WINE FOR MYANMAR

I was accosted on the street the other day by someone raising money for Myanmar.
I said that we give to Women's Refuge, Mental Health Foundation, Red Cross, our local Hospice, Salavation Army, Selwyn Village, Food Bank and other worthy causes and didn't think that contributing the equivalent of a couple of bowls of rice that will inevitably sit in storage somewhere growing weevils awaiting the bastard rulers of Myanmar to get their act together would make any difference! Blank stare was the response.
The result though, as it always is, was guilt.
At home, when I looked in the fridge to finish off that bottle of Pinot Noir that was there, I poured half a glass and put it in the back of the cupboard for Myanmar - just in case.

HOLY WATER

Robert, at long last there is a drink for you - BALANCE Purified water with pictures of Jesus and his Mum and stuff.
Great marketing this and should sell like crazy to all those religious nuts out there. For every christian shocked by it there will be a blasphemer like Richard who will buy it and put Chardonnay in it - which made me think - where is the Jesus wine.
Maybe I should create one.
Unfortunately bad taste has preceeded me as I discovered there were many of them already (see pics)

TARTS AND ACID

I shopped at NOSH Ponsonby yesterday and it was a very pleasant experience.
I called in to buy some pasta (Linguini) and some vegetables and was offered a glass of wine whilst browsing.
On offer for tasting was Trinity Hill (Hawkes Bay) Chardonnay 2007 (new vintage release).
In front of me were two old tarts (well, older than me anyway). When tasting the Chardonnay one of them made a sour face like Britt Eklund's 'trout pout' (as a result of bad cosmetic surgery - see pic). The woman conducting the tasting said that she had been told that this was a very good Chardonnay. The 'trout pout' lady said rather pompously " obviously that is wrong as this is a terrible wine and I should know as I am a regular wine drinker".
The host caught my eye to see if I agreed with her and I just winked. When the blue-rinse 'tarts' moved away I told the host that I thought the wine was superb and , in the hearing of the other two said I would buy 3 bottles. This pleased her.
The wine is made by John Hancock one of the country's best Chardonnay makers. It is 2007 vintage and as such has a touch of acid (malic and tartaric) which will integrate with time - say 6 months or more. This is what 'trout pout' noticed but unfortunately she was unable to recognise the other elements in the wine (fruit, nice wood etc).
At the check-out counter I was surprised to learn that the wine was on special (15.95), I was given a free cloth carry bag (the type supermarkets charge you for) and that for every one bottle of wine bought that day they were giving away a free 3-pack of Sola wine spritzer.

THE SONG AND WINE REMAINS THE SAME

Richard (of Richard's Bass Bag) and other music professionals guide us in what we should listen to and that is appreciated as we non-professionals have a lot to learn - thank you.
Sometimes though, there is some music that we 'shouldn't listen to' that just hits the spot.
Tonight while cooking my version of spaghetti Bolognase (lots of spices, herbs and other ingredients not found in the regular recipe) I tuned the TV to a music station (63) and was surprised to get an eclectic assortment of music including Sade, Roy Orbison (Blue Bayou) and Sting (with a big Soul/R&B backing).
Anyway, Led Zeppelin (1971) performed Stairway to Heaven and it was great. Nostalgic - yes, forbidden pleasures -yes again, and although not pc on many many levels I enjoyed it (extended version with Jimmy orgasming with his double necked guitar).
I opened a bottle of Drylands 2006 Chardonnay just before LZ came on. Boy, what a perfect match. This wine label has been around a while (1996) and every year is a winner. The wine doesn't have to get better, it just is always good. The 2006 Chardonnay I am drinking (Gold Medal winner National Wine Competition) is beautifully balanced with fruit, alcohol and wood combining to give a sweet sensation.
It went perfectly with the sweet sounds and sweeter memories brough back by Led Zeppelin.
Adult version of kiddy-stuff both!

SPILL THE WINE

I went to the K.D.Laing concert last night with Lynn (the only straight woman there I think).
It is the second time we have seen KD and whilst it was not as compelling as last time there were some absolutely amazing renditions (Cohen's Halleluja and Young's Helpless) and a feeling that this woman's voice just gets better.
I tried to concentrate on the double bass player for Richard's sake (Richard of Richard's Bass Bag blog fame) and felt that he was pretty good -seemingly the most accomplished of the musicians. KD introduced him later as a composer and arranger so I guess he must know what he is doing.
The drummer had a feather in his cap so I assumed that he must have done something good previously.
I took in a plastic cup of Deutz methode but one of the wimmin from Grey Lynn knocked it over and spilled it - never mind eh!

Spill the wine and take that pearl, Spill the wine and take that pearl
Spill the wine and take that pearl, Spill the wine and take that pearl

DREAM CAR, DREAM WINE

To continue the wine/car theme my dream car is Maserati Quattroporte. This elegant and understated car, to me, represents the best that the Italian designers can do. This is a powerful beast virtually disguised as a family sedan - no flashy Ferrari or ostentatious Lamborguini this.
The 4.2 litre, 6-speed would surprise any boy-racers that want to take you on.
Less than 6,000 of these are made each year.

