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Monthly Archives: February 2023

Go in Blind

Posted on February 28, 2023 by Roger Harmston Posted in Terroir Leave a comment

The grapes come from Luján de Cuyo and Uco Valley and were harvested early to maintain higher natural acidity, being hand-picked hand in order to keep the grains whole, before being softly crushed, destemmed and immediately pressed to prevent colour extraction.

The resulting pale white juice is fermented at 10°C for 15 days, which results in an innovative style of Malbec that the producers say have aromas of cherry, raspberry and green apple notes along with a marked acidity on the palate.  Careful oaking (just 20% of the wine is aged in French and American oak for six months) lets the fruit shine.

Well-known Malbec newly styled, with a bright silver colour, marked by a presence of green apple, lychee and tropical aromas. Medium-body with a bright acidity and a fresh finish.

They call it an 01 – Semi Sweet.  That didn’t occur to me.

You could have a lot of fun with this one.  Cover up the label and put people through a blind taste test.  I don’t think I would have got it first time around.  Definitely going back for several more bottles.

It ws a perfect accompaniment to Chicken Parmasan.

WHITE MALBEC – TRIVENTO RESERVE MENDOZA

$15.99

12% Alcohol

UPC: 07798039599192

Argentina mystery case Trivento White Malbec

Preserved Freshness

Posted on February 27, 2023 by Roger Harmston Posted in Music Leave a comment

The songs as fresh in the early 2020s as it was when I played them in the late 1960s on FM Radio

The Girl From Ipanema · Stan Getz · João Gilberto · Astrud Gilberto

Antonio Carlos Jobim – Wave 1967

Bebel Gilberto – So Nice

Maria Toledo – Getz Bonfa Insensatez

Diggity

Posted on February 26, 2023 by Roger Harmston Posted in Humour Leave a comment
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is gardening.jpg

Most worthy repeat

Posted on February 25, 2023 by Roger Harmston Posted in Terroir Leave a comment

The Basque region’s answer to Vinho Verde.  It’s where ocean meets the forest. (about 30 minutes from the French border) It takes you seaside with each sip (whilst sitting in the treehouse)

Basa Lore is one of the six wineries that founded the Getariako Txakolina D.O. Basa Lore is Basque for “wildflower from the forest” and alludes to the location as well as the effervescent green hue of their classic Txakoli. Proprietor Jose Angel is the fourth generation of his family to serve as winemaker and has been tending to the vineyards all his life using as few chemicals as possible, hand harvesting and producing the wines naturally. 

This is first and only 100% natural, zero added sulfites Txakoli on the market. Made from 100% Hondarrabi Zuri, the grapes were hand-harvested and naturally fermented. Once the fermentation was finished, the wine was cooled to below 40°F to preserve all the CO₂ produced during the fermentation and maintain the nerve and freshness characteristic of the varietal, then aged 10 months on lees.


It’s light and herbal. The Goddess of Wine introduced us to this last August and felt the next vintage was worthy to sample again.  Excellent choice.


The finish is bright and juicy.

GETARIAKO TXAKOLINA TXAKOLI – BASA LORE

$24.99

12% Alcohol

UPC: 08437005419001

basa lore Hondarrabi Zuri mystery case

Wines of Chile

Posted on February 24, 2023 by Roger Harmston Posted in Terroir Leave a comment

Chile has over 1,500 natural grape varieties, but only about 130 of them are commercially available. Chile has a wide range of grape varietals and wine varieties to choose from, so you can rest assured that Chile has something for everyone (though Chile makes a great Pisco). When compared to red wine from other countries, Chile is best known for its distinct green pepper or peppercorn note. If you want to serve a typical Chilean Asada (BBQ) or roast meat dish, a $5 Cabernet is the way to go. A Chile Chardonnay is roughly equivalent to a Chablis Chardonnay. Chile Sauvignon Blanc is distinguished by its citrusy, acidic, fruity (from pears to apples to pineapple) and aromatic qualities that are not as pronounced as those found in New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Merlot is a early ripening grape that is best suited to making easy drinking fruity wines, as well as Bordeaux blends and single varietals.

Chile’s Carmenere grapes were once thought to be Merlot, but they were actually Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot’s fruit and round appearance is similar to Carmenere, but it has a stronger herbaceous component. Cabernet will be the ideal complement to Merlot, and this wine will make a great transition wine for those who prefer Merlot. Most people in Chile believe that Alicante Bouschet is a fictitious name for Lacryma Christi. Casablanca, Leyda, and the San Antonio Valley are also hot spots for Syrahs from cool climates. The majority of the vineyard is dedicated to this grape, covering 168 hectares. They are not even labeled in Chile.

