Rant: Drinking Advice For The Rest Of The Year

Today is Labor Day, what many people see as the unofficial end of Summer, despite the fact that the official end isn't until September 22. Labor Day also presages changes in the wine and beverage world, beyond the fact it is grape harvest season, and consumers need to pay attention. There are opportunities now that they should take advantage of, to learn more about wine and other beverages, to experience different drinks, and to enjoy plenty of delicious drinks. I've compiled some drinking advice for the the fall and rest of the year..

1) Don't Stop Drinking Rosé 
It's a myth that Rosé is only a Summer wine. The reality is that Rosé can and should be consumed year-round, no matter what the season, especially as it's excellent with food. Don't be fooled by those who try to claim it is only a seasonal wine. The better wine stores understand it is great all year round and thus they will stock Rosé throughout  the year, even though many distributors don't push Rosé during this time. Thanksgiving is an excellent occasion for Rosé. For more thoughts on this topic, check out Don't Stop Drinking Rosé.

2) Don't Stress Over Thanksgiving Wines
The holidays are a stressful enough time that you really shouldn't add to your stress by worrying about the wine. Do you really need specific Thanksgiving wine recommendations? I don't think so. The more I ponder the question, the more I realize that all you need for Thanksgiving are some good wines, the varietals and/or blends being much less important. As long as they don't blatantly clash with the meal, then they should work and few wines are going to so blatantly clash. Drink wines you'll enjoy and don't worry so much about "perfect pairings." For more thoughts on this topic, check out Rant: Stop Stressing Over Thanksgiving Wine.

3) Don't Be Cheap Buying Holiday Wines
As the holidays approach, you might be planning to host parties for your family and friends. You might need a selection of wine for these celebrations. Price is usually a significant factor in your decision as to which wines to purchase. However, instead of buying just the cheapest wine at a shop, ask the staff at that store for their recommendations for the best value wines. They might be able to suggest wines you might not have considered, wines which offer excellent value as well as taste. These are also some great discount wine shops worthy of your attention, offering compelling wines at a low price point. For more thoughts on this topic, check out Rant: When Choosing Holiday Wines, Don't Be A Cheapskate and Rant: Don't Be Lazy When Buying Wine As A Gift.

4) Celebrate Sake Day on October 1
Nihonshu no Hi, known in English as Sake Day, originated over 40 years ago, in 1978, by a declaration of the Japan Sake Brewers Association and is now celebrated worldwide. Japanese Sake remains a niche beverage in the U.S. so this is a perfect day to learn more about it, to sample some delicious Sake, and understand its wonders. Some local restaurants and wine shops may offer Sake Day celebrations and you should avail yourselves of that opportunity. For more thoughts on this topic, check out Celebrate Sake Day!

5) Celebrate International Sherry Week in November
This year, International Sherry Week will be held from November 8-14. Sherry may be one of the tastiest, most intriguing, and unique wines that you're probably not drinking. It remains a tiny niche beverage in the U.S. and like Sake Day, this is a perfect opportunity to learn more about Sherry, to sample some delicious bottles, and understand its wonders. This will be at least a couple thousand Sherry events across the world, and Taberna de Haro in Brookline always participates, holding some amazing Sherry events. For more thoughts on Sherry, check out All About Sherry.

6) DON'T DRINK & DRIVE!!
This is one of the most important pieces of advice you'll receive this season. Please give this your full attention. If you've had too much alcohol to drink, if there is any doubt in your mind, don't drive. Just don't do it! Err on the side of caution so that if you have any doubt of your capacity to drive, then please do not drive. Take a taxi or Uber, catch a ride with someone else, walk or sleep it off. Just don't drive! For more thoughts on this topic, check out Rant: DON'T DRINK & DRIVE...OR ELSE!!

What post-Labor Day drinking advice would you like to add?

New Sampan Article: The First Chinese Restaurants in Cambridge,

"The most interesting feature of Chinese life to me was that on board their boats, or sampans, as they are called....Upon these boats live whole families of three and even four generations."

--The Fall River Daily Herald, November 20, 1888

For over a year, I've been contributing to Sampan, the only bilingual Chinese-English newspaper in New England. It is published in print as well as online, available in both Chinese and English. I've previously written twenty-eight articles for Sampan, and you can find links here.

