I'm really just squeezing this in before the events of the day get stale. Hubby's sleeping already. Does it seem like he always sleeps ahead of me? Is that a bad sign? LOL But you don't know what happens before that, or later before I finally tuck myself in...hahaha.
I'm writing this while still feeling a wee bit buzzed from the wine. I like to drink a small glass after dinner -- that's my natural anti-oxidant. Did you know that the grapes have this protective shield against the UV rays which are then passed on to the wine form, okay now don't get me started on free radicals and stuff. Anyway, so tonight, hubby, his brother and I had quite a long and interesting dinner, ergo, I had more wine than usual.
Nothing really much happened today. I had a share of "feel good" stuff I do want to say. First of all, it's the first time that I had to "edit" our medical consultant's paper at work. He's a respected doctor and it was such a trip trying to slash down his sentences, correct some typographical and grammatical errors and suggesting what needed to be put in. It's not that I'm very knowledgeable either. I think I am just able to pass writing tasks with "faking" colors. I want to be really better at this. Maybe I'll take some writing classes eventually. Meanwhile, just bear with my blogs. I do have a lot to say...
Wine seems to have wiped out my thoughts. I think I had about three more things in my mind that I wanted to write about. I really can't remember anything. Maybe I should sleep this off for now. Tomorrow's Friday...so yeahyyyy!
Hello everybody, we're pleased to announce we've now got a link to those excellent people at (M&S).
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="468" caption="M & S Offer Banner (turn off ad blocker to see!)"][/caption]
They don't just do own label wines like a lot of people think. As well as some lovely exclisives you can also get well know brands. I like the look of the for £107.96, that's a saving of £36 on the normal case price!
If you try them out or pop into your local M&S and try a really nice wine let us know!
We hung out with our friends last week and so, we brought some stuff and so did other guests and the host. The food varied, which was nice, but really had a bit of a hard time keeping up with the wine. The hearty bean soup did quite nicely - up against a Four Gates Merlot, the rest felt like the wine was pushing forward on the palate, which is fine - just need to think about that when rating wine. There was a few experimental wines at the table, and as such, will not be included in the notes.
Four Gates Merlot - La Rochelle 2001 - Score: A-
The Four Gates Merlot was a joy to taste. It was even better, because we got a chance to taste it up against the M.S.C. 2001. The color on this wine is a crazy blackish blue - with a shimmer of orange thrown in. The nose was strong with black fruit (a distinct shift from our ), sweet wood, and a hint of tobacco. The mouth feels fuller, definitely softer, and powered by a strong fruit presence. Cassis starts early and is joined by black plums and raspberry. The mid palate is ruled by an iron fist of acidity which really adds great zip and depth to the wine. The finish is strong with wood and spice. The softness is what throws me on this wine, as I was used to the harder lines. Those lines have softened to reveal black fruits and a nice backbone of acidity, but still a bit more tannin would have been perfect.
Four Gates Merlot - M.S.C 2001 - Score: A
The M.S.C. has what I wished the La Rochelle had - a bit more body and tannin. The color on this wine is a deep and brooding black - with a shimmer of orange. The nose had aromas of black plums and cassis, oak, and a nice sized dollop of chocolate. The mouthfeel on this full bodied wine was firm yet balanced. The tannins played nicely with the cassis, plum, and cherry. The mid palate is backed by an acidic core and nice layers of complexity around the fruit, tannins, and vegetal flavors. The finish is strong with wood and spice.
Psagot Edom 2005 - Score: B
This was not the favorite of the night (even lower then the aforementioned experimental bottle). The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (75%) and Merlot (25%). The color on this wine was a nice deep ruby red. The nose was crazy good - filled with cassis, plum, and strong green aromas. The mouth is where things fell apart. Really, there was none. The mouth is filled with a bit of tannin and a medium to full bodied attack. The fruit was non existent and the feeling in your mouth was of a good Cabernet, but nothing more. Sorry, I would pass on this one.
That's what I call Costco. If you live in a city and need a break from it, don't drive to the country and spend $50 bucks on gas - just go to Costco and spend $50 on a 10 gallon tub of peanut butter! Spend just five minutes in the warehouse frenzy and you'll be itching to get back to the city where life is simpler :) I drank my uneaten smoothie from this morning (frozen mixed berries, yogurt, and rice milk) and added some vanilla flavored Muscle Milk Light for some protein to prepare me for my "workout." I knew that pushing an oversize cart full of beer would not be an easy task!
