By Paul Mannix [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Wine being served from kegs in restaurants has really taken off over the past couple years. The younger demographics seem to prefer this easy casual style which makes the wine service simpler – like ordering a draft beer. This system has been around for a while in Europe and more recently in many major US cities. Vancouver Urban Winery has developed a growing business (a first in Canada) providing bars, hotels, and restaurants with kegs just under 20 litres in size with pumps and nitrogen for serving local wines from British Columbia. They also bring in New Zealand sauvignon blanc and Argentina malbec. A local Italian restaurant brings in Prosecco served on tap!

I believe this is a good idea for wines best enjoyed fresh and not requiring any bottle age. Fun comparing the same wine in the keg and in the bottle. The concept is green and eco friendly saving on handling, bottles, corks or screw caps, capsules, labels, transportation costs and provides consistency of product. Reusable kegs helps. Last week at an Air Canada En Route Restaurant Awards event the only wine choices were a white, rose or red from 3 different wineries all on tap.

A few issues including some whites being stored too cold precipitating tartaric crystals in your glass but generally well done. Recommended for fresh vibrant aromatic whites and roses. Less convinced for powerful tannic young reds that need some bottle age. Works better for fruity fresh less tannic Beaujolais type reds served cooler than room temperature.

What is happening in your region with wines in keg on tap? Do you like this growing trend?

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It was at the height of the Cold War and nuclear energy was everywhere.  As numerous power plants were built across North America, the USS Nautilus became the world’s first submarine to be fueled by the atom.  Considered both the safest and cheapest way to electrify towns and cities, experts predicted that you would no longer have to meter homes due to nuclear power’s outrageously low costs.

Workers pose for a Gamma Irradiation Experiment.  Cans of food will be lowered
to canal bottom, where MTR fuel elements emit gamma radiation.

So during this period, it was only natural that atomic science crossed paths with the food we eat.  Starting in 1953, the United States Army along with scientists at MIT began testing out whether using specific dosages of ionizing radiation would slow down or possibly eliminate the spoilage of food by destroying certain bacteria in it.  And although the technology had existed for nearly half a century before, Cold War geography now made food preservation a top government priority.

As the Korean War winded down and the American military extended its footprint across the globe, the issue of keeping food fresh for soldiers and personnel on the front lines was vital.  If war broke out in Berlin, Budapest or Beirut, meals could be brought from the other side of the globe just as fresh as the day they were picked or cooked.  With irradiated food, expiry dates could go from days to months — even without refrigeration. Food storage would be revolutionized for military and civilians alike.

More than half a century later, many of the foods and spices we eat use irradiation.  And while consumers have raised concerns about the safety of irradiating food, often confusing it with being radioactive (it’s not), studies have showed that more and more people are opening up to this concept.  What’s your thoughts? Pro or con?

The international Radura logo, used to show a food has been treated with ionizing radiation.

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This week is the one year anniversary of my presentation at the Vancouver IWFS International Festival on September 13, 2012 of the annual Andre Simon Lecture. My topic was Andre L Simon Partners (1951) Revisited and celebrated the thoughtful ideas in his “Game of Wine & Food Match-Making” with some suggested current updates.

My lecture can be referenced at http://www.iwfs.org/assets/upload/images/2012_Andre_Simons_Partners_1951_Revisited_S_Cross.pdf.  This year’s Lecture will be delivered by my friend the knowledgeable revered Michael Broadbent on November 13, 2013 at the Society’s 80th anniversary celebrations in London, England. This will be an encore appearance for Michael as he presented the Andre Simon Lecture at Christie’s London back on October 18, 1971.

I continue to offer frequently my thoughts on some wine and food pairings that I enjoy. Here is one posted this week in Eat Magazine about some possible best wines to go with duck recipes: http://www.eatmagazine.ca/what-to-drink-with-that-duck. Your thoughts appreciated.

This wine and food game is a very personal subjective topic. I am sure you all have discovered some magical combinations that work particularly well for your palate. Please share them with us by posting a short comment.

Just finishing up quite a hot summer. Too often in restaurants my wine (particularly red) has been served too warm for my liking. Sure you can ask to have the bottle put into the frig or into an ice bucket to cool it down. However that might not be the best timely solution if the wine is already opened and about to be poured around the table to all the guests. A trick I have used forever is to take the largest ice cube from my water glass and quickly swirl it in my empty wine glass for a few seconds to really chill it down and then return it to the water glass. This technique may not show off the best of your social graces but it sure works surprisingly well in improving the wine’s vibrancy.

I learned this past weekend from the Wall Street Journal On Wine article by Lettie Teague (Strike the Just-Right Degree of Wine Cool) that she learned this trick from the late Alexis Bespaloff.  You should be able to access this excellent article at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323407104579037093927149138.html?mod=wsj_valetbottom_email. I recommend their WSJ weekly On Wine column which always seems to have something of topical wine interest in it to get you thinking.

