Greetings all. I was walking back from dropping off the car for Alaina and along side the road I found a CD that said "Moscow Mix" on it. This reminded me of the Phillips advertising where the guy makes a CD for his pets. Anyway, I brought it home, cleaned it up, and let me tell you this: If this is yours, you have significantly poor taste in music. It's a crazy mix of country and hip-hop talking about unconditional love. I can see it now: The recipient of this CD listening to their former significant other's pleas for requited love, disgusted with their efforts, and chucking the CD out the window when it comes to the "Shake that thing" portion of the CD. Alas.

W~

  ¶

// posted by The Wino @ 9:20 PM

  At the behest and instigation of Mr. Joffre Swait, the lovely and talented Mrs. Gall and I watched the movie Sinbad last night. Joffre said it was very masculine and that all boys should see it. Thus, I saw it and I am very inclined to agree. I don't think it was sentimental, but very moving in a vir-tuous sort of way. It made me want to grab my woman and take her sailing. But alas, I'm not a sailor. Maybe I'll sit next to the wife, drink tea and read books about naval exercises. That should make me feel manly.

Speaking of feeling manly, I'm drinking a pink wine. Yeah, suck it up you warthogs. It's a 2002 Rose de Regaleali. What that means - - probably something to do with kingly roses. Anyway its an Italian and tastes like a cross between a pinot noir and a gewurtztraminer. This is my first rose, so please pardon my lack of information about it. Here's my best shot: Thin, of course. Aroma is acidic, citrus like and yes, a touch of flowers. Not roses though, something less full bodied like a daisy. I said it was pink, but diluted red would be more accurate. The taste carries the acidic qualities of a sauvingnon blanc, but also hints of the berries that a typical merlot would carry. Definitely the herbal qualities of a pinot noir. On the whole, I'm not a big fan. Its too broad. Like David Young, I think it says too much. Still, and also like Mr. Young, I think it's good in small doses.

The Mrs. and I have been packing. For those of you locals who visit my blog from time to time, please keep your ear to the ground for a barn burning sale on all our stuff. Lamps, bookshelves, chairs, and much, much more. Live this week at the METRODOME. Kids get in for just five bucks! Sale SALE! SALE! Oops, too many exclamation points. Anyway, we'll be opening our apartment up for a sale. If there's anything I own that you want to get your hands on, lemme know now and we can come to a meeting of the minds. Also, and I put this here because we're worried about it: we have a piano we're trying to sell. It's in good condition and we're looking for around $300.00 for it.

Now back to your regularly scheduled blog and things more important.

On Sunday my division leading Vikings are meeting another division leader: The Rams. It should be an interesting game. No one is picking the Vikes to win. Alas. But of course that's why the game is played.

Take care and have a happy thanksgiving everyone.

W~  ¶

// posted by The Wino @ 2:11 PM

  Vikes start the season 6-0. But since they've gone 0-4. Ok, losing to the Giants is almost understandable. And the Packers, well, they like to get up and play. But the Chargers - and and and the Raiders? What's the difference between being a fair weather fan and being a fan who is too sick to watch?

W~  ¶

// posted by The Wino @ 5:50 PM

  Tonight was the grand and glorious wine tasting which Nathaniel organized (and I chose the wines for). Since it was a tasting, I brought my little notebook and kept tasting notes for the wines in order that you might anticipate a little something about each one. Remember, each one was chosen because it best represents both the region and that kind of wine. For example, you might be able to get a Riesling somewhere other than Germany, but you REALLY shouldn't want to. Damn Americans. Think they can do everything better than some monks who have been doing it for half a millennia. Yeah, that's right baby. The Riesling on this list comes from a producer that has been exporting, not just making, Riesling since Columbus discovered some small islands in the Atlantic. And all for the same price as people in Walla Walla would charge you for their product, which they've been making for half a DECADE. Damn Americans.

We started with five whites:

2002 Marenco D'Asti Scrapona Muscati
A lightly sparkling wine that was very syrupy at around 45 degrees, which is the temp at which we served it. I hate it when people serve champagne or other sparklers at 35. To cold! This smelled like pineapple and peaches, tasted like pineapple and peaches, therefore it must have been . . . eh, no. Very aromatic. The botrytis (noble rot) was very easy to recognize in this one. But if you don't mind, you don't mind! Very tasty. This wine would go well with fruit, even some creamy things (I've served it with a strawberries and cream frozen dessert!), or as a stand alone aperitif.