I have a Costco card because a friend lists me as her "domestic partner" so we just split the $40 charge between us. I usually only go there for staples like laundry detergent and toilet paper, but when you're throwing a party for 60+ people, Costco comes in handy. I should have taken a picture of our haul. Five cases of beer, two bottles of wine, one magnum of champagne, chips, dips and cheese.
Afterwards we went to WinCo (which is 100x worse than Costco) for cheap fruit, veggies, drink mixers, a pinata, and condoms to put in the pinata. Quite the combo, no?
Emily and I went back to my house to set up the backyard a bit and to figure out what we need to do tomorrow before the party starts. When that was done, we broke open one of the bottles of wine for some much needed relaxation after our outing. I had one glass of chardonnay and it was rather tasty. Here's Emily enjoying hers :)
The smoothie didn't quite tie me over until bedtime, so I had some raw goat cheese and crackers. They are the Milton brand whole wheat variety. (There's all of our mixers in the background - I'll take a picture of all of the food we bought tomorrow when I'm setting up.)
Ok...off to bed! Tomorrow will be a loooong, drunken and debaucherous. I better get a good nights sleep and load up on nutrients and water tomorrow to prepare for the damage. This weekend will be alcohol filled as Chris and I have a wedding to go to on Saturday at a local vineyard. I'm getting too old for this :)
Yay! Himself and I drove to the and took a nano-break in our Northern so to speak and joined the few visitors brave enough to visit our country at this time of the year. Three nights and four days! We stayed in . No matter the wet and wintery weather, we played the tourist and imbibed our nation's and cuisine. Of course, we checked out the cafes. We drove to a local vineyard near We discovered a wonderfully crisp dry Sauvignon Blanc 2006 and a fruity Pinot Noir Rose. That made the trip worthwhile.
In 1819 introduced to New Zealand with the planting of over 100 different varieties of vine in Kerikeri, Northland.
"New Zealand promises to be very favourable to the vine as far as I can judge at present of the nature of the soil and climate"
he wrote. Nearly two hundred years later, the New Zealand wine industry is at an all time high, and is especially praised for it's Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.\
It's fascinating to read the historically familiar names on the tombstones of the earliest settlers in the cemetery behind, the first church to be built in New Zealand, quote:
Less than a decade after the first Christian service was held on the Northern shore of the Bay of Islands on Christmas Day 1814, Reverend Henry Williams and Mrs Williams arrived on August 3rd, 1823 to establish the missionary settlement at Paihia. On their arrival, Mrs Williams with her three children went to reside in Kerikeri while the Reverend Henry Williams at once set to work to erect temporary buildings at the new station. On September 15th, Mrs Williams came to join her husband and records in her journal state that, not only was there a storehouse and dwelling, but also a Church, built of raupo, which was opened for Divine Service on Sunday, September 21st, 1823. This was the first Church ever built in New Zealand.The Reverend William Williams with his wife joined his brother Henry, arriving at Paihia on March 26th, 1826. This gentleman was a classical scholar of Oxford University and also had a considerable medical knowledge which was of the greatest benefit to the Mission.In the year 1828, the raupo church was replaced with a lath and plaster structure, which served until 1856 when a wooden church was built. This was used until 1874, when it was dismantled and another wooden church erected, incorporating much of the old timber. In 1925 the 1874 church was dismantled in sections and transported to serve at Taumarere. It was moved to make way for the stone Church of St Paul, the fifth to be erected on the site. It was built as a lasting memorial to Henry and William Williams.
We ferried across the bay to Russell for lunch in the . We walked up . We mooched around the art galleries. Later, we walked along the waterfront from Paihia to - the place where New Zealand's founding document was signed.
I actually forgot to take photos - I guess a case of being blase about familiar sights and taken-for-granted scenery. Anyway, we spent much of our time near the waterfront.
