There was a request for an open thread, even though there are two fresh threads up already. I do what I’m told.
Question: I did some wine-tasting in the Willamette Valley yesterday (visiting my sister in Portland). Any interest in some wine blogging about expensive pinot noirs? I worry that it might seem, well, too fru-fru.
arguingwithsignposts
I don’t know about others, but posts about WaPo and HCR do not lend themselves to football trash talk. I think that was behind the request.
debit
You mean we can infest this thread with our football talk too? Yay!
jeffreyw
I’m ready for a fine coffee thread.
DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)
Hopefully you didn’t drink the water from the west side of Portland.
E coli in ze vasser, boil first!
asiangrrlMN
Fanks, DougJ, you rock! It’s because the Stiller one was getting long.
licensed to kill time
Well, durn it all to hell. A fresh open thread after suffering through hours of foozball incomprehensibility and I have to take off. Life sucks.
Cat Lady
What’s “expensive”?
SiubhanDuinne
Who, you too fru-fru?
Boo!
DougJ
What’s “expensive”?
The cheapest pinot was $24, the most expensive was $65. There were some cheaper cabs, viognier, and pinot blanc.
West of the Cascades
Nothing fru-fru about our great Oregon pinots. I was drinking one this morning/afternoon watching the Bills squish the Fish! Good thing we have wine to drink with the water in (some) of Portland undrinkable now.
Brachiator
Elitist!
But more seriously, sure, why not?
jeffreyw
did i see edit?
Chaz
If you want to talk about pinot noirs, I am 100% ready to listen. I enjoy ’em, but I don’t know enough to pick a good one out of the crowd.
jeffreyw
nope
asiangrrlMN
@jeffreyw: I haz edit function in Google Chrome.
Edited to add: Jealous?
Ty Lookwell
Eau d’E.coli is bountiful this year (on the west side), straight from the tap. And cheap!
jeffreyw
strange, i see an edit/delete but it takes me to a nonfunctional page
jeffreyw
ack, now the reply to arrow is missing!
Cat Lady
@DougJ:
That’s pretty steep. Are they that good?
jwb
@jeffreyw: That happens to me sometimes as well, though I can still press on the missing image and I’ll still get the proper link.
calipygian
A reprise from this morning because it is egregious even for America’s Shittiest Website(TM):
John Miller, from the perch of his Wingnut Welfare gig, tells starving people in a Bush economy that destroyed millions of jobs to get a job.
He obviously either is a moron with serious reading comprehension problems or has serious empathy deficiency because the article makes clear that it’s not just the unemployed that are suffering. Probably both.
John Miller – another wingnut wefare asshole who doesn’t get it until it happens to him (C.F. Nancy Reagan and stem cells). And when it happens to him, I hope his whole fucking family starves because he is too fucking stupid/proud to apply for food stamps.
jwb
I can’t believe they started the third quarter already. That seemed like a very fast halftime.
arguingwithsignposts
@calipygian:
Because all those people just luuuuv not having jobs. /snark
I am so tired of the Reaganite b.s.
Karen in GA
A relative got us a Compaq CQ61Z laptop for Christmas. Wireless-g. My home network is wireless-n. I don’t think I can actually open up the Compaq and replace the NIC card. Can I just plug one of those USB wireless-n adapter thingies (I think that’s the technical term) into the Compaq, or is it doomed to remain wireless-g forever?
Never mind that we have an iMac. And that we already have a Windows laptop. Which means two computers in a two-person household. Or that we were planning to eventually replace the Windows laptop with a MacBook. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth — and the relative was all excited about getting us the Compaq. What can ya do.
DougJ
Are they that good?
I thought they were quite good and very distinctive. I think $65 is too much for them, but they’re still a better deal than red burgundy, given their quality.
I mostly try to buy cheaper wines now. I thought the in-between pinot at J.K. Carriere — for $42 — was really good, though, and I would have bought it but I didn’t want to have to check my luggage.
asiangrrlMN
24-10, Vikes.
I haz edit, and I haz gray arrow. Mu-wahahahhaa!
@calipygian: I no can click because then I will have to hunt him down and bash his head in. I am too sick to do that today. And, he should read Nick Kristof’s column today and feel very ashamed of himself.
spudvol
Speaking of Willamette valley.