1998 Reichsgraf von Kesselstat Graacher Riesling Kabinet
I'm not sure I got all the names down for this one. There might have been more – honestly! This one was more crisp and acidic than the previous wine. Tasted very similar to an apple, trying to think which kind . . . not granny smith – too sweet for that. Think: tart, crisp, sweet apple. The acids in this wine enable it to age for 10+ years, should you so desire. The acids would probably drop, as would the fruit, making it richer than it is now, but this one, at five years, is right where I want to drink my German Rieslings! This wine would go well with steak and seafood. It's actually a very flexible white wine because of the acid (>1%) and the sweetness. I could go into a rant about American Rieslings, see above, but I'll only tell you WHY they're horrible if you ask me!

2001 Albert Mann Altenbourg Gewürztraminer (Alsace, France or Germany, depending on who won the last war)
Dry and rich compared to the Riesling. Have you ever had something so rich and buttery it almost tasted like you were drinking syrup, but it really wasn't sweet? That's this wine. Really chewy, a fruit bomb as Mr. Robert Parker would say. I was doing dishes at the time so I didn't get to write any more. Recalling, I think this wine would go well with your Thanksgiving dinner in two weeks.

2003 Omaka Springs Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand
Smelled exactly like pears and then tasted nothing like them. It tasted like minerals, figs, spice, with an acid finish. Still, very smooth. This wine is not quite man enough to handle a real steak, so I'd have it with lighter meats and fishes.

2001 Cambria Chardonnay
The prototypical California Chardonnay. Peaches, cream, oak, a little spice. Not that much to speak of, but for those of use who like Chardonnay, such as myself, well, it's a nice little treat. I think Chardonnay almost should be treated as a dry dessert. Not dessert wine, but dessert. You know how sometimes, after a big meal, the host or hostess – God bless 'em! – brings out this thick chocolate dessert. Oh, so delicious, so wonderful, so thoughtful. But, I'd really rather just have a glass of this Chardonnay and sit on a couch.

Oh, Pastor Wilson, Doug Jones and Terry Ekwright (didn't think you'd be lumped with those guys, did you Terry?) all hate Chardonnay. I'll have to spend a little extra time in confession this week. If you like Chardonnay, try this one or one of the two I wrote about earlier. Everyone should try a really good chard once in a while.

On to the Reds:
1996 Torre Oria Reserve – Elderramador (???) Spain
This wine will age a good long time. Spanish wines can be like that. Terry once told me about a specific Spanish wine that I held for purchase. "You can open it, drink a glass tonight, drink a glass tomorrow night, and finish the bottle two nights from now and you can enjoy three different wines for the price of one." Terry said this wine was very Spanish, but I actually thought it tasted like a Burgundian Pinot Noir. Thin, red, tannic, acidic, black cherry, herbs – lots of herbs. I couldn't even really pick out which ones.

2000 Santa Duc Cotes du Rhone Vielle Vignes (Old Vine) France
The vines for this wine are between 30-80 years old and come from a soil that is very rocky. I mean rocky. I saw a picture of the soil at the tasting – anyone who was there can tell you – it looked like the vine was planted in white rocks the size of my fist. No joke. You couldn't see any soil. What that vine was drawing for nourishment, I don't know, but Santa Duc always makes some of my favorite wines. For those of you who come to visit Alaina and me after we have moved to Minnesota within the first five years, I am almost certain that we'll break out a bottle of Santa Duc something for you. This one was dry, peppery, very rich, and tasted like plums and violets. (Terry said violets, but I have no idea what he's talking about).

2000 Yalumba Shiraz – Barossa
Shiraz means syrah, but the Aussies couldn't pronounce "syrah" or something so they call it Shiraz. So, if you go to Aussie land and bring back a planting of their Shiraz grapes and plant them in Washington state, you will be planting syrah. Well, even if the ol' penal colony can't pronounce things right, they can make a good Shiraz. Sweet black berry and currant flavors. We weren't spitting at this time, so my tasting notes keep getting shorter and shorter, with nothing actually for the last wine.

2001 Ridge Zinfandel – Dusi Ranch, Paso Robles, CA
The best wine of the night, and not just because it came near the end of the tasting or because it was the most expensive. This wine tasted like Lady Godiva Dark Chocolate Raspberry truffle ice cream. No joke. It was sweet, thick, rich, chocolatey, and tasted like raspberries. Delicious!

1998 Fattoria di Gracciano Svetoni Montepulciano, Italy
I have no tasting notes for this one, either because, ten tastings in, I was really having a good time, or there were dishes to do. But I remember being surprised at this one. It tasted Italian, but without the absolutely overpowering rough tannins that I usually associate with Italian wines and requires their paring with savory food. Almost sweet, with berries.

On to other topics, and this time non-alcoholic. My sister's favorite baseball player, A.J. Pierzinsky , was traded from our beloved Minnesota Twins to the San Francisco Giants. A.J. was regarded as nearly a member of our family in the affection we all hold for him, and, if my sister were a little older and A.J. single, I have no doubt that he would actually become a part of our family. Alas.

