It's SOBE Baby

For years we spent a week at South Beach Miami(SOBE) even attending the SOBE wine and food festival. But age has not been nice to us and we can no longer tolerate the heat, late nights, and the wine and culinary Olympics we used to attend. One year we had two dinners, one at 6 PM at Emeril’s and a second dinner at Opium at midnight, then drinking and dancing until 6 AM where we had breakfast at the News Cafe. We just cannot do it anymore, and besides all of those places are closed. So after a decade since our last trip, it was time to take a short trip during the week as hotel prices are a steal mid-week, and check out the new culinary and nightclub scene as best we could tolerate it. We did not do a lot but it was a nice trip and we were glad to return and hope to return in the future. On our latest night, we got in at 11 PM. During the day there is plenty of shopping on Lincoln Road Mall.  Below are our recommendations.

Hotel Lord Balfour https://www.thebalfourmiamibeach.com 305-538-1055

The Lord Balfour at the south end of ocean drive a couple of blocks south of 5th street on ocean drive is a gem. We stayed there on a travel zoo promotion at a very reasonable price and we were very pleased. I'm happy to recommend the hotel to those who want to go to South Beach. It has one major advantage in that it is very quiet at night. You are only 2 blocks from the noisy action but when you go to bed you sleep well. The hotel is a little dated and traditional even though it was remodeled 3 years ago. It could use some touch-up paint here and there but the rooms though small are very comfortable, clean, and have all the basics you need including in-room coffee. I can also recommend the restaurant. We had breakfast every morning and frankly it was one of the best restaurant breakfasts we have enjoyed. For those who know it feels like a typical European boutique hotel. Management is very involved and allowed me to make suggestions to them. The staff was helpful and professional. We hope to return soon.   

Red Steakhouse

Red Steakhouse what a disappointment they've been around for years. A few years ago they moved to their new location and the decor is impressive. The food was good and the service was OK but the prices were completely unreasonable for what you received. They have an extensive wine list but their wine prices were over 5 times retail which in my opinion is unforgivable and just pure greed. Food prices are going up everywhere, I understand that, but here they really didn't match the quality of the food. Everything that was served was good but it was nothing but basic food. I had a pound and a 1/2 of king crab legs that obviously were the weight with the shell and they were kind enough to shell them for me but I only ended up with the meat of 4 medium size legs the price was $129 which to me was way beyond what an entree should be. The sides were again OK but nothing to write home about and certainly not worth the cost. Overall very overpriced for what you get and we will not be going back.

Osteria del Teatro   http://osteriadelteatro.miami/ 305-538-7850

What a joy! They have been here for at least 40 years we've eaten there many times and they haven't dropped a beat. It's one of the best places to eat in South Beach. They moved to their new facility about 6 years ago and it is twice the size of the old one and a lot more opulent. But the friendly professional staff and the high-quality northern Italian cuisine have not changed a bit. They are known for their prawns in that they actually serve U2 prawns the size of your hand cooked to perfection. I have only seen these prawns this size here. With no prompting, they were prepared to serve me Italian Zabion and berry's for dessert which is a huge plus. They also had other selections of desserts which were excellent. I just cannot say enough good about this restaurant. They clearly demonstrate what a great restaurant should be and I can't wait to return.   

Time Out Market  https://www.timeoutmarket.com/miami/

Time out market is a very interesting facility one block off the Lincoln road mall. Basically, it's 21 small restaurants featuring some of the top Chefs in the Miami area. Anything from burgers to Sushi to Mexican, you name it. It's very casual and the food we had there was excellent. It's a good place to go and get a variety of Miami cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere. They have a full bar in the middle of the building and all the staff were helpful and friendly and accommodating.

Uber in South Beach

Uber is wonderful here and we have never had a problem. We only had to wait more than 2 or 3 minutes once and all of the drivers were friendly and professional, and the cars were comfortable and clean. You really cannot drive a car around SOBE, especially at night and especially on ocean drive. In the fact, the city of Miami requires that the Ubers pick you up on Collins which is one block from ocean drive because it's basically bumper-to-bumper on Ocean Drive, especially on weekends. We basically park our car leave it at the hotel and take Uber.

