tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post30409205343306217..comments2024-02-25T02:50:53.858-08:00Comments on HoseMaster of Wine™: Tempting the Hangman of El Dorado CountyRon Washam, HMWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-71827745714657358562013-09-20T13:56:55.677-07:002013-09-20T13:56:55.677-07:00Ooof Ron, that was a good one!
In fact all of your...Ooof Ron, that was a good one!<br />In fact all of yours are good ones...The Sommelierehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05373623446507975769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-57950932661907890202013-09-18T13:44:02.635-07:002013-09-18T13:44:02.635-07:00Hey JP,
Oh, I write these wine essays with an atti...Hey JP,<br />Oh, I write these wine essays with an attitude of talking about wines as I might talk about them with a bunch of knowledgeable wine buddies, including the gratuitous stories and remarks that inevitably occur. I'm not trying to be especially provocative, just throwing things out there. That it makes folks stop and wonder, that's just a bonus.<br /><br />As for white Burgundy premox, that's a discussion for the buttboys over at eBob.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-8799467114685845552013-09-18T11:57:07.485-07:002013-09-18T11:57:07.485-07:00The John Muir and Awahnee head fakes had me fooled...The John Muir and Awahnee head fakes had me fooled until you started talking about white wine discrimination. That's an issue worth taking seriously or, better yet, poking fun at. Of course the biggest joke today is the folks shelling out big bucks for white burgs they're afraid to let age 'till they might be worth what they paid for them. Maybe someday a piece on mud-wrestling "pucelles", with Alice Sass emerging as the unlikely winner?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06594097527826745149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-53986602384638244322013-09-18T08:12:15.543-07:002013-09-18T08:12:15.543-07:00Chris,
Yes, but the question really is, what keeps...Chris,<br />Yes, but the question really is, what keeps ME coming back? No idea.<br /><br />Beau,<br />Thank you. But why are you drinking shitty CA Pinot Noir? Taste it, sure, but if it's crap, flush it! <br /><br />Thanks for reading and being a common tater. I like to write these "Wine Essays," but dread publishing them. I'm so much more comfortable with the satire.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-64059346985841028682013-09-17T21:19:06.782-07:002013-09-17T21:19:06.782-07:00I liked this one a lot Ron, you gave me a couple o...I liked this one a lot Ron, you gave me a couple of wineries to seek out. Plus it was really funny (as usual) so that helped wash down the taste of shitty California pinot noir in my glass tonight.Beauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05835422435318171027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-74898062281479363352013-09-17T19:54:27.969-07:002013-09-17T19:54:27.969-07:00The "I knew lava cap when it was lava beanie&...The "I knew lava cap when it was lava beanie" line was classically funny on so many levels that you cannot laugh outwardly for fear of debasing it. Its the little things that keep me coming back Ron.<br /><br />-Chris / KnurdWineKnurdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01336694635456452493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-81384508093147917642013-09-17T18:17:15.043-07:002013-09-17T18:17:15.043-07:00Marlene Darling,
We refer to it lovingly as my &qu...Marlene Darling,<br />We refer to it lovingly as my "bonoboner." And, so far, not in a Can. Hey, we're descended from primates, and I'm just a chimp off the old block.<br /><br />David,<br />I couldn't agree with you more, though I don't think very many folks take Alderpated's reviews very seriously. Numbers and other ratings from bloggers are for marketing people anyway, for the most part. On their own, they have very limited audiences.<br /><br />As for me, I wouldn't write about wines I tasted at a big industry tasting because it's a horrible venue to taste. I see bloggers at these tastings, taking their notes, and considering their experience and the conditions of the tastings (cheap glasses, lots of outside aromas, perfumes, noise, distractions, wines at varying and unflattering temperatures...) it's genuinely laughable. One wonders if anyone cares, aside from the wineries. Those big tastings are, in fact, useful for finding interesting wines and unfamiliar producers, but as a way to critique wine it's sort of like a restaurant critic eating takeout food in his car.