No content until my desktop is fixed…had a “Disk Read Error” after a restart….
November 7, 2009
November 3, 2009
October 31, 2009
October 27, 2009
October 26, 2009
Feedback: Video Tastings, Yay or Nay?
Hey guys,
Sound off in the comments on whether or not I should keep doing video tastings. Should I just stick to text tastings instead? Should I have a text transcript with the video tasting?
Goal is to have the production values go up eventually (it’s tough now since space in the dorm is very limited). The 2007 Layer Cake video wasn’t even edited, just straight from the webcam.
October 25, 2009
2007 Layer Cake and Connecticut Wineries
First video from my webcam! A tasting of a 2007 vintage Layer Cake, a Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina
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And now my opinions on Connecticut wineries. I went with Ka to 3 different wineries along the Connecticut Wine Trail (she drove). I did not take any notes…simply because…I really wasn’t expecting any wine to justify the time spent making the notes…I was wrong in some places, sadly.
1. McLaughlin Vineyards (Sandy Hook)
a. Chardonnay ($20)
Was not a huge fan of this. The pourer implied that most people over-oak Chard (yes, in the US), so I was expecting a nice, crisp apple/pear element that I had enjoyed in a Chard from Santa Barbara (they didn’t oak at all)…then I was disappointed when we were told the winery used oak chips in stainless steel tanks. Didn’t think this was special, if I remember correctly, I think it was way too acidic.
b. Coyote ($16)
Vidal grapes. Pourer claimed that growing these grapes near an apple tree gave it a “granny smith apple” character. Ka said she didn’t believe the apple soil could influence the wine to that extent, which is a good point. When I tasted it, I didn’t notice an apple taste, but I thought I could smell a little from the aroma. Granted, if Vidal grapes have an apple characteristic to them, then the apple tree soil would have done nothing.
Wine was ridiculously foxy. After we left the winery, all I could taste was this Coyote wine. I told Ka that it tasted like I licked a cat.
c. Snow Goose ($20)
Cornell grape! Made from Cayuga White (Ka and I definitely perked up and exchanged glances/smiles when the pourer said it was from Cornell)! I think I liked this one the most out of all of the ones we tried…but…mreh
d. Vista Reposa ($20)
I think all I remember was black pepper taste.
e. Merlot ($22)
Pourer told us to try it with and without dark chocolate. It was definitely better with the dark chocolate…but…seemed to me like it was kinda cheating…I didn’t think the wine was special by itself.
Overall: Hm. Not sure why one person who was at the tasting came more than once. I probably would not go to this winery again.
2. White Silo Farm and Winery (Sherman)
This place makes fruit wine…and only fruit wine. Tastings allowed only 4 choices…so Ka and I alternated choices.
a. Rhubarb
dry: don’t remember much. i think I liked the smell of this wine…but…I think I thought the taste was kinda too spicy for me.
seni-sweet: i remember tasting this and wishing i had a dry bubbly to make a cocktail with it
b. Blackberry
dry: apparently, i liked this one enough to buy a bottle. i really should have taken notes. i think i liked this because it reminded me of a lighter zin (ie, NOT sonoma county style zin)
semi-sweet: i think i wondered how this one could be blackberry since it smelled and tasted like strawberries
c. Raspberry
dry: one of these tasted like medicine to me. the other one i just didn’t find special.
semi-sweet: one of these tasted like medicine to me. the other one i just didn’t find special.
d. Black Currant
dry: mar?
semi-sweet (cassis, $14): this was AWESOME. it was like a nommy port and was a pleasant surprise.
e. Sangria
wasn’t a fan.
Overall: the lady who poured didn’t seem like she knew what she was doing. she seemed very motherly though! they had a decent amount of free food that used all the fruit harvested at the farm. i had their cranberrry bread and didn’t like it: too sweet and the berries weren’t mixed evenly throughout the breadloaf…they were pretty much all at the bottom.
3. DiGrazia Vineyards (Brookfield)
Haha…this place…
a. Winners Cup ($15.99)
I remember tasting this and going like “wow, it’s like a chard *1 sec later* oh wait, now it’s like a hybrid? *1 sec later* oh god, what is this crap?”
b. Meadowbrook ($15.99)
mar?
c. Honey Blush ($15.99)
mar?
d. Paragran ($18.99)
This one was a blend of pomegranate and pear…and definitely sounded more intriguing than it tasted
e. White Magnolia – White Port ($24.99)
Excellent! Won’t touch a good Taylor Fladgate, but it was an enjoyable port
f. The Birches ($24.99)
God. The second I tasted this, it was Robitussin all the way
g. Winterberry ($18.99)
I think this was ok? Nothing special
h. Wild Blue ($24.99)
I hated this. If I wanted blueberry juice, I would eat blueberries. Our pourer evidently loves this stuff because she said she was drinking it all day. She poured one for Ka (which I tried) and then poured this for me when I asked for a recommendation…since she made a face when I asked for pretty much anything on the tasting menu
i. Wild Blue Too ($24.99)
I liked this a lot more than the Wild Blue. The pourer let me try this to compare. The apple gave this some nice acidic kick which better balanced the over syrupyness of the Wild Blue, I thought. Still wouldn’t uh…buy it.
j. Signature Blacksmith Port ($39.99)
This was also quite good. However, at $40 you can definitely get much better ports. Actually, at $40 you can get much better wine period. Even at $25 for the other port, you could get better wine…
h. Autumn Spice ($15.99)
This wine smelled great. It smelled like a fall home… pumpkin pie..maybe some more cloves, etc….but it did not taste like much…I think i remember warmed water. Ka commented that it could have tasted better hot.
