2011 Audi RS3 Sportback ? First Drive Review

Audi launches the ultimate compact hatchback, powered by an absolute marvel of an engine. After eight years in production with just minor face lifts, the current Audi A3 is just about ready to retire. The next generation, less than two years away, was previewed at the Geneva auto show by the A3 concept. The production version [...] Related posts:
  1. 2011 Audi RS3 – Car News
  2. 2010/11 Audi RS3 – Spied
  3. 2011 Audi A5 Sportback – Spied

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/4BwR4vmafDs/

Beppe Gabbiani Bertrand Gachot Patrick Gaillard Divina Galica Nanni Galli

Field Notes from a Wine Life ? Junk Food Edition

Odds and ends from a life lived through the prism of the wine glass…

Pizza in the Crosshairs

If you’re a foodie you like wine.  If you’re a wine enthusiast you appreciate good food.  Regardless of which side you lean, you appreciate the other side.  And, in my estimation, the common ground for wine enthusiasts and foodies is pizza. 

I’ve never met a single person who couldn’t wax philosophic about their favorite pie.  From New York thin crust to Chicago deep-dish to California-style gourmet pies, everybody loves pizza.  And, pizza, in a foodie society that rightfully denounces our Fast Food Nation, generally gets a hall pass.  It’s like M&M’s.  The locavore/whole foods/white table cloth person who swears to never eat junk food will bottom out a bowl of M&M’s, right?  The same thing happens with the foodie and their favorite pie.

image

Yet, despite the wino/foodie familial alignment, a distressful situation happened a couple of weeks ago:  On January 31, the USDA released the 2010, “Dietary Guidelines for Americans.”  In typical, “Good enough for government” fashion, the 2010 guidelines were released in 2011, and noted in not so subtle terms that pizza is public enemy #1 in battling the near epidemic levels of obesity and diabetes in the US.

Ahem.  I liked it better when the devil’s spawn was McDonald’s and not the staff of life … a slice of ‘za.

Aside from the truly scary fact that pizza is the number two source of calories for kids aged 2-18 (link initiates download of the entire report), it seems that pizza has everything that is bad for us – saturated and solid fats, sodium, added sugar and refined grains.

All I can say is I’m glad I’m on the wine side of the foodie/wino equation because Resveratrol, the little wine miracle compound, has been shown to have great potential in reducing obesity and diabetes.  So, to the USDA and Obama’s Victory Garden I say, “I’m in your corner more often than not, but don’t demonize pizza, my man.  All things in moderation, and paired with a nice red.”

You can read the Dietary Guidelines at this link.  Mark Bittman and his book Food Matters is the antidote (if you’re interested) and Resveratrol research is as prevalent as pizza joints in the suburbs.

Speaking of Junk Food

Palate training for a wine enthusiast is a process that is fraught with challenge.  No two people are necessarily going to get the same secondary or third-level notes on the same glass of wine so training is often a singular pursuit measured by much trial and error – bottle after bottle of wine, an aroma list by varietal and many tasting notes cross-referenced against a wine critic whose palate you respect. 

image

But, what if you trained your palate not with wine, but with a soda and what if you knew the list of ingredients so you could test your palate in a quantifiable manner?

I saw an NPR news report earlier this week that noted the proprietary recipe for Coca-Cola was revealed in a 1979 Atlanta Journal-Constitution article.  With the republished recipe, the NPR report isn’t so much news as it is a consumer interest piece – secret recipes the likes of the Colonel’s 11 secret spices or the 23 flavors in a Dr. Pepper always garnering attention.

The recipe itself is a bit of an aha moment for those that grew up in a Coke household, as I did – allowed one glass of Coke a day.  Containing a number of essential oils, a glass of Coke and a review against the alleged recipe allows for a simple palate test, as I did yesterday.

Give it a try.  I wouldn’t use a fountain Coke, but any old bottle from the convenience store will do, probably better if you go to a Mexican grocery store to get the version with pure cane sugar for purity of flavors.

I picked up the lime juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and Neroli which is similar to orange peel, offering an orange-tinged bitter note in my own palate exercise.  The lemon oil presented itself on the latter portion of the mid-palate.  Though, coriander and vanilla eluded me.  How will you do?

The alleged original Coke recipe (from NPR at this link):

Fluid extract of Coca 3 drams USP
Citric acid 3 oz
Caffeine 1 oz
Sugar 30 (qty. unclear)
Water 2.5 gal
Lime juice 2 pints
Vanilla 1 oz
Caramel 1.5 oz or more to colour
7X flavour (use 2 oz of flavour to 5 gals syrup):
Alcohol 8 oz
Orange oil 20 drops
Lemon oil 30 drops
Nutmeg oil 10 drops
Coriander 5 drops
Neroli 10 drops
Cinnamon 10 drops

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/field_notes_from_a_wine_life_junk_food_edition/

Bruce Halford Jim Hall Duncan Hamilton Lewis Hamilton David Hampshire

Dry Comal Creek Vineyards ? Order of the Purple Foot? Grape Stomp

Time is getting near for Dry Comal Creek?s 8th Annual Grape Stomp at Dry Comal Creek ? Aug 7-8 & 14-15 As of this post the Sat Aug 14 day has been sold out as per their web site.  Sat Aug 7,8,15 are still open.  What a great way to spend a weekend get away [...]

Source: http://thegrapesaroundtexas.com/2010/08/03/dry-comal-creek-vineyards-order-of-the-purple-foot-grape-stomp/

José Froilán González Oscar González Aldo Gordini Horace Gould Jean Marc Gounon

Remembering A Cornerstone Of My Wine Education

I usually don’t have the time to read the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal until Sunday along with the morning paper. And usually I just grab the “Off Duty” section where the food and wine coverage appears. This weekend, the wine column is by Jay McInerney who profiles wine writer and salesmen Alexis [...]

Remembering A Cornerstone Of My Wine Education originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/i3nHTi8quIQ/

Max Jean Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson Leslie Johnson Bruce Johnstone

Welcome to the Holiday Rush

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving with family and friends. For me, as always it was nice to get a couple of days off as well as spending some time with those closest to me. Black Friday has come and gone, but the newly named Cyber Monday comes tomorrow and frankly I’m excited to [...]

Source: http://winewithmark.info/archives/615

Naoki Hattori Paul Hawkins Mike Hawthorn Boy Hayje Willi Heeks

Ogier loses ground in Rankings

Sebastien Ogier's late mistake while leading Rally Mexico was not only a major blow to his World Rally Championship aspirations, but also hit his standing in the Castrol EDGE Rankings. Had he hung on and taken his first win of 2011, Ogier was set to surge into the top 15 in the Castrol EDGE Rankings, but instead he slipped four places to 23rd. Ogier's crash handed victory to Sebastien Loeb, and this meant the reigning WRC champion hung on to his third place in the Castrol EDGE Rankings - which he stood to lose to Fernando Alonso had he failed to continue his Mexico winning streak.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/world-rally-championship-news/wrc/ogier-loses-ground-in-rankings/

Sam Hanks Walt Hansgen Mike Harris Cuth Harrison Brian Hart