Bird Day: Day after Shopping and Day of Drinking

pre.s. I forgot to post the link to the images of our Turkey vacation. So in case you have not seen them yet, click here to check them out.

Fun Stuff:

First of all, if you are wondering if we will be giving thanks, i.e. Eating buttloads of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and cranberry sauce, this Thursday, the answer is no. We have differed that until Saturday. But do not shed a tear for us. We will, on Saturday, ingest enough tryptophan laced bird meat to put us in a coma until our next Thanksgiving in the U.S.

So, on to the subject at hand. How to conduct holiday shopping starting the day after turkey day. We all look forward to drive from home through hours of crazy mall-shopper traffic, the parking lot that we did not realize was so big, the joy of picking up interesting-looking garments from the floor where they have fallen after multiple removals and failed replacements to the rack, the inevitable good find in the wrong size with no similar garment of the correct size anywhere to be found, the line that goes out into the parking lot and all the way to your car which you know you will never find again, finally you pay for that ugly purple turtleneck that you are sure she won't like, but you don't care because... Oh crap! Forgot the receipt.

My recommendation is to avoid it all and shop on-line ;o)

Wine Stuff:

The big question, that I am sure is on everyone's mind right now, is what wine to drink with Thanksgiving dinner. The best thing to do, is to take stock of all your wine and spirits the day before Thanksgiving. Then on Turkey-day, DRINK IT ALL! Take inventory again the next day, and if you have anything left, you have something to improve upon for next year.



happy drinking and Turkey-day,
-PMo

Two-wheeled Monstors and Two-grape Wine Regions

Fun Stuff:

My first motorcycle ride in Europe happened two weeks ago. I am sorry to report that I was too excited to remember a camera. Nevertheless, the image below should give you some idea of how beautiful the ride was. The image on the left is a map of the road we took, and the right shows the area where that road is (you can't see it but it is there). On top of that, I got to ride a friend’s Ducati Monster 1000. I could not have asked for a better riding situation :0)



Wine Stuff:

There are ten wine regions in France, and three of those regions use only two grapes each to produce their appelation controlled wine. The Burgundy (Bourgogne) region is one of these. A few weeks ago, there was a small Burgundy wine festival in Grenoble. Claudia and I went to the event with some friends, and we tasted a lot of great wines. We came home with 13 liters of tastey grape juice.



Burgundy, which is devided into the smaller wine producing districts of Chablis, Côte d'Or, Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais and Beaujolais, uses chardonnay and pinot noir to make their wines. So simpley put, if you want French Pinot or Chard, get a Burgundy.

I usually hate Chardonnay, though I keep trying and trying to find good ones. The problem is I had a really good one once, and I can’t give up trying. With that said, I was able to get some pretty nice Burgundy chardonnay here in town.

The chardonnay, that I am used to getting from the new world (including CA), is usually made with nearly flavorless grapes. The wine makers then try to compensate with too much wood. I love the creamy, vanilla, butter, and toast flavors that oak can add to a wine, but only when they are subtle additions versus the wood juice that is so often on offer.

But I digress, the chardonnay I am drinking right now is a 2004 Clos de la combe chardonnay, and it is pretty darn good. Granted, it tastes characteristically like chardonnay, but thanks to the fruit and the art of wine making, it has some very interesting characteristics. The most important thing to say about this wine, is that all the other flavors I am going to talk about are well balanced. Not too much wood, but enough. Not to much or too little of anything.

The first, and most interesting thing to note is the past-ripe grape flavor. You know, when you have a bunch of grapes, there are those few that look a little beat up, and they are softer than the rest. You normally try to avoid them, but sometimes your are just too caught up in the days episode of Oprah, or Grey's anatomy, or Aquateen Hunger Force to notice that you just popped one in your mouth. It does not sound like a great taste, but it is just a hint, and it adds nicely to the wine. The other more common smells and flavors to note are the butter and tangerine in the nose, and the vanilla in the mouth. All that combines into something I am looking for in a chardonnay.

happy drinking,
-PMo

Turkish Fun, Turkish Wine.

