Weekend Odds and Ends

[muckefuck]

It's hard not to look back over a three-day weekend without feeling like I've wasted oodles of time. Oh, well--that's not always a bag thing, is it? But what else did I actually do besides get myself sweaty, muddy, mosquito-bitten, and worn-out trying to wrestle a light craft overland and keep it from capsizing on the water? Apparently, I drank a lot--for me, that is. Normally, I don't have more than one or two drinks a week. Saturday night, though, I had four bourbon-and-sodas at Bear Night (which probably amounts to at most one-and-a-half real drinks at home), Sunday I had a couple of glasses of red wine with dinner, and then Monday afternoon I knocked back three beers at a barbecue followed by some Chinese Riesling at home.

Chinese Riesling? Yeah, I know, that was our reaction when we saw it at Foremost Liquors on Argyle. But we figured it would give us a preview of what we'd find in China. The label is Huadong, a winery with an interesting history and, apparently, a growing rep. However, it was only after we drank some that we noticed the vintage is 1992, which is long in the tooth for a Riesling and early in the day for Huadong, which was only founded in 1985. Hopefully, there more recent stuff will be more palatable. I wonder if it will have the same "Chinesy" quality. The moment we sniffed the bouquet, both monshu and I had the same thought: This smells like Shaoxing! We wondered if they might have finished it in Shaoxing casks in order to make it easier for Chinese tipplers to accept. (Huadong's production is almost entirely consumed domestically.)

The Leinenkugle Berryweiss' that we drank at the BBQ were probably the tastiest alcohol I had all weekend, but they didn't seem to have much effect. Maybe between the bleariness from my stupid sleeping and the languidness of relaxing on the warm deck I simply didn't notice. Unfortunately, I was too out-of-it to visit much with people that I don't see enough of and instead hunkered down with my steady buddies. I was a little more outgoing at Bear Night, where I spent much of my time talking to a really sweet guy sitting up front, knocking back straight tequila on the rocks, and snapping photos of everyone. I also finally met the Scoutmaster's boyfriend and got to chat a bit with a crushette who unfortunately found the lure of a roach more intoxicating than my honeyed words.

Comments

[that-dang-otter.livejournal.com]

I've enjoyed (?) a good bit of Chinese wine. Red wine was the only American thing I craved while I was over there in '01. Nothing really awful, nothing really special either. There's no technical reason you can't make great wine in China, but catering to local tastes does make it a bit peculiar. They are crazy about Canadian ice wine, which gives you some idea of where that market is coming from.

I thought Great Wall Red was undrinkable until I had it with Peking Duck, which it complements rather well.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

I know from elsewhere that they like their drinks sweet which is why I figured the Riesling was a safe-ish bet. But articles on Huadong Winery point out that it's their Chardonnay which is the real award-winner, so now I'm ever more curious to taste that. We're also interested in seeing how easily available grape wine is in China and what varietals/labels are common. Between this, the Chinese liquor, and the local beers that I want to try, I may never be sober for a minute over there.

[grunter.livejournal.com]

Hey, we saw you and Cameron briefly as you were trying to wave down a cab on Broadway yesterday afternoon. Had our pathetic little beater of a Neon not been loaded completely full of groceries, we would have stopped to give you guys a ride.

Was Bear Night worth the trouble? After spending most of Saturday nursing my allergies and watching far too much of the Style network than is even remotely healthy, I didn't really feel up to socializing and having my already aching lungs assaulted with the smoke of "Touches."

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

There wasn't that much smoke, but that's because there weren't that many people. I saw any number of hotties entre and leave without lingering long and began to suspect that the real party was over at Jackhammer.

I was hoping to run into you two, but know what? I hear it's possible to socialise with people elsewhere than in smoky rooms with weak drinks at odd hours. Gimme a ring sometime!

[grunter.livejournal.com]

Are you still at "yakrape?"

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Yes indeedy! Just remember to use the One True Area Code, not one of these debased latecomers.