Above: In a protest mounted earlier this month in Asti, besieged Piedmont grape growers and winemakers pleaded for government aid (photo by 400AsaFoto.it).
I managed to carve out some time this morning to post over at VinoWire on recent developments in Piedmont for grape growers and winemakers affected by the global wine crisis.
On his excellent blog Sapori del Piemonte, Filippo Larganà has been providing some solid coverage of what’s happening on the ground there.
From the “just for fun” department…
Above: In Texas, they take their football seriously. That’s Tracie B’s cousin Grant at a recent Longhorns game. When he found out we were getting married, his father Terry, my favorite uncle-to-be, called and congratulated me and then politely requested, “but please don’t get married during the playoffs.” UT is playing Alabama in the championship tonight at the Rose Bowl.
I’m not exactly what you’d call a “jock.” Don’t get me wrong: I stay in shape and have long enjoyed the competitive sport otherwise known as “jogging.” All of my brothers were highly accomplished athletes in high school and beyond. But me? I got through my teenage years on good grades and playing guitar. Let’s just put it this way: Tracie B loves me for “my brain,” not my biceps. ;-)
Well, I live in Texas now: as Anne in Oxfordshire pointed out the other day, I “care about where the apostrophe is” but when in Rome…
Tracie B and I will be watching the game tonight at our favorite neighborhood wine bar, Vino Vino: I can’t think of any other city in the world where you could watch a college-football championship game and sip on a slightly sparkling Favorita (blended with a little bit of Moscato) from Piedmont with an alcohol content of around 11.5%. (It’s the Grangia by Tintero, one of our cannot-live-without wines.)
Vino and football! Who’d have ever thunk it?
In other news…
Photo by Benoit.
The squirrels are at it again. Click here to submit your nominations for the Squirrel Wine Blogging awards.
Do Bianchi 