Installare Wine 1.1.30 su Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty

Wine 1.1.30

Wine (Wine Is Not an Emulator, un acronimo ricorsivo, Wine non è un emulatore) è un software scritto in C nato originariamente per GNU/Linux, poi esteso ad altri sistemi operativi, con lo scopo di permettere il funzionamento dei programmi sviluppati per il sistema operativo Microsoft Windows. Da notare è il fatto che il nome Wine assomiglia a WINdows Emulator, anche se come citato in precedenza esso non lo è affatto.

Wine è arrivato alla versione 1.1.30 e per installarlo su Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty basteranno pochi e semplici passaggi:

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

ed aggiungete a fine file

#Wine
deb http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt jaunty main

Adesso importate la chiave

wget -q http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt/Scott%20Ritchie.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add -

aggiornate il sistema

sudo apt-get update

e se tenete Wine già installato nel Gestore degli Aggiornamenti troverete la notifica per l’aggiornamento di versione altrimenti potete installare Wine con un semplice

sudo apt-get install wine

Alla prossima !!

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Groovy coffee...and wine

For you caffeinated Save-the-World types, check out justcoffee.coop. They do good things, and the coffee ain’t that bad either….at least, from what I understand. I’ve only had the decaf, cuz I can’t handle caffeine (it makes me too twitchy). But I have die-hard coffee-swilling friends who drink the real stuff, and have heard good things.

In other news: All the winos around here have come to the same conclusion…the 2008 pino noir harvests from Oregon are yielding terrific wines…best in several years, is what I’m told. So get ready to stock up, cuz they be hitting the market soon. Some favorites:

Willamette Valley Vineyards (regular pinot is best, but the “whole cluster fermented is good too, just a bit lighter)

Girardet Wine Cellars (Baco Noir)

Witness Tree Vineyard (incredible chardonnay as well….I got futures!)

Bethel Heights Vineyards (TIP: The Southeast Block pinot is best)

2005 Baron Herzog Zinfandel, 2006 Goose Bay Chardonnay, N.V. Herzog Selection Blanc De Blanc Brut Champagne, 2005 Hagafen Napa Zinfandel, 2003 Barkan Cabernet Sauvignon Superieur, Baked Gefilte Fish Loaf, Pot Roast, Roasted Orange Peel Veal

This past Saturday night saw us partying with friends and family for the second night of Rosh Hashanah.  The meal started with the requisite tradition called simanim.  Simanim are a play on words and are a very basic Jewish tradition of using word play to bring out symbolism and actual changes or good tidings.  Our friends brought over two of the simanim, and we took care of  the rest.  The simanim are a yearly rite of passage, and one of my favorite Jewish traditions.  Many of the recipes have been changed to protect the innocent.  My ancestral recipes call for 4 basic ingredients, oil, oil, oil, and some vegetable or fruit and one cooking style – frying.  We decided that this tradition was awesome, but that it needed to be toned down such that it could be enjoyed for years to come, and not just for the few where we are vertical.  So it called for some baking and less oil.  We ordered the symbolic food in the order of Sephardic Jewry, and here they are:

1. Dates or Figs (Tamar in Hebrew)
   1. The symbolism here is that God should end our enemies
2. Broad Beans coated with a mixture of olive oil, cumin, and garlic (Rubya in Aramaic)
   1. The symbolism here is that God should increase our merits
3. Leeks – prepared masterfully by our friends, sautéed in oil and spiced Italian (Karti in Aramaic)
   1. The symbolism here is that God should cut down our enemies
4. Creamed Spinach – prepared masterfully by our friends, creamed with soy yogurt (Salka in Aramaic)
   1. The symbolism here is that God should remove our enemies
5. Sweet Butternut Squash – sliced butternut squash, sprayed with oil and covered with honey, then baked in an oven set to 400 degrees (Kra in Aramaic)
   1. The symbolism here is that God should tear up our evil decrees and read before him our merits
6. Pomegranate seeds (Rimon in Hebrew)
   1. The symbolism here is that our mitzvot (observance of the Jewish laws) be as plentiful as the pomegranate seeds
7. Sweet apples dipped in honey
   1. The symbolism here is that God should grant us a New Year as sweet as honey
8. Fish head – Rock Cod head baked at 350 degrees.
   1. The symbolism here is that in this New year we should be at the head of the class and not at the tail

We always joke that we should try to bring out a head of a lamb instead of a fish head and freak out everyone there.  It would be totally epic, but while it is the preferred manner of implementing the head symbolism, it would fly in the face of “behaving”.

After the fish head was eaten, we moved on to our patented baked herb fish loaf, which we sliced into three-quarter inch servings, and served with the accompanying baked onions, and guacamole.  We paired the dish with a 2006 Goose Bay Chardonnay and followed it with an N.V. Herzog Selection Blanc De Blanc Brut Champagne.  The Chardonnay was solid as good as I remember it from the last time I had.  The Champagne was a logical alcoholic beverage to share with the guys, but the deliver was flawed – maybe literally.  I am not sure, but the wine was clearly flat, fruitless, and acidic.  It’s only saving grace were the few bubbles that we left in the bottle, quite a shame.

The fish was followed by a menu of; Veal with orange peel and stuffed with mushroom and onions, Shoulder pot roast with festive vegetables on the side, spinach Soufflé/kugel, and fresh vegetable salad.  The festive vegetables were cooked with the roast, but at different stages of course.  The shoulder roast was initially seared on all sides and nicely caramelized and then removed.  Diced onions and garlic were then placed in the hot dutch oven and were caramelized until nice and brown.  The meat was returned to the pot, along with half a bottle of wine.  After the meat and wine turned into a nice piece of meat, the potatoes and carrots were added.  Twenty minutes later peas and green beans were added and cooked for a few minutes and then all of this was poured into a shallow pan to cool off and sleep overnight in the chill chest.  After some 24 hours, the meat was removed and sliced, and then placed back in the pan with all of the juice and vegetables, where it would lie until it was warmed up the next day.

To pair with the meats and vegetables we started with a 2005 Herzog Zinfandel – which was a failure, and pulled quickly from the table, but not before it was inflicted upon one of my guests – AHH!  It was followed by a 2005 Hagafen Zinfandel, which was not much better out of the bottle, but after many hours of airing, and long after the guys left the house, it became quite nice actually.  It was a shame as by now three bottles had fallen to the way side, and thankfully, I had a lovely bottle already opened and airing nicely.  This was the 2003 Barkan Cabernet Sauvignon Superieur, as I told the crowd that night, it was at its peak (the last time we had it, it was not nearly as good).  While it was now soft, it was still plush and lush with fruit and the wood and tannins had integrated quite nicely into an impressive presentation of wood, mouth coating tannins, rich fruit, tobacco smoke, and some really nice chocolate.

Two out of five wines, is not a record I am proud of, but the food was solid, and the two wines were enjoyable.  What can I say, you win some and you lose some.  If you grade the evening on the bottle hit count, clearly a subpar performance.  If however, you grade the evening based upon on the friends around the table, the Holy Day that it was, the camaraderie, and food, I think it was downright awesome.  We will always strive to make it better though – next time

The wine notes follow below (in the order they were consumed):

2006 Goose Bay Chardonnay – Score: B+
I must say that this chardonnay is not your run of the mill chard. The fruit on this chardonnay is almost perfumed because of its intensity and the wine is nicely balanced. The nose on this bright straw colored wine is perfumed with rich peach and tropical fruit. The mouth on this medium bodied wine carried the perfumed qualities from the nose along with apple, peach, and lemon. The mid palate is acidic with a touch of minerals. The finish is long with a hint of oak and more tropical fruit acidity. The oak helps to round out the mouth, while the acidity helps to brace the fruit defined mouth. The oak is showing more now and the fruit is slightly fading with the acidity still bracing. Based on my conversation with the wine maker; Philip Jones, the wines never lack from acidity, so this wine will last another year, but start drinking up.

2005 Baron Herzog Zinfandel – Score: B (maybe B-)
Close to undrinkable, at least that was the opinion of many on the table. The boysenberry, and crushed rose petals were over the top and demanded the drinker’s attention, which is a shame. The blackberry, pepper, and oak that lies in the back are nice, but not with that much noise in the foreground and on the lingering finish. The nose is nice with blackberry, boysenberry, rose petals, and oak. The mouth is wrecked with the over the top floral presentation that is followed by enough boysenberry to suffocate a horse. The mid palate is balanced with acidity and oak, but the finish is downhill with more of the same ills. This wine did not improve with time or air.  The wine was not corked or spoiled, but clearly either in a real dumb period or highly flawed.

N.V. Herzog Selection Blanc De Blanc Brut Champagne – Score: B-
Not really impressed. The nose was flat and was actually the best part, with toast, almonds, citrus, and a drop of yeast. That was all they wrote about this wine. The table barely drank it. The mouth was filled with nothing – which was the problem. The best thing that could be said was that it had some acidity, but almost no fruit, and the bubbles were almost flat. Man, a mostly flat Champagne! Anyway, a loser and one that should be drunk quickly. Thankfully there were other wines to take this failure off our minds!

2005 Hagafen Napa Zinfandel – Score: A-
WOW! this wine turned face SLOWLY! This opens in a dull mode, this wine is clearly in a dumb state right now. The nose was flat, the mouth was redolent with boysenberry and oak, but no black fruit to be found. However, after a fair amount of time, like a day or so, the wine opened up to show its true self. The tannins popped out of their coma, the mouth filled out, the nose became redolent with chocolate and tons of fun stuff. Please make sure to open this puppy early and try it every few hours, you will see it change in phases – until it reaches its climax, it was a fun experience, but unfortunate for my guests who never had the chance to taste the real Hagafen Zinfandel.

Once awake and free of its dumb and slumbering state – the nose on this purple to black colored wine is black with ripe fruit, blackberry, mounds of chocolate, spice, sweet oak, and vanilla. The mouth on this full bodied wine fills out with mouth coating tannins that are integrating, but still present. The absurd boysenberry flavors have finally faded and the wine shows a rich, black, and full mouth with blackberry, nice tannins, and semi-sweet oak with raisins. The mid palate shows more integrated tannins vanilla, rich and sweet oak, and balanced acidity. The finish is long and supports the wine’s full mouth with more rich oak, vanilla, and bright acid that carries the black fruit, acting like a bow around this lovely package. It is one crazy wine that is clearly in a dumb state and needs a bit more time to pop out of its state.

