STEVE

Steve wasn't one of the student workers at the wholesalers. He wanted to be one though as he thought that they were a better class of people. He was right of course.
He simultaneously had a chip on his shoulder through jealousy and would emulate his 'heroes' through mannerisms, speech and interest in wine. His role models were Roger and Geoff. Initially they made fun of Steve but eventually became his friend. Steve ate a lot (he ate his sanswhiches in the toilet)and actually smelled of roast mutton. I wondered at this but once, on visiting his home where he lived with his parents, I noticed that the house and inhabitants all smelled of roast mutton. I think that they lived on it. Steve started up a large collection of fine wines. He did this in the way a stamp collector does - not to use them but just to have them. He sold it all off later when he joined the B'Hai church.

GORDON

NODROG KRATS was the reverse of Gordon's name. I remember this because he used to have a name plaque on his desk. This was in the small office that he shared during the week with flash Ray and nice Ivan. The office area was only about 20 ft by 14 ft and had 3 desks in it. Perhaps Gordon thought that the others would forget his name.
On Saturdays and after Gordon went home at 5PM his desk was used by hairy truck drivers while they pretended to be totalling up their accounts. In reality they were rifling through Gordon's drawers and would reverse his name. I can't remember how they did that, perhaps the name plaque was made up of removable letters. I do remember though that in the morning when Gordon came in he would have to reverse the letters while complaining about the morons who worked on Saturday. The Curmudgeon could have modelled himself on Gordon. He was the archetypal grumpy old man.

MIXED BAG TASTING

Last night at the wine tasting group I am part of we had a selected members choice evening where 6 members brought along wines from their cellars.
It was a mixed bag but interesting nevertheless.
The three white wines were:
Mt Rosa 2003 Central Otago Pinot Gris.
Now I'm not a Pinot Gris fan but this was OK, almost Alsace style in style. At least it was inoffensive.
An Alsace Gewurztraminer was next - Rollie Gassmann (Alsace) Stegrebende Rorschwihr Gewurtztraminer 1996. It was disappointing. It was herbaceous, sweet, turpine and generally unusual. Forgettable.
Craggy Range Glas Nevin Gravels Waipara Riesling 2008 was next. This was good. Fresh and sweet but with a nice acid edge.

The reds were better.
Keith Tulloch Hunter Valley Kester Shiraz 1999 was first. This looked like a much older wine but was sweetish and very very drinkable. It was old-style Aussi winemaking, unfiltered and with loads of character.
Next was Andre Brumel Les Cailloux (Chateauneuf du Pape) Cuvee Centenaire 1998. This was the wine that Parker gave a perfect (100 out of 100) score to. It was perfumed, tarry with a sweet viscous finish. A real treat and if more affordable one to buy (it costs close to $300).
Last was Henscke Keyneton Eden Valley Shiraz Cabernet 1998. A great wine - sweet, plummy with a very long palate. Being from Eden Valley (higher than Barossa) it has a nice herbaceous edge and is a bit like a NZ wine.

Its good to try different wines like this even if I didn't like all of them. It shows the diversity of wine.

TONY

Tony was unusual. He still is in fact which belies the fact that he is highly placed in the education 'industry' and has just completed his PhD. He could be said to be eccentric. Wikipedia says:

"Eccentricity is not, as some would believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd."

Certainly Tony wasn't too concerned at what the crowd thought, a trait which usually got us thrown out of parties and at least once got Richard and I beaten up.
Tony started at the wholesalers before me and recommended me to the management. They didn't fire him so they must have thought I was OK. Tony and I shared a full-time job by splitting up the days of the week and attending University on our days off. He was studying 'Classics' - Latin, Old English, Norse Mythology etc - so you can imagine the sort of classmates he had. I think though that there were only about 3 of them as it wasn't the most popular degree course. I think that his studies added to his strangeness. I remember once that he made a suit of cardboard 'armour' and marched up and down in it. A customer's little boy peeped out to the warehouse and saw Tony doing this. Tony could belch on demand (another social skill that helped to get us thrown out of parties)and when he saw the little boy he let rip with a roar-like burp. The boy burst out crying and ran back to his mother who gave us some pretty strange looks. I imagine that the kid is still traumatised.

