Another Wine Blog - Latest Comments

Re: Transcendant Moments

jpower — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:41:44 -0000

Thanks to you too!

Re: Transcendant Moments

jpower — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:41:12 -0000

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

Re: Transcendant Moments

jpower — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:39:08 -0000

Thank you very much! I've always liked it, but it was written before very many people were reading my ramblings. I hope no one minded that I shared someting old.

Re: Restaurant Common Sense from the NYT

jpower — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:33:01 -0000

Thanks for stopping by, Mark. You're right, it is up to management to make sure that they are well represented by their staffs. Either hire well or train well, but those people are the face of your business.

Re: Transcendant Moments

Donalyn — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:52:40 -0000

great post - I really enjoyed it :)

Re: Transcendant Moments

alisafoodista — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:59:52 -0000

tantalizing promises of transcendence... i love that phrase...what a really wonderful post :)

Re: Transcendant Moments

Deb R — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:24:45 -0000

i think this is easily one of your BEST posts ever my friend..thanks for sharing & bringing back some great memories of days gone by in the City by the Bay..San Francisco will always have a special place in my heart~

Re: Restaurant Common Sense from the NYT

Mark — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:37:23 -0000

Joe,
As you point out, restaurant owners spend way too much time dealing with things that should have been taught at the home dinner table. It’s unfortunate that so many servers and folks that have chosen to be in the hospitality industry don’t take their jobs more seriously and consider what impact their actions have on a restaurant’s ability to survive and hopefully thrive for many happy years. In the end however, it is ultimately up to the owner or manager to decide what kind of individual they want to put on their front line that will make patrons keep coming back.

Re: Polenta and Meat Sauce paired with Ruffino Chianti Classico

Wood Door Designs of LA — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:24:48 -0000

This sounds like a great pairing. Thanks for the detailed recipes. FYI: Polenta is a Northern Italian staple and the Chianti region is more Mid Italy.

Re: Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery added to Boycott

Century City Tax Lawyer — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:18:47 -0000

Of course they had to change. It's survival. It's a recession. It's big business. Let's just hope the wine doesn't get lost in the gentrification.

Re: Jack, the Very Bad Dog

Weezee — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:43:43 -0000

We never have them long enough.Jack sounds like a great dog and friend.

Re: Jack, the Very Bad Dog

Cellarmistress — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:51:22 -0000

Sorry to hear about your dog. I am very close to my two pets and losing one is never easy. They are like your children. Thank you for the story. It was very touching...

Re: Jack, the Very Bad Dog

twitter-15109604 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:26:23 -0000

Thanks. I'd had him for almost 13 years -- kinda felt like my "child" sometimes.

Re: Jack, the Very Bad Dog

jpower — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:56:10 -0000

Thanks everyone, we really appreciate your kind comments.

Re: Jack, the Very Bad Dog

Donalyn — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:43:51 -0000

Love this tribute - we always lose them too soon!

Re: Jack, the Very Bad Dog

twitter-14241338 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:08:28 -0000

Godspeed Jack. God likes bad dogs. You'll do just fine.

Re: Jack, the Very Bad Dog

Gina — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:27:42 -0000

I'm sitting here with a lump in my throat and a smile on my face - determined not to let the Halloween eye make up run down my face. Thank you so much for sharing this story!

Re: 2006 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

jpower — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:16:44 -0000

You're welcome. We were very happy that we had the opportunity to taste it.

Re: 2006 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

twitter-19314329 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:46:36 -0000

Hey Joe and Amy - thanks for the nice comments on our 06 Napa Cab. I think it's a another step forward for us!

Re: Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery added to Boycott

TitleSlug — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:35:53 -0000

Sebastiani was a family business that no longer served the family's needs. Like the Mondavis, the Sebastianis worked, loved and fought side-by-side for generations. Over the past 20 years more and more family members drifted from the business. Finally, it made more sense to sell the winery rather than continue to run it.
Bill Foley bought Sebastiani because it was good deal. Tradition means nothing more than value add over product. If the perception of tradition means the product is worth more, than Mr. Foley will sell tradition. More than likely he'll leverage existing distribution contracts and business practices he's "fine tuned" throughout the rest of his grape juice empire and apply them to the "Sonoma Tradition". If he can boost earnings per share by importing grapes or exporting juice he'll do it. If the multiples of the wine industry can't be bent to his expectations he'll sell it. Creating quality wine is NOT his interest. Collecting more of your dollars IS his interest. His past tells us so.
There are many, many great wine producers in Sonoma, Napa, Santa Barbara and the rest of Northern California. We as consumers have choices. We don't have to suffer MBA inspired wine. We can buy elegant wine that is an expression of where it was grown and an expression of the winemaker's vision. We don't have to buy wine that exhibits an expression of the CEO's vision for expanding profit above all else.

Re: Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery added to Boycott

twitter-14241338 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:14:39 -0000

Kelly, thanks for "getting it". There are a lot of awesome merlots out there. I'm a huge fan of the merlot in spite of Sideways. :-) Two great ones are the Unti, which may be hard to find depending on where you're located and Longboard's DaKine Merlot. For companies with bigger distribution try Trentadue or Freemark Abbey. And do be sure to see the movie MerLove. It's out on DVD now. Cheers!

Re: 2006 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

jpower — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:30:52 -0000

No doubt! They are delicious now, and perfectly drinkable, but as we learned at dinner that night, they become SPECTACULAR with age. I don't know why, but until that evening, I never thought of California wines as particularly age-worthy because, unlike so many Bordeauxs, they tend to taste good when they are young.

Re: 2006 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

twitter-14355544 — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:51:24 -0000

Now, I seem to recall that dinner party but I would hardly call you a crasher! Ok fine maybe you are a crasher but welll, you were an invited drunk. I mean blogger. I mean crasher.

I agree with you about the Cornerstone wines - young they might be, but sexy, velvety and powerful they are. I would certainly buy them if I saw them on a wine list. or if my cellar had some shelf space for aging!

Yum!

Re: Remember to Vote!

jpower — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:12:03 -0000

Thanks! Same to you...sort of. :)

If we both lose we can hate on the winners together.

Re: Remember to Vote!

1WineDude — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:07:06 -0000

Good luck! Sort of! :-)

Stiff competition - can't wait to see what happens!