MD Wine Bill -- Almost There

To follow up on my earlier post--the Maryland Wine Bill (SB 248 and HB 234) has passed, but still require some minor differences between the two bills to be worked out before the current legislative session ends on April 11th. 

According to an article in the Washington Post, the governor has stated that he will sign the bill when it comes to him for signature.

So don't uncork your favorite old wine yet.

But, find out where you have it hidden.

The State Senate approved the bill 45-0.

There was a bit of confusion in the way some of the articles I was reading were worded about the wine bill--one from Friday suggested that the bill was headed to the Governor for signature--however, that wasn't entirely accurate as it turns out.

But, we are getting closer.

Consumers and Politicians and Taxes

The politicians seems to be very concerned about closing budget gaps all across the country this year. legislatures from Maryland to California are trying to figure out how to get more money to sustain levels of service. It goes to the city level as well, Baltimore City is looking to close a tax revenue shortfall, too.

Sadly, the universal answer seems to be in raising taxes and "fees." 

I hate fees.  We pay a fee with our taxes for garbage collection in Howard County. It used to be included in our taxes until about 15 years ago the county board decided to make it a separate fee.  It was $75 then. The problem with government levied fees? There are few controls on them. The country wants to raise the fee this year from the current $250 to $500 per year. If it was a tax--we could challenge it and even vote on it. Since it is a fee--it can be changed pretty much on a whim.

And the state wants to increase property tax, and gas tax, and alcohol taxes and whatever taxes they can get away with.

Ever wonder who pays those taxes?

I read an article the other day about the giant corporation General Electric. Despite being the fourth largest company in the U.S. and posting a $14 Billion profit, the company paid no taxes.

That is $0.

What a deal!

I sure made a lot less that and amazingly I am paying a lot more than $0 in taxes.

So, let me get this straight. Politicians across the country are pinching consumers and private citizens to pay more taxes--yet the 4th largest corporation in America skates. There has to be a story here somewhere.

Oh, and it gets better. GE is claiming a $3.2 billion refund. Read it here in the Berkshire News.

I need to actually pay something in taxes to get a refund---not pay zero and get additional money.

Politicians are clearly looking in the wrong place for additional money. How many private American's taxes are needed to add up to a $3.2 billion refund? I looked this up--329,301 (with the average individual tax bill in America for the 2009 tax year being $8,157). Check out Tax Stats at a Glance and do the math.

Message to the politicians: Go after the corporations in America who are making a joke of tax laws!  That's where the money is.

Consensus Wine Released

We have finally obtained the winning wine form the Keswick Vineyards Consensus blending weekend.

I described the process and the weekend in my blog earlier.

This past weekend, Chris and I went to the winery to obtain a few bottles so that we could enjoy the wine that we helped to create since even though the direct shipping bill has passed, it is not in effect yet.

Wine is such a team effort to create. Not just the blending, the part of the team we participated in; but the winemaker had to blend it and it had to be bottled and this was after the grapes were grown and picked and crushed.

We tasted the wine while we were at the winery--and it was every bit as good as we remembered. It should be good for many years to come.

It was exciting to taste the wine as it was poured at the winery for others to buy. They made 245 cases of the wine. A very small and exclusive run.  And they told me at the winery that it was selling very well. Over 30 cases were sold on release weekend--which was the 19th of March.

Ah, the memories! 

Projects and Cold Weather

Last evening, Tina was over working on some projects.

It was cold outside--to cold for the paint to dry that she was using for one project and too cold for the glue to set on another.

The operative words here are that it was too cold.

Too cold.

We have moved to daylight savings time--(btw--did you note that Russia has moved permanently to daylight savings time?) to have more daylight in the evening for projects and now it is too cold for the projects.

So can we get someone to turn on the global sunlamp and get temperatures up to normal at least?

The cold weather is a problem for the grape vines in central Virginia--the low there last night of about 27 degrees is right at the point where damage could occur to the new growth. hopefully, the vines are still slumbering.

The cold is also going to make the Aloha Shirt Day I am sponsoring at work on Wednesday seem a bit premature--but we should have fun with it nonetheless.

Alas thought, I too have many outside projects which need to be started--but it is too cold. By the time it warms up enough to work on them I am afraid it will be too hot to work on them.

