwick, say they were trying to overcome the frustrations they found in less tech-savvy restaurants: waiters ignoring you, pushing you to order more, shoving the bill at you, or pressuring you into leaving before you’re ready. At Inamo, you control all those factors yourself. And if you’re bored, you can always order more food or play more games—not that there’s much of a difference here.
Posted in Dining Reviews, Restaurants, Wine | No Comments »
Next Time, Order Your Wine by the (Baby) Bottle
April 16, 2009
New York’s La Cave des Fondus isn’t notable for its eponymous specialty fondue—in fact, your menu options are somewhat limited (to cheese, beef, and chocolate). Rather, this Soho restaurant is known for serving wine and beer only in baby bottles…yes, baby bottles.
Owner Jacques Ouari opened this restaurant as an obvious tribute to another well-known fondue restaurant, Le Refuge des Fondus. This Montmartre, Paris, spot originated the idea of serving wine in glass bottles, or biberons. Legend has it that the original Parisian baby-bottle bistro started serving wine this way because of the Parisian tax on wineglasses.
Posted in Restaurants, Wine | No Comments »
