By Darryl Soljan | Wine | Wednesday 14th October 2009
One of the things I love about working with wine is its ‘mystery’.
Wine is even more mysterious to those who don’t grow it and make it, and as a result I get asked a lot of questions.
Here are three of the most frequently asked questions, and some answers…
1. What are ‘legs’?
I am a ‘leg man’. Of course, legs are the lower limbs of a biped such as a human being, or any of the paired limbs of an animal, that support and move the body! Duh!
Betty Grable, Marlene Dietrich, Angie Dickinson and Jamie Lee Curtis all had great legs that were insured for millions!
However wine “legs” are the streaks of liquid that slide down the inside of the glass after Read the rest of this entry »
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By admin | Wine | Wednesday 5th August 2009
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By Darryl Soljan | Darryl's rambling philosophy | Thursday 30th July 2009
Going back a generation or two, dinner time was family time, a time of conversation and togetherness.
Being a family that worked hard on the land and with a winemaking tradition going back to the Adriatic Sea, this time took on even more significance for my family.
Skip forward to today with microwaves, pre-packaged meals, TV and the general pace of life, and meal times in the traditional sense have all but disappeared for many families.
Earlier this year, Bridget & I decide to ‘make a stand’ for our own family, and I thought I would share this with you quickly because it has been great for us.
To begin with, Read the rest of this entry »
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By Darryl Soljan | Entertainment Events | Monday 8th June 2009
Have you ever sipped what you thought was a fantastic wine, and then someone next to you at the BBQ blurts out that it’s a “bit sharp”, a “bit rough” or “it tastes like vinegar”?
That is one of the great things about wine, it is entirely subjective. One person’s gold medal $200 bottle of Bordeaux is another person’s cooking vino.
This situation occurs in all artistic related endeavours. One person’s masterpiece is another person’s finger painting by a toddler.
Recently Bridget and I were fortunate to attend a premiere of ‘Bottleshock’, the new wine movie based around the historical and industry changing ‘Judgement of Paris’ tasting in 1976 that pitched wine from California against the best of France.
The movie combines the arts of wine and movie making.
For me there were only two highlights (actually, three if you include the credits rolling) - the stunning Read the rest of this entry »
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By Darryl Soljan | Wine | Monday 30th March 2009
I am multi-tasking.
Seriously.
I am writing this Blog in between loading bins of Malbec & Cabernet Franc into the crusher. Awesome grapes! I have to keep washing the grape juice from my hands to prevent my keyboard going sticky!
However, my ‘multi-tasking’ capabilities, which are substantial (at the gym I catch up with my reading while at maximum pace on the ’step machine’ – see, getting fit AND learning at the same time) are not the subject of this Blog. My sticky hands are. Read the rest of this entry »
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By Darryl Soljan | Food | Monday 9th March 2009
I can’t hear you, I’m not listening!
As parents or grandparents, how often have we heard those words from a toddler with hands clasped over ears, eyes averted, stomping determinedly on the spot?!
Kids seem to grow out of that phase pretty quick.
Quicker it would seem that most business owners. Read the rest of this entry »
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By Darryl Soljan | Vineyard News | Tuesday 20th January 2009
Like many New Zealanders, I took a camping break with my family earlier this month.
Each of the last four years, we have gone to Read the rest of this entry »
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By Darryl Soljan | Vineyard News | Monday 1st December 2008
I have really been trying hard to resist adding fuel to the “Global Meltdown” fire. I am sick of it. One tactic I have used is Read the rest of this entry »
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By Darryl Soljan | Vineyard News | Monday 3rd November 2008
We have just returned from a family holiday to the US.
How do I know we are back? The 2-inch pile of credit card statements on the kitchen table, and the 2 kilo accumulation of American hot dogs somewhere else are two certain signs! Read the rest of this entry »
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By Darryl Soljan | Vineyard News | Monday 8th September 2008
Not so long ago I attended the NZ Film Festival in Auckland.
Living in the country, this is the “annual urban reward” I give to myself.
In the weeks before the festival, I study the program, circle the time slots and Read the rest of this entry »
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