Wine Part 4 brought to you by Quamut:
The other day I watched the movie Bottle Shock, which came out in 2008. It takes place in 1976 when a Sommelier from Paris comes to the United States to host a blind taste test in Napa Valley against French wines. If you have not seen it I would recommend it, very informational of how United States got on the map in the wine world.
Definition: Bottle-shock is a temporary condition of wine characterized by muted or disjointed fruit flavors. It often occurs immediately after bottling or when wines (usually fragile wines) are given an additional dose of sulfur (in the form of sulfur dioxide or sulfite solution), and are subject to other forms of handling and transport. After a few weeks, the condition usually disappears. - Wikipedia
It can be very hard to understand wine, there are so many different varieties that sometimes you don’t understand what you are drinking or ordering. I have been on many wine tours since moving to California being so close to Sonoma and Napa. I went out to dinner with a friend and when the waitress asked us what kind of wine we wanted, my friend order a red wine and the conversation went as followed:
Waitress – That is a very popular choice and many people love to eat it with red meats or pasta. It is a great French wine, good choice.
Me – What kind of grape is this wine made from? (She just sounded like she knew a lot about the wine)
Waitress - Well I think it’s a red grape
Me – Oh, ok, Thanks… (I no longer thought she knew what she was talking about)
New World:
I remember coming home that day thinking ill do some research, I never did…till now. Quamut says that wines that are grown in the United States, South America, and Australia are “varietals” meaning that they are “named after the variety of grape they contain.” They name the wine after the greatest factor of the wine the grape itself. That being said if you buy a Pinot Noir it’s a good bet it’s a Pinot Noir grape.
If only one grape is in a wine it’s named after the “sole grape”. There are also wines that have different “blends” of various grapes. The wine is then named after the “principal grape” or the grape with the most in the particular wine. The rule is whatever grape dominates the wine; the wine is named after that grape. Different states have different requirements regarding percentages it must contain.
Europe:
In Europe things are a little different. The wine is not named after the grape that it is from; instead the wine name comes from the place they were made. The vineyards in Europe have it down to a tee. They know the best place to grow each type of grape, so if you want to make a certain wine there are regulations to where you can grow your grapes. The “place name” in Europe means high standard location and type of grape. A Burgundy then “must be made from Pinot Noir grapes.”
Ok, I will expand more on this soon.
"Wine is sunlight, held together by water." - Steven Spurrier
Information from Quamut
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
When you are clear
A couple weeks ago I read a book called The Passion Test. I was never a really big fan of the self help section but I had some time and took a look. As my family will contest I have always tried certain things and while I was trying them I would call it “my passion”. Let’s see I can list some of my “passions” I have had over the years: piano, basketball, rollerblading, video making, snowboarding etc. My sister always made fun of me but I think the reason I had so many “passions” (some failed some didn’t) was because I am the type of person where I felt like I never really excelled in anything I was just always good and a lot of different things. Which my mom would say makes me “balanced” but I wanted to excel. During my brief time of unemployment I was able to read a lot and came across the Passion Test.
The book basically told me that I have been wrong my whole life. That the things I called my passions are more hobbies and goals. That being said those things can turn into passions but it sometimes that takes time. The authors Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwoodcreated what they call a “system” of living your passion. Right away you start taking the test. I didn’t really understand how long it was going to take me to read this book because it was also very interactive. At times I had to set down the book and wait days before I could start reading it again.
I started by creating a list of 15 different “passions”. They taught me right away to think BIG because by thinking BIG more will happen. Sitting down I thought of 15 different things and then by the next couple of chapters you have it broken down to your top 5. This was perfect for me because I had no idea what my next step was and they guided me to figure out what is really important in my life right now. The key is to know that your passions will always change and evolve over time. Sometimes you will fulfill your passion and want to advance it and grow from it.
“When you are clear, what you want will show up in your life, only to the extent you are clear”
This test is your own; you’re supposed to take it in one sitting usually about 30 min max. The question you first need to answer they say is “When my life is ideal, I am __________.” Close your eyes and make the list. You then go from 15 to 5 by taking one and sizing it up against another one, which is more important.
From this list here are my top passions I came up with:
1. Enjoying my work life
2. Traveling to a new place every year
3. Speaking to small or large groups
4. Doing video taping and editing for fun
5. Maintaining healthy relationships
Here are some parts of the book that stuck with me. “What you put your attention on grows stronger in your life.” By putting attention onto joy, happiness, and growth, those things will come to your life. “Fear is vividly imagining exactly what you don’t want to happen, happening” If you think of a fear or something bad, just say “cancel and replace that thought with something you choose to create”.
Ok, I will keep going on this topic if you would like, let me know if you like it or not because there are more steps.