2003 Barkan Cabernet Sauvignon Superieur – Score: A
They are all gone, and that is about the only thing “bad” I can say about this wine. We drank it at its peak, and for that I am thankful. If you have one or more lying around — drink up and enjoy, it’s time has come and it is now – RIGHT now!

The nose on this almost pure black colored wine explodes with rich sweet oak, blackberry, plum, dates, and a fantastic impression of effervescent Belgian dark chocolate. The mouth on this full bodied wine is like those wonderful large chairs you see in the movies, plush, soft, enveloping, but still ever present and firm – quite a showing. This was the clear winner of the evening. The mouth follows the nose with blackberry and plum. The mid palate delivers a powerful presentation of rich and concentrated sweet oak, integrated but present tannins, and just enough acidity that plays with the enveloping tannins and fruit, almost like an orchestra. The finish is long and wonderful with more black fruit carried by the sweet oak and tannins, tobacco smoke, and a replay of the chocolate. This is not a beast or a wine that has a statement out loud. Rather this is a concentrated and plush wine, with a quiet demeanor rich black fruit, chocolate, tobacco, all wrapped up in a nice oak box. Quite a wine! I am torn in ways, I am sad I have no more, but happy that I tasted it at its peak, and not on its way down.

Jancis bashes cellared in canada

I was in the Bayview LCBO a couple of weeks ago and made it a point to look at the “Cellared in Canada” section – it was two rows of fancy displays (pictures courtesy of Larry Paterson’s website) and wine made from grapes grown somewhere else. Nothing wrong with grapes grown in other countries, but why is the LCBO trying to fool people who would like to support their local wine industry?

Jancis Robinson has written yet again about this embarrassment. She will also be a guest on “The Current” on CBC radio tomorrow morning to speak about this problem.

A list of Portland-area things to do (I will be expanding on this soon)

Areas to check out:

NW:
Pearl District
NW 23rd Ave.

SW:
Downtown

N/NE:
Alberta Arts District
Mississippi Ave.

Head towards Mount Hood and the Columbia Gorge on the 84 east and check out  Multnomah Falls, the second biggest year-round waterfall in the country. Continue on to Hood River and you will find some lovely small and informal wineries and apple and pear orchards along the “Fruit Loop.” If you have time, take Lost Lake Road to Lost Lake. It has an exceptional view of Mt. Hood and is a beautiful place to relax and rent a variety of boats (paddle boats, row boats, and canoes) and paddle around the lake. If you’re really aggressive (we managed to do it in one day), head to Mt. Hood’s Timberline Lodge to enjoy dinner or a drink while watching the sunset.

Some of my favorite Restaurants: Screen Door, Ken’s Pizza, Pho Van and Clark Lewis.

Portland has the biggest urban park in the country…Forest Park. There are some nice hikes through the park.

Just 30 minutes south of Portland is Oregon Wine Country. There are hundreds of wineries that offer inexpensive tastings.

There are loads of local microbreweries…more per capita than anywhere else in the world, including Munchen, Deutschland.

Portland is a great place to shop as well. Oregon has no sales tax, so all shopping here is tax-free!

Hangover Guide

Deciding what to drink is always a big decision.  Not because of cravings, cost or home ice situation – because of the hangover associated with each type of alcoholic beverage.  The following is a guide, in no particular order, of the effects of different boozes:

• Red wine – I don’t drink white wine because I am not a sissy, but I love red wine.  The drinking of red wine is a fine balance – too little and there is no increase in fun, too much and the next day is hell.  The worst part of the red wine hangover is the headache.  I have heard from wine snobs that expensive wine does not make the headache as bad, but my father always told me never to spend more than five dollars on a bottle of wine, so I guess I will never test that theory.  The increase in stomach acid is a problem, but you won’t care because you want to treat your headache with a guillotine.  Odd side effect: black poop.
• Beer – The only side effect of the beer hangover is gastrointestinal.  However, the one punishment for overindulging on beer is dramatic and forceful – the dreaded beer poos (the “BP’s”).  Warning: Draft beer will increase your toot quotient astronomically.  When Rebbe would drink draft Killian’s all night at R.P. McMurphy’s you could actually see his toots they were so gross.  Also, you will stink of a brewery the next day, so shower thoroughly.
• Rum – Oh, my dark mistress.  Rum will really getcha because it’s made from sugar (more on this later).  The headache and gastrointestinal effects are mild to average.  The overall body ache will make you want to live your life in an iron lung.  Greasy food may make you feel better for a while but the only cure for this feeling is Gatorade, sleep and prayer.  Also, you will reek of alcohol the next day so use every bath product you own and spray on the smelly goods.
• Vodka and Gin – severe headache, mild to average body ache, little gastrointestinal damage.  You will also reek of booze, so clean and apply a masking scent accordingly.  Body ache, aka the feeling you have been run over by a truck, will increase based upon the sugar intake.  If it is a flavored vodka or drank with a sugary substance, beware.  I do not know the science behind this phenomenon but have tested it enough times personally to know it is true.  It is best to drink diet drinks with any hard alcohol – from diet soda to lite cranberry juice, this concept has been tested and proven to help.  Warning: because of its ridiculously high sugar content sweet tea flavored vodka will kill you.  You will actually pray for death, or at least a lasting comatose condition.  Limit yourself to 2 cocktails at the most with this stuff – it’s TNT. 
• Whiskey, Bourbon, Scotch – I actually run and cower in fear from these substances because of the brutal hangover.  I do not know if this is universal, but I feel as if I have a devil inside me the next day using a bellows in my intestines, causing strange and loud stomach noises all day.  A whiskey hangover can last up to twenty-four hours.  Twenty four hours it may be best you wear a diaper.  Finally, you will smell like booze so bad it doesn’t really matter if you shower in battery acid.
• Tequila – what am I, eighteen?  I learned my lesson with that one.  Drink at your own risk.
• Mixing alcohol – the effects of this really depend on how crazy you actually go.  Beer drinking and a few shots is tolerable the next day.  However liquor, shots, wine and beer is not a good idea unless you plan to spend the next day in a coffin wearing a colostomy bag.  Many people go by the old adage – beer before liquor, never sicker; liquor before beer, never fear.  I have found this is true for the most part as long as you don’t have a ridiculous amount of either.  However, please note: DO NOT FUCK AROUND WITH WINE.  Do not ever ever ever switch to wine after drinking liquor.  You will throw up and it will not be pretty.  A final note on Jaeger bombs, or “flu shots” to my Springfield friends – this concoction in excess will create the world’s worst smelling dumps of all time.

I have given you the keys to the kingdom.  Now go forth and use this knowledge.  Earn this.

My Food Philosophy Pt 1 - it shouldn't cost all that much

Foodies shit me, though I am one.  The reason I say this though is that I think most people have the wrong idea what a foodie is, and it is this misperception that shits me.

To take an example, we were given a subscription to The Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine, which is about to expire.  We are not renewing it, which is unfortunate, becuase parts of the magazine were quite good. 

What was annoying, though, is this idea that being a foodie is a rich person’s pursuit, with large credit balances and inflated prices the norm. 

Just about everything in the magazine was expensive.  Even when chefs from some new restaurant are raving about their slow cooked peasant dishes, and telling us the the cheaper cuts are the better ones (and let’s face it, the best food is indeed peasant food), they’re still charging upwards of $40 a plate – hardly peasant prices. 

I understand this idea that the magazine is supposed to be ‘aspirational’, but it still gives me the shits because it doesn’t have to be.  It’s not just this one magazine though, it’s most of the things that go with foodie culture – restaurants, cooking classes, wines, kitchen appliances/implements, etc.

I was, in a way, forced into this sort of thinking by our financial situation.  This year we dropped from 2 incomes to 1,  so we had to really consider where our budget was spent.  Seeing as most of our restaurant experiences were mediocre, we quickly cut them out.  Why spend a week’s food bill on one plate of food that was cooked in an ordinary way, and served by indifferent teenagers?  That’s not to say that we don’t enjoy any restaurants, and there are some real gems out there (Citron at Wilston is superb, as is Thai Chada at the nearby Grange), however we’re not going to spend the money to find them (I will accept recommendations though). 

Cooking classes are an absolute rip as well.  Don’t even think of attending one in Brisbane for less than $100, and sometimes much, much more.  In contrast, the chef at Govindha’s restaurant in the CBD is hosting cooking demos on a nearly weekly basis for $20 – $25 per night (usually Saturdays), and I think for the average punter, they’d get more out of this class than a $100 job from the other places around town.

Now I understand that running a restaurant or food business is a tough job, and I doubt I could do it myself, but sometimes you feel like you’re just getting fleeced because there are just enough baby boomers with too much disposable income around willing to pay these prices, and ruining it for the rest of us.

Wines, too, are heading down this road.  Again, another tough industry, and I really doubt I could do it myself, but I don’t buy the fact that $30 is the minimum price for a bottle of decent wine.  For mine, $20 is a reasonable upper limit at the moment, and thankfully we found Darren Davis at Purple Palate through our cooking club who regularly hooked us up with small production, exceptional wines from the Barossa Valley, many of which came in under the $20 limit.  We’re planning a small invasion of their retail outlet at BarBarossa in the city soon to stock up for summer.

So to ensure this post isn’t just an inane rant, full of sound and fury (and then something about insignificance), I’ll share how we’ve been approaching our foodie-ness (on a budget).  Below is how we buy our food, how long it lasts, and how much it costs.  This feeds two adults (with large appetites) for a month, with the occasional extras along as well.

Vegetables – $110 per month.  We buy two organic boxes from www.homefreshorganics.com.au, each lasting us a fortnight.  We get the organic over the conventional.  This isn’t quite Community Supported Agriculture, but it does cut out some of the middle-men between the farmer and our plate.  The vegetables are very fresh, and very seasonal.  To make this work, you do have to change your cooking and base it around what’s available, but then we love doing the challenge that provides, and surely  this is the most traditional way of eating anyway.