Safron Mediterranean Grill  https://safron-grill.business.site/ 305-397-8118

Safron grill at the intersection of Washington Street and 11th street was recommended by our good friend Luis. It is a great Mediterranean restaurant to go to for lunch. It's listed as a Turkish restaurant but in reality, it's Eastern Mediterranean with food from Turkey, Cyprus, and Lebanon. The food was excellent as was the service. They had all of your favorite eastern Mediterranean delicacies such as Tabbuli, and Babaganush, and theirs is primo, lamb, and Falafels. I don't even like Falafel but there's was probably the best I've ever had. All of the food was freshly made in-house and about his authentic, as you can get. We had the salad platter and a lamb gyro and were very pleased. I also had homemade baklava which I haven't had in years. I highly recommend this restaurant if you like Eastern Mediterranean delicacies.

Stiltsville Fish Bar  www.stiltsvillefishbar.com 786-655-4365

This is a small place a little north of Lincoln Road Mall. Their claim to fame is fresh seafood off the docks and to us it was true. We saw a lot of locals eating here and the place was full by 7 PM so it must be good if locals flock to it. Interestingly we ended up eating something different from fresh seafood. They had a surf and turf burger which was basically a lobster roll sandwich combined with a burger. I was intrigued so I had it and it was a unique experience. The burger and meat were actually very tasty and good and one of the better burgers I have had recently. So go figure. We had a nice meal. We met the owner who was gracious and involved. Of interest, I accidentally spilled a fairly expensive glass of bourbon and the owner topped it off for me. Our server was knowledgeable and friendly and overall it was a good experience and I recommend them.

Kanoli  https://puff-hookah.com/  305-981-6688

Located at 1236 Ocean Drive this is the place to go for dinner and a show. The owner is committed to great food, service, and entertainment, and each evening there are some of the best musicians in Miami playing, one of whom is my good friend Luis Mejia from Columbia who is a classical trained Flamenco guitar player who has performed all over the world. He has settled down for the most part with his family in Miami and plays mostly on weeknights which worked well for us as we are less enthusiastic with crowds anymore. The restaurant has an extensive food and drink menu and great friendly service. We were able to a couple of nights in a row for dessert, coffee, and drinks, and very much enjoyed Luis’s multimedia show. And for those of you who are into it they also are a Hookah bar to enjoy with the show.  To me, Kanoli offers the best of SOBE.

Update on Vitamin D Dosing and Use

 I recently reviewed and some of you have contacted me regarding an article illustrating that too much Vitamin D can be harmful and to be cognizant and aware of the dose you are taking and to be again aware of Vitamin D toxicity.  The problem with these news articles is they like to have this big headline that grabs your attention in order to sell the paper but all you remember is the headline because it was so scary and then you either don't read the article or you read it and don't pay attention because you are now scared.

Let us be clear.  This article was regarding ONE and only ONE person who was taking 50,000 IU of Vitamin D 3X PER DAY.  Not one, not two but 3X per day!!!   Of course, he was going to be toxic.  I have said over and over all drugs have a therapeutic window and any drug can be toxic and just because a little helps does not mean more helps more.  It does NOT!  The correct dosage of 50,000 IU for someone who is severly Vitamin deficient is one capsule weekly for about 4 weeks and then ONE PER MONTH.

The correct dose today of Vitamin D that has been shown to help prevent or reduce cancer incidence and Covid infection is 4000 IU once a day or 50,000 once or twice a month.  Even with these lower doses you periodically want to have your doctor check your serum Vitamin D level and Calcium level.  Your Vitamin D level needs to be over 40 and your Calcium level needs to be around 10.  Previous recommendations as a "normal" Vitamin level of 20-30 in my opinion are too low.

Vitamin D has a decent therapeutic level.  But if you take 50,000 IU 3X a day you will get sick.

Memorable Restaurants and Bars Pacific Northwest, Canada, and Croatia

Returning from almost 6 weeks of travel I now sit down and reminisce about some of the exceptional dinners we had on our trip, even in the face of Covid. Despite dining in some somewhat mediocre establishments the fact remains there were some very shiny stars. I was brought up with a saying if you cannot say something nice say nothing at all. A rule I never totally followed to my detriment. But I am proud to say below are some very, very nice places that I can say something good about and recommend you visit if you are able and in the area.

