Disqus - Latest Comments for winehiker

Re: S-Bombs Everywhere

winehiker — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:13:00 -0000

And thanks for the plug, guys!

Re: S-Bombs Everywhere

winehiker — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:51:22 -0000

Gentlemen, I believe that Greek wine variety is pronounced ah-yor-YEE-ti-ko!

Re: Got questions about your pain? I’m happy to answer them.

winehiker — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 17:29:23 -0000

Ann, having been to your office and observed how you enlightened my mother after her lifetime of spine and foot issues, I'm solidly in your corner! I surely wish you many great successes with your business and a lot of happy blog readers too.

Re: Owl be seeing you, in all the old familiar places

winehiker — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:46:52 -0000

Feel free, August. No doubt you'll look clever in that t-shirt (owlishly cool, perhaps?) to all your friends. Just be aware that I copyright my content and images under the Creative Commons Share Alike license.

You know, I was going to say "I don't give a hoot what you do with this owl photo." Aren't you glad I didn't? :^)

Re: At least this particular period of frigidity is due to the weather.

winehiker — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:51:53 -0000

Jo: sans ice? Why, that's neat!

John: Get yourself warm, then enjoy some brrrreakfast!

Autumn: Let's get you some Winter! Thanks for your blissful words.

Re: At least this particular period of frigidity is due to the weather.

winehiker — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:33:21 -0000

Bless you for that comment, Jo! Great story, and one worth heeding.

BTW, that very cold body of water in the photo is California's Lake Almanor.

Re: Podcast 16
A visit to Smith-Madrone Winery

winehiker — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:55:01 -0000

Chris, I'm delighted that you were able to join me Saturday for those lovely Smith-Madrone estate-grown wines. Yours are genuinely great notes - makes me want to taste the entire panel all over again!

Re: Wine Coolers 101

winehiker — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:07:07 -0000

And there you have it, folks. Thank you, Jonathon, for delivering the science!

So, if you plan to store your wines in a relatively small space, prefer quiet motorless cooling and durability, obviously a thermoelectric wine cooler is your choice. As you scale up the size of your wine collection, you may want to consider a compressor-driven model. I'm sure Shireen will be happy to help you decide which is right for your space.

Re: Beware the manroot!

winehiker — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:15:10 -0000

Always willing to learn more from the experts, I followed up on Kipp's comment and learned that he is the webmaster for the SF Chapter of the California Native Plant Society; he grows & propagates all of the manroot species native to California. Interested readers can check out his web page about manroot.

Kipp shared a little more with us, and I'm grateful that he did:

“There are two species of manroot you're likely to encounter in the Bay Area: Marah fabaceus and Marah oreganus. M. fabaceus is called California Manroot and grows more or less throughout the state. Marah oreganus is called Coast Manroot and grows nearer the coast from Santa Cruz County northward. So, right off the bat, M. macrocarpus is ruled out - it ranges only as far north as Santa Barbara (or so).

As for identifying your particular photos:

The top image in your post was taken in the hills above Cupertino where both species grow. What distinguishes M. oreganus is the maple-like, rough leaves. M. fabaceus leaves have very straight edges on their lobes and the leaves are usually smoothish looking (from a distance that is - up close they have minute whiskery bumps).

The bottom image was taken in the East Bay. There is an isolated population of M. oreganus in the hills above Berkeley and Oakland - associated with the relict Redwood forests there - but otherwise East Bay means M. fabaceus as no other species grows in that area. As mentioned above, the leaves in the lower image are straight-edged and smoothish - a very technical term ;-). The fruit is also helpful as M. oreganus fruit is usually striped with dark green, has sparse spikes and tapers to a point - the fruit in your picture is the round, untapered and densely spiked form typical of M. fabaceus.

Seeds, when it comes to these 2 species, are the most diagnostic: M. oreganus has unique flattened seeds shaped kind of like a hockey puck. M. fabaceus has, like most of the other Marah species, smoother, bullet-shaped seeds.

Marah are extremely variable and where the ranges overlap they freely interbreed. Even individual vines will have very multiple different leaf shapes. This can make identification difficult for individual plants - but you happen to have taken pictures in locations, and of distinct-enough specimens, that the ID is fairly easy in this case.

Re: Wine Coolers 101

winehiker — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:28:56 -0000

Jonathon, your comment finds me suddenly curious. I believe it would be quite helpful to understand why compressor-driven coolers are more efficient than thermoelectrics. Can you provide a breakdown that offers a compelling illustration of this difference in efficiency? I believe my readers may wish to know. Certainly I would! Thanks in advance.

Re: Going to the high country? Eat your liver & onions first!

winehiker — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:12:40 -0000

Nearly three years after this post, and I can hardly believe people haven't asked for my liver and onions recipe, despite all the hits this post gets.

Nearly 52 years old, and I'm still gonna beat you to the top.

Re: Wine Coolers 101

winehiker — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:01:39 -0000

Hiep and Amy, thank you for writing. We're glad you enjoyed Shireen's article and glad we could help! Yes, two important things that will allow fine wines to last are stable storage temperatures and keeping the corks moist by laying the bottles down while storing. Those, and actually avoiding the temptation to drink them all too soon!

Re: The 2009 Wine Bloggers Conference: a foundation for raising the collective spirit

winehiker — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:03:19 -0000

Wine Club Guy, would you care to expand on your comment? I'm sure many would love to hear what you're thinking, so please share!

