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Posts: 103
Joined: Mar. 15 2005
From: Toronto, Canada
Member Profile Photos
I've noticed the majority of active members on this forum do not have their photos loaded up in their profile section. I don't know if it's just me, but I like to put a face to the people I communicate with. Isn't it a good idea for forum members to load their picture on their profiles? I'm going to do just that right now.
Also, I get a lot of you asking me if I'm the same Ramin that runs the flamenco-teacher.com site. The answer is NO!!! Unfortunately, the Login name he has chosen (_Ramin) is confusingly similar to mine!!! I'm sure between us he is the better guitar player, but I have the smarter signature!
By the way, in the photo my teeth are red because of excess red wine! (The tan is from Cuba.) My favorite wines are from the Rhone region in France and I also don't mind the Campo Viejo Reserva (Rioja). Any serious wine drinkers in this forum?
Ramin
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What we are today comes from out thoughts of yesterday and our present thoughts build our life tomorrow: our life is the creation of our mind. -Buddha
Probably not Ramin, but there are some serious winos! LOL!
You seem quite pale in your profile photo? In fact everything seems quite the same shade of white...funny actually, because a while ago I encouraged everyone to upload a membership photo and where they came from and attempted to upload my own photo...but just ended up with a white rectangle in a frame! Seriously Ramin...I don't know if that bit is actually working on the Forum. (?) Simon is the guy who knows all about that stuff..
You seem quite pale in your profile photo? In fact everything seems quite the same shade of white...
Ron, that's because of the file size limitations (30 kB). I had to save it as very low quality. But it does not seem white to me! Why couldn't you load up your picture?
Take care, Ramin
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What we are today comes from out thoughts of yesterday and our present thoughts build our life tomorrow: our life is the creation of our mind. -Buddha
Hey Ramin, I see it now! Everytime I tried to upload a picture it didn't happen, so I assumed that's why others hadn't. You handsome dog you...I'm definitely not going to upload my picture now! LOL!
I will not torture anybodies eyes by uploading a photo of mine, no...
Ps: as i said, if you want to know my appearance, imagine Ricardo, remove his mustache, cut his hairs, and make his head less round, more taller shaped.
No serious, ill surely will upload a photo.... sometime, when i got a cam :)
Me too... those Chilean reds from the Central Valley region are the best!
I did upload my profile photo once, but it appeared slightly distorted and made me look even uglier, so I removed it and replaced it with a picture of a Flamenco dancer and guitarist in action.
But I agree that its nice to have some idea of who you're talking to, so if more people upload their profile pictures in future, I will put mine back.
Perhaps we could even have a photo gallery section of pictures of ourselves, our guitars and flamenco events. just an idea.
Like Simon I am partial to a good Rioja but the serious wine buffs I've met in Spain all rave about Ribero del Daurro, a wine that has not yet had the publicity of Rioja. It's seriously good and as soon as word gets around prices will surely shoot up.
uploaded ...not very proud for looking like that ...but i'll do anything just to see how's Ron looking.So forget that excuse with not having the gear ....are u kidding me ....doesnt one of your friends have a mobile that can do pictures?Hmmm....sure , sure.As for compression mine has 9k....so much under the limit of 30k.
Thanks for all the responses and the funny complements! I've been around for 8 months (mostly observing) and really think this is a great forum with lots of useful info floating around and some super nice members. I know most of the active members through their posts and thought it was time to know all of you a little more. It's like going to your local bar and meeting the regulars that hang out there. Except if any of you are on FBI's most wanted list, I would collect the reward for turning you in to finance my first Flamenco guitar! (Currently I have an inexpensive classical Yamaha)
As for the wine, Kate, I'll try to find the one you mentioned, thanks. But I doubt if I can find it in Toronto. Chilean wines are good, but I don't drink white wines unless my blood alcohol level is seriously low and I don't have any other choice. (I don't like hard liquor, beer is fine but it makes you fat, at least the amount I consume does!)
I'll be checking regularly to see who has uploaded his/her photo. Sorin, I'm not sure what you have uploaded because it does not show up in your profile. Simon, how come your photo is 33 kB? Isn't that over the limit?!!!
Have a good weekend, Ramin
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What we are today comes from out thoughts of yesterday and our present thoughts build our life tomorrow: our life is the creation of our mind. -Buddha
Ribera de Duero is a "modern" wine. It's not as woody as old style Rioja, and sometimes it's closer to Australean wine than European wine. It's very good but it also gets expensive if you want something really good.
I am partial to a good Rioja but the serious wine buffs I've met in Spain all rave about Ribero del Daurro
Hola
Ribera del Duero are good eg Vega Silicia, which costs 120 euros la botella: I have tried 5 bottles and the only one which was great was a 1962. Rioja is just as good and cheaper, Murrieta, Muga, Ardanza etc. There are some good wines in Navarra.
White wine in Spain is poor. El Dorado de Murrieta is an exception. In the South, there are great wines in Jerez, Sanlúcar and Chiclana, but they are de solera and have 15 degrees.
The best wines in the world are still from France: Corton, Le Montrachet and the great sweet wines such as Chateau Yquem etc.
I have just eaten scallops for lunch, with a Spanish Gewurztraminer: the food was great, the wine una mierda. Gewurztraminer should be from Alcace.
ORIGINAL: Anders Ribera de Duero is a "modern" wine. It's not as woody as old style Rioja, and sometimes it's closer to Australean wine than European wine. It's very good but it also gets expensive if you want something really good.
Hey Anders when we had our wedding reception recently we found the Ribera to be far better quality for price than an equivelent Rioja. So is it a pijo drink, do you think ?
And I enjoy a Chardonnay as well, I had a Chardonnay from Navarra the other day that was lovely.