Pais vines are among the oldest vines found in Chile, having been domesticated in the country prior to colonial times. Pais are typically light-bodied but rustic, similar to a Beaujolais. The flavor is fruity, but sometimes funky with herbs and earthy notes. It’s difficult to find Chilean Pinot wines at a lower price than Chilean Pinot. In 2018, a total of 27 million liters of Pinot were produced in Chile, which is a small amount. Cabernet Franc is the most commonly grown grape variety in Bordeaux, and it is predominantly grown alongside other Bordeaux varieties. The spice and herbaceous notes come in handy when combined with Merlot, which adds structure and spice to the mix.

In Chile, there is a distinction between the quality of malbec produced in its two major regions: Mendoza and Cahors. Tabali’s Roca Madre is one of the few high-end Malbecs on the market. Carignan is a drink that is popular in Spain, Sardinia, and southern France along the Mediterannean Sea. Chilean Carignan is the closest thing to a classic Tuscan Sangiovese in Chile. Because it is a distinct style of wine in Chile, it is similar to Carmenere. The popularity of Cinsault as a single varietal is increasing in Chile, particularly in Itata and Maule. In addition to Grenache in Provence, Southern France, Catalonia (think Priorat), and as a blending grape in Rioja, Grenache is also commonly found in the Rhone Valley. There is a better chance of finding it in Chile when you combine Mourvedre and Carignan rather than Syrah. Muscat, Petit Verdot, Riesling, Viognier, and Sangiovese are all varietals that have a lot of Merlot in them.

Chilean producers export approximately 260 thousand metric tons of table grapes to the United States each year. Table grape planting is the most common type of crop in Chilean territory, accounting for approximately 15% of the country%27s total land area. The objectives of the system approach are to increase market access in three regions in Chile: Atacama, Coquimbo, and Valparaiso.

Many people believe that Chile’s signature variety, Carmenre, is the origin of many more high-quality wines, or blends, made with the variety. Chile’s fine wines now include Syrahs, Malbecs, old vine Carignan from Maule, and, as a result, increasingly blends of red and white wines.

Pais Wine is a traditional chilean grape made from grapes grown on the vitis vinifera indica variety, which is the scientific name for the vine. When the Spanish brought the red pa*s grape variety to Spain, it was their first variety. The most widely cultivated grape variety in Chile is the Sauvignon Blanc.

Chile contributes 4.4% of the global wine industry. In 2018, the country’s annual production was approximately 1.2 million hectoliters, up from 0.2 million hectoliters in 1990 and making it one of the world’s top exporters and producers. The country has seen dramatic changes in its wine industry over the last three decades.

Chile cultivates 40% of the world’s Cabernet Sauvignon grape crop, with 41,155 hectares planted. Merlot grows about 11702ha, Carmenre grows about 10,056ha, and Pa*s grows about 4,700ha. Scientists in Chile are attempting to clean up old massal Cabernet vines that were planted in the country in the nineteenth century. Quality of the material will not be guaranteed at this early stage, and it is not yet known how effective the project will be. Vi*a Carmen uses grapes from 1956 as the inspiration for their Carmen Gold label. Sofia Faulconer, winemaker at Casablanca’s Veramonte, is working on a project to preserve Chile’s oldest vineyards. Plants are selected from healthy vines, analyzed in the lab, and then replanted.

Chile’s winemakers should not lose sight of what has made it so successful, she says. The Chilean Vintages were released in Bordeaux on September 10, with the 2017 Se*a and Vi*edo Chadwick being revealed on September 5. When a consumer pays US$300 for a bottle from outside Chile, they will find the same bottle for US$100. Chilean wineries such as Errzuriz, Queirolo, and Vi*a Vik are attempting to change the perceptions of Chilean wines among consumers. Chile’s Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenre grapes are special, according to CEO Gastn Williams, and wineries must be familiar with these grapes. However, because they are more expensive than the best first growths or Super Tuscans, you can drink them for a fraction of the price. Don Melchor owns Cabernet vineyards in Puente Alto, Maipo, as well as Almaviva and Vi*edo Chadwick. The producer in Chile has used the grape in its blends from the first vintage, which was produced in 1987. Terroir-driven approaches allow producers to produce distinct expressions of the same type of range.

The lost grape of Bordeaux is now known as the “Carmenre” in Chile, and it first appeared in Bordeaux in the late 18th century. In the mid- 1800s, Chile was home to vines that were mislabeled as Merlot. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the error was discovered. A variety of whites and reds can be made from Carmenre grapes, including those grown in Chile.