Memorable Restaurants and Bars Croatia

Zoi Restaurant. Split waterfront outside terrace with Emperor Diocletian's Palace(305 AD) wall and columns against your back wall overlooking the harbor.

Recipient of L’Assiette Michelin and Award from Gault & Millau for an extraordinary dinner with exceptional food and service in the shadow of a 2000-year-old palace. Service was outstanding with a quick story.  One of our group is sadly allergic to olive oil and cannot have any so when ordering always has to tell the server I cannot have olive oil.  When this was said the server showing great humor stated "Let me understand, you come to a place in the world where olive oil is the main ingredient, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING"!!  We are still laughing.  Known for their appetizer of crab and shrimp taco’s our dining guests could not have agreed more as to the succulent taste of the shellfish and freshness. Everyone was mesmerized by the well-prepared and fresh dishes including the grilled white fish which is a staple in Croatia and could be called the National dish. All courses were well prepared. Their wine list was good with reasonable prices. We had brought our own wine and negotiated the corkage which included buying some of their wine but their local Croatian white wine was so good we put ours away and purchased repeat bottles of their white wine. Yes, it was that good. Such a great dinner we lingered for dessert and afterward enjoying the views of the local people and the harbor. Without question one of the top dining destinations in Croatia and reason enough to return.

Puteus Restaurant Pucisca Croatia

It may be a very small peaceful village and harbor but Pucisca contains absolutely one of the best restaurants in Croatia. Pučišća is a coastal town and a municipality on the island of Brač in Croatia. It is often listed as one of the prettiest villages in Europe. It is known for its white limestone and beautiful bay. The town has a population of 1,351 So take the next Ferry and come for dinner. It is not well marked and we found it by happenstance. There is a Church on the opposite side of the harbor and there is a doorway to the side of the Church with a menu displayed which caught our attention. Reading the menu we were stunned at the Michelin level of offerings so we walked up the stairs to explore and walked into a large outside courtyard with beautifully groomed lawns and gardens with tables outside. We were warmly welcomed and seated. The staff was highly professional, friendly, elegant, and formally dressed.  We were allowed to bring our own wine which was a plus. The menu was typical for Croatia with lots of meat and shellfish grilled to perfection in the courtyard. What most impressed me and is still imprinted in my brain was the beef tenderloin. In general, I find beef, especially in France, to be poor. I like to say they don’t have steers or Angus in Europe. Spoiler alert it was hands down the best tenderloin I have had in years. Tender and I was able to cut it with a fork, no knife was needed. Flavorful, velvet sensation, great taste, and again not one bit of toughness or unpleasantness in the meat. I had to wonder where it came from. Everyone raved about the food. I will return, in fact, we are considering how we might return to Pucisca for a few days knowing there must be other similar experiences on the island. I am fairly certain we will need to learn the Ferry schedule.

Adio Mare, Korcula

Korčula is a town on the east coast of the island of Korčula where you will find this gem. A bit of an institution, Adio Mare is Korcula town’s oldest-family-run restaurant and little has changed since it opened in 1974. It's a friendly, buzzy, hearty Dalmatian restaurant showcasing tradition rather than innovation. Book a table on the shaded terrace upstairs and enjoy the brodet fish stew with polenta, the grilled meats, or the pasta with beans. There's a decent enough selection of local wines. Without reservations, we were served inside but it made no difference as the food and service were spectacular. Serving the Croatian specialty, first-class grilled white fish, we were presented prior to cooking a couple of local white fish we could have, and being bold we had them all. Grilled to perfection we could not have made a better choice. They were wine-friendly, allowed us to bring our own wine and we bought some of theirs which were great. Service was attentive and educational and professional. We were in such a good mood after dinner we ended up buying jewelry at the local jewelry shop down the street. Another place to learn how to get there by Ferry and maybe stay a day or two as they have other local restaurants reported as outstanding also.

