Facebooking Foodies

I could never be a celebrity. Ever-present paparazzi lurking in my bushes and fabricated headlines about my latest breakup stand against my idea of a quiet, private lifestyle. So, I was hesitant joining the booming, online community of Facebook. It seemed to have a similar sense of putting your life on display for the world (not to mention the dread of some high school boyfriend whose name might appear in my inbox some random morning). In a day and age where people are Googling everyone they meet, I was nervous at the thought of people finding me online. Keep it simple, I told myself. I dove in; listing only my basic interests, and filtering only friends who wouldn’t embarrass me should a future employer tag me on the site. Friends came out of the woodwork, from old college pals to friends-of-friends living on the east coast, I reconnected and created a virtual network of amigos. Then something curious happened, perfect strangers began sending me messages. Now, if you’re new to Facebook, or have yet to explore it, the system allows you to search for people using key words, network associations, name, groups, or interests. One message was from a girl who joined a San Francisco-based food and wine group, which seemed to include almost 200 other like-minded foodies. I too had joined this group, but neither of us had yet to receive even a single invitation to join anyone for a night of chowing and imbibing the Bay Area’s finest food and wine. My new, virtual friend, Yumi, had taken matters into her own hands pulling people from the group of similar age and interests. She, like the rest of us, was ready to hit the San Francisco food and wine scene and make new friends in the process. Once she gathered around a dozen gals, she sent her first invitation for a night of nibbling and sampling wines from around the world at the Market Street wine bar, CAV. The first turnout was small, just five of us, but we were able to sample some velvety French Burgundy, a fabulous cheese plate, a spicy sausage dish, and a just-in-season pumpkin cheesecake.

Since the first meeting, there have been meet-ups at venues across the city from the hot happy-hour spot Americano to the San Francisco Opera and Friday Nights at De Young. We share details of our lives, smile for photos, and swap tales through our online meeting source, Facebook. Our little group, the spin-off of the larger one, even has a name, though we’re trying to keep it an intimate group to avoid the same problem we encountered with the larger one. Still feeling like somewhat of a newbie to the San Francisco scene, I’m getting over my fears of putting myself out there, even if it is online. Facebook is allowing me to combine some of my favorite things, trying great wines, eating delicious, fresh foods, and socializing with new faces. I may not be a celebrity, but I guess putting yourself out there isn’t so bad after all.

Tour de France Tasting Tour

Tour Drinkers

World-class cycling and wine-growing are two badges of honor for the French, as they are both part of the country’s identity. In fact, in days of old, riders of the Tour de France were provided with wine along the grand route to ‘nourish’ them and keep their spirits up during the grueling three weeks of riding. With the Tour de France well underway this year, we have been recalling a great visit to France for the Tour in 2002. While following in the mountain stages in the Alps and Lance Armstrong’s fourth Tour victory after a time trial win in Macon, we were fortunate enough to experience the local wines in each region. Whether enjoying a five course meal with a notable bottle Chignin-Bergeron from the Haute Savoie region by the Lac d’Annecy or sipping on a bottle of Macon-Villages table wine with local cheeses and meats on a baguette along the course, the wines of France added to our festivities as well as our cultural education along the way. What we have discovered in the years since is that the Tour makes for some great wine-tasting, even from our home here in the States. A wine map of France coupled with a map of the Tour makes for an easy guide to tasting your way along the Tour, a truly fun way to stretch your knowledge of French wines and introduce your palette to some new favorites.

For example, this year’s Tour began in England, one of the top countries to import French wines. After a time trial in London and the first road stage to Canterbury, the Tour moved to the European continent to begin a clock-wise tour of France. The cold weather wine-producing areas were the first on this year’s Tour, with an early stage from Belgium through the Champagne region, home to world renowned sparkling wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Riders then cycled through Chablis and the heart of the Burgundy region, known for both whites and red wines, also made with the above noted grapes. The TV race commentators even referenced team celebration of a stage win with a great bottle of local Chablis.

From Burgundy, the Tour heads to the Alps, and then on to the southern climes with the Cotes du Rhone region’s reds made from Syrah and Grenache grapes, front and center, followed by the reds and whites of Languedoc-Rousillon on the Mediterranean Sea, featuring Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay grapes. As the Tour heads north toward Paris, riders will skirt the Bordeaux region adding Cabernet Franc and Semillon to the list. Once back in the summer heat of Paris, riders and spectators will no doubt enjoy some of the famous white wines of both the Loire Valley, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, and Alsace Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Gewurztraminer, even though these wine-growing areas of France were not included in this year’s Tour.

So, go visit the French section of your local wine shop, armed with a map of the Tour de France (www.letour.com), and you too can enjoy these famous old world wines. Just don’t drink and ride!

Cork and Sustainability

I was recently at a dinner and the topic of conversation turned to cork, my good friend made a statement about the wine we were drinking, which happened to have a plastic “cork” stopper. She proceeded to tell the table that the wine industry has begun to move away from cork, embracing other methods such as plastic or screw cap enclosures, and that this was in fact a more “green” method. But is it really?

Well, I have to admit I was somewhat surprised myself to discover that cork harvesting is actually a very sustainable practice. Through a little bit of research I found that cork is both renewable and biodegradable. Almost nothing is wasted - each part of the cork tree serves an ecological or economic purpose. Cork trees are one of the few trees that can live without their bark, since the trees have two layers of bark, and the outside layer can be removed without hurting the tree just as long as the inner layer is not penetrated. Furthermore, since the trees are not cut down during the process of harvesting, they maintain the soil and prevent erosion from occurring.

Harvesting cork is an age-old practice that not only keeps the cork oak trees alive, it provides jobs for people and homes for several endangered species such as the Bonelli’s eagle, the Iberian lynx, the azure-winged magpie, and the Barbary deer. To protect these animals from losing their delicate ecosystems, consumers should remember to always try and buy cork, especially since wine-bottle closures account for almost 70 per cent of the cork market!

I guess you can say you are really drinking for a cause

Wine Columns for the Week of June 13, 2007

Like a zombie rising from the grave to feast on human flesh, the wine-ratings debate is revived once again in this week's SF Chronicle. As ever, Robert Parker receives a bit of a scolding, and the issue of competitive ratings between publications and what amounts to grade inflation also raises its unseemly, undead head. Elsewhere in the same section, there's an entertaining vignette of Thomas Keller handing out "snow cones" to Napa Valley Vintners auctionees, and Blake Grey discovers whether the "Catania Mezzo Wine Enhancer" can live up to its promise of all-natural enhancement.

Over in the Miami Herald, Fred Tasker sings the praises of negociants. In the WSJ, Gaiter and Brecher test the bold claims of boxed wine producers that the wines will keep for 6 weeks after opening. They conclude that the wines would indeed still be palatable -- if only they had been palatable in the first place.

• Download Wine Columns for the Week of June 13th, 2007

Wine Columns for Week of June 6, 2007

• Download Wine Columns for the Week of June 6th, 2007

Wine Columns for Week of May 30

• Download Wine Columns for the Week of May 30th, 2007