Coronavirus, how are you preparing for it and how it is affecting you so far?

[GQBlues]

Back in high school, the wine of choice by some of my crazy mates was vintage
'Night Train'.

Remember that dandy?

[ML]

We should move this wine stuff to its own thread in Odd and Ends.

An interesting topic on its own.

[Gator]

For anyone interested, Alamos Malbec is pretty good at $7 per bottle at Costco. Also, for $38 the 2016 Ridge Zinfandel Geyserville is very good, my favorite so far this year.

Costco is the best.  Their wines alone justify membership. 

[ML]

$3 wines available at WalMart and Aldi's.

Despite what some will claim . . . in blind taste tests . . . you won't be able to tell the difference between these and wines you paid hundreds of dollars for.

[GQBlues]

The last time wifey and I vacationed at Napa, we decided to take the Napa Valley Wine Tour. Awesome experience!!!

Napa to Calistoga is about 27 miles with nothing but wineries after wineries in between and all around. They serve a superb meal while the train was going about 25 mph. The package included a tour at a winery called
Castello di Amoroso. A castled Tuscan winery!!!

We didn't get out of the castle without plunking more than a few greenies. One case of their vintage Cabernet, a box of varied bottles of merlot, chardonnay, pinot noir...

We've been meaning to go back, except next time around, logging our bikes with us...

[Faux Pas]

$3 wines available at WalMart and Aldi's.

Despite what some will claim . . . in blind taste tests . . . you won't be able to tell the difference between these and wines you paid hundreds of dollars for.

I disagree. The experienced palette will pick out the $3 wines 9 of 10 times. That same palette will also mistaken an expensive wine for cheap at least 1 out of 10.

A number of years ago I took a college class for wine tasting. Actually, I took it 8 times IIRC mostly for the entertainment factor and it was fun. What I learned was, different strokes for different folks and an expensive price doesn't guarantee a good taste. Often there is a cheap wine than can outperform an expensive one in taste taste. Never was there a $3 that did. Those were usually the $9-$18 wines more often than not blended. I'm confident I can pick out a $3 bottle 9 of 10 times. The 10th time I probably could have but wasn't sure.  For the experienced palette it is distinguishing the flavors in the wine not so much a matter of whether the taster actually likes or prefers those tastes

[ML]

The last time wifey and I vacationed at Napa, we decided to take the Napa Valley Wine Tour. Awesome experience!!!

I have done that also.

Almost drank  too many of the 'samples' at the several wineries we stopped at !!!
If I remember right, the most northern one (at least at that time) was Charles Krug.
But it has been many years ago, so I could be wrong.

[Trenchcoat]

US economy apparently already in a bad way:

http://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/business-52466864

26 million Americans unemployed which is huge. I've no doubt that the US will pull through but matters could get a bit bad out there if it goes on like that a long time. Reports today of Spain already looking in even worse shape, people struggling to survive out there on not much money or food. Italy will likely be bad also.

[Trenchcoat]

Trench, that is an opinion, which you choose to accept. ..  I don't ..based on none of us know the end to this story.

Sure, but most of my 'opinions' on this virus matter have been pretty close to target most of the time so far. To date I've been getting it more right than the WHO, BillyB even more so. Luckily we're both here to give you the heads up ahead of this stuff happening, if you listen that is

[Gator]

$3 wines available at WalMart and Aldi's.

Despite what some will claim . . . in blind taste tests . . . you won't be able to tell the difference between these and wines you paid hundreds of dollars for.

Only if you had 6 gin martinis before the tasting. 

You must be pulling our leg.  The $3 wines are $3 for one reason.  If they bear some semblance of "being just okay" they would be priced at $5.      Wine-in-a-box is maybe better.     If you want to save money, I suggest Kool-Aid and a touch of grain alcohol.   

I will say this - years ago the research biochemists and their GC-MS analyses  at UCal vastly improved wine making, identifying the specific constituents derived from the soils and climate that yielded the best rated wines.  Mass production today is better than your father's  Mogen David.  Today, they even attempt to duplicate the aging in barrels by immersing staves in  tanks following fermentation, if not some chemical flavoring.  To top it off, these mass produced  wines are devoid of bacteria, having been filtered following fermentation.    No, they are not the same as the smaller-scale vintners.  Mickey D's vs. NOLA restaurants. 

[LAman]

We should move this wine stuff to its own thread in Odd and Ends.

An interesting topic on its own.

Odd and Ends

Where 99% of the threads on this forum should be!!!

[GQBlues]

Odd and Ends

Where 99% of the threads on this forum should be!!!

