Dinner with Manuel and Josie in New York (23 April 2004)

Regarding dishes & pairings... So yummi as usual ;))))

Cheers,

Jose

I look forward to more wine discoveries (amongst other things) with you. Your comments about Pinot Noir interest me. Yes, a great expression of terroir but I hear it can do serious damage to your bank balance! ;>)

Wine is not all about power for me. Red varietals I enjoy include Syrah, Grenach and Tempranillo (good traditional Rioja and some newer styles). Cabernet Sauvignon can be hit and miss for me and I have had mixed experiences with fine Boreaux reds. Don’t ask me to name my 5 favourite Spanish producers as I don’t have enough experience with them (yet). Having said that, Bodegas Vina Tondonia’s Gran Reserva’s may be one of them.

N

Break the bank? Yes, a bottle of 1988 Drouhin Musigny does run you a bit over $125, but then again, so do so many of those California ";cult"; wines. You just have to ask yourself which is wasting maney and which spending it wisely... There’s a wonderful show on the SHOWTIME cable network in the US, ";Penn & Teller: Bullshit!"; In it, the two comedians/magicians do their best to debunk, using all scientific and argumentative means, any number of myths and urban legends. Maybe I should drop them a line and suggest they do a program on all the BS that thrives out there regarding Pinot Noir, that noblest of grape varieties.

By the way, something that’s always bothered me about many, many wine writers and denizens of fora all over is their mistaken usage of the word ";varietal"; as a noun. The ending of the word clearly suggests that its primary function is as an adjective (a modifier for a noun, as in ";frontal lobe"; or ";marital vow";); of course it can be nominalized, in the sense that a ";varietal wiine"; (i.e., a wine made from one variety of grape) can be crunched into a ";varietal."; We must, of course, emphasize that ";varietal"; always refers to the wine itself and not to the grape, which is of a ’variety.’ Syrah = Variety. Hermitage = Varietal.

This has been a public service of my fastidious linguist alter-ego, who simply won’t shut up and allow for the deevolution of our mother tongues to continue in its merry way...

M.

Thanks Nicos ... I’ll keep yourn info in mind ... I’m glad you had scuch a great time (and that you took the bother to report it to us ;)

MaJesus

Manuel,

Some interesting points to think about, and who would have thought a New Yorker such as yourself would be giving me, a native Londoner, an English lesson on a sunday! Thanks.

N

Well, I am a polymorphously perverse sort of geek, Nicos. My interests are very far and wide. On top of that, though I am a native of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, I do believe my first three degrees in college and graduate school (one of which, for all it’s worth, is an MA from King’s College, London) are all in English Literature. Lots of linguistics thrown into the picture. Only at PhD level did I begin to diversify and show what I could do.

I should add that my ayatollahesque zeal extends not just to English and Spanish. Mess with the French language and you should see how I get.

It’s like with the music... Were it not for my impaired left hand, chances are I would not just drop beats on the decks, I would also pick up my bass and add a lick or two. One thing is to preach it. Another to live it.

M.