My newest article, The First Chinese Restaurants in Cambridge, is now available in the new issue of Sampan. The first Chinese restaurants in Boston’s Chinatown appeared during the 1880s, but when did the first Chinese restaurant appear across the river, in Cambridge? It appears their first Chinese restaurant wasn’t established until June 1902, the Harvard Chinese Restaurant. And the second Chinese restaurant wouldn't appear until 1915. Learn more about this intriguing history in the full article.

What is a "sampan?" The newspaper's site states, "A sampan is a popular river boat in traditional China. This small but useful vessel, by transporting cargo from large boats to the village ports, creates a channel of communication among villages." And like that type of boat, Sampan delivers news and information all across New England, and "acts a bridge between Asian American community organizations and individuals in the Greater Boston area."

Sampan, which was founded in 1972, is published by the nonprofit Asian American Civic Association, "The newspaper covers topics that are usually overlooked by the mainstream press, such as key immigration legislation, civil rights, housing, education, day-care services and union activities. These issues are crucial to the well-being of Asian immigrants, refugees, low-income families as well as individuals who are not proficient in the English language."

There is plenty of interest in Sampan which will appeal to all types of readers, from restaurant reviews to historical articles, from vital news stories to travel items. In these current days when racism and prejudice against Asians and their restaurants is high, it's more important than ever that accurate information about the Asian community is disseminated and promoted. We need to combat the irrational prejudices that some possess, and support our Asian communities just as we would support any other element of our overall community. We are all important aspects of a whole, and we need to stand together.

Support Sampan!

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I'm back again with a new edition of Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food and drink events. I hope everyone dines out safely and tips well.
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1) John Gauntner, one of the world's top Sake experts, is holding the 6th live online running of the Sake Professional Course, to be held via Zoom on three consecutive weekends from Japan. The dates will be Sunday, October 3, Saturday & Sunday October 9 & 10, and Saturday and Sunday October 16 & 17, from 10:00am to 1:30pm JST (Japan Standard Time) each day. 

Note, for those in the US, because Japan is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Time (NYC time), the dates for the US will be Saturday, October 3, Friday & Saturday October 9 and 10, and Friday and Saturday October 16 and 17, from 9:00pm to 12:30am Eastern Time. 

For those that are not night owls, busy at those times, or inevitably have to miss a session, Zoom recordings will be made available immediately following each session. Furthermore, John will be available for questions about the material at any time throughout the course.

The content of this intensive sake live online course will be identical to that of the Sake Professional Course held across the US and in Japan, with the exception of extensive sake tastings, and sake brewery visits. The goal of this course is that “no sake stone remains left unturned,” and John's motto is “exceed expectations for the course.” Every conceivable sake-related topic will be covered across the five three-hour sessions.

The course is geared toward industry professionals wishing to expand their horizons in a thorough manner into the world of sake, and will therefore be somewhat technical in nature, and admittedly somewhat intense. It is likely more than the average consumer needs but the course is open to anyone with an interest in sake and will certainly be enjoyable. The course lectures and tasting will begin with the utter basics, and will thoroughly progress through and cover everything related to sake. Like its in-person counterparts held in the US and Japan each year, it will be quite simply the most thorough and comprehensive English-language sake education in existence.

Each of the five sessions will include a 20-minute break in the middle, a thorough question and answer period, and a tasting exercise of one to three sake (to be procured by each student based on to-be-provided list) held at the end of the session. (Participation in the tasting session is optional!)

The course is recognized by the Sake Education Council, and those that complete it will be qualified to take an exam for Certified Sake Professional certification, which will be offered online on Saturday, July 31, via Classmate. Those that pass the exam will be receive a certificate, and be recognized on the Sake Education Council website as a Certified Sake Professional.

The tuition for the five-session course, including all materials and certification testing is US$375. Also, participants can apply a portion of this amount as a discount to the tuition of the live in-person Sake Professional Course at any time in the future.

Participation is limited and reservations can be made now to secure a seat; full payment will be requested by Friday, September 24. Download a pdf of this announcement here. For reservations or inquiries, please send an email to sakeguy@gol.com.

I've taken John's live course and it was superb, so comprehensive, and you will definitely learn so much about all aspects of Sake. John is an excellent teacher, and I highly recommend this course to anyone who truly wants to learn all about Sake.

