So I've played with Spotify Premium for a couple days now and I have to say that while it is pretty slick I won't be spending too much time there. No subscription for the service in my future. I've found it's not that convenient to share the music I'm most excited about. Ouch. 15 million songs isn't enough. Seriously. Here's why: I love music and have something playing whenever possible. I habitually make mix tapes and participate in a an international music collective. We also have a group radio station.  Working with like minds from around the world is tons of fun and often sates wanderlust which in turn facilitates focus.  It's good. I use online music services like Cosmo uses the airbrush effect and will try any/all of them to get the right combo for me. Kinda dirty.

I actually buy music. No, not all of it, are you kidding me?!  I'll never bat an eyelash at sending money directly to the artist on BandCamp or buying a digital download for a local band ahead of time on Kickstarter.  If I want to mash buttons in FruityLoops for old time's sake I'll grab a .wav from Addictech and make something. To me, it's those activities that create stronger more vibrant communities. Make something. Show appreciation to the person who made something, not the corporate structure that had to sell it to you. So when it comes to music I've had to put myself on a budget.  Mint.com told me so.  All of the files from these places could certainly be stored in Spotify just as easily as iTunes and they can also sync wirelessly to my phone.  That's pretty sexy. If I want a stream of an album that I don't like enough to buy, like Adele or something, Spotify has it without taking up any space. That's sexy too.  If I want to share something I've created/curated Spotify isn't setup for that. You can see the songs but you can't play them. Deal breaker.

 If I'm looking for suggestions on a genre, style, meditation, artist, etc I'd like to know that it isn't just the major record labels who are marketing to me.  Right now, if I hang out on Spotify it looks like that's what will happen and it looks like that's where my data will go. Yes, Spotify scobbles but that's a completely different service and community. With a very different model.

Rereading this rant review and I haven't even touched on how hard Spotify has been pushing the marketing piece. Personally, I don't care about your Klout or your Coke. I've yet to see anyone get a free month of premium from whoring out our timelines, but if you did please leave a comment.  I'd certainly feel a little better about it.  Lastly, I titled this post hipster trombone but the thing is I know I'm not better (or more indie - ha) than anyone, well, ever. I just want technology to provide better ways to share. We should all have more time to dance.

I'm excited to share this with you.

Okay, I've moved my wine notes to a journal and haven't exactly been keeping up with this page.  There are a few other projects (and two blogs) that are keeping me from doing it.  This space still a convenient host though so here it is:

All tunes as found on my 8tracks playlist.  If you want to give me a present then come leave a comment on one of the mixes!
The 8tracks TOS says that I can't link directly to the set, but I don't think you'll have any problems finding it.  Checkout my information tab on either FB or Twitter for a clue.

