We all get caught up in those reality-like game shows on TV, and THE BIGGEST BOOZER is no exception. After weeks of competition, it is down to the final two: Capt. Jack Jumpseat and Homeless Harry. Who will bag the big prize and take the crown? This promo brings out the best in all of us.We all get caught up in those reality-like game shows on TV, and THE BIGGEST BOOZER is... more
Drug addiction clinics say they are becoming increasingly concerned by the health risks associated with the chemical -- the only known example of the body forming a third drug following the ingestion of two others.
For not only is cocaethylene toxic in the liver, it is also blamed for heart attacks in the under-40s and a surge in social problems. But because so little is known about the drug...
Like Miami during Art Basel or Milan during Fashion Week, the town of Reims, France was buzzing with activity during its most important two weeks of the year—the vendange, or grape harvest. Last year Veuve Clicquot invited us to Reims to learn what happens before the vendange (check out our CH video); this year they invited us back (along with our friends from Notcot, Yatzer, Frizzi Frizzi, and Materialiste) to help with the harvest itself.
You probably already know that the method for making Champagne is used around the world, but only sparkling wine made from three varieties of grapes (pinot noir, chardonnary and pinot meunier) grown in France’s Champagne region can be called Champagne. Efforts are being taken to certify the area as a UNESCO-protected region (Saint-Émillion and the Loire Valley are also certified), which will further enhance the cultural, physical and commercial roles the region plays.
Our trip included visits to many of Veuve Clicquot’s facilities and vineyards, including its beautifully renovated Hótel du Marc, (below). The 1840 manor has been part of Veuve Clicquot’s heritage for more than a hundred years, and is among the first of its age to be completely overhauled with 21st century environmentally-friendly systems. We also toured the cellars and a pressing center.
On a perfect Sunday morning we woke up early and headed to the Manoir de Verzy, which overlooks one of the more than 400 vineyards owned by Veuve Clicquot. This grand cru vineyard is where grapes for La Grande Dame are grown. After picking the grapes we went to the nearby pressing center, where we watched our grapes be pressed. The juice of grapes from each variety and field is stored separately in steel vats, where it goes through its first round of (malolactic) fermentation.
Have you ever been sitting in your panic room during a home invasion and thought to yourself: Why the heck don't I have my collection of prized wines down here? Most of us know that helplessly monitoring armed intruders in ski masks while they pillage your parlor goes down easier with a spot of 19th century Madeira. "Oh, look at that," you'd say, staring at the grainy black-and-white image while absently swirling your glass, "the little bastards are taking the Rembrandt."
There's this company called Spiral Cellars that doesn't really make panic rooms, but they do make these cool turnkey wine cellars. They do everything: These guys show up in a van, jackhammer through your foundation, build this crazy spiral staircase that's got the wine bottles stored in a spiral around the periphery, and even take care of the paperwork with your local government.
Okay so I realize this is out of the reach of most of us--I think if I was that rich, I wouldn't ever even need to look at the internet--but relatability be damned, I can't help but find this company and their product fascinating, what with their wide variety of motorized trap doors and the like. And while home invasion isn't cool, panic rooms and secret wine cellars are cool. Very, very cool.
Welcome to Good Taste with Tanji, where good food, good wine and good times go hand-in-hand.
Welcome to Good Taste with Tanji, where good food, good wine and good times go hand-in-hand.
Welcome to Good Taste with Tanji, where good food, good wine and good times go hand-in-hand.
Welcome to Good Taste with Tanji, where good food, good wine and good times go hand-in-hand.Welcome to Good Taste with Tanji, where good food, good wine and good times go... more
We limit the combined total dollar amount of item-labeled produce that any single grower can sell under our two item labels to less than $1 Million US dollars annually. This is our small effort to even the playing field between larger and smaller farms. Research shows that larger farms, particularly those with annual revenues in excess of $1 Million per year have a significant competitive advantage as compared to small family farms. Top 10 Produce LLC will invite socially conscious consumers to play a role by alerting the consumer that our brand provides a strategic advantage in favor of smaller farms, and by reminding buyers that we only license independent growers. 100% of our items have a transparency enabling barcode.
This item level barcode will be scanned by mobile phones to tell the consumer about the farmer, whether the produce is locally grown (including a map showing the location of the farm as compared to their current location based on their cell phone's GPS ), and anything else the consumer is interested to know about that produce item. Consumer reviews of fresh produce will be available to shoppers and chefs alike.
Suggestions are encouraged and welcome, so please share thoughts, concerns, criticisms and questions. We are listening carefully.We limit the combined total dollar amount of item-labeled produce that any single... more
According to this BBC Article, white wines are more harmful to your tooth's enamel.
"In the lab, adult teeth soaked in white wine for a day had a loss of both calcium and another mineral called phosphorus to depths of up to 60 micrometers in the enamel surface, which the researchers say is significant."According to this BBC Article, white wines are more harmful to your tooth's enamel.... more
Is the Earth’s climate approaching a critical transition, aka a “tipping point,” beyond which major and largely unpredictable climate changes are guaranteed to occur? At this point, scientists do not know the answer to that question. A study published in the journal Nature aims to explain the mathematics of critical transitions beyond just the Earth’s climate and in the process, determine if there are early-warning signals that indicate when a complex system is about to undergo a critical transition.
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce President complains about environmentalists
Over the last several weeks, three utilities, Nike, and now Apple have resigned from or otherwise reduced their participation in the United States Chamber of Commerce (USCOC), a business lobbying group that represents millions of U.S. businesses. As a result, the USCOC President and CEO, Tom Donohue, held an hour-long press conference to defend the USCOC’s decision to oppose EPA regulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs).
