[astromo]

Hey all,

I'm a terrible person, at least as far as finding time to finish the coaster chapter. I'm still hoping to have it done by Friday, but a whole lot of stuff has kept me too busy on other fronts.

I may do a chapter on the other fronts as well, since I think it's worth discussing some things I'm working on. Nothing will be a surprise to anyone here, I don't think.

All the best,
Jason

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to the latest coaster instalment. I'm not good with TBCs but then the time between chapters spells hurdles for you and more interesting reading for us. I can work with that.

 

[EricDH]

I have been to Spain several times and am a big fan of Spanish reds. Wine from the Rioja area is great but I also like Ribera del Duero, especially Condado de Haza Crianza Ribera del Duero. For a good Rioja try LAN.

Note that Spanish wines come in three levels: crianza, reserva and grand reserva with corresponding quality(usually) and price points(always)...

Boy are we ever off the Schiit train lately!

Not necessarily quality levels. As far as I know it denotes the length of ageing (on wood). One wine maker's crianza can be better than his competitor's reserva. And some wines are better younger than older.

 

[Derrick Swart]

Not necessarily quality levels. As far as I know it denotes the length of ageing (on wood). One wine maker's crianza can be better than his competitor's reserva. And some wines are better younger than older.

Wine is very similar to audio gear. I both love them. Highly depending on taste, knowledge and the size of your wallet. As with audio gear don't we've a good insight of the ingredients that go into the wine. Funny is that nowadays the 'quality' of wines is very consistent over the different harvest years. It used to be that this year the wine is good but the year before was awful. I think now it is a work of a chemist instead of a farmer. For me Portugal produces the best wines that I know: great taste, affordable and relative small productions. Some favorite wineries: Herdade dos Grous (10€-30€ a bottle), Quinta Da Alorna(4€-8€ a bottle) and Pêra-Grave: Quinta de São José de Peramanca(10€-20€ a bottle). Especially Alorna white and red are 3.99€ and delicious, try them out when you've the chance. Other thing I like about Alorna is that the price policy/strategy is very much the same as the one of Schiit Audio

 

[EricDH]

Here are the details about Pietro's bike. It's the most advanced bike that I've ever seen.
It has infinitely adjustable gears and indeed an ART-certified lock on the rear wheel.
Pietro plans to lock it inside a private room (not the community room) in the cellar of his building, cable-locked to an eyelet in the wall.
https://www.fietsenwinkel.nl/victesse-strada-n330-hm-2018-lage-instap

.....and maybe put 400 Volt on it?

 

[EricDH]

Funny is that nowadays the 'quality' of wines is very consistent over the different harvest years. It used to be that this year the wine is good but the year before was awful. I think now it is a work of a chemist instead of a farmer. For me Portugal produces the best wines that I know: great taste, affordable and relative small productions. Some favorite wineries: Herdade dos Grous (10€-30€ a bottle), Quinta Da Alorna(4€-8€ a bottle) and Pêra-Grave: Quinta de São José de Peramanca(10€-20€ a bottle). Especially Alorna white and red are 3.99€ and delicious, try them out when you've the chance. Other thing I like about Alorna is that the price policy/strategy is very much the same as the one of Schiit Audio

True. Since we have people around with a wine maker's university degree, the average quality and certainly consistency have dramatically improved. Some say at the cost of some character..... But I am not a specialist. Portugal has many very good wines indeed. And.......of course also nothing wrong with a nice LBV port wine (with, if I may so chauvinistically suggest, an old Dutch cheese).

 

[BagelJoe]

Wine is very similar to audio gear. I both love them. Highly depending on taste, knowledge and the size of your wallet. As with audio gear don't we've a good insight of the ingredients that go into the wine. Funny is that nowadays the 'quality' of wines is very consistent over the different harvest years. It used to be that this year the wine is good but the year before was awful. I think now it is a work of a chemist instead of a farmer. For me Portugal produces the best wines that I know: great taste, affordable and relative small productions. Some favorite wineries: Herdade dos Grous (10€-30€ a bottle), Quinta Da Alorna(4€-8€ a bottle) and Pêra-Grave: Quinta de São José de Peramanca(10€-20€ a bottle). Especially Alorna white and red are 3.99€ and delicious, try them out when you've the chance. Other thing I like about Alorna is that the price policy/strategy is very much the same as the one of Schiit Audio

Thanks for the Portugese wine referrals. Heading to Portugal in June for a cruise out of Porto. Very excited!

 

[kimbo]

Hey all,

I'm a terrible person, at least as far as finding time to finish the coaster chapter. I'm still hoping to have it done by Friday, but a whole lot of stuff has kept me too busy on other fronts.

Hey....don't stress Jason. It will be ready when it is ready. More important to put your energy into family, friends and time out than to make a tough deadline for yourself.
Besides, all the evidence I have seen in this thread points to you being the opposite to 'terrible'.

