>  JW> cheap, nasty, domestic, imitation German wine called Schloss.
>  ML> We used to (in some cases still do)
>  ML> have foreign-sounding so-called wines with names such as
>  ML> Sauterne
> Canada, along with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa got on
> board with the EU some time ago and banned the use of terms like
> Sherry, Port, Champagne, Burgundy and Chablis for domestic wines. So
> did the USA except that you grandfathered existing brands and just
> prevented the creation of new ones.

There's still plenty of room for deception, though,
and it's only due to the efforts of the wine media
that more cheats aren't available (plenty are, of
course, with my most recent encounter being the
Birichino Grenache, which is styled in every way as
an Italian product except for the product itself,
which is a perfectly respectable Meduterranean-
style wine, more Frenchoid than Italianoid, grown
and made just south of San Jose, California. More
on that perhaps later.

>  ML> Napa and Sonoma Counties in California also wanted
>  ML> to protect the local wine industry, but they did so
>  ML> by ensuring fairly high minimum standards. In the
>  ML> long run this proved to be a good path.
> So did some Canadian winemakers. We do not have AOC type
> designations but do have the industry driven VQA
> designation which is short for Vintner's Quality Assurance.

I'm familiar with a couple nonappellation appellations,
Okanagan or however you spell it Valley and of course
Niagara for sweet wines but was never sure about the
legal ins and outs.

>  ML> Funny thing is that Peller is capable of producing
>  ML> quite decent wines, including continent- if not 
>  ML> world-class sweeties.
> But declines to drop the nasty stuff that got them started back in
> the bad old days,

Well, it's paying honor to their heritage, I guess.
Plus it's got to be a great way of taking surplus
juice and making it into a profit center.

> Speaking of bad Chablis ...
> "The wide semi-generic use of the word "Chablis" outside of France
> is still seen in describing almost any white wine, regardless of
> where it was made and from what grapes."

Yeah. You get American Chablis made out of excess
table grapes, though lately I'm told there's enough
Muscat production to blend in a little flavor.

> "Chablis is one of the most famous names in white wine, so
> after Prohibition, big American wine producers appropriated the
> name for their white wines, a practice that continues today with the
> cheapest jug wines."

I believe that a reputable winery here isn't going
to call anything Chablis, though.

> "If you are a small vintner that doesn't sell outside the state in
> which you produce the wine, and thus do not have a federal excise
> tax stamp, you can still call your wine a Chablis even if it's made
> from leftover fruit salad from the school cafeteria lunch line. You
> won't be able to sell it across state lines or export it, but if
> that doesn't matter to you ..."

What is the name of that prison homebrew again?

> As well as Schloss I vaguely recall buying and drinking my first
> bottle of so-called Chablis. It was soft, fruity and sweet! It may
> have been Paul Masson; I don't remember anymore but it did come from
> California, not Burgundy.

Paul Masson was certainly not the worst nor the sweetest.

> I noted these two atrocities last night while looking for the above
> quotes:
> Capri American Chablis by Constellation Brands has residual sugar
> of 17.5 g/L

Here I am within an hour's drive of that company's
headquarters. A field trip opportunity, perhaps?

> and Paul Masson Chablis claims: "(learn about health benefits or
> risks)
> Rich in vitamins and minerals  - a good source of Vitamin B6,
> Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, Vitamin E, Phosphorus, Calcium, Potassium,
> Zinc and Selenium.
> Does not contain any risky components such as sodium, cholesterol,
> saturated fat and added sugar!"

Well, what fun are they?

> ... With its aura of cultural authenticity hipsters will overpay for it.

And yet "fusion" is also a big seller.

Gefilte Marinara
categories: KfP, fish, fusion, Italian, semi-homemade, wwtt
servings: 8

1 (22 oz) loaf frozen gefilte fish
1 Tb garlic powder
1 Tb onion powder
1 md onion, chopped
- or 1 c frozen chopped onions
1 (26 oz) jar prepared marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x5x3" loaf pan 
with nonstick cooking spray.

Rinse frozen gefilte loaf under water to remove 
parchment wrapper and place in prepared pan.
Sprinkle fish with garlic and onion powder.
Cover with chopped onion. Pour marinara sauce 
over fish, spreading to thickly coat the top. 

Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake 2 hr.

Transfer fish to a sealable container, cover 
and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hr.

By Jamie Geller, chabad.org
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