Rolf Devinci

Happy Holidays! Friday Night so I am induldging in a very nice 2006 Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz. This is one great red wine...."a lively yet ripe, full flavored wine...". Definitely well balanced considering a relatively high alcohol content at 13.5 it has a nice mouth feel and a decent finish that suits my tastes. This will now join Masi as one of my "regulars" in the wine rack. Very nice with a decent price point at $13(ish) per bottle. I happened upon the movie Forrest Gump by chance while searching for any Spengler Cup hockey that might be scheduled on a Friday night. It has been awhile but I quickly realized that it is such a fabulous movie and also one of my favorites. So here I blog with reflections of Mr. Gump in my thoughts, wine in my glass, Amy Lee singing Lithium in the head phones and one cranky tired daughter resisting any attempts of sending her to bed.Welcome to a Friday night with Geo...lol. I feel miserable. It has been a week tomorrow since I got ...

Tonight`s selection is a 2006 Bolla Merlot. A medium dry red..."...soft with flavors of dark ripe cherries, berries and plums." Revisiting one of my favs,Merlots were my wine of choice when I began seeking something other than the usual Reislings and other whites.I generally find Merlots to be easy drinking reds with less tannins for softer,fruity flavors.The Bolla is a nice light selection with cherry flavors definitely noticable that pairs well with a variety of foods. I was in Bridgewater today and managed to spend some time with my sisters; Connie and Carol. Both were working but we managed to grab some time and chat. The subject of wine came up as did some advice for my newly minted wine drinking siblings(wink). Here`s what I think.....as above I think both of you should consider medium dry wines to start. They generally have less tannins than dry/very dry wines which makes them easier to drink and does not leave a strong astringent aftertaste. Wine can be like scotch...

I`m using up some vacation days before the end of the year and,thus,am having some wine as part of my rest and relaxation week before the organized chaos of the holiday season. Tonights selection is a well priced 2006 Trapiche Pinot Noir,estate bottled by Mendoza, Argentina. "It is fresh and soft with a velvety texture, with a long fruity finish..." This is a fabulous wine for the pricepoint. Listed at under $11 at the NSLC it is a nice red wine.It has a delightful balanced flavor with a pleasant,lasting finish.If you do not like the strong tannins found in traditional Cabinet Savignons this should be to your liking. Christmas preparations are well on the way with the kids counting the days. Chelsea is still a believer in Santa so it is still magical to her. We need to enjoy it this year for I fear she will soon realize the reality behind the Santa Claus myth. Hearing her playing around the house singing Christmas songs and having her daily chocolate from the Advent calen...

No worries........this is not an autobiographical account of my evening even though the title certainly fits my occasional surly demeanor.(wink) It refers,in fact,to my Friday night wine selection. In the glass tonight is a 2006 Thierry & Guy Fat Bastard Cabernet Sauvignon that came highly recommended by my coworker Kelly. It possesses a "wonderful color and round, rich palate" that is communicated in the very British expression of being a "fat bastard".Hence the name of this collaboration between renowned French winemaker Thierry and British wine rebel Guy. That said now I give my amateur,plebian opinion in blue collar English . Amost a purple in hue the wine does possess a deep rich color. Without an overwhelming bouquet it has a well rounded flavor with a nice pleasant aftertaste. In my opinion it is well balanced wine and very quaffable. In fact I`ve just completed my third glass. Delicious. A shout out to Kelly who not only suggested I try this selection...

Since it is Friday night it`s time to treat myself with a South American red wine selection. In the glass is a 2005 Las Moras Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz.... "Dark burgundy colored wine, well balanced fruits and tannins....soft and rich with a subtly rounded mouth feel." A different selection in that the Cabernet/Shiraz grapes are organically grown and estate bottled in San Juan, Argentina after aging in American and French oak barrels. Now for my plebian opinion........vivid dark color but not an overpowering bouquet, a dry wine verging on a very dry with a lasting aftertaste. Nice! We had snow this week that has actually stayed around which in turn means streets and roads covered in salt. A death knell for any remaining outside cycling for this individual. Without a winter beater bike it`s not worth the cold and post ride bicycle cleanup to ride outside. Unless we get rain that cleans the streets I do not anticipate cycling outside till Spring. The weather looks a...

One of my main objectives for 2008 is to continue my focus upon the time trial(ITT)aspect of competitive cycling. In the perfect world I would simply purchase a time trial specific bike but,alas,it is alot of money to invest in a piece of equipment that would see limited use. As a result I decided to start selling my surplus sporting equipment on Ebay and using the monies to purchase some key items that I can use to convert my road bike into an ITT bike,namely a bullhorn handlebar, Dura Ace bar end shifters,Cane Creek aero brakes and,of course,aerobars. The matching bar, stem and aerobar arrived a couple weeks ago and my brakes arrived today.I`m pretty happy about the upgrades though it will be a nuissance to have to keep switching back and forth between the road bike and ITT bike setup. Hope does run eternal however, and though I do not have the coin to purchase a new time trial bike I might be in a situation to build up a bike.Depending upon the profit sharing bonus in February a...

Friday Night wine selection was a red wine produced by Jost Vineyards in Malagash Nova Scotia. I figured it was time to start supporting the local producers who do create some very nice selections. I opted for a bottle of Prima Rosa produced from a blend of French/American hybrids and Vinifera grape varieties......."With a lovely fruity bouquet, this smooth full bodied red wine boasts a berry fruit jam character...". The description sums it up quite well....... a medium dry wine with a dark red color and lots of berry flavor.An easy drinking wine that matches well with a variety of food or,simply,enjoyed alone. Monica wasn`t working Friday night so I actually had someone to enjoy the wine with me. Wine is best served with company. The tradeoff is she is working rare weekend dayshifts so I find myself accompanying Chelsea on this stage of her faith journey towards her first communion in the Spring.This morning we attended her first Reconcilation, a kinder,gentler interpret...