We also source all our salads, herbs, and supplement our veges from our vegetable garden in the backyard.  No more paying $2 for a bunch of basil that lasts 1 day and isn’t all that fresh to begin with.

Meat – $<100 per month  Firstly, we’ve cut back drastically the amount of meat we eat – probably every other night we’ll have a meat free meal (it might include stock though, so it’s not totally vegetarian). 

We’ve started sourcing humanely treated, hormone free, grass fed beef from www.honestbeef.com.au.  The ‘honesty’ comes out of their breakdown of prices, which tells you exactly how much the farmer, the butcher, and they themselves get out of your payment.  Comes in 20kg boxes, delivered to your door, and costs $250 per box ($12.50 per kg).  You get a representative sample of all the different cuts of the animal, so you get some steaks, some roasts, some sausages (which are phenomenal), some mince, etc.  Again, we enjoy the challenge this provides as we find ways of cooking cuts we’re not used to.  We went halves in a box with friends back in August some time, and we’re still getting through it. 

We’ve also located similar arrangements for lamb (where you can buy a half or a whole lamb – the half lamb is great, becuse you only get one lamb shank, because there is only one hind leg in half a lamb ), and tracked down a butcher that gets organic, free range pork.  Occasionally, we’ll pick up a whole free range chook for about $12 from the supermarket, and this will give us at least 3 meals with meat (the first roast, then the shredded meat in something, then use everything else as a soup base), and then stock for weeks.  We have done this once with a duck as well.  As nearly half of our meals are meat free, a $12 chook will contribute to nearly a week’s worth of meals.

To those who say I’m being a hypocrite by spending extra money on free range, organic meat – we’re actually spending less money this way.  Our food bill has dropped dramatically, because we’re eating less meat overall (and we’re both feeling a lot healthier as a result, but I’ll stop now lest you think I’m a health food nutter).

Wines - We haven’t bought many wines of late, but as mentioned above, we’ll be shopping around the $20/bottle amount, and buying what we can afford.  If this means we drink less, then that’s probably a good thing.

It shouldn’t cost a lot of money to be into food, and hopefully you’ll see from our example that really being interested in your food and cooking can save you money, and taste better than anything you can buy in a restaurant.

Milano - Moto ecologiche, ecco gli incentivi E per gli anziani una "mobility card"

Image by jesuscm via Flickr

Milano - Agli ultrasessantenni milanesi a basso reddito che decidono di rottamare una vecchia autovettura Euro 0, Euro 1 diesel o Euro 2 diesel, la Regione offrirà un contributo di 3mila euro da utilizzare in altre forme di mobilità sostenibile.
Bici gratis agli ultrasessantenni a Basso reddito di milano e dai 200 ai 2.000 euro per l’acquisto di un motociclo (o triciclo o quadriciclo) ecologico. Li mette a disposizione la Regione Lombardia per incentivare la rottamazione dei vecchi ciclomotori e motocicli e favorire l’acquisto di mezzi nuovi ecologici (a benzina o elettrici).

I fondi, disponibile fino a esaurimento dei 3 milioni 230mila euro stanziati, sono destinati ai cittadini residenti nella zone critiche A1 (quasi tutti i capoluoghi con i comuni limitrofi) e A2 (comuni della fascia mediana della pianura) e alle imprese ed enti con sede nelle stesse aree (500 comuni circa in tutto) per la rottamazione dei vecchi ciclomotori e motocicli Euro 0 ed Euro 1 o l’acquisto di mezzi nuovi a nullo o basso impatto ambientale (elettrici, ibridi o euro 3).

Fra le altre misure, un contributo di 80 euro sarà assegnato a chi deciderà di rottamare un ciclomotore o motociclo euro 0 o euro 1 anche senza acquistare un mezzo nuovo.

Da Repubblica.it   la notizia qui…

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Mendoza wineries, part 1

Mendoza is a 2-hour flight west of Buenos Aires or a 6-7 hour bus ride through the Andes from Santiago, Chile.

There are a number of hotels in the city of Mendoza, but when I visited in April, we chose to stay at a small vineyard called Finca Adalgisa, located in the suburb of Chacras de Coria. The vineyard was small, but nice, and there was a winery on site serving Finca’s own wine along with small snacks. Here are some photos of the hotel.

Pool surrounded by the vineyards

Grapes - almost at harvest

The rooms - with hammocks on the patios

Outside Finca's Winery

We used Ampora Wine tours http://www.mendozawinetours.com/ for two day-long tours to different wineries in the Mendoza area.

Valle de Uco is a high altitude region where newer wineries have been developed – the wineries here all have spectacular views of the Andes and large and sprawling vineyards.

Bodega Salentein was our first stop in Valle de Uco. Salentein was opened by a Dutch company, and the vineyard exports 70% of its wine.  We tasted 3 wines here, a Savingnon Blanc, an Rose, and a Pinot Noir. Bodega Salentein had magnificent views, and the cellars were large,spacious, new, and sparkling. Fun Fact: Pinot Noir grapes only grow at high altitudes in Argentina

Tasting at Salentein

The Winery at Salentein

View from the tasting at Salentein

Andeluna was just down the road from Salentein and our second stop of the day. This was another breathtaking property. The winery is 6 years old and goal of Andeluna vineyards is to produce the best Malbec in the world. We tasted 3 wines here, a Pasionado (made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec & Cabernet Franc), a Chardonnay, and a Reserve Malbec.  Fun Fact: The winery is owned by Ward Lay, of Frito Lay

Interior of the winery at Andeluna

View of the Vineyards at Andeluna

O. Fournier was the 3rd and final winery of the day. Our tour guide referred to it at the “James Bond” winery and I’d have to agree.  It was rather secluded and futuristic looking. There is a good photo on the vineyard’s website that captures the whole building. Unfortunately I have only one picture of myself here – I may have become less attentive with the camera after 3 tastings! We did have a lively lunch here, and had a chance to talk with each of the members of the tour group – each tour is kept to 6 -8 people so it was a good size to meet lots of different people. Our group consisted of Americans, Canadians, Irish, and English/Scottish (who were living in Chile)

At lunch, each course was paired with lovely wines to complement the course. Some highlights were: A sherry sorbet with ham paired with a Sauvignon Blanc, and a Urban Uco Torrontes. Lunch was served in a room with windows on 2 sides, surrounded by a pool of water. You can see it a little in the background of this photo.

I’ll post a similar review of the Luján de Cuyo wineries shortly!

Have you ever visited a winery? Where?

And now back to your regularly scheduled disappointment

As you may (or may not) have noticed, I have been gone for several days. Partly because my backup blog notes are missing… and partially because work has been a madhouse. But now I’m back and will endeavor to make up for it this week, starting with a bottle of wine I saw at Wine & Spirits on the “Last Chance” rack. I was very excited to try it as very little is generally within my price range in the Last Chance rack.

The Domaine des Cantarelles Viognier was, well, really not worth the excitement. A lovely dark gold, the nose was reminiscent of Tokaji, a wonderful desert wine from Hungary, smelling of toasted walnuts, expected pineapple and creme. Most white wines are supposed to be drunk within a year of their vintage date. Some high quality wines, however, such as Viognier and Chardonnay, can be aged for years. I was worried that the Cantarelles Viognier was not one of these and had passed its prime. Such earthy smells as walnuts can often be the indicator of a well matured wine or a wine too well matured that has gone bad.

While I do not think this wine had passed its peak, I’m not sure what its peak was supposed to be. While it did taste like toasted walnuts, the alcohol was so intense that it was unpleasant to drink. I could not get over how disjointed this alcohol level made the entire experience. It felt as though I was eating walnuts dipped in rubbing alcohol. My “great deal” last chance turned out to have been a real dud especially at the still quite high decreased price.

Sorry. I strive for better quality the rest of the week!

Domaine des Cantarelles Viognier, Vin des Pais, 2007

Price: $16.49 (used to be an insulting $21.99)

Alcohol: 14%

Rating: C-

Champagne - Be Ready to Celebrate Your American Good Fortune

We have experienced some tough times recently and maybe Champagne sounds like an expensive luxury. Admittedly top of the range French Champagnes command a hefty premium but we Americans have plenty of domestically produced fine alternatives at affordable prices.

An article in the Wall Street Journal in 2006 made a lot of interesting and informative points. Click here to read more.

You will maximze your enjoyment if you choose from the elegant Ravenscroft Crystal Champagne flutes available in lead free glass from www.WineDecantersPlus.com

Presentation - The Labels

A huge part of the fun in amateur winemaking is the presentation of the wine. I’m of the opinion that if you go to a lot of effort to make the wine then a lot of effort should go in to displaying and presenting it. It’s all part of the fun and, at parties, there’s nothing like showing off a wine that has been properly bottled, corked, labelled and capped by you. It can be a good talking point as people sip on your wine.

Also, a sizable enough percentage of points goes towards your score for presentation if you decide to enter any amateur competitions with it. A few years ago a recipient of one of my bottles entered it into a competition, and what do you know, it won!

So, lets talk about labeling the wine. The general rule is, there are no rules, and you can have as much fun with the labels and names as you want. I had originally thought of going down the route that some commercial wine producers have gone in recent years and use a humourous name or pun for the wine like the New Zealand Vinyard Fairview’s, Goats Do Roam (GROAN!!!) or a really colouful label like Kiona’s The Vivacious Vicky.

Instead, I decided to let the wines speak for themselves and I plumped for a more traditional feel to the label. I used my family crest on the bottle in recognition of the fact that four generations of us have lived in this building. I blogged about the house before and under a different moniker. If you’d like to read the history of it, you can do so here.

So, what do you think?

Australian television

While going through some of my recent posts I realised that I’ve been obsessively writing only about shoes. I mean, yes I love shoes but there are other things I love too. For example, this morning I am loving Australia Network…

I work with a news channel and in my office we have TV sets showing various channels so that we can monitor news from around the world. My favourite is Australia Network maybe because the channel does not just focus on news. They have some pretty awesome shows. Like for example their shows for children are outstanding. One really fun show is:

Needless to say, it is super cute and super fun. As the name suggests it’s about two banana’s wearing pyjamas and having fun with their friends.

