Ted Allen's Uncorked: Wine Made Simple

A few weeks ago I got an interesting email asking me if I'd consider reviewing the DVD box set of a miniseries about wine, Uncorked: Wine Made Simple. The series was hosted by Ted Allen of Queer Eye fame, who also happens to be a Clinton Hill resident. A TV show with a Clinton Hillite talking about wine? Sign me up!

A few days later we got the DVDs along with a fun little branded corkscrew. We couldn't rightly watch the show without suitable refreshment, so we opened a Sinksey pinot that my brother got me for my birthday this year. The wine was fantastic, and the show turned out to be just as good.

It's divided into six episodes, each covering wine from a different region. Each episode is 30 minutes, so you're not getting a ton of depth here, but that's not really the idea. It's a very broad, relatively simple introduction to wine and the world of wine drinking, and it's just informative enough to be entertaining for both the novice and the afficionado.

The first episode is a general introduction to the world of wine, and would make a great setpiece on its own. It's a brief overview of wine drinkers and producers, and is a fitting gateway into the rest of the series. Later episodes cover the Napa Valley, Sonoma, the Central Coast (of California), and France. I would have liked to see less California and more exploration of old-world wine regions, but that's just personal preference. Spending three hours with Ted talking about California and France is pretty great as it is.

It's not without its pretentious side, but let's be honest, it's a show about wine. Of course it's going to be somewhat pretentious. While most things are explained well, there are sometimes terms or concepts that are tossed about that might seem a little obtuse to the novice oenophile. This was most apparent in the first episode, owing I think to how little time it has to cover so much ground. Later episodes have more room to breathe. The second episode in particular is a lot of fun, giving a great history of the Paris wine tasting that put California on the map.

There's a lot of beautiful imagery and a lot of really great information. If you want an easy way to start learning about wine, or if you already love wine and want to bask in an undemanding journey through California and France, consider picking this up. I guarantee that you'll be anxious to head down to one of our great local wine shops and pick up a few bottles.

Information:

Uncorked: Wine Made Simple
Hosted by Ted Allen
DVD Box Set: 3 discs, 6 episodes
Running Time: 180 minutes

Dinner Tonight - Pork Loin and Spiced Apples

Tonight we're had dinner at home. I picked up a pork loin from Costco this past weekend and it was time to cook it - well, half of it anyway since it's massive. I'll freeze the rest. One of the reasons I love going to Costco so much is the quality of the meats (and the prices compared to everywhere else around here). Along with the pork loin we're going to steam a gorgeous bunch of broccoli we got at the Red Hook Fairway and Mick's making spiced apples from some that we picked when we went apple picking a few weeks back. We thought about scalloped potatoes or a fancy rice dish to go along with it, but settled for plain white rice in the rice cooker.

To cook the pork loin I took out my handy dandy rotisserie oven. I grabbed this a while back from Bed, Bath & Beyond, and we use it once or twice a month for things like chickens, fish filets, or pork loins like this one. It's fun and easy and works really well.

For the spiced apples, Mick just cored them and cut them in to smallish chunks that she threw in a pot with a little bit of water (only 2-3 tablespoons), some sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir it all in and then simmer over low low heat until they're soft- about 20 minutes.

The broccoli, I just steamed, and the rice was made in a basic rice cooker.

The wine was a white Bordeaux we got from Thirst, Chateau Ducasse Bordeaux 2006, which pairs well with both the pork and the apples.

Thirst Wine Merchants

For the first real post to the blog I figured I should spend a little time talking about what has quickly become our favorite wine shop. Both Mickey and I are unabashed winos, and we love trying new and interesting wines whenever we can. We have a couple of good stores up in Queens and in the city that we'll frequent, and we'll also stock up at Costco and buy online from time to time.

Thirst opened up a little while back and quickly became our number one source for wine, local or otherwise. The shop is small, especially compared to the bigger merchants in the city, but it's a gorgeous and inviting space. Because of the small space there isn't a gigantic selection of wines, but what is there is almost uniformly excellent. The owners Michael and Emilia really know their stuff, and we always tell everyone that you can basically go in to their store and throw a dart and you'll walk out with a bottle you'll enjoy. They've got plenty of amazing wines in all price ranges, too, so you don't need to spend a lot to get a great bottle. There's absolutely zero pretension in the store and no pressure to act like a wine snob (although we all are).

Over the last few months I've been making a point of trying something new every time I go in, and over the three dozen or so different wines I've bought I can only think of one or two that I didn't love, and it's not like I actively disliked either of those. Thirst will keep track of everything you've ever bought there, too, so if you can't remember that great rosé you had a few months back, they will - if you want them to, of course. They won't track your purchases unless you agree to it.

They have weekly wine tastings that they post up on their website. If you're in the 'nabe and like wine, do yourself a favor and stop by since I guarantee you'll find something that will make you want to go back.

By the way, this picture was shamelessly stolen from a great write-up on Cool Hunting.com.

Information:

Thirst Wine Merchants

187 DeKalb Avenue

718.596.7643

E-MAIL: info@thirstwinemerchants.com

http://www.thirstwinemerchants.com/

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