Violet
Happy to chat about wine, but not so sure about the expensive part. Went to a wine tasting once where the sommelier leading it didn’t tell us what any of the wines cost. Then at the end he had us pick our favorite. Not a single person picked the most expensive wine – $70/bottle. In fact, it wasn’t in most people’s top three. He made the point that the price of a bottle of wine often has little to do with it’s taste and value and that we shouldn’t be too swayed by price when picking wine.
jwb
@asiangrrlMN: That was close to being a grim start to the second half.
asiangrrlMN
@jwb: Yes. Kinda weird feel about the game right now. I’m not liking it.
GAH! Fumble by AP! Recovery by Da Bears.
jeffreyw
chrome power
edit?
debit
Oh, AP, I’m going to have to learn how to knit mittens with Stickum if you keep letting go of the ball like this.
Oh man you lucky, lucky bastard. Vikes keep possession.
Wile E. Quixote
I just started watching Sons of Anarchy. It’s quite excellent. The writing is good, it seems to be believable (of course I know nothing about biker gangs) and it has some great performances by the criminally underrated Ron Perlman and Katey Segal, who plays Gemma, the clan matriarch, even sharper tongued than Peg Bundy, but dedicated to her family and way, way, way tougher.
MikeJ
@jeffreyw: Why chrome power? Firefox has edit for me, and I’ve been too lazy to covert my weird collection of greasemonkey scripts and extensions to chrome. I have made a first pass at cleek’s pie filter for jetpack though.
asiangrrlMN
Damn lucky Vikes got it back because the Chicago guy was out of bounds.
@debit: Yes. He needs to work on that. He still needs to work on that.
jeffreyw, just a little tough love to get you to use Google Chrome. It has always worked for me. Vikes too jittery!
debit, yes. It’s his one glaring weakness.
jeffreyw
@MikeJ: it was the taunts from asiangrrlMN that slew the beast
edited to add that the edit function seems like a kludge
debit
@asiangrrlMN: Don’t get me wrong, I love him. I just wish he wasn’t getting a rep for dropping the ball.
GAH. Hold. That one’s coming back.
What is with all these penalties? Jesus!
jeffreyw
i have edit now, but when i edit and click save the page just sits there, if i click back i then have to refresh to see the edit
Litlebritdifrnt
@calipygian: The title for a post about that very thing over at Rumproast was “Are there no workhouses?” Because basically this ignorant MF was sounding just like Scrooge. I must admit that while waiting in the grocery store line at the check out I have seen many, many more of those EBT cards being used (they are so recognizable so perhaps dear federal government ya know for a couple of bucks more perhaps you could put random designs on them instead of a glare in your face flying stars and stripes ya know, also grocery stores could you not have your cash register display flash “EBT payment” in big green letters to everyone else waiting in line TYVM rant over). Round here (military town) privates, PFCs and some LCpls qualify for EBT and use them (which I always think is sad). There was a guy from the Sally Army on the radio telling the host that there is a huge increase in demand at the food banks (which is strange cause the host of said radio show is a RWNJ and you would think he would be agin that sort of thing). My local grocery store also did this thingy (which I told you about before) of having stacks of canned goods at the register and when you check out they ask you “would you like to buy a can of corn for the food bank for 75 cents (or whatever)” It is a painless way of giving, I don’t miss the 75 cents (in the scheme of things) and you have people like the guy behind me one day who said to the cashier “how many do you have left?” she counted them up and I think there were about 50 and he said “I’ll take them all”. I think that anything we can do in times like these will help.
asiangrrlMN
@jeffreyw: Yes. That is true. Sucky, but still better than no edit at all.
@debit: Gaaaaaah! More penalties!
SP
The more interesting question is whether you shot any Bison there. And watch out for the dysentery.
dan robinson
My fave wines are cabs from the Alexander Valley. I took a Rodney Strong cab from there to Thanksgiving dinner at a friend’s house and it was velvet on the tongue, complex, with a great finish. $20 at the local grocery.
I have had some good Pinots, but they are too hit and miss. I can’t afford hit or miss $25 for a shot. I like a $10-$15 good wine.
arguingwithsignposts
@jeffreyw:
Chrome Power, meh. Get back to me when they get the Mac version up from beta.
jwb
Another ineligible downfield pass???
Comrade Mary
An open thread for the only real football game today? Thanks!
Live updates here.
jeffreyw
back to firefox, i’ll just be careful and not missspel anything
arguingwithsignposts
@Litlebritdifrnt:
I agree, but must caution that RWNJs will use that private charity as an excuse to fight against public efforts to alleviate suffering.
