Photos from Big John Bates concert during WBC2010. Includes a few risque photos of strippers. Probably not suitable for work or family dinner.
Continue readingCategory: Best of AWB
For Purple Mountain Majesty…
I’ve always thought that America The Beautiful should be our National Anthem. One, because it’s much easier to sing. But primarily because it focuses on the beauty of the country, rather than the ugliness of war. Sure, it talks about freedom, and patriotism, and heroes; but the main focus is on the magnificence of its lands and the innate goodness of its people.
Continue readingNo Deposit. No Return.
A winemaker once told us that if a wine is not able to stand on its own as drinkable when first bottled, it would never be good. I have to hope the same is not true for kids. That you do what you can to make them know they are loved. You instill in them the values you think they will need. And then you have to let them go.
Continue readingRemnants of Prohibition still Reign in Tennessee
I always wondered about the strict rules against alcohol in my Mother’s “religion of origin” since there are a number of passages in the Bible that talk positively about wine. Then there’s that inconvenient story about Jesus’ turning water into wine. And the fact that the highest per capita wine consumption by country is held by Vactican City.
Continue readingMaryhill: Such a Thrill In Washington Whites
While not as racy as some of the tunes on the radio today, the song made it clear that Mary Hill did what she wanted without worrying about what other people thought. At that age I had more fun playing football outside with the boys rather than inside playing Barbies with the girls, so it’s little wonder that I identified with the lyrics.
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HR 5034: What if Wine Were Peaches …
All the people in other states still want your peaches. But they will not have the freedom to buy them. They will have no choice but to buy peaches from their own states, or whatever the peach distributors want to sell them. They will have no competition, so they can charge peach lovers as much as they want for their peaches.
Continue readingIf Passed, HR 5034 will Cheat Wine Consumers
While most consumers hurried to finish taxes by the April 15th deadline, something sinister was afoot in the United States House of Representatives. A move to take away your rights to buy wine directly from the winery. To limit your choices to whatever is sold in your local store.
Continue readingAnother Wine Byte 16: A Little Bit of Blarney
Many a sommelier student has heard that Haut-Brion was named such by an Irishman named O’Brian or O’Brien, who wanted to make wine but knew that no Frenchman would consider wine made by an Irishman worthy of his palate. So he adopted a French spelling and pronunciation of the name.
Continue readingEarthquake wreaks havoc on Chile’s Wine Industry
Early estimates put the loss at $975 million due to spillage from barrels and storage tanks damaged in Saturday’s 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile. Not since Prohibition has this much wine been spilled in one day alone.
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