Yikes!

Just discovered that someone has actually linked to this blog . . . and I've not posted since January. Guess it's time to give it another whirl.

It's a little hard to stay focused with the unbelievable weather we're having this week and the good news is that it's supposed to stay through the holiday weekend. This is one of the two big weekends for wine tasting in Oregon. Virtually all of the wineries are open this weekend and we plan to take in our share.

Last weekend, we headed out to Belle Pente and found Bergstrom and Natalie's Estate open along the way. We were really impressed with the reds at Natalie's Estate. They have a brand new facility off North Valley Road at the base of Chehalem Mountain. The $15 Syrah was excellent, but we went for the cabernet from the Rosa Vineyard. Lots of great fruit in this wine and a very decent price ($32). We also liked the Merlot. If you're going to be out tasting this weekend, definitely stop at Natalie's. Bergstrom was also impressive. They are really building a reputation for producing quality pinots (and some of the pricing reflects it). I liked the reisling, but Lemelson's "lemon custard" reisling remains my favorite. Belle Pente was a pleasant surprise. They've also grown up over the years and the pinots are getting even better. We thought the Gewürztraminer was nice. The reisling was too sweet.

More postings over the weekend.

Vodka

For everyone who thinks that all vodkas taste alike, check out The New York Times' review of vodkas on the front of the Dining section today. The winner? Smirnoff's at about $13 a fifth. They blind tasted 21 vodkas and picked the best selling unflavored vodka in the U.S.

Handy password management app

I wanted a passworld management program I could have with me all the time and it has the added bonus of running on both a PC and a Mac. So far, I'm delighted with what I found from lava Software, PC-Mac Passworld Valut. Passwords are such a pain in the ass, but this gizmo takes much of the pain out of it.

The problems journalist-bloggers face

One of the obvious reasons why professional journalists don't blog. Not to mention the time it takes.

This is interesting too

I mostly agree with Scoble on this one. Word of mouth is huge in driving early adoption of a new product. It produces a much quicker and enthusiastic attach to a new product and therefore drives sales in today's model of communications. However, Microsoft still has one of the strongest brands in the world and while it may not be universally loved, no one can ignore its offerings and directions.

Dvorak on IBM's future

Interesting commentary, but I'm not believing any of it.

Oh, the movie

I really liked American Splendor, but I like PaulG. It's sort of plotless, but is just a nice story about a guy who was a file clerk at a hospital his whole life and created a comic book about his observations of life. I suspect a lot of people identify with him.

The bamboo is recovering

The ice is going away as it gets warmer and the bamboo is bouncing back. I don't think you can kill the stuff. Went to the grocery story after the Eagers put away the Viks and picked up the Sunset Magazine with Marie's kitchen on the cover. It's very cool. Simple, but very Marie. I love the lime green color she picked. And she used my favorite paint, Benjamin Moore.

So far, so good on the Sports Action, but the toughest game is on now. I've got the Colts. Maybe the weather will play into my hands.

American Splendor

Watching this movie tonight because I liked Paul Giamatti, who also starred in Sideways. Sideways is a great movie, especially if you're into wine, but even if you're not.

We went up the gorge to Maryhill Winery over the Christmas break and were really impressed with the people and the wine. Bought some cabernet, syrah and zinfandel. The low-end zin ($18) is excellent for the price. It would be a great location in better weather for a day trip. The winery has a spectacular view of the Columbia River from the Washington side across from The Dalles. Nice grounds and space for a picnic. We're going to return later in the spring.

I'll try to make more entries and not just about wine.