04.05.2010
In Light of some heated “debate” over a recent blog post and my looming 40th birthday on Wednesday, I decided to do a little soul searching. A little reflection if you will, about how I can tweak myself and hopefully be a better, more enjoyable person over the next 40. Here are 10 thoughts (in no particular order) which i will try and remember/follow.
1. Be grateful for what and who you have in your life. i.e. loving wife (love you), roof over your head and a job to go to every day (thank you).
2. Don’t take life too seriously. Slow down and enjoy life. You only get one ride on this roller coaster so make the most of it.
3. Stop living in our own little worlds. Be more conscious of others and how our actions may impact them.
4. Stop and think before we speak. Or write!
5. As my mother used to tell me growing up, it is not what you said but how you said it! I especially need to constantly remind myself of this one!
6. Strive to be better than I was yesterday. While no one is perfect, it doesn’t hurt to try and improve. Remember to use every experience as an opportunity to learn & grow
7. Learn to laugh more. Stop being so negative. say NO to pessimism and YES to optimism.
8. Realize that even though I may make all of the points that I’m trying to make, if presented (written or verbal) in the wrong manner it may have a completely different effect than was intended.
9. Everyone has an opinion to which they are entitled. However, we should all make our own decisions. Just because one person says that he/she didn’t like a movie, thought that was the best bottle of wine they’ve had or that was the worst restaurant they’ve ever eaten at, doesn’t mean you/I will have the same feelings or experiences. Go see that film, try that bottle of wine and take your spouse to dinner at that restaurant and make your own decision. Everyone’s tastes are different!
10. Lastly, if you don’t have anything nice to say, it is better to not say anything at all!
Thank you for listening. What would you change or add? Leave me a comment and let me know YOUR Thoughts
Category Uncategorized |
03.31.2010
Now that I have your attention, let me explain.
I recently attended a tasting hosted at Enotria, one of my local wine shops, which was having KR Rombauer III pouring his family’s wine. My wife and I have visited the winery once or twice and thought that it would be nice to meet one of the owners and taste some good wines. So here is where I start ranting. I, like most wine drinkers, try to support my local retailers as much as possible. But I have a hard time doing that if the owners will not help themselves or do stupid things. Enotria used to be owned by another group of owners and had small but faithful following because they had a great wine selection, knowledgeable staff and the place had good atmosphere. The new owners opened the store again and unfortunately have nothing in common with the old place except the name. Most of the wine they carry would only be found on the bottom shelf at your local grocery store. I get the idea of trying to have inexpensive wines that everyone can afford, but they may have three or four medium level wines in the entire shop. Because of this, I have been reluctant to go in the wine bar very often. I recently received some emails, they bought the old owners mailing list, inviting me to some wine tasting events they were hosting. The first tasting was Frank Family Vineyards which was being poured by the winemaker Todd Graff. We had been meaning to try some of the FFV wines so thought that this would be an excellent opportunity for us to do so. We went and had a great time and loved the wines so much that we bought some and had the winemaker sign them for us.
This leads me to my “Your Tasting SUCKED!” segment. Read the rest of this entry »
Category Uncategorized |
03.24.2010
I read a great post today by Steve Paulo who has his own blog “Notes From The Cellar“. He was writing about the Do’s and Dont’s while visiting tasting rooms and I thought that he was really on to something, so I would sahre it with you. the following is directly from his blog;
There are unwritten rules about visiting winery tasting rooms. Living a few miles south of Napa/Sonoma, a hop-skip-and-a-jump north of the Livermore Valley, and within a day’s drive to the vast majority of the wine made in California has lead me along to many a tasting room. And there are rules. Unwritten rules, but rules nonetheless.
Unwritten, that is, until today.
“Don’t Be That Guy” (or “Gal,” don’t want to be sexist and infer that women can’t also be drunk idiots) is a great way to learn about life and to learn as you go through life. There are cautionary tales all around us, we need only open our eyes. It is with that in mind that I came up with the following–now written–rules.
The Rules Of Wine Tasting
1. Don’t pregame — Seriously. You’re not in college. Stop it. And even if you are in college, stop it! In case you don’t know, “pregaming” is drinking before you drink. Back in college, if we were going out to a bar, we’d “pregame” at someone’s house or apartment in part because it’s cheaper to drink outside of a bar setting, and in part because the bars were boring early in the evening and we had nothing better to do. I remember being in Sonoma for some wine tasting with friends, and seeing a party bus pass by us while we picked up sandwiches and water. Clearly visible through the window was a case of Coors Light. Coors Light, for pete’s sake!
2. Bring food and water — Speaking of which, it’s a lot easier to keep from making a damn fool of yourself if you have some water to sip between wineries, and some food to put in your belly. And no, the table crackers or breadsticks or whatever offered at many wineries don’t count. Bring or buy something substantial.
You can read the rest of his post by clicking HERE
Category General Info, Wine |
03.16.2010
2007 Lamborn Family Vineyards Zinfandel
Winery History: Bob (father) and Mike (son) purchased 40 acres on Howell Mountain back in 1971 and eventually decided on Lamborn Family vineyards as the name for the venture. By doing so, they established the first “family” winery label in existence. Their first vintage was in 1982 and totaled a whopping 100 cases. For more history click to read my interview.
The Wine: 2007 Lamborn “YeeHaw” Howell Mountain Zinfandel 15.2% ABV is 100% zinfandel $33 (Winery Price)
On the nose I get rich black fruit, white pepper, and just a hint of oak. The palate is very balanced with blackberry, dark cherry, chocolate, white pepper, and black licorice. This wine has a medium-bold body with medium tannins which give way to a long velvet textured finish.
We had this wine on a cold rainy night, which was very reminiscent of when we first tried this wine at the kitchen table of the Lamborn house up on Howell Mountain.
Would I buy/drink this wine again? I think at $33 this is a well priced zinfandel which is well worth the money.
Absolutely and I give this wine 4 out of 5 corks
Tags: Lamborn, Wine, Zinfandel Category Wine, Zinfandel |
03.09.2010
Category Getting to Know:, Videos, Wine |
