Mark wrote on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:14:54 -0400:

> On 11/4/10 4:48 PM, st.helier wrote:
>> "Mark Lipton" wrote ......
>>> On 11/4/10 10:43 AM, Mike Tommasi wrote:
>>>
>>>> Mature wines are not tastier, they taste different. I did
>>>> not read the article to see what was meant by savory...
>>>
>>> I believe that the usage of savory was in the sense of "not
>>> as sweet" and I would agree with that statement. In the
>>> case of dry wines, as they lose their primary (fruit-based)
>>> character they gain in return tertiary (mushroom, earth,
>>> leather) characteristics. In the case of sweet wines, they
>>> become less sweet with long age as the glucose
>>> becomes esterified with acetic acid, so they too become
>>> marginally more savory.
>>>
>> Mark, I tend to disagree with your first sentence - having
>> read and re-read the article, I think your assertion that the
>> word "savory" relates somehow to "lack of sweetness" is not
>> in context with the original article.
>>
>> I tend to think of the word savory (or is that savoury ;-) as
>> being much closer to its more literal meaning - i.e. piquant;
>> aromatic; delicately herbal, and I think that this was what
>> the author was trying to convey - and nothing to do with a
>> lack of apparent sweetness.
>>
>> But please, can you do me a favour (or is that favor!) -
>> can you take Jean and scoot up to Chicago and go to Alinea
>> and check it out first hand.

> Milud,
> I believe that we are in essential agreement. The sense of
> savory as herbal or aromatic rather than tasty is what I was
> getting at. Savory flavors are, as a rule, not sweet, so
> savory can be placed in opposition to sweetness, even though
> it is not explicitly not sweet.

> As for Alinea, we are unlikely to go there as Jean is not
> taken with playful cuisine a la the molecular gastronomy
> crowd. (She did indulge me last year for my 50th by going
> with me to El Celler de Can Roca in Spain, but don't expect
> another such display of largesse any time soon)However, we
> have plans to go to Grant Achatz's new restaurant, soon to
> open: Next, which has a very different ethic.

> On a separate note, we are beginning to consider our next
> sabbatical leave in Spring 2012 and Jean's talking about Univ.
> of Cantebury! Stay tuned...

These are some items in the online Oxford English Dictionary on
"savoury" and I guess the word might well be acceptable even in the
context of sweet foods but I don't think my personal usage would be
applicable to sweets..

A. adj.

1. Pleasing to the taste; appetizing; agreeable.
b. Gratifying to the sense of smell; fragrant.
Now rare exc. in negative context: cf. unsavoury.

2. fig. a. Pleasant; acceptable.

3. Used, in contradistinction to sweet, as the epithet of articles
of food having a stimulating taste or flavour.



--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not