The other shows on the channel that I enjoy are:

Which talks about the Australian wilderness. Then I enjoy:

Which tells you everything about  the finest Australian wines…(this is an awesoem show!)

And then of course the fun footy games:

Now you might be tempted to think that all I do ehre is watch TV. But really it’s good fun and the channel is bang in front of me! And with content so good, it’s kinda difficult not to watch!

Summer Wine List

This summer as many of you know I had the awesome opportunity to work at Bon Vivant Market with owner Mike Adams.  Bon Vivant has two locations (Smithfield and Suffolk, VA) both are quaint little shops that offer a great selection of wine, beer, cigars, coffee, and more.  I have to say that I always had a little thing for wine but after reading He Said Beer, She Said Wine by the founder/owner of Dogfish Head Brewery and a sommelier, my interest was peaked.  So I went in to this little shop I had been a customer of several times and asked if he was willing to take on a poor college student who was home for the summer and in need of some cash.  Mike obliged and I have to say that the experience was one of the best I have ever had!

So here’s a list of some of my favorite wines from this summer…

2008 Cantina Villafranca Frascati Superiore- this little juice from Italia scored 89 points from Cork’d in a recent review.  A good chill on this bottle and your mouth will be watering.  The crisp, sour citrus front end of the Frascati is classic of this particular wine.  You’ll really enjoy the refreshing rush brought on by the acidity courtesy of that sour citrus.  Pick up on the subtle sweet notes like a little Apple Juice.  Pair it with: steamed shrimp, bacon wrapped scallops, or any other fresh seafood for that matter!

2008 Borges Gatao Rosé- grilling out burgers or chicken and not in the mood for beer… this is your choice.  Again, put a good chill on the bottle and have more than one ready if friends are over, this stuff will go quick!  Be careful though, this bottle may have a little kitty on it but the Rosé nature makes it as dangerous as a tiger’s paw!  You should get a lot of fruit on the front end of this cat and it should finish nice, quick, and smooth.  Pair it with: anything off the grill, pizza.

2008 Case Ibidini Insolia- this wine comes from a little island with a big name: Sicily.  I like to compare this wine to any fine woman you’ve met of Sicilian descent.  My experience is they’re sweet, charming, and smooth on the front but inside they’re solid, strong, and not to be taken lightly.  This well balanced wine has subtle fruits on the nose and a crisp acidity on the palate.  As always, cool your whites before drinking.  Pair it with: chicken, seafood, lamb, light pastas.

2008 Cantine Riondo Pink Prosecco Raboso- also another sneaky lady from Italia (noticing a trend- what can I say?!).  This is my go to bottle for the beach, pool, or anything outdoors.  Put a good chill on the bottle and clear the area if you enjoy popping the cork.  This bottle comes with a little “frizzante” but it’s not a full sparkler, just enough to put a clean, refreshing feeling over your hot and/or diaphoretic self.  You’ll get a lot of berries on the nose and front side with a prickly, fresh feeling on the palate.  Look for some mild fruity tones as it finishes out. Pair it with: a beach, bathing suit and some SPF! or goes well year round with salads and light pastas.

2007 McManis Pinot Noir- a venture into the reds finds this nice one.  A Pinot Noir from Cali, it doesn’t pack the same punch as the Oregon boys but has all the classics of a Pinot Noir.  Smell some cherries at first then sip away and let the rush of vanilla, cola, and that noticeable oak aged taste simmer for a strong, rich finish.  Pair it with: broiled salmon, italian sausages/brats, or a pork tenderloin.

There were many more that I laid my lips on this summer (bottles of wine that is) but that’s the list I could piece together here on the last official day of Summer.  Hope you enjoy!

Deals Direct Monday Madness 24 Hour Sale Wine, Laptop, GPS ++

Deals Direct are having a “Monday Madness” day today.  Which means, they’re selling things at a reduced price.  In some instances, there’s even FREE shipping.  So here’s a list of a couple of items, but there’s plenty more available on their website.

Streetking 5.0″ Car GPS System with Bluetooth $199
I confess, I’m still the map reader who turns it around in the direction I’m heading.  Hey now, I’m sure there’s plenty who do exactly the same, but just won’t admit it.  This GPS is normally $299, so a good saving.  Just think, no more pulling over and trying to work out where on earth you’re heading.  Just listen to the dulcet tones of your GPS navigator.

Dell Vostro 1200 Laptop $949 plus FREE SHIPPING
Normally this laptop is around $999, so you’re saving $50 plus getting the free shipping.

One more for good measure, catering for those who like a wee drop.

12 Pepperton Estate Cellar Reserve Chardonnay Semillon 2009 $49.95 plus FREE SHIPPING
A good quaffing wine.  Oops, did I just say that out loud?

All of these are only available until TONIGHT, ending at 11.59pm Monday 21st September 2009 AEST.  Or, while stocks are available.

Gouda = Good, and so is Jug Wine

This Saturday was the 35th Annual Jug Wine Festival put on by my friends Liz and Ray, old chums from the Bank days. Every year we gather at a local beach to drink cheap wine, nosh on great snacks and catch up on life with friends. Throughout the years our ranks have swelled and shrunk, we have added and subtracted friends and family members, friends have been lost and found, and we have matured, or miraculously stayed the same. This party is representative of a steady theme of life, tied together with the ribbon that binds us of love, good company and good wine. Or better wine, as our palates improved! In good times, or in bad, in fog, gale force winds, the occasional sunny day and even drizzle, like the post office, we gather.

The rules are simple: bring a bottle of jug wine, the ideal bottle is under $5 but this is by no means a requirement, same with it being in a jug and with a screwtop, and something to share food-wise.

This year I had found a rather curvy bottle of rosé from Provence from my local shop (on sale!). For my food offering, when visiting my parents recently I stopped off at Phillips Farms stand, which coincidently is the Michael David winery tasting room. There, in addition to rather lovely wines and wonderful local produce, I snagged a jar of their amazing fig jam. It is a bit different from the ubiquitous Greek jam found at good cheese shops everywhere. This jam is from our local California Mission figs, hardly sweetened, as they are so candylike themselves. One of my favorite appies is the lucious St. Andre cheese with a generous dollop of fig jam. However in a beach environment this concoction was not ideal, too much wind and too many yellowjackets. I conceived the idea of combining the two in puff pastry but knew St. Andre would not be suitable for baking as it was much too soft and creamy at room temperature and wouldn’t hold up to the rigors of baking.

Last week I paid a visit to the experts at Cowgirl Creamer in the Ferry Building. I explained my vision for the appetizer and tasted easily half a dozen selections before settling upon a goat Gouda. But I wasn’t finished tinkering with the dish. I wanted something to add to the flavors, something to elevate the flavors and play off the buttery puff paste, the tang of the Gouda and the sweet figs. I smelled every herb in the market and pondered a pinch of marjoram or perhaps oregano, then sniffed around the spice department and finally ended up in the cheese section at Whole Paycheck. They suggested Marcona almonds, and they were brilliant in the turnovers.

I gave them a rough chop and tried my best not to snack on too many.

Then I sliced the whacking great chunk of goat Gouda:

The puff paste, thawed in the fridge overnight, was given a quick roll out on a cutting sheet and kept cold on a baking tray:

After cutting the pastry with a sharp knife, I added to each square a chunk of cheese, a spoonful of jam and a sprinkling of almonds.

I dabbed the edges of the pastry with water, then folded them over and sealed them shut by crimping with a fork. Then, they were laid on parchment paper and popped into the oven at 375 for 25 minutes. So simple! The trickiest part was that The Roost is quite overheated in general so I had to keep chilling the trays of pastries as I was working with them to cool off. Puff paste can be quite uncooperative if too warm. But 5 minutes in the fridge firms up the pastry nicely and you can proceed from there. (I am not going to write this up recipe-style because it is just too easy of an assembly job. Just stay cool!)

At the beach my pals had already arrived and so I set up my tray of turnovers. A bunch of local red flame grapes set off the plate quite nicely and their juicy pop was a pleasant palate cleanser after the buttery cheesey sweet and tangy tarts.

The table was spread with delectable goodies, each were so delicious, and they were devoured in due haste: three bean and artichoke heart salad from Chris, Gail’s Best Food-winning mushroom empanadas with dilled cream and blueberry tartlettes, garlic, honey and mint spread from Ellen, leek asparagus quiche (and another quiche that I didn’t try, sadly) from Casey and Paul, someone brought chicken wings, hiding from the yellowjackets in a paper sack, and wine, lots of wine. Chris won Best White for the Elephant Chardonnay, mea culpa for my not remembering who brought the best red, Michael won for Best Rose with the Martha Stewart Rosé with the condescending label, “rosé is French for pink”. Really, Martha? As much as we rather loathe her now, the rosé was pretty decent. Darn her…

The tradition is to sign the guestbook upon arrival. The guestbooks and photos from past years are on display, it’s always fun to look back to years ago and think, did I really gild myself to that extreme? Why did I ever cut my hair and who is *that* guy??

Casey and Paul brought an intriguing liquid offering: raspberry Sparkletini with gummi bears. On its own the Sparkletini already tasted like gummi bears but popping one in the glass was irresistible.

We toasted Tom Synder! It was surprisingly delicious and we decided that in a large ice-filled glass with a chunk of lime and a glug of vodka the raspberry Sparkletini would make a killer cocktail! Look out friends, a Sparkletini is coming your way soon!

A while later, we noticed that someone had dug what looked like a grave in front of our picnic tables. We always knew jug wine would kill someone, someday*.
(*thanks to Ray for that quote)

Ana brought what was awarded later as the worst wine of the day: TJ Swann’s apple wine. Apparently it retails for an extravagant $1.75 but Ana found it at a garage sale in Washington State for a whopping $0.25. Let me tell you, it was overvalued.

My friends were gently teasing me about tweeting some of these pictures, but then Michael let me in on his secret:

How clever to hide the iPhone in a book, it was just the perfect size!

The aforementioned awards were given out, paperless as we have gone “green” this year per Liz. I won for best socks!! (My Socks of Pride in honor of my sis, in rainbow Kuryeon wool, 4×2 rib)

Finally the sun came out, for all of two minutes!

