Yuzu Kosho making

This year I couldn't find plum and didn't make umeboshi, therefore I wanted to make something else instead.

Yuzu citrus gets ripe in winter.
Right now, they are still green and small, but already have the aroma.
This green yuzu can be used for cooking and I decided to make yuzu kosho.
Yuzu kosho is a spicy paste originated from Kyushu (southern Japan).

Ingredients needed are only three: yuzu skin, green chili pepper, and salt.
My ratio is 10: 10: 3.
I got about 10g of zest from one yuzu.

Grate yuzu skin. Squeeze yuzu juice and add them to the zest.

It's recommended to use a mask, glove and eye glasses to process chili peppers.
Remove hats from chili peppers. Cut them open and remove seeds.
Chop them into small pieces. I started to cough at this point so I used a food processor for the rest of  the process.

Mix chili peppers, yuzu zest and salt, and grind them together in the food processor.
Let it rest in a fridge for a month or so.

This is good condiment for Nabe (hot pot) or Udon.
It can be used with grilled meat, too.

I licked it. Of course, spicy! but has good flavor.
The saltiness is quite noticeable but it would be tamed with time.

Global Warming

Global warming is something you can't ignore whatever your interest is.
For wine, there is a serious concern that grape varieties which are popular today might have to be replanted for more heat tolerant varieties.
I don't want to even think about the possibility especially for places like Burgundy where the grape varieties are almost synonym to the region itself.

Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanee 2015 
Emmanuel Rouget is a nephew of Henri Jayer, a legendary wine maker of Burgundy.
The wine had purple flower, strawberry, cherry, raspberry.
Good acid and powdery tannin.
Just enough fruits which were juicy but not over ripe.
Alcohol was high but didn't feel that high. Well integrated.

Domaine Anne Gros Richebourg Grand Cru 2015
Fresh aromas of cherry, raspberry, pear, green tea, tarragon.
Fruits were riper on palate.
Powdery tannin was balanced with the richness of fruits.
Even the small presence of VA adds broadness.

I was lucky to have a chance to try these great wines.
I'm sure they can make excellent wines with different grape varieties, but hope it wouldn't happen.

I'm not a scientist and have no idea about what would happen next, but the world experienced the warming trend in the past too. For example, there was a warming trend in medieval time which lasted for some years, followed by cool weather which eventually led to the Great Famine in the 14th century.
Therefore this can be a condition which happens and goes away once in a while, and I hope this global warming would settle down sometime soon.

Lail Vineyards J Daniel Cuvee 2002

Napa Cab is not always my favorite, but there are some wines I really love.

Lail Vineyards J Daniel Cuvee Napa Valley 2002

Robin Daniel Lail of Lail Vineyards is a great grandniece of Gustave Niebaum, a founder of the Inglenook Vineyards in Napa.
After the closure during Prohibition Inglenook was improved by Niebaum's great-nephew John Daniel Jr. and their wine was highly appraised.
Inglenook had changed hands since and is now owned by Francis Ford Coppola.

Robin Daniel Lail, with the famous vineyard Napanook which she inherited from her father John Daniel Jr, produced wine with Christian Moueix at Dominus Estate. The partnership was later resolved and Robin Daniel Lail started Lail Vineyards with her family.

This wine is made with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Pronounced aromas of cooked red berry and cherry, cassis, dried rose, green tea, vanilla, coffee candy, rich black diamond (compost).
Sweet and bitter coffee beans in after taste.
Tannin is very soft.

It's opulent but not typical big Napa Cab.
This wine shows more tender side of Cabernet Sauvignon.

We had this with T-bone steak. Good pairing.