Saddleback Leather Messenger Bag

Saddleback Leather Messenger Bag
Quest for "The Ultimate Wine Bag"
by Tony Arnold

As the husband of a certified sommelier, I am the designated wine pack mule for lugging wine to more dinner parties, events, and restaurant outings, than I care to remember. My marital task drove me on a two-year quest for a better wine bag and littered my basement with dozens of bags in all shapes, sizes, and styles. Until recently all the bags failed me in one or several areas of function, durability, capacity, style or utility, however the search is finally over for the "ultimate wine bag".

Over the last two years, I made some observations about all the bags I tested. Functionally, I looked for a bag to safely and comfortably carry the magic three bottles of wine. Duffle bags had the capacity, but I broke at least two bottles from bottles tossing around inside and a duffle is not the most stylish of things.

The three bottle capacity out'ed more than a few stylish briefcases and the combined requirements of durability and style made me pass on anything synthetic or trendy. Messenger and computer bags held the wine, were durable and offered daily briefcase and computer lugging utility outside of wine toting, but lacked a timeless style and made me look like a middle-aged graduate student.

Hours of web surfing netted bag salvation in the form of a classically styled leather messenger from Saddleback Leather (www.SaddlebackLeather.com). Saddleback focuses on classic legacy quality leather suitcases, briefcases, and messenger bag designs with a promoted slogan of "they'll fight over it when you are dead". Saddleback's classic styles remind me of a time long gone when bags were functionally built tough to last generations instead of months with the ability to show daily wear and tear as beauty marks of pride instead of scars.

Given my growing "Imelda Marcos" type bag collection, I thought why not and picked up the Saddleback Messenger bag. In an era of marketing hype, the Saddleback Messenger bag surpassed my highest expectations. Not only did it hold three wine bottles perfectly, but it was the epitome of durability. The bags are made from 1/8" thick full grain leather, thick industrial thread, and has no zippers or snaps to break - imagine a messenger bag made to Harley Davidson leather specifications and you get the idea. That type of quality is not inexpensive. Saddleback's Messenger is priced at $350, which is just under upper tier'ed leather competitors such as Cole Haan, Coach and Hartmann. The difference is that Saddleback delivers a different type of product, where Coach and Cole Hahn deliver more of a purse quality feel and Hartmann more of a luggage style, Saddleback has a feel of classic brutal durability. When you are hauling around $1000+ worth of wine, the security of knowing the bag will not fail is the most important feature, but this messenger bag has style as well.

The 14"x 12 3/4"x 4" pictured bag has now endured almost a year of torture and still looks great, hasn't lost a thread, split a seam, or popped a rivet. It has survived being tossed & thrown, dropped, an attempted tug-a-war theft, daily commutes and numerous cross-country trips. It has hauled untold amounts of wine, pulled daily duty as a laptop case and even used as a food transport cooler - slip a 9x9 panned gratin into the messenger and it will be piping hot at the party. The Saddleback leather messenger has become my Leatherman multitool of bags and even has room for said tool, wine key, and pens in the internal dual pockets. On the exterior, a couple exterior pockets are perfect for sunglasses and electronics and rear stash folder pocket is handy for my earplugs, iTouch, and blackberry or when I am just too lazy to open the bag. The Backpack conversion feature is especially handy just as you realize you are late for your connecting flight... at the other end of the terminal and need to dash. Sometimes perfection is simple, handmade craftsmanship, full grain leather, and a size that is perfect - I think I have found bag'utopia. The Saddleback Messenger is so good you don't have to wait until I'm dead, I'll fight you for it now.

Sources - www.SaddlebackLeather.com - Saddleback Leather Messenger Bag

Sage Student Bistro Sokol Blosser Dinner

When - Tuesday March 31st, 2009 6pm

Where - Sage Student Bistro - Metro Community College, Fort Omaha Campus, Click for directions http://www.mccneb.edu/culinary/sagedirections.asp

Menu -
Course 1 - Goat Cheese Tartlet, Sokol Blosser Evolution Glaze, Pear Granite, Caribbean shrimp salad coconut vinaigrette.