Chile has been producing wine since over 2,000 years ago, and it has a long and storied history filled with innovation and progress. Chile was one of the first countries in the world to experiment with new winemaking techniques and various grape varieties during the early twentieth century. Chile is a pioneer in the world of New World wine production, and its wines are some of the most acclaimed and sought-after in the world today. If you’re looking for a new Chilean red wine to try in 2021, our top 5 list is a good place to start. All of these wines are made with hand-picked, carefully sourced grapes, and they will be appreciated.  Chardonnay grapes are used to make both dry and sweet wines in Chile, making them a popular wine grape. Chile’s Clos Magno Chardonnay comes from 100% Chardonnay grapes, and it’s our favorite from the country. California is the home of the Zinfandel grape variety, which is also used to make wine in Chile. Chile’s Tierra del Fuego Zinfandel is the best value for money because it is made entirely of Zinfandel grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon, a popular wine grape in the United States, is also used in Chile to make wine. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are used to make Casa Nueva Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile’s top wine. Merlot is a vegetable that comes in a variety of colors. In Chile, the Merlot wine grape is used in the production of wine, but it is also used in the United States. The Casa Nueva Merlot from Chile is our best choice, made entirely of Merlot grapes. Because it is a popular grape in Italy, it is also used for wine production in Chile. We recommend Chile’s Casa Nueva Sangiovese, which is 100% Sangiovese grapes grown in the country. Whether you’re a fan of Chilean red wines or a newcomer to the area, we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 Chilean red wines for 2021. This group of wines are all made from grapes.

mystery case

Make History Relevant

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Roger Harmston Posted in Terroir Leave a comment

Two ladies that make history fun and interesting and go head-to-head with James Burke and David Attenborough

are Bettany Hughes and Lucy Worsley.

“Dress up” Lucy makes you feel like you are there while it’s happening: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL72jhKwankOiQnZ22f-5V-GcOsEq-JSuc

No coverups with Bettany, but she’d get lost if she didn’t have her multitude of scarves with her. https://www.youtube.com/@bettanyhughesonline

These gurls get around.

Take a look back at where we’ve come from, and how we got here. 

Red Eye

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Roger Harmston Posted in Terroir Leave a comment

The 2017 blend is heavily weighted toward Shiraz (as usual) (72%), but it’s the Grenache  (28%) that makes itself known on the nose, adding lovely florals and raspberries to the slightly darker toned fruit of the Shiraz. Medium to full-bodied, this is supple yet crisp… but finishes with silky tannins and plenty of length.  Consider it peppery.

The fruit comes from the Ebenezer sub-region in the northern part of the Barossa, from Shiraz vines planted in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, and Grenache vines that are even older, centurions planted in the early years of the 20th century. The Shiraz component is matured for around 16 months in used oak, mostly French. The vibrancy of the Grenache component is protected by stainless steel handling.

SHIRAZ GRENACHE – GLAETZER WALLACE BAROSSA 2017

$29.99 regularly $33.99

14% Alcohol

UPC: 09322246002008

Glaetzer Grenache mystery case Shiraz Wallace

We ain’t doing it right

Posted on February 21, 2023 by Roger Harmston Posted in Terroir 1 Comment

Advocates of bike lanes, shared streets, and walkable cities could take a lesson from their adversaries: If they want to build communities where people, not cars, occupy the pavement, show the receipts. Count all the pedestrians, cyclists, strollers, and café loungers going by, just as highway planners have long tallied up road users in vehicles. Bringing hard data is the only way the government will listen, according to Jan Gehl, the pioneering Danish architect, urbanist, and planner who helped turn Copenhagen into one of the world’s most livable cities over the past 50 years.

In a conversation with Annette Becker and Lessano Negussie, the curators of the new exhibit “Ride a Bike! Reclaim the City,” now open at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) in Frankfurt, Germany, Gehl discusses his observations and philosophies of how cities can become as bike-friendly, people-friendly, and climate-friendly as Copenhagen famously is.

I am now 81 years old and I do cycle, but locally. No long trips. I used to commute to work or to the school of architecture when I was younger, but now I take the bus, the train, or the metro. I bike in my local area—that means to the tennis club, the corner store, and the shops.

You travel all over the world. Which city has surprised you most recently in terms of balanced transportation planning?