Fun Stuff:

Claudia and I just got back an amazing vacation in Turkey. Actually it's Saturday now, and we got back on Monday, so it has been five days. This vacation replaces my vacation in Mexico as my new favorite vacation. This vacation was great! Claudia, I, Sinan, Sarah, Michele, Jason, and two of Sarah's friends, Sue and Paul went to the southwest coast of Turkey and got on a 20 m (65 ft) sailboat called Sardunya to sail around the coast for a week.




We were on the boat for seven days and there were only two crew members, the captain and the first mate, both part owners of Sardunya. The captain "sailed" the boat and did some other light work, while the first mate worked his ass off. We never raised the sails because it would not have been conducive to getting where we were going. Anyway, none of us on the boat really cared.



The first mate used to own a restaurant in Turkey, and he cooked us three amazing meals per day, plus he made tea for us everyday at 5 PM. We weighed anchor at a new beautiful cove each day, and all we, the vacationers, did was; wake, eat, read, tan, chill, swim, eat, drink, Tea Time!, swim, chill, eat/drink, sleep. It was GREAT!



Wine Stuff:

When we went shopping for our food (for the boat) we filled two shopping carts full of alcohol, and four full of food. The alcohol was mostly wine and beer, but we had stuff to make white russians two.

I had tried greek wine in the past, but it was a loser and have avoided it ever since. This made me a little worried about Turkish wine.

Turkish wine is pretty good in general. The majority of turkish wine tasted like any average wine you might buy at the grocery store. With respect to price, we bought mostly in the mid-range, so I cannot speak about the high-end stuff. Interestingly there were some very different wines among our stash. One was corked, so that does not count;) The other was just... different.

Note: I think that wines from different countries, in fact from different regions, should taste very different. Sommeliers spend years learning how to taste the difference between Margaux and Medoc, okay that one is easy. the point is that wine should have a special flavor that you can only taste from a certain place

Getting back to my Greek wine experience, the "interesting" Turkish wine we had had very similar flavors to the Greek wine I had once. It was very dry, but otherwise hard to describe. It was musky, green, and tanic. Maybe if I could put those flavors in the right proportions you could start to get the idea... but I can't. Anyway, it was interesting stuff worth trying. Incidentally, Turkey is very arid and probably does not have a lot of diversity in growing regions. The grapes I saw most often were Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, and Semillion.

happy drinking,
-PMo

Lovely Margaux & Grenoblegraffiti

Fun Stuff:

Grenoble, France is an interesting city. The size, population, and I suppose the location of the city make it a bit special. On a normal day when I am out and about, it seems a densely populated young and vibrant city. Then, when the average Friday night rolls around it becomes apparent how small the city really is. There is not much going on “after hours”. With that said, the says and pace are just right for me. I love the markets, the lazey Sundays (because there is nothing open), and the view is straight out of a postcard... We do, however, have a nicely tucked away, I might even say hidden, bit of graffiti.

There is an area along the river, the Isere, that has a half-mile-long wall of graffiti. I saw it the first time I went running there. Thanks to my friend Steve for suggesting the run.

I wonder if this is a designated legal zone for painting, because I have seen artisits down there at mid day with out a care in the world. I was running at the time, or I would have stopped to ask.

I hope to show a few pictures of the art from time to time, and I will start with the ones below. The majority of the art is writing, something like what you can see in the first picture. As you might expect, some is good or even great, and some is not so good. I will show some of the pieces that I find interesting.





Wine Stuff:

I really do love Margaux. There are many vineyards and wine makers in the appellation, but it is definitely my favorite in Bordeaux, and probably my favorite appellation in France for red wine. In fact, Margaux makes red wine wlmost exclusively.

I am drinking a 2001 Chateau Paveil de Luze Margaux right now. Though this is not a fine example of the appellation, it is not bad for 5 euros.

Most of Bordeaux makes wine from the same grapes, and Margaux is no exception. They use cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, and maybe some petit verdot. These are pretty much the same as the Semillion I talked about earlier, but Margaux produces a very different wine.



I love Margaux because of the soft, intricate, and seamlessly blended flavors as well as the full and round texture of the wines. The thing that makes Margaux preferable among all the Bordeaux wines is the subtle and intricate mingling of flavors and aromas.

