Albion News

Feeding the Community

    

My friend, Kirk Probasco, has closed Stokes Adobe. The fact that he is a veteran of food and wine is a no-brainer when you watch him work the room. Since I live two blocks away and that this was the last real local joint around, I need to relate some history here and celebrate his passion and the community.

Bohemian Grove groove

 

It's wackytime in Monte Rio again! For those caught unaware, Bohemian Grove is the long private playground for the rich and infamous in America. Nestled amid the pristine old growth redwoods in western Sonoma County lies a rustic getaway for the Captains of American Industry. This is where the greyhairs let it hang down in an ultra-guarded compound fed with all the bounty of northern CA.

John Haggard of Sophie's Cellars, a local wine resource in Monte Rio, seems to cash in on the gathering (think Woodstock but with a naked Henry Kissinger). We used to live in Sebastopol, down the road from The Grove, and yearly would hear all the sordid details of cross dressing, hookers and party overdrive. Hey, we all need to unwind, right? So, what's the theme this year: how to cash in on the American Meltdown Diaspora?... how can I turn Iraq into a reality game show?... is hooker a legitimate tax deduction? Please check out Harry Shearer's great spoof on The Grove, Teddy Bear's Picnic.

I'm just trying to sleep through the night and make it through tomorrow. Anyone up for a revolution??

Conscious Wine Cellars

   

Put aside all the press and high prices of the 2005 French wines, forget that the World is aglut in well made juice and that we are only at the beginning of a huge party slowdown... but forgive me my negativity. All of us bon vivants and wine lovers want to extend the enjoyable lifespan of ALL the experience/wine we aspire to. Let's consider doing this a tad more consciously than last time. How about...

Thoughts on Didier/Life Connections

 

I've been thinking alot since my last post on Didier Dagueneau's death. I like the idea that, just before the vendage, he would be in an ultralight, high above the remote cliffs and deep gorges of France. That also seemed to be his philosophy with winemaking. The artists that I admire cut their own path through personal passion and commercial pressures.