Bard Bar, Dubrovnik Old City

Across the way from Azur restaurant is an unmarked door. If you watch it for a while you will notice lines of people entering and leaving. Your curiosity is perked up. You wonder. You build courage and then you enter walking down a very narrow staircase inside limestone walls and walk out into thin air standing on a ledge overlooking the Adriatic Sea with maybe one handrail. Below your feet you see a terrace of similar ledges going down into the water and to your right, you see a simple bar with a sign or two and a couple of servers. On each ledge, there are chairs and tables and again if you are lucky you pick a ledge with some kind of surrounding handrails or just a ledge with just you and thin air down to the water. Many patrons go to the bottom and enjoy a drink and go swimming. Your server comes navigating the rock ledges with ease. It gives the statement table service a new meaning. Nothing is served here except drinks and no food, but the drink menu is adequate and to our surprise had Couvasier XO Cognac one of our favorites that is not even offered at some of the 5-star establishments we go to. The bar is not for the faint of heart and it certainly is not one designed for shots or heavy drinking as there is a high risk of ending up in the water. The owners have to have low overhead as there is no building so no heat, air conditioner, minimal electricity, etc. But I am willing to bet their liability insurance, if any, is through the roof. But the view at sunset is one of the best you will ever experience. Even Rick Steves knows about this place.

Pacific Northwest and Canada

Castello Fairmont Hotel Banff

A gem in the Canadian Rockies. Located at the Fairmont Hotel Banff it is a Northern Italian restaurant with all your favorites, but more importantly seamless, attentive, caring service and staff with perfectly prepared food. Arriving late, as you always do with the Rocky Mountaineer train, we were given what appeared to be the last reservation of the evening, but graciously and warmly welcomed. They were gracious and squeezed us in and everything went uphill from there.  We were pleased with the classic menu including Alberta Prime Beef Carpaccio which was outstanding, Mushroom Risotto, Caprese and Caesar salads, and Chicken Piccata one of the best I have had. Eggplant Parmesan and Braised Lamb Shank and Veal Parmesan were there also. Again a classic menu. The wine list was exceptional with reasonably priced wines. They even went to other restaurants to get the wine list to make sure that we had the best wine available that we wanted they also sent over their main sommelier who helped us which was going the extra mile. We requested some minor modifications to the orders that we put in for the food that was graciously accepted and carried out without a flaw. After dinner Executive Chef Anthony Rossi and Outlet Manager Diane McLean came out to meet us where we complimented them on the outstanding dinner. By that time it was just us and them so we closed the place down. My lasting impression was how welcoming they were knowing we were very tired and they were too looking forward to going home yet their dedication to serving the last tired guest in an outstanding manner with perfectly prepared food was palpable. We will return to Banff just to eat here.

Sharps Roasthouse down the street from SEATAC Airport, Seattle

This has to be one of the most fun, unique, and perfectly prepared food casual steakhouses. Notice I say casual. It is not a dark NYC Michelin kind of place. Come in your shorts and jeans you will fit right in. But what a treat. We were staying down the street at the Hilton so it was a short Uber ride and we could not have been more pleased. The menu is a delight. Starting at 5 PM they serve their signature dish a custom cut no. 109 Prime Rib which frankly we had to have and was one of the best we have ever had. You will not go wrong with ordering this. The drink menu was extensive and being a Bourbon drinker I had to have their own in-house-made Bourbon which was very good but whatever you want I think they have. Everything on the menu looked spectacular including hamburgers made with Prime meat, Fried Chicken, fresh seafood which you would assume, and a good listing of appetizers and small plates. Food preparation was perfect and as ordered and very tasty and fresh. Overall an outstanding and seamless dinner we were sad to have to leave. I have a crazy thought to just fly over to SEATAC one day just to have dinner and then fly back. Crazy right?

Le Crocodile Vancouver near Fairmont Vancouver Downtown

Unequivocally one of the top five meals in our life. We were told by the hotel Bellman that this was the best French restaurant in North America and we have nothing but praise and agreement with him the food was spectacular and perfectly prepared. The menu is extensive including all of your favorite French classics prepared exquisitely perfectly and better than 99% of the world. We had lobster bisque frog legs fillet of Sole, Lobster all of it was simply marvelous. The service was exceptional by Michael promptly and professionally. Chef Michel welcomed us and took a few minutes out of his busy schedule and dinner service to speak with us he is a great French gentleman and Chef and I highly recommend you dine at his restaurant. The wine list represented the entire world there were some good choices I would say that for many wines I thought the prices were too high but again you will not be disappointed in the quality and the service. I just cannot say enough good about this restaurant it was the highlight of our trip so far and made up for a lot of disappointments that we've had in a couple of weeks past. We missed our flights today and I'm so glad we did or we would have not had the opportunity to experience the best in French cuisine.

