New Directions

Ciao all.
Sorry I've been a bit lax in my posts lately. I've been busy, been in a funk, been trying to try my hand at other things, and been writing for tktwincities about food and wine in Minneapolis. I'm back. I've decided that I need to have a new focus with my wine writing. There are soooooooo many wine blogs out there, but I won't say too many because I'm so glad to see that so many people have taken their passion for wine, put it up on the web, and shared it for everyone else to experience and soak up.

I feel that my most common passion stems from experiencing wine from a number of aspects, hence 'feelthewine.' I've thought long and hard about how much of a problem I have with the 100 point scale, and the fact of the matter is, if the setting is right, more times than not, I'll rate a wine in the high 90's, unless of course it's a total dog. I'd like to focus on what kind of wine goes best with certain situations. I'd like to tell stories about what I am doing and why I choose certain wines to go with it. Have you ever had a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc after mowing the lawn? The crisp freshness relaxes your sweaty being after a few hours slaving away, while the grassy-ness comes out even more as the fresh-cut-grass aroma emits from the terroir surrounding. Wine pairing is not just for food in my eyes. I'd like to highlight the back stories about the producers, which helps immensly in knowing and appreciating a wine. Knowing that the vines are over 100 years old or that the winemaker has no formal training in wine-making and used to be a skateboarder are HUGE in my eyes when appreciating a wine. With an upcoming trip to Burgundy to work the harvest I'd also like to capture stories and experiences that most of you won't likely ever encounter in your daily life. I'm working on adding a video element to the works. Until then, please keep your eyes peeled for things to come. Most importantly, I really really want all of my readers to bring forth suggestions as to what they would like to see from my content. Most of you know me, my strengths and weaknesses. What do you think I should focus on regarding wine? Please be honest, open, and don't hold back. Be with me on the journey and I can't wait for things to come.

Cheers,
DW

email me: dougrweber@gmail.com
or comment below.

Good Morning?

Like most people, a cup of coffee is practically essential to my morning routine. This morning I was lucky enough to wake up early to my lovely lady already having brewed a pot of the dark water. I scored some fresh-local-roasted-fair-trade-organic-freshly-ground-breakfast-blend (wow what a mouth-full) coffee at the co-op the other day. There's nothing better than having a few hours before work to take my time winding up for the day. Unfortunately after I had read through the morning news and sipped through my first dose of daily fuel, my stomach pains overtook me as I simultaneously noticed the curdled cream stuck to the sides and huddled at the bottom of my mug. Bum bum bummer! Apparently the half and half from a week ago expired far sooner than I anticipated, and upon inspection it's aroma resembled that of the moldy provolone cheese I discarded yesterday evening. Maybe I should just start drinking my java black; it would save me a lot of (stomach) pains.