part I

1. Rudi Zygadlo - Resealable Friendship - Great Western Laymen - thanks to @chibisangst for turning me on to this.
2. Two Door Cinema - I Can Talk (French Horn Rebellion Remix) - Kitsune x Ponystep
3. James Blake - CMYK - CMYK - Looking forward to his full length in Feb.
4. Tobacco - Unholy Demon Rhythms - Maniac Meat - the obvious next step for Black Moth Super Rainbow.  Obviously awesome.
5. Odessa - Caribou - Swim
6. Four Tet - Circling - There is Love In You
7. Bassnectar - Timestretch (West Coast Lo Fi Mix) - Timestretch  As seen at the Intersection.  Holy raver kids batman.
8. Blue Foundation - Eyes On Fire (Zeds Dead Mix) - rubadubdubbb blog - Yes this is a remix from a song on the Twilight sndtrk.  I won $100 because of the kismet of discovering this song.  If ya like some dubstep then this one is a gem.
9. Menomena - Wet and Rusing - Wet and Rusting EP - I don't love everything they do, but when their formula works…
10. Ellie Goulding - Under The Sheets (Jakwob Remix) - Lights - Essential pop dance
11. Depth Affect - Amanecer - Chorea - The album isn't as good as Hero Crisis, but I still love them.
12. Leonard Dstroy - Trying To Find My Way feat. Reggie B - Higher Vibrations - This is free. you should DL it.
13. Andreya Triana - Draw The Stars - Lost Where I Belong - As seen with Bonobo.  This whole album is a gem.  Dreamers take note. For true believers go get her Dream Suite remix with JConda. You'll be happy you did. I was.
14. Paper Romance - Groove Armada - Black Light
15. Delorean - Simple Graces - Subiza  - Summer time goodness for your stereo.  Makes me want to go back to Ibiza and dance until I fall asleep on the beach.
16. Dom - Living in America - Sun Bronzed Greek Gods
17. Broken Bells - The High Road - The High Road
18. Hot Chip - I Feel Better - One Life Stand
19. Yeasayer - O.N.E. (XXXChange Remix) - O.N.E.  If $ and time were no issues I woulds go to Chi on NYE to see these guys with Health.  It wouldn't suck.  Instead I'll be happy sipping bubbly and going to visit Darth.
20. Computer Face/Pure Being - Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma - You want this album. 
21. I'm Not Going Anywhere - Nika + Rory - Did this deserve to make the cut?  I'm undecided
22. Gorillaz - Superfast Jellyfish - Plastic Beach - A few guests on this excellent disc. 

part II

23. K'naan - Fatima - Troubador
24. Kid Cudi - Marijuana - Man On The Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager
25. Janelle Monae - Tightrope (feat. Big Boi) - The ArchAndroid - This makes me want to choreograph a group dance.
26. The Roots - Walk Alone - HIGO - This disc resonates with me a lot more than WAKE UP.  Both are good but HiGO wins.
27. MosDub - Ms. Vampire Booty/History Town - Remix disc my Max Tannone - lots of great free tunes on his site.  Summertime goodness.
28. Erykah Badu - Window Seat - New Amerykah Pt . 2 Return of the Ankh
29. Bonobo (feat. Andreya Triana) - Eyesdown - Black Sands - Easily my favorite album of the year.  A beautiful combination of sounds with genius production.  Add Andreya's dreamy voice, some dubstep beats and throw in an incredible live show.  This album is great at the gym, kicking yer feet up or breaking it down in the club.  Peep some of the remixes too.
30. Gayngs - Faded High - Relayted - Yes it's a super group.  Yes it's part Bon Iver.  Yes it's worth owning.
31. LCD Soundsystem - I Can Change - This is Happening - Another must have from 2010 - is this list getting hawt?
32. The Glitch Mob - A Dream Within A Dream - Drink The Sea - Edit, Boreta and Oooah are all amazing.  Combined they are unstoppable.  As seen live at the Intersection.   You should've been there.  I think they put on a doper show than Bassnectar.  But that's just me.
33. Tokimonsta - Lovely Soul - Midnight Menu
34. Gold Panda - You - Lucky Shiner - Another fantastic disc.
35. Baths - Rain Smell - Cerulean - As seen live at Founders during Prospecto
36. Apparat - Sayulita - (DJ-KiCKS) - I also love love love the Harrowdown Hill mix on this disc.
37. Crystal Castles - Celestica - Crystal Castles (II)
38. Deftones - Sextape - Diamond Eyes - As seen live at The Orbit Room - They put on such a dope show.  It had been close to 10 years since I've last seen them.   A glorious sound.
39. Sleigh Bells - A/B Machines - Treats
40. Minus The Bear - Summer Angel - Omni - As seen live at the Intersection - great band with excellent writing.  It's music like this that makes me not lose faith in rock. 
41. Health - Before Tigers (Gold Panda Rmx) - DISCO2
42. Ratatat - Party With Children - LP4
43. How To Destroy Angels - The Believers - How To Destroy Angels - Trent's next project.  His wifey sounds good.
44. Massive Attack - Paradise Circus (Breakage's Tight Rope Remix) - Heligoland
45. Matthew Dear - Slowdance - Black City
46. Nick Drake - Three Hours - LateNightTales: The Cinematic Orchestra - another great disc with some bands you probably know.
47. Beach House - Zebra - Teen Dream  - Best indie album of the year?  I think it probably is.
48. Vex'd - Heart Space (feat. Anneka) - Cloud Seed
49. The Album Leaf - Tied Knots - A Chorus of Storytellers
50. Jonsi - Tornado - Go - As seen live at the Fillmore - one of the most visually amazing shows evar.
51. Brian Eno - Late Anthropocene - Small Craft On A Milk Sea

