Message 16877 of 22774 in Behind the Bar

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> The spritzer one is very, very hard and I wouldn't have known that if 
> I didn;t have any actual experience (especially in an upscale 
> restaurant).  The correct answer is Pinot Grigio because as far as 
> white wines go, Pinot Grigio is the lightest and the driest.  It 
> makes sense because if someone is ordering a white wine spritzer, 
> then they're probably not a heavy drinker and there for want the 
> alcohol diluted more (this is where the seltzer comes into play), so 
> why not use the lightest wine you can find?  

Another way of looking at it is that the customer may just dislike the taste 
of wine, yet still want to be "hip" (see the 1980s era wine coolers like West 
Coast Coolers) by drinking wine. I get these folks all the time; over here 
tho, they just normally ask for ice in their wine. I shudder, I cringe, but I 
comply. 

> another note, Chardonnay is probably the boldest white wine.  For 
> reds, cabernet sauvignon is the sweetest and merlot is the most full 
> bodied red.  If someone asks for a red but doesn't drink much wine, 
> offer them the cab.  If they ask for wine but don't drink much of 
> anything, off them the Pinot Grigio.  

For a basic intro, that's a good rule of thumb. It all comes down to the 
drinker's palate, the style, and the grapes used, but that gets bloody 
technical for newbies. I've been at it a few years and I'm just now picking up 
on things wine-related. 
Also, don't forget some countries don't get the varietals that others do. Eg 
Sauvignon Blanc is available in Australia, but not Zinfandel, and vice versa 
to America (afaik). Sauv Blanc is 'bolder' than a Chardonnay, but may be less 
common stateside.

> On another note, I noticed that 
> when you answered bartender savants post about listing 6 white wines, 
> first of all, that's really hard and I would find it pretty tough to 
> list 6 whites,

Chardonnay, Pinot Gris (same as Grigio), Verdehlo, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, 
Riesling, Viognier, Gewurztraminer, Marsanne, Moscato. It helps when we have 
most of these by the glass in my old restaurant. 

> and secondly, you listed Pinot Noir as a white which 
> it is not.  Pinot Noir is about as red as it can get.

Glad someone else spotted that one! Although, wineries often make sparkling 
wine out of Pinot Noir (which can be and usually is mixed with Chardonnay), 
and it's often used as a rose as well.

 
> 2 russian vodkas question was half right.  Stoli is but Smirnoff is 
> not.  Someone recently answered my question as to whether Smirnoff 
> was russian and he told me that it was just the last name of the guy 
> and that it is actually produced in the U.S.  

To be historically accurate (and this is from what I understand, George may 
have a different opinion), Smirnov vodka was originally Russian, started by 
Piotr Smirnov. It was even the official supplier of Vodka to the Tzars. If you 
know your history, you know what happened to the Russian Tzars and everything 
associated with them, so during the Bolshevik revolution the family had to 
flee Russia. They eventually ended up in France, and were going great guns 
until the Great Depression hit them for six. The company was sold to an 
American Rudolph Kunett who took the brand to the USA and to an F&B 
distribution company called Heublein Inc. In the 1940s they did a great 
marketing campaign, associated the drink with the Moscow Mule, and then they 
took over the world. Figuratively speaking. So it's originally Russian, but is 
now considered 'American'.


> Perhaps I worded the Absolut question wrong but regardless, the 
> answer is Level.  

I was gonna say Level if you hadn't replied by the time I got home. ;)

>It is a finer version of Absolut.  Lots of liquor 
> companies do this:
> Bottom ------------------------------------Top
> Captain Morgans                   Captain Morgans Private Stock
> Beefeater                         Wet
> Stolichnaya                       Stolichnaya Gold
> Tanqueray                         Tanqueray 10
> Bombay                            Bombay Sapphire
> Jose Cuervo                       1800

That's an oopsie; the Reserva de la Familia is Cuervo's top of the line, and a 
damn fine drop it is too. Next would be the Tradicional. 1800 is actually a 
seperate tequila owned by a company of the same name (1800), and their top 
shelf is the 1800 Colleccion.

Does Bacardi make any Bombay OTHER than Sapphire?

Adam