Date: Fri 29-Aug-1997

By Previous Employees

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: SHIRLE

Quick Words:

Wine-Wisdom-Small-taste

Full Text:

WINE WISDOM: The Trick: Putting Taste Into Words

By Steve Small

Writing about wine can often be very easy. The name of a wine, where it came

from, and its price are simple statements of fact. However, there is one

question regarding wine that can be particularly daunting: What does it taste

like?

Putting taste into words is an extremely tricky proposition. We all know when

we taste a wine that we like, and usually that is enough. If someone asks you

about the wine, good, delicious, or disappointing are all words that are

easily understood. However, describing the specifics of what the wine actually

tastes like can be very tough to do.

Most of us fall back on tastes and flavors we are familiar and comfortable

with. Dry or sweet, light or heavy are common descriptions everyone knows.

Fruits and spices are also fairly easy to use in describing the taste of a

wine. White wines are commonly described as having flavors of apple, citrus,

vanilla, pear, melon, peach, and butter. Common descriptors for red wines

include plum, berry, cherry, and prunes. Oak is often found in both red and

white wines.

Things start to get interesting when the people writing the descriptions try

to get creative. With apologies to Dave Barry, I am not making these

descriptions up! Current wine publications describe wines as exuberant,

restrained, elegant, polished, stylish, sophisticated, dramatic, explosive and

"like a roller coaster as it turns and twists your palate." Another wine is

described as having "an austere nose of flint and stones." What exactly do

stones smell like? And when was the last time anyone bothered smelling them?

Well, if we are going to ascribe human characteristics to wine, let's cut to

the chase and compare certain wines to certain people. A flavorful, fruity

Chenin Blanc could be... Meg Ryan. A dry, ageable Cabernet... Cary Grant. A

medium bodied Merlot with nice fruit... Tom Hanks. A light bodied, young

Chianti: Joe Pesci. An ageable Chainte Classico Riserva: Robert DeNiro. An

inexpensive Champagne: Goldie Hawn. A classic vintage Champagne: Grace Kelly.

Now if I could only think of a wine for Don Knotts!

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

Center at 71 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 29-Aug-1997

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