We were fascinated by the plight of one young man across the way from us. He arrived 30 minutes after Liz and Ray, and on his own, unloaded a brand-new barbecue (complete with price tag), several coolers, tanks of propane, a guitar and a bike and several other curious pieces of luggage. He sat alone, occasionally making a no doubt plaintif phone call, forelorn and unloved for at least six hours. At one point, he lay curled up in fetal position in the sand, closely observed by a small child from a nearby table, dressed in red from head to toe. It was like a live-action Fellini movie. Who was he? Who had he invited? Why didn’t anyone come? Why did he stay, without taking a restroom break even? How long was he going to wait? The park closes at sunset! And what was he going to barbeque? It was fascinating, in a sad way, like watching an accident on the freeway from the safe comfort of your own car. We made up fantastic scenarious, each more heartrendering and, dare I admit, more humorous than kindness should allow. In the end, as we were leaving, we chose not to insert ourselves into his solitude and to preserve the mystery of this poor guy. Maybe we should have brought him a glass of TJ Swann or a Sparkletini?

The wind was coming up, the shadows were growing long (had the sun remained long enough to display them) and it was time to toast Liz and Ray for hosting yet another wonderful day, for the 35th time. Cheers, my friends! Until next year!!!

How i Was Spent My Summer Vacation: Days 12 & 13

Day 12

Carafe-ty

i got toasted at a marshmallow roast. The culprit wasn’t the Bud i had early in the day but a 16-year old step-inlaw. i’d christened her Whine Girl but for the purposes of the party i promoted her to Wine Girl. After downing a carafe of  ‘Red’ wine, the hostess of the party brought out a fresh box of the same which i handed to Wine Girl. She wasn’t allowed to drink any but i told her she had to stay within reach and come on call when i needed refilling.

Wine Girl

Miss Demeanor’s take on this? i tried her patience and thought it was good, but then her patience tried me and i felt guilty.

This was my first binge of the trip. It took me thirteen days to get here, which is a personal record for me on vacation.

Drink Log

• 3 Bud Lights
• 7(?) glasses ‘Red’ wine

Day 12

Dry spell. Hey, see if you feel like drinking after excreting blood. Literally. No kidding. Three times.

Dal 25/9 gli sconti per le bici. Le nuove due ruote elettriche

Image by ...lord Alessandro Zarcone via Flickr

Il ministero per l’Ambiente ripropone gli incentivi per l’acquisto delle due ruote. Fino a 450 euro di rimborso per i modelli a pedalata assistita. Ecco i modelli

Con i nuovi incentivi per biciclette e ciclomotori ecologici, annunciati dal Ministro dell’Ambiente, Stefania Prestigiacomo, è possibile ottenere sconti del 30% sull’acquisto delle bici normali (fino a 200 euro) e a pedalata assistita (fino a un massimo di 450 euro).

Ecco i nuovi modelli di bici elettriche presentate all’edizione 2009 dell’Eicma, il Salone del ciclo (clicca  sul titolo per vedere il video).

• La Ducati a zero emissioni
• Come “elettrificare” la propria bici
• La due ruote che si carica in ufficio
• Suv, l’elettrica studiata per lo shopping

Da Sole24ore.it la notizia qui…

The New San Francisco Food Carts And Big Dollars' Servants

 

I have been reading articles often about new food carts appearing in San Francisco and exciting people and getting into trouble. Illegal food carts are common in some neighborhoods, such as Mission, and the locals patronize them against all official actions. The new food carts are better in standards and quality. The items sold are more sophisticated such as cream brulee, etc. and the vendors resort to advanced techniques such as using twitter to stay in touch with the customers. Nevertheless, they do get caught by the police which has been reluctant to fine but obligated to warn. Food carting is a trend that is not going to leave San Francisco and that makes me curious of the City’s reaction. The popularity of food carts has many advantages but the City will probably continue to push them out of business because the proliferation of carting will hurt the established restaurant business.

I don’t really know the history of food carting but should not be too difficult to imagine. Food is an item that is consumed daily and at some point individuals, in probably all cultures, resorted to selling food in some ways. Naturally, some of this sales efforts became mobile and a small mobile device became one way of merchandising the food. The right or wrongs of food carting are similar to any other food business practice as far as health, handling of the food, customer service and so on. Carts by nature are small and the food items have to be portable. The cost of items can be less because the vendor does not have much cost built into the practice. The cart is a mobile unit. The merchandise is acquired and food carter operates. The idea is simple and works worldwide. Do the big cities need such ways of merchandising? Maybe and maybe not. The new food carts are however here in San Francisco and though not many in numbers do get some healthy attention from the public and the media.

The food carts are small units that can be pushed or otherwise moved by one person. The operators of the recent cards are young and enterprising. They are not the traditional lower-lower class individuals seeking a source of income. The new operators dress as professionals and really enjoy what they do. The food that is sold is not the traditional source of income by the transaction. The food is a source of great fun. The traditional food cart operator has 95% motivation to operate for income and 5% for independence or some other reason. The new operators are 80% in pursuit of fun and fulfillment from the operation and 15% is income and 5% could be rebellion. If anywhere operating food carts could be a form of public rebellion, San Francisco would be on the list. The new food operators enjoy and like what they do too much. This attracts people who join the enthusiasm. That is not the traditional food carting but is traditional restaurant spirit. The food cart operators and the public enjoy the operations not only because of the food deal but also because of the personal exchanges.

The City of San Francisco has been watching. The media reports details by inspectors from Department of Health, officers of SFPD, and even interfering neighbors. The new food carting does get a solemn reaction from the City. A typical license for such vendor costs about $1000 month which is enormous considering most vendors work part-time and only for a few hours. The City excuses are typical. The City does not have as big a public campaign against the traditional food carters, in comparison, maybe because what is sold is ethnic food and has a small minority client base. What could be a big deal about the new food carting? Food carters have to maintain health standards which can be done. They have to register with the city which can be done. They have to operate safely which can be done. They have to report income for taxes which can be done. The requirements can be met. Why such high prices for a license to operate a tiny food cart? What is the big deal about appearance of little food carts?

The cart is a way to transport food of various sorts to many locations. Desserts, soups, sandwiches, sausages, and many more food items can be hauled in a food cart to where most marketable. How would this be of trouble to anyone besides the obvious excuses? The new food carts are small, fashionable, well-priced, and good in quality. They are very mobile. They bring fun to local residents for not much to spend. The operators enjoy what they do and are not really desperate to operate carts as the last resort for income. The practice is by choice for personal fulfillment rather than desperation. That changes the culture and atmosphere of the whole practice. This attracts people. The economic times are difficult now but even if they get better food carts bring joy to people who shop them. Food is not the only thing available. The experience the new food carts bring is what restaurants have been traditionally selling. People visit restaurants not just to eat and be fed. They enjoy the atmosphere, the culture and the experience of visiting a restaurant.

Restaurants are rigid establishments. Once a restaurant has been set up, a great deal cannot be changed. The location and parking is fixed. The hours are fixed. The layout, the tables, the lighting and even the food menu are fixed. Everything has to be figured out and well put together to make a successful restaurant. The violation of these rules can be a big threat to the future of the restaurant. That is probably what is behind the City’s reaction to the new food carts. The restaurants join political lobbies who watch for their interests. In a large city such as San Francisco, there are thousands of such restaurants which brings a great deal of money for the owners, the City and the lobby watching for their interests. Any serious threat will have to be dealt with for a great deal of money is at stake. Food carts maybe small but are very versatile. Restaurants are not. If the new food carting becomes common practice and cheap to operate, the food carts will appear everywhere. The cost of being an entrepreneur in food business goes down and a charming personality guarantees a whole day’s sales everyday. The food carts can converge on any spot where many people are expected. This is very bad for restaurants that are also built on location to benefit such proximities. The more food carts, the more varieties of foods can be around. Many patrons may opt for the entertainment and variety of the food cart rows versus the established restaurants. The restaurants can be hurt dramatically.

Restaurants will still be visited for celebrations, special occasions, events and many other reasons. Casual customers, however, find a very strong alternative in the food carts instead of the restaurant visits. Food carts can follow farmer’s markets and other city events. They can appear in multiple locations each day making the most of the available public. In short, the food carts can do well in a city such as San Francisco and their numbers will climb overnight. Everything about their practices can be very legitimate and they can stay in business strong. The restaurant lobby will take a huge blow for its clients. Restaurants cannot compete unless they put out their own food carts. That is not unusual. Many restaurants offer simple foods of the restaurant’s quality at farmer’s markets, food events and similar venues. Some restaurants have food trucks similar to the old tacomobiles. Food carts are much harder and less profitable to operate than an established restaurant. Farmer’s markets have been getting bigger and appearing on more days citywide. They are becoming true farmer’s markets versus the commercial replica and everyone shops them in some frequency. Food carts can have a similar future. That means a percentage of restaurant sales will be automatically lost daily to the food carts.

A city of San Francisco size can have several thousand food carts that are licensed, reputable and well-liked. They bring nothing to the city coffers and they hurt the established restaurant practice. They attract citizens as flies do and in time will provide solid social hour by just being around. They can bring excellent food to the locals. They can compete with the lowest prices. They can bring tourists around in droves. They add to the city’s food diversity and popularity. Food carts can do a lot for a big city of San Francisco size and its food-minded residents. They are just bad for some established restaurants. The future will tell what becomes of the food carting. They can influence the city life if the City stops stonewalling them. This has always been the San Francisco spirit. The City belongs to the rich.

 

MS Office 2007 na ubuntu 9.04

Witam wszystkich. Jako, że ostatnimi czasy potrzebowałem MS Office’a w wersji 2007 (ktorego nabyłem zgodnie z polskim prawem, czyt. kupiłem), a konkretnie Worda 2007 i w tym samym czasie Eclipse i jeden z moich projektów w tym samym czasie (który jest na dysku z Ubuntu), to postanowiłem po prostu zainstalować MS Office’a na Ubuntu. Może to rozwiązanie wynika również z tego, że mam wrodzona niechęć do korzystanie z pakietu OpenOffice. Po prostu nie przypadł mi do gustu, wydaje mi się bardziej toporny i sam fakt, że wiele szablonów dokumentów mam już stworzonych w pakiecie Microsoftu i nie chce mi sie tego samego robić na OO. W każdym bądź razie natknąłem się na problemy podczas instalacji tego pakietu. Korzystałem co prawda z kilku poradników, które zanalazlem w internecie, ale okazały się co najmniej nieaktualne, więc nie będe się rozwodził na ten temat, lecz opisze moje subiektywne porady na temat instalacji MS Office’a na Ubuntu 9.04.

