AIRPLANE WINES - A JAL flight (1/9/2006)

On a flight to HK. With airline food, culminating in one of those grey,
steamed steaks. Blech!! Actually, a cold lobster terrine wasn't
half-bad. Why don't they learn and do a cold food plate?

*N.V. Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut - France, Champagne*

Very light straw yellow, almost watery at edge. Mousse closer to
pétillant than to mousseaux. Simple nose of toast and sweetish white
fruit. Palate has a slightly yeasty apple/pear fruit with a little
leesiness on the brief finish. Good acid, in balance, but not much of
real interest here.

*2004 Labouré-Roi Chablis - France, Burgundy, Chablis*

Slightly darkish yellow. Clean but not particularly bright. Minerally
nose of light tart white fruit. Not much else on the nose. Bright acid
and mineral on slightly dilute apple/grapefruit palate. Picks up a
little bit of weight with time in glass. Citrus fruit and acid sustains
a reasonably long finish. My first '04 Chablis. If this negoc version
of a simple Chablis is indicative, I'm going to like the vintage. Good
for what it is.

*2003 Chteau de la Croix Cuvée la Grave - France, Bordeaux, Médoc*

Deep inky young-wine purple. Plum, restrained bit of oak, noticeable
alcohol on nose. Ripe raspberry and currant fruit on entry, once the
quickly receding tannins abate. A little thin in the middle with some
plummy merlot fruit. Decent acid gives the finish a bit of unexpected
brightness. Dense, a little rustic, but not too bad to a guy who
generally doesn't appreciate young Bordeaux. Not something to seek out
or buy, but better than much airplane wine.

Posted from CellarTracker

"Jim" > wrote:

> *N.V. Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut - France, Champagne*
>
> ... Mousse closer to pétillant than to mousseaux. ...

(Btw, even if it's watery, it's still mouss_eu_x.)

Was that from a 750ml bottle or one of these lousy miniatures?

M.

Food on a plane--what a neat idea,

Last few flights all my rations were a half of can of warm soda and salted
pretzels so I take back everything I said or thought about airline "food".
Let my people nosh!

"Michael Pronay" > wrote in message
...
> "Jim" > wrote:
>
> > *N.V. Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut - France, Champagne*
> >
> > ... Mousse closer to pétillant than to mousseaux. ...
>
> (Btw, even if it's watery, it's still mouss_eu_x.)
>
> Was that from a 750ml bottle or one of these lousy miniatures?
>
> M.
>

On Mon, 09 Jan 2006 17:21:30 +0100
Michael Pronay > wrote:

] "Jim" > wrote:
]
] > *N.V. Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut - France, Champagne*
] >
] > ... Mousse closer to pétillant than to mousseaux. ...
]
] (Btw, even if it's watery, it's still mouss_eu_x.)
]

I've often wondered if bubbly is _really_ less bubbly on a
plane, and assumed this is a bad place to test the mousse.
Assuming the quite low pressure would make a difference,
perhaps.

-E


--
Emery Davis
You can reply to ecom
by removing the well known companies

"Emery Davis" > skrev i melding
...
> On Mon, 09 Jan 2006 17:21:30 +0100
> Michael Pronay > wrote:
>
> ] "Jim" > wrote:
> ]
> ] > *N.V. Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut - France, Champagne*
> ] >
> ] > ... Mousse closer to pétillant than to mousseaux. ...
> ]
> ] (Btw, even if it's watery, it's still mouss_eu_x.)
> ]
>
> I've often wondered if bubbly is _really_ less bubbly on a
> plane, and assumed this is a bad place to test the mousse.
> Assuming the quite low pressure would make a difference,
> perhaps.
>
> -E
>
I'd guess the lower pressure would really bring out the bubbles. After all,
in the high pressure of the bottle there are just no bubbles at all...
Anders

On Mon, 09 Jan 2006 20:28:53 GMT

]
] "Emery Davis" > skrev i melding
] ...
] > On Mon, 09 Jan 2006 17:21:30 +0100
] > Michael Pronay > wrote:
] >
] > ] "Jim" > wrote:
] > ]
] > ] > *N.V. Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut - France, Champagne*
] > ] >
] > ]
] > ] (Btw, even if it's watery, it's still mouss_eu_x.)
] > ]
] >
] > I've often wondered if bubbly is _really_ less bubbly on a
] > plane, and assumed this is a bad place to test the mousse.
] > Assuming the quite low pressure would make a difference,
] > perhaps.
] >
] > -E
] >
] I'd guess the lower pressure would really bring out the bubbles. After all,
] in the high pressure of the bottle there are just no bubbles at all...
] Anders
]

You have a point Anders! And of course, water boils at low temperature
in a vacuum... Actually I expressed myself poorly. Was trying to
get at the size of the bead, and amount of mousse, rather than
the amount of carbonation.

To self: post before dinner... (an OK only Luberon, but with Adele on
the wagon I probably had a glass too many! /: )

-E

--
Emery Davis
You can reply to ecom
by removing the well known companies

Correct you are. Thanks for the correction. And I'm always impressed
by puns made in a non-native language. Congrats.

This was not one of those awful miniatures. Was a 750.

Jim

Sorry for late reply. I'm just back from HK and once again have access
to AFW.

I've wondered about the bubbles in the air as well. Makes sense that
the mousse would be more vigorous with lower pressure. Only think I
can think is that the bottle went flattish faster than it would in
higher pressure. I didn't have the wine when I first got on the plane,
but several hours into the flight. Only saw one or two people drinking
Champers, so it may have been that the bottle was opened for them at
start of flight and I got the remainders. Given that there is only a
certain amount of dissolved CO2, there must be a crossover point
(function of time open and air pressure) at which the effervescence
will be less than at sea level. Have no idea when that would be.

I can tell you this for su The wine showed less effervescence than
the average Champagne.

Unscientifically yours,

Jim

"Jim" > wrote in news:1137826314.835167.53510
@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

> Correct you are. Thanks for the correction. And I'm always impressed
> by puns made in a non-native language. Congrats.

When I was in high school I would sometimes have lunch with a friend.
"Should I make 1 lunch or 2?" was a common question in the morning. One
morning she asked that and I responded "Can you make 3? I'm having a mange
a trois."

Fred.

"Jim" > wrote:

> And I'm always impressed by puns made in a non-native language.
> Congrats.

Thank you very much indeed. And in this case there were even two
non-native languages involved. (Being an Austian, my mother tongue
is German).

M.

"Jim" > wrote:

> I can tell you this for su The wine showed less
> effervescence than the average Champagne.

It very well might be that this particular bottle had several
flights behind it. This, in combination with a less-than perfect
cork could also be the cause of pressure loss.

In my expereince with champagne on board - a few years back more
often than today when you cannot even buy champagne on Air France
flights within Europe - did not taste particularly less
effervescent than on ground level. But I had my share of less
effervescent, slightly oxidized wine, almost all from miniatures.

M.

I was aware that your native tongue is German, but I did not realize
that you are an Austian. I did not even realize that Austians spoke
German. In fact, where is Austia? And how did you learn so much about
Aust_r_ian wine if you don't live there?

Sorry, it's a rare moment when one can gently poke one of your ribs.

Jim

"Jim" > wrote:

> I was aware that your native tongue is German, but I did not
> realize that you are an Austian.

Ouch ... ;-)

M.