I think I have probably mumbled on enough about my love of these wines, but , let me say a couple parting words.
-Doesn't go with spicy food
-Good with or without food
-Expect to pay for a good one (don't skimp, treat yourself)
-Yummy yummy yummy.

happy drinking,
-PMo

Big Metal Balls and Saint-Emilion

Fun Stuff:

I have taken up playing a game that some might call an old man game. The more I think about it, however, the more it seems to fit me. The game of pétanque is an old man game that oddly made it into the olymics. It is no stranger than curling. though.

Pétanque is a lot like bocce another uncommon game in the U.S. You play with cool looking heavy metal balls and you try to throw/role them close to a little wood/plastic ball called the jack. It is as simple as that.

The cool parts about the game are the balls, because they are heavy and metal, and the fact that playing pétanque and drinking go hand in hand.



The last time I played, I lost the actual game, but I won the... drinking.

Wine Stuff:

The wine I am drinking now deserves a proper wine snob review, but if that is what you want, google it. I usually drink a bit before I even start writing thus ensuring a non-technical write-up. So, on with it.

I am drinking a 2002 Chateau Pontet-Clauzer Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.



Wanna Drink?!?: This wine is yummy to say the least. Though I am presently drinking it by itself, I think it is best enjoyed with food. St-Emilion, in general, is highly respected stuff that is designed to hold on to and taste at peak moments during it's maturation. The city of Saint-Emilion is located in Bordeaux, and the growing region around the city is one of the four major regions that make up Bordeaux.

In case you want to know what you are drinking when you drink St-Emilion, or any other Bordeaux for that matter, the wine maker usually does not release the percentages of each blend. The grapes they commonly use, however, are Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon to a lesser degree.

Keeping the ratios secret is their way of holding onto their special recipe. Sometimes I think they forget that they also grow the grapes there. The fact that the rest of us do not grow Bordeaux grapes is pretty good protection against duplicating their wines.

Wanna Eat?!?: This stuff is good with beaf, grilled or otherwise. It would also be nice with duck, but I would avoid less robust bird like chicken and turkey. A sweet sauce on duck might compliment the dryness of the wine perfectly. Then again, I might have just pulled that out of my butt.

happy drinking,
-PMo

1st Vacation and Box wine

Fun Stuff:

I know I suck! You don't have to tell me... Geez!

I know how long it has been since I have written anything here. I really hope to write more regularly in the future. I have many excuses I am sure you don't care to hear, so on with the show. There is a lot of news, so I will break it slowly over time, giving me greater reason to write more often.

The image bellow is a cute picture of my critters. Gertie has discovered the joy of playing with socks, and she also likes to use the socks as a hobo scarf when she is not playing tug-o-war.



Claud and I went to Nice last weekend with some friends. It was great! The weather here in Grenoble had turned ugly, so we got out just in time. I have no pictures yet, but they will come soon. We also took a day trip to Monaco (Monte Carlo).. It is actually only about 30 minutes away by the slow scenic coastal highway. It was cool to see all the Ferrari's and amazing boats. I don't think I will plan to move there until I win the lottery.

Work is going well. I work a lot, but I like it, so no problems there.

Claud and I are both in French lessons. We make some effort to speak French at home, so the language is coming along well. We should be well prepared for when all the U.S. Friends and family visit.

BTW: “Deja vu” literally means “already saw”. More French lessons later ;)

Wine Stuff:

I have a good wine story, or at least a little humorous.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I enjoy acting the wine snob a bit. Well I recently decided that you cannot be a full fledged wine snob, i.e. Someone who makes fun of all easy drinking cheap wines that come in boxes, jugs, and in flavors like pink, without trying some of those things.

So...

I bought some box wine. I don't know if it is the same here versus the U.S., but I am a convert when it comes to everyday table wine. Being a wine snob, I know that most wine is not designed to age, so why not buy table wine that defies age? I bought a Sauvignon blanc and a Rose pictured below. All the box wine I have found here is also available by the bottle, so the box just seems to be a way for the vineyard/producer to save some money and help out consumers... with their habit.