Re: The 2009 Wine Bloggers Conference: a foundation for raising the collective spirit

winehiker — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:01:17 -0000

Joel and Shana: right on! Couldn't agree more. Thank you both for sharing such great thoughts here.

[Editor's note: "Rob" is Rob Bralow, a PR guy in the wine biz and author of the thought-provoking Wine Post blog.]

Re: Trees, I think...

winehiker — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:48:17 -0000

Fast forward a few years: my friend Sue sends me a copy of the March 1976 issue of Mad Magazine and there's my poem on page 13! The poem appears intact except for the last two lines, which are altered to say:

"But I'll show up those dirty skunks
I'll go and write a poem called 'Trunks'".

Let's see - I wrote that poem at age 17 while still in high school; I had submitted it as an English class assignment. The year was 1974. I must have had an enterprising English teacher, for a year and a half later, the poem appeared in Mad. Should I be mad? Should I sue?

Well, perhaps this March 1976 copy of Mad is worth something on eBay. At least I won't sue Sue.

Re: The 2009 Wine Bloggers Conference: a foundation for raising the collective spirit

winehiker — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:48:16 -0000

Gwen and Joe, we've a ways to go, but we're getting there. Wherever "there" is, we're on our way.

Re: The Lost Art of Being Gracious

winehiker — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:57:23 -0000

You're absolutely right, Amy. Certainly all of us could do better to practice graciousness, which should be the unspoken integral part of the "social" part of social media - and our everyday lives.

So wonderful to finally live it up with you and Joe this past week. And now, time to write some "thank you" notes!

Re: 2009 Wine Bloggers Conference a Success!

winehiker — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:21:44 -0000

Awesome job, Allan! Any plans to share Sunday's peer presentations here/Slideshare?

Re: A difficult year, a Wine Bloggers Conference and my potential role in the future of the wine country experience

winehiker — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:00:39 -0000

Diane, Melissa and Philip, I'm pretty thrilled that I'll get a chance to talk to you all again this weekend. Yippee!!

Re: A difficult year, a Wine Bloggers Conference and my potential role in the future of the wine country experience

winehiker — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:59:20 -0000

Bean, let also congratulate you on winning not only a WBC scholarship but Josh Hermsmeyer's scholarship as well! Thank you for your comment, too; I plan to follow up with you after WBC.

Re: A difficult year, a Wine Bloggers Conference and my potential role in the future of the wine country experience

winehiker — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:09:46 -0000

Lisa, I can't begin to relate to you all the warm fuzzies that I could here, but suffice to say: you always make me feel right at home! Sooner or later (sooner?), you and I will winehike.

Re: A difficult year, a Wine Bloggers Conference and my potential role in the future of the wine country experience

winehiker — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:01:52 -0000

Sure do appreciate your faith, Ed - and your love of winehikerness. We'll talk this weekend!

Re: A difficult year, a Wine Bloggers Conference and my potential role in the future of the wine country experience

winehiker — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:47:55 -0000

Gwendolyn, thank you very much for your thoughts. I imagine there is a market for winehiking wherever wine lovers also love learning and enjoy moving their bods outdoors and in the vineyards. Surely Santa Barbara wine country is right in the thick of that possibility!

Given adequate advance planning, I also imagine that I can be on-hand to synergize the land/wine/fun connection in Santa Barbara too. Let's talk more about that at the Wine Bloggers Conference!

Re: A difficult year, a Wine Bloggers Conference and my potential role in the future of the wine country experience

winehiker — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:44:43 -0000

Someday, Mike - karma being what it is - I expect to leverage your generosity and pay it forward by helping to support others in the way you chose to support me. I am ever so grateful, my man!

Re: Let’s go hike to Table Rock!

winehiker — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:55:05 -0000

Robert, I'm planning to repeat this Palisades thru-hike on Saturday, October 10th, so I'll contact you about 30 days ahead. Meanwhile, mark your calendar! And thanks for commenting.

Disqus - Latest Comments for winehiker

Re: S-Bombs Everywhere

Re: S-Bombs Everywhere

Re: Got questions about your pain? I’m happy to answer them.

Re: Owl be seeing you, in all the old familiar places

Re: At least this particular period of frigidity is due to the weather.

Re: At least this particular period of frigidity is due to the weather.

Re: Podcast 16 A visit to Smith-Madrone Winery

Re: Wine Coolers 101

Re: Beware the manroot!

Re: Wine Coolers 101

Re: Going to the high country? Eat your liver & onions first!

Re: Wine Coolers 101

Re: The 2009 Wine Bloggers Conference: a foundation for raising the collective spirit

Re: The 2009 Wine Bloggers Conference: a foundation for raising the collective spirit

Re: Trees, I think...

Re: The 2009 Wine Bloggers Conference: a foundation for raising the collective spirit

Re: The Lost Art of Being Gracious

Re: 2009 Wine Bloggers Conference a Success!

Re: A difficult year, a Wine Bloggers Conference and my potential role in the future of the wine country experience

Re: A difficult year, a Wine Bloggers Conference and my potential role in the future of the wine country experience

Re: A difficult year, a Wine Bloggers Conference and my potential role in the future of the wine country experience

Re: A difficult year, a Wine Bloggers Conference and my potential role in the future of the wine country experience

Re: A difficult year, a Wine Bloggers Conference and my potential role in the future of the wine country experience

Re: A difficult year, a Wine Bloggers Conference and my potential role in the future of the wine country experience

Re: Let’s go hike to Table Rock!

Re: Podcast 16
A visit to Smith-Madrone Winery