jZepp

One of these days...

Hello, JZepp readers. I'm Tim and I'm a wine geek. Nope, not somewhat new to the party like my blogging buddy Beau, but a guy who got the wine bug 25 years ago while in college near the Napa Valley. But that's not why I've decided to blog here for the first time tonight.

When I finally said I wanted to contribute here, almost a year ago, I thought I would write my first post about music and wine. At the time, a new CD from Neil Young - an artist I've followed almost obsessively since 1976 - was just out and my plan was to blog about each song and pair a wine with them. How wine geeky is that? Well, so much so that I thought better of it until this evening.

You see, the CD in question is the great, "Prairie Wind," and today the movie version was released entitled, "Neil Young: Heart of Gold." As I blog this entry, I'm watching the DVD (well sort of, anyway) and listening to an impassioned live performance of all the songs on the CD (or "album" if you are as old as me). Not only is Jonathan Demme a great film director and music lover, but he has reinforced his reputation as the best concert film practitioner. Yea, I know, he's only done two concert films, but both are the high watermarks of the genre along with the controversial Martin Scorsese picture, "The Last Waltz" (ironically featuring a coked up performance by Neil from back in the day).

So what wine goes with such viewing? I'd have to give the nod to the great grape of Burgundy, Pinot Noir. The particular example I'm enjoying as I watch this performance is from Willamette Valley Vineyards, their 2004 "Vintage Selection" Pinot Noir that will set you back about $22 or so. It's got everything you would want or expect in a fine Pinot Noir: the brilliant ruby color, black cherry and earthy 'Pinot funk' aromas and satisfying, if not a bit tight, black cherry and raspberry flavors with sleek tannins. I'd give this one a bit more time in the cellar and drink up the 2003 while I wait for this one to smooth out. Somehow, the aggressive attack and slightly closed flavors seems just about right for Neil right now... pick up both if you are so inclined.

Cheers!

Spring celebration time

Most cultures in the northern hemisphere seem to have a celebration of spring.
In my mind, that's the one thing that the Gregorian calendar got terribly, terribly wrong: it reworked the start of the year into the dead of winter instead of spring, where it belongs.

I took a walk near the water today, and found a kildeer and her nest.

The Chopstick Chronicles: Kumquat: The Dwarf Orange of China

by eating china

On the day of Chinese New Year's Eve, just as I was leaving our local produce market, a car swerved towards the curb. I noticed the car because it pulled up with a jerk just a couple of feet from a family trying to cross the road. The driver bolted from the car to a stall in front of the market. The back seat of her car was already packed with groceries. Clearly, it seemed, the banquet that evening for her large extended family, was her responsibility. She had stopped at the market for a last minute purchase. When I say, 'a car swerved towards the curb', towards is all I mean, as there remained between the curb and the side of her car, enough space for a skilled driver to manoeuvre another very compact car, such as a Mini. A couple of minutes later she rushed back carrying a potted kumquat bush bearing dozens of tiny orange fruit. She placed it on the passenger seat beside her and drove off, ether oblivious or unconcerned at the line of cars she had been blocking on the narrow street behind. I was glad I didn't feel as harried as she looked, but I was only cooking for three while she might be cooking for thirteen, including a domineering mother-in-law.

2 Days in Montreal (Simplified)

Drive six hours north.

Roam around the shopping malls.

Meet friends at L’Express.

Drink Sancerre rosé.

Watch with awe as Caveman eats

plate of raw ground beef.

See Salon des Vins.

Attempt to talk with vintners.

Crap, I don’t speak French!

Walk and see some sights.

Feast on raw fish at Juni.

Drink junmai sake.

Savor warm croissant.

Hop in car. Plug in iPod.

Drive six hours home.

-- WG

Red Tail/Winter Day