Late last night I returned from a five-day trip to Napa for a wine consultant conference (hard work but someone has to do it). Happily, in between workshops I was able to visit a few of the big houses: Mondavi, Cakebread, Rubicon Estate, Domaine Carneros. I love these places. They epitomize the elegance of California wine — except Domaine Carneros, which evokes the beautiful chateaux of Champagne. It's at Domaine Carneros where I feel perfect contentment, sitting on the terrace and absorbing the stunning views with a lovely glass of Le Reve (and caviar on a really good day). At Rubicon, they treat you like a movie star if you're a wine club member, which I am. My friends are always impressed, even before we get to the fantastic '04 Rubicon.
Okay, so what's with the castle? The newly opened Castello di Amorosa from Daryl Sattui, a few miles north of St. Helena, looks like more of a theme casino than a winery. According to the local guides, it has a moat and a drawbridge — and a torture chamber. What? Can someone please tell me how this fits into the Napa aesthetic? It looks like a beautiful place, but if the staff is wearing Midieval costumes, I'm out of there.
I had recently come across a new set of barn doors. http://www.nicephotomag.com/the-latest/the-10-no-mod-barn-door-for-your-flash
Immediately after following on the link to B&H and ADORAMA, I quickly realised that I may have been the last man on the planet to know about this as it is completely out of stock.
I am in Bangkok, the Land of Smiling faces, and for all its charm and beauty, it lacks many essentials (read - photo related equipments).
So I find myself improvising a heck of a whole lot here... from snoot to gobos to bardoors. I also found myself improvising on how I approach photography.
And that is a good thing. See my photo of the wine glass... it is basically shot using available lights.
But once in a while when I see nice stuff like these relatively ineqpensive barndoors, I go gaga and turn into geek heaven. Geek or Gik in Thai street slang means mistress by the way.
So here I am, yet again waiting, but waiting in pure nerdgasm state.
And by the way, I am going on another business trip... gotta make sure I am packed properly and I pay attention to my flight details.
Description:
Medium brick red wine with juicy raspberry fruit aromas following through on the palate. Smooth and creamy. A classic wine typical in style and character of a good Rioja.
Ageing Potential: 2-4 Years
Tasting Note:
The ripe red berry fruits and sweet vanilla are all very harmonious in this dry wine. Medium-bodied with a good grip of acidity. Long finish with nice oaky tones right on the end. Great value and drinking very well now.
90 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine cellar: "Bright straw with a very fine bead. Pungent, yeasty aromas of intense citrus zest and minerals. Silky, pure and focused, offering vibrant lime and tangerine flavors. Finishes with racy notes of wet stone and lime zest, and excellent length. An outstanding non-vintage bottling with striking vivacity and focus." (Nov/Dec 06) K&L's notes: Ruinart is one of Champagne's oldest houses, founded by Nicholas Ruinart in 1729, himself a descendent of Dom Thierry Ruinart, the other "Dom" responsible for so much of the early viticulture progress of the appellation. Only Gosset is older, but apparently it was Ruinart that was first to base his business on sparkling, rather than still Champagne. This blanc de blancs is made exclusively from Grand and Premier Cru Chardonnay, much of which is estate from the biggest land holder in all of Champagne- Ruinart's parent company LVMH. The feature that sets this stainless steel fermented wine apart from other Blanc de Blancs is the combination of grapes from both the cotes de blancs and the montagne de Reims, giving it a more rounded style. I find some chalky minerality in this Champagne, but also lychee fruit and texture. It seems sweeter than claimed dosage of 8 grams per liter. -Gary Westby K&L
Additional Information:
Varietal: White Wines
Country: France
When it comes to wine, France stands alone. No other country can beat it in terms of quality and diversity. And while many of its Region, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne most obviously, produce wine as rare, as sought-after and nearly as expensive as gold, there are just as many obscurities and values to be had from little known appellations throughout the country. To learn everything there is to know about French wine would take a lifetime. To understand and appreciate French wine, one only has to begin tasting them.
Sub-Region: Champagne
The French region of Champagne (comprised of the towns of Rheims, Epernay, and Ay) was the first region in the world to make sparkling wine in any quantity. Today, the name of the region is synonymous with the finest of all sparkling wines, and winemaking traditions of Champagne have become role models for sparkling wine producers, worldwide. Surprisingly, the region of Champagne is now responsible for only one bottle in 12 of all sparkling wine produced. Styles of champagne range from the basic brut (often blends of several vintages), single vintage champagnes, and rose.
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