part 2.
part 3.
Some weekends at The Cave are sponsored by wine. This weekend is sponsored by 2005 Kaesler GSM Stonehorse, a Barossa Valley wine from Australia. It fell open Friday, and after work I poured myself a glass. It's one of my favorite Cave rituals, to hang out here another forty minutes or so after work and kill a glass of wine, a confluence of many pleasants.Friday night, this wine had three distinct phases - a little sweet on the front, a slightly boozy heaviness in
the middle, and a spicy finish. Last night after work, all the edges disappeared, it had come together, the front, middle and end integrated into one crazy-pleasant bit of awesomeness. It was like drinking soft liquid velvet wrapped in warm silk.I'll always remember that taste, that experience; there's nothing like it. A quick search shows this bottle was under $25.00.
Here are a few links to get you started.
1. Richard Jennings on Wine.
The gentleman who contributed the above wine also told me about this guys blog. Though RJ scares me a little with his creepily capable capacity, whether you want to know more about a type of wine or a specific region's offerings, to call this guy 'thorough' is an understatement. Every nook and cranny, no stone is left unturned. For our purposes, here are two specific posts of interest.
5 tips for maximum wine enjoyment - the first tip, especially.
How to begin navigating the world of wine. (*Intercepted by the Giants!*)
2. Bordeaux Undiscovered
Nick's - I'm sure he has a last name - was the first blog that drew me in. Though his area is Bordeaux, he (pass interference!) writes the history, the story and the lore of wine. Also, because Bordeaux and China are currently so entwined, his style also lends a very pleasant way to keep up on the story of business. (O'Welker!) (O' Manningham!)
The 1757 Bordeaux-Dublin Letters
Phantoms of the Chateau. (2-minute warning)
(internet, you're suddenly buffering? Are you serious?)
3. The Terroirist.
This blog has gone a long way in helping me figure out what interests me about wine. (Bradshaw, are you serious?!?) Every day this guy references at least half a dozen current, interesting, wine stories, and you can click on/read the ones that most appeal to you. Even when (Tuck!) you don't dig further, you're still forced to scan them all. It keeps you from sounding entirely rube-like. Like right now. I know nothing about football AT ALL, but it sounds like I care, doesn't it?
(19 seconds left...what will happen?)
(5 seconds left...what will happen?)
Also: (...wait...) (okay, that was good. Thank you, NBC for the live stream. Take note, ABC; the Academy Awards are coming and I'd like to see them, too.)
Also, all accessible/easy to peruse:
What wine newbies should know, by Matt Kramer, Wine Spectator.
Learn wine, Wine Spectator.
Wine basics, Wine Spectator.
What needs to be said, by Matt Kramer, Wine Spectator.
"That Fine Wines Deserve and Reward Aging. I don’t want to belabor the point, but in the spirit of the column, well, it needs to be said. If you love wine and you’re buying anything decent—let’s say any wine that costs $20 or more—you need to know that the odds are extremely good that the wine you’re buying today will taste better, and be more rewarding to you, if you stick it in a cool space for a year or even five or 10 years."
...and a few final tidbits.
from the seattle times.
from Inspiring Thirst, though the woman who started this cellar series got a Fulbright scholarship and left after the third post. I promise you, that won't happen here.
Wikipedia.
That'll keep you busy for a few minutes. It's 7:14, The Cave is closed. Has that wine survived a third day? Let's find out.....still sweet, it's shallower and less involved; it's moment was yesterday. That's fine, the Giants deserve the spotlight to themselves.