Overall: Some of the wines were like “wtf, people drink this?” I was supremely disappointed in the direction the winery was taking. On their wall, they had bottles of wine made from vinifera grapes that won awards! They even had the guts to have a bottle of Riesling they made with a true German description…when I asked if they had any of that stuff left, the pourer said that they had something kinda similar but they didn’t make that style any more. This was the only place with a spit bucket…and it wasn’t really a spit bucket…it was more like a “i don’t like this so i’ll pour it out” bucket.
Connecticut wineries overall: Really? What kind of wineries don’t have spit buckets? How can you expect people to visit all 21 wineries in a day? How are you charging so much? I…pretty much got what I expected out of the wineries…but the trip was fun! And it makes for interesting stories. I’ve gotten a lot of “They make wine in CT?!” comments.
Til next time!
October 23, 2009
Review of LensRentals.com
Hey all,
So, we all pretty much know that I can’t afford to buy every good lens out there…which sucks because I’d love to have quite a few more. Two lenses that I had been staring at for a long time were the Carl Zeiss ZF 35mm f/2 and the Canon EOS 85 f/1.2L Mark II. The former is regarded as an excellent wide angle lens and the latter is part of Canon’s “Holy Trinity” of lenses, renowned specifically as a great portrait lens. However badly I want them though, the Zeiss costs ~$800 and the 85L costs ~$2000.
I stumbled upon LensRentals.com and noticed that they carried a LOT of gear in stock and were up front about all their policies and costs. I saw that they had both lenses in stock and said “you know what, $200 for 2 lenses over 10 days is really pretty reasonable…especially with fall here and lots of people to take photos of”…so I went ahead and placed a reservation. They are not paying me for this review.
Customer Service:
Their staff is excellent. Because I ordered a Nikon mount AND a Canon mount lens, they were concerned and sent me an email to double check that I ordered everything correctly (I have a Nikon adapter and didn’t want the Zeiss with an electronic shutter). They were very quick with any questions I emailed them and even used Twitter! When the order was sent out, I got an email and a tweet from them to make sure that I was kept up to speed.
Lens Packaging and Shipping:
They packed the lenses extremely well. They sent the lenses with hoods, lens bags, caps and covered all of that with big bubble wrap and foam. They also packed handy copies of the invoice and return policy inside.
Plus, they overnighted the lens to me to try to make me have the order on time (it was!). Cost of shipping (both to and from) is included with the rental price. The return shipping label was included with the box and it was crazy easy to pick up and return. Well…logistically. I didn’t want to part with the lenses.
Lens quality:
The site claims that if they don’t have a copy of your requested lens in stock, and you order enough in advance, they will simply buy a new copy and send it to you. I think that is what happened with the Zeiss lens as it looked and felt brand new. The 85L seemed to have a dust speck inside the lens, but it didn’t affect image quality at all. I think LensRentals does a good job of cleaning everything given their turnaround schedule. Plus, if the lens really isn’t up to par, they’ll send you a different copy.
Conclusion:
If you want to try out some photo gear and see whether or not you will purchase it, definitely try LensRentals. They rent more than just lenses now and have a great thing going. I would not hesitate to use them again. Although, using their service definitely makes you want to go out and buy new lenses…
Stay tuned for some photos from my time with the rented lenses!
October 2, 2009
Random Update
Hey,
I’m between meetings right now. In the ChemE dept at UMass Amherst, the 1st year Ph D’s attend seminars conducted by various faculty so we may learn more of their research projects. After these seminars end, we’re supposed to go meet them individually to learn even more (they get 30 mins, which isn’t enough time for them to talk about everything).
I’m considering doing my research outside of the ChemE department…I may end up taking a project in the Polymer Science department here…they do a lot of interesting research and are supposed to be the best Polymers department in the country.
So, yeah, I’m sitting in the lobby of Conte (the Polymers building) trying to kill time until my next meeting.
I managed to have an update trifecta a few days ago…updated this blog, the ChemE blog, and the Stan blog.
Can’t update with photos since I am not on my desktop right now. Oh well. Doesn’t mean I won’t have a lolcat!
hahahah, puns, hahaha. I’m wondering how many people actually read this anyway. Hm.
Anyway, managed to shoot a few photos of my classmates, they are much more sensitive about having Taya around then my Cornell friends are, haha.
Be back later!