Więc tak, instalujemy wine w wersji 1.1.29. I już tu można natknąć się na pierwszy problem, poniważ na chwilę, gdy instalowałem pakiet to w repozytorium była dostepna jedynie wersja 1.0.0, więc trzeba zaktualizować repozytorium. Nic łatwiejszego, wchodzimy na stronę projektu wine i postępujemy zgodnie z wskazówkami. Są tam zawarte wskazówki na temat aktuazlizacji repozytorium i samego wine. Następnie instalujemy winetricks poleceniem:

wget http://www.kegel.com/wine/winetricks

sh winetricks msxml3 dotnet20 gdiplus riched20 riched30 vcrun2005sp1

Dalej jest o dziwo banalnie, bo nadpisujemy jedynie biblioteki riched20 i ups10 na ustawienia (native, builtin). Po tych konfiguracjach jest już kompletnie z górki, bo tylko wkładamy płytę z Office 2007 i instalujemy jak na każdym innym windowsie. (oczywiście prawym na setup.exe i wybieramy uruchamianie przez wine)

I Swear I'm Working!

I call this doing the Hemingway.

Need I say anything more on a glorious TGIF afternoon, lounging in my favorite open-air bistro, starting the development process for Act II?

Floating out there beyond the headlights awaits the plot point that signals the end of Act II. I know where I’m going, just need to get a handle on the scenes that get me from here to there.

Admittedly, this kind of planning work isn’t my strength. A nice little Chilean Merlot helps though!

The Name is Worth A Million Times the Spirit

 

I saw a blog post in a city magazine website about a small demonstration. The demonstrators, who were also suspected of being part of a marketing scheme, were demanding that government use Cachaca (Ka-sha-ka) as the name of a liquor instead of referring to it as “Brazilian rum.” The government makes strange rules sometimes but they make sense at times also. Cachaca is the name for a spirit local to Brazil. The demonstrators claim the Brazilians drink huge quantities regularly thus a big deal what Cachaca is called in US. This comes as no surprise because the population of Brazil is large and every culture has a local alcoholic beverage that is consumed in large quantities. This common beverage is usually made from some local agricultural product that is abundant, cheap and suitable. Tequila is made from Cactus. Vodka is made from potatoes. Rum is made from sugar canes. Brandy is made from grapes. And the list goes on. What all cultures have in common is the existence of at least one such local alcoholic beverage. Is the fact how the beverage is made more important or what name? The actual name used for an alcoholic product is only a marketing package and far more important than the spirit and how it was made.

Alcohol is a great source of revenue worldwide and a highly regulated commodity. Each major country has at least one alcoholic product unique and this product is protected worldwide. The protection of the product makes it a source of income primarily for that country. It make a good deal of economic sense to protect one’s own alcoholic product and protect other countrys’ reciprocally. The import and export of the alcoholic products, between the countries, is a great source of income for everyone involved. The protection of the alcoholic products is essential to future financial gain from this resource. The ideal situation is a monopoly by one country on one product. In the real world, other people may make the same product by using the same method. If they cannot be stopped from using the method, they have to be stopped from using the name. Whisky and whiskey are the same by method but not the same by point of origin. The former is from Scotland and expensive while the latter is from Kentucky and cheap. The product is different and claimed to be superior by the type of local water, the fire used, the quality of air and many subjective factors. The determining factor in price is the name. The protection of the name Whisky provides control over the income.

Cachaca is an obscure product. A product, with a huge local following, but a complete unknown in other countries. If the product is being allowd to sell, some requirements have to be met. In the case of alcohol, the name, and the making of the product are important. Cachaca is basically a type of rum. Rum is a category of alcoholic spirits made from sugar canes and Cachaca is made from the same source by using the same distillation method. The US government categorizes Cachaca as a type of rum rather than a unique spirit of its own and a tiny group of demonstators or clever marketers take it to the streets. The demonstrators argue Cachaca is not a “Brazilian rum” and is Cachaca. It is so unique that it has to have its own name. The method does not make it unique. The name must be unique.

Liquor companies have invented thousands of cocktails. Every occasion, every famous person and everything people remember or celebrate has a cocktail named after. That is the source for the largest number of cocktail names. Is this because there is some significance to the process of naming cocktails? Some may say yes. Economically, the process is invaluable for the spirits companies. Almost every liquor, by itself, is too strong to be drank and needs to be dilluted. The liquid used can be water, juice, soda or anything as long as the density is reduced. The individual cocktail recipe is a great marketing tool. Each person has a different taste and prone to appreciating a specific concoction. This means if enough cocktails are made and marketed, most casual and regular drinkers find something to their taste. The large number of cocktails provides alternatives to attract the largest number of drinkers. The bottom line is spirits need to be sold and anyway they can be marketed is good. The cocktail package is a great marketing scheme and has worked for ages in US. A basic packaging, in absence or presence of cocktail choices, is the protected name for the spirit. Scotch, Tequila, Cognac, and many more are only names but are protected as if they have some great significance. Some have historical, traditional, and regional significance but most of all these names are valuable because they sell the spirit much better than a generic name or no name. The protected name is an invaluable marketing tool.

A typical bar has, at least, three classes of liquors: Well, Call and Top shelf are the minimum three categories. Well liquor is cheap spirit made by not famous producers thus only referred to by its type as vodka, gin, or rum but never the name on the bottle. The name has no worth. Call is slightly better liquor that has a name that is known. The expression Call means the spirit has a name it can be “called” by such as Grey Goose, Tanqueray, etc. This spirit may not be any or much better than the former no-name spirit but has higher price and perceived value because the Call name is known but customers. Top shelf is expensive stuff. The name itself is a value beyond the quality of the contents of the bottle. You can make the best spirit but won’t become a great success until has a name that is well known. You can also make a mediocre spirit that will be a great success because it has a name that is well known. The actual name used to promote the product is far more important than the product itself. Cachaca is “Brazilian rum” but worth a great deal more, when sold, if Cachaca is only Cachaca and not Brazilian rum.

Cheguei. I have arrived.

I am writing my inaugural post from my lovely little bedroom in Lisbon. I have been in this country less than 24 hours and already I love it. There is something in the air here, an aroma that defies comprehension or even judgment. The smell of the ocean, the waft of perfume, the gritty aftertaste of cigarettes, and the scent of well-worn pavement.

This is an old city, with roots dating back 3000 years to the days of the Phoenicians. It’s definitely a nice change from the antiseptic newness of most American cities. My building is over 250 years old. Even the bathtub I wash my naughty bits in is 90 years my senior. The apartment is on the fourth floor of the building. It is the only building of its kind left on the entire block; Portuguese business ventures caught the capitalism bug, started buying up old the real estate, partitioning it up, and reselling it to boutique hotels, stores, and restaurants. It’s a tragedy, really.

The apartment itself is a colorful place. Everywhere I can see reminders and flavors of all the people who have called this place home for the last two and a half centuries. There is no blank space on any wall in the whole place – there is either artwork or shelves with kitsch collected over the years. It reminds me of my grandmother’s house in Beirut – so beyond the scope of my experience that it seems Oriental. It even smells like my grandmother’s place – the scent of cigarillos, fine perfume, and pungent herbs fills every nook.

Stills from the movies my landlady has been in adorn the walls.

And the people are just as colorful and wonderful as the spaces they occupy. The landlady defies all of the clichés of the crotchety old maid pestering the tenants about rent. She has been living in Portugal since the democratic revolution in the 1970’s, in which she played a part as a performing activist. One of my roommates is an Austrian art student named Dominik who is doing an exchange program at the local university. He surfs, paints, writes, does lighting design, and speaks German-flavored English. The other fellow is an American filmographer teaching English in his spare time to make some money. He seems as erudite as any American living abroad, because only the learned ones are smart enough to leave. We are expecting another roommate, a Dutch girl who will also be an art student at the local university. Though I haven’t met her, Sheila (the landlady) assures me that she is lovely, both literally and figuratively.

Well, that’s all for now. I hope to update this post with pictures, but I’m so self-conscious of look like a tourist that I haven’t quite worked up the courage yet!

It's Chocolate. It's Wine. It's Chocolate Wine!

This is an interesting wine. We bought it for my dad at Trentaude Winery a few years ago. He let it sit around for a few years since we bought it and opened it when we were visiting a couple weeks ago. The wine is the Trentadue Chocolate Amore port style wine.  It has a real cork closure, clocks in at 18.5% alcohol, and cost us $20. The wine has 8% residual sugar so it’s pretty sweet and is made of Merlot grapes with a tiny bit of chocolate infused into it.

So it tastes and smells like dark chocolate syrup.  There’s some red fruit and blackberries lurking that must come from the Merlot with some dark chocolate and baking chocolate there too.  In the mouth, it’s all chocolate and blackberries. Matt really likes this wine, it’s a touch too sweet for me, but it is what it is.

Re: Argentina exports first ice wine

I remember stories about Canadians making ice wine in the freezers. Wine folks do many admireable things and much only the insiders know. The Canadians got caught. Argentina has been coming up in the wine circles for many years and ice wine is a very interesting step for South America. I guess experiments are the way to go until the best have been established as a system.

————————————————————————————————–

Argentina’s first ice wine will hit the US market this year.

The sweet Malbec from Mendoza will be available in three American states, as well as Brazil and Columbia.

Viña Las Perdices president, Carlos Muñoz said its Las Perdices Ice is unlikely to compete with renowned ice wine producers Germany and Canada but added: ‘We just wanted to make something similar, but distinct, with a good price quality ratio’.

In the first two vintages, just 10,000 bottles were made.

The wine is made using an artificial freezing process called cryoextraction, so cannot use the term Ice Wine on its label.

http://www.decanter.com/news/288060.html?aff=rss

 

 

Old Hunter Valley Semillon and other rare and interesting wines at Jaynes Saturday Sept. 26

an intimate wine tasting event, limited to 12 persons

Saturday, September 26

7:30 p.m.

