Close Call For Munster
27/04/08 22:17 Filed in: Sport
It was never going to
be easy. Munster went into today's semi-final against
Saracens in the knowledge that this was not going to
be the cakewalk that some were predicting. Saracens
are a tough, competitive team, and it showed today.
Saracens started the brighter of the two teams and were the first to score, with a brilliant move that started in their own 22. With that, Munster came back into the game and ran in 15 points without reply, 12 of which came from two well-taken tries.
Indiscipline costed both sides in the second half, with Munster shipping a worrying number of penalties, and Rua Tipoki spent ten minutes in the sin bin. But then, over the space of two minutes, Sarries lost both of their props to yellow cards. By the time they were restored to their full compliment of players, the score was 18-13. Glen Jackson added another penalty to finish the match 18-16 to the men in red.
This was as tough a match as Munster could have hoped for, and their defence was tested severely. Doug Howlett showed today just what he is
worth to Munster,
with some fine breaks and at least one try-saving
tackle. But he wasn't the only one putting in the
savage hits. All across the board, Munster were
defending as if their lives depended on it.
It could so easily have gone the other way. As the clock inched towards the eightieth minute mark, Saracens were making the hard yards in the Munster half. Eventually, the move broke down and Munster were awarded a penalty, the last kick of the game. Had Saracens kept it going for one more phase, Glen Jackson would probably have had a pop at a drop goal.
But one thing Munster have learned over the years is how to win tight matches. They held out to win by two points, and go on to face Toulouse in the final on 24 May. For a season that had thrown out some of the oddest results, it seems somewhat fitting that the two most aristocratic of regular Heineken Cup teams should contest the decider.
It should be a right old ding-dong.
Saracens started the brighter of the two teams and were the first to score, with a brilliant move that started in their own 22. With that, Munster came back into the game and ran in 15 points without reply, 12 of which came from two well-taken tries.
Indiscipline costed both sides in the second half, with Munster shipping a worrying number of penalties, and Rua Tipoki spent ten minutes in the sin bin. But then, over the space of two minutes, Sarries lost both of their props to yellow cards. By the time they were restored to their full compliment of players, the score was 18-13. Glen Jackson added another penalty to finish the match 18-16 to the men in red.
This was as tough a match as Munster could have hoped for, and their defence was tested severely. Doug Howlett showed today just what he is
It could so easily have gone the other way. As the clock inched towards the eightieth minute mark, Saracens were making the hard yards in the Munster half. Eventually, the move broke down and Munster were awarded a penalty, the last kick of the game. Had Saracens kept it going for one more phase, Glen Jackson would probably have had a pop at a drop goal.
But one thing Munster have learned over the years is how to win tight matches. They held out to win by two points, and go on to face Toulouse in the final on 24 May. For a season that had thrown out some of the oddest results, it seems somewhat fitting that the two most aristocratic of regular Heineken Cup teams should contest the decider.
It should be a right old ding-dong.
|
Tabloid Shame
27/04/08 21:50 Filed in: General
Nonsense
Another
house fire tragedy
claims the lives of
a family, and once again the tabloid press cover
themselves in glory. Not. It was as if they were
competing with one another to run the most
sensationalist front page headline today.
This happened before, of course, when the McElhill family perished in a fire at their home in Omagh last November. Back then, the red-tops didn't even wait until the bodies had been removed before hoisting the lurid headlines on their front pages.
Now, I know that this story merited its front page billing, but did the News of the World really need to scream "DAD SHOOTS WIFE AND BURNS KIDS ALIVE" from their front page? Do they not realise that the families, friends, neighbours, work colleagues, school pals, etc. of the Flood family are trying to come to terms with the enormity of this tragedy? Are they not allowed to grieve in peace and privacy? Do they not realise the effect a headline like that would have on friends of the children, already traumatised by the loss of their little pals, but now being told in graphic detail how they died? (Not that the official cause of death had been released by the time the papers reached the news stands, but in the world of the tabloids, that's by the by.)
The tabloid press is an utter disgrace.
This happened before, of course, when the McElhill family perished in a fire at their home in Omagh last November. Back then, the red-tops didn't even wait until the bodies had been removed before hoisting the lurid headlines on their front pages.