To match this car my dream wine would be Le Montrachet. This rich, luxuriant Chardonnay has aromas of honeysuckle and wood spice followed by concentrated, and complex, silky flavours.
It is very rare with bottles produced measuring in the thousands rather than millions.
It has been said that when drinking Le Montrachet one should be on ones knees with head bowed. This is the Queen of Chardonnay and I am lucky to have drunk this (with Lynn who insisted on having half!).

Unfortunately Maseratis are very expensive (over $200,000) and Le Montrachet will set you back over $400 a bottle. I've drunk the Le Montrachet and sat in a Quattroporte but won't be buying either in the near future.

What I do have is my 1998 Rover 620ti which I consider a poor man's Quattroporte (and it also has 4 doors!).
The Rover 620ti (turbo) is a rare and understated car.
It has super performance due to the turbo but looks like a family sedan - again one that surprises the boy-racers in their Imprezza's and various Evo's when they take off at the lights. We have rarely been beaten (not that we are reckless of course).
The 4.2 litre, 295kw Quattroporte has a fantastic 5.6 second 0 to 100 kph performance yet the mere 2 litre, 149kw 620ti achieves 0 to 100 kph in a mere 7 seconds. As I said Maserati Quattroportes will cost over $200k, my Rover 620ti was $48k new in 1998.

I won't spend (anymore) $400 for a bottle of wine so I match my Rover with a very good New Zealand Chardonnay - Rose Tree Cottage.
This Gisborne-sourced wine comes from a single estate (Dixon Estate) that has a great track record having produced many Gold Medal and Trophy winning wines over the years. I love it and so does Lynn (unfortunately). It is available from good wine shops for about $25.
The name 'Rose Tree Cottage' comes from a pioneering 2 story cottage in Rapaura, Marlborough owned by William Robinson my great-great grandfather, the site now of Drylands winery. William owned over 2000 acres of (now) prime Marlborough vine-land in Rapaura (there is of course a great Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and a Marlborough Pinot Noir in the Rose Tree Cottage line up).

DO THEY DRINK ICE WINE IN REYKJAVIK

Iceland is one of the harshest lanscapes on earth and the newest habitable landmass - kind of like Rangitoto Island. It is also one of the coldest countries (the highest recorded temperature was 30.5 C and the lowest - 38C)
Iceland is the most developed society in the world, ranked first on the United Nations' Human Development Index. Icelanders are the second longest-living nation with a life expectancy at birth of 81.8 years.
Iceland is the fourth most productive country in the world by nominal gross domestic product per capita and the fifth most productive by GDP.
Everything is expensive in Iceland but the country has one of the most egalitarian taxing systems in the world and a superb social welfare sysyem.
Did I mention it is cold?
It is cold and Icelanders drink lots of alcohol to help keep the cold out (and their blood from freezing?)
Journalist A.A. Gill said that Iceland has the most beautiful women in the world (and, fortunately for all us blokes, the ugliest men).
So, do they drink wine - yes, mostly red wines.
Do they drink too much - probably but all that red wine is good for their health. Interestingly Icelanders have voted against supermarkets selling hard liquor. They are lucky to have the vote. In New Zealand at the moment the megamaniacal Australian-owned Woolworths chain is lobbying to get the right to sell spirits (read RTD's and alcoholic sodas) in their Foodtown, Woolworths and Countdown supermarkets. We won't get a say in this even if we object because our politicians (the same prats who brought down the drinking age) will make the decision.
OK - Ice Wine. Made from grapes like Kerner, Rulander, Muller Thurgau, Riesling, Vidal, Gewurtztraminer etc, principally in Germany (Eiswein), Austria, Canada, California and New Zealand it is so named because (in Canada and Germany) grapes are left to ripen way into cold conditions and can freeze on the vine. The frozen grapes are harvested and crushed while frozen and the frozen water component separated from the remaining concentrated juice. The result is a sweeter, more luscious wine than would otherwise have been produced.
In California and New Zealand, ripe grapes are harvested, crushed and then the juice frozen and ice particles racked off producing the same result. The Germans and Canadians don't like this process and have taken steps to prohibit such wines being marketed in Europe, Canada and USA labelled as Ice Wine.
If the Icelanders were to drink German Eiswein or Canadian Icewine they would probably have to pay the eqivalent of NZD 400 a bottle for it (their taxes are high and these wines start out expensive also).
In New Zealand we can drink Selaks Ice Wine (still allowed to be labelled as such in New Zealand) 375ml for about $14 a bottle (would probably be about $60 in Rekjavik).
I'd rather be in New Zealand with the second most beautiful women in the world!