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**GreyGeek** · Sep 17, 2011, 10:12 AM

Re: Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

IF people knew how easy it was to make wine they'd do it at home with Concord grapes from their grocer.

Wine reaches 28 proof (14% ETOH) before the alcohol kills the yeast. The "revenooers" allow 200 gallons of home brew per family, or 100 gallons per person, per year, without a federal license. That's 1 quarts of Wine a day per person for a family of two. If you drink that much you are an alcoholic.

IMO, Wine quality is like beauty... it's in the eye of the taster (or beholder). I HATE Beer, which is why I call it "Panther P***". I HATE red wine, like Mogen David's, but I like an occasional glass of White wine. In a year I might drink three or four, one at each of the major holidays.

**oshunluvr** · Sep 17, 2011, 10:34 AM

Re: Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

Eeeuuuuwwweee, concord grapes make nasty red wine (like Mogen David, yuck)

Those grapes are for jelly only! There is a winery in southern Missouri (pronouced Miz-Ur-Ah) that does make wine from Concord and other "Jelly" grapes but it's not drinkable by anyone with taste buds - at least not ones that have ever actually tasted real red wine...blech :P

As far aged Gouda, it is indeed a wonderful delicacy! Smokey and dry - nothing like it is in it young state. Smoke, if you're a fan of goat cheese, look for "Humboldt Fog." I used to sell both in my Wine Bar.

I will say - for the record - that generally European cheeses are far superior to American because we force cheese makers to use pasteurized milk and thus kill most of the flavor (and nutrients) and European countries don't (most anyway).

Unfortunately, Americans are too stupid to be allowed to have choices when we buy things like milk

**GreyGeek** · Sep 17, 2011, 05:28 PM

Re: Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

concord grapes make nasty red wine

Na, not after you run it through a filter with a layer of activated charcoal.

Takes out all the bitter stuff.

A lot of foul tastes in Wine come from Oxygen oxidizing the ETOH to Ethyl Aldehyde and to Ethanoic acid (a.k.a vinegar), if it isn't kept isolated from the air with a layer of CO2. Things really get stinky when the alcohol, aldehyde and acid react to form esters and ketones.

**dibl** · Sep 17, 2011, 05:55 PM

Re: Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

Originally posted by oshunluvr

There is a winery in southern Missouri (pronouced Miz-Ur-Ah) that does make wine from Concord and other "Jelly" grapes but it's not drinkable by anyone with taste buds - at least not ones that have ever actually tasted real red wine...blech :P

There is a winery at St. James City, along I-44 -- not sure if that is the one you were thinking of (I think there are multiple wineries in that area of Missouri). Their best red is from a grape called Norton:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_(grape)

I stopped there one year on a way to visiting relatives in Kansas, and brought home a few bottles of their Norton wine. It actually is not bad stuff.

I have had a hobby of making wine for years, although I'm seriously considering skipping it this year. Carrying a 6 gal. carboy from the garage to the basement is starting to feel more like work than fun. :P A produce distributor located at the airport at Columbus, Ohio contracts for fresh-pressed California varieties, and then trucks the juice in on reefer semis in late September/early October, and (if you're on his mailing list) you can order it and pick it up when it arrives. I've made cabernet sauvignon, merlot, riesling, pinot noir, zifandel, white zin, etc.

But I still have all that I made last year, plus some from the year before, and I just don't think I want to strap on that work this fall. Funny -- now I'm retired, and I actually have the time to do it, and I'm not as motivated as I was when I had to take a day off work and make the mad dash over to Columbus and pick it up. Funny how that works ...

p.s. Actually, with wine (like many things) it's all relative -- my father told me about life on a troopship going from New Jersey to the China-Burma-India theater of WW II. He said he went farther in the vertical dimension that he did in the horizontal one. Out of boredom, perhaps, they stole raisins from the galley, and a bit of sugar, and made wine. He said no wine was ever appreciated and savored more than that hootch.

**woodsmoke** · Sep 17, 2011, 06:33 PM

Re: Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

Well, I am just FLABBERGASTED by the replies..... what a cornucopia of talents inhabit the forums Kubuntu!!!

As to the suggestions about cheese and wine, consider them to be done deals in the near future!!!

lol

And Oshunluver....you had a wine bar!!!

amazing
woodsmoke

**oshunluvr** · Sep 17, 2011, 07:04 PM

Re: Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

We had a wine "habit" that grew into a bar - for about 5 years or so. The wife (see left!) got tired of my dinner-time absence, so I am now retired twice. 8)

On my third career...

**woodsmoke** · Sep 18, 2011, 08:41 AM

Re: Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

They do say that active people make better lovers! lol

And you two certainly look HAPPY!!! lol

woodsmoke

**GreyGeek** · Sep 18, 2011, 01:55 PM

Re: Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

Originally posted by oshunluvr

We had a wine "habit" that grew into a bar - for about 5 years or so. The wife (see left!) got tired of my dinner-time absence, so I am now retired twice. 8)
....

Judging by that photo your decision was a no-brainer!!!

**woodsmoke** · Sep 18, 2011, 07:28 PM

Re: Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

lol
woodsmoke

**oshunluvr** · Sep 19, 2011, 08:07 AM

Re: Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

You know what they say... When Mom's unhappy, everyone's unhappy...

Besides, I'd much rather share a glass or two with her than anyone else. Almost all of our travelling over that last 10 years has centered around wine. A couple of family trips are scattered among that calendar but we do a lot of "Mom and Dad" weekenders to wine country.

In our opinion, wine ranks as one of the top five of "Life's Greatest Pleasures"

**dibl** · Sep 19, 2011, 09:31 AM

Re: Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

Originally posted by oshunluvr

In our opinion, wine ranks as one of the top five of "Life's Greatest Pleasures"

I'll second that motion.

**Detonate** · Sep 19, 2011, 03:49 PM

Re: Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

I made some home made wine once many years ago. It seems to me the recipe I had said, "Start with a clean 2 x 4".

GreyGeek is right about the necessity of protecting the brew from exposure to O2. This from my many years of making some very good home brew beer. A fermentation lock is absolutely necessary.

**woodsmoke** · Sep 19, 2011, 03:57 PM

A very interesing article on microbreweries and mega-beer in the U.S.

Such information...maybe the forum should have a microbrewery or vineyard in the back!

I, personallly, have always gotten an "acid stomach" after drinking Budweiser.

The "best beer" that I have consumed was the old Hanley, defunct for many decades, from a steel can! So much for beer for moi!

But this is a very interesting article on many levels.

wooddon'tlikebeechwoodagingsmoke

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thepourfoo...-im-not-alone/

**Detonate** · Sep 19, 2011, 04:18 PM

Re: Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

Budweiser is made from inferior ingredients. Read the label. Beer is best made from malted barley and hops.

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Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

Gouda on a Red Truck and a Sherlock Holmes demise of cheese snobbery

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