And yeah, it’s pretty sucky that military folk get paid so poorly.
debit
@asiangrrlMN: I am annoyed the Vikes were held to three by that defense. Very annoyed.
jwb
I post a comment, and everything is normal except the comment doesn’t show up. Then I try to post it again, and WP tells me I’ve already posted that comment—except the comment has yet to shown up. That’s a new WP error to me.
Jeff
Yes, interested in posts about Pinot Noir, especially from Willamette, which I’ve yet to visit. Did get up to Anderson Valley (Mendocino County, CA) a week ago. Some amazing Pinots at Lazy Creek and Toulouse.
asiangrrlMN
@debit: And all the freaking penalties.
@jwb: I’ve had that before. It’s gone. Word Press Mod didn’t like me using the link button.
debit
I think I must see the new Sherlock Holmes movie on Christmas day.
General Winfield Stuck
Wild Irish Rose has a nice Bouquet and it gets nicer as the night gets longer. You liberals and your fancy pants beverage.
arguingwithsignposts
Wow, only the third quarter. It seems like this game is going on forever. (And FY Brett Favre!)
debit
I would have Percy Harvin’s babies too. 1st and goal.
asiangrrlMN
@debit: Yes. I think we discussed this last week. We will share breeding duties.
Seriously? Field goal? Good thing the Vikes are up 30-10.
jwb
@arguingwithsignposts: Except halftime, which seemed like was over before it began.
arguingwithsignposts
@asiangrrlMN:
Is it the bebbes that you two are interested in, or the process of making them. Because *having* the bebbes is a bit of a pain, from what I’ve witnessed.
SiubhanDuinne
@Violet 6:14 pm
On yesterday’s *The Splendid Tale* on NPR (which I think was a rerun), Lynne Rossetto Kasper had a guest who wrote a book called “The Wine Trials” and his taste-tests confirmed exactly what you said. His name was Robin Something. He said again and again, ordinary educated wine-drinkers (but not professionals) chose the less-expensive wines.
jwb
Need more TDs, fewer field goals.
Punchy
At what point do the Bears bench Jay Cantler and bring in……his grandmother, or girlfriend, or cheerleader….anyone who can actually play?
SiubhanDuinne
Aargh. Splendid TABLE not Tale.
Ron Beasley
I live in Portland but the 3 buck Chuck I get a Trader Joe’s.
asiangrrlMN
@arguingwithsignposts: Well, I cannot speak for debit, but it’s the process for me. Plus, because I don’t have children and don’t want them, it’s my way of saying, “For you, this I would do.”
ScottT
Would love some OR wine blogging. Been meaning to work through or visit the area because I hear they keep the best in state. I also figure it is easier to find an old world style (which I prefer) compared to the fruit forward CA style
mcd410x
Don’t know how the rest of Star Trek is going to be, but the opening kicks ass.
Phaedrus
I recommend you visit the Adelshiem brewery, or at least try their Pinots. Full disclosure, I know the vintor and his family and their wonderful, as are the Ponzis. Forest Grove is a small town, and if it didn’t rain so damn much I’d still be there loving it.
This fellow invited my wife and I over when all his wine buddies came up from California for a wine supplies convention. We were a little wary, not knowing anything about wine – but they were totally unpretentious, great people. They each brought their favorite jug of wine they’d vinted (vint’d?) and everyone was just drinking everything. They explained that it’s the critics that make the whole experience so snooty – and I believe them.
Best line of the evening – someone was refilling a glass from a jug and said, “I love this wine, it’s very Moorish”, and someone else said “Moorish?”, and he replied, “Yeah, it makes me want some more”. Bah-dump-Bum.
It was that type of evening.
donovong
As it happens, I am having a very good and cheap Pinot Noir with my after din-din and it is nice – Mirassou. When I feel like “splurging,” I uncork a Hagafen Pinot Noir from Sonoma. Great stuff at $30-50.
Lately, times being what they are, drinking more Mirassou than Hagafen, of course.
asiangrrlMN
@jwb: Like that! 37-10. Nice makeup, AP, for the two fumbles.
The one time i don’t put, barring a PAT disaster, there is one. 36-10.
debit
@arguingwithsignposts: Well, I’ve had two. It took five years for me to work up the nerve to do it again after the first time. But yes, what @asiangrrlMN: said.