PETER

Peter was one of the longest tenure student workers at the wholesalers (apart from Geoff). This was because he attended University longer than the others. He didn't end up with a PHD or MA like Tony, or Honours like Richard and Geoff- in fact he didn't end up with a degree of any kind even after 7 years (full and part-time) study. He enjoyed University and funded himself through it by working at the wholesalers. Law studies were followed by Education studies, then Architecture, Art History and finally History. Collectively he had enough units for a degree and a half but not in any one discipline. Peter was lazy. And a daydreamer. At University he had 30 girlfriends. Not real ones. They were different young women that he took a liking to and gave them that status. A good plan this was but lacking in the crucial tactic - telling them that they were his girlfriends. He was shy you see.
At the wholesalers Peter graduated from front of shop selling person, to warehouseman and finally to truck-driver. In most other trading organisations this is the reverse order of a tiered employment structure but not at the wholesalers. Truck drivers were the elite (see post on Richard). When he graduated to truck driver Peter was able to do his shopping, laundry and day-dreaming on his delivery rounds but also took it one step further by attending his lectures as well. The delivery truck was often parked up by the University during lecture time. (Parking was always at a premium around the University but a delivery truck could stop just about anywhere).
Steve ( not the one with the big shoes) was jealous and was always out to 'pot' Peter and tried his best to expose him (more about Steve in a later Post). Peter was too clever for Steve and also as he was basically a nice bloke and got all his work done and more the management weren't too worried.

RICHARD

Richard was part of the elite at the wholesalers known as the truck drivers. They were sort of like The Praetorian Guard, being part of but separate from the organisation with a 'hot-line' to senior management. The elite status enabled them to do their shopping on the delivery route, go to the laundromat to do their washing, have two hour lunches around the bays watching the planes take off and land. They used to return about 4PM which was the busiest period in those days before the changes to the Sale of Liquor Act. Wholesalers had to close at 6PM so the 4 to 6 period was hectic. Truck drivers used to sit at a desk and 'balance their takings' while sucking on a beer or, in Richard's case a rum and coke or a Sherry taken from Bruce's private stock. If Bruce had worked Saturdays though I'm sure that Richard would have been out there polishing the customers shoes.

Richard adopted the persona of a truck driver very well. Black singlet, shorts, big (unlaced) boots and body odour all matched him perfectly. The overall look was so good in fact that his sister-in-law who was being hassled at University by some jerks enlisted Richard's help to sort them out. Imagine the scene on a quiet midweek morning in the august surroundings of the law library in the Hunter building when a burly, unshaven and mean looking truck-driver strode in and demanded that the chief jerk Sandy step outside for a minute. Richard won the day (just like Robert said he used to do at school - protecting the family) He should have been a soldier or a mezze-Capo in the Sopranos.

PINOT AND PIANO

Last night we had a bottle of Mt Difficulty Long Gully 2007 Central Otago Pinot Noir. It renewed my appreciation of Central Otago wines which had slipped of late. The overblown fruit bomb concoctions from the (too) many producers has disappointed and I have been looking to Waipara and Martinborough to find the best of New Zealand Pinot Noirs. The Mt Difficulty single vineyard wine is right on track. Big and rich it however opens up with breathing to show a fine delicacy. Some nice tobacco, black cherry and minerality all combine to a balanced flavour. This was great drinking and would have cellared well for a few years. It is expensive though (about $80) so I won't be buying a lot to cellar but it was well worth the experience.

I put on Bill Evans Trio 'Time Remembered' CD while we were drinking the Pinot. This CD compilation is a take-out from Evans' 'The Complete Riverside Recordings' and is a selection of some of his most moving and lyrical renditions of classics. The recordings are from 1962 and 1963 when he returned to perform after the death of his friend and bass player a year or so earlier. 'Danny Boy' was my mother's favourite and Evans gives this a long 10 minute beautiful rendition. All through the selections is a feeling of skill and accomplishment with a nice seamless mix of piano, bass and drums.

The opening up of the Pinot Noir with the balance of fruit, wood and tannins seemed to blend sinuously with the cohesive play of the three musicians. Both understated to some degree but with a lurking power that was seductive.