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Ask Zagat: What's Vegan Wine?

BuzzEditor — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:04:00 GMT

We recently heard about an event in Boston that left us wondering. UpStairs on the Square, a popular restaurant in Cambridge, is hosting a dinner with vegan wine pairings. What is vegan wine? Being made from grapes, wine seems like it would be an acceptable choice for those who had sworn off animal products.

Well, according to animal-rights activism group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), during the filtration process of regular wines, isinglass (a pure form of gelatin derived from fish bladders) and egg whites are occasionally used as finings to remove sediment or impurities. Vegan wine, however, uses inert clay powder bentonite or the mineral kaolin instead. Currently there are roughly 20 certified brands of vegan wine, with the easy-to-find Yellowtail brand being one of them.

Ask Zagat: Why Is Kosher Wine Different From All Other Wines?

BuzzEditor — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 22:26:00 GMT

photo: RaeA

At Passover seders from April 19th–27th, many who don't keep kosher will drink kosher wine in honor of the holiday. While Manischewitz (which is made with Concord grapes and, to compensate for the grape’s acidic taste, lots of sugar) is one of the biggest names in kosher wine, there are now many more types out there. With that in mind, the Buzz asked Tom Geniesse, founder of Bottlerocket Wines in New York City, to explain why kosher wine is different from all other wines.

“A wine is kosher if all the people who handle the wine from the vineyards all the way through the bottling process are Sabbath-observant,” Geniesse says. Therefore, in order for a rabbi to bless the final product, every detail in the wine-making process – down to the soap used to wash the vats – must comply with kosher law.

But not all kosher wines are created equal. There are two types of kosher wines: Mevushal (which means “to boil” in Hebrew) and non-Mevushal. Years ago, in order to make Mevushal wines, wine makers “would literally boil the wine, totally destroy it, and make it horrible,” Geniesse says. “But now they use modern flash pasteurization.”

Different rules apply to these two categories of kosher vinos. If a wine is “non-Mevushal, which means non-cooked,” Geniesse says, “then once it’s opened, if a non-Jew were to touch the bottle or serve someone a glass, it’s rendered non-kosher.” With Meshuval wine, like the traditional Manischewitz, people of any religion can handle it.

So before you resign yourself to the thought of drinking not-so-stellar wine at this year’s seder, remember that there are lots of high-quality kosher wines. According to Geniesse, an interest in kosher wine “popped in a big way” in the 1980s and now top-notch producers, especially in California and Israel, are showcasing Passover-friendly vinos. As long as the wine-making process complies with kosher laws, any winery can produce a kosher wine.

“There are good wines and bad wines of all kinds,” Geniesse says. “Because a kosher wine is kosher doesn’t mean it isn’t a world-class wine.”

If you are unsure of which kosher wine will best suit your tastes, ask your local wine store clerk for guidance. Many urban wine stores create kosher wine sections in preparation for the holiday.

– Emily Hirsch

Excuse Me, Waiter, There's a Flower in My Salad

BuzzEditor — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:04:00 GMT

In honor of the Macy's Flower Show in NYC, Macy’s Cellar Bar and Grill is serving a Flower Show Salad.

photo: Patina Restaurant Group

Just in time for spring, edible flowers are sprouting up in restaurants all over. Fancy Chinese Kai Mayfair even offers a special three-course edible flower menu. Have you ever wondered which kinds of flowers are safe to eat and how they taste?

Primroses, violets, roses, lavender, day lilies and many more are all consumable. According to Kathy Brown, owner of The Manor House Garden located 50 miles outside of London and author of The Edible Flower Garden, these blossoms taste just the way you’d think they would.

"Imagine the scent of the most perfumed rose – that’s what rose sorbet or rose butter icing on a cake taste like. Imagine the pungent glorious smell of lavender – that’s the flavor of lavender jelly or lavender-chicken casserole," Brown said.