Well, Opening Day at home for the orioles is Monday--hopefully it will not snow on Monday. It did one year.

Monday Musings - March 28, 2011

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1. March is over this week (amazingly enough--where did it go?) and we launch into April. The weathermen are reporting that April will begin with weather more suited for February.  What a downer for such a promising month. Only 30 days until pool opening day--weather permitting.

2. College basketball is fun and this March the madness has been incredible. Consider this--of the 68 teams in the NCAA Men's tournament, 4 remain to vie for the crown of National Men's Champion. Of the four, there are no Number 1 or 2 seeds left. That, friends is what sports are all about. You have to play every game.

3. We had a great wine weekend. A quick trip to Charlottesville to get some of the consensus wine that we helped to blend, a quick stop at another winery and then back home. Yesterday, we went to look at some homes for sale--just because.

4. Birthday weekends are busy. This week we celebrate with Patrick--and then next up is Ethan. Dinner at On the Border last night was a lot of fun and a good spur of the moment idea. A lot better than pizza.

5. I'm hosting a conference at work this week--so the blog may be a bit late or thin. Bear with me. Conferences drive me crazy.  So many loose ends. Changed schedules and the like. It is far easier to attend a conference than to plan and host one.

6. Japan and Libya are still occupying the bulk of the news from around the world.  Both situations seem not to be showing many signs of improvement.

7. This week we said good-bye to a faithful companion of Mike and Nicole and I grieve with them on the passing of Calvin (or Cal)--the cat that came free with a $10 bag of cat food some 12 years ago. He was a fixture around their house and he was one of those cats who really took charge of things--be they children or yappy dogs. It was both sudden and sad the day he passed and like so many other good friends--he is missed and will be missed. Sadly, I don't think I have any images of Cal to share.

8. Here is a thought. Plans are made to be changed! You knew this of course. But, this weekend really drove that point home for me. Nothing happened that way it was planned or envisioned. That, is the spice of life.

Maryland Wine Bill Passes

Consumers and wine drinkers in Maryland are celebrating the beginning of the end of archaic rules which prohibited legal access to over 95 percent of the wines available in the United States.  The Maryland Legislature, as reported late Friday, passed the long awaited direct wine shipping bill, which while imperfect, will finally allow at least direct shipment of wine from wineries to consumers in the state.

I am excited that my favorite wineries--Keswick in Virginia and Chateau St Jean in Sonoma Valley, California, can finally ship my wines direct to me; but there is still more to do. I still cannot join a retail wine of the month club, nor have wines shipped from retailers.

Why is it important to have wines shipped from retailers?

First, consider this interesting fact that was reported in The Standard Times on November 26, 2005: 95 percent of all wine purchased is consumed within 48 hours.

So, clearly, the idea of ordering wine for expediency or probably even reduced cost is not a factor for direct shipping. It is an issue of access to product. Some wineries do not sell all of their wines on the retail market. I know this for a fact from visiting so many wineries across the United States.

Wine, however, is a world-wide product. Direct shipping of wine from wineries is great for US wine--but how about the South African, or Australian, or you the name it country wines that are not carried by Maryland retailers? I want to support the local retailer, believe me. But the tiered system in Maryland does them a disservice as well and they cannot carry all of the wine available and cannot order the wines I often ask them about.

We, the consumers, should have access to all of the wines available without unreasonable red tape and confusing rules. As I travel the country, I often find wines that I enjoy and want to buy in Maryland. In fact, favorite Chris' Merlot, the Hart & McGarry, is not available in Maryland. That is why we need direct shipping to include the ability to receive wine from retailers.

Retailers in the state feel threatened--but they should see direct shipping as an opportunity--they would be allowed to ship out of state. This then gives them access to compete on a bigger market--especially if they offer a unique or not widely available wine.

Remember, we are looking at 5 percent of the total wine sales here--and there is a good chance the retailers won't even notice the 5 percent because it is possible much of that is already making its way into the state via other means.

And so, I will tip a glass of wine tonight to celebrate success--but continue to push for complete access to the wine available in the world.

Hart & McGarry 2008 Merlot - Review

I decided to review another follow-on vintage wine and this would be the wine listed above. I had previously reviewed the 2005 vintage of this wine, and I raved about the high value for the price that the 2005 vintage was.

The wine is listed as a Napa Valley Merlot but the winemaker's address is Manteca, CA--which isn't in the Napa Valley.