Paired with Sokol Blosser Evolution - Every new bottling has its own subtle and fresh personality. The 9 grapes tie together perfectly, creating a smooth, layered white wine that can hold its own or stand up to just about any food pairing you dare to serve it with. Grape varieties included in this fun and delicious blend, Muller-Thurgau, White Riesling, Semillon, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Muscat Canelli, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner

Course 2 - Creamy Citrus Poached Salmon, Crab Agnolotti, Beurre Blanc.
Paired with Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Gris - The grapes were not de-stemmed or crushed, but pressed as whole clusters and given a slow, cool stainless steel tank fermentation lasting about three weeks. This was followed by an extended period of lees contact prior to blending and bottling in March of 2008. This wine is showing lots of development and complexity – mineral, stony, earth, and spice aromas, with flavors of apricot, peach, and fig. The mouthfeel is both crisp and very rich, concentrated, and creamy, with a long, lush finish.

Course 3 - Lamb Sausage, Eggplant Roulade Roasted Garlic & Tomato Filling, Chickpea, Feta, & Scallion Salad, Meditrina Gastrique.
Paired with Sokol Blosser Meditrina - There is a core of rich, lush berry from the Syrah. The Zinfandel provides spice, tannin and structure. And the Pinot Noir brings flowers, earth and elegance. It all adds up to a luscious, juicy, easy-drinking mouthful of red wine that's both bright and vibrant yet round and soft. Every sip of the wine, Meditrina, honors the goddess of the same name. Grape varities included in this complex red blend include, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel.

Course 4 - Cocoa Crusted Beef Tenderloin, Truffle Pecorino Risotto, Stewed Onions and Green Beans,Seared Chanterelles, Sauce Bordelaise.
Paired with Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Noir - Extremely concentrated yet delicate and elegant – soft, supple, harmonious, and packed with intense black cherry and berry fruit, mocha, and distinctive Jory soil forest-floor earthiness.

Dessert - A tasting of desserts to match all four wines

Reservations - 402-330-6900 or email me and let me know, who, how many,etc..

Cost - $50/person includes pouring of each, food (of course), pairing of each wine with the courses, additional bottles are available for purchase (in advance) to drink with your table.

Funny How Time Flies!

It's hard to believe, but it's been a decade since PHG first opened it's doors in Omaha's Old Market and a quick five years since we signed the lease for our current Legacy location. In that time we have made some great friends, had fun, and enjoyed success. We now find ourselves in the midst of nationwide economic uncertainty and our lease contract coming to an end. We have spent much time, thought, consideration and debate on renewing our 5 year lease. In the end, our decision was not to renew our lease and to close the store. We love providing great wines, our West Omaha location, and especially seeing all of you, our customers, however I think you would agree that renewing a lease for a retail store in the midst of these uncertain economic times, would not be the smartest financial move.

Have no fear we are not going away, even though the retail location is closing. I will continue to work towards and achieve my goal of Master Sommelier, continue to work with the Culinary School, continue to be available and participate in both private and public wine tastings, and take advantage of some opportunities that I previously passed on, due to time commitments to the store. As most of you know we have a number of things that keep us busy, so you will definitely see us out and about and appearing, in the near future after some time off, at new adventures and endeavors.

Who knows, if the economy turns around, our landlord has asked us to consider re-opening the shop in the future.

The March 31st Sokol Blosser dinner at the Sage Student Bistro is still on schedule and reservations will be accepted within the next 10 days. If you are interested please let me know or watch for additional details to be posted on the PHG Blog. (http://phgstore.blogspot.com/)

The blog will continue to be a great way to keep up-to-date on events that I am working on, as well as updates on what I am doing. Many of you have my contact info that you will continue to be able to reach me on, otherwise I remain reachable at phgstore@premiumhg.com

Starting immediately we will need to sell all inventory, racks, etc... Items will be discounted for immediate sale.

Recent article

I was recently contacted to be interviewed for an article in Las Vegas Food & Beverage Magazine titled "Top Women in Wine Journey to Success". When the author, Kate, contacted me she had many questions regarding my path to the world of wine, my philosophy on wine, etc... and told me that she was interviewing other women within the world of wine. At the time I was answering the questions I had no idea as to who those "other women" were that she was speaking with. This week the article was released and I was amazed that I was included in an article that spoke with so many amazing women that were responsible for blazing the trail that has allowed me to follow in their paths. I am deeply honored to be included with such amazing women. If you would like to read the article, click here.

My wine manifesto

My 12 Commandments of Wine and Beverages.

