Hill wins arbitration case

[tomterp]

Mention sloe gin to most anyone under 40, and you’ll usually get a blank stare; mention it to anyone over 40, and the reaction tends to be a wince followed by an epic hangover tale that tends to involve Alabama Slammers, spring break and occasionally a night in jail.

One time, and no more.

At the beginning of the evening, it seemed like a great idea.  Then, the red stains I left on the gutter outside Jim's house, right under his mailbox, lasted for two years.  I always appreciated his dad not lowering the hammer on us.  I'm just glad Jim survived the night, and that I found other beverages more in tune with my sensibilities.   

[DCFan]

El Prado

70% Temp, 30% Cab Sav.  It was a cheapy recommended wine at Total Wine, Greenbrier (Chantilly).

Dropped off the kid at her Irish dancing class and headed over to Total Wine and picked up a bottle of El Prado.  Can't remember the last time I didn't need a corkscrew for a bottle of wine. 

[PANatsFan]

Dropped off the kid at her Irish dancing class and headed over to Total Wine and picked up a bottle of El Prado.  Can't remember the last time I didn't need a corkscrew for a bottle of wine. 

Wow you are behind the times. Screwtops are the new natural cork.

[DCFan]

Wow you are behind the times. Screwtops are the new natural cork.

Yep, I'm old fashioned. I even like to see ballplayers wearing the high socks. 

[tomterp]

Dropped off the kid at her Irish dancing class and headed over to Total Wine and picked up a bottle of El Prado.  Can't remember the last time I didn't need a corkscrew for a bottle of wine. 

Haha, you haven't been drinking many New Zealand ones, then.  Most of them come screwcap now. 

[HalfSmokes]

Wow you are behind the times. Screwtops are the new natural cork.

I think I see more synthetic than screw caps (other than South Africa). If I'm paying decent money for a bottle of wine, I don't want to twist a cap. And I know that screw caps are actually better for storage and aging- I jsut don't care.

[tomterp]

I think I see more synthetic than screw caps (other than South Africa). If I'm paying decent money for a bottle of wine, I don't want to twist a cap. And I know that screw caps are actually better for storage and aging- I jsut don't care.

The synthetic ones piss me off.  My favorite cork screw just doesn't get through them very well, so I've had to use my backup one all the time.  In the end, it's the wine I want, and the wine I get, and the cap is forgotten.

[HalfSmokes]

The synthetic ones piss me off.  My favorite cork screw just doesn't get through them very well, so I've had to use my backup one all the time.  In the end, it's the wine I want, and the wine I get, and the cap is forgotten.

I'm a fan of the ritual as well

[tomterp]

I'm a fan of the ritual as well

Cool, I can dig that.

The first time I visited my (then) future in-laws, I was assigned the task of pouring the red wine into the (Waterford Crystal) dinner wine glasses.  The table was set for 12, elegant with white linen table cloth, china, crystal.  As I moved down the row, I saw a small dribble coming down a glass, and hustled over and wiped it off.  As I moved on, I looked back again, and to my horror there was a small red stain on the cloth.  I once again wiped up as good as possible, but when it happed the third time, I was very perplexed, not to mention the table cloth now had a red stain at least 6" across.

Upon further inspection, the glass itself had a tiny hole, where the Waterford crystal carver had made an incision just a teensy weensy bit too deep, leaving a cut in the glass.  The glass had never been used before. 

So much for careful ritual.

[DCFan]

I'm a fan of the ritual as well

Yes.  We've had it ingrained into our heads for decades now that good wine had a cork and the cheap, rot-gut stuff came with a screwcap.  Now they want to un-do that and put screwcaps on the good stuff to?  Doubt that catches on.

This reminds me of the fab new invention that was supposed to revolutionize the shoe industry - corfam.  It was all shiny and never dulled like the leather shoes that it was supposed to replace.  But people associated leather as the cadillac of shoe material and corfam never did catch on and eventually faded into the sunset with the Edsall and new coke.

The "ritual" is bangon.  It's like foreplay for wine drinking. 

[HalfSmokes]

Cool, I can dig that.

