Calling All Cork Dorks

"Cork dorks," is a term of endearment for all lovable enogeeks.
The name of this software, however, first caught my eye because of it's similarity to Vinoteca, one of Paso Robles' favorite wine bars and gathering spots.

Vinotekasoft (www.vinotekasoft.com ) has unveiled a new version of Vinoteka, Vinoteka 1.2.2, the ultimate wine cellar management software for Mac.
In a unique and gorgeous interface showing bottles, cellars and tasting notes, Vinoteka brings the best wine cellar management experience to Mac users.

Extremely easy and fun to use, Vinoteka offers a fantastic and realistic environment to manage your references, your bottles (wine, liquors or spirits), recreate your cellar, save your tasting notes and add your own food and wine pairings.

The new features provide autofilling of some reference fields, and, overall, the most advanced technology in computer aided wine management. Customizable and user-friendly and thoroughly professional; Vinoteka is billed as, "the ultimate companion every wine lover needs."

Vinoteka is based on the latest Mac OS X Leopard OS and packs a full house of high-performance and innovation.

Features & Enhancements

FEAT: Mac OS X 10.6 (aka Snow Leopard) support.
FEAT: New CrashReporter (CMCrashReporter).
FEAT: New filter field in the not racked bottles view.

Minimum Requirements:
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or higher

Single user license: $34.90

Top 10 Whispered Wine Words

The terms used in the luscious lexicon of wine tasting are oft lampooned by philistines. So it may come as a surprise to many how practical and down-to-earth the most used terms are (as culled from tens of thousands of postings on the eBacchus blog).
I know that most of my readers are full blown enomaniacs, but this list should be helpful for the 1,000's of people who enter our fold every day.

1. Aroma The intensity and character of the aroma can be assessed with nearly any descriptive adjective. (eg: from "appley" to "raisiny", "fresh" to "tired", etc.). Usually refers to the particular smell of the grape variety. The word "bouquet" is usually restricted to describing the aroma of a cellar-aged bottled wine.

2. Balance Denotes harmonious balance of wine elements - (ie: no individual part is dominant). Acid balances the sweetness; fruit balances against oak and tannin content; alcohol is balanced against acidity and flavor. Wine not in balance may be acidic, cloying, flat or harsh etc.

3. Crisp (Whites) Wine has pronounced but pleasing tartness, acidity. Fresh, young and eager, begs to be drunk. Generally used to describe white wines only, especially those of Muscadet de Sevres et Maine from the Loire region of France.

4. Finish Term used to describe the taste left in the mouth after swallowing the wine. Both character and length of the aftertaste are part of the total evaluation. May be harsh, hot, soft and lingering, short, smooth, tannic, or nonexistent.
5. Fruity Used for any quality that refers to the body and richness of a wine made from good, ripe grapes. A fruity wine has an "appley", "berrylike" or herbaceous character. "Fruitiness" usually implies a little extra sweetness.

6. Smooth / Soft (Velvety) Generally has low acid/tannin content. Also describes wines with low alcohol content. Consequently has little impact on the palate.

7. Spicy Almost a synonym for "peppery". Implies a softer, more rounded flavor nuance however.

8. Structure The flavor plan, so to speak. Suggests completeness of the wine, all parts there. Term needs a modifier in order to mean something - (eg: "brawny" etc).

9. Tannins (Reds) A naturally occurring substance in grapeskins, seeds and stems. Is primarily responsible for the basic "bitter" component in wines. Acts as a natural preservative, helping the development and, in the right proportion, balance of the wine. It is considered a fault when present in excess.

10. Taste The four basic sensations detectable by the human tongue. The tip of the tongue contains the taste receptors registering "sweetness". Just a little further back, at the sides, taste will appear "salty". Behind that, flavour will have a "sour" taste at the sides, finally dissolving into "bitterness" at the near center-rear of the tongue.

Hey Kids, Let's Open a Restaurant!

Want to try out for "Last Restaurant Standing?" Think you have the chops to make the cut? Ready to enjoy fine food, snappy cocktails, and exploring restaurants, farmers markets and subject of the hour - street food?

All without gambling with all your 401K funds? Then you should give RESTAURANT CITY a whirl. Restaurant City (made by Playfish) is an online social game where you can open your own restaurant and enjoy the trials and tribulations of dealing with menus, guests and overflowing restrooms all the while employing your friends as waiters and chefs. It's one of the top 10 most popular games on Facebook with over 10 MILLION people having installed it so far in the past 3 months .. that means 10 MILLION restaurants have opened in 3 months. One's not lacking for choice of eateries.

Here you can try it out directly on Facebook http://apps.facebook.com/restaurantcity/?pf_ref=x1035 And with a wealth of different decorations, furniture and equipment to choose from you can make your mark with a completely unique restaurant. You can visit your friends' restaurants too and even trade ingredients with them to help you create a menu. It took only 3 months for 10 million restaurants to be created in Restaurant City, whereas it took McDonald's 55 years to open 32,000 restaurants. Just saying.