I wanted to go red eventually, and the only thing I could think of for this cuisine was Zinfandel—specifically, monster old-vine Zin in the new superextracted style. Martinelli Jackass Hill to be exact—to my mind the best Zin in America. The ′96 was at its peak—the blackberry fruit all still there, tannins melted away. The ′99 by contrast, was a hot, brutal monster on its own, but better with the Peking duck and, especially, with the steak and onions Cantonese style. (I think these wines should be guzzled within six or seven years of birth—chased with aspirin and milk thistle … the alcohol tops 17 percent.) The 1990 Kreydenweiss Riesling SGN was a sweet finish, though I don’t remember it all that well. Two guests were lost for hours in Chinatown after that. Myself and my chef friend Mario Batali went on a tear through the West Village, which was terminated in the wee hours when my girlfriend called with threats and promises. I still don’t know what happened to a box of Riedel glasses or to my birthday presents. A good time was had by all.
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Copyright © 2006 by Bright Lights, Big City, Inc.
Vintage and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
All of the essays in this work were originally published in House & Garden magazine.
A hedonist in the cellar: adventures in wine / by Jay McInerney.—1st ed. p. cm.
1. Wine and wine making. I. Title.
TP548.M4689 2006
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