I have been extremely impressed by what they’ve done in Moscow. In just five years they’ve cleaned up the city, got their parking organized, and introduced wider pavements and bike lanes and a city bike system. They have been very focused on making a much more livable city for pedestrians and bicyclists, and they have done miracles in a very short time.

Another city that has really had a program of balanced traffic is New York. The traffic commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, had the mandate to make sure the streets of New York were efficient for New Yorkers, and she just redefined “efficient” to mean “complete.” And then she started to build bicycle lanes and bus lanes.

Certainly, one of the cities that has done the most is Copenhagen. I have been following this for 50 years and it’s amazing how different the city is now. When my wife and I celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary, it was August, and we decided to go to the city center to have a celebration dinner. We live eight kilometers from the center, so we took our bikes and we rode side by side on good bicycle lanes. At that time we were each about 70 years old. When we got married this would not have been possible at all.

How did this transformation of public space in Copenhagen take place?

I would say that the public space in Copenhagen progressed in phases. The first phase was to make it possible to walk. That was the period of the pedestrian street, the “Fußgängerstraße,” which lasted from 1960 to 1980. The next period, from 1980 to 2000, was the period focused on sitting and staying. It was the time when all these squares were freed of parking and all the pavement cafés started popping up—the expansion of the cappuccino culture. That coincided with having more leisure time—you are not just rushing out to work or to shop. This culture has been in the Mediterranean countries all the time, but after the 1980s and ‘90s, it really spread worldwide. Next is phase three. That is not about walking or sitting, but being active. It is about places for roller skating or running or bicycling or swimming in the harbor.

Phase four has been because of climate change. What they are doing is reshaping the streets, squares, and parks so they can receive the maximum amount of water. These new plans you can see in some areas of Copenhagen: They make the districts like sponges, with a lot of vegetation, swamp, and lakes. It’s good for the climate and it’s good for everyday life, because the air becomes fresher and these places are wonderful for recreation and for children to play.

Since 2009, the Copenhagen city council has adopted a strategy saying: “We will be the best city for people in the world.” That means the entire city should be organized so that it becomes more convenient, comfortable, and safe for people to walk. This is the fifth phase. In the outer districts, nearly all streets have been changed like this. Where there used to be four lanes, there are now only two car lanes, a little central reservation to separate the traffic, street trees, bicycle lanes, and sidewalks.

Are bottom-up movements a good way to move local governments in the right direction?

I really think that’s important. The politicians really need to see what is going on. One of the reasons Copenhagen has gone so far with public spaces and bicycles is that we at the school of architecture at the University of Copenhagen started to study back in the 1960s how people use the city, and we became the world’s center for these kinds of studies. And all the time, we were using Copenhagen as a laboratory. Every time something was changed, we went out and checked how people reacted, and we published that. This turned into a direct dialogue between the university and the city. The people, the citizens, the voters: They were informed through the newspapers and the television about the results. And they started to say, “Hey, it worked well—we want more.”

In your opinion, how important are public spaces as living spaces in a democratic urban society, at a time when digital communication and the commercialization of public space are increasing?

You always hear that—now that we have cyberspace, we don’t need public spaces. But the need for public spaces is, on the contrary, increasing. I think a number of factors in society contribute to that. People live in smaller households. In a city like Copenhagen, every other household is one person. And we are scattering ourselves more and more, we have more square meters per inhabitant, so there are not as many people in each neighborhood as there used to be.

We have strong evidence that when you do public spaces and do them well, they will be used. Homo sapiens is a social animal; our biggest interest is other people. And what we can get in our public spaces is indeed direct contact.

In many developing countries, the car is often seen as a status symbol. How can one prevent, at an early stage, these countries from making the same mistakes that were made in Europe?

That’s a major problem. These are the cities that will take the next two billion urban dwellers. In China they had a policy to boost the economy: Everybody should have a car. In their eagerness, they threw out the bicycle from Beijing, which was a city of bicycles. They have come to the bitter realization that was not a smart thing to do. Now they have started to build a lot of metro lines and to reintroduce bicycling.

So there is some hope. In my book Cities for People, I refer to the example of Bogotá. There the mayor, Enrique Peñalosa, realized that 80 percent of his people had no access to a car, while only 20 percent did. But all the investment had gone to the 20 percent for a long period. So he said that, if the economy in Bogotá was to improve, the trick was to have the 80 percent become more mobile so they can move around and get jobs in other parts of the city. So he created bicycle systems and bus rapid transit systems. That is an interesting strategy: Should we use the money for the 20 percent or should we use it for the other group? What will give us the best economic gain for the entire society? This was his way of thinking.

