Posted in music, tagged cover, Portishead, Radiohead, The Rip, Third, tour on June 11, 2008 | No Comments »
Easily one of the best albums released so far this year, Portishead’s Third seamlessly melds hard, gritty tension with the sweetest of melodies. One song in particular–”The Rip”–is perhaps just a wee bit sweeter than the rest, and it’s certainly one of the most catchy tracks on the record. Catchy enough, it seems, to have [...]
Posted in friday linkfest, music, tagged Coachella, Jancis Robinson, Jonathon Gold, LA taco trucks, Mario Batali, Prince, Radiohead, San Francisco pizza, wine writers parasites on April 29, 2008 | 6 Comments »
(Above: The Golden Gate Bridge and entrance to San Francisco Bay as seen from the Marin Headlands.)
I snapped this picture about a year ago during a long ride on a day much like this past Saturday–no big container ships this time, although my friend and I did see a beautifully restored B-17 Flying Fortress soaring [...]
Posted in humor, music, rants, wine and technology, tagged Etat Libre D'Orange, Paris Hilton Prosecco, Patrick Suskind, Perfume, Wine and Perfume, Wine Sensory on March 18, 2008 | 2 Comments »
…Or maybe not if you fear a little funque in your wine.
I believe that the perfume and wine worlds occupy similar rings in the sensory universe (anybody read Patrick Suskind’s Perfume?).
In a move that reflects the sensory aspirations of both worlds–and which could make even the most flowery wine writer choke on his or her [...]
Posted in humor, italy, music, tagged claymation, Fernet Branca, italo disco, old Italian television commercials on March 6, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The wonders of YouTube never cease! I recently found these old television commercials for Fernet-Branca while researching Italian amari. Fun! Obviously drinking too much of the stuff leads to either bad animation or worse, claymation.
The first spot, from the early to mid 80s, features the soaring eagle from the Fernet-Branca label come to [...]
Posted in friday linkfest, music, tagged John Coltrane, water, water use, wikipedia, wikiwine on January 26, 2008 | No Comments »
Rain, water and cooking oil
Greetings from soggy San Francisco! While the recent storms wreaked havoc on the roadways and knocked out power to thousands, the good news is that rainfall levels (and the Sierra snowpack) are somewhat near normal. So, we have temporary reprieve from drought; although that’s no excuse for extended Hollywood showers, [...]
Posted in globalization, music, wine and technology, tagged Direct to Consumer, Steal This Film on January 4, 2008 | 3 Comments »
When I first met my friend Alan Toner in Rome in 2003, he was always toting around this oversized backpack that contained both a laptop and a digital video camera, and possibly a change of clothes. Last year, our paths crossed at VinItaly in Verona and we had a hilarious escapade on foot and bus [...]
Posted in main, music, tagged Chromeo, Loire Valley Reds on December 19, 2007 | No Comments »
We pondered a few Best of 2007 lists from various music critics last night over the delightfully spicy 2006 Cuvée Granit from Domaine de la Pépière (more on that soon), and I couldn’t help but notice the absence of two of the more enjoyable tracks this year, Chromeo’s “Bonafide Lovin’ ” and “Tenderoni”. I know, [...]
Posted in beer, food, music on December 10, 2007 | No Comments »
It’s late night and I’m feeling sated after some delicious homemade potato leek soup washed down with Czechvar (a.k.a. Budweiser Budvar, for you Czech beer lovers). So rather than stare any longer at this computer screen (check it, blogroll updated down there to the right–all great blogs to read!), I’m going to pick up my [...]
Posted in music, rants, wine, winemaking on December 7, 2007 | No Comments »
Ray Isle linked today to a rather odd little video produced by the people behind Mollydooker, a newish and apparently popular winery from Australia. I’ve not had the wines myself, so I can’t really comment on how they taste. The video, however, speaks well enough for itself:
Fascinating! Weird!
Okay, so maybe they’ve got a problem with [...]