My fave so far is the Sauvignon Blanc shown in the picture. It is quite good, and since it resides in a bag-in-a-box, it does not change over time. The average box in France contains 3 liters at a price of something like 3 to 7 dollars per liter. That is a deal especially when you drink as often as I do.

Finally, that image above, of the two boxes in my fridge, represents 8 bottles of wine at a total cost of $20. Not bad.

happy drinking,
-PMo

IMin' and Monbazillac

Fun Stuff:

When you are living in a land with a seven hour time difference from your home, you really appreciate instant messaging. I appreciated it already, but maybe I took it a bit for granted. I am sorry IM. I will never do that again. If you have IM, and you want to chat, here are my account names:

Yahoo: decbat2002

ICQ: deckard2000

Gtalk: decbat@gmail.com

Wine Stuff:

Jeannine, the lovely lady I am staying with during my French classes, pulled out a big gun last night. We were discussing how difficult it is to be a sommelier, what with all the requirements to know wine by taste smell and color. She postulated that she could tell the difference between wines from the different French wine regions, but maybe not from within a region. I said maybe that is not quite accurate, because each region has some atypical wine.

To show me the great difference between the Loire and Monbazillac she brought out a 1988 Monbazillac from which we drank. I won’t go into the discussion that ensued, suffice it to say, that wine ROCKED!

To employ a technical wine term, that wine was freakin’ yummilicious. And the color was like a slightly dried out honey.

I will argue with Jeannine more often, if that is a typical result.

happy drinking,
-PMo

Fun Stuff:

The train I am sitting in is quite ugly. All the other trains around it are as ugly or uglier. I am in Paris Gare de Austerlitz waiting for my ugly train to take me back to Amboise where I will complete my second week of immersion French lessons. Today is a bank holiday, so the school was closed. I decided to go back to Grenoble for the long weekend to see my sweety. With respect to Paris; I am just passing through.

From Grenoble, I arrived in the Paris Gare de Lyon with a bunch of pretty TGV trains. TGV is the name of the fast train. I think all those trains made fun of all of these ugly ones, and made them go to their own ugly train station. Poor ugly trains.

Anyway I had a nice weekend with my sweety, my pugs, and my friends. There was a party on Saturday where we ate a bunch of great Spanish food and drank a bunch of great Spanish wine. Some friends just returned from a long trip in Spain and decided to share the joy.

We all went to see a boring movie on Sunday, and today Claudia and I had a relaxing breakfast before my departure.

The French class I am in is great. The school boards the students with local families, and you have class 25 hours/week. I am only going to be in school for 8 days total, but I have already learned a lot. I can massacre the French language through a number of simple situations. I expect, by next week, the number of French words I know how to obliterate will double. And “What about my grammar?” you ask. Forget about it! I am the king of French grammar destruction.

Since you stay with a family during the whole experience, the amount you learn increases dramatically. A lot of the other students speak English, but it probably only amounts to two hours per day that I am not speaking French. So the other thirteen or fourteen hours are spent speaking French (If I am speaking that is).

Wine Stuff:

Maybe I will get Claudia to write a little something about her recent wine experience. She, and a bunch of other expats, went to a local wine shop for a wine and chocolate tasting. She said it was a lot of fun.

I have not been drinking a lot of wine during my stay in Amboise. I sometimes have a glass or two at dinner. I drink what I am served, and it is usually pretty decent stuff.

happy drinking,
-PMo

First Visitors to Chateau P&C

Fun Stuff:

Our first visitors have come. Today, our friends, Lars-Åke (pronounced "Laash okay", emphasis on the O), his lovely soon-to-be-wife Esti, and their adorable son William arrived from Belgium. We hiked up the hill on the way to the Bastille, but we only made it 1/10 of the way before it was time to stop and drink. I don't blame anyone. It was the wine's fault. It was screaming at us from inside the bag. It is beautiful up there. You can see that in the previous image.



I already made Lars-Åke mad because I put his Westmalle Tripple in the fridge on it's side. This type of beer has yeast remaining in it, and needs to stand up right otherwise the yeast will pour into the glass.

