Broughton Quarterly - Winter 2007 - (Page 18)

wine & cuisine Cork Jester TONGS fOR ThE MEMORIES How to win friends and decapitate people S { Jennifer Rosen } Winner of a James Beard Award for wine writing, Jennifer Rosen is the author of, Waiter, There’s a Horse in My Wine, and The Cork Jester’s Guide to Wine, both winners of The Gourmand World Cookbook Award for Wine Literature. Read her columns and sign up for her weekly newsletter at www.CorkJester.com. avoir faire—you can’t even pronounce it. You pull corks with the dexterity of a walrus and regard the wine list as a third rail. But here’s your chance to corner a bit of wine suave where even snobs are shaky. With a little study, even you could become The Pasha of Port. Yes, Port. The name reeks of velvet smoking jackets, of blazing stone hearths and rows of faded ancestors. It puts color in the cheeks and courage in the heart. And what a comfort on these long winter nights when global warming has forsaken us. The potion from Portugal is an English invention. Back in the 18th-century, Brits relied on a steady stream of French wine to help them forget they lived in damp castles and drove on the wrong side of the road. The crafty French pounced on this weakness during one of their regularly scheduled wars. They turned off the faucet, thus winning the battle at the expense of a lot of wine sales, an economic policy they continue to favor today. Desperate Brits searching for their fix discovered that Portugal had lovely vineyards, too. Unfortunately, they made wretched wine, but the Anglos were too sick of beer to care. To keep the wines from spoiling on the voyage up the coast, they included in their winemaking a dollop of brandy as preservative. To their delighted surprise, the extra alcohol halted fermentation partway through, leaving a deliciously sweet wine that became a British staple for the next 200 years. WE RECOMMEND Port is shot through with the rituals and initiations of a particularly British obsession: keeping others out, usually of the exclusive refuge of one’s club. The initiated know that Port is always passed from right to left. Should your host ask if you’re acquainted with the Bishop of Norwich, it’s code for: “The bottle ran aground in front of you ten minutes ago, man! For God’s sake, pass it on.” But for the slickest ritual of all, try Port Tongs. After 50 years or more, a cork can get crumbly. Rather than shred it with a corkscrew, one brandishes a pair of long iron calipers with wooden handles. Stick the metal ends in the fire until they’re red-hot. Then clamp them around the neck of the bottle, just below the bottom of the cork. After a minute or two, to be enlivened with Houdini-like gestures of danger and mystery, remove the tongs, hand them to an assistant, and quickly wrap the bottle neck in a cold, wet napkin. The sudden change of temperature will cause the glass to break neatly and the neck and cork to come off in your hand. That’s what’s supposed to happen, anyway. Other possibilities involve third degree burns and glass shards flying around the room. It might be a good idea to wear safety goggles, and practice a few times before trying to impress, say, an OSHA inspector. With many long nights of Port-fueled practice, your prowess will grow. You might even invent an arcane ritual of your own. Guaranteed to impress Q one’s friends. Frightfully. 2005 GuENOC PETITE SIRAH PORT Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, this wonderful Lake County Port is dark ruby red in color. Ripe boysenberry and blueberry fruit along with hints of chocolate and caramel in the mouth complement a rich and mouth filling finish. Available in limited quantities, $45/bottle, www.Guenoc.com. ‘TIS ThE SEASON… fOR SEAfOOD SANTA BARBARA SHELLFISH CO., 230 Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, 805.966.6676 If ambiance was the deciding factor in choosing one Santa Barbara seafood restaurant over another, S.B. Shellfish Company would stand alone. Perched at the end of the pier, this humble eatery—once a buying station for local fish and shellfish—teems with coastal character. Pick a victim from the live tanks, and then sit outside in the ocean breeze celebrating your place at the top of the food chain. Simple is better here: oysters on the half shell, dungeness crab, spider crab or steamed local lobster, which is in season through the winter. There’s nothing daring or innovative on the menu, just straight-ahead fresh seafood served with lemon wedges, coleslaw and sourdough. Wash it all down with a glass of chilled local white, a pint of frothy Anchor Steam or a Santa Barbara Blonde (if you prefer). – Matt Katz 18 Broughton Quarterly Winter 2008 http://www.CorkJester.com http://www.Guenoc.com

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Broughton Quarterly - Winter 2007 Contents Contributors Plugged In Notes Calendar 1000Words Destination Wine & Cuisine Introducing Doctor Robot In the Desert Stillness Richard Branson Marketplace Spotlight

Broughton Quarterly - Winter 2007

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