Tuesday, April 25, 2006

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

Monday, April 24, 2006

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

Sunday, April 23, 2006

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

Saturday, April 22, 2006

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

Friday, April 21, 2006

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.

Image hosted by Webshots.com

-PMo

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