Okay so what did I miss?  Does Kanye's newest deserve a shoutout?  Did Pitchfork lose your respect by giving him a 10?  I have to say that there are some dope beats, but I can't call it perfect.  Does NERD, Slum Village or Talib need to be in here?  They all have new stuffs out, as do  KRS-One and Qwel, Maker..  Oh - looks like I need a playlist just for that.  Already made.  Peep the 8tracks, make me happy and leave a comment. I plan on continuing to learn. 

Tweet n Taste Michigan 2 - Shady Lane Style

When I was 16 I started working at a restaurant in Grand Rapids called Gibson's.  I loved it.  Locally owned, family run, incredible food and people in an amazing location. My memories of this place are fond ones.  I worked there for the next 8 years going from bussing tables to serving them to tending bar the moment I was old enough. 

One of our regulars, who had an office on the third floor, had invested in a winery called Shady Lane.  I can't tell you what year we started pouring Shady Lane wines by the glass but going thru old notebooks and wine lists show it goes back to at least 2002. I remember their bubbles being my New Year's Eve bottle of choice before the Local First movement had come into fashion.  I also remember a kiss that bottle helped inspire, but that story is for another post ; )

After Gibson's closed I went on to be a Wine Buyer and Food and Beverage Director for The Peninsular Club where I was lucky enough to use Michigan Wines for many different events while further developing my palate. While I don't work in the restaurant industry any more I still love learning and sharing. 

My interest in Michigan wine brought me to take part in an event started by Shannon Casey of Michigan By The Bottle where participants can use Twitter to discuss this great juice. Just Twitter search #ttmi or find further instructions here.  The previous event took place on a Monday night and I was very impressed by the number of participants and contributors.  This time around the event is taking place on a Tuesday which conflicts with my yoga routine.  Thanks to technology I can still participate.  To do this I've tasted the wines ahead of time and scheduled my tweets, including links to this post.  Let's get to the juicy part.

 

Shady Lane Dry Riesling 2008 - $16.00 at GB Russo's.  

Daybright clarity and citrus on the nose.  Granny Smith Apples?  Honeysuckle? I opened this bottle at a Sushi gathering and it showed beautifully and disappeared all too quickly.  The balance between the acidity and fruit keeps it fresh with enough structure to compliment a variety of foodstuffs. There are lots of beautiful whites being made in Michigan right now.  This is certainly one of them.  "But don't take my word for it"  Just ask Cortney Casey of Michigan By The Bottle.

Shady Lane Blue Franc (Lemberger) - $24.50 at Martha's Vineyard.

When I saw the price tag on this bottle I was a little unsure.  I have no problem spending a little extra on a bottle for a special occaison but this is beyond the usual scope of my daily spending habits.  I justified it by saying I've never had this varietal grown in Michigan.  Boy am I glad I did.  Blueberries are my favorite and they jumped out at me immediately!  My initial impression wondered about the balance of concentrated fruit. Could it be too gooey?  The first sip showed that I should've decanted the wine, which I hadn't done...yet.  Don't get too excited and forget about breathing.  It is important.  Decanting the wine shows it's very smooth up front and starts bringing the concentrated fruit into line with a beautiful movement across the palate. That's the dance. Wow.  This was grown in Michigan?!  It just keeps getting better.  I want to see where these grapes are grown.  What a beautiful mystery. What inspired this choice of grape?  What is it about the climate that resulted in this?  I want to know, so I'll ask the winemaker Adam Satchwell.