Wine Stuff:

I went to the big grocery store, Carrefour, and bought wine. It was so cheap I just decided to buy everything I wanted. It cost me $100 for 15 bottles. No joke!

I love all types on wines, countries, and regions equally, but I just have to mention the fact that I can find 5 and 6 euro Alsacien Gewurztraminer here. Alsacien Gewurz, I can honestly say, is my favorite wine/grape/region. I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say, Alsace soil allows for a vast diversity of flavor, and I love every variation of flavor on this grape.

happy drinking,
-PMo

Finally in Grenoble!

Fun Stuff:

We finally moved to France. We have been here only a week, and I am already starting to feel at home. We are still waiting for our refrigerator to be delivered, so we are eating out a lot. That has its good and bad sides. The food is great, and we don't have to cook it. On the other hand, we are spending A LOT of money, and it is less relaxing, less cozy.

We hiked up to the Bastille, on a hillside, just across the river from us. It is about a mile hike up hill, and we are not in the best shape of our lives. Very tough hike, but it was quite pretty as you can see here.



Wine Stuff:

So I don't have any specific wine to tell you about yet, but of course I have imbibed a lot of new wines. I do want to say that the price difference between French wine, in France, and virtually any wine in the U.S. is dramatic. So far I have only been to small grocery stores to shop. Nevertheless, I have not paid more than $6 for a bottle of wine, and I have purchased at the top end of what is available. The most expensive French wine I have seen was about $8. The most expensive wine in general was $11 (California). Don't get me wrong; you can buy expensive wine if you wish. There are two key issues at work here.

1 The average wine is better here than in the U.S.

2 French wine is just dirt cheap

I will enjoy life here :)

-PMo

Too Much Fun and Boring Wine

Fun Stuff:

Lately there has been nothing but FUN STUFF. I have had too much fun in fact. I am funned out. The date of departure is just around the corner. We, and all of our friends, are trying to cram in as much as we can before we leave. Truth be told, I am tired. I need a break. I think I am just going to leave the country.

Wine Stuff:

Too much wine to remember lately. Thanks to the, above-mentioned, too much fun, there has been no stopping the flow of wine. I can say, however, that I have not tasted anything too spectacular lately.

With that said I want to mention a phenomenon I have noticed. I don't have the wine importation facts to back this up, so it would be nice to know what other people think on the subject. I think that the wines we produce and import to the U.S. all taste the same.

Bold statement I know, but it is a bit of an exaggeration to make a point. In my travels I have tasted wine from all over the planet in many different locations. What I have noticed is that the wines in Europe, imported or local, have a broader range of flavor and character than those in the U.S. I think the U.S. follows more closely to taste trends, and like many markets, we tend to stay close to what sells best. In my opinion, that makes it hard to find "different" wine.

Just a Theory.

-PMo

EVOLUTION: Lucky Number 9 Wine

Fun Stuff:

My friend, Brandy, is coming to town tomorrow. That will be fun. We don't have any plans really. Just hanging out with friends, maybe visit a vineyard or two. I am sure we will have fun, and thus the fitting title fun stuff.

Wine Stuff:

So I said I would let you in on Evolution, "Lucky number 9". Evolution is a great white blend from Sokol Blosser. I will describe it, first, relative to another wine, Caymus Conundrum. Caymus is a popular and well-respected producer. Their Conundrum white blend can be quite good. Thanks to the many grape varietals used in it, it has a lot of character and layers. With that said, it has two faults. One, it is surprisingly inconsistent for such a big name wine. Two, it cost $22. That is about $5 more than it is worth.

Evolution costs $15, is surprisingly consistent, and has all the good things conundrum has. Give them both a try, and let me know which you think is better. I can't decide, but I drink about twice as much Evolution as Conundrum.

-PMo

Fun in El Paso

Fun Stuff:

So I was in El Paso, visiting family, over the weekend. That is the explanation for no posts. I had a great time. I got to see my wife’s entire family, hang out, a lot, with brother-in-law, and his wife, ran a couple miles with my niece, and visited New Mexico. We went to New Mexico for a wine festival. If you know me at all, you know I can’t pass up a wine festival.