Tonight I'm off to a new "Belgium" tapas bar ( yeah exotic, I wonder whats on the menu and if they serve Belgian wine) but the bottle currently open and breathing nicely in my kitchen is a Faustino Vll I think, damn now will have to go downstairs and check.
Napa California is not far from us. I like good wine. My brother belongs to a wine club and he receives two bottles of good wine a month. He gives me sometimes one or both. The cost is $180 a bottle if you do not belong to the club and $100 if you do.
Argentina and Chile have good wines. My wife Katy was born in the wine country of Peru – near Ica. Katy said that Peru has the best wine. They do not export for some reason. However they do export Pisco, made from grapes.
I also enjoy a good bottle of vino tinto. In 1963 vino tinto cost three cents a bottle in Spain. It was good! I have recently found some wine at Trader Joe’s called “Abrazo del Toro” It is 80% Garnacha and 20% Tempranillo from Cariñena. The cost is $3.99 a bottle. It is a nice dry wine and you can enjoy it by itself, with food or as the wine used for Sangria. Good wine does not have to be overpriced.
Anders I was in Edinburgh airport and as normal I asked for a crisp dry white after a sweaty day but not a chardonnay and the young lady said “ABC”. It was the first time I’d heard that. I just prefer a Riesling or Sauvignon in the whites. I guess in part it might be that in bars here in England by default it tends to be an Australian Chardonnay and I prefer the unusual and non mass produced (thus I play an Anders – its gorgeous by the way )
Tonight we’re having a crisp fruity Californian white with picks. That’s because earlier we went to pick the Sloes for Sloe Gin and it was freezing. To warm up we pigged out on good old bangers and mash. So now where is my glass? Cheers Tom
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nigel (el raton de Watford - now Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz)
I am always on the quest for the best wines under $15. It seems France makes an unidentifiable lot of these, but I can rarely remember the names.
Going up in price a bit, I have always loved the Kim Crawfords...he's a winemaker from New Zealand, Marlborough, an area I visited a few years back. I like the fact that the NZ wines come with screwcaps and thus are never bad. They make nice Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noir.
Staying with whites, Oregon (in a similiar microclimate to some of the NZ wineries) has some nice ones. A great buy is the King Estate Pinot Gris (same as Pinot Grigio).
As far as the Spanish, I like the Marques de Caceres Rose, Campillo Rioja for tinto. I'm not sure what the big deal about the Marques de Murrieta, but it's drinkable, that's for sure. Last night I had some Segura Viujas (wrong spelling, I'm sure), a Brut Cava or Dry Sparkling wine to celebrate thanksgiving. Not bad and definitely the coolest bottle ever! I had a pretty decent table wine the other day, called Proyecto 6 or something like that.
California makes some incredible wines, but they are very American--big and bold and lacking in subtlety. That can be okay, especially without food (imo). The Duckhorn Merlot can be had for $50 and is awesome. I don't think you can go wrong with Plumpjack Cab, which comes with my favorite screwcaps. These may well be going for $80 or so in the store nowadays. I had some a couple of days ago, but it was a half bottle and was subpar.
I used to be a big fan of Italian Supertuscans, but they are so expensive and I don't see them quite as much anymore. There was one called Selvemaggio that was just a great deal. These are really good wines. Ah..and the oddly shaped Gattinara, Travaglini is not bad, not bad at all. For a special occasion I would reach for an Amarone from Veneto. These wines are made from grapes and are superbrilliant and flavorful. They take forever to open. For a similiar idea, but less expensive, there is a sort of wine which is made from the leftovers, but the name of it is slipping off my tongue. It would be from Veneto, too, of course.
If u like it sweet Busuioaca de Bohotin. If not Merlot de la Murfatlar....ofcourse if it's from here costs around 4 or 5 euros. Here tobacco and wine are cheap.I cant imagine how a bottle of wine that tastes 180 $ will taste. Probably good .... but I like coffee in any circumstances.
It's funny how the "Member Profile Photo" subject has turned into a wine discussion thread! That is just perfect! I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Pinot Noir yet. I never used to like Pinot, probably because I had only tried the cheap ones. But recently in a business meeting I was offered a California Pinot called La Crema. It was great! I think I finished one and a half bottles out of 2, and the other 4 guests finished the rest! What can I say? They were engineers!!!
But my favourite is Châteauneuf du Pape and Côtes du Rhône wines in general. Try a good one (not necessarily expensive though) and you'll fall in love with it.
Sorin, you look very serious in your picture. Lighten up man!
Ramin
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What we are today comes from out thoughts of yesterday and our present thoughts build our life tomorrow: our life is the creation of our mind. -Buddha
Some 20 years ago I worked in a vegetarian restaurant some summers. Right in the middle of Rhone wine country. Take a look for small Rhone wine. They can be very good, but they are summer wines. They like the smell of the sun. Vaqueiras..... is the famous one. Crozes Hermitage and Cóte Rotie are others. Rhone wines are not made with Pinot Noir, a wonderfull grape if you can afford a good Bourgogne. The Rhone grape is Syrah, or Shiraz in other worlds. It's a wonderfull power grape.
Kate. I don't think Ribera de Duero is a pijo wine. They are just plain very good wines. But they tend to be a bit brutal. If you want elegancy, they cost money
Hi Miguel. Yeah, your right. Sorry for the Spanglish language. It's difficult not to mix when you live here. (I never mix with my own language. Noone speaks it!!!)
Duende. Take care with this Amontillado!!!!! A flamenco drinking sweet or semi sweet sherry....... Cojones tio.... una copita de Fino o Manzanilla (Both very dry sherrys)
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The Rhone grape is Syrah, or Shiraz in other worlds. It's a wonderfull power grape. 
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