Just another weblog that covers whatever I find interesting today
I have completed updating my WordPress installation to version 2.0.2 and adding the Widgets plugin. That necessitated my upgrading my theme. In the process, I experimented with serveral other widget-enabled themes, but came back to Ocadia. It appears to work the best in both IE and FireFox, and to handle the most widgets.
As always, let me know if you see any strange behavior.
Over the Easter weekend, Slee and I hosted an Easter cookout. This was the second time that we have invited friends over for roasted Leg of Lamb, wine and fellowship.
This time we had a friend, Thornton, offer to bring a Vertical tasting of Paraduxx. How could we refuse????
Here is a little history of Paraduxx. Paraduxx is blended California red wine. The Winery is Duckhorn Wine Company, located in Napa Valley. Paraduxx is their proprietary red blend. From their website, they explain….
Paraduxx is a unique Napa Valley Red Wine in the tradition of the world’s great blends. From the Super Tuscan wines of Italy to the Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon blends of Australia, each great winegrowing region has created its own authentic varietal pairings. Paraduxx’s goal is to craft a world-class blend with a distinctly Californian personality by using Zinfandel, a grape synonymous with California, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
So, the two wines that are in each vintage is Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The vintages that Thornton brought were the 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001. He would have brought the 2000, but he only had a Magnum and we did not need that much for our guests. After all, most brought a bottle to share…..
The 1997 is 65% Zinfandel and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon with a recommendation to drink now to 2008. It tasted of cherry and chocolate. Rich and drinkable. You could definitely taste the Zinfandel influence.
The 1998 is 65% Zinfandel, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot with a recommendation to drink now to 2007. At first it seemed closed, as if it needed to breathe more. The fruit was definitely there, but so were the tanins. A little time in the decanter and it opened up. There was even more cherry than in the ‘97.
The 1999 is 60% Zinfandel and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon with a recommendation to drink now to 2009. Lots of fruit, mainly berries. Raspberry, cherry, currants. Still some good tanins which give it a good finish. This was lovely with the lamb.
The 2001 is 70% Zinfandel and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon with a recommendation to drink now to 2010. Like the ‘99, the 2001 was rich in fruit. Lots of cherry, dried cherry. Paired with the lamb, it was out of this world. Good structure and a long finish.
I would recommend any of these wines for any occasion. But if you are having lamb or game, they rock!! The jamminess of the Zinfandel which matches so well with game, paired with the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon is a great combination. The winemaker has been able to get a blend that remains true. That is you can recognize the wine from year to year. The core taste and value is there in each vintage with some distinction each year. This is not some mass marketed blend designed to be the exact same year in and year out. It is artistically crafted each year, adding just the varietals required to get the depth and palette that can be indentified as Paraduxx.
Thanks, Thorton for sharing with us… and maybe next time we will try with rabbit, venison or maybe even duck.
So Bobster has taken a look at the new Krugle Search Engine. He is not too impressed, but he lives in the .NET world. His main complaint is that Krugle returns primarily Java Code. I assume that is because it searches Open Source Repositories and a lot of the code in them is Java. I hope that as Krugle grows, it will find more sources and types of Open Source Code.
My rant differs a bit though. Even though I pointed out the site to Bobster, and I signed up first for the beta, and I am the Java programmer; he gets the first Beta ID. Sigh!
Still waiting until I get a chance to test drive.
Originally posted on WineWiki, 02/07/2006
Do you remember the Pink Wines? You know the White Zinfadel and Grenche. Sweet, almost cloying wines. The wines that people love to hate, now. I’ve heard the snickers and seen the smirks. What self-respecting wine lover would ever drink pink wine?
But Pink Wines are making a come back. No, not the white zins, but the Dry Rose’. I have enjoyed dry Rose’ wine for many years. Often enduring the misguided snickers and disdain of the misinformed. But I now see that there are more Rose’ in the stores.
A misunderstood wine, the Rose’ can be sweet but usually is dry. I have had some that were “bone dry�, crisp and refreshing ice-cold. Lovely as an Apertif or with grilled seafood. Some of the best were Tavel from Rhone. When I suggested Rose’ for some wine friends, I got the “Pink Wine� look and questions. Isn’t it sweet? How can you drink it? But when I finally convinced them to try it, they were hooked. Now, they are always looking for a new Rose’. And I can’t blame them.
There are some really good new Rose’ out there. Winemakers are working on varietal Rose’. I’ve seen Barbera Rose’ and Shiraz Rose’. Both fruity but not sweet. While not as dry and crisp and the Tavel Rose’, still very good with seafood and served ice-cold.
I think that is what is appealing about dry Rose’. It can be served ice-cold. It is dry, crisp and refreshing. It makes a perfect summer wine. During the summer here in the Raleigh, NC area, I attend summer outdoor concerts with a group of friends. As is typical with these outdoor concerts, we bring a picnic to share. There is almost always 1 or 2 bottles of Rose’. It is so refreshing!! And it goes with almost all picnic food. Of course, we all have to try and out do everyone else with the food, so we get some high end food, not the typical fried chicken.
With the summer approaching, I for one am glad to see the Pink Wines. It is time for me to stock up on my favorites and seek out some new offerings. My favorite has been and continues to be the Tavel Rose’ Canto Perdrix.
So, if you haven’t tried a Pink Wine recently, don’t hesitate. You may be surprised!
Originally posted on WineWiki, 01/30/2006
What makes a wine into an “every day� wine? Is it price, drinkability, quality (or lack of) or is it the ability to go with lots of different foods? I don’t know. Perhaps it is a combination of all these traits.
Here are some of my criteria for an “every day� wine.
I’m not going to mention any by name; instead, I’ll talk about varieties and types.
For an every day red, I usually go with something a little fruity. Maybe a Pinot Noir or a Shiraz. Pinots go well with a large variety of foods and can be enjoyed alone. The Shiraz goes well with red meats and spicy foods, which I really like. (Some time I’ll have to tell you about my Habenero Vodka.) I’m not talking about the really big Shirazes. The big ones wouldn’t meet my price criteria. Of course, they aren’t as flexible either. I’m not a fan of Merlot, at least not the run of the mill Merlots. I have had some excellent Merlot. And I usually describe them as “This doesn’t taste like a Merlot�. Most of the Merlot I have tried in my every day price range, I didn’t like.
For an every day white, I usually go with a Pinot Grigio or other Italian white. They are reasonably priced and go with a variety of foods. I also like Sauvinon Blanc, its typical crispness is great with grilled foods. It is also good alone. I don’t usually like the Chardonnay at this price. It seems to be too “oaky� for me. I’m not a fan of that big buttery taste.
Of course, as usual, this is just my opinion.
Ken - Drink what you like and like what you drink!
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