The second bit of “fun stuff” is that we are in fact leaving the country on May 13 as originally planned. Off to France with us. Yeah! No visas, but we are going anyway.

Wine Stuff:

Right now I am drinking Lucky number 9. If you know what that is, you also know it is yummy. I will talk about that in a later post.

As I said, I went to a wine festival in New Mexico over the weekend. WOW! It was hot. We had a great time anyway. The concept of the festival was that you pay $10 to get in, you get a glass and a wristband with six pull tabs. These six tabs get you six tastes of wine. You can also buy wine by the glass or bottle. So the plan was to get six tastes of wine, then buy a glass or two of the best stuff. Simple.

I got in one of the many lines and apparently I am a good line picker. I asked for a taste of Viognier, and I got a near-full glass of the stuff! That happened FOUR times with four different “tastes”. TWICE my little pull-tabs were left intact. I left the festival, drunk, and with one tab still on my wrist. I think I had about eight glasses of wine total. I did buy one.

I am not a big fan of Chardonnay, but I had a good one at the La Vina wine festival. They produce two different Chardonnays, but in my opinion, the Desert Flower is the only one worthwhile. What I remember about it is that it was very fruity, and that is not common among Chard that has character. It is an easy grape to produce, but it is hard to grow with real flavor. Wine makers tend to use a lot of wood on crappy grapes to make something interesting. There goes a digression, sorry. This wine was made with well-grown fruit. That is not to say it was not well treated with wood. I think it had the perfect balance between fruit and oak. With all of that said, I hope you can try it, but I don’t know where to get it… Aside from the vineyard.

-PMo

Possible Delay in Departure

Fun Stuff:

Well I have some not-so-fun news, but I am trying to look on the bright side. I got an email today from the attorneys handling my French work permit/visa stating that the documents are delayed by over a month. What this normally means, is that my departure would be delayed. I am going to try to find a way to go to France on a temporary basis, start learning French, and wait for the visa. The problem is that, I think, I have to come back to the U.S. to “activate” the French visa. Hopefully there will be better news soon.

Wine Stuff:

More summer wine, Yeah! I am drinking a Pinot Grigio from the Beringer Blass Wine Estates. It’s a firt for me. I have never had anything from this vineyard, but I like it. This wine is nice all by itself, like I am having it. I don’t mean I am all by myself drinking like in that song. NO! Claudia is sitting right over there watching me. Heh.

Back to the point. The wine would also be good with pasta and an Alfredo sauce, and of course chicken or fish. If you like dry, bright and citrusy Pinot Grigio, you will like this.

-PMo

Oops, Wrong Wine

Fun Stuff:

THERE IS NOTHING FUN TO SAY, I WAS AT WORK ALL DAY!

Wait just a second. That is probably not quite accurate. It's true, I did go to work today, but to say that I “worked” would be a bit fictitious. What did I do at work today!?! Okay, I did, like, one hour of work. That is pretty admirable for someone who is going to France soon. That is about it really. I didn't do anything especially fun today. I did have dinner at El Chilito, and I had some sangria with dinner, and that leads me to our wine review...

Wine Stuff:

Soooo I drink, and therefore buy, a lot of wine. That is to say that I know where the stuff I am looking for is stored on the shelves. So I wanted a simple Valley of the Moon Pinot Blanc. It is nice and simple with some real taste (unlike your average Chard). Yes I am biased against Chardonnay. Anyway, the point is I went to the shelf where all the pinot blanc’s and white blends are, I saw Valley of the Moon and I grabbed a bottle. I came home and threw it in the Fridge. That was last week. Today I grabbed it and opened it. Claud said something like "Are you having Zinfandel", and I thought that was an odd question. Why would I drink Zin on such a warm day. A day screaming for COLD WHITE WINE. Well, she asked because I had just opened a CHILLED Valley of the Moon Zin. Dammit!

The wine was stocked in the wrong place, but that is no excuse. I can read. I should have read the bottle.