According to the Greenwire report on the event (linked above), Donahue claimed that an “orchestrated pressure campaign” by environmentalists was responsible for the recent defections.
- Barrels instead of bottles
According to the NYTimes Green Inc. blog, a number of wineries are foregoing bottles and are instead shipping their wine in barrels. As a result, the wineries are saving money on reduced packaging and are dramatically lowering their carbon footprint due to shipping and bottle manufacturing.
- Ocean acidification to turn parts of the Arctic Ocean corrosive by 2018
Scientists researching ocean acidification in the Svalbard Archipelago north of Norway have made a surprising and awful discovery – the Arctic ocean is acidifying so fast that 10% it will become corrosive within the next 10 years and the entire Arctic will become corrosive by 2100.
- El Niño and its relationship to ocean heat content
Back in October, 2008, I pointed out in comments to another Carboholic that La Niña years were cold because the ocean absorbed heat from the atmosphere and that El Niño years were hot because the ocean emitted stored heat back into the atmosphere. This comes from the physics of thermodynamics, specifically the fact that energy moves from hot areas to cold areas, and not the other way around.
I recently came across this same basic information presented in a different form by the Climate Prediction Center’s El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion page and the weekly ENSO updates contained therein.
More at the link.- Tipping points will be difficult to identify
Is the Earth’s climate approaching... more
Are you clueless about wine? Don’t worry! Here are some top tips that can help you become a wine expert almost instantly.Are you clueless about wine? Don’t worry! Here are some top tips that can help you... more
Management consultant Jackie Slater thought she was completing a normal shopping trip to Morrisons until the checkout assistant demanded to see her ID before scanning two bottles of wine.
"I told her I was really flattered, but I was the wrong side of 50," she said. But the assistant pointed to her 17-year-old daughter, Emily, and her 18-year-old niece, Annice, who were standing at the end of the checkout chatting.
"She asked: 'Are they with you?' I said they'd come to help me carry the bags back to the car. The assistant said: 'You could be buying the wine for them. It's the policy – I have to see everyone's ID to make sure they are all over 18'."
Canada’s largest wine companies risked losing brands they have spent years building up by selling bulk imported wines as B.C. products, a Simon Fraser University marketing expert said Friday. Watch video of two winemakers responding to the stories.Canada’s largest wine companies risked losing brands they have spent years building... more
Hundreds of naked people gathered in a French vineyard to pose for photographer Spencer Tunick and illustrate the threat of global warming through art.
The famous photographer teamed up with Greenpeace to create a "meaningful message" on climate change, concentrating on the vulnerability of wines and agriculture in France.
We're all vulnerable in the end.Hundreds of naked people gathered in a French vineyard to pose for photographer... more
Video: Winemakers to alter labels after public backlash - Winemakers respond to Sun StoriesVideo: Winemakers to alter labels after public backlash - Winemakers respond to Sun... more
Vinobraní na Grébovce - Prague wine harvest festival held at the Havlíčkovy sady park in Prague. This year the celebrations of new wine also included the 130th year anniversary of the Vinohrady area of Prague. With live performance by French group Sergent pepere http://sergentpepere.chez.com/
Vinohrady is a beautiful residential area of Prague that carries a reputation of prestige and elegance. It covers portions of Prague 2, 3, and 10. Most of its grand Neo-Renaissance, Art Nouveau, Pseudo Baroque, and Neo-Gothic buildings come from the second half of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century, and many have been and continue to be restored in an amazing array of color and architectural detail.
The name Vinohrady means "vineyards". The area was indeed covered with vineyards starting in the 14th century when Czech king Charles IV had them planted there, right around the time when he had the New Town built. The vineyards lasted for some four hundred years and were later replaced by rose gardens, orchards, and residential buildings.
An independent community of Vinohrady was established in 1849, encompassing the area of today's Vinohrady and Žižkov. The area was divided into Královské Vinohrady (Royal Vinohrady) and Žižkov in 1875. Královské Vinohrady received the status of a city in 1879. A tram line between Muzeum and Flora started running in 1897. Královské Vinohrady was incorporated into Greater Prague as a district in 1922 and its name was shortened to Vinohrady in 1968.Vinobraní na Grébovce - Prague wine harvest festival held at the Havlíčkovy sady... more
Have you ever stayed at a Happy Hour a little too long?
Three chicks celebrate Happy Hour and each hour that ensues. The longer the drink the more their good judgement goes out the window.Have you ever stayed at a Happy Hour a little too long?
Three chicks celebrate... more
Wait…vegetarian wine? But wine is made of grapes! True, but like white sugar, wine can go through some processing that involves animal products. With wine, the troublesome ingredients come into play during the “finishing,” or the steps that stop the fermentation. The animal-based fining agents are...Wait…vegetarian wine? But wine is made of grapes! True, but like white sugar, wine... more
Nanny staters in the UK ban Scouts from using knives, draconian ways to track your CO2 footprint being proposed in Germany, the US considers charging tourists a $10 admission fee to enter the country, the Downsizer Dispatch, police stop a grandmother from giving CPR to her dying grandson, China upset about the US dollar, a llama on the lamb update, Nick discovers a mole rat bear frog, and the Church of Sweden will fight swine flu by fortifying their wine with more alcohol. http://www.freemindsmedia.orgNanny staters in the UK ban Scouts from using knives, draconian ways to track your CO2... more
With the beginning of football season, it's great to have easy recipes on hand for great tasting food that can be enjoyed while watching the big game. For a European twist on the classic football food, try these great recipes.With the beginning of football season, it's great to have easy recipes on hand for... more
