Author Archives: Roger Harmston

Getting them all together

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Performers In order of appearance. Comedian Bill Murray MC-ed. * Kirby Kelley (winner of Guitar Center’s 2009 King of the Blues contest)Sonny Landreth * Robert Randolph and the Family Band joined by Joe Bonamassa and Pino Daniele * The Robert Cray Band with Jimmie Vaughan and Hubert Sumlin Bert Jansch * Stefan Grossman joined by Keb’ Mo’, ZZ Top * Doyle Bramhall II and Faded Boogie joined by Gary Clark, Jr. and Sheryl Crow * Vince Gill joined by Albert Lee, James Burton, and Keb’ Mo’ * Citizen Cope joined by Sheryl Crow * Earl Klugh with Yonrico Scott and Joseph Patrick Moore * John Mayer Trio * Buddy Guy with Jonny Lang and Ronnie Wood * The Derek Trucks Susan Tedeschi Band joined by Warren Haynes, Sheryl Crow, David Hidalgo, * Cesar Rosas, and Johnny Winter * Jeff Beck with Rhonda Smith, Narada Michael Walden, and Jason Rebello * Eric Clapton with Steve Winwood joined by Citizen Cope and Jeff Beck * B.B. King with The Robert Cray Band, Jimmie Vaughan and Eric Clapton * Finale set with many artists returning for a performance of “Sweet Home Chicago”

“The Thrill Is Gone” BB King, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Jimmi Vaughn (HD)

Extremes

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Located 40 miles south of Madrid, the Castilla-La Mancha autonomía lies in the heart of Spain. The majority of wine production relies on the varieties Cencibel—a regional clone of Tempranillo—as well as Airén, a relatively neutral white grape that thrives in this hot and arid region. 

Here we have a continental climate, with large changes in temperature between hot and cold months, or even on different days. There are around 300 to 400mm of rain a year in this desert region. The soil mostly consists of dark, red sand clays, with a high amount of calcium in the subsoil. Soil retains moisture well and is an important part of healthy plant growth. Thanks to the high sunshine hours and temperature in this region, wines are typically ripe and higher than average alcohol level.

This Viura (aka Macabeo) gives us a crisp, fresh, aromatic, fruity white wine with clean herbaceous notes. It’s a good alternative to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. I One of the best ways to drink Viura is alongside food. The wine’s medium to higher acidity and subtle bitterness make it work very well as a palate cleanser matching perfectly with with southeast Asian food, fish tacos, chicken, mild cheeses (e.g. Manchego, pecorino, feta), vegetables, tapas.  

We worked with lemon chicken souvlakis.

VINO DE LA TIERRE DE CASTILLA – VIVANCO PRENSA REAL

$8.99

12% alcohol

UPC: 08421735002060 

Now or Later?

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A smoothly textured, blend of Merlot (60%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (40%), this wine has big tannins and rich potential. Solid structure, wood-aging flavours and broad fruitiness give it a good future. AB will probably want this one to lay down on the job for a couple of years.

It’s a truly elegant wine. This red has a full palate with refined, polished, and well-integrated tannins. 

This wine is the latest in a line of gold medal winning bottles. From the Château Belair-Coubet, comes wines made to perfection because they’re grown and vinified with passion. This red blend is aged 14 months in French oak barrels and then given to you to enjoy. 

If it hadn’t been so windy and cold outside I’d have flashed up the BBQ. Instead,  the whiner grilled spicy lamb kebabs.

COTES DE BOURG – CHATEAU BELAIR COUBET 2019

$17.99 regularly $19.99

14% alcohol

UPC: 03336580005218

No cough and full acceptance

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It took 4 tries, but The Goddess has found a Riesling that B quite liked.

And that was before she had food with it.  Impressive!

I think it was the no bubbles that did it <G> 

Dry, Crisp. Balanced acidity.   

It was very much enjoyed with grilled pork chops, mashed yam (with a bit of yogurt) and coleslaw. Hopefully she will enjoy it as much tomorrow with oysters.

QUAILS GATE – RIESLING 2022

$19.9913% Alcohol

UPC:  00778856120028

50 Years – After

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Alvin Lee –  10 Years After

[Verse 1]
Everywhere is
Freaks and hairies
Dykes and fairies
Tell me, where is sanity?

[Verse 2]
Tax the rich
Feed the poor
Till there are no
Rich no more

[Chorus]
I’d love to change the world
But I don’t know what to do
So I’ll leave it up to you

[Verse 3]
Population
Keeps on breeding
Nation bleeding
Still more feeding, economy

[Verse 4]
Life is funny
Skies are sunny
Bees make honey
Who needs money? No, not poor me

[Chorus]
I’d love to change the world
But I don’t know what to do
So I’ll leave it up to you

[Ad-Lib]
Oh yeah!

[Verse 5]
World pollution
Is no solution
Institution
Electrocution
Spread them wide
Rich or poor
Them and us
Stop the war

Highly versatile

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Bobal is a dark-skinned wine grape variety native to Utiel-Requena in southeast Spain. It is one of Spain’s most planted grape varieties behind Tempranillo and Airén.

Thick skins, late budding and drought resistance have made Bobal well-suited to the dry, continental landscape.

High levels of acidity in the grape make Bobal a versatile variety: it is used to make deeply colored rosé wines and has even been used to produce sparkling wine. Rosé wines made using the variety can reach a level of complexity that suggests it has great promise when put to this use.

Bobal’s thick skins have a high amount of anthocyanins, giving the wine a deep, intense color as well as a good tannic structure. This trait is played up by winemakers who commonly use a technique known as doble pasta, where the grape skins left over from rosé production are added to the red grape must. This concentrates tannins and color further, leading to an intensely structured red wine.

Fresh, fruity and balanced, smooth and with a long finish.

So versatile that one night it went with veal, and then chicken the next.

Bobal Rosado Sierra Salinas

$9.99 regularly $10.99

12% Alcohol

UPC: 

08420202250270