1. Do not purchase your wine in a grocery store, if you want service, high quality wines and something out of the ordinary. If you are the kind of person who always buys the same wine every-time, fine purchase from the grocery store. But if you want to try something new, different, unique find a wine shop, any wine shop (see commandment #2) and purchase from them, get to know them and let them get to know you and your wine preferences. This will alter your wine consumption in a pleasurable and innumerable manner. Life is too short to always drink the same wine!

2. In selecting a wine shop, find one that will not talk down to you or treat you like an idiot, they are supposed to be the experts not you, that is why you went there in the first place. Never purchase from a wine shop that does not have at least one person on staff (preferably more) who have tasted the wine they are selling, it makes all the difference when you are selecting a certain flavor. If the staff reads the back of the label when describing the wine, run, run, run - you deserve so much more! Never purchase from a shop that can only sell wine based off of what points that wine scored in whatever wine publication they prefer to quote. Never purchase wine from someone who over simplifies wine flavors with such vague descriptors as "fruity and fun". What does that mean? fun for you or fun for me? fruity like tart green apples or fruity like a perfectly ripe pear? You get the point. Finally when you find a wine shop that you are comfortable with develop a monogamous relationship with them. I cannot emphasize what a difference this will make. They will discover what you like and will watch for wines they think you would enjoy, they can also alert you to special or bargain wines that come in.

3. Never order wine by the glass in a restaurant or bar! OK I say never, I guess I don't really mean never, never, there are a few select places that I will order wine by the glass, the rest of the places I avoid it like the plague it is. I cringe every time I hear about this new place or that new place that just opened up and they have over 30 wines by the glass! Yikes, do you know what that means? Odds are the next wine by the glass you order will have been open for days, possibly weeks, before it is brought to your table. That is not a wine I want to drink no matter what high tech preservation system, they profess to use, that wine should not even be used for cooking. Serving wine to customers when the wine has been opened far to long is wrong, a disservice to the consumer and an insult to the winemaker and we as consumers should demand better. Instead we are overcharged for the wine, possibly paying the cost of the whole bottle with that one glass. Just don't do it, I beg of you.

4. Liquors keep forever, well almost forever, once opened. Vodka, rum, gin (oh my) no matter what your preference is, will keep once you open it, as long as you securely close them. They will not spoil, separate, or experience any loss in flavor.

5. Wine does not keep once opened (see commandment#3), it is a living, breathing, organism and therefore will spoil when kept open, that is life and there is no way around it. There are ways to slow it down, slightly, but it cannot be stopped. A bottle (750ml) contains 4 glasses of wine, if that is more than can be consumed when opened you may want to consider purchasing splits (1/2 bottles 375ml). Splits contain.....2 glasses of wine. Always remember oxygen (air, if you are not chemically inclined) is the enemy of wine, so as a result the less oxygen that comes in contact with your wine the longer it will keep, also exposing the wine to cooler temperatures slows down the reaction. So wine preservation items that remove or displace oxygen will help, but not stop, the death of your wine. Also using those preservation items and then placing the wine in the refrigerator, even red wines, will help. You will only gain another 24 hours on red wines and 48 hours on white wines, in general.

6. Never cook with wine you would not drink! I know you have all heard this a million times before but clearly some of you do not believe it or are not paying attention. What difference does it make you ask? Simple, if you would not drink the wine, why would you want to eat the food you put the wine in? If you have leftover wine that you can not finish drinking, freeze for later use in cooking. Yes I said freeze it! Put small quantities in Ziploc bags or ice cube trays and freeze them for use when a recipe calls for wine.