Shady Lane Pinot Noir 2007 - $22.00 at GB Russo's.

Pinot Noir gives me a sense of place.  It was one of the first types of wine where the idea of terroir really started to clique.  This wine feels classicly constructed and at this price point is a fantastic deal.  The winemaker's notes say that all of Shady Lane's Pinot Noir is now done in the "Reserve Style" which I'm assuming means it gets extra time in the barrel.  I sort of remember a timeframe of 18 months but I can't be sure it applies in this case.  I may have to appeal to Master Sommelier, Claudia Tyagi, for what one might extrapolate from the "Reserve" label found a bottle of wine from Michigan. The fact that this wine is grown on a latitude similar to that of Burgandy is not lost on me.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of the commentary on these beautiful wines made in Michigan. Also, I'm thankful for the technology that allows this sort of communique to take place.  Cheers to this type of learning, boy is it delicious.

Preferably with childlike exuberance.

One of the more difficult things for me is identifying the smell in a wine.  Our olfactory senses are almost too good and offer too many possibilities. There are so many different clues to be found within a wine's smell.  It is an exploration onto itself.

When I was a wine buyer and would taste with the various reps I always wanted a chance to get my nose in the glass before learning anything about the wine.  I didn't want to read the label or hear about the micro-climate where it was grown.  I didn't want to hear a flowery description or even necessarily know what grape I was tasting.  I wanted my senses to be unbridled so as to better understand what I was experiencing. 

Describing the smell of a wine is tough because everyone has had different experience leading up to that moment.  And still, we want to choose words that someone else can understand and perhaps can gain value from.  Here is an aroma wheel with examples of some agreed upon descriptors. Do you have a glass of wine handy?  Put your nose in it.  Take your time, I'm not in a hurry and hopefull you aren't either.  As part of my own personal discipline I like to try and pick out at least three different fruits and at least one non fruit item, trying to be as specific as possible.  Is it musk melon or honeydew?  Granny Smith apples or Honeycrisp? (another one of my favorites ; ) This process isn't always easy, but it lends itself to better communication with others.

Is your nose still in the glass?  How rich is the fruit?  Which berry is that?  Are you keeping a log of this? 

The process of identifying these smells will also give you clues as to what kind of wine you are tasting and also where the wine is from.  There are two basic philsophies in the wine world to be aware of: new world and old world wines.  You have probably already found enough clues to make an informed decision on which type of wine you are tasting.

Old World wines, as a rule of thumb (which could always be broken....yeeeowch!), generally won't have the type of grape on the label.  If you see a bottle with just the region it is fairly safe to assume that they have been growing grapes in that specific region for so long that one should already know what grapes are in the bottle.  Take a look at this label from Chateau Margaux, which is a class Bordeaux.  No listing of grapes, the important part is the place.

New World wines, on the other hand, will have the varietal(s) on the front of the label. Look at this label from an Oregon wine.  The type of grape is right there.  One might even guess that the style of wine is different from an old world wine.  If that it your guess you would be right.  I knew you were smart!

So this awareness of our experience continues to grow.  What a fantastic part of the learning process.

You already taste like a pro.  All that tasting requires is your attention.  That's it!
There are tons of tutorials and resources on wine tasting.  I've found the most common theme with all of them is to do one thing: taste.  I find value in going a little bit further.  I like to pay attention to what I'm experiencing.  This simple focus yields discovery about myself, what I am experiencing and also inspires me to learn more.

In order to share my experience in terms someone else can relate to it makes sense to develop standards, or words, we can agree on.  I think it fair to summarize this process with the following easy steps.

1. Visual
2. Smell
3. Taste
4. Finish

If you should like some further reading on this basic process I recommend this web archived intro to tasting page.  There are plenty of others too.  Don't stop exploring. 

