Vodka flavors gone wild!

Is this a vodka flavor?

Which of the following is NOT an actual vodka flavor?

* Hemp seed

* Red fish

* Sangria

* Fireweed

* Marionberry

* Glazed Donut

Answer after the jump:

New critical alternative: In Pursuit of Balance wines

Raj Parr

If you're looking for an alternative in California to wines with high point scores, it's here. And I mean here, literally, because I'm running a list of wineries after the jump.

On the list: Lots of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay makers. One expensive Napa Merlot producer. Some Syrah producers. Some of California's longest-tenured winemakers, and some of its youngest.

Notably not on the list:
Cabernet Sauvignon specialists. Bubbly makers. Large companies. Flocks of wines over $100.

UPDATE: IPOB is only for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. How could I miss something so obvious? Apparently it's on the website, and the website is terrible. I apologize to readers for this misimpression.

The list comes courtesy of Raj Parr, who is as close to a star as a sommelier gets in America. Now he's trying to influence the style of wine made in America in a direction spelled out by the title of his event: In Pursuit of Balance.

Most consumers want quick, easy guidance; that's why ratings are popular. 100-point-scale ratings are inherently unfriendly to wines that don't jump up and scream at a critic during a long tasting session without food; we know that. How to reconcile the two: provide easy guidance, without giving the highest rewards to the biggest blockbusters?

That's what In Pursuit of Balance might become, in Parr's dreams: not just a group of California wines, critically screened, that are meant to go with food, but a coveted seal of approval that might influence what winemakers do.

Albert Pujols, cookware dealer's spouse

This week the Fancy Food Show was in San Francisco, bringing purveyors of canned olives together with people introducing fruit-flavored foam. It's a great opportunity for the food media to stumble around aisles full of chocolates and flavored popcorn, trying to get excited about gluten-free ramen.

Like many food media, I left Fancy Food Show almost unable to taste any more, but stopped by a secondary show called Food Fete because, with 20 vendors instead of 2000, it's easier for the brain to process.

There's a booth called "Pujols Kitchen," selling cookware, with thankfully no samples to taste, although that's also a problem for me because while I often write about food, I have never yet written about cookware.

And there's a bald-headed guy behind the booth wearing a white shirt. He's a little taller than me, seems strongly built, and looks familiar. Did he throw me out of a bar or something?

Wait a minute -- I had to ask him -- "Are you Albert Pujols?"

Baltimore vs. San Francisco: The crab showdown

Blue crab

I spent all of my childhood in Baltimore and half of my adult life in San Francisco, so I'm very qualified to referee on the nation's most emotional, vitally important showdown:

Whose crabs are better?

First, let me state that both Blue and Dungeness crabs are worthwhile. These are not ghetto crabs, like I once ate in St. Petersburg outside a Rays' game until the fact that their flesh was black and oozing bothered me.

Blue and Dungeness are, along with Florida's stone crabs, the finest crabs America's Lower 48 have to offer. They're as good as the best crabs anywhere in the world, including zuwai gani in Hokkaido and king crabs in Alaska. Europe has world-class oysters, but it doesn't have crabs this good.

Superbrett: A wine horror story

What wine used to taste like, in 2012

Based on a true story

SAN FRANCISCO (Jan. 22, 2042):

Former winemakers and stink drinkers gathered today at the annual "Wine Remembrance" celebration to drink some old vintages and reminisce about the days before Superbrett.

Most attendees were well into their retirement years, but there was a smattering of people in their 40s. "My grandfather used to pour me a glass of wine at the table, and I remember it tasted like plums," said Ray Lewis IV. "It smelled nice too. My folks drank it all the time. People acted different when they were high on wine. Some people say it's better now, but I think we've lost something."

Superbrett is the worldwide dominant strain of yeast, developed by the Swedish biofuel industry in 2013. It made no real impact on the energy industry, but within a generation it eliminated what was once a worldwide industry in wine.

Adam Lee interviews W. Blake Gray

At harvest time last year, I ran a contest offering to write a blog post about three vintners who posted the lowest pHs for their grapes. Siduri owner/winemaker Adam Lee was one of the winners and, offered the chance to talk about any subject, he asked if he could turn the tables and interview me.

We met at Boulevard restaurant in San Francisco and, as you can see, we didn't do this interview dry. We also spoke at length about issues in the wine industry, but Adam thought that part was too long for a post, and I gave him editing authority. So here's a twist: this post is all about me, but I didn't write or edit it. Take it away, Adam Lee.

Do you consider yourself a writer first and a wine lover second or a wine lover first?
I would say I would be a writer first. I was a wine lover, but was one of the many fortunate people, like yourself, that managed to turn a hobby and a love into a profession. But writing has always been my profession.

I always wanted to write the “Great American Novel,” but it never has happened. How did writing for you become a career?
I have two Great American Novels somewhere in storage. If only they were actually great. The first one is probably a 75-pointer. I studied psychology in college, but I worked at the school newspaper and my first job out of college was at a newspaper.

Pairing wine with homemade pickles

Pickles present pairing problems. Potential partners prefer pasta, pizza, perhaps pretzels. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, but where's the pairing tips for the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

I never found that tongue twister difficult, not like saying "toy boat" 10 times fast. But actually finding a wine to go with pickles, that's another story. Vinegar and hot spice are death to most wines; vinegar can make wines taste thin and acidic, which is why green salads are hard to pair with, and hot spice can make alcohol feel hotter. Many pickles also have sugar, which can make less-sweet wines taste sour.

My friend and former colleague Jonathan Kauffman, now the San Francisco editor of Tasting Table, is making a variety of pickles at home, to his partner's occasional chagrin, as you'll understand if you know the smell of fermenting cabbage. I invited myself over for dinner to see if I could pair wines with his handiwork.

Jonathan made five kinds of pickles, and the longtime restaurant critic has a deft hand because they were very different and I liked them all:

* Fermented brussel sprouts with curry leaf, garlic and fenugreek: the spiciest and most complex

* Simple sauerkraut with dill

* Turnips pickled with vinegar and salt; the most "pickley"

* Carrots buried in red miso for two months: mild and a little sweet

* Fuyu persimmons pickled with ginger and long pepper: Sweet and spicy.

Choosing wines to bring to Jonathan's place was a multi-level challenge. I wanted things I would enjoy drinking, but also didn't want to take a great wine and waste it on an evening when we wouldn't appreciate it.