Maria Taylor on Tasting Notes

Over at her Commonplace blog, Maria Taylor has written very generously about Tasting Notes. You can read her post here.

Best of 2012 lists?

Merry Christmas to all the readers of Rogue Strands! I won't be doing any "Best of 2012" lists, as I've got an ever-growing aversion to absolute rankings and points-scoring for stuff that involves personal interpretation, such as poetry and wine. What's more, some extremely flawed or limited poems or bottles can also provide great pleasure if they fit the moment, while other huge achievements can turn out to be somewhat dull on the physical and emotional palate.

Eskimo words for snow?

Just as the Eskimos are reputed to have umpteen words for snow, so I notice just how many terms the Spanish have for different types of peppers and squid. They, meanwhile, can't believe just how many words we Brits have for root vegetables (e.g. swedes, turnips, celeriac, etc, etc...) that are just types of "nabos" for them.

Our linguistic usage is governed by our surroundings. However, one semantic fault is universal: no language anywhere has enough words for love.

Yesterday's launch

Yesterday's launch event at the Scottish Poetry Library was apparently a great success, with an excellent crowd to sample the poetry and wine. A full report is now up on the HappenStance blog here. Many thanks are due to Helena Nelson and Ross Kightly for reading the poems from Tasting Notes. I just wish I'd been there myself too!

Tasting Notes and Zaleo at the Scottish Poetry Library

This coming Saturday (i.e. tomorrow!) 15th December sees the launch of two new HappenStance pamphlets by Jim C Wilson and Jim Carruth at the Scottish Poetry Library, starting at 1 p.m..

As part of these two launches, there will also be a tasting of Zaleo wines and a short reading from my own pamphlet, Tasting Notes, all to be done in my absence, as I just can't get away from work at the moment.

This is a terrific chance to get hold of some new poetry from HappenStance, while also trying some Zaleo alongside the poems that invoke and evoke it. There are more details here on the Scottish Poetry Library blog, together with a lovely photo of the poetry and wine that await you!

Much more than a wine blog

A few years ago, Un vino más seemed to start off as just another wine blog where tasting notes were posted by the author. These days, it's much so more than that. I stongly recommend that the Spanish speakers among you take a few minutes to trawl through its treasure trove of posts, a series of ruminations on the way wine, food and love intermingle and play against each other in the writer's life. Generosity of spirit shines through. It's terrific stuff!

An ideal Christmas gift

Poetry and wine...wine and poetry...they make a terrific combination and an unusual, original Christmas gift.

Fifteen quid gets a bottle of Zaleo Tempranillo 2011 and a copy of Tasting Notes (the poems about the wine) delivered straight to the door of your choosing by courier service, p&p included, see here.

47.50, meanwhile, includes a whole mixed case of six bottles (Zaleo Premium, Rosado, Pardina and three bottles of the Tempranillo) along with the book, see here.

Sipping the wine while reading the poem about it - now that provides a great talking point around the dinner table!