Chateau Pommard Wines

Kudos to Jeff & Cindy Coggin from Coggin Travel Agency, Atlanta, Georgia who put together an outstanding cruise along the Snake and Columbia Rivers following the Lewis & Clark trail where every evening at dinner we had a white and red Chateau Pommard wine.  Chateau Pommard has been around for centuries, originally founded in 1725,  but was purchased and upgraded a few years ago by Michael Baum who continues to make outstanding terroir driven wine from this vineyard.  I encourage you to take a trip to Burgundy to visit the vineyard.  You can't miss it it is one of the first vineyards you will see on the southern wine trail leaving Beaune.  They also have a direct to consumer program with reasonable shipping and ship to most states in the USA.  You can contact them here:

https://www.chateaudepommard.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw5ZSWBhCVARIsALERCvyp5aX1C_62SadSDfdYzAfqjycoxwUQ1ll9Rtd4XI9rLzST1178ihYaAua1EALw_wcB

Chateau Pommard White Burgundy

Meursault 2015

This appellation has been around since the Middle Ages. One of my favorite families lives in the Village of Meursault in the shadow of the Church Bell tower, the Matrot’s who have been there for generations. As a rule, I do not favor Meursault finding them too much minerality, which some like better than me. I was in the minority on this one as many felt it was wimpy but I found that made it more approachable and pleasant. I called it “Meursault lite”. It was fairly complex on the nose and taste but understated. I tasted butter, a little smoke but subdued flint. There was good acidity making it a nice food-friendly wine. Yes, it lacked body but overall was a well-made basic entry-level Meursault and one that I could see buying.

Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 2016

For many the greatest Chardonnay in the world is French Montrachet, a small vineyard worked by around 25 producers, some owning only 3 vines. The area itself goes back to Medieval times and over the years was divided into Puligny and Chassagne communes where today there are distinct villages present. As a rule, the Chassange’s are felt to be “softer” and more “feminine” but as usual, that may be a personal bias of some. In addition, as you will note later, Chassagne is one of the “white” areas that produce some “reds”. This particular “village” wine by Chateau Pommard is a basic simple Chassange-Montrachet with lots of fruit on the nose and flavor profile. A fairly classic Chassagne with primary flavors of vanilla and lemon and a hint of almond and hazelnut. There is a sense of minerality but to me, it is more in the background and not as pronounced as you find in a Puligny. It has an adequate acid skeleton which makes it food-friendly.

Santenay 1er Cru La Maladiere 2017

Fairly south in the Cote de Or this commune produces lighter whites with a continued mineral character due to fairly consistent clay/limestone soil which concentrates the terroir of the wine. Santenay is another southern Cote de Or area that makes red Burgundy but continues to make nice whites also. This particular wine could be described as having a balance of lime and vanilla in the nose and taste. For years California Chardonnay’s have been made at times attempting to have some lime and “green” color to the wine. It simply adds to the complexity which only adds to the allure of the wine. I clearly found pear, lemon, and apple here and some honeysuckle. It was a delightful wine with dinner and I highly recommend it, especially with buttery fish dishes.

Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru “Morgeot” 2018

A single vineyard premier cru white Burgundy that frankly a few vintners make wine from. This particular wine has a hedonistic nose and a flavor profile emphasizing lemon and vanilla. The oak is there but restrained. It is well balanced and the acid is right making the wine food-friendly. There is plenty of minerality in the wine but the fruit is equal to the minerality. An above-average wine with a reasonable price profile worth purchasing.

Ladoix 1er Cru Les Grechons 2018

I have now had this wine multiple times and all tastings have been very consistent. It is a little higher in acid when compared to other wines in the region but that only makes it more food-friendly especially with spicy food as well as shellfish. It should be remembered that these grapes come from the higher plots on the hill of Corton so one way to think of this wine is it is similar to the Grand Cru Corton Charlemagne at a significantly lower price. There is a lot of fruit smell and tastes a little different featuring flowers like honeysuckle, pineapple, and grapefruit with a hint of tart apple. Some tasters found mango, I thought maybe. Noted to have a long finish demonstrating the power of the wine.