The 2008 vintage has a nice light berry with a hint of plum nose. I found it to be very young, but it improved significantly as it sat in the glass over an hour. The color is light and a bit thin and the wine has a taste which needs time to mature, but I am concerned that there may not be enough structure to provide a basis for improvement with time. The wine does have a finish with lingers a bit and yearns for another sip.

A very easy drinking wine, but not particularly interesting nor complex. Very light tannins. The wine should be good with light foods and summery fares, maybe even burgers and hot dogs--it you want to impress your neighbors.

Recommendation: An easy drinking wine, with similarities to a pinot noir for people who like light wines. At about $15 per bottle, is it probably at or above the optimal price point, but given a few more months in the bottle it may turn out to be a wine which rivals the 2005 vintage, which I enjoyed very much.

Friday Frustration

Cold. Rain. Cold. Dark.

Springtime is just not getting off to a strong start.

Yes the hyacinths and tulips love the weather, but I am a warm-weather person.

Miniature Daffodils in Bloom March 2011

Last week at this time I woke to sunny blue skies and daytime temperatures heading into the 80's. There was a lot of green and I was wearing shorts and walking on a white sandy beach with the turquoise waters of the Gulf lapping at my bare feet.  I had my shirt off getting a mild sunburn while I enjoyed the view out of the water-sky boundary on the horizon. Another reason that I love southern Florida!

And so this morning it is dark, cold, dreary and there are hints of snow in the rainy, wintery (yes, they call it wintery) mix of precipitation.

I will endure my day hoping for some amusement this evening as I enthusiastically attend happy hour with my friends and we shake off the frustrations of the week by wallowing around in some good wine, sampling some new cheese, and munching a few crackers while talking about the promise of the Orioles as Spring Training draws to an end and the season is poised to begin next week--when the games actually start to matter.  (How was that for one awesome run-on sentence?)

Reverse Thinking

Monday night they showed this video at the men's group that I attend. We were completing our series and I was fascinated by the video and decided to link it into my blog so that others could appreciate the video as well.

I also read the comments on You Tube below the video and am continuously amazed at how negative so many people are when confronted with simple statements of personal belief. Unbelievers, it seems,  are always searching for ways to confirm their unbelief and tear everything apart.  It is sad.

One of the comments reads as follows: "By the way this video is made form personal choice rather than from actual evidence and explanation.Its the same old redundant argument made from a bronze aged mythology called Christianity. Pure garbage."

If unbelievers are so insecure, perhaps it is because they understand the eternal consequences of their actions--and it makes them uncomfortable because of the "what if" question. Apparently although the factual evidence exists in huge quantities, many do not want to accept or understand the facts surrounding Jesus Christ.

What if:
  - there is a loving God who wants a personal relationship with me?
  - eternal separation from God is real?
  - I don't really know everything although I try to justify my unbelief in everything I see and do?
  - the wages for sin is death and although the price was paid for me, I don't accept it?

Questions, sadly, that could be haunting for a long time.

Football Rule Change - Loss of the Kickoff

It may be one of the most exciting plays in football--the kickoff.

So many freaky things happen and it adds a wild card twist to the game. A team getting trounced can turn the game around on a kick-off return.

As reported in USA Today, the kickoff rules are being significantly changed. Read about them in :
Eye-opener: How do you feel about the NFL's new kickoff rules?

So what has the NFL done? In the reported interest of player safety they have again moved closer to a game in which the excitement is being taken out. 

Decades ago, the NFL made the game better by moving the goal post from the goal line to the end line (1974). Many fans don't even remember that there was a time when a field goal was 10 yards closer for the pros than college. And they added the two-point conversion (1994) to make the game more interesting and exciting--kind of like college football--which many argue is a better overall product from the standpoint of excitement factor.

But now--with the modification to the kickoff rules, the NFL has laid an egg. 

Arguably the most exciting, nail biting play in football may be reduced to a formality with a kickoff out of the end zone and the ball being placed on the 20 yard line becoming the norm.  Heck--why don't they just put the ball on the 20 yard line after a score and dispense with the kickoff altogether if they are really that concerned about safety. Who needs an onsides kick anyway?

NFL lock out, kickoff changes. Wow, am I ever glad it is baseball season.

Batter up!