Anyway... It is not a bad wine, though it tastes a lot better at room temperature. Some of the flavors get chilled away. Normally I say that red does well at about 55 F (just a little cool). This wine is better at real room temperature. Like 70 F. Anyway, it was okay, though a bit young. It is pretty acidic, so it will get a little better in a couple of years. With that said, I think it will go great with grilled meats RIGHT NOW. So if you buy a 2004 Valley of the Moon Zinfandel, drink it with grilled stuff. The charred flavor will go well with this puppy.

-PMo

Visit to Barton Springs

Fun Stuff:

Well, Claudia and I are trying to cram in as many fun-Austin-things as we can before leaving. Today we went with niece Roxanne to Barton springs for a swim. Since it is a spring-fed pool, the water is pretty cold. I think we had 30 minutes of fun then left. Here are some pictures of Barton Springs for those of you who haven’t seen it.

Wine Stuff:

I have not had any wine today. Don’t worry! I substituted margaritas from Vivo on Manor. Yummy! I think they have the best Rita’s in Austin.

-PMo

BLOG Evolution

Okay, this blog needs format. I am going to try a sectional blog. You know, like a couch. The normal sections will be a fun or funny section followed by wine stuff. This way people who are not interested in boring wine stuff will know exactly what not to read.

Fun Stuff:

I watched an Iranian movie today called Children of Heaven. That’s the English title anyway. It showed me how crazy rich America is. It is about a little boy who loses his sister's shoes on the way home from the shoe repairman. Throughout the movie he and his sister trade his shoes back and forth in a relay fashion. Pretty cute and culturally interesting. From the richy American perspective… both of those kids need new shoes, and some freakin’ food.

Wine Stuff:

I was tipsy earlier, but then I watched the above-mentioned movie. Now I can right a sober wine review. Woo Hoo! So I drank a 2005 Texas Sauvignon Blanc from Fall Creek. It was a nice, light and dry summer wine. It smells of bright melon and tastes like dry tea and citrus until you swallow. The finish has mineral notes. Not a bad attempt at Sauvignon from Texas.

-PMo

The First (Tipsy) Wine Review

I wonder how many posts will be like this one in the future. This is a "tipsy"” post. I want to "review"” a wine that I am currently drinking... After drinking two margaritas.

So I am drinking a Spanish white wine that is a blend of 4 grapes. Well that is what the review said, but I can only find three grapes on the bottle. Muscat, Xarel, and Lo. To be honest, I have never heard of Xarel or Lo, but they are certainly going on my list of "grapes I have ingested in wine form”.

I bought it because I have been in a white blends mood, and I think Muscat is good in blends. Off topic, if you ever see a Muscat/Viognier blend, buy it. I will review one of my favorites later. But I digress...…

This 2004 wine, from Oro Penedes Hill, is dry and fruity both in the nose and palette, but a little watery where it counts.

Let's put it this way: I give it a 8 out of 10 after drinking two margaritas. I guess I would give it a 6 or a 10 if I had not had anything to drink beforehand.

-PMo

Our New Home in Grenoble

I just wanted to share some images of our new home in Grenoble. This photo album has images of our apartment and a few of the city itself. This link is to all of our images on Webshots. Browse around to look at images from places we have been.

There are picture of Berlin, Frankfurt, Potsdam, Prague, Fuerta Ventura, Leuven, Brugge, Brussels, Venice, Ravenna, Strasbourg, Trois Epi, Paris, Grenoble, London, and even Austin Texas.

I got drunk in almost all of those places. :)

-PMo

Welcome to Weirdo's Wine World!

I set this blog up to keep everyone up to date on wines that cross my path. Hopefully the posts will be informative, and sometimes funny. I like funny stuff. I have a lot of friends who don't like wine, so I also want the blog to be a repository for interesting stories about my life in Europe. I will link to images I take, and keep you current on all the fun, interesting, exciting, and surprising things in in the world of me, Claudia, Finn (pug#1),and, Gertie (pug#2).

I have plenty of friends and family who get bored quickly when they read/hear "wine talk". An example of wine talk would be something like:

"After decanting this youthful and vibrant 83’ cab for 1 hour, it had blossomed into a beautiful bouquet of chocolate and black cherry. Blah blah blah, etcetera etcetera."

I will try to avoid such language in favor of everyday joe wine descriptions.



-PMo



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