Short Takes
May 4, 2010
Wine Update: reds/whites — on sale
I have raved before about Chateau Magence. This white Graves is thin as a Riesling, just more structured, and it packs a deceptively gentle punch. In New York, you can find it at K&D Wines (1366 Madison Avenue, phone: 212 289 1818), where the 2008 Magence goes for $9.99 a bottle — an insane price for a wine of this quality. Buy a case, save 10%. (If you live elsewhere, ask the best wine store in town to order it.)
K&D is also having a Bordeaux sale. I’m buying the 2006 La Fleur Peyrabon Pauillac, which K&D is selling at $15.99. (Because it’s on sale, there’s no case price available.) The Peyrabon Pauillac couldn’t come from a better neighborhood — it’s grown on 2 hectares wedged between Château Lafite-Rothschild and Château Mouton-Rothschild. The experts say to lay it down and let a few years reduce the harshness; I find that 20 minutes in the glass will do the trick.April 28, 2010
Coming Attractions: Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter’s new CD, "So Runs the World Away", isn’t out until Tuesday, May 4, but prudent readers will pre-order it now. Daily Candy has a charming preview: Josh and his wife, Dawn Landes, doing one of his new songs in their kitchen.
April 20, 2010
No Time for a Book? Read a Q&A with Bill McKibben
I know how it is. You really want to read Bill McKibben’s important new book, Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. But you suspect it’s a downer. And anyway, what can one person do about climate change? I have a middle-path solution: Read Salon’s excellent interview with Bill McKibben. It’s short and to the point — at parties, you can get away with saying you read the book. (Of course, the Q&A might inspire you to get the book. But that’s your call.)
April 19, 2010
Fantastic Mark Knopfler Tickets: Red Bank, 5/5
Boo-hoo. I have two fantastic Mark Knopfler tickets — Row F, dead center — but I have belatedly realized I can’t go. My loss can be your thrill. The concert is 8 PM, Wednesday, May 5, at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey. Yours for my cost: $160 each.
