Fungal Fun

February 8, 2010

Many of you know me as wine educator and tour guide here at Michel-Schlumberger but what you may not know is that I am an amateur mycologist of twenty seven years.  Every fall I go out into the woods and collect mushrooms for study and consumption as well as lead forays for those new to [...]

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Some Pollen With Your Red Wine?

February 5, 2010

These days, if you were to pull up a barstool at the Boar’s Nest in Dry Creek Valley (the local’s spot for a pint or four) and eavesdrop on the general conversation, at least some of it would probably sound like this: Local Guy: “More rain a comin’, I hear.” Other Local Guy: “Yup. Well, [...]

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The Little Picture

January 27, 2010

“The real voyage of discovery consists of not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust Years ago, I had just finished a SCUBA certification course in Thailand and our instructor was taking us out to a dive site noted for regular sightings of Whale Sharks, the world’s largest fish (up to [...]

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“The Right Thing To Do”

January 14, 2010

We’ve spoken and written about it often — and now is a great time to actually experience it.  Wine Creek, the tiny but oh-so-important stream running through Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estate is flowing steadily, and the salmon and steelhead are back to spawn. For those unaware, this tiny tributary is reportedly one of the last three [...]

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The Difference

January 12, 2010

                To the common passerby, it may appear that most winegrowers do things exactly the same way as everyone else. Once you start to gain just a bit of viticultural knowledge, you start to realize that there are some differences. The more you learn, the more you realize [...]

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The Incredible Edible Egg

January 7, 2010

Happy New Year! Wow, that year went by crazy fast. I guess maybe that was because of all the really fun stuff that went down at the Michel-Schlumberger in 2009 (“time flies…”, after all). I guess that’s also why I’m pretty darn fired up to be back at work after a relaxing Christmas break. We’ve [...]

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Begin Again

January 6, 2010

In the beginning (John 1:1)….no wait, in the big inning (Jon Miller, San Francisco Giants broadcaster, April 5)…that’s more like it.  We all love beginnings.  My favorite beginning is the day pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training (February 18th)   because it means that opening day is not far behind.   There is just something to the sound [...]

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Merry Christmas!

December 22, 2009

  Wishing you the very happiest of the holiday season.  See you in 2010! tony

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Whipped Cream & Other Delights

December 15, 2009

So I was chopping chard in the kitchen last week when my lovely wife, Lorraine, blurted out, “My favorite album cover of all time!” Although her declaration came straight out of the blue I was not taken aback – she has a very endearing way of sometimes saying seemingly nonsensical things at weird times. “So [...]

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Live Forever…

December 3, 2009

It’s getting cold and dark these days. The vines are dormant and the summer crops are gone from the organic garden and I’ve resorted to using a small space heater under my desk in my heat-challenged office and many of the vineyard workers have headed South to Mexico for a much-deserved winter break. Meanwhile, the [...]

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