Cuba de Calor

A method of making fortified base wine for inexpensive Madeiras that involves heating the base wine in large vats fitted with serpentine-shaped, stainless steel heating coils very slowly over a period of 3-6 months.

What wine region is famous for pumpkinseed oil?

A. Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

B. Basque region, Spain

C. Styria, Austria

D. Tokaj-Hegyalja, Hungary

Pumpkinseed oil is a culinary icon in Austria. The oil comes from the seeds of a small, green-and-yellow striped pumpkin. The prized seeds are removed and washed by hand, then roasted, mashed, and pressed. (Far less valued, the pumpkin flesh is turned into feed for livestock). The oil is striking deep black/emerald green in color and has unctuous texture and an almost hauntingly intense, nutty flavor. Austrians drizzle it over lettuces, vegetables, and breads, and pour spoonfuls into soups including, of course, pumpkin soup.

Mocha Tequila? Painful.

Call us old-fashioned, but we like the idea of things tasting like the thing itself. Sauvignon blanc like sauvignon blanc; tequila like tequila, and so on. Here’s where we part company with ParTea, a new… Continue reading

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