Chateau Pommard Red Burgundy

Chambolle-Musigny 2017

When you spend as much time as I have in Burgundy and listen to the actual people who live there and make the wine you learn a lot that you do not learn from the distributors. Many years ago winemakers from the region advised me as far as they were concerned Chambolle-Musigny Red Burgundy was the benchmark that all Red Burgundies should be judged against and that it was your basic Red Burgundy and the one that the French preferred. I must admit once I started drinking them I was convinced. They are driven by ripe fruit on a foundation of limestone and flint background that gives them a unique taste. This one did not fail. The nose had fruit and limestone in a balanced profile. There is a velvet mouth feel and everything was balanced including the tannins which were subdued and elegant against a balanced acidity. There was a good finish. I agree it is drinkable now with some aging potential though my experience with 2017 burgundies, which I love, may not be as long as others.

Volnay 1er Cru 2017

Volnay is a commune close to Pommard in the Cote de Beaune somewhat on the upslope and is noted for having more mineral in the red wines and can compare to Monthelie which is adjacent. To me, 2017 was a great year in Burgundy and I continue to enjoy a wide variety of 2017s. I enjoyed this one which demonstrated a good level of complexity with flavors in the nose and the taste of cherry, blackberry, and blackcurrant. There was an earthy component one would expect. Balanced with a good finish it should have some aging potential as tannins and acid were balanced and adequate to maintain a good body to the wine.

Maranges 1er Cru Clos des Loyeres 2018

A fairly new commune making wine since 1988 south of the Cote de Or and close to Chagny and north of Rully and Mercurey the reds tend to have a mineral character reflective of the terroir of clay and limestone soil in the area. 2018 was another good year produced in this wine a more concentrated Pinot with an adequate fruit profile with cherry flavors and hints of flowers. The tannins were to be smooth and both tannin and acid integration were balanced and the wine had a good finish. The wine had a lighter body than some but the balanced complexity made the wine a pleasant quaff with dinner.

Chassange-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot 2016

Almost from the exact same vineyard but a premier cru red Burgundy from the southern Cote de Or. This wine has a good body and tannin structure and clearly presents both in the nose and flavor with characteristic cherry flavor along with a complexity including blackberry and currant and licorice is present with a hint of smoke. Balanced and velvety are words that come to mind. Well made worth aging.

Clos Marey-Monge Monopole 2008

Monopole means what you think it means. The vineyard completely owns and operates that vineyard without sharing it with anyone. This particular red Burgundy has been one of the main vineyards of Chateau Pommard going back 3 centuries. The winemaker Emmanuel Sala says this wine offers complexity along with subtlety and is like an Irish step dance, light but perpetual. I found it to have a little more body than that but clearly complex. The nose and flavor are classic red Burgundy with lots of cherry along with a spicy character. It comes from 7 single plots so with blending you might expect a somewhat flavor profile from year to year but it is a well-made wine with meticulous attention to detail. It was one of the best wines of the week and highly recommended.

Good vs. Great Wine

Let’s again be honest. No one to my knowledge gets up in the vineyard every day and says let's see how we can make bad, awful wine today. Every winemaker I have ever met is there because they truly believe they will make the next 100-point wine or the next Screaming Eagle, or the next DRC Montrachet. You have to wonder are they delusional. Sometimes they are. It always boils down to two things in general. Things the winemaker can control and things they cannot. They cannot control the weather. All you need to do is look back at the weather for the past decade and you will notice that the changing weather has severely impacted wine production everywhere in the world. On the other hand, the technical aspects of winemaking and the basic chemistry have advanced a hundredfold and today, again across the world, the things winemakers can control, have become somewhat consistent from vineyard to vineyard with most winemakers now graduating from some 4-year college winemaking program. When they make wine they can “tweak” these technical details which in my opinion changes the “style” of the wine, percentage of alcohol, concentration of fruit, etc. but in the end, the actual production of the wine produces fermented alcoholic grape juice which again comes out in many ways the same.

