7.26.2008
7.02.2008
Pilandro Lugana
Grape: Trebbiano
This is a wonderful perfumed white, with a smooth texture, clean finish, and wonderful fruitiness on both the nose and the mid-palate. The nose reminds me almost of a Riesling, though the palate is unique, and a beautiful accompaniment to any rich seafood dish (I'm thinking a bisque or chowder), or possibly even a carefully prepared veal.
At Olivino, retails for $14.99.
This is a wonderful perfumed white, with a smooth texture, clean finish, and wonderful fruitiness on both the nose and the mid-palate. The nose reminds me almost of a Riesling, though the palate is unique, and a beautiful accompaniment to any rich seafood dish (I'm thinking a bisque or chowder), or possibly even a carefully prepared veal.
At Olivino, retails for $14.99.
5.26.2008
Open letter to the Future of the world.
Learn how to write in English. Please. Chatspeak and l337 sp34k may be amusing amongst private conversations within your group of friends, but in the wider world it is merely aggravating.
Thank you,
Your Future Employer.
Thank you,
Your Future Employer.
Memorial Day
I wish a calm, reflective Memorial Day for you all. I'm spending it honouring my friends who are currently in the service (and cannot read this blog due to firewall restrictions), as well as those who have been lost in service to this country.
I hold great respect for you and wish you all the best. Thank you for protecting our country and our freedoms.
I hold great respect for you and wish you all the best. Thank you for protecting our country and our freedoms.
5.23.2008
Wine for a Holiday
This coming Monday is Memorial Day. I'll be spending the weekend in Philadelphia, with family, as there are a couple birthdays around this time. Saturday night, we'll be going out to dinner, and I'm providing the wine - wait, what do you mean that's not a surprise?
Ok, yeah. It's a given that I provide the wine these days. I have access to a lot of wonderful wines from all over the world, and I pay a great price for them.
This weekend, we'll be drinking Chateau la Pastorale, Buzet, France, 2000. One of my favourite wines, the blend is 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a mature wine, with a colour tending towards orange brick, and flavours running the gamut from damp soil to a typically Merlot pluminess. At $13,99 it's a great price for a wonderful wine.
I'm a bit surprised I haven't written on this wine before, considering it's one of my favourites. The two bottles I'm bringing to Philly mean I've bought more than a half case of it.
Ok, yeah. It's a given that I provide the wine these days. I have access to a lot of wonderful wines from all over the world, and I pay a great price for them.
This weekend, we'll be drinking Chateau la Pastorale, Buzet, France, 2000. One of my favourite wines, the blend is 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a mature wine, with a colour tending towards orange brick, and flavours running the gamut from damp soil to a typically Merlot pluminess. At $13,99 it's a great price for a wonderful wine.
I'm a bit surprised I haven't written on this wine before, considering it's one of my favourites. The two bottles I'm bringing to Philly mean I've bought more than a half case of it.
5.20.2008
Time flies...
I'm honestly not sure where the last few weeks have gone. Things have been busy, but not so much so that I can offer an excuse as to why I'm neglecting this blog.
Part of it might be that I'm struggling with how much of my personal life to share. I don't plan on sharing much of what goes on in the store, mainly because that would intrude on the privacy of my co-workers, customers, and bosses. I also intend to avoid sharing much about my family and friends, but because this is still a personal site, something of a personal nature has to be posted.
There is a fine line between paranoia and caution, and I'm having trouble walking it.
I'm also trying to avoid serious politics here - there are bloggers with much more political acumen than I, and the analysis is better left to them. However, wine is as much a political issue as it is a social and business one. Some politics are inevitable, and for me to avoid the topic entirely would be unthinkable. Just the American drinking age alone is enough material for its own blog, so is the current fight in France over the anti-drink lobby.
I could go on for paragraphs, explaining my decisions to post or not post certain articles, but I'll leave it there for the moment, and offer up a forum for discussion. How much is too much? At what point does a blog lose focus and become a loose amalgamate of opinion best suited to armchair philosophy? My previous blog became defunct because of a loss of interest in the subject, and because although it was a blog about the ability we have as people to change, I rarely wrote on that topic, instead preferring to bounce from one subject to another.
