The growing season got off to a midwinter start, thanks to an unseasonal warm spell. The weather then cooled off, stretching out the growth. "The even, spread-out pace gave us the opportunity to work with the grapes so we were able to control the picking of the various varietals," Carlson said.
Russian-born enologist Andre Tchelistcheff, one of the world's most respected winemakers and a key figure in the California industry for nearly 50 years, termed the new vintage "very good, very promising. The reds are showing a great amount of personality, especially the Cabernets."
In the southern San Joaquin Valley, where growers usually have to guard their grapes against midsummer temperatures sizzling into the 100s, Angelo Papagni of Papagni Vineyards said milder weather had resulted in high quality fruit.
"This has been an especially cool summer, and that means the grapes have not suffered extreme temperatures," he said. "The ripening and development of the grapes has been consistent, and the end result is a superb quality grape and a wonderful, full flavor."
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FOOD ON TELEVISION THIS WEEK:
At noon: tomorrow, Kathy's Kitchen; Tuesday, We're Cooking Now; Wednesday, The Frugal Gourmet; Thursday, The French Chef; Friday, Justin Wilson's Louisiana Cooking. At 9:30 p.m. Tuesday: The Frugal Gourmet. At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, The Frugal Gourmet. All shows on Channel 12.
THE PLEASE TOUCH MUSEUM IS OFFERING A CHILDREN'S COOKING WORKSHOP.
It is scheduled for the first four Saturdays in November, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Fee for the cooking workshop, which includes all supplies, is $25 for museum members and $35 for nonmembers. The museum is at 210 N. 21st St. To register, call 963-0667.
JANE BRODY'S KITCHEN SERIES WILL PREMIERE NOV. 8 ON CHANNEL 12.
The 10-part series, "Good Health From Jane Brody's Kitchen," will air at 2:30 p.m., and is built around the health columnist's philosophy that nourishing foods and tasty foods can be one and the same. The program will also address a different food-related health problem each week, and Brody will prepare a complete meal related to each week's medical topic.
ALLENTOWN ART MUSEUM WILL FEATURE A GASTRONOMICAL HISTORY LESSON.
Lorna J. Sass, a cookbook author, culinary historian and cook, will present an illustrated lecture, "A Taste of Time: Feasts from Medieval to Modern," at the museum, Fifth and Court Streets, Allentown, today at 3 p.m. An informal reception, featuring a Christmas punch from one of her history cookbooks, will follow the lecture. The event is free to museum members and $3 for nonmembers. Limited tickets will be available at the door.
AMERICANS ARE EATING FEWER DESSERTS AT HOME, MORE IN RESTAURANTS.
A report from MRCA Information Services, which supplies consumer-product companies with marketing information, said that at-home meals with dessert had dropped 13 percent since 1978, while dessert consumption in restaurants was up 18 percent. At-home desserts, according to the survey, have become the victim of a trend toward faster and simpler meals with fewer dishes served. When Americans do have desserts, the survey showed, their favorites are fruit and fruit salads, followed by cookies, cakes, ice cream, ice milk and pies.
THE AVERAGE NATIONWIDE RETAIL BEEF PRICE DECREASED IN OCTOBER.
According to the monthly survey taken by the National Cattlemen's Association, the average price of five beef cuts was $2.39 per pound on Oct. 9, compared with $2.49 a month earlier. The association reported that although wholesale beef prices did not show much change in that month, retail prices dropped significantly, apparently because of more retail price promotions for certain cuts. Per-pound prices for the five surveyed cuts were: ground beef, $1.28 a pound; round steak, $2.37; sirloin steak, $2.88; T- bone steak, $3.84, and chuck roast, $1.58.
