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!

Travel Magic

Saturday was a magical day for me. I didn't realize it as I was making my way through the day, but in less time than it takes for some people to commute to work in the morning, I was able to spend a great day in Florida, attend an Orioles Spring Training game, and fly back to Maryland to join my family at a local pub for some celebration drinks and still be in bed only an hour or so past my regular bedtime.

During the day I enjoyed 81 degree temperatures, saw Major League Baseball, got sunburned, and experienced the joys of passing through airport security with my favorite TSA personnel.  What could be better?

Breakfast at the hotel, lunch at the ball park and dinner at Pub Dogs in Columbia with Patrick and Corey (and Chris, too).

Only when I slowed down on Sunday morning did I realize the magic of the over 800 mile journey that I took without almost even thinking about it. In olden times--800 miles would have been a month long or longer journey on a horse or with a wagon. They could never conceive of a day like I had--it would have been science fiction to them.

And yet--I did it Saturday. And many other people do it nearly every day and do it almost without thinking about the magic of it all enabled by technology that we are so comfortable with that we don't even really consider it, either.

How much easier is turning the key in the ignition of our vehicle and roaring off at 60 mpg (or more) when compared with getting the horse out of the barn, saddled, and ready to stroll off at the rapid clip of about 5 mph. And then brushing the horse down when we return. A trip into town--a short distance away was an all afternoon affair.

Sometimes I refer to the vehicles I own as my stable--just for that reason. To remind me of how lucky I am to be riding in air conditioned comfort rather than eating the dust of the unpaved road.

As I crawl into my car/truck this morning and the rain begins to fall, I think I will be a bit more appreciative of just how good I have it when it comes to travel.

And of course--having Florida so close doesn't hurt either.

Dancing with the Moon

I don't know if you took some time to view the bright moon this weekend or not, but it seemed to follow me everywhere and forced itself into my stream of consciousness.

It really began early Thursday (the 17th) morning as I was driving to the club to play racquetball about 5:30 AM. Yes, it is early, but I love starting the day on the courts.

I noticed the moon setting on the horizon--it was dancing in and out of my view around hills and through trees. It would disappear for a moment--and then return, a bright orb on the western horizon cheering my soul with its apparent antics in the sky. It made me smile and I thought about the moon and how it really wasn't moving around at all, but it was my own turning that made the moon apparently dance on the horizon.

I enjoyed driving on the nearly deserted roads and waiting for the moon to peak up over a hill, or to come into view from around some buildings. It had been a very longtime since it had driven around with the moon so low on the horizon.

And then, Saturday evening as I was flying back to Baltimore from Tampa, I got to watch the moon again.

It was a bit different though as the moon appeared lower than the airplane. I watched the moon rise in the east over a cloud bank and tried to take an image of it, but the iPhone and dirt on the plane window just do not do it justice.

I watched the moon pass under the wing of the airplane as we banked. The sky was clear as we approached Baltimore, and I saw the moon illuminate the Chesapeake Bay as we turned onto final into the BWI. It was a painter's scene--the moon shining down and illuminating a long streak in the bay silhouetting the ships and shoreline. I etched the image into my brain--if only I were a painter so I could capture it for others to see. But alas, I have a hard time staying in the lines.

All in all though, it was an interesting couple of days watching the moon dance with me and illuminate the darkened planet with its reflected light.

We all need to take time to notice these things. It grounds us.

Monday Musings - March 21, 2011

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1. Welcome to the first full day of Spring! We have officially survived another winter and are now heading into the best parts of the year. Spring arrived at 7:21 pm EDT last evening. I couldn't get my egg to spin.

2. What an amazing weekend.  On Saturday at noon I was sitting in a baseball park in Florida getting sunburned in 81 degree full sunshine. On Sunday at noon I was strolling my yard in 51 degree temperatures bundled in a coat trying to stay warm hoping that the sun would shine stronger and longing to take the cover off my pool.

3. Saturday was an amazing day. I woke up in Sarasota, Florida, attended a baseball game, drove to an airport, flew two hours north to Baltimore, and was celebrating an early birthday with Patrick and his friends in a local pub before 10:30 PM. And it seemed normal.

4. Week one of daylight savings time is now complete. We should all have fully recovered by now.

5. Japan is still fighting nuclear disaster in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami--don't forget them.

6. Libya is a catastrophe. I'm glad the international community stepped in, but as we know from experience in Iraq, and the Balkans--it is a slippery slope that we are treading upon.

7. The wine that Chris and I helped create was released this weekend by the winery--sadly, we could not attend the release because I was in Florida--but we are headed to the winery next weekend to secure a few bottles.

8. Did you look at the moon this weekend? I did.

Where I am on the planet

The sign kinda says it all.

Here, they call it paradise--and I'm not going to challenge that thought one little bit.

Saturday At Noon

So what are you doing with your Saturday?

I'm in Sarasota at Spring Training enjoying my favorite sport. Live!!

Those are the Philadelphia Phillies doing batting practice.

The temperature on this March 19th approaching noon is already nearly 80 degrees. The sky is clear, the sun is hot, and there isn't a hint of snow anywhere.