Economy-wise, that is. We are now #5 in the world. Woohoo!
OK, so this is both mundane and pointless, but I thought it was interesting. Seems that California’s economy isn’t tanking, despite the current energy crisis.
Read about it here.
Oh.
Well, whatever floats yer boat…
(I’d been hoping this was going to be about wine)
No offense, Darwin’s Finch, but Uke Ike had the better idea.
Hey, Uke, you gotta try the stuff I just tried. It’s from a little place called Gundlach Bundschu. I had a bottle of their '98 Pinot Noir, and it was spectacular!
I also got a '96 Chard that I’m ready to open. I think G/B is my new favorite Cal house.
What’s on your list?
Gundlach Bundschu, you say?
{resists temptation to offer manny the Kleenex box}
…to tell you the truth, I’m not all that big on the California vintages. The Mendocino vino is more to my taste than Napa or Sonoma stuff…the rocky soil and sea winds on the Western side of the coastal mountain range make for a flintier, more interesting wine, IMHO.
(And, given my political viewpoint, I think that the fertile valleys of Napa and Sonoma should be taken away from the coarse capitalistic winemakers and used to grow wheat and vegetables to feed the hungry workers.)
With the Tuscany trip so close behind me, I’m knocking back more Chianti than anything else right now. I also drink a great deal of Pomerol, St. Emilion, and other Bordeaux. Tonight I’m grilling chicken. Tonight is Beer Night.
But I’m willing to give GB a whirl. Where did you pick the stuff up? In the Village?
Nah, it actually flew in from one of my brokers.
I’m with you on the west/east thing when I’m in the mood for a heartier wine, but when I’m in that mood, I usually either make it a beer night or go for a super-heavy French Bourdeaux (if I’m feeling rich that week, of course!).
I’ll have to find the label that my friend bought in Tuscany a few years back. He liked it so much that he bought two cases to age – then couldn’t get it in the country! Damn wine is still at the bed-and-breakfast they stayed at out there. He’s gonna have to try to get it when he’s out there for his fifth anniversary. He did bring back a couple bottles, and it was wonderful.
Economically?
Oh.
I thought California beat France…
<WWF>IN A NO HOLDS BARRED, STEEL CAGE MATCH TO THE FINISH!!! YAAAAAHH!</WWF>
Ah! I KNEW the Plight of the Hungry Workers touched your cold heart!
Here’s my tedious story of Tuscany wine…we were staying just north of Greve in Chianti, on the road to Florence, and we motored south to a tiny little town in the mountains called Lamole, which was the trailhead of an interesting walk though the high country…Lamole consisted of three houses, a church, and a restaurant. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed on Friday, so we headed off into the mountains on foot.
We were caught in a freak hailstorm, and had our picnic lunch standing up, but that’s neither here nor there.
The next day, we left Greve and drove up into the heights, and promptly got lost…we ended up BACK in Lamole, having entered it from the other side…it was about 11 in the morning, but we wandered up to the retaurant anyway. The proprietor was exceedingly charming, and made us cafe macchiata while we waited for the grills and oven to heat up.
A little after 12 we were able to order a meal, and I sat down to a wonderful dish of homemade sausages with white beans…with the food, we shared a bottle of the local wine, Lamole de Lamole. Excellent, and perfect with the meal.
We drove back down to Rome, caught our plane, and came home.
One night about a week later, I was making some sort of Chianti-appropriate meal, and I sent the Ukulkele Lady down to the Ukulele Cellars for a bottle of red wine. She came up very quietly, and displayed a bottle of Lamole de Lamole…which we had purchased locally BEFORE our trip. Somehow, this teensy town with its teensy vineyard had made their wine available in Brooklyn, NY.
It’s damn good wine…Chianti Riserva…and we’ve since bought it by the case. It runs about $16 a bottle at Shawn’s Wine Shop on 7th Ave in Park Slope.