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Number of fortune cookies Jay McInerney has been commissioned to write by Hakkasan, the luxury Chinese restaurant chain, according to The New Yorker. McInerney’s new gig (he’s normally a novelist and wine writer) suggests an until-now untapped field for wine writers wanting to branch out. The cookies will be produced by Wonton Foods which makes 5 million fortune cookies a day.

A barnyard, horse blanket, or sweat-soaked leather aroma in a wine may be a sign of:

A. Sulfites

B. TCA

C. Volatile Acidity

D. Brettanomyces

Brettanomyces (aka Brett) is a type of yeast that causes aromas and flavors politely known as “barnyard.” Brettanomyces can exist in cellars, barrels, and hoses, and from there, migrate into wine. Because it is a yeast, Brettanomyces can grow in the wine, causing a more severe barnyard character with time. Critics of brettanomyces say it robs a wine of its true flavors and has no place in winemaking. But supporters find that small amounts add a certain complexity to wine, and can give it an aged flavor.

Chernobyl Vodka—No Kidding

In the please-tell-me-it’s-not-true department comes this: a new “artisan vodka” is being made in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant’s “Exclusion Zone,” according to The Smithsonian. The Chernobyl Nuclear Plant in the Ukraine exploded in 1986,… Continue reading

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