When you read Wine Spectator or The Wine Advocate you immediately notice “scores”. Their wine experts do a report card on every wine they taste and publish for your information a score which has the intent, good or bad, to direct you to “better” or “higher quality” wines in that wine writer's opinion. Truthfully I have done the same thing. But every wine writer has a “bias” myself included. Every wine writer has a different number of taste buds on their tongue meaning no two might taste the same exact wine the same so hence their “opinion” might differ. Robert Parker to most people's understanding was biased towards big, high alcohol, jammy wines. For me my bias is balance. Wine again is grape juice with alcohol in it. But the alcohol should not be so high that all you taste is alcohol. If that is what you want you should buy vodka or grain alcohol. If all you want is sweet fruit juice then buy Welsh grape juice. But if you are like most wine buyers you want something in between. A beverage with enough alcohol to be pleasant and a taste experience that makes you think a little improves your food tastes, and in the end fits your budget.

What dawns on me is this. The question I need to answer is what is the difference between “good” wine and for me, 99% of all wine produced is “good”. But what defines “great” wine that stands out from the rest? What I have discovered over the years is that those “scores” don’t always mean the wine is a “great” wine. Usually, a higher score means a “greater” wine but not always, and maybe not for you or me but just the guy or gal writing about the wine due to their and our genetic makeup and number of taste buds on the tongue. In basic logic in order for a statement to be “true,” it has to be “true” 100% of the time. To my knowledge, I have never seen 100% of wine writers come out and say we all agree this is a “great” wine or the best ever, etc. Maybe close to 100% but still not 100%. So I have to ask is there something more fundamental or even complicated that I am overlooking?

Years ago I came up with a list of what I called spiritual wines. In short, my great wines. I have never forgotten them and I can usually list them by heart. In no particular order they are 1990 D’Yquem Sauternes, 1989 Aux Allots Leroy Red Burgundy, 1977 Sonoma Hanzell Chardonnay as well as the Pinot Noir, and 2003 Chateau Guiraud Sauternes as examples. Clearly what I consider “great” wines. But why? For one thing, they were unique. They had a unique taste profile I had not tasted before or after. Something special about them. Of the batch, the 1990 D’Yquem is a repeat favorite. Every time I drink it the sensation and thought “velvet” comes to mind, “smooth”, not too sweet, just right. Sort of the Goldilocks syndrome. Nothing out of place. The Red Burgundy had the most memorable cherry taste I can remember. A perfect cherry. None of these wines tasted anywhere close to similar wines and vintages, again very unique. As previously stated they were perfectly balanced, nothing out of place. And finally, a long pleasant hedonistic finish that evolved into a lifetime memory. You simply never forget.

I do understand that my list will not be yours or others, primarily due to our genetic differences. Your “great” wine may only be a “good” one for me or vice versa. That’s OK. In the end, all those scores help point you in the right direction but they should not be the only direction. The only way to find a “great” wine is to drink a lot of “good” wines. I sometimes deer hunt and was told years ago that you will never harvest a deer if you are not out in the woods(getting mosquito bit, stepping on snakes, being wet and cold, etc.) so the same rule applies with wine. You have to be in the arena.

My conclusion in the end for me a “great” wine is a perfectly balanced unique wine that surprises and delights me and I never forget. In fact, as I have said before it sends me on a quest to find it again at $10 a bottle. I also understand that “great” wines take time(remember the Gallo TV ads?) and usually cost a little more, but not always. There is no question that when you look at a list of great winemakers as Wine Spectator recently did writing about the founding fathers of California Chardonnay every winemaker there was meticulous and obsessed with getting it right and another factor you cannot quantify is that those winemakers and many others have is the “art” of wine. Something that only they, and sometimes even they don’t, know.

What British Air Club World Business Class does NOT tell you

1. There is minimal to no help for the disabled or elderly

2. The seat configuration is schizophrenic. Every other seat is reversed front and back and is separated by a screen that is only up in flight. Due to the nature of the construction your area around your legs is contracted side to side and clausterphobic. Middle seats have no screen so you may be sleeping on the entire flight next to a stranger.

