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Friday, September 4, 2020

2020/2021 Stanford Wines

From Worldometer,  COVID-19 new deaths:

           DAY USA   WORLD   Brazil      India   South Africa
June      9     1093    4732        1185      246         82
July       5       251    3572          535       421       173
             7       993    5504        1312       479       192
           12       380    4118          659       500       108
           15     1001    5760        1261       614       107
           19       412    4606          715       675         85
           22     1205    7128        1293     1120        572
           26       450    4307         556       715        114
Aug      1    1462     6429       1191       765        193
            3       467     4430         514       514        213
            5     1362     6292       1394       849        345
          10       534     4813         593     1013        198
          12     1504     6556       1242       835        130
          16       522     4525         582       961        162
          18     1358     6312        1365    1089        280
          24       510     4356          679      854        100
          25     1290     5856        1215    1066        149
          30       369     4182         398       960          47
Sept     4     1094     5886          830     1083       174

Summary:
  • While the USA and Brazil had new cases yesterday in the range of 44,000, India was up to 84,156.
  • Spain:  8959 new cases and France 7157.
  • Mexico:  4,921 new cases and 575 new deaths.
  • Germany:  1,423 new cases and 6 new deaths.
  • China:  11 new cases and no new deaths.
  • Thailand:  2 new cases and no new deaths.
And the hits keep coming.  From The Atlantic:


To quote:

When President Donald Trump canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018, he blamed rain for the last-minute decision, saying that “the helicopter couldn’t fly” and that the Secret Service wouldn’t drive him there. Neither claim was true.
Trump rejected the idea of the visit because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain, and because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead, according to four people with firsthand knowledge of the discussion that day. In a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of the scheduled visit, Trump said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed.
From the Military Times (August poll, before this Atlantic article):

     Donald Trump   37.4%
     Joe Biden          41.3%

In September 2016:


Hillary was ahead of Donald, but behind in military votes.  On election day, Trump got 61% of veteran votes, Clinton 34%.

Remember how Trump muzzled Voice of America?  The Military Times is a Gannett publication, so they're safe.  However, the Stars and Stripes was ordered by Donald Trump (Sure, it was the Defense Secretary, but guess who told him?) to shut down publication by the end of this month.  S&S has historically said it like it was, and was critical of the White House during the Vietnam War.  They were not particularly kind to Trump.  How long have they been publishing?  Started in 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War.

Kristin Urquiza, a Hispanic, will no doubt be a featured star on Biden ads in October.  Watch her statement at the Democratic National Convention, where she underscored that her healthy father died from the coronavirus, and his only pre-existing condition was believing in Donald Trump.

I just ordered the next batch of Stanford wines.  It was in 1981 that the Stanford Alumni Association launched the Stanford Wine Program.  We had a whole bunch of graduates in the U.S. wine industry, and some of them were called-in to blind taste and select a few best to offer alumni.  Part of the reason was to raise money for the university.  Over these years more than a hundred wineries from California, Oregon and Washington have been featured.

This year, coming will be:
  • Bodkin Suisun Valley 2018 Chardonnay, with a bottling date in 2014.  The alcohol content is 14.3%.  Price $18.  Pinot Gris was blended in, plus Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc.  Delightfully quaffable.  (Part of the charm is to create this almost meaningless terminology.) The owner is Chris Chritensen, '03, former rower in college.  He started his career interning at Gallo of Sonoma.. He then gained experience in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, before starting Bodkin Wines in 2011.  He sells California's first Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc.
  • 3 Steves Livermore Valley 2016 Greenville Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.3%, $22.  Some Merlot and Petit Verdot infuse the mix.  Chocolate and sweet spice.  Steve Burman MS'95, a former engineer, has two partners, and they are all Steve.  A few years ago, their Zinfandel was voted Best Red Wine of Show at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine competition, which includes wines from the world over.
  • Smith-Madrone Napa Valley 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.3%, $52.  Grown in Spring Mountain at an elevation of 1800 feet, the estate is west of St. Helena.  Vineyard slopes are up to 35%.  Mostly Cab, but a small amount of Merlot and some Cabernet Franc.  Stuart Smith established his winery in 1971.  His wife is Julie Ann Kodmur, '78.
While the prices are a bit lower this year, the fact of the matter is that I only very rarely spend more than $10 for any bottle of wine in Honolulu shops.  I have splurged on a few sakes costing more than $100/bottle.  Then, of course, my Japanese whisky collection, which has become more and more valuable with each passing day.  Since the mid-80's I just habitually brought back a bottle from my trips to the Orient, and many of them remain in the original box.  To the left the latest two Suntorys and an Ichiro.

According to Accuweather, Haishen just now became a Super Typhoon, is impacting southern Japan, and will make landfall Monday over South Korea:


Can't close the week with all those faked fake news tossed out by Donald Trump and this terrible typhoon.  Here, a heartwarming story from Croatia about a mother stork and her family:


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