The more heavily scented the flower, the more flavorful it tends be, but even then it’s unlikely it will overpower the dish. In fact, many edible flowers, such as hollyhock, have very little flavor. Ultimately, edible flowers aren’t about adding seasoning or flavor; they’re used to add color, texture and personality to a dish, according to Brown.

"They quite literally transform a meal,” Brown says. Lilacs and marigolds add splashes of vibrant color while primroses and day lilies add distinctive texture (smoothness and crunchiness respectively).

Floral enthusiasts, take heed: there’s no way to determine whether or not a flower can be eaten just by looking at it. Consult guides, like Brown’s book, for a list of permissible flowers. And, Brown, warns, never eat store-purchased flowers because they could be doused in various chemicals. Eat only restaurant-prepared edible flowers or, if you’re feeling horticultural, flowers you have grown yourself.

People with springtime allergies may be nervous about consuming flowers, but they probably have little reason to worry. That's because most are allergic to tree pollen not flowers, according to Dr. William Reisacher, an ear, nose and throat specialist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. You may not want to go overboard with the edible blooms the first time you try them since you don't know if you'll have a reaction. Keep your allergy in the back of your mind and, as Dr. Reisacher says, “be cautious.”

– Emily Hirsch

Ask Zagat: Do Champagne Flutes Make a Difference?

BuzzEditor — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:28:00 GMT

Got a dining question you're too embarrassed to ask your server about? Ask Zagat.

With the king of all sparkling-wine-soaked holidays approaching – that'd be New Year's Eve – Zagat Buzz turned to a man who knows his champagne from his prosecco, Hervé Rousseau, to answer our bubbly-related questions. Rousseau, owner of NYC champagne bars Flûte Gramercy and Flûte Midtown, spoke to the Buzz from Paris, where he is opening a third Flûte this New Year's Eve.

Zagat Buzz: Are champagne flutes purely decorative? We've heard white wine glasses are better for encouraging the aromas of champagne.

Rousseau: Sure, why not, it can help the aroma. But the thing about the flute is that it concentrates the flavor and it also keeps the fizziness in the champagne longer. Because the wider the glass, the more CO2 is going to escape. That is why when people would drink champagne out of cups, before they had flutes, the champagne would go flat very quickly. More quickly than with flutes.

And a little tip about flutes. It is better to hold it by the stem. And not because you want to look like a wine connoisseur, the only reason is that this way you won't warm up your glass, basically. Champagne, like any good wine, hates an abrupt change in temperature.

Do you have a dining question you'd like answered? Drop us a line at buzz@zagat.com!

Ask Zagat: Cork or Plastic? Letting Wine Breathe

BuzzEditor — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 19:24:00 GMT

Does cork type matter?

Got a dining question you're too embarrassed to ask your server about? Ask Zagat.

This week we received two related wine questions and so once again we turned to Roger Dagorn, Master Sommelier at New York's Chanterelle, to answer them.

Zagat Buzz: What is the difference between a plastic cork and a cork cork?

Roger Dagorn: They are both stoppers. A real cork does breathe though, and so allows for some interaction between the wine and air – in a good way.

Real cork is especially good for those wines that need to be laid down and aged for a bit. But as most wines do not need that, plastic corks will work just as well.

ZB: And should wine breathe after it has been opened?

RD: It depends on the wine. If the wine is tannic or has been closed for a long time, it will need time to oxygenate after opening. But most wines do not need it. For example, most white wines are ready to be consumed as soon as the cork is pulled.

Do you have a dining question you'd like answered? Drop us a line at buzz@zagat.com!

Ask Zagat: Executive Chef or Chef de Cuisine?

BuzzEditor — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:33:00 GMT

Got a dining question you're too embarrassed to ask your server about? Ask Zagat.

Once again we turn to John Fischer, an associate professor in table service at the Culinary Institute of America's Escoffier Restaurant, to answer this week's question.

Zagat Buzz: What’s the difference between an executive chef and a chef de cuisine?