7. Is there a difference between $6 wine and $60 wine? Put simply, yes! This question is similar to asking, "is there a difference between a Yugo and a Mercedes?" Of course there is, putting aside the obvious statements that people are more likely to point and laugh when seeing you drive a Yugo, but I digress. The real issue is, do they both serve a specific purpose? yes of course much in the same way that a $6 or $60 bottle of wine does. Please understand that I am not saying that you should always drink $60 bottles of wine, that would be ridiculous! There is a time and place for all types of wine, setting in front of the TV eating a frozen lasagna on a Tuesday night (not that I condone engaging in either of those risky pursuits) is definitely a $6 bottle of wine night. However when carefully prepping and preparing a dinner utilizing farmer market fresh fruits and vegetables and cooking organic, free range steaks on a Saturday evening definitely calls for the $60 bottle of wine. Why? Again besides the obvious answer, the Tuesday night frozen dinner eaten in front of the TV means that you are not really paying much attention to what you are eating (otherwise it would not be a frozen dinner) or what you are drinking. So a $60 bottle of wine would be a waste, but that spectacular menu you are planning for Saturday for which you purchased expensive, high quality ingredients to prepare, demands to have as much thought put into the wine served to accompany it. Here is what you will get in a $60 bottle, more complex flavors, more intense flavors, an all around better crafted wine that was made utilizing the best grapes that estate had to offer, the time necessary for the wine to develop before the winemaker releases it, and in most cases carefully monitored time spent in really expensive oak barrels. If you regularly drink wine that costs under $10 a bottle I challenge you to, when your budget allows, purchase a well made $40 (if you need help with a well made wine see commandment #2) bottle of wine and take the time to taste and savor it make it an event, I promise that you will notice the difference!

8. Yes white Zinfandel and red Zinfandel wine are made from the same grapes but they are not, I repeat, THEY ARE NOT the same wine. In fact these wines share absolutely no similarities except in their name. People who like white Zinfandel do not, generally, like red Zinfandel, and guess what? that also works in the inverse. White Zinfandel is, well first of all not white but pale pink, sweet, and created specifically to get candy eating, soda/pop drinking, Americans to drink wine. Red Zinfandel is well, as you may have been able to guess, red, it is a full bodied wine that ranges in flavor from jammy (grape jelly) to spicy (black pepper, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spices) and is an extremely versatile wine that does not have to be expensive to be fantastic. All you wine snobs out there reading this may look down their nose at white Zinfandel drinkers, but here is what I have to say on the issue, if you like white Zinfandel, drink white Zinfandel at least you are drinking wine. I also have a secret to share with white Zin drinkers (stop reading if the bumper sticker on your car does not read "I would rather be drinking a frosty glass of white Zin", I mean it, this does not apply to you). Ok white Zin drinkers, here is something that you must know but don't tell anyone where you heard it, most of us wine drinkers started out drinking white Zin, I know it is shocking but believe me it is true, you are not alone.

9. If you make mixed drinks with crappy alcohol or ingredients, you will make crappy mixed drinks! Remember a simple equation, crap in = crap out, this simple equation will get you through many a tough spot, and is applicable to so many areas of your life, if you will commit it to memory! Don't expect your double chocolate, cherry, cheesecake martini to taste like the one you love and order all the time from "Frou Frou" bar to taste just like the ones you make at home, even with the recipe, if you do not use the same liquors and ingredients they use. It is impossible unless that cheap bottle of plonk also contains a genie and if it by chance it does, you are required to share it!

10. When throwing a "wine dinner" or "wine and food" party, pay attention to both the wine and food you are serving. To many times I help people throwing aforementioned themed party who have purchased expensive, water buffalo skin (Eww - I know), hand painted, wine themed invites, cleaned their home from top to bottom (some individuals even clean their cars!!!), bought new dishes, candles, invited 200 people and we are the last stop. They stroll or more likely crawl in; exhausted, overwhelmed and with $20 left in their budget looking to purchase enough wine to serve the entire 200 people for 4 hours and want suggestions on what type of food they can do that would be easy and inexpensive. Once I stop laughing and snorting at them - Oh like you have ever seen me do that! I am always shocked as they explain to me their planning involved in this said party and how they thought that the wine and food would be "no big deal" and that I would be able to help. Usually the conversation goes in one of two directions; "Well I don't really care what type (varietal) of wine it is, as long as it fits my budget" and then they will generally never inquire about the flavor of that particular bottle of wine and respond with "the label does/does not go with my decor". My personal favorite statement is "Well I was thinking since most people attending know wine that we could do some great Oregon Pinot's and some really highly rated, big, bold Napa Cabernet's", these statements are always uttered with such optimism and hope. So here is my advice, if you are planning a wine themed dinner or party, please, please, I beg you start your planning with the wine and food. Great wine can be poured for very little money, however it does take money and we can help your dinner/party be a success if you start with a reasonable budget for what should be the star of your night. If you choose not to take my advice on this, well then I suggest that you look for the genie in the cheap bottle of plonk (see commandment #9) and hope that genie has a sense of humor!