2th&nayle
Did you get some of fine that Tillamook Cheddar to go with that wine? Good stuff!
jwb
@asiangrrlMN: Yup, the concern troll was obviously running strong in me earlier today. But the Vikes really seem to have this one under control. (But why go for 2 when you are up by 26?)
2th&nayle
Ah, crap! Meant to say, “Did you get some of that fine Tillamook Cheddar to go with that wine?” Obviously the edit function is not working my coffee grinder.
jwb
@asiangrrlMN: I just looked at the stats. Favre is having quite the day. I would that he were in 400 pieces rather than throwing for 400 yards.
Lisa K.
@jwb:
There are twelve (sports) things I hate worse than Brett Favre-
The NY Yankees have #s 1-10
The Colts have #11
The Lakers have #12
But Favre is next.
Jay in Oregon
I’d be interested to know which wineries you went to, DougJ; you were literally in my neck of the woods.
asiangrrlMN
@jwb: Yes. I agree with you on this. Also, thank you for your concern, you football concern troll you!
And that’s a wrap, folks.
Maude
@Karen in GA: Yes, you can get a USB wireless adapter and use it. I have a Belkin. It came with a cd to install the drivers. You’ll be up and online in a flash.
JK
@Lisa K.:
I’m right there with you. Fuck the Yankees.
Karen in GA
@Maude: Thanks!
Litlebritdifrnt
@jwb: That happened to me about a month ago, it drove me insane, especially as the comment would actually show up like a day later and I would look like a complete idiot complaining again and again about comments not showing up (because of course I couldn’t see my complaining comments either) when they were all there plain as day. I think it is some sort of BJ shunning which happens to random commenters which the BJ gods decide deserve being driven insane.
Litlebritdifrnt
As for wine until the FDA stops forcing the vintors to stuff their wines so full of sulfides that they are virtually toxic to anyone with a mild allergy then I will stick to the australian, french, italian or whatever. I went to a wine tasting tent for Duplin Wineries round here one festival or another (there are so many, they tend to blur together) and I asked the guy dishing out the samples which one had the least sulphides? He told me that they were pretty much all of a muchness as the FDA required a certain amount to avoid there being any sediment in the wine. Apparently (present company excepted) American consumers are not sophisticated enough to understand that sediment is simply a part of the wine making process (as anyone who has ever poured a bottle of aged port in front of a lit candle will attest) and they think that “sediment” = “bad wine”. While sulphides occur naturally in wine American vintors are required to add them in large quantities to avoid the issue of sediment. Sad really, seeing I would very much like to support our local vinyard.
Speaking of “sophisticated” (or not) consumers I was once at a whole foods market with my American female attorney boss, I was looking at four year old aged canadian cheddar cheese, and she said (with a straight face) “eeewwwww why would you eat ANYTHING four years old?” Facepalm.
MinneapolisPipe
Oregon pinot noirs are good…, but they’ve become tremendously expensive in the past 3 years as their profile has risen. The reality is not many of us can afford to be drinking $30-$50 bottles on a regular basis, or even $20-$30 bottles for that matter. Save those for a special occasion.
However, I have had some decent pinots from New Zealand and South America. Happy drinking!
mvr
Eric Lemelson did a nice job with some I sampled a few years back. If you are in PDX you should also check out the Pastaworks for fresh food and wine. Plus breakfast at the Bijou downtown is one of those wonderful things that I have missed for the 20+ years I’ve been away. And the wait staff still remembers you when you come back.
petorado
Litlebritdifrnt, you were lied to. Sulfites have nothing to do with sediment. It’s a preservative and also helps kill back unwanted things growing in the wine. Lazy winemakers will use a lot, others not so much.
Try a Coturri wine for something just about free of sulfites.
As for Oregon pinots, Argyle Nuthouse, anything Archery Summit, Brick House, Owen Roe and Ponzi Reserve are all reliably great. Oregon pinot blancs are one of the best wine secrets in the state.
For Cali pinots, Failla is a unknown gem for most. Jeff – Navarro up in Anderson Valley is the bomb. Anthill Farms is a name you want to know in Anderson Valley Pinot. With climate change, it’s the next best place to be growing pinots.
Cain
I hope you enjoyed our rainy weather.. although today was absolutely fabulous. I also finished moving to our new house. yay. Unfortunately, no internet. Which kind of sucks.
I expect to be poor for awhile :(
cain