Initally, I set out to write my way through a tasting, but I am just looking at the glass now.  Let's start by talking about a visual inspection.  I searched around for a good color wheel to embed but Mondavi seems to have the lock on wine color wheel examples.  You can visit it here--> flash wine color

How bright is the wine?  Does it shine like a star?!  This would be the brightest thing you've ever seen.  The colors have a vibrant quality to them.  They are rich and glowing. Is the wine bright like the daytime?  Does it exude color?  Take your time with this.   There is not a right or wrong answer (we can talk about the CIE another time).  All we're looking to do now is establish a connection to the color, then rate it's brightness. 
Starbright
Daybright
Bright
Hazy.  
If the wine is hazy or cloudy that sends up a big flag.  Does it need to settle? If it is really really hazy it might be tainted or bad.  All this talk of brightness needs some clarity. I use the abbreviations SB, DB, B+ or B- and H for Hazy in my notebook, that seems to work for me.

Δ = Delta

How clear is the glass?  Is the color of the wine the same in the center as it is on the edges?  Did you look?  You just evaluated the clarity.  Congrats.  But what does that mean?  For me it means creating an awareness of color that is quantifiable by a measure valuable enough to be shared.  Huh?  Is your chardonnay golden?  Is your Sauvignon Blanc green?  Is that Pinot Purple?    Are there two different colors maybe?  One color near the center of the glass and the other near the edges?  Note your observations.  

If you've followed this far I think you should taste something.  You deserve it. I'll be back with more soon.

Scagliola's Petali di rose is incredible.  Today is a hallmark holiday that needs some incredible.  On Valetine's Day posting about this gem feels germane as it is sexy and delicious.  I like both of those things.

Opening this bottle is exciting. Immediately there is incredibly bright fruit and an overwhelming tell-tale strawberry aroma. I smell lavender too. It permeates. I salivate. The heavy bottle feels softer. I like reds that sparkle. It's time to get to know you.

The design of this juice is flawless for those that like sweets.  On the second smell the berries seem more vibrant.  The bubbles settle and a certain dustiness catches my attention. Are there blueberries and blackberries at the end of it? Is that dustiness due to the sparkles?  This is an interesting balance. 

The first sip tickles the back of my nose, it's bubbly, sweet. Wow. The sugar is balanced so it doesn't leave any stickiness.  This is beautiful. Is it refreshing enough to pair with other sugars too?  I think so. When tasting, I like to think about the foods a wine would compliment. There is some fresh fruit and dry cheeses on the table, which feels appropriate.  This could be fun with chocolate too.  Dark chocolate...with crystallized ginger.  My mind dances around some of the possibilities and I am glad there is another taste.

I recommend chilling this wine before serving. Two or three hours in the fridge should do. The vibrancy of the fruit continues to grow as it warms. The bubbles will be a little bit "tighter" with a chill on them, why not let them guide you to a relaxed state.  

Have you ever had a sparkling red?  This is a great one to try. 

I used to be a wine buyer.

It was a really fun job.  Being able to taste different things on a regular basis is a great joy.  While I no longer work in the Food and Beverage industry I still love tasting.  My intention is for this to be an avenue to document and discuss.

Tasting wine is a very, very personal thing.  Much like music or art, everyone experiences things differently.  What a person tastes is a subjective experience.  If you are honest with yourself, you cannot ever be wrong in this endeavor.  For me, the only failures are not trying or paying attention to what you are experiencing. The discipline of awareness is a noble virtue.

I have tasting notes on thousands of wines, some of which may be resurrected for this feed.  Recently, I've realized that my shorthand system for these notes has become very personalized.  If someone picked up my current notebook they would see a whole bunch of +s, -s, numbers and acronymns.  Unless you live in my head it wouldn't translate directly to any sort of valuable insight.  One of the best parts of the process is finding descriptors of experience we can relate to. Find common terminology.  Be able to relate.  This is part of the yoga of learning.