Now, I know that this story merited its front page billing, but did the News of the World really need to scream "DAD SHOOTS WIFE AND BURNS KIDS ALIVE" from their front page? Do they not realise that the families, friends, neighbours, work colleagues, school pals, etc. of the Flood family are trying to come to terms with the enormity of this tragedy? Are they not allowed to grieve in peace and privacy? Do they not realise the effect a headline like that would have on friends of the children, already traumatised by the loss of their little pals, but now being told in graphic detail how they died? (Not that the official cause of death had been released by the time the papers reached the news stands, but in the world of the tabloids, that's by the by.)
The tabloid press is an utter disgrace.
Expectation
26/04/08 22:55 Filed in: Sport
Tomorrow's Heineken Cup
semi-final clash between Munster and Saracens brings
about all the usual pre-big-match emotions and
apprehensiveness. We know that the Munster should
prevail, but it can never be taken for granted.
All this week, Declan Kidney has been bigging up Saracens in an effort to deflect from the general media consensus that Munster go into this match as favourites. They came out of a group that included Biarritz, perennial HC heavyweights. they dispatched the Ospreys, several of whom had won the Grand Slam in Welsh shirts a few weeks earlier. They are coached by Alan Gaffney, a coach who, more than most, knows what makes Munster tick.
Much has been made of the fact that the Munster branch returned a portion of their ticket allocation for this match. This has been interpreted as the fans taking the Kerry approach, and choosing not to travel until the final. This may or may not be the prevailing attitude (and I don't believe it is, as Munster fans take nothing for granted), but if there is complacency among the support, it is not there in the team. This is cup rugby, and as such you only have one chance to get it right.
Munster have worked very hard to get this far. They had the shittiest pool draw imaginable, yet won it in style. This was followed by an away quarter-final to Gloucester. Kingsholm is never a venue to look forward to, but Munster went there and won comfortably.
Saracens have never competed at this level of the Heineken Cup before. This is Munster's seventh HC semi-final. They have won three of the last six, and of course, won the competition itself in 2006. Declan Kidney was able to deal from a full deck when he named his team during the week. Alan Gaffney is missing some key players like Andy Farrell and Chris Jack.
Predicting the outcome of a sporting encounter is not particularly scientific. Relying on statistics alone is never a definitive route to making a call. As the man said, statistics are like lamp posts, there to illuminate but not to lean to heavily upon. You look at past performances, take into account mitigating factors like injuries and so on. But there are also the intangibles, the unknown unknowns as Donald Rumsfeld might say.
Saracens may surprise Munster, as they did the Ospreys in the quarter final. But we also have to look at their form in the Guinness Premiership. This is their bread and butter, and they are mid-table at present. They lost to both Gloucester and Wasps in the GP since their win over the Ospreys. Big deal, you might say, Munster lost to Leinster in the Magners League the week after winning at Gloucester. But there is a difference. Even though they will deny it publicly, deep down, as long as they are still in the Heineken Cup, Munster couldn't give a shit about the Magners League. For Saracens, the Guinness Premiership matters hugely.
Munster should win tomorrow, but it will not be easy. Saracens will put up a good fight, but it won't be enough.
A Munster-Toulouse final should be in the offing by tomorrow evening. Now that would be something to look forward to.
All this week, Declan Kidney has been bigging up Saracens in an effort to deflect from the general media consensus that Munster go into this match as favourites. They came out of a group that included Biarritz, perennial HC heavyweights. they dispatched the Ospreys, several of whom had won the Grand Slam in Welsh shirts a few weeks earlier. They are coached by Alan Gaffney, a coach who, more than most, knows what makes Munster tick.
Much has been made of the fact that the Munster branch returned a portion of their ticket allocation for this match. This has been interpreted as the fans taking the Kerry approach, and choosing not to travel until the final. This may or may not be the prevailing attitude (and I don't believe it is, as Munster fans take nothing for granted), but if there is complacency among the support, it is not there in the team. This is cup rugby, and as such you only have one chance to get it right.
