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LaSignoraMusica · Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Posts: 274 Location: The Netherlands

Just wanted to share: Last week I got a phonecall: A wine-merchant was calling companies to see if they were interested in wine. Since I am in the phone-directory as an independent artist, he called me too. If I liked a good glass of wine. Of course I did, and we made an appointment that he would come and bring some nice italian wines. Last thursday he came. He put several bottles on the table, and then I decided to call my son. No answer. So I tried the computer. He was on line. I wrote him about the wine-merchant, and if he liked to taste some wine."Ok,I'm coming" he replied, and five minutes later we had our own private wine-tastery! Freek and I learned about american and french oakwood, several types of grapes, and it was really interesting. Of course I ended up buying enough wine for at least a year, which was delivered today: A chianti froom Siena, another italian red wine "Dolcetto d'Alba", a white from San Giminiano, and a Chardonnay. And a muscadet for dessert...I had to celebrate the adding of my fourth choir to my schedule....didn't I?
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I believe in the equality of all people, I try to respect all living creatures, and I believe in the power of love....

Melodie · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2004 3:47 pm Post subject:

Sounds like a good deal, Nina...would you like my phone number? 8)

LaSignoraMusica · Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Posts: 274 Location: The Netherlands

Yes, and then come over to party? One disadvantage: the sight of those boxes and labels make me desire to jump in the plane and go back to Italy...It really feels like home there somehow....
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I believe in the equality of all people, I try to respect all living creatures, and I believe in the power of love....

Kenzu · Joined: 30 Jul 2003 Posts: 445 Location: Finland

LaSignoraMusica · Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Posts: 274 Location: The Netherlands

Yes, all I have to do now is to clean my house and cellar etc., re-organize the garden, clean the garden chairs, too many things in fact. As you know, I'm still in the morning cleaning other people's houses, in the evening conducting, and in the afternoon I don't have much energy anymore....Now everything is way too messy to invite anyone to drink the wine with me....
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I believe in the equality of all people, I try to respect all living creatures, and I believe in the power of love....

Sally · Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2004 11:44 am Post subject:

I do wish I could come and enjoy wine with you, Nina - or with anyone else for that matter. Drinking wine looks so delicious and such a sophisticated thing to do. A lovely glass of red wine looks especially desirable. I have tried many times over the years to cultivate a taste for it. A friend of mine is a real connoisseur and knows the good ones from the cheap plonk so I have tried them all - but I don't like wine. What can I do to develop a taste for the stuff and become part of this elegant lifestyle? : : :
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"Where are we REALLY going? Always home."

LaSignoraMusica · Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Posts: 274 Location: The Netherlands

If you don't like wine at all, nothing will help...But if you want to have an elegant lifestyle, you can always develop a taste for Whiskey, Irish or Scottish which is equally refined(try, to start with, Glenmorangie), or Cognac, even more sophisticated...A very interesting topic is that of beer...When I was married, we always went on holiday via Belgium, because we wanted to taste some exquisite belgium beers. Orval Grand cru, and many other monasterial beers. And if you don't like alcohol, you can develop a taste for mineral waters. There are many of them, especially in Germany and Italy. If you have lunch in Italy, they have often wine and water. Some mix it, too. (Mamma Edi often does) Maybe that's the way to get used to wine gradually...
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I believe in the equality of all people, I try to respect all living creatures, and I believe in the power of love....

Kenzu · Joined: 30 Jul 2003 Posts: 445 Location: Finland

Speaking of whiskey´s scottish is little bit too smokey to my taste but irish single malts oh boy soft as cream they just glide downyour throat :lol:
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"Ex nihilo nihil fit"

Sally · Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2004 2:45 pm Post subject:

I am a bit of a lager connoisseur. I like San Maguel, Peroni, Nastro Azzurro and some of the white Belgian lagers. My husband laughs because I can tell the Indian Tiger lager from Stella Artois. He can't fob off Heineken on me or Lees lager just because it's cheap!
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"Where are we REALLY going? Always home."

Sarah · Joined: 01 Mar 2003 Posts: 276 Location: Leeds, AL

........a nice little sip of Bailey's Irish Cream on the rocks.....

Sally, When I was in Manchester to attend Andrea's concert in 2002 we stayed fairly near(walking distance) the arena at a chain hotel whose name escapes me but around the corner and down a block was a most delightful little Italian restuarant that we discovered on a night when a larger more crowded It. place on the corner was packed. I believe it was the best Italian food I've ever eaten outside Italy. The proprietor became quite irate when some customers asked the waiter to wait to take their order. He kept saying. "Don't they know this is not McDonalds?? It takes time to prepare good food!!" all in his wonderful Italian accent. We enjoyed that place so much.
Ciao, Sarah Some carbonated wines are pretty good if you are not a wine expert :lol:

Sally · Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2004 12:18 pm Post subject:

Was it the Ramada hotel, Sarah? Yes, there are lots of little gems around the back streets in Manchester. Raymond Blanc has a little restaurant off King Street. I've never been yet but I hear it's very, very good. Quite pricey (of course), but not too pricey for it to be affordable for a special occasian. What did you think of Manchester? It's shaping up quite nicely now with the all the money being spent on it after the IRA bomb. Quite cosmopolitan! We just need the weather now! (I will try wine again. I do usually have a glass or two of sparkling at Christmas, so perhaps if I persevere ......)
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"Where are we REALLY going? Always home."

Sarah · Joined: 01 Mar 2003 Posts: 276 Location: Leeds, AL

Sally, We stayed at a Premier Lodge Hotel near the MENS Arena and in sight of the Manchester Cathedral. We enjoyed our stay so much.Manchester is much larger than I thought it was. It has a great website and i learned a lot about it before our trip. We lost a day there because of bad weather delays here in B'ham and a detour to Paris --arrival time should have been 9:15am but we got there after 11pm.We took a train to Chester one day to see a friend I have there and enjoyed a day with her. We walked many, many places found Manchester to be a friendly place to visit. We at an old tavern near the Cathedral. Yummmy sticky bun pudding!! I was with my friend, Nancy, and youngest son, Adam(26 then), and we had a great trip by train to London to the next concert. That was my 2nd trip tp London.
My son, Adam, surprised me today with a bottle of Lemoncilla Cream Liqueur from Italy. for Valentine's Day. I've never hadnit but an old discussion long ago on this site let me know I'm in for a real treat. :lol:
Ciao, Sarah

LaSignoraMusica · Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Posts: 274 Location: The Netherlands

Hahaha, I remember those Lemoncello discussions with Alex etc.....That was really nice! This weekend I took one of my bottles "Dolcetto d'Alba" to friends where I spent the weekend...It was delicious! But if you have something to celebrate, and like sparkling, white, sweet wine....try ASTI SPUMANTE, one of my favourites. We had it several times at New Year's Celebration, and it's also delicious as a dessert wine.
Of course, if you dine in Tuscan style, you should try the VINSANTO, which reminds me of some cream sherry.
For now I bought two bottles of some sweet muscadet wine, sweet and delicate, excellent to accompany one of my home made icecream desserts...
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I believe in the equality of all people, I try to respect all living creatures, and I believe in the power of love....