Well this was supposed to be the 12 Commandments of Beverages and Wine, but moments ago someone just came screeching though in a blandly, generic white, no grey, well maybe a silver car and ran over my soap box and flattened it. The odd thing was the driver was wearing the ubiquitous branded polo shirt with crisply pleated khakis and was hurling insults while spouting things like, "Parker gave this wine 90 points", "this wine is flirty and light", "this is a great wine because I said so", all the while hurling bottles out the car window. Oh well I guess since Moses could convey such weighty info in 10 commandments I can be happy with stopping at 10, also. Besides some of the bottles that were thrown did not break and they look pretty good, so I think I may crack one open and have a glass of wine, while I contemplate the bizarreness that I just witnessed. Cheers!

Warning - This posting was written with tongue firmly in cheek (mostly) and if you are in any way offended, than you should pour yourself a glass of wine and find another blog to read.

The Wine of the Century

Wine Spectator began unveiling their "Top 100" list this week. While the list is not yet completed there have been several French wines chosen for the Top 10 placement and the French wines that have been chosen have all been, at this point, from the 2005 vintage. Perhaps many of you have heard some of the accolades regarding the 2005 vintage in France, but do you know why?

Very early on in the vinification process reports began to surface that the 2005 vintage was going to be "the vintage" of the century and perhaps "the vintage" of modern vintages. The reason was of course the weather in France during 2005. Many of the wine regions in France undertook harvest at what was universally considered "prefect conditions". The weather of course cooperated during the crucial growing period during which French winemakers enjoyed steady warm, not hot, conditions and right before harvest the weather cooled slightly during the evenings allowing the grapes to become more balanced in sugar, acid and water content.

Of course as reports began to surface regarding the perfection of the vintage, prices of highly sought after wines, soared to levels never before seen. While the prices of these wines reached astronomical levels effectively shutting out those of us who would love to sample these wines, all hope is not lost.

Because of the perfect conditions in 2005 it is extremely difficult to find "bad" bottles of French wines from 2005. This is a great vintage to explore if you are unfamiliar or unsure about French wines particularly Bordeaux and Burgundy. With a little help and guidance in your wine selections you could end up with an incredible bottle of wine that cost you very little money and in some cases much less expensive than a comparable California wine.

So the question is, what are you afraid of?

Day 10 - A bittersweet day

We all had a wonderful breakfast together before John and Lisa departed for Sacramento, as they had an earlier flight than us.

We headed back to the hotel and loaded our rental car before heading into Napa to ship our wine and pick up a few last items before we headed to Sacramento.

It was a beautiful day, as it generally is in California, for the drive back to the airport.

As is so often said it is fun to travel but wonderful to return home. After a long day that included a very lengthy lay over in Las Vegas we fell into our comfy bed, to dream of grapes, wine and a wonderful trip and planning our next trip to Napa.

Day 9 - The realization we have to leave sets in

We started the day out by heading back over to Goosecross so that the rest of the gang could have a visit. Geoff was running late, so we headed to the tasting room to taste and shop. We were able to sample the Cabernet Franc and very much enjoyed it, taking a glass with us outside for a nice mid-morning respite. As we were finishing Geoff arrived giving every one an opportunity to say hello before we headed to our appointment at Nickel & Nickel.

We arrived at Nickel & Nickel, despite my brief bubble headed moment of heading the wrong direction, in time for our appointment. Wow what a beautiful winery. We were greeted in the "parlor", of the restored farmhouse, with a nice glass of Chardonnay before being escorted outside for the tour. We toured the barn, that was exported from the east coast and re-assembled with no nails, or metal only peg and groove and is now used for offices, lab and special events. Then on to the crush and fermentation area where we were able to meet Darice Spinelli, the wine maker, and thank her for time in setting this tour up for us. From the fermentation area we headed to the barrel room which was amazing and then to the basement of the farmhouse for a tasting of their single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. After we all drained our glasses we decided it was time for lunch.

We headed to St. Helena for lunch and to walk around shop and take a break from wine tasting - I know it was shocking when we all said we needed a break. Lisa and I decided that we wanted to find a candle that smelled like the fermentation and searched the St. Helena shops to no avail.

Since we all were leaving the next day we decided to head back to the hotels and get our belonging together for our departure the next day and to prep for our wonderful dinner planned for that evening.