My French relatives complain how damp and chilly May has been in France, even in Toulouse.
As a relief, it's pouring Dolcetto in Bordeaux at Vinexpo 2013 (June 16-20).
Thanks to Tessa at Clavesana for letting me know.
Too bad I will not be there.
Hope I can make trek to Cortina d'Ampezzo for wine event, a month from now.
(* Full disclosure, i was not paid to mention this)
Put Your Stamp on Your Boxed Culinary Creations with Papermash 'From the Kitchen of' Stamp Kit.
Alternatively it will be a great gift to any friend who spends her-his spare time coming up with culinary delights.
Kit sells for £16.99 GBP, Papermash is based in UK.
(* Image from Papermash website)
With Vinexpo 2013 barely 2 months away, the event newsletter 'Vinexpo News' offers 4 Reasons Why American Wine Professionals Should Attend Vinexpo 2013 with 4 numbers culled from recent study.
"1) +55% : Projected increase in premium wine sales (above $10 a bottle) in the US between 2011 and 2016
2) 100 million: number ofcases of imported wine forecasted to be consumed in the US in 2016 (an 11.5% increase over 2012)
3) +25%: Projected increase in sparkling wine consumptionin the US between 2012 and 2016
4) $26.8 billion: projected retail sales of still wines in the US in 2016 (an 11.4% increase vs. 2012)"
((Source: 11th Global Study on Current Trends in the International Wine & Spirits Markets AND Outlook to 2016; Vinexpo/The IWSR; January, 2013). The complete study is available for purchase.)
Fares on OUIGO, the budget 'fast' train service offshoot from SNCF might start at 10 Euros yet when you take into consideration that inaugural service leaves from Marne-La-Vallee and not Paris itself and you obviously have to pay plus spend time to get there and they charge you to plug your laptop or cellphone and limit baggage you can take, OuiGo sounds to me like a No Go.
The train advantage on short to medium trips is that it allows you to travel city center to city center.
A better option with some of the same features (book online only and print your own ticket) is iTGV which I used in 2011 from Paris to Toulouse.
I just did a bit of comparison shopping for travel on May 15, 2013.
Using OUIGO from Marne La Vallee to Marseille St Charles on that day best fare quoted is 30 Euros, leaving at 12:22 pm, arriving at 15:34.
Using iTGV from Paris Gare de Lyon to Marseille St Charles on same day best fare quoted is 35 Euros, leaving at 15:07 pm, arriving at 18:24 pm.
Even regular TGV offers great rates if you can plan ahead.
Besides Marseille, Ouigo also currently serves Lyon and Montpellier.
(* Ouigo image from Ouigo website)
For its 2013 edition, Raw Artisan Wine Fair partnered with Ottolenghi team who will man the Raw Wine Booth where you will be both able to sample and purchase wines that are present at Raw Fair.
In addition, "official RAW Wine shop will launch on the Ottolenghi webstore mid-April and run through to the end of May. Giving wine fans a preview of what’s on offer at the show, the online store will stock a wide selection of approximately 30 wines from the show’s exhibitors."
A producer seeking UK representation at fair is Domaine Rouge Bleu (Rhone) led by Caroline Jones
Raw Artisan Wine Fair 2013 takes place in London on May 19 and 20.
On my numerous trips to London in late 70's i never had a chance to visit Dobells Jazz Record Shop (1946-1992) at 77, Charing Cross Road.
Dobell's opened after second world war and was instrumental in promoting British jazz and blues talent both though the store and its 77 record label.
To honor Dobells rich history and share it with those of us who did not have a chance to experience it Chelsea Space put together Dobells Jazz Folk Blues "The Record Shop with the Club Atmosphere" exhibit which just opened on April 4,2013.
"Prominent US musicians could be found dropping into Dobell’s including Muddy Waters, BB King, Roy Eldridge, Ben Webster, Red Allen and members of the Ellington band. A young Bob Dylan recorded in the small basement studio there in 1963 and Janis Joplin would visit with a bottle of Southern Comfort as a gift for the staff of the store.
Dobell’s stocked American blues 78s, 45s and LPs and many British music fans got their first ever taste of Mamie Smith, Leadbelly and Big Bill Broonzy there. The imported US records purchased at the record shop inspired such pioneers of British jazz and blues as Alexis Korner, Cyril Davies and Chris Barber (amongst many others). All the bands of the British Blues explosion: The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Cream and Fleetwood Mac shopped there. Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick, Mac McGann, Bert Jansch, The Vipers Skiffle Group, Lonnie Donegan and other folk musicians raided the shop's racks of Woody Guthrie and Cisco Houston records. David Bowie was also a regular customer during the early 1960s."
It includes photographs by jazz photographer David Redfern commissioned by Dobell’s to celebrate the Newport Jazz Festival in London in 1967) and graphics.
David Redfern will discuss his career in jazz photography at Chelsea Space on May 15 from 6 to 7:30 PM. RSVP is required.
"CHELSEA space celebrates Record Store Day UK with open decks for you to play and listen to your Dobells Jazz Folk Blues records on, a pop up vinyl & books stall."
Live music will be part of the fun during the course of the exhibit which runs until May 18, 2013.
For more details visit Event Page...
I believe that admission is FREE.
Americans tend to chill their white wines too much, hence the request from Chateau Carbonnieux to serve his white Bordeaux 'slightly chilled', accent on slightly.
Photo taken at Bordeaux tasting in January 2011.
With a stop in Amsterdam on the way, KLM puts Africa on map of Spring getaways for U.S travelers.
I would be delighted to put Kiss a Girafe, Hop on a Matatu, 10 do's and don'ts of Nairobi by Mark Kaigwa which we published in February 2011 to the test with best round trip fares from New York to Nairobi around $1030.
Houston to Johannesburg is even cheaper at $805 round trip (best price).
Doing a test on KLM website, only flights listed from New York to Nairobi were from JFK even though I found similarly priced flights to Nairobi from Newark by KLM for similar prices on Google Flights...
Fares are publicized by KLM USA for purchase by April 10, 2013. Travel must include a Sunday stay and be completed by May 16, 2013.
(* Illustration above is Nairobi's fixture a Matatu by Kenyan photographer Mutua Matheka from Nairobi's 10 do's and don'ts )
The Cake and Bake Show 2013 is coming to Manchester from April 5 to April 7.
One of the featured bakers is Patrick Ryan who decided to drop corporate law in favor of making bread.
You can find him most days making dough at Firehouse Bakery and Bread School in Skibbereen on Heir Island, Cork County, Ireland.
(* Photo from Firehouse Facebook page)
It is hard to keep track of all the organic, sustainable, fair trade stamps of approval-accreditations.
Are you familiar with CCSW? In plain English it means Certified California Sustainable Winegrowin, a mouthful.
On a less technical side, April 2013 is Down to Earth Month for California wineries.
A dedicated site shares Top 10 Reasons California Wines are an Eco-Friendly choice.
I will let you be the judge(s).
I discovered CCSW label by way of The Vegan Wine who sells wines produced without use of any animal products.
Getting Down to Earth for Green Day # 247
Previously: Besides Dressing like a Banana, What Can You Do in March? Equal Exchange Banana Month
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