The Wine Mine

Small Pleasures 

 And so it goes.

Perhaps a trite observation but often the better parts of life are the small pleasures - perhaps even ones you don’t completely appreciate while experiencing them.  We probably all feel this this way but sometimes they’re hard to recognize.  Other times they are self evident.  Either way, thank goodness for them.

I’ve certainly enjoyed many recently and hope that you have also:     

- A pirate raiding my till.  Kazoo is the friendliest of birds and always provides a smile for everyone in the shop when he visits.  The last time here he climbed down my arm to the cash register and entertained himself, and the rest of us, immensely by stealing and then depositing all my coins onto the floor.  Luckily he wasn’t interested in the bills.     

- The gentleman playing guitar and singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in a hospital lobby was lovely even if only briefly enjoyed.  Even better, was running into him elsewhere an hour later and being able to thank him again which, it seemed, was a small pleasure for him as well. 

 - A kiss from my wife.  

 - A glass of Rose on a Monday night before a Tuesday day off.  It wasn’t anything special (and won’t come into the shop) but it enhanced the summertime mood of the evening.  Very nice.   

- That great Spring weather, absent for the last two years, that provided the summertime mood.  

-  Various people, many of them being you, inquiring about how life is going and truly being interested in the answer.   

 - My daughter disparaging me comically, lovingly and perfectly.

(yup, again) 

I’m sure that I could come up with more but I’ll let you think of your own and stop writing now.  

Enjoy your reflection.

Then Katalaveno

I don’t know about you but I often find myself searching for answers to observations or questions during the course of my day.  Often I don’t come up with an adequate understanding or response
to these although once in a while I am lucky enough to do so.

A while ago I was walking with my father in law and we were discussing something (now long forgotten in my dotage)  that had no apparent answer.  Gerasimos, who is a  Plato scholar mentioned that the Greek language has a word for this sort of thing:

“Then Katalaveno” 

I now often think of that word as it  roughly translates to mean “this I do not know”.  I take it to be more than a simple “I don’t understand”.  It seems to be a bit more introspective,  reasoned or contemplative.  Then again, perhaps it’s not and I just associate it with Gerasimos who is all of that.  Either way I really  like the expression.

Lately I’ve been thinking about many of life’s mysteries to which the word seems to apply:

- Why does decanting work for some wines and not others.  How long should I decant this one for?
- Why do some people develop vicious diseases and why haven’t we won the “War on Cancer” that President Nixon declared way back in the early ’70s?
- What makes the Moon so mesmerizing?
- Why do we work so hard that we often miss out on the rewarding parts of the life that we work for?
- When will they prove the existence of the Higgs boson particle and why does it take so many multi-billion dollar particle accelerators to do this?  Will it truly change our understanding of the physical world?
- Why do I care?
- Why do we ask questions that we know can’t be answered?

And to end this one way discussion:
- Why is it that Pinot Noir can be so darn good!?

In answer all I can say is “Then Katalaveno”

By the way, Gerasimos, who is Greek, goes by Jerry.  How the “G”  became a ” J”  I don’t know.

I swear, it wasn’t me (or anybody else here) who tasted and then brought all those new wines into the shop over the last couple of weeks.
It was Him!

After all we caught him red handed (and red splotched) amid some of the mess he created and pictures don’t lie - unless of course you use PhotoShop which we’re too old to understand.  Therefore all blame for new wines must be laid at our friend Splotchy’s door but we will of course take any credit offered.
In the last couple of weeks he has managed to send at least 40-50 new wines to us so if you haven’t been in for a while stop by and peruse the shelves, stacks, tables, nooks and crannies.

A small sampling of the new wines:
$8 - $12:
CMS,  A Syrah, Merlot & Cab blend from WA
Dreyer Sonoma Cabernet,  Sonoma Cab with a Portugese price
Broadbent,  Vinho Verde from Portugal
Guicharde Cotes du Rhone, easy drinking 2010
Elsa Malbec, from Argentina   -       how do they do it for this price?
Honoro “Vera”, Grenache from Spain ( “                   “                    “)
Lezaun, surprisingly good Rioja Tempranillo for a sawbuck ($10)
Alpha Zeta, a light, red Corvina from Valpolicella Italy
Cartlidge and Brown Cabernet, CA Cab,
Butterfield Station Chard, for six bucks break that Trader Joes habit
Col de Mondo, Trebbiano white from Abruzzi Italy

$12 - $15:
Cercius Cotes du Rhone red and white, Big red, crisp white
Coralook Shiraz, Heathcote Australia, spice & fruit, no fruitiness
Enotria Cortese (white), Mendocino barrel fermented white
Eidosela Albarino, Riax Baixas white from Spain
Taurino, an earthy, fruit forward Salice Salentino from Italy

$15 - $25:
Seghesio Zinfandel, a big name (small price) from Sonoma Coast
Toulouse Rose, from the Anderson Valley our first Pinot Rose of 2012
Toulouse Pinot Noir, also from Vern (an ex Oakland Fire Chief)  Saini Zinfandel, Dry Creek goodness
Tate Dog Cabernet, Wisner Vineyard Livermore
DiamAndes Chardonnay, from Mendoza Argentina

$25 and more:
Orin Swift Palermo, Napa Cabernet by the maker of The Prisoer
Orin Swift Mercury Head, Even more expensive Napa Cabernet
Grey Stack Pinot Noir, The Fisherman from Sonoma Coast
Tate Dog Cabernet, from Rutherford
DiamAndes Reserve Malbec blend from Mendoza Argentina