But, there is interesting news related to this! A.J. was traded because of a minor league prospect: Joe Mauer. Mr. Mauer hails from Saint Paul, Minnesota, and has long been touted as the next great thing coming out of Saint Paul. Hey, F. Scott he ain't, but then again, who is? Actually, he is reputed to be quite good, and I would know: he was my catcher for a season or three when I was in little league. We both played for the Griggs playground baseball teams. So, Joe! If you read this! Send me some tickets! I'd like to think that my pitching helped make him the great player he is today. Er, but my contribution was probably more in training him in "emergency situations" iffen ya get my drift. I was the second pitcher on the team behind this guy Jonnie Guien. He was very good while the only thing I was "very" at was mediocre. Guien and I once pitched back to back 12 strikeout games. 12 strikeouts in six innings. He won his game and I lost mine. Figures.

Good luck Joe!

W~
  ¶

// posted by The Wino @ 8:31 AM

  Some of this is a personal note to someone who asked a question, but all of you can read it anyway 'cuz he put his note here.

Concerning what wine to get to age 20 or so years, a big question involves how much ching you're willing to drop. My personal favorites are typically Chateuneuf du Pape, and both 2000 and 2001 were fantastic years. I'd personally recommend the either of those years of Beaucastel. Very ageworthy, very fantastic, very, very nice. Yes. I've had the 86 and the 96 (and own some each of the 99-01 vintages). Very nice and can be found for around $60.00 And, when compared to 2000 Bordeaux of the same quality, comparatively cheap. Of course, the resale value for Bordeaux is going to be higher, if only because of the area recognition, but if you intend to drink it - well!

Speaking of Bordeaux, and - curiously! - if you want/need something cheaper but again with great aging potential, I'd recommend the Chateau Camensac. This was, if you recal, the wine which Brant and I enjoyed because the Twinks made the playoffs. It was big and bold and definitely not ready yet. The price was around $30.00. The tannins were so harsh that we had to have cheese with the tasting - and some very savory cheeses at that. For flavors there was black cherry - not the bright sweetness of red cherries, but more of a darker sweet, maybe I'd even say "currant" but I hate that term because I've never actually HAD currants - and spice (basil and thyme) and some oak. But wow! Were there a lot of tannins! This despite the fact that we let it sit open for a long, long time (two hours?). I'll have to write sometime about how wine ages and all that. Anyway, Camensac should also be ageworthy for a good long while. Whether it will age 20+ years? That I'm not sure. I've neither aged wines that long, nor predicted which ones will last.

Another bordeaux that will be good to age is the 2001 Leoville Barton. Should be very ageworthy as it is very tight and will take a while to come around. But I've only read about it, haven't tried any - though I have purchased some. Really, I'd recommend you poke through a copy of Wine Advocate, which is written by Robert Parker. He can give more thorough recommendations than I can. Of course, if you look at it, you'll note that he doesn't think the Camensac was all that great - though he does think it has aging potential. I still respect his opinion and strongly suggest you check it out. A good wine shop should have copies of it.

Last for my tasting notes: I had a 1999 Beaulieu Vineyards Napa Cab last night. Good, fruity. Suprisingly not very tannic. Usually the 99 Napa cabs I have have quite a bit of tannin, and are good to age for five years or so. Not so with this one. Drink it up now! Or maybe it's just this bottle. Of course, BV had a problem with their 99 vintage. Most of it was affected by some fungus - not phloxeria or another field fungus, but a barrel room fungus and this affected most of their upper eschelon wines. Pity. The best wine I have ever had was their 97 Tapestry. Drunk on six different occasions it was always wonderful - fantastic. I hear its beginning to fade, but I'll always think fondly of BV for that wine. Sort of like a first kiss. You never forget.

W~

P.S. Remy! Had that baby yet?  ¶

// posted by The Wino @ 9:33 AM

  I want to laude Jeremy Downey. I'm a regular follower of Vision2020 and wish to publically give him kudos for standing up for Pastor Doug Wilson today on that Forum. (Plus it gives me a chance to be Googled when someone is looking for Wilson. Oh! The vitriol I'll catch now!) You can find Mr. Downey's post at

http://lists2.fsr.net/pipermail/vision2020/2003-November/005298.html

I raise my Alaskan Amber Winter ale in my hand to my computer monitor. Kudos.

Rich

  ¶

// posted by The Wino @ 6:30 PM

  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3209223.stm

Poetic, isn't it? Maybe the Puritans were right! Not once, but TWICE! Isn't that like winning the lottery?
W~  ¶

// posted by The Wino @ 8:05 AM