The book basically told me that I have been wrong my whole life. That the things I called my passions are more hobbies and goals. That being said those things can turn into passions but it sometimes that takes time. The authors Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwoodcreated what they call a “system” of living your passion. Right away you start taking the test. I didn’t really understand how long it was going to take me to read this book because it was also very interactive. At times I had to set down the book and wait days before I could start reading it again.
I started by creating a list of 15 different “passions”. They taught me right away to think BIG because by thinking BIG more will happen. Sitting down I thought of 15 different things and then by the next couple of chapters you have it broken down to your top 5. This was perfect for me because I had no idea what my next step was and they guided me to figure out what is really important in my life right now. The key is to know that your passions will always change and evolve over time. Sometimes you will fulfill your passion and want to advance it and grow from it.
“When you are clear, what you want will show up in your life, only to the extent you are clear”
This test is your own; you’re supposed to take it in one sitting usually about 30 min max. The question you first need to answer they say is “When my life is ideal, I am __________.” Close your eyes and make the list. You then go from 15 to 5 by taking one and sizing it up against another one, which is more important.
From this list here are my top passions I came up with:
1. Enjoying my work life
2. Traveling to a new place every year
3. Speaking to small or large groups
4. Doing video taping and editing for fun
5. Maintaining healthy relationships
Here are some parts of the book that stuck with me. “What you put your attention on grows stronger in your life.” By putting attention onto joy, happiness, and growth, those things will come to your life. “Fear is vividly imagining exactly what you don’t want to happen, happening” If you think of a fear or something bad, just say “cancel and replace that thought with something you choose to create”.
Ok, I will keep going on this topic if you would like, let me know if you like it or not because there are more steps.
Monday, January 18, 2010
We have all had them....
So this week I have been through a lot. My last blog was about a final interview that I went on last Monday. I am happy to say I got that job. Although my two month “vacation” has ended, I will no longer be poor anymore which is a plus. I got the offer letter and started 3 days later. So that being said I will still be writing blogs. I hope to be able to put out 2 or 3 a week.
I have promised my friend Steph for a really long time that I would write a blog on good bosses vs. bad bosses.
Bad Boss
1. Don’t let you yawn and if you do threaten that they will make you leave the office
2. Throw things at your head for not looking at them while they are talking
3. Stand outside and slow clap when you show up 2 min late
4. Doesn’t listen to you
5. Thinks they have nothing to learn
6. Swear at you and when you tell them its unprofessional to swear in a work setting they make you leave for the day
7. Clap in your face while you are on the phone with a client and when you tell them to stop they tell you to stop having lip and tell you to apologize.
8. Tells you not to ever ask questions or question them
9. Screams at you when a customer can hear you while you are on the phone
10. Micromanages you
11. Tells you to work harder but they don’t work hard
12. Has bi polar tendencies
13. Doesn’t plagiarize your work
14. They don’t tell someone they need to be more invested when they are never at work
15. When you tell your boss what you had for lunch he doesn’t make a comment about your work performance suffering from it.
Good Boss
1. Tells you start time is 8:00 but understand things happen so as long as you show up by 8:30 its fine, or just call.
2. Lets you be creative and listens to your ideas
3. Doesn’t micromanage you
4. Tells you to ask questions if you have problems
5. Teaches you
6. Respects employees and understand that they are the company’s most important resource
7. A good team leader
I have promised my friend Steph for a really long time that I would write a blog on good bosses vs. bad bosses.
Bad Boss
1. Don’t let you yawn and if you do threaten that they will make you leave the office
2. Throw things at your head for not looking at them while they are talking
3. Stand outside and slow clap when you show up 2 min late
4. Doesn’t listen to you
5. Thinks they have nothing to learn
6. Swear at you and when you tell them its unprofessional to swear in a work setting they make you leave for the day
7. Clap in your face while you are on the phone with a client and when you tell them to stop they tell you to stop having lip and tell you to apologize.
8. Tells you not to ever ask questions or question them
9. Screams at you when a customer can hear you while you are on the phone
10. Micromanages you
11. Tells you to work harder but they don’t work hard
12. Has bi polar tendencies
13. Doesn’t plagiarize your work
14. They don’t tell someone they need to be more invested when they are never at work
15. When you tell your boss what you had for lunch he doesn’t make a comment about your work performance suffering from it.
Good Boss
1. Tells you start time is 8:00 but understand things happen so as long as you show up by 8:30 its fine, or just call.
2. Lets you be creative and listens to your ideas
3. Doesn’t micromanage you
4. Tells you to ask questions if you have problems
5. Teaches you
6. Respects employees and understand that they are the company’s most important resource
7. A good team leader
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