Matching Food & Australian Wine
March 30th, 2010
http://www.winehouse.com.au/
video by the Australian Wine & Brandy Corporation.
Duration : 0:5:2
What slang, jargon, or dialect can you contribute to the following essay on the subculture of drinking?
March 29th, 2010
Welcome to a discussion of jargon, dialectical terms, slang, referring to alcohol, drinking, the culture of bars, clubs, and liquor stores. By no means is this promoting drinking. If anything, I hope that a more clear understanding of "the subculture of drinking" might help in recovery and even better, in prevention or deterrence of alcoholism.
The Language and Culture of Booze
It must be the season to discuss alcohol and any dialect or jargon used to refer to it. On the other hand, some of us who live in hot coastal areas, such as myself, have come out of estivation, and find ourselves able to read or philosophize for longer periods daily or nightly.
Well (I take a deep breath here), stores at which liquor is sold are called "package stores" as well as "liquor stores" in the South, but usually the former, as there is a much greater stigma to drinking "booze" in the Bible Belt.
The word pub is virtually unknown to the less literate of the population, which is suprisingly a large portion of Southerners. Tavern is rarely used, though bar is common, and club almost as much used.
Other interesting phenomena which persist even today are the still and the bootlegger. Producing old fashioned "moonshine" is stil done in remote rural areas, not because of any national law, but because of the local county laws against liquor, as well as the incentive to avoid the county permits and state taxes.
Some "bootleggers" simply sell known brands on Sundays and election days. Many folk who either don’t drink or don’t vote are not aware that in some states it is against the law to sell alcohol on election days.
In the American and Canadian West, the word "hooch" is sometimes still used for liquor. Yet if you use the word "hootchie" in the South, people will think you are talking about a loose woman. Hootch can also mean primitive shelter for some older Americans.
I recently was reminded that a cheap wine is called "Two Buck Chuck." I’m not sure why. Anyone know? And in what regions of the US? I’ve not heard it in Georgia, but saw it on the internet. I suspect it’s used north of the Mason Dixon line.
Working class and poor Blacks in America tend to favour certain types of liquor, such as malt liquors, or sizes such as 40 ounce bottles.
Often people refer to liquor by initials. Hence, the bourbons JD and JB are Jack Daniels and Jim Beam, respectively. MD is Mogen David, known to the middle class as a cooking wine, and to the poor and homeless as an affordable wine. PBR is Pabst Blue Ribbon.
The jargon of drinking has blended into working class and middle class life. "It’s Miller Time," a slogan from a commercial in the early 80’s, has come to mean "End of the work day." Many know the time of "happy hour" to be the hours of 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. "Closing time" actually refers to the closing of the bars. "After-hours" establishments are those open after closing time, until anywhere from five to eight a.m.
Lately, as more middle class Americans are slipping from middle class into working class or worse (something the media spin doctors keep trying to hide from whom I know not– I suppose foreigners watching on satellite), inexpensive brands of beer, wine, and liquor have made a come-back. I almost forgot to mention a new product which may bring about some vocabulary previously unknown. There is now a drink available which is a combination of energy drink and beer. It is being written or printed as B^E or B(+E), with the E as an exponent. Some health experts are warning of increased deaths due to the mixing of energy drinks and alcohol.
One last thing I’ll mention is the study the Australians did which showed that consuming diet drinks increased the rate of alcohol absorbtion. Whether this will lead to the coining of new terms or jargon remains to be seen. I look forward to reading if any of the other participants in this thread have anything to add in this area.
This essay was originally posted at Collins Word Exchange, under Dialect>Regional Sayings, under the nom de plume "jean-pierre."
The essay above was published online under the name cafegroundzero, at http://www.allphilosophy.com/user/show/cafegroundzero
I welcome any suggestions, contributions, lingo, references, and will be glad to return the favour. Until the next q, I remain, yours truly, hajgora seven, better known as cafegroundzero.
Tavern: Root of this word is from "tabernacle", or place of safety.
Tanglefoot: Slang for illegal liquor/moonshine, because you’d probably have your still (distillery) stashed in the woods, and you might get your feet tangled when you flee from "revenuers" (tax agents).
V.O. on label means ‘Very Old"
V.S.O.P. on label means "Very Special, Old and Pale"
Grain alcohol, the strongest, is 190 proof (95%) which is the strongest that any liquor can be. If it were another percentage point higher (purer), it wouldn’t hold together, it would evaporate. The slight bit of impurity is necessary to hold it together as a liquid.
Variety is not the spice of Australian wine
March 28th, 2010
Wine critic Campbell Mattinson – publisher of The Wine Front (www.winefront.com.au) mounts a case against “varietal expression” in Australian wine.
Duration : 0:7:50
Your thoughts on the Best Australian Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz under $30? ( For a AUS vs France Face Off)?
March 26th, 2010
I’m having "drink off" Between Australian Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz Vs a mates French Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. These drinks will be happening around december, so it gives me time to try out suggestions!