Of course, there is also this prestige thing. Promoting individual mobility by giving everyone a ton of steel and four rubber wheels was a great idea a hundred years ago. But it is not a great idea in cities. The bigger the city, the worse the idea.“We haven’t thought through the challenge of technology for city mobility. We are stuck with some 120-year-old ideas that the industry is desperately holding on to.”

There are a lot of people saying, especially in the automobile industry, “Once we get the autonomous cars, all the problems will be solved.” But as far as I can see, no problems would be solved, except the problems of the automobile industry—how they can sell another five billion units. I really think it would be wonderful if the future was all about good neighborhoods for walking and cycling combined with a really smart, quick public transport system, where you could take your bike or wheel­chair and your shopping bag and whatever you need to take.

I think we haven’t thought through the challenge of technology for city mobility. We are stuck with some 120-year-old ideas that the industry is desperately holding on to. I tell students: Whenever you hear the word “smart,” beware, because that is somebody who wants to sell as many millions as possible of some new gimmick. And he is not necessarily giving you a better quality of life.

Which three tools would you give to a politician who is interested in designing a city in a bicycle-friendly manner for the future?

If I could give one piece of good advice, it would be based on what we know from Copenhagen. For many years, going back to the 1950s, whenever there was a city planning problem, the traffic engineers were running to the mayor and saying: “Look, we need six more lanes here and three more lanes here and 2,000 parking spaces.” They had the statistics and the arguments ready. On the other hand, there was not a single city in the world that had a department for people and public life. The cities knew everything about traffic and nothing about people, and how and why people use the city.

What we have done in Copenhagen is to make the people who use the city visible and to document what is going on: Where people go, how many there are, how long they sit on benches, how many café chairs we have. We do all this every year, just as if we were traffic engineers. Now the politicians have all the information about the life of the city. Then we can ask them to make their choice.

The moment you start to get the people visible and city life documented, then you can start to plan and make policies: “Here is where we are, but we want to be here.” That’s what the politicians always have done with car traffic. Now we have tools to be just as systematic in caring for the people.

A Reggae kinda day

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Roger Harmston Posted in Music Leave a comment

Etana

Bob Marley – Is This Love (Official Music Video)

Peter Tosh – Johnny B Goode (Official Video 1983)

Sprocket Fare

Posted on February 19, 2023 by Roger Harmston Posted in Humour Leave a comment

I lived next to the same guy for 3 years. Thought his name was Steve. Called him Steve. His name is Steve in my phone. I’ve been to his place. We’ve had dinner. His name is Brian. His dog is Steve.

Forgot to mute myself on a Zoom call while my kids were home and my boss gave me three extra weeks of vacation.

4yo, crying hot tears of frustration into her waffle: “I. DON’T. WANT. MORNING. AGAIN. Turn it off!”

Me ten years ago: one day I’ll find another fun-loving night owl and we’ll be the most exciting couple in town. Me to my husband just now: ok fine. We can go to bed at 7:30, I guess.

My 3-year-old said she wished we had a pet. I reminded her we have a dog and wow the genuine surprise on her face as it dawned on her that our dog is a pet and not just some other guy who lives here.

i love when vets knock before they come into the room. like yes my dog is naked but she also arrived that way.

My kid got her half semester report card and it seems like extra math classes may be needed for me.

cars should have a mean horn and a nice horn.

When older people say, “Enjoy them while they are young.” They are talking about your knees and hips not your kids.

Learning that Paprika is just dried and crushed red bell peppers was really shocking. Like I dunno why I thought there was a Paprika tree somewhere.

Did you know, if you lose a sock in the dryer, it comes back as a Tupperware lid, that doesn’t fit any of your containers.

Taking a risk in my 20s: Skydiving Taking a risk in my 30s: Throwing out a box of cords.

Mid 20s and single: This hotel has the best bar! Mid 30s with two kids: This hotel has the best pillows!!

The biggest thing about being in your 20s is that people in their 30s will, unprompted, say, “thank god i’m not in my 20s anymore,” and you just have to nod and be like haha ok.

Me, in my teens: This radio station is playing my jams. Me, in my 20s: This bar is playing my jams. Me, in my 30s: This grocery store is playing my jams.

10s: [gets fishnet gloves with halloween witch costume] 20s: [buys fishnets for the club] 30s [uses fishnets to make thrifty produce bags] 40s Nets fish

In my 20s: Sad a boy I loved caused me heartache. In my 30s: Sad a food I loved caused me heartburn.

[covered in glitter] in my 20s: crazy night at the club in my 30s: craft night w/ my kids

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