October 3, 2011

Wine For Normal People Radio : Episode 29 -- Just Dessert (Wines, of course!)

By popular demand, we finally did it. Hopefully you'll feel you got your "Just Desserts..." (cheesy, I know, but I gotta be me).

Here is the link: WFNP: Just Desserts


This is an OVERVIEW (yes, there are some dessert wines we left out...sorry Vin Santo and Australian stickies...we'll get you next time) of some of the major dessert wines available.

Rick and I hit some high level points and, in true Wine For Normal People fashion, we discuss everything from the NASCAR grape (NASCAR is US auto-racing for those of you abroad) to why rot is so awesome in dessert wine...

Here are the show notes:
  1. Port: The big daddy of dessert wine
  2. A shout out to sweet Champagne…en vogue again
  3. Madeira: Thomas Jefferson’s favorite
  4. Sherry: Not an old-lady drink
  5. Vin doux Naturel – not really naturally sweet, but tasty nonetheless
  6. Why moldy grapes make kick-ass wine everywhere from Germany to Hungary
  7. A word on late harvest wines
I would love to hear from you! Write a comment below or on the Facebook Page. And please review us on iTunes and we'll give you a shout out!
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6 comments:

  1. WilliamDecember 2, 2011 at 11:46 AM

    Hi Elizabeth! Falling behind here so I am catching up. Good ep! I and my S.O. who studied abroad in Portugal last year loved this ep. One thing though, seemed to end rather abruptly. Did you have to run out to another wine tasting?

    Just wondering. Keep up the good work, looking forward to the Napa Podcasts! (Except it will just make me want to go back).

    -Will

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  2. Wine For Normal PeopleDecember 7, 2011 at 10:39 AM

    Will,

    First, I'm glad you liked the episode! Second, sorry that it sounded like it ended abruptly -- poor editing on our part, I think, is to blame, not anyone in a rush! Sorry to be a little lame. We try to seem smooth, but sometimes we're just normal and that means lame editing occasionally. Sorry!

    I've been all over Europe, but never to Portugal. I would LOVE to make it there. Keeping my fingers crossed it's sooner rather than later!

    Thanks a million for listening and commenting! Hope to hear from you again soon!
    Elizabeth

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  3. UnknownFebruary 24, 2013 at 8:47 AM

    I listened to this episode last week and then went on a hunt for PX. Since making ice cream is my thing, I knew I had to try a concoction with this sherry. So long Rum Raisin. Hello PX Raisin! Made it today and it is awesome!!
    Followed this recipe, more or less: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-2007273/Stein-Spain-Raisin-ice-cream-Pedro-Xim-nez-sherry.html
    Used more sherry than called for :) and soaked the raisins overnight. Sharing with my work colleagus tomorrow for a wider verdict, but I predict a hit and a new, wonderful flavor in my ice cream lineup.

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  4. Wine For Normal PeopleFebruary 28, 2013 at 12:10 AM

    Rhonda,

    That is SO cool. M.C. Ice and I have a Cuisinart Ice Cream maker and made some last summer. It was great...until we tried to do frozen yogurt. Then it was disgusting. I need to work on that! I'm impressed you're such an amazing ice cream maker. That's a complex recipe and it looks delicious.

    PX is amazing on top of ice cream. I can't imagine how incredible it would be as a part of the wine, with raisins nonetheless. Pure delicious.

    Thanks for sharing this. If I get a bit crazy with the ice cream maker this summer, this may go on the list!

    Take care and thanks again,
    Elizabeth

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  5. UnknownMarch 2, 2013 at 1:20 PM

    Elizabeth,

    My first ice cream maker was the Cuisinart and I loved it. Since then, I have upgraded to a rather pricey Italian gelato maker with a built in compressor. It makes fantastic ice cream, but still doesn't even come close to a commercial batch freezer.

    I agree that just buying some quality vanilla ice cream and topping it with PX would be amazing. With that said, rather than making that recipe, simply putting vanilla ice cream and PX in a blender or mixing in a bowl would achieve a better result. In your Cuisinart, I think you will end up with a soupy mess. You could also soak the raisins and add them to the blended deliciousness of your PX ice cream. And then for the "pièce de résistance" ... top it with more PX!!! :)

    The trouble with alcohol when making your own ice cream is the lower freezing point and the fact that in order to make creamy, smooth ice cream you need to freeze the mix as fast as possible so fewer and smaller ice crystals form. The longer it takes, the bigger and badder they become. They are the phylloxera of ice cream, if you will. :)

    I may have dorked-out on ice cream there, but it is my passion. I plan to open my own store next year and PX will be on the menu, as may other wine concoctions!

    Thanks,
    Rhonda

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  6. Wine For Normal PeopleMarch 18, 2013 at 2:35 PM

    Rhonda!

    I love your passion! I am just like that about wine.

    It's good to know all that stuff about the freezing points. M.C. Ice loves to experiment with stuff like booze and ice cream and all other manner of crazy food combinations, but he sometimes doesn't think it through before he starts the operation...with disastrous and hilarious results.

    Given our amateur status, I think we better stick to putting the PX on TOP of the ice cream. Anything else seems a little over our heads! I'll let you know how it goes!

    Thanks so much for writing and for dorking out on ice cream. I just learned a ton!

    Take care!
    Elizabeth

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