Hahah!

But LAman, to be fair it’s been years since the discussion aptly served the title of the site anyway.

[krimster2]

Epiphanies from a bunker somewhere in the post-Apocalypse American wasteland...

I
my positive contributions to humanity will hopefully not fail to mention the “CarryKeet”
which are Parakeets trained as carrier pigeons
to be used during the post plague years in the Texas Waste Lands...

II
Ramsey statistical theory tells us that among any six users of Facebook, there will always be either a trio of mutual friends or a trio in which none are friends.
You should have seen the Russian reaction when I ‘splained it to them!

III
Russians be lookin at:

    Al Sulayyil ballistic missile base
    Al-Watah ballistic missile base
    King Abdulaziz Air Base
    King Abdulaziz Naval Base
    King Saud Air Base
    King Faisal Naval Base
    King Faisal Air Base
    King Khalid Military City
    King Fahad Air Base
    King Abdullah Air Base
    King Salman Air Base
    Prince Sultan Air Base
    Eskan Village Air Force Base in Riyadh

in‘n’out from Crimea to the Chorny Moira and then through those “Darned  Dardanelles” all the blue Med

couple of more months the rail link will be workin on the bridge to Cry Me A
and that means the military can move a lot of bulk to the med i terr renea
when the player are gonna get ready ready to rumble
there will be a big and fast buildup of Russian missile and air power in Iran
that NEEDS that rail link

IV
religion is based on the deliberate misuse of the logic of language
applied to a group of people who are willing to suspend their disbelief
in exchange for a false promise
and the fact that no customer
will ever come back and ask for a refund

V
Why Rednecks are having trouble dealing with the virus!!
It's because you're asking them to do something, like stay at home....
in exchange they expect something directly positive to themselves
like money, for instance...
but, if the positive, is other people not dying, or less people dying
because it's not something directly positive for them
they reject it...

this is how reactionary rednecks think now
why should they sacrifice for some random person's life
they don't care

so there are people who will  take the devil's bargain
who are willing to pay whatever they think the "fair market value' is for their soul...
all because of some random thing that gave em Corona
and killed em
while they were chasing a dollar...
how many of you rednecks will that be?

[SteveInBoston]

My sister used to drink 2 buck chuck from Trader Joe's.  In MA, several years ago, there were only 2 TJ stores nearby that could sell alcohol.  She used to drive 30 miles to the nearest one and get 3-5 cases at a time.  Also, in MA, it was actually $3 per bottle.

One christmas I gave her a bottle of Chateauneuf from my collection - a 2007 Clos des Papes.  A few weeks later she opened it, had a glass, and hated it.  She kept the bottle and let it sit on the counter with the cork loosely pressed on.  A week later she decide to try it again before tossing it.  She loved it.  She said it was incredible and talks about it every now and then.

I do my own taste test, as mentioned, about once or twice a year.  The $3 wines are easy to identify.  They are easy drinking for the most part, but have a non-distinct flavor profile and thin to the palate.  This is for the "good" $3 ones. There are some truly horrible ones out there as well.

This last round I tried the 2017 Dry Creek Zinfandel, heritage vines (Sonoma), which was on this year's top 100 wines list on wine spectator.  It was at my local mega liquor store, for a pretty good price ($17 I think).  It was like bottled jam - not sweet, but overriding fruit flavor and not much else.   I kept it to use someday if I'm making some dessert that requires wine.  Night and day difference from the other zinfandel (Ridge).


When I have dinner parties and have some wines out, and my friends ask what is a good wine, I point out to them to the bottle that is empty.  The good one will be drunk almost unconsciously, while the glasses of the mediocre ones will be nursed or left on the counter.  And my friends couldn't really tell me why they drank this and not that - they just drink the good ones pretty fast.  Even friends who only have a glass to be sociable will drain a bottle of a good one pretty fast.

The above is true when my friends are mostly sober, that is.  After about 3 glasses they then drink just about anything put in front of them (as long as it's not horrible).

[msmob]

I have done that also.

Me, too in 1989 .. It was owned by a 'Spagetti millionaire' ( 'king' ?) and some of the locals were telling me how they resented the line ...  I LOVED it ... Drove up from SF and had to drive back, so only one glass of Chardonnay for me ((

[tfcrew]

Meanwhile back to the virus chat...If I understand this correctly, should her husband have died yesterday of the covid---
 leaving her with thousands in hospital and funeral bills and his stimulus check comes today---she will have to send it back
http://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/29/stimulus-checks-sent-to-dead-people-should-be-returned-mnuchin-says.html
 

[LAman]

Hahah!