Part of it might be that I'm struggling with how much of my personal life to share. I don't plan on sharing much of what goes on in the store, mainly because that would intrude on the privacy of my co-workers, customers, and bosses. I also intend to avoid sharing much about my family and friends, but because this is still a personal site, something of a personal nature has to be posted.
There is a fine line between paranoia and caution, and I'm having trouble walking it.
I'm also trying to avoid serious politics here - there are bloggers with much more political acumen than I, and the analysis is better left to them. However, wine is as much a political issue as it is a social and business one. Some politics are inevitable, and for me to avoid the topic entirely would be unthinkable. Just the American drinking age alone is enough material for its own blog, so is the current fight in France over the anti-drink lobby.
I could go on for paragraphs, explaining my decisions to post or not post certain articles, but I'll leave it there for the moment, and offer up a forum for discussion. How much is too much? At what point does a blog lose focus and become a loose amalgamate of opinion best suited to armchair philosophy? My previous blog became defunct because of a loss of interest in the subject, and because although it was a blog about the ability we have as people to change, I rarely wrote on that topic, instead preferring to bounce from one subject to another.
4.29.2008
The fight against the anti-alcohol lobby continues
Today's story comes from Decanter, where finally someone is stepping up and saying that the Lobby is doing something foolish for the French (and world) economy.
The person working against the Lobby is Marie-Christine Tarby, president of the alcohol lobby group Vin & Société who says the following:
She also called for the drunk driving laws to remain at their current level so as to not put an undue influence on bottle service in restaurants.
All I have to say about this is that it's about time. I've been waiting for something like this to happen, given that France has appeared to be going the way of the 1910's USA. One would think they would learn from our mistakes, and realize that demonising alcohol, or any mind-altering substance, has the opposite result from the one desired. It makes the substance more enticing to those whom it is prohibited to. A great example is to compare American youth with European youth, especially those raised to believe alcohol is a complement to environment, food, and situation. The European youth tend to have a better viewpoint of the dangers of alcohol, tending to avoid the levels of alcoholism and binge drinking that American youth are experiencing in record numbers.
As European countries tighten their laws about alcohol, they are seeing an increase in drunk driving, alcohol-related deaths, and alcoholism. Rather than realizing there's a correlation between the two things, they respond by tightening things more. America is doing the same, though I believe we've just about reached the end of the tightening, as evidenced by recent bills to allow military to purchase and consume alcohol, as long as they're over 18. NH just had one killed in committee, though the presentation of such a bill is a step in the right direction.
The person working against the Lobby is Marie-Christine Tarby, president of the alcohol lobby group Vin & Société who says the following:
'We are in an absurd situation where we have to defend the place of wine in French society.'
She also called for the drunk driving laws to remain at their current level so as to not put an undue influence on bottle service in restaurants.
All I have to say about this is that it's about time. I've been waiting for something like this to happen, given that France has appeared to be going the way of the 1910's USA. One would think they would learn from our mistakes, and realize that demonising alcohol, or any mind-altering substance, has the opposite result from the one desired. It makes the substance more enticing to those whom it is prohibited to. A great example is to compare American youth with European youth, especially those raised to believe alcohol is a complement to environment, food, and situation. The European youth tend to have a better viewpoint of the dangers of alcohol, tending to avoid the levels of alcoholism and binge drinking that American youth are experiencing in record numbers.
As European countries tighten their laws about alcohol, they are seeing an increase in drunk driving, alcohol-related deaths, and alcoholism. Rather than realizing there's a correlation between the two things, they respond by tightening things more. America is doing the same, though I believe we've just about reached the end of the tightening, as evidenced by recent bills to allow military to purchase and consume alcohol, as long as they're over 18. NH just had one killed in committee, though the presentation of such a bill is a step in the right direction.
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