
Talk about an innovation that could transform the winter experience that’s about to blizzard into our lives – saw these SnowShorts at the Orvis store in Boston the other day. Now that’s meeting an unmet and unarticulated consumer need!
October 17, 2009

Talk about an innovation that could transform the winter experience that’s about to blizzard into our lives – saw these SnowShorts at the Orvis store in Boston the other day. Now that’s meeting an unmet and unarticulated consumer need!
June 7, 2009
As Ontarians or even Canadians, what are we championing? That we’ve got some truly ‘world class’ wines (world class, of course, being Canada-speak for ‘Can we join the club’?)? That we’ve finally got a real opportunity to put our grapes budget into local, rather than distant, economies? Or that our locally-generated hype machine is working at maximum efficiency? Probably all three. At least, that seems to be the case in the context of Malivoire.
The Beamsville winery getting as attention from its gravity pull method as from the taste in its bottles is a case study in the Canadian ‘world class’ phenomenon. There was the much hyped tasting release back in April. There was the Jamie Kennedy event this past weekend in Beamsville. And, for those of us not attending either, there is equal parts buzz at the right LCBO stores. But is Malivoire all it’s hyped up to be?
High scores on both Pinot Noirs, the ‘06 and ‘07. But both, quite frankly, are overpriced. $30+ is a risk for most middle-budget wine consumers to take on a Canadian red and, at the end of the bottle, I’m not so sure wouldn’t have been better spent on something from Oregon or Washington.
$32 for the 2007 Old Vines Foch definitely would be spent better elsewhere. As the label explains these 33-year old vines are “Well into their declining years….” I’d say – declined. There are definitely some jump outs with the first few sips, but a glass later it’s like drinking a bottle of red that has been open for a day or two.
The 2008 Pinot Gris? Sadly, a disappointment. More Grigio than Gris, there’s just no Alsace in your glass. Low juice concentration, very little peachiness and almost the level of acidity that had me take that Anne Boecklin back to the LCBO last week for a refund.
All is not lost, however: the 2008 Gewurztraminer is a surprising stunner with everything you’d expect from the grape, the 2006 Chardonnay isn’t super complex or anything but very fresh and juicy, and the Lady Bug Rosé continues to impress after a number of bottles.
Malivoire is certainly getting much-deserved local attention for its wines, and my uncle from Cali was impressed – maybe more for the gravity pull than the wines, though. Is this enough to believe the hype? Or are we just engaging in another round of Canadian cultural cartography?
May 6, 2009
Great info-design spin on a classic fairy tale, tipped this way by Ms. King.
May 4, 2009
Steve Friedmann was right. Malivoire is, arguably, at the very top of the Canadian wine game right now. Their 2008’s are stunning, and well worth a trip to wherever the best of Beamsville is carried. Of the winery’s selection, it’s their Lady Bug rosé that will shine this summer: better than virtually anything in the $14 range – including the best of French or Spanish rosés – it also wins awards for being able to play in the same branding market as all those shitty wines with the ridiculous animals names. Why? Playful and pretty – like the taste – with a simple spin on design that equally reflects what’s on the nose and in the mouth. Congrats to them – another Canadian producer (and that really only makes 3 or 4) worth writing home about if you live in France or Spain (or Oregon).
April 25, 2009

Today, I’m giving a proper Ape Notes finger to a blogger who decided to change 5 or 10% of the words from one of my postings last month and call his/her most recent post his/her own. Ironic that this person chose to do so using one of my posts (there have been a few) where I write about the value/effect etc/ of Google alert keywords. Duh, fucker – you didn’t think that shit would be key-worded for me to bump into? Names and URLs we won’t use, lest he/she get more hits at my expense. Bottom line: lame. Main line: get a comments section so I can call you out direct.
April 5, 2009

Wikipedia has given everyone the keyword-game to act like they know. C’mon – like you haven’t been at a cocktail party with someone dropping action-network theory into the mix?! Now, in the Ted vein, Academic Earth steps it up by offering viewers the confidence and cadence to talk like an expert. Lectures, lecture series and courses in a variety of disciplines delivered by profs around the globe, it’s cool(ish), useful(ish) and occasionally very engaging. It’s also a little amiss: in this most liminal of ages, with so many reconfigurations of social symbols, rife with pregnant rifts in how we communicate, gestative of new rituals and performances – the topic list has a glaring absence and a Search comes up with the unthinkable…”No Results Were Found. Try A New Search.” Sort by Relevancy? Ouch!
April 5, 2009

Stephen Colbert’s been taking some shots at a failing newspaper industry of late, but this new campaign from the Tokyo subway authority will be far more damaging to the space, place and time that the newspaper occupies in our lives. Begin your eulogies (again)………….now!
April 1, 2009

A quickie on Steve Portigal’s blog gets cred for posting me towards the new Firefox personas. Like him, I’m not the biggest fan of amalgamated humans transformed from lives and emotions to bullet points and recommendations, but I have eased up a bit in recent months (on the conditions that the thickest description possible and a direct line from researchers to authors to designers is followed). Still, gotta laugh at how the designers who these tools are meant for have so sucked them into their creative realm and spit them out that now we can dress up our Firefox in personalities. Just like so many of the personas folks are passing off as consumers, the Firefox skins are “lightweight, easy-to-install and easy-to-change.”
March 14, 2009
You know He would approve. Make sure watch through them all.