The first time I visited my (then) future in-laws, I was assigned the task of pouring the red wine into the (Waterford Crystal) dinner wine glasses.  The table was set for 12, elegant with white linen table cloth, china, crystal.  As I moved down the row, I saw a small dribble coming down a glass, and hustled over and wiped it off.  As I moved on, I looked back again, and to my horror there was a small red stain on the cloth.  I once again wiped up as good as possible, but when it happed the third time, I was very perplexed, not to mention the table cloth now had a red stain at least 6" across.

Upon further inspection, the glass itself had a tiny hole, where the Waterford crystal carver had made an incision just a teensy weensy bit too deep, leaving a cut in the glass.  The glass had never been used before. 

So much for careful ritual.

 nothing like destroying the future in laws nice table cloth

[Obed_Marsh]

Yes.  We've had it ingrained into our heads for decades now that good wine had a cork and the cheap, rot-gut stuff came with a screwcap.  Now they want to un-do that and put screwcaps on the good stuff to?  Doubt that catches on.

I was with the cork snobs until experiencing Penfolds bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz. It is screw cap and it would be my favorite Shiraz even if it came in wine bag or even a paper cup.

[tomterp]

Yes.  We've had it ingrained into our heads for decades now that good wine had a cork and the cheap, rot-gut stuff came with a screwcap.  Now they want to un-do that and put screwcaps on the good stuff to?  Doubt that catches on.

Lately, though, many real corks I extract fall apart.  The quality seems poor, or maybe it's just the price range that I tend to live in that is the issue.     

At this point, I'm really completely indifferent to what cork/cap is on the bottle. I try to find something most of all that matches the cuisine for the evening, at a reasonable value proposition.

[tomterp]

Shawn's going to get all excited when he sees this thread has gone on to 4 pages, but when he sees half is wine, what a letdown.

[HalfSmokes]

I was with the cork snobs until experiencing Penfolds bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz. It is screw cap and it would be my favorite Shiraz even if it came in wine bag or even a paper cup.

Try K - My favorite Syrahs by far. All they really produce is Syrahs- I would reccomend one, but they're all pretty good and hard enough to find let alone a specifice type.

[spidernat]

Shawn's going to get all excited when he sees this thread has gone on to 4 pages, but when he sees half is wine, what a letdown.

So what, shall we praise him for the hell of it or just because he may read this? freak that crap. He hasn't done crap to merit that. He has to put up or get drunk off the wine.

[DCFan]

I was with the cork snobs until experiencing Penfolds bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz.

(making a mental note for next week's Irish dancing/Total Wine trip. )

[tomterp]

(making a mental note for next week's Irish dancing/Total Wine trip. )

do you do Irish dancing?  We have good friends in Alexandria who have been in the thing for years.  Never miss an Old Town parade.

[DCFan]

At this point, I'm really completely indifferent to what cork/cap is on the bottle. I try to find something most of all that matches the cuisine for the evening, at a reasonable value proposition.

Does a 4 liter jug of Carlo Rossi chianti count? 

[tomterp]

Does a 4 liter jug of Carlo Rossi chianti count? 

We used to eat in Arlington at Pines of Italy, they sold their house wine by the full carafe (1 liter).  Not sure what it was, but something like what you mention, and it was very quaffable.

[DCFan]

do you do Irish dancing? 

Me?  Surely you jest! My wife is Irish and she's got the kid into it.

[Obed_Marsh]

Try K - My favorite Syrahs by far. All they really produce is Syrahs- I would recommend one, but they're all pretty good and hard enough to find let alone a specifice type.

Will do. My favorite type of recommendation.

[tomterp]

Me?  Surely you jest! My wife is Irish and she's got the kid into it.

I don't know, there are always the post parade sessions in Murphy's or Ireland's Own. 

[DCFan]

We used to eat in Arlington at Pines of Italy

About 25 years ago or so Ken Beatrice on occasion did his radio show from there.  He had a couple of Redskins with him, I think Bostic and Warren.  When Ken asked for peeps from the audience to step up to the mike for questions, I get up there and was asking something or other and Warren is ribbing Bostic, "what'd you bring your dad to the show?"    

[tomterp]

About 25 years ago or so Ken Beatrice on occasion did his radio show from there. 

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