Quote the Author

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Visual History of the World; National Geographic, ISBN 978-0-7922-3695-5


ANY of Pierre Burton’s Books, especially The Last Spike,  Klondike: The last Gold Rushand Klondike Fever.


Alexander the Great, a Novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, Translated by Theodora Vasils ISBN 0-8214-0663-9


Travels with a Tangerine: From Morocco to Turkey in the Footsteps of Islam’s Greatest Traveler, Tim McKintosh-Smith, ISBN13: 9780330491143


The Dictionary of Global Culture, Edited by Kwame Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., ISBN 0-394-58581-X


Ideas: A History from Fire to Freud, Peter Watson, ISBN 0-7538-2089-7


A short history of Progress, Ronald Wright, ISBN 0-88787-706-4


the Mediterranean, Saga of a Sea, Emil Ludwig


The Search for Alexander, Robin Lane Fox, ISBN 0-316-29108-0

Yes Mummy. This is Yummy!

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RIOJA RESERVA – BERONIA 2014


750 ml | SKU: 216770
Regularly $24.99 we got it for $22.95
14% alcohol


Tempanillo matured for 3 years in French and American oak barrels. This is big.  It’s bold.  It’s a lovely balance between acidic fruit and oak. Pretty complex with a very long finish. A hybrid barrel invented by winemaker Matias Calleja, American staves and French tops. Garancha, Graciano, Maturana and Mazuelo all play important roles both in blends and increasingly on their own as single varietals.Some guts to it. …and has definite backbone.


Bodegas Beronia is situated in Ollauri, the heart of Rioja Alta. To the North, the Cantabria Mountain range and to the South the Demanda Mountain range. It is a unique area for the production of high quality wines. The influence of the Atlantic and the minerals from the Ebro river convert this area into a privileged area for the cultivation of the vine. In addition the diversity of the soils gives a great complexity and marked character to the wines.

Everyone stepped up

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Code: 423954

Italian Azelia Dolcetto d’Alba

Regular $28.99 On Sale: $26.49
13% Alcohol

Dolcetto means ‘little sweet one’.  It’s a black Italian grape grown widely grown in the Northern Italian Piedmont Region. The wine is NOT sweet. Easy growing, early ripening and grows well at higher elevations.  This one is from the town of Albaand. The average age of the vines is 55 years.  Single Family vineyard of 16 hectares and it’s average annual yield is about 80,000 bottles.

Soft and Fruity and very aromatic. Earthy flavours that go well with spiced meats.
At first, I thought I might be drinking a Barbera, but the flavours opened up much more than a Barbera, but seemed lower in acidity and slightly higher in tannins than the last Barbera we had.

The Goddess of Wine suggested we save this one for BIG lamb. So we did. Shanks. We waited till our current spell of great weather came to a halt with some grottyness.  Long, slow cooking. Fully spiced, Mediterranean style/

Gaining a better Understanding

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World History of the Dance; Curt Sachs, ISBN 0-393-00209-8 (including abdominal dance)


A history of the world in 6 glasses; Tom Standaage, ISBN 0-385-66087-1


Isadora A Sensational Life; Peter Kurth ISBN 0-316-50726-1


The Elements of Style; Struck Jr and White, ISBN 0-02-418200-1 [should probably pay extension to this again – it’s been a few years]


The  Day the  Universe Changed; James Burke, ISBN 0-316-11706-4 [companion to the BBC Series]


Connections; James Burke, ISBN 0-316-11681-5 [companion to the BBC Series]


Paris 1919; Margaret MacMillan, ISBN 0-375-50826-0


Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam


30,000 Years of Art The Story of Human Creativity across time and Space; Phaidon,ISBN 978-0-7148-4789-4


The Cretan Runner; George Psychoundakis,  ISBN 960-226-013-0

Leaping Lizards and Blasted Rocks

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Frank even put on is Class winning Chilean Marathon T Shirt to celebrate the two wines that son Kevin had brought back from Chile for our sipping pleasure.


Joan crafted a wonderful lunch in the gardens of Towler-henge.


Poor Kevin only got a glass as he was late getting home from his physio treatment.  And unfortunately, the Goddess of Wine couldn’t  join us.  So that left Frank and I to take up the torch and drink their share.

Down to what’s really important:  Two Carmeneres from Kevin’s favourite vineyards discovered during his years in Chile.  


B and Frank tended to prefer the slightly peppery 2017 Alto Tierruca Grand Reserve to the Casas del Bosque Reserve.  I liked the longer finish of the year younger Casa del Bosque.  I suspect that the vines of the Alto Tierruca are older and from a higher elevation than the Casa del Bosque. Don’t get me wrong – both were very enjoyable and we’re trying to figure out how we can get a steady supply here and on the Goddess’ approved list.

Casa del Bosque grows cool climate varietals.  In 2013 and 2014, the prestigious International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) chose the winery as the “Chilean Wine Producer of the Year”.

The pricing would be mid-teens in Chile, where wines tend to be a lot less expensive than here.