Wine of the Week:
Meerea Park Terracotta Shiraz 2006 - Let me preface by saying that I have never had a bad wine from Meerea Park. From the XYZ through to the Alexander Munro, it starts off at good and graduates to excellent.
Being in the Hunter, Meerea Park specialise in the Hunter classics - Shiraz and Semillon. This particular Shiraz is the mid-range one and if it was a meal, you would call it hearty. Right from the nose, you can pick up the typical Hunter pepperiness that comes from the very good Shiraz from there. It has plenty of body so it is one that will keep you warm if the weather isn't and would be perfect with a casserole just out of the slow cooker or a roast lamb or beef.
If you are visiting the Hunter, just note that Meerea Park doesn't have a standard cellar door but you can find them at the Boutique Wine Centre on Broke Road. http://www.meereapark.com.au
This week has been very interesting to say the least. To be honest, I have been struggling to think about what to focus on for this week's topic to ramble about. I would go down one road then divert to another. It seemed that the week provided more questions than answers, which I thought I would share with you. At least that way if you can answer them it would put me (and anyone else) out of their misery.
1. We all would have seen the literally unbelievable scenes coming out of England where riots were breaking out all over the country. The initial outbreak in the capital seemed to be against the alleged shooting by police of a local man but then the unrest took on a life of it's own as it started to extend for days and to other cities as people seemed to be rioting just for the sake of it. Hence the obvious question being...why? That and is there a possiblity of it happening here in Australia?
2. Are rugby league players plain stupid or just don't care? Over the last week, we had the three Roosters players breaking a team imposed alcohol ban, one of which being Todd Carney who was described in one of the papers as the game's most well known alcoholic. We also had Michael Jennings turning up to Penrith training drunk which at least resulted in one of the most unique punishments; that of walking around the ground at half time on Friday giving out 2000 tickets to supporters that he had paid for himself.
Players may grumble that they are entitled to a life and be able to do normal things. What they also need to remember that you don't get paid the big mah-moo without needing to make some sacrifices. This includes having some self disicipline and responsibility for their actions. But hey, what would I know? I haven't played first grade footy!
3. There was a story today in one of the Sunday papers on the former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally and the fallout from one of the biggest news stories over the last couple of weeks...her new hairdo. See the former Premier has decided to go with hair extensions and this seemed to grab the attention of not only the media but also the State Parliament (our new Premier included).
Again, why? And has there been a more reported about set of hair extensions?
4. Has there been a more beloved sportsman of recent date than Cadel Evans? Le Tour winner arrived in Melbourne for a whistle stop trip to do a ride of the CBD before arriving at Federation Square for a victory celebration. In the past, Evans has been known for being prickly at times but during this year's tour and all his post-interviews he has been consumate professional and a humble winner...which ticks all the boxes for most Aussie sports followers.
What he has also demonstrated is a very cool sense of humour. During an interview on 'The 7pm Report' he was asked how he felt about calls from Jeff Kennett to rename the Westgate Bridge after him to which he replied "You can't cycle on the Westgate can you?". Brilliant!!!
5. Finally, after losing four straight games can we now say that the Dragons are officially in a form slump? Unfortunately, I think I know the answer to that one.
Wine of the Week:
Dog Ridge 'The Pup' Cabernet Merlot 2009 - At the same time that I visited the bottle shop to purchase last week's wine, I also asked the shop assistant for a recommendation on something else to try; something that would go with a bit of an home made antipasto plate with some cheese, breads and cured meats (I didn't tell him that it was cabanossi).
The wine was a 50% Cab, 50% Merlot and it definitely had more body and flavour than our froggy friend from last week; not a great surprise as it comes from McLaren Vale. The depth of the Cab coming on strong first up then the smoothness and roundness of the Merlot giving it a nice feel and after taste. At around $20 a bottle, it is definitely worth giving a go.
It was during a conference last December that I started to jump in and explore the world of social media and rather than just dipping my toe. This morning as I was contemplating the weekend's victory that was on everyone's lips (Kate's win on Masterchef of course), I realised that I have become somewhat addicted to Twitter.
This has come as a complete surprise to me because when the whole Twitter thing started, I had wondered what the value would be to people other than to celebrities who wanted to keep their fans abreast of every and I mean every thing that they do. Now, it has started to provide tangible benefits to all; consumers, businesses and celebrities alike.
What businesses have started to realise is that Twitter has provided a means to make a connection to their customers and facilitate two way conversations that in the past, may have taken weeks to develop. Many companies have created official Twitter accounts; purely to assist their customer service activities by both monitoring conversations or streams as well as answering direct questions or complaints from customers.
What has also changed is that Twitter is now prevalent on a number of devices. No longer do you need your PC or laptop but there is a version of Twitter for any device - meaning that one can comment wherever and whenever they may be.
You may have also noticed that a number of TV shows have started to incorporate Twitter as a integral part to extend the audience participation to outside the studio and in a strange sort of way create mini communities that attach and detach on a regular basis. I have to admit that this is where I have become quite addicted. Not with one of the more highbrow shows such as the ABC show 'Q&A' but for me, it was the #masterchef hashtag that started my regular twittering. It also added to the viewing experience as I laughed at the commentary from fellow viewers including the Fairfax journalists that wrote the episode summaries after key eliminations and challenges (and hence coming across the legendary nickname for Dani that was "Legohead").
I did mention earlier that previously, Twitter was very much the realm of celebrities starting to promote themselves in another way. What it has also done is provide a way for us normal folk to engage with said celebrities and maybe, just maybe getting some recognition. In the past, we have been happy for a autograph and maybe a photo. Now, we are after a direct reply, a retweet or better yet have them follow you!
So far, my Twitter highlight has been the fact that I was re-tweeted by Melissa Doyle from Sunrise last week...to all of her 27,000+ followers. Being followed by Max Walker has come a very close second.
While my use has been purely personal and at times frivolous, it has provided an great insight into how people are wanting to get information, communicate with companies and at times with each other. And as long as we don't get to a stage where people are twittering to each other sitting side by side on the train - I will be happy.
PS: For those who are a part of the Twitter-arti, you can follow me @BrettMoorgas
Please note: This blog reflects my personal opinions only and are not reflective of those of my employer.
