Tag Archives: The Drunken Cyclist

Sunday Read: What you should get “me” for Christmas

It’s just two more nights and Christmas will be on us (ok, three for you Americans, us Europeans like to open presents the night of the 24th…). Crazy how this year raced by us so fast. And let’s admit it, some of us still have not found the right presents…as panic settles in, the chance of grabbing something, lets call it a sub-par gift, increases. We end up buying a gift that might say a lot about us, but maybe not in the way we want it. And it can make the recipient feel uncomfortable…

My buddy Jeff The Drunken Cyclist wrote a great piece about how gifts for wine lovers (such as me) can go horribly wrong, and what you should actually consider giving if you are not sure. His piece is funny, as always, and enlightening, as most of the time. And it really spoke to me. So if you have a wine lover you still need to get gifts for, consider reading his take on it, which I whole-heartedly give my two thumbs up approval.

It’s unlikely you will be hearing from me before Christmas, so let me take the time to wish all of you who celebrate it, a great time with your loved ones, some peace and quiet, and some quality time together. We all, whether celebrating or not, can use it as the year draws to a close. I will be celebrating with my in-laws in Alaska, a tradition that has become one of the best additions to my life lately. The snow, the many dark hours, people I deeply care about who I have come to love and who accept me as one of theirs, great food and conversation, and last but not least the quiet of a remotely located house on a hill all combine for a wonderful way to spend these last days of the year.

I will be publishing something between the years, as we say in Germany, so no need to say good bye to 2013 yet.

The Drunken Cyclist: What you should get “me” for Christmas 

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Sunday Read: Thursday Rant – 55 degrees

I SUCK at timing posts…this was meant for tomorrow, but the heck. Hope you’re having a great Saturday!

My fellow wine blogger Jeff, The Drunken Cyclist, has a great column on his blog called “Thursday Rant”. In it, he takes it out on all sorts of topics wine-related, from charging for wine tastings to poor service at winery tasting rooms and other rant-worthy objects. It is a joy to read him rant and last week’s struck a chord in particular:

Jeff wrote about storing temperatures for wine. Discussions and helpful tips on blogs and wine “help” sites abound and there seems to be a need for some guidance on this topic. There is a whole industry out there, trying to make money out of wine storing: wine refrigerator makers from small to huge, whole cellar builders, wine banks and others want you to believe that under no circumstance should you store wine other than at the perfect conditions: in a humid enough place, dark and at a constant temperature of exactly 12 degrees Celsius (55 degrees Fahrenheit). I don’t want to take away from Jeff’s rant, you should just know that I totally agree with him…

Jeff’s blog is also a finalist in the Wine Blogs Awards 2013 category “Best Writing”, so hop on over and vote for him, if you enjoy his writing as much as I do.

The Drunken Cyclist: Thursday Rant – 55 Degrees

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