3. The personal drawer is generally inaccessible except for takeoff and landing

4. Hand-held controller to control entertainment system is behind your shoulder and head and difficult to access. The buttons are not marked so it is impossible to see how to use it. Additionally the one USB charging port in the same area making it difficult for access. There is an additional 110V plug by the personal drawer and is inaccessible as well as being turned off during takeoff and landing

5. Seats lay flat and have a foot stool which allows you to lay down flat but it is not a lay flat bed and is very narrow making the only position lying on your back best.

6. Overall the equipment is worn and some does not operate as intended. I overheard some seats don't go back to flat and British Air does not offer adequate compensation if this happens.

7. The entertainment system and TV and food tables are difficult to remove in that they are stuck because their old and you have to get your fingernails in there to pull them out.

8. Every window seats face backwards and some do not have isle access so you have to walk over the person on the aisle when they're laying flat to get out.

9. Food was not particularly good and no where close to what is represented on the YouTube videos.

10. The crew spends a lot of time checking seat belts every time the lights come on including waking you if you are sleeping to check your seat belt. Crew seems untrained to handle sick passengers and offered minimal help.

11 The amenity bag were one of the cheapest I have ever seen. The zipper breaks the minute you open and the products are extremely small amounts and not enough for the flight.

12. You are charged for seat assignment prior to 24 hour check in time despite paying thousands of dollars for the ticket.

13. In my opinion the YouTube videos recommending this class of service are obviously paid advertisements and not honest evaluations.

14.  The Boeing 777 wide-body we flew on was not a comfortable plane.  I highly recommend the Boeing 787 Dreamliner as the best wide body for long-haul flights if you can do it.

Overall business class on British Air for their Club World Seats are uncomfortable, inadequate, and provide no worthy amenities to make you comfortable. For the amount of money spent you can do better on another airline.

Back On The Road Again

Back on the road again.  It's fairly obvious that post-Covid travel is changed a lot.  The first thing you notice is the crowds.  Having just spent a month visiting the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and Europe which included Britain and Croatia I was amazed by the number of people traveling.  Every flight was full and there were masses of people at every Gate, restaurant, and security line.  Because of the crowds, it is obvious that you have to get to the airport at least an hour or two earlier than in the past.  Compounding the increase in crowds is the decrease in staff.  Everyone is short-staffed. They are trying to improve but the way they're improving is by hiring completely inexperienced young untrained staff and training them on the job in the middle of the battle and it only adds to the problem and confusion and is not really helping. But on the other hand, what are you going to do?  At least in Europe compounding the crowd issue is the increased utilization of discount Airlines such as EasyJet.  EasyJet provides inexpensive no-frills tickets for traveling and it seems that everyone was taking advantage of cheap tickets.  One of the new requirements that created issues for us was everyone wants you to check-in online 24 hours in advance and if you haven't checked in online then it slows down your process of getting through the lines. This applied to restaurants, especially hotels, and Airlines.  Of Interest, I read an article, and I don't know if it's true, but in Belgium, if you show up at the airport without checking in online they fine you €65.  One hotel canceled our reservation on the day of arrival because we did not check-in online. Another area that shows change is the use of QR code scans in most places.  Airport lounges and restaurants asked you to use a QR Scanner to pull up information, menus, etc and this was across the industry and pretty much everywhere.  Airport lounges have become much more critical to improving your comfort on a trip.  I recommend you either get a credit card that allows for Lounge access or if necessary purchase Lounge access.  Even then the lounges that we visited had overcrowding with no staff and a lack of amenities in some cases. One recommendation I can make at this point is to avoid British Air and especially Gatwick Airport.  I always thought British Airways was a premium airline with some of the best business class amenities. Having flown them 4 times this month the price was twice the price and as far as I'm concerned the amenities were half the competitors.  Gatwick Airport is one of the worst airports I've experienced in terms of transfers and changing plans and making flights.  Both times we went through Gatwick it took over 2 hours just to check in and go through security and almost missed connecting flights.  British friends that we spoke with confirmed that instead most Brits try to avoid Gatwick and fly out of Heathrow.  The main reason Gatwick is so busy is that it seems to be the primary airport in Europe for EasyJet.  Buyer beware!

News Flash just announced Gatwick Airport has requested all airlines to reduce the number of arrivals as they have no staff to meet the need, on the news wire this morning!!  Go figure!!