Decanting New Ideas

Let her rip - The Blender Decant

A reader sent a heads up yesterday from Business Week on decanting with a blender (seen here). Simply pour a bottle in a blender and let it rip on high for 30-60 seconds. The 'foam' subsides PDQ and you're ready to pour and enjoy. My first thought on this version of a "Spank" decant? It can't be done with an old wine. Where's all that sediment go? I assume every damned where.

But with a young California Cab or Spanish Monstant - - Well, it would seem to make sense. With my favorite, the little known Italian tannin howitzer from Umbria, Sagrantino di Montefalco, (six - eight hour decant - I kid you not), this hyper-spank makes huge sense.

Decanters are a pain. A pain to wash and a pain to dry -- although a close friend with a wine addiction in London suggested a blow dryer for those hard to reach places to dry in my favorite ship's decanter. It really works. Also, much of the aerate product out there looks pretty dodgy so what's the risk with a blender?

My tweak is to use an immersion blender -- in a large glass pitcher. It's gonna do what the blender does, but without the horror of pouring a bottle into something the Foxtrot uses for her frozen margaritas. Food nerd and ex Microsoft CTO, Nathan Myhrvold is grabbing all the credit he can find for the idea, but it looks like it's been around a while. Early 'wine expert' naysayers deal with the newbie idea here in a fascinating forum discussion right out of Moneyball. Cheers, to the Newbie.

This is going to feel like...

Michael Shaw cartoon rejected by The New Yorker

I'm in the hospital today, but wanted to let those who owe me calls and emails know that, if I don't make it, my last thoughts are of you -- and what an asshole you are.

I can't wear what?

There's a whole lot going on over at Michael William's blog, "A Continuous Lean." Michael's a good kid. He's a smart kid. And if you read the comment page about his recent quote in Newsweek Magazine you'll discover he's a, "take no crap" kid. Check it out. I'll wait.

So you see... Michael has this thing for work clothes that I don't really understand. I busted my ass for 20 years so I wouldn't have to wear the clothes he loves so much. If I was allowed to "do what I want" years ago, I'd be a deputy sheriff somewhere in Florida with a wood porch attached to my double wide trailer filled with kids and a pissed off wife working part time at Denny's. I can just see my youngest shooting at the propane tank with a BB gun. Don't laugh. My mother will tell you it almost happened.

Instead, after the Army I went to college and after college, I worked at Brooks Brothers, devoured Flusser's books, cruised Tripler, Chipp and J Press in NYC. In London I sucked up Jermyn Street like it was a pint of Bitter. I peered into the windows of Savile Row tailors - - too scared to venture inside --but I was comfortable in Hackett, New and Lingwood, Harvie and Hudson and felt at home with John Carnera at George Cleverley. I saved for alligator straps with Tiffany sterling buckles and became friends with sales people at Polo on Michigan Avenue, Dunhill on Oak Street and Paul Stuart in the Hancock.

I could care less about Filson tin cloth work pants and Alden Indy boots but I'll defend the biggest Nancy Boy to wear that stuff if that's what they wanna wear. I think it looks ridiculous but who is anyone to tell anyone what to wear?

The above photos are what I'm wearing today. English and American. I think it works. Flusser may disagree. You can tell me I shouldn't wear it - - but no one will tell me I can't.