5- results found for May 2010
Stealing... er, I mean borrowing pictures and graphics is pretty prevalent on the web. Bloggers, webmasters, art appreciation sites (porn) seem to steal willy-nilly from each other for use on their own websites. Mea Culpa. I admit I have on occasion when not having a picture or graphic that fits my story, I've wandered over to Google Images to see what I can find. I rationalize it's OK by giving whoever created the pic or graphic a credit. Works for me. Now others may reel at this laissez faire attitude, but the nature of web is to garner as many viewers you can and my attitude just supports this. PLEASE use my pictures and whatever, BUT give me credit. A link is even better. Case in point. I was looking for a picture of the recent Wine Spectator cover with Manfred Krankl on the front. We did a series of videos with Manfred about his craft and I'm going to mention our videos in this venue so folks can come see him alive, talking and such. Didn't find it. But I did notice a picture on the same Google page. I took it, and the name/website below wasn't me. HA! Someone has "borrowed" a picture. A guy named Brad Coelho in Brooklyn, NY runs a blog called, " Unidentified Appellation". (Notice Brad, I've already mentioned/credited you.) and he was using a picture from my site of Justin Smith of Saxum Vineyards. Now I have no problem with that EXCEPT he "borrowed" it without my permission and more damning without CREDITING ME! Is there no honor among thieves?This unapproved, nay...ILLEGAL use of my property is so disturbing, mainly because in reading his blog, I liked it and then reading his "info", we share a lot in common. (My oldest son lives in Brooklyn for god's sake!) If you'd like to see the picture in question, go to: http://unidentifiedappellation.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.htmlI took that. It's was early morning at the James Berry Vineyard, my partner and I had driven 300 miles up from L.A., brought camera gear, paid for a motel, etc. It cost money and time. Ol' Brad didn't pay for any of that and I know he didn't pay for the picture, my picture, he used. Now if he'd just put our website name in there, or god forbid, a link to us, I'd have no problem what so ever. BUT he didn't. Yes it's been 20 months. (Foot tapping...) I'm waiting. Thieves are a patient lot. Brad? |
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MAGREZ TIVOLI 2005 MEDOC (CLOSEOUT)
ORIGINAL RETAIL $60!
WA 92 $24.99
From the Wine Advocate: "500-case lot sold only at
Magrez’s retail shops
in Bordeaux and Paris, this blend of 58% Merlot
and 42% Cabernet
Sauvignon exhibits notions of cedarwood, spring
flowers, black currants,
and sweet new saddle leather. Spicy, rich,
opulent, and full-bodied, it is
an atypically fleshy example with high
glycerin. Drink it now or cellar
it for 12+ years."
Available from Winex.com
A Wine Thief opportunity! Not quite a steal... but a very
good French wine at a very good price.
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 REIGNAC
2006 BORDEAUX SUPERIEUR $16.99 (WA 91)
Chateau Reignac's owners, Yves and Stephanie Vatelot, are innovators
and pioneers when it comes to making world-class wines. In fact, the
process Vatelot incorporates in the making of his wines is essentially
the same used at those uber high-end Bordeaux estates where no
expense is spared. It starts with the grapes, which are picked at
optimal ripeness and then go through three lines of sorting. The grapes
that make it through the sorts are then placed in small oak tanks and
stainless steel vats in which they undergo a one to two week cold
maceration at temperatures of 50° F or lower. Alcoholic fermentation is
carried out at 80° F, during which time the cap is manually punched down
and the must gently pumped over. The malolactic fermentation
takes place in new French oak barrels while the lees are kept in
suspension by rotating the barrels (one of Vatelot's innovations). This
process generally lasts until February. After that, the wine is racked
for the first time and allowed to continue aging a total of 16 to 20
months in barrel, depending on the specific character of the vintage. Now
while all those techniques mean something in the winemaking process and
take the grapes to their optimum level qualitatively, a wine is still
ultimately dependent on the grapes it is made from. Reignac’s terroir
is quite remarkable, consisting of deep gravelly clay and, in the
southern part of the vineyard, limestone. This great individual terroir,
pretty unique for the area where Reignac is located, along with old
(35+ years) vines, produces grapes that are extremely complex and high
quality when farmed rigorously. So why is Reignac not recognized
as being on par with the finest classified growths? Certainly the
Bordelaise rely a lot on location, and Reignac is not "technically" in a
superior appellation. But when the 'bags are on', Reignac receives
critical acclaim far above its 'station.' Which matters more? The
question remains open and we'll always give the nod to what's actually
in the bottle. What Reignac does offer is a unique peculiarity of
uniting the best terroir profiles of both the Left and Right 'Banks' in a
single estate. That, friends, explains the qualitative consistency of
their wines year in and year out. Of course another important
factor is what you pay and, on that score, Reignac is a superb
performer. $16.99. Purchase now from WINEX.COM
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Let's see... I've got around $650 dollars left over
after paying the bills. What to do with it. Put it in my Savings
account? Nah. Un-American. Buy Bordeaux futures? Maybe. Nah, still
Un-American. How about following the American Way of Celebrity Worship?