And i need to put in a good showing for what australia can provide…
There’s no limit to region or age…
But i must be UNDER $30…
So far i have a 1998 Tyrrells Future Selections Shiraz (Hunter Vallely) that is great… and was leaning towards a Berrys Bridge 2001 Cab Sav ( Pyrenees )… But i’m willing to try peoples suggestions.
Only thing that matters is that australias wines come out on top!
Thanks for you help!
Gotta be under $30…OK here goes my picks:
Shiraz..Penfolds Shiraz South Australlia Bin 28 Kalimna 2000..$25
Oliver Hill Shiraz McLaren Vale Jimmy Section 2002..$30.–
(try to find on sale..this one is a winner)
Cab Sav..Olivia Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra 2000..$28
Mitchell Cabernet Sauvignon Clare Valley Sevenhill
Vineyard 2000..$25
My personal choice would be the Mitchell
Barossa, South Australia
March 26th, 2010
The Barossa offers everything you’d expect from Australia’s most famous wine region. Winemakers waiting to share their secrets at the cellar door; landscapes etched with manicured vineyards; passionate food producers proffering their wares at country markets; and grand chateaux surrounded by ornate gardens. And it’s all just an hour from Adelaide.
The region owes much of its appeal to the European peasant farmers and English free settlers who made the place home from the 1850s. You’ll get a taste of their rich cultural legacy in superb Barossa specialty foods, dozens of festivals and events, historic architecture and inspiring arts and antique galleries.
Take a winery tour in a limousine or vintage car, or float above the valley in a hot-air balloon. Wake up in the Barossa after spending the night in a restored settler’s cottage, a resort suite, a luxurious country house or a shady caravan park. Sample German wursts and cakes in heritage bakeries and butcher stores as you follow the Barossa’s Butcher, Baker, Winemaker Trail. And get right into the swing of things at one of the 100 events making up the biennial Barossa Vintage Festival.
Please take me to Australia – find photos, videos, accommodation, sightseeing, tours, car rentals, package holidays and attractions around Australia. A total solution for your holiday, vacation or travel plans. http://pleasetakemeto.com
Duration : 0:0:53
Drought Threatens Australian Wine
March 24th, 2010
http://video.news.sky.com/skynews/video/ Wine growers in Australia are spending millions piping in water to save their vineyards
Duration : 0:2:43
Where can I find a list ranking the world’s wines – in order of popularity?
March 23rd, 2010
I’m looking for a list, sorted by volume of wine consumed – with the most recent statistics possible. It could be for a particular region — such as the U.S., etc.
Something like this:
Worldwide (or U.S., or Australian, etc.) Wine Consumption
Wine Type Volume Consumed
————————————————–
Merlot 10,000,040 gallons
Cabernet Savignon 9,000,040 gallons
Chardonnay 8,000,040 gallons
Pinot Noir 6,000,040 gallons
etc.
That’s it!
Some good info here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine
Australian Wine Trail
March 22nd, 2010
http://www.pip.net.au/ Although Australia was a late starter in the fine wine field this country makes some of the greatest, most exciting and ridiculously good value wine in the world. Set against a scenic background, the AUSSIE WINE TRAIL is a 14 part half hour series. Filmed in High Definition this series takes in most of Australiaâs established and several significant newly emerging wine districts from South Australiaâs Barossa Valley to Queenslandâs Granite Belt, from the Hunter Valley near Sydney to the Margaret River district in Western Australia. The AUSSIE WINE TRAIL presents a tremendously wide range of this countryâs wines, their history, location and their behind the scene winemaker.
Duration : 0:2:31
what do i look for in a good wine? and what’s the best region in the world that they come from?
March 20th, 2010
just decided to start drinking wine and need some advice since i’m a late bloomer..i’ve heard australians are very good these days..
A "good wine" is something you like. No one can tell you what you like or don’t. Experiment with different types and talk to others to get suggestions. Go to distributer’s wine tastings to sample a variety of wines. What helps is understanding wine lingo and the adjectives used to describe wines. Knowing what people are saying about a wine helps to save you money and keeps you on track of what you like and avoiding ones you would dislike (but if you got the money, try them all). Like jeanfracois had mentioned its not the price that determines a good wine.
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
March 20th, 2010
As the oldest wine region in South Australia (the first vines were planted in 1839, just three years after settlement) the Adelaide Hills has had time to get things right.
Drive the region’s many scenic routes and you’ll find picture-postcard views at every turn; some of the best cool-climate wines in Australia; koalas, kangaroos and enough cute native animals to melt even the most world-weary heart; and gorgeous places to rest your head at the end of gentle days of discovery.
And this little pocket of paradise is so close to Adelaide. Just a few minutes’ drive down the South Eastern Freeway and you’re away from the rat race and surrounded by manicured vineyards and market gardens, natural Australian bushland and lush green pastures. Each season offers its own appeal: leafy landscapes ablaze with changing colours in autumn; warm fires and historic cottages in winter; blooms and berries in spring; and cool cellar door retreats in summer.
Please take me to Australia – find photos, videos, accommodation, sightseeing, tours, car rentals, package holidays and attractions around Australia. A total solution for your holiday, vacation or travel plans. http://pleasetakemeto.com
Duration : 0:0:55