. Check it out!
I have my fingers in a lot of pies.
Chris Minnick is featured in a new book:
My wit and wisdom about winemaking are featured in a new book (along with my Grapefruit wine recipe): 101 Recipes for Making Wild Wines at Home: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Herbs, Fruits, and Flowers
. Check it out!
. Check it out!
The 2008 Wines are Coming Fast!
It's been a while since I've posted anything, but much has been happening in the Bad Astronaut Wine world, so I think it's about time I got back to it and filled you all in!
First of all, the 2008 Wines are incredible! We bottled the Zin a little while back, and I'm having to hide it from myself so that I don't drink it all before it reaches it's peak.
If you participated in the bottling, and/or if you have some of the wine, I would say that it's just about now fully over the bottle shock and is tasting really good. I'm really looking forward to how it will taste next year!
Pretty soon, we'll be bottling the 08 Merlot, the 08 Petit Sirah, some 09 Charonnay, and perhaps a couple other surprises!
First of all, the 2008 Wines are incredible! We bottled the Zin a little while back, and I'm having to hide it from myself so that I don't drink it all before it reaches it's peak.
If you participated in the bottling, and/or if you have some of the wine, I would say that it's just about now fully over the bottle shock and is tasting really good. I'm really looking forward to how it will taste next year!
Pretty soon, we'll be bottling the 08 Merlot, the 08 Petit Sirah, some 09 Charonnay, and perhaps a couple other surprises!
A Decade on the Web: A Look Back & Ahead
The first decade of the new millennium brought some Web highlights we may ponder in a different light in 2019. Read it on Internet Evolution now.
Is recycling bottles for winemaking really worth it?
This weekend, I need to start taking the labels off and washing around 300 bottles (25 cases) that we’ve saved over the last year for bottling our 2008 Zin. I haven’t used recycled bottles like this since our first batch of wine…and that was only 30 bottles. New bottles generally cost $8-$10 per case, so, in theory, I’m saving up to $250 by doing this. And, also in theory, I’m saving the earth.
However, the process of washing and scraping labels off of wine bottles is anything but environmentally friendly. First, you soak a bottle in hot water with TSP (what you use to remove wallpaper). So, there’s a huge use of energy to heat water, plus all that TSP…which can’t be all that green, considering that you have to wear rubber gloves when working with it. After the label is off, the bottle needs to be rinsed very well, then sanitized (more detergents, more water). Repeat 300 times.
We’ve collected all these bottles and they’re taking up a lot of space in the garage, so I’m going to go forward with this… but I’m thinking that this will be the last time I bother with recycling bottles. Are there any home winemakers out there who have a different opinion…or who have found the easy way to recycle bottles and just love doing it?
Things I’ve Learned About Cooking Recently
I love food and beverage-making challenges. Making things that sound “hard” gives me no end of pleasure. This year, I’ve stepped it up a notch and taken on a number of the big ones, but I’ve also learned quite a bit about cooking some very simple things. Here’s my partial list of things I’ve learned how to make, maybe a short description of how I feel about it, and the thing I consider to be “the key” to success with that thing.
Cassoulette – very tasty, but made me become vegetarian – it’s not easy to find all those meats in the US. Try Asian markets, or find a more Americanized version.
Beer – homemade can be so much better – cleanliness is key.
Cheese – still very new to this – your thermometer is your friend.
Wine – if I could stop doing everything else, I’d just make wine – Best advice I’ve ever gotten came to me 2nd hand from a very famous winemaker: “Get good grapes and don’t fuck em up.”
Pizza dough – easy as pie! – With 3 to 5 ingredients, you kick ass and you’ll be so happy.
Tortillas – I can eat these all day. – With 2 ingredients, you kick ass! A tortilla press is inexpensive and helpful, but I’ve made some of my best tortillas using an empty wine bottle as a rolling pin.
Tamales – if you’re gonna do tamales, do a LOT of them. I make em vegetarian, and I make everything from scratch. Takes me 8-10 hours, but I end up with 70 or so of them. I hear they freeze great, but they never make it to that point here.
Guacamole – I thought I knew how to make guacamole until my Mexican friend taught me her family recipe. Sorry, I can’t say any more.
Crepes – Amazingly versatile and tasty. Just a few ingredients, but the cooking takes practice. Don’t give up! I always have to throw away the first one to get the amount of oil right in the pan.
Souffle – memorize the recipe you’re doing. At certain points, it’s critical that you work fast.
Pretzels – the dough is irritatingly dry. There must be a better way to do them. I have a lot of trouble making long and thin enough ropes of dough. Tasty, though!
Limoncello – I make the best limoncello you’ve never had (well, maybe a couple of you have). Filter the water, filter the alcohol. Wash those lemons. Be patient, it’s worth it!
I’m looking for new challenges. What else is there that a lot of people don’t bother to learn to cook, or that’s considered difficult?
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Emerging tools enable firms to track trouble on their intranets without having to peer over workers' shoulders
Today I’m listening to…
Crescent
See more progress on: listen to new music every day
Today, I’m listening to:
See more progress on: listen to new music every day
An Internet Gullibility Quiz
See if you can pass this simple 'truth test' about Internet-generated legend and rumor
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