There are other tricks like CoolBlues Reusable Ice Cubes available on Amazon or a new product called Whiskey Stones (“ice”cubes of solid odourless tasteless soapstone that don’t melt) available at www.vat19.com/dvds/whiskey-stones.cfm.  I personally haven’t tried either of these myself at home. May work to chill down your glass of wine to the perfect temperature for you but are not recommended by me.

White wine served too cold is easier to deal with by just warming up the glass with your hands. Better yet if you have a cloth napkin to avoid fingerprints on the polished surface.

What tricks do you use to try and achieve the perfect temperature for you of the wine served to you?

By Agne27 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

I have been very fortunate this last week to try many white Burgundies. Something I truly enjoy doing as it is my all time top admired white wine category. With so many wine producing areas in the world you would have thought by now that some regional chardonnay would approach what can be such amazing balance and complexity. What about Hamilton Russell from that unique Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in South Africa, Penfold’s Yattarna always using more Tasmanian fruit, or a small producer in the Russian River Valley in California?  Who do you think belongs in the ballpark with the best burg blanc?

In spite of premature oxidation issues the last while I am encouraged by a number of methods being utilized possibly to lessen this risk including the addition of more sulphur and the use of Diam P10 closures.  Time will tell.

Started the week with several Chablis. 2006 vintage seem more and more forwardly. I am drinking mine earlier than I expected. 2007 OK some with botrytis but somewhat similar to that open delicate lower sugar ripeness style of 2011. Contrast the weight of the big ripe rich fat softer forwardly 2009s. I remain a really big fan of those perfect 2008 & 2010 Chablis. 2008 Valmur William Fevre has wonderful acidity balance and upside potential to ultimately show true terroir at its best. Admire also the age ability potential of 2010 Les Clos Christian Moreau with that admirable subdued vibrant energy but with an underlying concentration from the smaller crop than normal.

Mid week tried blind two 1999 Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Boudriotte (fresh balanced higher acidity smoky) and Les Ruchottes (fuller richer sweeter more fat more forwardly) followed by two Remoissenet Corton-Charlemagne Diamond Jubilee of 1999 (ready full solid touch of caramel) and 1995 (fresh “cabbage” nose I often find with this producer classy more depth and length). No pre-mox.

Sunday a rare treat with our Vancouver Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin holding their annual Paulee summer lunch with everyone required to bring a bottle of one of the 5 Grand Cru “Montrachet” vineyards (comprising Montrachet “M”, Chevalier Montrachet “CM”, Batard Montrachet “BM”, Bienvenue Batard Montrachet “BBM”, and Criots Batard Montrachet “CBM”).  A nice varied selection of some 30+ wines to taste and study. Most were from the last decade except for a 99 Remoissenet BBM, a 85 Paul Pernot BM in mag and my 1957 Doudet-Naudin BM. Obtained directly from Yves Doudet in his cold cobwebby old cellars it showed the high acidity of 1957 but a wonderful old nutty aged character that opened better with some airing 56 years later. Surprisingly only 2 wines were showing slight TCA corkiness and only the 02 Girardin BBM showed some maderizing pre-mox though another bottle of the same wine from the same case was fresh light stony minerals. Bottle variation! On the other hand two bottles of 06 Girardin CM were consistently excellent showing elegance and depth of flavour. All the Bouchard Pere CM were outstanding though the 07 had that corkiness, 04 lighter but a beauty, 06 rich balanced and complex, 08 remarkable balanced structure but way too young. The 05 Jadot BM was rich almost California like in style as was the very full 04 Latour BBM. Several favs included 06 H. Boillot CBM tight vibrant and classy and the 04 Drouhin M – from the Marquis de Laguiche vineyards on the Puligny side of the AC rather than the often preferred Chassagne side – displaying great power, with acid balance and a potpourri of exotica. Impressed with all the 2006 bottles.

My short updated concise summary of recent white Burgundy vintages:

2013: Scary slow start with all the storms and flooding. Serious hail July 23 in Beaune & Pommard. Worrisome price pressures.

2012: Yields down as slow flowering reduced the crop and hail storms end of June in Meursault. Variable quality & prices going up already

2011: Hot June, cool July & early August, less hang time & less ripe with an early harvest starting late August, some easy charming whites

2010: Ripeness with balance, quality helped by a smaller crop level than normal. Some great wines.

2009: Hot weather less than ideal for whites but style is big rich softer opulent textures more forwardly. Some surprising gems like 2009 Meursault Perrieres Bouchard Pere.

2008: Lively balance of acidity impresses with that young fresh character. Underrated. Both Chablis and white Burgundy showing that superb vibrant structure.

2007: Variable because some less ripe but others crisp and lively with enough intensity of fruit to make some interesting bottles.

2006: Drinking fairly consistently and well now. Prefer this vintage for Burgundy whites over Chablis.

2005: Still impressive weight with sweet fruit. Prefer the reds which are truly a very outstanding memorable year but whites are fine too.

Do you like white Burgundy? What vintages? Where else are they making chardonnay at the very highest complex level of quality?