Munster have worked very hard to get this far. They had the shittiest pool draw imaginable, yet won it in style. This was followed by an away quarter-final to Gloucester. Kingsholm is never a venue to look forward to, but Munster went there and won comfortably.
Saracens have never competed at this level of the Heineken Cup before. This is Munster's seventh HC semi-final. They have won three of the last six, and of course, won the competition itself in 2006. Declan Kidney was able to deal from a full deck when he named his team during the week. Alan Gaffney is missing some key players like Andy Farrell and Chris Jack.
Predicting the outcome of a sporting encounter is not particularly scientific. Relying on statistics alone is never a definitive route to making a call. As the man said, statistics are like lamp posts, there to illuminate but not to lean to heavily upon. You look at past performances, take into account mitigating factors like injuries and so on. But there are also the intangibles, the unknown unknowns as Donald Rumsfeld might say.
Saracens may surprise Munster, as they did the Ospreys in the quarter final. But we also have to look at their form in the Guinness Premiership. This is their bread and butter, and they are mid-table at present. They lost to both Gloucester and Wasps in the GP since their win over the Ospreys. Big deal, you might say, Munster lost to Leinster in the Magners League the week after winning at Gloucester. But there is a difference. Even though they will deny it publicly, deep down, as long as they are still in the Heineken Cup, Munster couldn't give a shit about the Magners League. For Saracens, the Guinness Premiership matters hugely.
Munster should win tomorrow, but it will not be easy. Saracens will put up a good fight, but it won't be enough.
A Munster-Toulouse final should be in the offing by tomorrow evening. Now that would be something to look forward to.
Heineken Cup Semi-Final
25/04/08 22:10 Filed in: Sport
Monday, 7 April. I
arrive home at about 10.30pm from Vinitaly. My wife
is away at a work do. The wee one is with her Granny
and Grandad. There is a beer in the fridge. Munster's
quarter-final against Gloucester is on the Sky+ box.
All of the above is true, just until you pass the bit about the beer. Somehow, we managed to record the London Irish - Perpignan match, but miss the Munster - Gloucester one. Oh well.
This Sunday, Munster face Saracens in the semi-final at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. I'm at home this time, so there should be no repeat of the Sky+ debacle this time around.
The starting lineup is as follows:
15 Hurley
14 Howlett
13 Mafi
12 Tipoki
11 Dowling
10 O'Gara
11 O'Leary
1 Horan
2 Flannery
3 Hayes
4 O'Callaghan
5 O'Connell
6 Quinlan
7 Wallace
8 Leamy
Replacements: Sheahan, Pucciarello, O'Driscoll, Ryan, Stringer, Warwick, Murphy
That's a strong team in anyone's language. I'll say no more, except COME ON MUNSTER!!!
All of the above is true, just until you pass the bit about the beer. Somehow, we managed to record the London Irish - Perpignan match, but miss the Munster - Gloucester one. Oh well.
This Sunday, Munster face Saracens in the semi-final at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. I'm at home this time, so there should be no repeat of the Sky+ debacle this time around.
The starting lineup is as follows:
15 Hurley
14 Howlett
13 Mafi
12 Tipoki
11 Dowling
10 O'Gara
11 O'Leary
1 Horan
2 Flannery
3 Hayes
4 O'Callaghan
5 O'Connell
6 Quinlan
7 Wallace
8 Leamy
Replacements: Sheahan, Pucciarello, O'Driscoll, Ryan, Stringer, Warwick, Murphy
That's a strong team in anyone's language. I'll say no more, except COME ON MUNSTER!!!
Winning Friends, etc.
25/04/08 21:57 Filed in: General
Nonsense | Food &
Drink
The latest edition
of Hospitality Ireland
has an interview
with Marco Pierre White, the latest British
gastro-celeb to cross the Irish Sea. His new
venture, Hell's Brasserie, will open at Harry
Crosbie's Point Village in 2009.
Eager to learn from the mistakes of his peers, he wants to be sure that he doesn't offend local sensitivities by only having a token presence in his Irish emporium:
"I'm not going to go to Ireland with that attitude, like certain people do who come from the mainland."
Yup. That's a great way to start.