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-74139693813287903062013-09-17T11:44:06.754-07:002013-09-17T11:44:06.754-07:00Walder got his panties all in a knot when the Glob...Walder got his panties all in a knot when the Globe wine critic said most reviewers give higher ratings to their home country wines... oh no Mr Integrity thundered... what a stupid idea, Mr Integrity always rates on just what's in the bottle.. oh really.. read his ratings of his freebie trips and laugh... Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11992278224164669829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-33162135785342553662013-09-17T11:14:12.398-07:002013-09-17T11:14:12.398-07:00Ron, "I always assumed I had the lifespan of ...Ron, "I always assumed I had the lifespan of a bonobo, not just the reproductive organs." <br /><br />Damn, and I was just going to get in line after the real wife and Samantha to check on your "bonoboism." The Sommelierehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05373623446507975769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-1905028088564265562013-09-17T09:04:14.531-07:002013-09-17T09:04:14.531-07:00Thomas,
If I suspend my negative thinking, what wi...Thomas,<br />If I suspend my negative thinking, what will I have left? I might slip into a coma, a nice pink one that flatters my figure.<br /><br />Junkets aren't proliferating because they don't work. So much of wine appreciation is emotional. A consumer who wasn't on the junket is hardly as likely to enjoy a wine from Uruguay as the bozo who is there in Uruguay getting his Tannat kissed by an importer. 94 points in Uruguay, but it somehow loses 8 points in transit. And so it goes.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-67729565383037760802013-09-17T08:19:43.518-07:002013-09-17T08:19:43.518-07:00Ron:
To be a cheerleader you must suspend all neg...Ron:<br /><br />To be a cheerleader you must suspend all negative thinking. <br /><br />You are just thinking negative. Those critics will emphasize with indignation that free wine and junkets don't influence them, because they are not like the rest of the human race.Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07322028233207741737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-50603988769618298872013-09-17T08:12:00.633-07:002013-09-17T08:12:00.633-07:00Matt,
I'm guessing you don't want to have ...Matt,<br />I'm guessing you don't want to have Lo Hai Qu as backup for your words. She's a bit of a loose cannon. Well, her cannon isn't the only part that's loose, but you get my drift.<br /><br />One thing about wine--your tastes change all the time. So you won't be drinking the same sorts of wines ten years from now, almost certainly. <br /><br />I like that you have a top ten wines you can remember drinking. Made me wonder what my top ten might be--wine for thought...<br /><br />Thomas,<br />I'm sure you've heard those words expressed by wine writers/critics. It all must stem from our mothers telling us, "If you can't say something nice..." <br /><br />There is far too much cheerleading in wine reviewing, especially on these miserable wine blogs. It's always tempting to want to be part of the in-crowd, the ones who get to go on all the junkets and get all the free wine. It does make one feel important. Isn't that the job of marketing wine? Making consumers and critics feel important? I think it's creepy.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-5790864378647422012013-09-17T05:37:06.822-07:002013-09-17T05:37:06.822-07:00"I've often been told, by critics of wine..."I've often been told, by critics of wines, that people only want to be told what to drink, not be told what NOT to drink."<br /><br />What was I thinking? I've always thought the definition of "critic" was "someone who appraises the<br />works of others."<br /><br />Never realized the definition had changed to "a person who acts as cheerleader." <br /><br /><br />Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07322028233207741737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-11805921946856628092013-09-17T05:25:07.886-07:002013-09-17T05:25:07.886-07:00My small collection is made up of entirely reds, b...My small collection is made up of entirely reds, because I drink the whites too fast. <br /><br />I know that the price of California Chardonnay is supposed to skyrocket, and I began to stockpile the bottles that I really enjoy. After a few months I say, 'Fuck it' and open one of the six bottles of Zepaltas Babushka that came into my county. <br /><br />Of the top ten wines I can remember drinking, seven of them have been white. If you ask Lo Hi Qu what we Millenials are drinking, I think it's going to be whites, rose and red blends. That might change next year though and I'm probably wrong.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12971520332891951558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-1522994513260472952013-09-16T18:17:13.577-07:002013-09-16T18:17:13.577-07:00Carolyn,