$125.00 per person plus tax and gratuity

a 4-course convivium will be served at a communal table to be shared by guests

with Jeremy Parzen, Ph.D.

To reserve, please call 619-563-1011‎ or email by clicking here.

12 rare and unusual wines, including 3 bottlings of aged Hunter Valley Semillon, will be served together with a menu created especially for the event.

On the night of the event, the wines will be available for sale through our retail partner Do Bianchi Wine Selections.

“Hunter Valley Semillon is Australia’s unique gift to the world.”

—Jancis Robinson

Master of Wine and editor of the Oxford Companion to Wine

Mt. Pleasant 1986 Lovedale Semillon

Tyrell’s 1995 HVD Semillon

Tyrell’s 1996 Vat 1 Semillon

Bert Simon 2004 Serriger Würtzberg Kabinett

Bert Simon 2004 Serriger Würtzberg Spätlese

Casa Cadaval 2005 Trincadeira

Dessilani 2000 Ghemme Riserva

Martinenga 2007 Langhe Nebbiolo

Hardy’s Eileen Hardy 1998 Shiraz

Hardy’s Eileen Hardy 1999 Shiraz

Tower Estate 2001 Barossa Shiraz

Offley Forrester 1989 Vintage Port

I have to admit that I held a bias against the wines of Australia until a friend and northern Californian collector first poured me his 1986 Mt. Pleasant Lovedale Semillon from Hunter Valley. Frankly, I had never tasted anything like it before and its power, structure, and nuanced fruit and minerality and its tannin — yes, its tannin — blew me away. These old-vine Semillons are grown in the sandy un-irrigated subsoils of the Hunter Valley in Southern Australia where cooler temperatures prevail and allow for a long, even ripening period. The resulting wines are “red” wines masquerading as whites, an entirely unique sensorial experience. Thanks to my friendship with said collector, I was able to obtain an allocation of the wines for this event and I have also included some other interesting finds, some of which might surprise you partly because of their provenance and partly because of their surprisingly affordable prices. Please join me for this remarkable tasting at Jaynes.

—Jeremy Parzen

Wine Wednesdays: L'Avenir

Not a lot can get me up on a Sunday morning, but the prospect of spending a morning with my favourite photographer, Stephan Marais, and his girlfriend on a wine farm, got me up with a smile.

The L’Avenir building is quite impressive – you can’t miss it on the left-hand side on the way to Paarl. They have a gorgeous function venue, accommodation and a stunning wine tasting area. The tasting area is adorned with prints of Jason Biggs’ photographs and adds to the relaxed and elegant ambience. The estate has just launched a Rosé bubbly, the perfect drink to get us in the mood for the tasting hosted by Richard.

The gorgeous colour of L’Avenir’s MCC Brut Rosé. The girls enjoying the bubbly.

The Wines

L’Avenir has three ranges: the affordable Classic Range, the Platinum Range, and then the range that makes us all want to be millionaires: Icon Range.

Méthode Cap Classique Brut Rosé 2007 This MCC has the most beautiful colour and consists of 50% Pinotage, 40% Chenin and 10% Chardonnay. I loved the taste, and I’m quite sure litres of this will go down at Woman of Wines’ parties this coming summer. It has the perfect balance between yeastiness (the “suurdeeg” smell one should pick up in a good MCC) and the fruitiness of the Pinotage.

Chenin Blanc 2008 This Chenin forms part of the Platinum range and has the typical pineapple and melon taste. I do find it lacks a bit of an aftertaste. But then again, not all wines have to stay on your palate that long!

Chardonnay 2008 Being a bit of a closet Chardonnay lover, this wine made me smile… A great golden colour and fantastic caramel taste with a toasty nose and some hints of apricot and mineral.

Grand Vin Chenin 2007 Only 1200 bottles are produced, and trust me, you’d want to get your hands on at least one of them. This is a fabulous perfectly balanced Chenin – my choice for an indulgent afternoon of sushi, wine and sunshine. Stephan said it tastes like liquid happiness*.

Cabernet Franc 2006 The tasting notes sum up this wine perfectly: “Dense, dark berry-fruit with a touch of sandalwood held within a soft tannin structure”. By this time we were quite hungry and unanimously agreed that this Cab Franc would pair perfectly with a flamed medium rare steak and rosemary potatoes.

Stellenbosch Classic 2006 L’Avenir’s Bordeaux blend comprising of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot. This one comes highly recommended for its perfect cherry and chocolate aftertaste. Drink lots of it!! (At R85 maybe a bit steep to be classified as your “every day drinking wine”, but once again, if we were all millionaires, we could!).

Pinotage 2007 Beautiful ruby colour. It smells a lot more spicy than it really is. This was definitely Marguerite’s favourite wine: cassis, fruit cake and chocolate. Yum yum.

Grand Vin Pinotage 2007 I don’t taste a R250 bottle of wine that often, and I also don’t want to get into the whole cost vs. value debate. But… if you have R250 laying around go get yourself a bottle of this!! Absolutely gorgeous – the perfect blend of chocolate and mocha… Dessert, Christmas and heaven all in one bottle.

It is not often that one comes across a wine estate that excels in bubbly, white and red, but honestly, if you want the best of all three, do pay L’Avenir a visit!

*Ask Stephan if you want the Afrikaans translation!

L’Avenir Wine Estate

Open 7 days a week (until 16h00 on weekends)

www.lavenir.co.za

Umbrian Wine, Villa Fidelia by Sportoletti

A Super-Umbrian Red Wine, Villa Fidelia Rosso 2005

On my Day trip to Spello and Assisi last week I stopped at the Sportoletti vineyard outside Spello and bought their red wines. Here are the tasting notes for the second red, Villa Fidelia, this is quality wine is made from grapes not local to the area and hence qualifies for the term “Super Umbrian“, it sells at €16 but has IGT status.

Super Umbrian Villa Fidelia, Spello, Umbria

Read an overview of  Italian Wine & Italian Wine Classifications

Villa Fidelia, Rosso 2005, produced by Sportoletti.

Cost €16, abv 15%, bought direct from vineyard.

As is all too common with Italian wine there is not much information on the label, but the leaflet I picked up at the winery tells us that this wine is made from 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. It also tells you that the wine is deep red in colour with aromas of blackberry, tobacco, spices, liquorice and chocolate. Elegant in the mouth, rich in silky tannins well integrated in the taste, leading to a rich and long finish.

The wine certainly had a lovely deep ruby red colour, on the nose I agreed with most of vineyard’s notes, smelling sweet spice (cloves, cinnamon), liquorice, leather, tobacco and fruit, possibly blackcurrant. As with the other red from Sportoletti, Assisi Rosso, the high alcohol content was not particularly noticeable on the nose. In the mouth it had a great structure, the initial sweet spice and fruit flavour giving way to tannin that appears out of nowhere and pleasantly dries the mouth the longer you hold the wine there. Just a little more acidity at the end would finish it off perfectly, but really I’m just nit picking here. The wine has a good long finish with the initial sweet spice, liquorice and fruit flavours remaining long after the wine has been swallowed.

Verdict: a very good wine and much better than several I have tried from Tuscany selling for a similar price, buy again.

Gorgacce Rentals have several Holiday Apartments in Spello, Umbia, close to the Sportoletti Winery.

Farmhouse Accommodation Tuscany & Umbria

Gorgacce Rentals have a selection of self catering  holiday farmhouse accommodation in Tuscany & Umbria, Italy, visit their web site http://www.tuscanyumbria.com/ for Large Tuscany Villas, Small Tuscany Villas, Tuscany Farmhouses, Tuscany Agritourism and Tuscany Bed and Breakfast apartments, all with swimming pools. Also, look at our Cortona Apartment, Tuscany and Spello Apartments, Umbria. Whether you are looking for a Luxury Tuscany Villa or Budget Tuscany Agritourism Apartments you will find suitable accommodation for your vacation in Tuscany and Umbria.

Gorgacce Rentals: Farmhouse Accommodation Tuscany

What a Difference a Day Makes

Well geez. It’s amazing what a download to a dear friend can make. A glass of wine (or two) doesn’t hurt either! I was feeling all kinds of off-kilter earlier today and, while I’m not completely settled on anything, just having a forum to put my feelings into was such a massive help to my wrecked emotional state. Had a great time at the triathlon club meeting, more good conversation tonight, and I’m feeling much better about everything. Now if only my stupid job situation would just resolve itself… I feel like if one of these major emotional contributors would resolve itself the rest would just fall into place. I have one to many major things on my plate right now. I will hope for excellent news tomorrow.

Of Thwarted Wine And 50,000 words

There is every reason why today should have seen me curled in a foetal ball of nausea, hissing at natural light and sobbing at the prospect of solid food, viz: the fact that I stayed up until nearly 4AM last night listening to music from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and doing my level best, along with Fiona, in whose house we are currently lodging, to polish off a fifth bottle of wine. There are precedents for all these things, usually resulting in the afforementioned state of misery. Instead, I woke up at quarter to nine, made myself a large serving of scrambled eggs with pesto, ham and fetta, drank some OJ, brought the washing in, watched some Stars in Moderately Priced Cars segments from Top Gear on YouTube, and then spent the rest of the day writing. Admittedly, this also involved a nap around 3PM, the making of BLT sandwiches for our hungover household and a reasonable quantity of internetting, but by and large, I’ve had a productive day. Which is astonishing.

Currently, the sequal to Solace and Grief is sitting pretty at 50,000-odd words, many of which are being systematically replaced with better ones. As a WIP, The Key to Starveldt has been causing me endless strife, partly because of my perception that the second volume in any trilogy is inherently the trickiest, but mostly because I stuffed it up bonza on the first go. Happily, those scenes are now a thing of the past – well, almost – and the process of trying to fix my own errors before anyone else can point them out has been an extraordinarily valueable learning curve. After months of strategic note-making, scene-rearranging, word-scrapping and character-changing, I’m finally making what feels like genuine progress. Sure, the word count isn’t rising much, but that’s because I’m deleting old words at a rate  roughly consumate with my addition of new ones. 

And this time, it feels right.