Eager to learn from the mistakes of his peers, he wants to be sure that he doesn't offend local sensitivities by only having a token presence in his Irish emporium:
"I'm not going to go to Ireland with that attitude, like certain people do who come from the mainland."
Yup. That's a great way to start.
Curry Chips Back On The Menu
17/04/08 21:21 Filed in: Blogging
He's back!
Nat King Coleslaw, author of Curry Chips walks among us again after a brief I Ate Us. And not only is he back, but he's in cracking form too. Check out his take on Gormleychinatibetgate.
Nat King Coleslaw, author of Curry Chips walks among us again after a brief I Ate Us. And not only is he back, but he's in cracking form too. Check out his take on Gormleychinatibetgate.
The iPhone Should Be Taken Away From O2 Ireland
15/04/08 21:24 Filed in: Tech
Apple have a
justifiable reputation as a company with a talent for
marketing. Which is why I find it strange that they
persist with O2 as their exclusive retail partner for
the iPhone in Ireland.
An 8GB iPhone in Ireland will set you back €399 for the handset. The basic calls/text/data package for the iPhone costs €45 per month, and for that you get 175 minutes of calls, 100 texts and 1GB of data.
O2 are also the exclusive retail partner for the iPhone in the UK. There you can pick up an 8GB model for £269 (€334), with a basic monthly tariff costing £35 (€43.50). This tariff includes 600 minutes, 500 texts and unlimited data. Also O2 UK supports visual voicemail, while O2 Ireland does not.
It's been announced today that if you buy an 8GB model in the UK before 1 June, it will only cost €169 (€210).
I cannot understand for a moment why anyone in Ireland would buy an iPhone from O2 Ireland. Compared to the UK, the 8GB phone is almost 20% more expensive at normal prices (90% more expensive during the £100 off promotion). For a similarly priced tariff, our neighbours get 242% more minutes, 250% more text and ∞% more data.
As Pat Phelan calls it: the Paddy Tax.
I'd love to know how many iPhones have been sold in Ireland since it was launched just over a month ago. Surely if they priced the device in line with the UK and offered similarly priced tariffs, the iPhone would be a smash hit. As it is, the only incentive is to take a trip to Northern Ireland, buy one there and jailbreak it.
Come on Apple! Your "partners" are holding back the potential of your device!
An 8GB iPhone in Ireland will set you back €399 for the handset. The basic calls/text/data package for the iPhone costs €45 per month, and for that you get 175 minutes of calls, 100 texts and 1GB of data.
O2 are also the exclusive retail partner for the iPhone in the UK. There you can pick up an 8GB model for £269 (€334), with a basic monthly tariff costing £35 (€43.50). This tariff includes 600 minutes, 500 texts and unlimited data. Also O2 UK supports visual voicemail, while O2 Ireland does not.
It's been announced today that if you buy an 8GB model in the UK before 1 June, it will only cost €169 (€210).
I cannot understand for a moment why anyone in Ireland would buy an iPhone from O2 Ireland. Compared to the UK, the 8GB phone is almost 20% more expensive at normal prices (90% more expensive during the £100 off promotion). For a similarly priced tariff, our neighbours get 242% more minutes, 250% more text and ∞% more data.
As Pat Phelan calls it: the Paddy Tax.
I'd love to know how many iPhones have been sold in Ireland since it was launched just over a month ago. Surely if they priced the device in line with the UK and offered similarly priced tariffs, the iPhone would be a smash hit. As it is, the only incentive is to take a trip to Northern Ireland, buy one there and jailbreak it.
Come on Apple! Your "partners" are holding back the potential of your device!
Obeying Traffic Lights Is Actually Compulsory…
15/04/08 21:03 Filed in: General
Nonsense
Driving around as much
as I do, you really get to realise the cavalier
approach so many Irish road users have to traffic
lights. For cyclists, the code is "Green: Go; Amber:
Go; Red: Go." Pedestrians seem to think that they are
there just to add some colour to the streetscape.
But it is the
motorist who is often the worst offender. Frequently
I pull up at lights just gone red and one or two
vehicles in the neighbouring lanes will go through
the red light. Lads, there's only one shade of red!