 

[Derrick Swart]

True. Since we have people around with a wine maker's university degree, the average quality and certainly consistency have dramatically improved. Some say at the cost of some character..... But I am not a specialist. Portugal has many very good wines indeed. And.......of course also nothing wrong with a nice LBV port wine (with, if I may so chauvinistically suggest, an old Dutch cheese).

That is an excellent combination indeed! As a Dutch but not living in the small country with a big taste do I support Dutch cheese very much but not Old Amsterdam (fake old cheese) but the one my mother brings from her local market. My favorite: Oude Leidse. And Port wine is really great with Pao de lo. High on calories warning though!!

 

[mourip]

Wine is very similar to audio gear. I both love them. Highly depending on taste, knowledge and the size of your wallet. As with audio gear don't we've a good insight of the ingredients that go into the wine. Funny is that nowadays the 'quality' of wines is very consistent over the different harvest years. It used to be that this year the wine is good but the year before was awful. I think now it is a work of a chemist instead of a farmer. For me Portugal produces the best wines that I know: great taste, affordable and relative small productions. Some favorite wineries: Herdade dos Grous (10€-30€ a bottle), Quinta Da Alorna(4€-8€ a bottle) and Pêra-Grave: Quinta de São José de Peramanca(10€-20€ a bottle). Especially Alorna white and red are 3.99€ and delicious, try them out when you've the chance. Other thing I like about Alorna is that the price policy/strategy is very much the same as the one of Schiit Audio

Agreed about Portuguese wines. I became personally aware of Spanish wines about 20 years ago as the bang for the buck king in the US, being predictably very, very drinkable, and still are, but Portuguese wines have gained great traction over the last few years and are now also a great value in the US. I particularly like those from the Dao and Douro regions.

Regarding Crianza/Reserva I am sure that a good Crianza wine can be better than a poor Reserva that it why I put "usually" after quality. The idea being that up to a point wood barrel aging generally improves the wine but skill and luck can often triumph...

Regarding wine pairing, I have found that most red wine goes really well with an Yggy

 

[Paladin79]

Wine to me, is like audio, or art. Something that appeals to one of the senses yet there is such diversity out there that we can generally all find something we like.

There is an excellent documentary titled "Sour Grapes" about a man who faked some of the greatest wines in the world. There is also a book I liked, Shadows in the Vineyard:The True Story of the Plot to Poison the World's Greatest Wine. This book is informative and covers such things as terroir and some of the history of wine making in California.

 

[Tom Ato]

Nobody would steal it to get money, but at least in my childhood hometown those old beaters were often "borrowed" when people grew tired of walking all the way home from the bar.
Usually they were left visibly at the side of the road though, so you had a decent chance of getting your bike back.

That is an interesting use case I would never have thought of!

 

[Seret]

Ok I am checking out Fairport Convention, interesting group. So far I have switched between four amps and three pair of headphones and right now it sounds best with solid state balanced into Alpha Primes.

After listening to a bit of Fairport, check out Richard Thompson. (He was their lead guitarist. I always thought it was odd that music magazines in the late 60s rated him as the "best guitarist" -- over Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, etc. -- while he was in a folk-rock band. Then I learned why........)
He had always been into quality recording and production. His most accessible album is "Rumor and Sigh" which was available on DVD-Audio (another dead format). Check out "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" -- a beautiful love song to a motorcycle!

 

[Derrick Swart]

That is an interesting use case I would never have thought of!

solidaridad is the name of that system (with unwritten rules)
Acceptance is a great thing!

 

[Paladin79]

After listening to a bit of Fairport, check out Richard Thompson. (He was their lead guitarist. I always thought it was odd that music magazines in the late 60s rated him as the "best guitarist" -- over Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, etc. -- while he was in a folk-rock band. Then I learned why........)
He had always been into quality recording and production. His most accessible album is "Rumor and Sigh" which was available on DVD-Audio (another dead format). Check out "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" -- a beautiful love song to a motorcycle!

I will certainly look into it and I have always had a fondness for British groups coming out of the mid to late sixties. I want to say Hunter S.Thompson used to talk about the Vincent Black Shadow but I could be wrong.

 

[Derrick Swart]

After listening to a bit of Fairport, check out Richard Thompson. (He was their lead guitarist. I always thought it was odd that music magazines in the late 60s rated him as the "best guitarist" -- over Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, etc. -- while he was in a folk-rock band. Then I learned why........)
He had always been into quality recording and production. His most accessible album is "Rumor and Sigh" which was available on DVD-Audio (another dead format). Check out "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" -- a beautiful love song to a motorcycle!

Thanks! will check it out, hope it is not like Joe Satriani -can't take that music-. I am now listening to Jonathan Wilson - Rare Birds. Tip that I got from a Darko.Audio podcast and I like it and the album has some really nice songs. The seventies in a modern jacket and on one of the songs I could almost hear the voice of Roger Waters! Also reminded me a bit of Gotye - Making Mirrors.