Gosh, thanks. I appreciate it. I don'...Carolyn,<br />Gosh, thanks. I appreciate it. I don't think HoseMaster has ever been called "soulful" before. Or, come to think of it, "funny" either.<br /><br />John,<br />I'm yearning to go back to El Dorado County, and it isn't that far, but I'm lazy, I think. One of these days...under an assumed name. I'm thinking "Richard Jennings" would work.<br /><br />Thomas,<br />Oops, sorry. Ryan Seacrest is like Dick Clark, only duller. Yeah, I know, Yikes! As for those few minutes of your life, hell, you weren't using them, what do you care?<br /><br />Marcia Love,<br />I've often been told, by critics of wines, that people only want to be told what to drink, not be told what NOT to drink. That's fine. But, in some ways, it's more interesting to write about the wines I don't like. I'm not much of a critic, but then, some of them weren't much wine.<br /><br />I like doing these occasional pieces when folks send me wine. Lots of bloggers get cases and cases of wine. I get a few bottles every now and then. And that's how I like it. But only writing about the ones I liked, well, that strikes me as disingenuous. It's only my opinion. An opinion that carries about as much weight as Kate Moss.<br /><br />Look her up, too, Thomas.<br /><br />George,<br />Yeah, I'm pretty proud of how genuinely bad the John Muir pun is.<br />Thanks for noticing.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-17920000435335860202013-09-16T16:27:40.928-07:002013-09-16T16:27:40.928-07:00The John Muir crack is not merely the worst ever, ...The John Muir crack is not merely the worst ever, but the worst possible. Congrats! Ps: did you see the story of the Russian who shot a guy he was arguing with about Kant? I guess it could have been a typo.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-56584978209794958812013-09-16T14:28:13.200-07:002013-09-16T14:28:13.200-07:00Thomas may have had to look up Ryan Seacrest, but ...Thomas may have had to look up Ryan Seacrest, but your analogy to dull wines couldn't have been more apt!<br /><br />Love the reviews. Love that you included those that didn't 'make the cut' for you along with the winners that did.<br /><br />Now I have to expand my wish list on several wines I want to try...Marcia Macomberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07237764449953259939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-38768719846956802842013-09-16T11:51:43.742-07:002013-09-16T11:51:43.742-07:00Ron,
You made me have to look up the name Ryan Se...Ron,<br /><br />You made me have to look up the name Ryan Seacrest. Now I want back those few minutes out of my life.<br /><br />Maybe I need a television--or maybe not.Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07322028233207741737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-39652161632433255682013-09-16T11:20:27.899-07:002013-09-16T11:20:27.899-07:00Years ago, I had a gig that allowed me to visit Ca...Years ago, I had a gig that allowed me to visit Calaveras, El Dorado, and Placer county wineries, and winery tasting rooms quarterly. Midweek visits, at a slower pace, the chance to visit with owners and winemakers, and taste their wines, was a treat. <br /><br />Your post is a nice reminder of those visits. Thanks.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00033572431928998581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-19784884570065255772013-09-16T10:58:16.178-07:002013-09-16T10:58:16.178-07:00I loved this! Funny, soulful, and informative too....I loved this! Funny, soulful, and informative too.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12034793637393808447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-48101146928523840222013-09-16T08:36:13.234-07:002013-09-16T08:36:13.234-07:00Puff Daddy,
Just thought I'd go the way of mos...Puff Daddy,<br />Just thought I'd go the way of most of the wine bloggers today, and bore the crap out of everybody. And I had fun doing it! Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-31427972401360667322013-09-16T08:16:12.692-07:002013-09-16T08:16:12.692-07:00I am not laughing. Did I tune in to the wrong chan...I am not laughing. Did I tune in to the wrong channel?<br /><br />Glad you like the wines of Cedarville--and the folks behind it. Fine wines and wonderful people who got into the wine biz the old-fashioned way. They bought some land, built a small winery and took a vow of poverty.Charlie Olkenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02513782687786106137noreply@blogger.com