Another is the left or right turn filter. Some
junctions have specific signals for left or right
turns, and when you approach the junction the signal
may be green to go forward and red to go left or
right. But to some drivers, these red lights are
discretionary. I have seen cars, vans, taxis and even
buses break these lights, often crossing a green
pedestrian light in the process.
Speaking of pedestrian lights, some drivers seem to be of the opinion that these don't actually count as traffic lights at all. Just this morning, I was on my way into Dublin, when I stopped at the red light of a pedestrian crossing. A woman and her two kids were just about to set foot on the road to cross when a truck sailed through the red light. A second later and they would have been run over.
Speaking of pedestrian lights, some drivers seem to be of the opinion that these don't actually count as traffic lights at all. Just this morning, I was on my way into Dublin, when I stopped at the red light of a pedestrian crossing. A woman and her two kids were just about to set foot on the road to cross when a truck sailed through the red light. A second later and they would have been run over.
A Game For Font Geeks
14/04/08 21:24 Filed in: Tech | General
Nonsense
I did a graphic design
course a few years ago and during it developed an
interest in typography. Since then I have become a
font geek of sorts. (Just as I can tell the
difference between an Australian and a New Zealand
accent,
so too do I know the difference between Helvetica and
Arial.)
Which brings me to the point of this post. Found, via the excellent Daring Fireball (whose author, John Gruber is a font uber-geek), The Rather Difficult Font Game.
The server upon which it is hosted seems to be getting something of a caning at the moment. It flaked out on me on round 22, by which time I was enjoying a score of 19.
(Disclosure: I only cheated a teeny-tiny bit, and referred to Font Book once or twice, but only to confirm my suspicion.)
Which brings me to the point of this post. Found, via the excellent Daring Fireball (whose author, John Gruber is a font uber-geek), The Rather Difficult Font Game.
The server upon which it is hosted seems to be getting something of a caning at the moment. It flaked out on me on round 22, by which time I was enjoying a score of 19.
(Disclosure: I only cheated a teeny-tiny bit, and referred to Font Book once or twice, but only to confirm my suspicion.)
Days Like These
Anyone that reads my
ramblings on a regular basis will know that I am an
advocate of the Mac platform. In my last job I had a
fair degree of autonomy and so when I went computer
shopping, I was free to pick my platform of choice.
Not so in my current employment, and when I started
in January, I was given a standard-issue Dell laptop.
It's quite a good machine, in all honesty. It has a 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 gigs of RAM and a 120 GB hard disk. Windows XP SP2 came pre-installed, and even though it's a big improvement on my last experience with Windows (W98), it's very frustrating to use at times.
There are days, like today, when everything you run crashes. Open an Excel spreadsheet. Crash. Try to extract an e-mail address from a message in Outlook. Crash. Try to drop an image into a Word document. Crash.
However, when I was in Dublin earlier today, I saw the electronic billboard at the top of Grafton Street and realised that I wasn't the only one having problems with Windows today. (I took the photo on my phone, so sorry for the poor quality.)
It's quite a good machine, in all honesty. It has a 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 gigs of RAM and a 120 GB hard disk. Windows XP SP2 came pre-installed, and even though it's a big improvement on my last experience with Windows (W98), it's very frustrating to use at times.
There are days, like today, when everything you run crashes. Open an Excel spreadsheet. Crash. Try to extract an e-mail address from a message in Outlook. Crash. Try to drop an image into a Word document. Crash.
However, when I was in Dublin earlier today, I saw the electronic billboard at the top of Grafton Street and realised that I wasn't the only one having problems with Windows today. (I took the photo on my phone, so sorry for the poor quality.)
This Could Just As Easily Apply To Ireland
10/04/08 22:19 Filed in: General
Nonsense
Tom Tomorrow's
"This Modern World" on the crisis in the US
housing market:
(click to see the whole cartoon)
(click to see the whole cartoon)
Vinitaly
08/04/08 22:01 Filed in: Work | Food &
Drink
I arrived back from
Vinitaly last night, absolutely exhausted. I was away
for five nights, so it was nice to be back in my own
leaba again.