YES! Give me a name tag stamped with VIP and backstage pass! Charge
$650 for the privilege? Out of my way, where do I pay!
Gary
Vaynerchuk and a group of "entrepreneurs" are part of some "conference"
being held here in Los Angeles, read: "dog and pony" show, for rubes
that are wannabe Donald Trumps and don't mind parting with their $$$ to
meet celebrities with books to hock. (Shouldn't be the other way around?
Hmmm.) Don't misjudge me entirely, I do respect Gary for his
accomplishments. He has opened the world of wine to a whole new class of
wine drinkers... oh, did I say class? He's had someone write a book for
him and put his name on it. He still sits in the basement of his
father's business and rants about wine and some football team. And he's
one of the short-shelve life darlings of the cheesy and cracker set that
other "entrepreneurs" are using to make money. God bless America and
our penchant for celebrity. (For you fans of Jersey Shore and The
World Wrestling Foundation, that word entrepreneur is French! Totally Un-American.) (À
mes amis français, je parle aux gens qui regardent trop de télévision.
Comprenez ?)
Here's my suggestion on how to save money
and still get all the knowledge and bling value a meeting with Gary
could possibly bring. Sure, buy his book. Watch him on his website if
you like. I owe him that much. Now we're in about $30. Take the rest of the $620 and buy
some really good wine. California! Oregon! Washington! Italian!
Australian! New Zealand! South Africa! French!! Wine you haven't tried.
That's how you get a wine education. Cheers!
No book or celebrity handshake
beats a glass of a great wine in your hand. - The Wine Thief
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Bill in Congress could limit direct wine shipments
FROM THE AP WIRE----
LOWDEN, Wash. — Try to be a wine connoisseur in Dickinson, N.D. Gordon
and Sandee Schnell had a hard time until the state changed its rules in
2001 and allowed wineries to buy permits to ship directly to residents —
one case of wine per person, per month. But now Congress is
considering legislation that could limit wineries' ability to sell and
ship directly to consumers. The wholesale distributors who proposed the
legislation say it will keep wine from minors, limit alcohol consumption
and ensure states control sales. It's left the Schnells puzzled. "The
argument against it was that young kids would be buying wine," Gordon
Schnell asked. "Young kids aren't going to pay $30 for wine." Added
his wife, laughing, "Or order it two weeks in advance and wait." They're
not laughing at L'Ecole No. 41 winery in tiny Lowden, just outside
Walla Walla, Wash. Owner Marty Clubb estimates he ships half his
family's wine directly to retailers and consumers, bypassing the
distributors who make up a large and deep-pocketed lobbying group. Wholesale
distributors buy wine, beer and other alcoholic drinks from wineries
and brewers and then sell them to grocery and liquor stores, which
resell them to consumers. Direct sales let consumers buy wine that isn't
available at a wine shop or grocery store, but they cost wholesale
distributors more business each year. Thanks to lobbying by
wineries, 38 states now allow some form of direct shipping. Clubb
and other winery owners fear the gains they've made over the past decade
could be lost if Congress approves the wholesalers' bill. "This
is an anti-consumer bill," Clubb said. "This is about wholesalers trying
to entrench their monopoly." A grass-roots group established a
website to fight back with help from consumers and retailers. The site, freethegrapes.org, posted a
lobbying letter to Congress, and within days, more than 12,000 followers
had sent it. (By SHANNON DININNY
(AP)
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