2) Tambo 22, an excellent Peruvian restaurant in Chelsea, is now offering half-priced appetizers at the bar on weeknights from 5pm-6:30pm. You can order Enjoy a hand crafted cocktails and then your choice of Yucca Frita, Ceviche de Tarwi, Wings, or Anticuchos (Beef or Paiche). All delicious choices and even better at half-price. 

Bar seats can be reserved here and walk-ins are welcome. 

Baijiu Pop-Ups at Backbar: Learn About This Fascinating Chinese Spirit

The Boston Baijiu Bar, a pop-up at Backbar in Union Square in Somerville, is coming later this month and will be an excellent opportunity to learn about and sample Baijiu, a unique Chinese spirit that is also the world's most popular spirit. I've previously written about 14 articles about Baijiu, trying to promote this fascinating niche spirit. 

Nick Lappen. a bartender at Backbar, conceived of the Boston Baijiu Bar pop-up as a way to educate consumers about Baijiu, to allow them to sample the various types of Baijiu and correct their misconceptions about this beverage. Nick is a Boston native, but lived for five years in the province in China, where he fell in love with Baijiu.

 

The Boston Baijiu Bar can be found @bostonbaijiubar on Instagram. The pop up will run for at least three Thursdays in September. The first date will be Thursday, September 9th, but that date is already sold out! There are still reservations available for September 16th and 23rd. There will be multiple seatings, at 5pm, 7pm, and 9pm, with each session lasting about and hour and a half. The venue only has 6 seats so this will be is an intimate experience. 

The cost of the event is $35 per person which includes a Baijiu cocktail, a flight of the four major aroma categories of Baijiu, a sample of a Baijiu of your choice, and some light snacks. During the course of the event, Nick will discuss the history, production methods, and various styles of Baijiu. You get a lot of value for the price, and will undergo a rather unique experience as many people haven't sampled the different Baijiu types. 

In addition, 10% of the ticket price will be donated to Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center and it will also be matched by Backbar. Nick has also acquired some Ming River Baijiu Tiki Mugs, like the two seen above, and will be offering them for sale at the event. and 100% of the sale price will also be donated to Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center.

Reservations can be made by direct message via @bostonbaijiubar at Instagram or by emailing bostonbaijiubar@gmail.com 

After September, if the Baijiu events go well, Nick could run even more Baijiu pop-ups, and maybe larger such events.  

Quinta da Baseira Tinto Bom: A Red Vinho Verde

As I mentioned previously, many people don't realize the diversity of Vinho Verde, generally as they've had no experience with its other forms. For most people, it's commonly a light and refreshing white wine, crisp and full of bright citrus flavors, simple and easy to drink, with a touch of effervescence. But there is more to Vinho Verde than this example, including Red Vinho Verde.

The Vinho Verde DOC, broken into nine subregions, produces about 87% White wine, 6% Rosé, and 7% Red, so Red is uncommon, and rare to find on local wine shop shelves. While perusing the shelves at the Meditrina Wine & Cheese shop in Chester, Vermont, I found the 2017 Quinta da Baseira Tinto Bom (around $22), a Red Vinho Verde, which I had to buy due to the rarity of this style. At the time, I knew nothing else about this wine but I was willing to take a chance. 

Antonio Ribeiro Pereira owns two vineyards, Baseira and Freixo, on the banks of the Tâmega River in the Amarante subregion of the Vinho Verde DOC. The vineyards are certified organic and in the process of obtaining Demeter Biodynamic certification as well. 

The Tinto Bom is produced from 100% Tinta Nacional, also known as Vinhão or Sousao, which is the primary grape for most Red Vinho Verde. It is a thick-skinned grape with high acidity, and can produce very dark red wines. The grapes for this wine are trod by foot in steel vats, and aged in stainless steel for about three years. With a 13% ABV, the wine is also unfined, unfiltered, and has no added So2. It is more of a natural wine, intended to show the terroir of the vineyard. 

On the nose, there were interesting red fruit aromas with a hint of earthiness. It was medium-bodied, with a medium-red color, less dark than expected, and on the palate it was light, crisp and refreshing, with a mild effervescence, and flavors of red and black berries, and an earthy undertone. It possessed an intriguing taste, complex and delicious, with a lengthy and pleasing finish. Simply delicious. Serve slightly chilled, and enjoy on its own or with anything grilled.

The world needs more Red Vinho Verde.