 

 

Let’s dance, put on your red shoes and dance the blues Let’s dance, to the song they’re playin’ on the radio

So my wine for tonight….which is very unlike me….Bergwater Chardonnay. I am not a huge fan of white wine, although I do enjoy a spritzer now and then.

Bergwater Chardonnay 2008 – bursting with citrus and peach on the nose. On the palate full and creamy, backed with subtle oak.

I enjoy a great full bodies red, where you get lost in the velvet curtain of the wine. This white wine is not to bad, its a good chardonnay.

Have a wonderful evening!

iky

Wine makes anything bearable

The new look.

I have always been a “long-haired-girl”- one of those girls who prides herself on having lovely long tresses. On a few occassions, I have taken out my inner angst on my tresses, hacking into them, dying them, bleaching them beyond repair. Then, like the lover whose angry words have brought tears to his girl’s eyes, I repent. I weep, I pray that my hair will forgive me, that it will grow back, and my hair and I can be once again what we were before.

I arrived home Friday night from The Restaurant. After working a full day at The Hotel and then being on my feet all night waiting tables, I wasn’t sure I was in the mood to do much of anything, especially not get roped into another conversation with J about why I want to go to nursing school. But, like always, as I climbed the stairs to my apartment, she was there on her patio. Sitting in the chair, her walkman in one hand and her wine in the other. I waved and kept walking. When I walked back down to take Penny out, she was standing there waiting for me. “Do you like my hair?” I had to admit, it was pretty hot. She’s one of those women who can wear her hair short and still look feminine. I complimented her new ‘do and made a vague reference about getting her daughter’s phone number so she could cut my hair soon. “What about tonight? She could cut it right now?” In my head I was debating. K might live at home with her mother; but she is 22, doesn’t she want to go out tonight? On the other hand, this would be substantially cheaper than the salon I normally go to and when do I ever even have time for an appointment between my two jobs? “Only if she isn’t doing anything else tonight.” There, I gave her an out, if she wanted it. J led me into her apartment. The blanket was still spread out on the floor from J’s haircut.

This is where it gets a little fuzzy.

J sits me on the stool in the center of the blanket. She tells K that she should just hack into it. I timidly pipe up that I want an angled bob. But longer. I am a long-haired-girl; my hair looks best shoulder length or longer.

K studies my face for a minute. She tells me she wants to run the angle parallel with my chin. My eyes widen with fear.

She clarifies, “The hair won’t be chin-length, it will just fall at the same angle.”

“The front peices will end here,” she says as she touches my clavicle with the side of her hand. I sigh as I realize that my clavicle is lower than my shoulders. Ok, this might work. I nod as J hands me a glass of red wine. I’m not sure if I am nodding in response to the haircut or the wine.

I spent the next hour trying to drink wine without moving my head while K snipped away at my hair. Meanwhile, J drilled me on questions about my personal life. Why did I want to go into nursing? What did I want to do with my life? When she was finally convinced that my ambitions were purer than just the idea of a stable career in a feild that would always have work for me, she moved on to questions about my education, that of my parents and my income. Previously being on the scholarship advisory board for a nursing college, she knew exactly what I need to do and say to get the resources I need to get my degree. By the end of the night I had a new haircut and a plan to not only get into nursing school, but get financial aid and scholarships. Thank god my neighbor is not only a nurse but also an instructor.

As for the hair, the ends in the front do rest below my shoulders. The back sits right along my shoulders. I like it. I love it. But you know what? I’m actually thinking about letting K take off another inch. It would be just short enough to have a bit of wow-factor. At least, enough wow for this once-long-haired-girl.

michelle's bridal shower

My friend Michelle, is getting married in October, about a month after Matt and I tie the knot ourselves. I have really loved getting to know all of her friends through her pre-wedding festivities over the last few months. They are such a nice and fun group of girls and I always have a great time with them. I was super excited to see them all again last night at Michelle’s bridal shower.

The shower was a wine tasting and scrapbooking party, so we all brought a bottle of wine and a photo of us and Michelle. We sipped our wine, and ate some incredible food – compliments of Miss Amy – and then everyone put together their own page for Michelle’s bridal shower scrapbook using the photos we had brought. It was such a clever and fun idea and best of all, we created something that Michelle can keep as a memento of the shower. 

Thanks to Kerri for hosting and coordinating the wonderful event, to Kirsten for opening her home to us, and to Amy for cooking the wonderful food!         

[Via http://mattnjenna.wordpress.com]

Died and gone to Napa-Part 2

Del Dotto Vineyards – we didn’t have an appointment so we didn’t go in, next time!

 

My cool driver

 

When I last left off we were finishing up with lunch at Bottega. We didn’t have another tasting appointment until 2:30, so we drove around for a bit and enjoyed the beautiful Napa Valley scenery.

I love the dry, rugged hills and the never ending fields of grapes! Hello future wine. . .

Our 2:30 tasting was at Cakebread Cellars, a winery that is well known and respected and difficult to get a tasting appointment at!

We arrived early and walked around the grounds a bit. What a beautiful property! The staff was so friendly as they checked us in and welcomed us.

 

The tasting that I reserved was their Library Tasting, where some of Cakebread’s older wines are poured. Our guide, Jim, was fantastic. One thing that surprised me at Cakebread, and in Napa in general, was the complete lack of intimidation I felt. Jim told us there was no room for wine snobs and that wine was a communal thing that brings people together, meant to be shared with a great meal. I happen to agree, but as someone who is young, has a budget, and is just at the tip of the iceberg in learning about wine, I thought that Napa would be full of wine snobs. I couldn’t have been more wrong! And the friendlier people were the more I learned. It was really exciting and pointed me toward some future career goals perhaps

Jim led us up to the tasting room which was cool and lovely, far from the crowds in the retail store.

 

  That’s Jim in the Hawaiian shirt. He was so great!

Each place setting was set with 5 glasses, all beautiful and delicate. The table included water and breadsticks for palate cleansing.

Jim was extremely informative and showed us how to appreciate the wine using all of our senses, including several levels of smelling the nose of the wine. He knew so much about wine and obviously loved what he did. Most of the wines we tried were from around 2002. I wish I had a card to take with me, but the tasting list was actually in a beautiful leatherbound book. I do know that we tried a couple of Cabernet Sauvignons, and the difference between those and the younger wines we had tasted was incredible. They had such body and fullness and long long finishes. I want to go back to Cakebread to do this tasting again; I just know I would learn even more and to develop more of an appreciation for these reserve wines. Amazing.

We didn’t get to buy any wine at Cakebread, but I have the order form next to me at the moment. . .

We moved on to our final tasting of the day which I scheduled at Mumm Napa, partially because this was the wine that our cottage owners in Grenada bought for us during our honeymoon, and partially because our friends Jules and Duncan said that this was a must visit.

I made an appointment for us to do our tasting on Mumm Napa’s Oak Terrace. We arrived earlier than our scheduled time, but the hostess on the Oak Terrace was so sweet and took us right away.

Oh. my. gosh.

Mumm Napa is the jewel in the Napa crown. The Oak Terrace is more expensive than a regular tasting, but it is semi private and overlooks the valley, and the service is just incredible.

The Oak Terrace has big comfy chairs and foot rests and umbrellas. The whole area is surrounded by misters that emit a mist so fine that it evaporates before it touches you, but keeps the dry, hot air fresh and cool.

We each had a flute of the 25th Anniversary Brut Reserve. Described in the tasting notes as creamy, with vanilla, fig, and cherry flavors, this wine was just stellar. I could taste the creaminess, the roundness in this, which I don’t think I have experienced before with a sparkler.

 

We sat on the Oak Terrace forever. The hostess, Sara (or Shelby? Her name tag said Shelby, but she signed the bill Sara. In any case, she was awesome!) brought us lots of ice water and crackers and encouraged us to linger.

And so we shared a glass of the 1997 DVX Magnum. The crispness of this wine was like a celebration on the palate. We slowly savored every sip of this glass, a splurge by all means, but totally worth it.

Not everyone can be a model

We were the only ones in the front of the terrace. It was SO much quieter and emptier than the regular tasting area! For me, any trip to Napa will be incomplete without a flute at Mumm. If you are traveling to Napa go here!

Next up. . . dinner at Farm at the Carneros Inn. Don’t forget to leave me an ingredient for the Chopped Challenge! I am going to randomly choose the ingredients tomorrow!

[Via http://traveleatlove.wordpress.com]

Lazy Saturday

Oops! It’s been too long since I’ve posted. I’m sure you’re all devastated! Ha!

My mom and dad were here visiting last weekend. They arrived Saturday evening and left Monday morning, so it was a short trip. We didn’t do anything too exciting while they were here but we did enjoy some Kansas City cuisine with our visit to Fiorella’s Jack Stack BBQ. It was delicious, as always. We enjoyed a bottle of wine with my parents Sunday evening, which was probably the best wine I’ve had so far.

I’ve decided to call it Weekend Wine instead of Friday Wine because many times on Friday nights I fall asleep on the couch before getting the bottle open!

Also last weekend we had a visit from Jeff’s sister Renee and took in a Royals game.

Other than that there’s been nothing too exciting going on here. Just plugging away at school and work! There is nothing on my schedule for this Saturday and that’s just the way I like it!

Enjoy the pictures!

The Rose Montaigne from Stone Hill from my parents with my mom in the background.

Check out the view in my sunglasses

[Via http://jeffandmary.wordpress.com]

This Week's Wine: Torres Coronas Tempranillo

Are you ready for a good deal?  Because our pick this week is just that: Torres Coronas 2005 Tempranillo from Spain.

Our Pick This Week

This is a twelve dollar bottle of wine that delivers on quality and taste.   You’ll love the blackberry and plumy fruity character it has for sure, but there’s also a denser, meaty quality that makes this a tasty mouthful of wine.

Tempranillo wines are easy drinking, with rich and silky flavor and what gives the Torres Coronas a bigger body is the addition of just a little Cabernet Sauvignon to the Tempranillo.  That Cabernet ratchets up the taste experience.

This wine is perfect for burgers off the grill and just about any meat dish you like, or a great match for our Paella recipe at winexperience.com.

And it’s great as the pour when it’s simply time for a glass of red.

Find all my weekly wine choices here.

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