Fischer: The chef de cuisine is basically the boss of the kitchen. The executive chef is sometimes also the chef de cuisine but often the executive chef isn’t in the kitchen doing the actual work.

So celebrity chefs will often be the executive chef while they have a chef de cuisine who is in the restaurant working every day.

Do you have a dining question you'd like answered? Drop us a line at buzz@zagat.com!

Ask Zagat: White Zin or Rosé?

BuzzEditor — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:19:00 GMT

Got a dining question you're too embarrassed to ask your server about? Ask Zagat.

This week we go to a question submitted by Zagat member hudsong631: "Here's one that my wife and I always debate over at dinner – she loves to drink "rose" wine and I always tell her each time that it's the same as Zinfandel – the kind you can get at your local supermarket for 4.99. She swears there is a vast difference – I disagree. So, what's the difference between rose and Zinfandel?"

Before we could get an expert to answer, Zagat member RebeccaD343557 pointed out the main difference between the two: "Whereas you are probably thinking of the nasty sweet White Zin from the 80's, a good rose can be made from any red grape varietal, or combination of grapes (incl white)."

In other words, not all Rosés are made from Zinfandel grapes. For further elucidation on the topic, we turned to Roger Dagorn, Master Sommelier at New York's Chanterelle restaurant:

Zagat Buzz: What is the difference between White Zinfandel and Rosé?

Dagorn: Zinfandel is a red grape variety – in its original form it is a full-bodied, hearty red wine. [Rosé is a type of wine.] You see, red wines get the color from the skin; the juice itself is clear. If it is macerated with the skin it takes on that color. That’s why all red wine starts off as clear juice.

With times changing in California in the '60s and '70s, red Zinfandel was no longer popular and so Sutter Home – which had planted lots of Zinfandel – had the bright idea that they were going to harvest their Zinfandel, crush it and remove the skins before it tainted the clear juice.

By fermenting that clear juice they made White Zinfandel, and with a little bit of tinting it could become a Rosé. They called it blush.

It was all marketing but it took off and became quite popular as White Zinfandel or blush wine. Those are not as popular as they used to be though, and mostly Zinfandel is back to its original state as being a red wine.

Do you have a dining question you'd like answered? Drop us a line at buzz@zagat.com!

Ask Zagat: Sommelier or Wine Steward?

BuzzEditor — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 16:12:00 GMT

Got a dining question you're too embarrassed to ask your server about? Ask Zagat.

Once again we turn to John Fischer, an associate professor in table service at the Culinary Institute of America's Escoffier Restaurant, to answer this week's question.

Zagat Buzz: What's the difference between a sommelier and a wine steward?

Fischer: A sommelier [is] the person in the room selling wine to people, helping them choose good wine for the money they want to spend. They should know enough about the wine to recommend it with food and know if the wine is good enough.

A wine steward is essentially the same thing – just using English instead of French.

But when you get to something like wine director, that’s someone who has managerial responsibilities. Sometimes they will also be called the wine buyer or even beverage manager.

Do you have a dining question you'd like answered? Drop us a line at buzz@zagat.com!

Ask Zagat: Amuse-Bouche or Appetizer?

BuzzEditor — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 19:51:00 GMT

We at the Buzz are often asked questions about dining that people may be too embarrassed to ask their servers. Hence our new "Ask Zagat" feature, in which we uncover the answers to all your restaurant-related queries.

We turned to John Fischer, an associate professor in table service at the Culinary Institute of America's Escoffier Restaurant, to answer our inaugural question.

Zagat Buzz: So, what exactly is the difference between an amuse-bouche and an appetizer?

Fischer: An amuse-bouche is usually a little bit of food. It literally means "to amuse your mouth." It is supposed to be one bite of food that comes out unexpected and unbidden. It’s a way for chefs to welcome guests by giving them something that is free – though it is actually paid for by the rest of the stuff they buy – but it is also intended to show off the house style a little bit.

An appetizer is a first course that would be ordered from a menu.

Do you have a dining question you'd like answered? Drop us a line at buzz@zagat.com!