Date: Fri 13-Dec-1996

By Previous Employees

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: CAROLK

Illustration: C

Location: A14

Quick Words:

Wine-Wisdom-Riesling-Zinfandel

Full Text:

(holiday wine selections in Wine Wisdom column, 12/20/96)

Wine Wisdom

Just In Time for The Holidays: Welcome To Steve's Perfect World

By Steve Small

The holiday season is a time of celebration. It is a time to appreciate

everything we have, and plan for better things ahead. I can think of no better

way to celebrate than with my absolute favorite beverages. The following is a

totally subjective list of the beers and wines that would grace the table in

Steve's Perfect World.

Ipswich Brewing Co. is a small brewery in Massachusetts. They make a dark ale

I find absolutely delicious. It is rich, hearty and reminiscent of a good

English ale. Ipswich Dark Ale is packaged in 64-ounce jugs, so it is best

enjoyed with a friend or two. This hearty brew can also help warm your insides

on a cold winter night.

As I try to pick one white wine that is my absolute favorite, I find it to be

an impossible task. More and more delicious wines keep coming to mind. The

wines of Zind-Humbrecht are truly stunning. They produce Gewurztraminers,

Rieslings and Pinot Blanc from the Alsace region of France. The wines have

some of the longest finishes I have ever tasted. The flavors linger on your

palate, and then linger a little while longer.

R.H. Phillips makes a Viognier that is also delicious. It is a very dry white

wine with loads of flavor. As you sip the wine, you keep picking up different

fruit flavors. The R.H. Phillips EXP Viognier is dry enough to have with a

meal yet complex enough to sip by itself.

My current favorite champagne/sparkling wine is Jordan "J". In my humble

opinion, this California sparkling wine is as good or better than most of the

French champagnes I have tasted.

Moving on to red wines, the choices are once again innumerable. Single

vineyard, old vine or reserve Zinfandels from Cine, Ridge, Ravenswood,

Rosenblum and Renwood would make me happy. California Cabernet Sauvignons from

Beringer, Turnbull or Whitehall Lane would also suit me just fine. The 1988

Rancia Chianti Classico Riserva is another truly memorable red wine.

The holiday season is the perfect time to open that special bottle you have

been saving. There is nothing worse than keeping a bottle so long that instead

of aged, it is just bad. So as you enjoy the holiday season responsibly, go

ahead and drink something extra special. You've earned it!

(Steve Small is the proprietor of Steve's Liquor Store, in Ricky's Shopping

Center at 71 South Main Street/Route 25 in Newtown.)

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Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 13-Dec-1996

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