To those outside the wine business, the idea of going to Verona to taste wine for five days sounds like a cushy number. Of course, it is an enjoyable and educational experience, and for a first-time visitor like myself, a real eye-opener as to the breadth and depth of wine available from Italy. Up to now my area of specialism has generally been French wine, but my new employer majors big time on Italy, so Vinitaly was a great opportunity to get myself up to speed.
But this was a
work trip, and it was five days of hard work. I had
to meet all of our suppliers and taste all of their
wines, writing meaningful tasting notes that I can
refer to in the future as I sell these wines to my
customers. Happily, our buyers are experts who have a
deep understanding of what Italian wine is all about,
so it was no hardship to meet some fascinating
winemakers and taste some great wines.
Conventional wisdom dictates that you should taste white wines first and then reds. We decided to do the opposite and taste the big, full bodied reds first thing in the morning. The rationale behind this was that by the afternoon, our palates would be knackered and unable to tackle the reds, and the fresh crisp whites would give us a lift from the late afternoon slump. Happily this worked, and we got through prodigious amounts in the first three days.
Italy is a treasure trove for the wine lover. If you are a fan of international varieties like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, etc., you'll find plenty to please you. If you like to try indigenous varieties, you won't have to look too hard to find something to pique your interest, whether it's a Nebbiolo, Barbera or Dolcetto from Piemonte; a Teroldego, Marzemina or Lagrein from Trentino; a Montepulciano from Abruzzo; an Aglianico from Campania; a Primitivo, Negramaro or Malvasia Nera from Puglia; or a Nero d'Avola from Sicily.
I have neglected Italian wine for too long, because in my last job it was something of an afterthought. As a result, I never kept up with the advances made in certain areas. Two of the most famous wines from Veneto, Soave and Valpolicella, I had overlooked for years. In my opinion, they were dull, overcropped rubbish. But while that may have been the case when I
started in the
trade nearly twenty years ago, it certainly is not
the case today. I tasted some magnificent Soaves in
the last week, ranging from the fresh and fruity to
some that were very complex and minerally. Similarly,
the Valpolicellas I tasted were a revelation, with
lovely ripe fruit, clean acidity and the right amount
of tannin. The best of Valpolicella, the Ripassos and
Amarones were just stunning. Demand is high for these
wines and prices are going up.
But for me the biggest eye-opener was the standard of the white wines. Again, in my ignorance, I dismissed Italian whites as neutral and insipid. But how wrong I was. Again it was a mixture of both international and local varieties. I tasted some gorgeous Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from Friuli Venezia Giulia, alongside local varieties like Ribolla Giallo and Friulano. Even Pinot Grigio, derided as the blandest of the bland, in the hands of a good winemaker can be very special. I especially enjoyed some Lugana, a Lombardian white wine from the shores of Lake Garda. From further south, Campania came up trumps with Fiano de Avellina, Sannio Falanghino, and Greco di Tufo.
Like any trade fair, glamour is sometimes used to compensate for lack of quality. There were several stands with dolly birds out front to tempt the punters in. Some of our party decided to put a mathematical theory to the test, that the amount of flesh on display is inversely proportional to the quality of the wine. And so it turned out to be. If the stunna on the stand has big knockers and is wearing a very short skirt, chances are the wine will be shite.
Evenings were taken up mostly with visits to producers. I love visiting a producer's vineyard as opposed to his cellar, as I think you can tell a lot more about a winemaker from how he tends his vines. Good wine starts in the vineyard, and if a producer gets that right, then the job in the cellar is that much easier.
So in summary, Vinitaly was vast. I was there for five days and tasted about 300 or so wines. That's maybe 0.02% of all the wines in the fair. It was an amazing experience, and I hope to do it again some day.
To those outside the wine business, the idea of going to Verona to taste wine for five days sounds like a cushy number. Of course, it is an enjoyable and educational experience, and for a first-time visitor like myself, a real eye-opener as to the breadth and depth of wine available from Italy. Up to now my area of specialism has generally been French wine, but my new employer majors big time on Italy, so Vinitaly was a great opportunity to get myself up to speed.
