wine, climb, travel, repeat.
One might argue that the greatest collateral damage of conventional wine making is the loss of fermentation. This might sound odd as what is wine if not fermented grapes? However, in the process of adding enzymes, selecting yeasts, inoculating bacteria, and manipulating color, texture and flavor, fermentation has been all but eradicated.* If not fermentation... Continue Reading →
I did not come to Australia expecting to fall in love with eggs. Truth be told, eggs and I have been having a pretty serious love affair for a while now, but this trip has taken it to the next level. I don't know what they feed their chickens here, but the eggs they produce... Continue Reading →
I rang in 2018 at a costume party with 30 or so new friends in Margaret River, WA. How I ended up there was the result of a series of steps outside of my comfort zone. I spent Christmas in Perth at the invitation of one of my dearest friends and her family. After the... Continue Reading →
There is something to be said about allowing others to give to you. It brings me great joy to give to others (both things tangible and things intangible), but when it comes to being on the receiving end there remains a slight discomfort. A discomfort that straddles the invisible line between guilt of being an... Continue Reading →
I'm currently sitting 30,000+ feet in the air (it should go without saying that I'm in a plane - my levitation game is not that strong yet). I'm somewhere south of Chicago right now, en-route to LAX. There I will switch planes and start the long journey to Sydney. What awaits me on the other... Continue Reading →
The process of making the Cremant began at 8am. The Pinot Gris juice that, just a day and a half before, we had put into the tank to separate, was ready to be put to work. First, the clear juice was removed and mixed with a small amount of the first fermentation of the wine.... Continue Reading →
I am currently in the town of Ammerschwihr in Alsace, France. Alsace borders Germany and has changed hands many times in its history. This ancient straddling of people and place is reflected in the feel of the region; from the architecture to the food and language. I am staying with Christian Binner, a winemaker who... Continue Reading →
There are few things that I love more than traveling. I don't just love traveling, I feel deeply at ease with it. Even the obstacles that come up - missed flights, overlooked reservations, wrong directions, miscalculated timing - I approach with a grace I rarely have when confronted with similar situations at home. But landing... Continue Reading →
Sometimes friends surprise you in the most delightful ways. Someone is coming to visit from Australia in a few days and he so generously offered to bring me half a case of Australian natural wine. I recommended a wine shop and gave him the names of some wines I was interested in trying. And then... Continue Reading →
The other day I posted this photo on Instagram and accompanied it with some thoughts on doing the stuff that is hard in order to get better at it. In the context of climbing it seems like a rather doable approach - your back muscles are weak? Do climbs that work them to get them... Continue Reading →
Wine and Climb 