Corkscrew - Mail bonding August 01 2007

Letters let me know people actually give a shit about wine, so it’s with joy and rapture that I print some of the responses ... good and bad. Keep ‘em coming.</
corkscrew@creativeloafing.com</
Restaurant wine rules</
I enjoyed your missive on the art of bringing your own wine into wine-friendly restaurants (“Drink what you like,” April 4) and I have one suggestion ... My suggestion is that if you are bringing your own wine into a restaurant, it’s imperative to purchase at least one glass per person from the restaurant. Since you are lowering the check average and denying the restaurant its profit on the wine(s) that you are bringing in, the least you can do is help them out by buying something from them.</
Paul Moe</
Southern regional manager, San Francisco Wine Exchange</
Boca Raton, Fla.</
Wine, cooler</
Nice article (“The sweet spot,” May 2). I finally had the experience of asking for an ice bucket for red wine and NOT having the waiter look at me like I just asked for my foie gras well done. I guess it makes sense that it would happen [in California]. But I am baffled that people don’t get it around here more often!</
Bob Kreisher</
President, Mavrik Cellars</
Santa Rosa, Calif.</
Interesting topic ... I have tried [chilling reds]. Funny thing is ... I do find reds are easier to handle if they are cooler; however, my tongue and nose seem to miss the finer dimensions (cassis, berries, smoke, leather, white pepper, etc.), so I prefer them warm. And this is coming from a guy who was a staunch white drinker. I had a Bogle Zinfandel in the cooler yesterday, popped it and poured some ... for me, it gets better as it warms ... the wine opens up and, like cheese, the flavors emerge ... akin to sipping good cognac or single-malt Scotch.</
Rishi Ramkissoon</
Tampa, Fla.</
In defense of chardonnay</
Did Jess Jackson [owner of Kendall Jackson] piss you off before you sat down in front of your computer (“Give us butter or give us death,” June 27)? Chardonnay is like an old pair of slippers. [It’s] not glitzy or glamorous like a pair of Jimmy Choos, but they sure do make your feet feel good. In this world of sensory overload, it’s nice to just be comfortable for a few moments. This is not to say we should become complacent, only to suggest that however boring and mundane, even an overoaked, lifeless chardonnay has its place. But clearly in my refrigerator, not in my cellar.</
Vincent A Batiato</
Food and beverage director, Mattison’s</
Sarasota, Fla.</
Recommended Wine</
Hess 2005 Chardonnay Su’skol Vineyard Napa Valley Drink this one too cold and you’ll miss the fragrant, ripe pear; tropical pineapple; and not-overtoasty vanilla that ooze from these drops. It’s pricey, but tasty. Sw = 3. $24. 4 stars</
Sweetness (Sw) rating is out of 10, 10 being pure sugar. Star rating is out of 5, 5 being wine nirvana.