Conventional wisdom dictates that you should taste white wines first and then reds. We decided to do the opposite and taste the big, full bodied reds first thing in the morning. The rationale behind this was that by the afternoon, our palates would be knackered and unable to tackle the reds, and the fresh crisp whites would give us a lift from the late afternoon slump. Happily this worked, and we got through prodigious amounts in the first three days.
Italy is a treasure trove for the wine lover. If you are a fan of international varieties like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, etc., you'll find plenty to please you. If you like to try indigenous varieties, you won't have to look too hard to find something to pique your interest, whether it's a Nebbiolo, Barbera or Dolcetto from Piemonte; a Teroldego, Marzemina or Lagrein from Trentino; a Montepulciano from Abruzzo; an Aglianico from Campania; a Primitivo, Negramaro or Malvasia Nera from Puglia; or a Nero d'Avola from Sicily.
I have neglected Italian wine for too long, because in my last job it was something of an afterthought. As a result, I never kept up with the advances made in certain areas. Two of the most famous wines from Veneto, Soave and Valpolicella, I had overlooked for years. In my opinion, they were dull, overcropped rubbish. But while that may have been the case when I
But for me the biggest eye-opener was the standard of the white wines. Again, in my ignorance, I dismissed Italian whites as neutral and insipid. But how wrong I was. Again it was a mixture of both international and local varieties. I tasted some gorgeous Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from Friuli Venezia Giulia, alongside local varieties like Ribolla Giallo and Friulano. Even Pinot Grigio, derided as the blandest of the bland, in the hands of a good winemaker can be very special. I especially enjoyed some Lugana, a Lombardian white wine from the shores of Lake Garda. From further south, Campania came up trumps with Fiano de Avellina, Sannio Falanghino, and Greco di Tufo.
Like any trade fair, glamour is sometimes used to compensate for lack of quality. There were several stands with dolly birds out front to tempt the punters in. Some of our party decided to put a mathematical theory to the test, that the amount of flesh on display is inversely proportional to the quality of the wine. And so it turned out to be. If the stunna on the stand has big knockers and is wearing a very short skirt, chances are the wine will be shite.
Evenings were taken up mostly with visits to producers. I love visiting a producer's vineyard as opposed to his cellar, as I think you can tell a lot more about a winemaker from how he tends his vines. Good wine starts in the vineyard, and if a producer gets that right, then the job in the cellar is that much easier.
So in summary, Vinitaly was vast. I was there for five days and tasted about 300 or so wines. That's maybe 0.02% of all the wines in the fair. It was an amazing experience, and I hope to do it again some day.
So I Turn My Back For Five Minutes…
08/04/08 21:43 Filed in: Politics
| General
Nonsense
I got the news of
Bertie's falling on his sword as I queued up for the
Ryanair flight to Verona from Stansted. As a result I
missed all the fall-out, as I had no internet
connectivity except for my Nokia E65, and I wasn't
planning on paying outrageous data roaming rates.
It was the right thing for Ahern to do, of course. But he should have done it ages ago and sorted out his dealings with the Tribunal away from the pressures of the office of Taoiseach. But it seems that he thought he could brazen it out, and if he kept stonewalling or running to the High Court to try to stymie the Tribunal's work, then it might leave him alone. But it was the evidence of Grainne Carruth that brought him down in the end.
So now, assuming I'm still living in Laois in 2012, and that the county will still be spliced to Offaly for electoral purposes, I'll once again have the opportunity to cast my vote for an outgoing Taoiseach in a general election, as I had in 2002. And didn't take up.
It was the right thing for Ahern to do, of course. But he should have done it ages ago and sorted out his dealings with the Tribunal away from the pressures of the office of Taoiseach. But it seems that he thought he could brazen it out, and if he kept stonewalling or running to the High Court to try to stymie the Tribunal's work, then it might leave him alone. But it was the evidence of Grainne Carruth that brought him down in the end.
So now, assuming I'm still living in Laois in 2012, and that the county will still be spliced to Offaly for electoral purposes, I'll once again have the opportunity to cast my vote for an outgoing Taoiseach in a general election, as I had in 2002. And didn't take up.
Away For A While
01/04/08 21:18 Filed in: Personal