File this under (foreign) sentences I like.

kun vine, som vi selv sætter pris på at drikke, såvel i langstilket krystal som i sennepsglas, finder vej til sortimentet

which translates to:

only wine we like to drink, either in long-stemmed crystal or in a mustard jar, finds its way into the selection

And don’t be afraid to try a wine from a obscure chateau you never heard of. At best it will be a memorable experience, at least it will be infinitely more interesting and exciting than that bottle of Penfold’s Shiraz or Ravenswood Zinfandel for the same money. Besides, wines like that will be there the next time you come by, but this one may likely be gone forever.

I like this advice for selecting wine. I find I rarely buy the mass producers anymore. I’d much rather try a new wine; there’s so many to try. The problem, for me, is I rarely remember the wines I’ve tasted (remember, I’m a wine poseur).

Wine can now be bought by the keg. As the article says, it’s a great way for small batch producers to get their product to restaurants and early numbers show more sales from cask wine.

Definitely need to try this

…

750ml bottle of inexpensive dry red wine (inexpensive is ok, but it should be drinkable.)
2/3 cup of honey or natural sweetener of your choice
Juice and peel of one orange
2 cardamon pods
4 cloves
2 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks

…

In a heavy bottom pot, add all the ingredients and simmer on low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Discard the peel, cardamon pods, cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks with a sieve. Carefully ladle the gluehwein through a funnel into a pair of thermoses.

There’s a name for what type of wine drinker I am, a wine poseur.

Mr. Kendall, 43, described himself as a bit of a wine poseur. He has vacationed in Italy and Napa Valley and has a cellar at home, but he cannot remember a label from meal to meal.

Bring your own resealable bottles, Poland Spring containers, jerrycans, whatever. Or you can get one at the store. Select your grade (red, white, or rosé). Pump. Print receipt. ?

This is only THE. BEST. THING. EVER. It’s like a gas pump, but with wine. Fill ‘er up.

Tips for buying wine in restaurants. My favorite two tips.

8. Don’t be intimidated by huge, clunky, leather (okay, naugahyde) wine lists. They’re your friends. If they’ve been around awhile, and most have, they almost always have beautifully aged bargains hidden away.

10. Decide if you love vintages or producers. Sommeliers love producers. They’re met them. They dined with them. They consider them infallable, even in terrible years. I love good years, full of surprises from unknown winemakers. You get wines that taste of a moment in time, not of a high-tech cellar.

My favorite part of How to be a Food Snob deals with wine tasting.

Having “the balls,” as Andrew Bell, a co-founder and the president of the American Sommelier Association, puts it, to put what you’re tasting into new adjectives is what makes great tasters, great tasters.

Somewhere along my web surfing, I saw this picture below. As I looked at it, I realized, “I’ve been there”. A little research and I found out it’s called Enoteca Cava Turacciolo. It’s a small wine bar in Bellagio, Italy (off Lake Como). Great place and I’m documenting it here for my own reference (I’ve forgotten it once and not likely from a bad memory; I blame the wine). Anyway, two milestones here for me. I had my first olive I ever liked and got to use the meat slicer. Nice dude who owns the place, too!

In Berlin there are a few wine bars operated on the honor system. Sounds like my kind of place, and something I’d like to incorporate with currentblend [coffee].

For the price of 1 euro (about $1.50), you rent yourself a glass and get to sample as many of the wines as you want. At the end of the night you throw some bills or coins into a big jar, the amount based on what you think is fair.