But LAman, to be fair it’s been years since the discussion aptly served the title of the site anyway.

So we should perpetuate talk of anything but relationships??

I know, I know , you are speaking of the relationship of a wine to one's palette!!!

[Trenchcoat]

One of the big things that hasn't been reported in the UK is that they don't seem to be reporting the number of recoveries in the UK. They must have known what they are for a number of weeks now but they seem to be refusing to release them. My thoughts are that they probably knew the NHS would struggle due to various reasons, funding, PPE, staffing, training, etc and decided not to report recoveries so to avoid demoralising the staff and giving out bad press to the general public. My thoughts are that there is a lower chance of recovery in the UK to other western nations because of this, quite possibly far less giving anyone going into hospital with a serious case of it little reason for optimism. Since we have had more deaths than most other European nations at this point that would suggest (population count taken into account) that we are likely having less recoveries. Myself I find it rather disengeneous not to publish recovery rates, to my mind it is fiddling the figures like the WHO did at the beginning of all of this virus situation by setting deaths against all those that caught the virus but had not yet seen it through.

[BillyB]

Russia still have ambulances in line to unload. Lots of medical personnel getting infected and two dozen hospitals had to get shut down.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/anger-rises-among-russias-doctors-as-coronavirus-hospitals-get-put-on-lockdown/ar-BB13qi9n?ocid=spartanntp

[Davo]

Thing are looking good down here.... We now only have 14 existing cases in our state and no new infections for a while now.  It’s probable that it will be eradicated all together and hopefully in all of our country in the not to distant future too. Most people have followed the restrictions and social isolating ($1000 fine if you don’t) and we are seeing the rewards of doing the right thing.

I read some members humourous over the top apocalyptic actions, but realistically all that’s needed is some common sense.... stay home in your local community and only go out for essentials and work. For most people down here, it’s been life as usual, apart from a less active social life. The biggest issue has been finding toilet paper, which is now back on shelves more regularly. In May lots of restrictions will be eased or lifted and even non essential sectors like sport will start again in some states.

Business is booming for both my jobs, one because of the drought breaking and government tax changes due to the crisis and the other due to the low Aussie dollar ... It seems Americans have been spending up big on their cars during the lockdown and the biggest issue ATM is getting the parts on planes and at a good price.

My only concern is when I can travel again. I planned a trip in October, but it’s all up in the air atm and k has suggested early next year because there’s already been some backlash in her city with foreigners on boats coming ashore and they aren’t welcome. I can’t see our border opening up anytime soon. Maybe when it does, it will be only to countries who have eradicated the virus too..... time will tell.

[Trenchcoat]

My only concern is when I can travel again. I planned a trip in October, but it’s all up in the air atm and k has suggested early next year because there’s already been some backlash in her city with foreigners on boats coming ashore and they aren’t welcome. I can’t see our border opening up anytime soon. Maybe when it does, it will be only to countries who have eradicated the virus too..... time will tell.

Hi Davo, good to hear you are getting through it all ok down under. I guess one option for a meet up could be a third country to meet my up in. If you have met 'k' then it should be all good. I can see many tourist countries in the med and elsewhere eager to restore the tourist trade they rely so heavily upon as soon as possible and will likely be far less fussy about foreigners as a result. I would be careful on your choice though as if you choose a country where the economy is really tanking it, it may not be a pretty sight:

http://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/news/11516638/europe-economy-crisis-coronavirus-recession-france-italy-spain/amp/

[msmob]

Coronavirus: Northumberland brewery gives away surplus beer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-52488571

Bugger, Why did I move from there in 2014 ?

Now that might be an 'essential' journey ..


PS This poster hasn't touched a drop of alcohol since March 7th and will not drink until he can drink in the company of real .. not virtual,  company.. 

[ML]

  It’s probable that it will be eradicated all together and hopefully in all of our country in the not to distant future too.

Davo, that's the most 'over the top' optimistic prediction I have seen or heard anywhere !!

[LAman]

Davo, that's the most 'over the top' optimistic prediction I have seen or heard anywhere !!

There is a better chance of aliens landing on earth and destroying humanity!!!

[BC]

Davo, that's the most 'over the top' optimistic prediction I have seen or heard anywhere !!

ML, with the will we can get very close, enough so to make it's power over us minimal.

1. Take away it's fuel and contain what's left which is the quick and easy way, or 2. let it kill who it wants to kill which is the long hard way which still requires a good bit of Nr. 1.

We don't have any other options today.

Which are you for?