Eva's Wine Cellar

Beautiful. It would be very appropriate today, to light a
candle and sit down and pray.

Instead, going to bed...

Yes, go ahead! I'll pray for your lost soul too

Ah, finally! Sacre Coeur!

I missed it when I was there. I only had enough time for either the Musee Orsay or Sacre Coeur, and I chose the Orsay. This looks wonderful, though. Very, very beautiful. Maybe I chose wrong....? Hmmm. I'll have another vin blanc and think about it.

Do you have any more photos of the church, Francis?

Lost souls, CJ? Do we have any lost souls around here? I do hope not. If you see any, please invite them to join us.

Since all my photod had tp be scanned (and are similar to those online; besides I've none from the interiour .... forbidden) you may perhaps look at the official site before Francis posts his :wink:

Very nice, Walter! Perhaps Francis has more photos of the inside?

Francis, I hope, is having sweet dreams; so if noone minds a pagan posting this most religious photograph, here is a view of a lovely chapel inside Sacre Coeur:

One need not share the belief to appreciate the beauty, Diane. It is a lovely little corner, perfect for deep contemplation. Is this your photo? When did you visit Sacre Coeur?

Here are some more inside views :

<You all won't like me even less, but I think this Romano-Byzantine style ("confectioner-style") is kitsch²>

The architecture of Sacre Coeur was mainly inspired by Saint-Front de Périgueux - which can be seen HERE(click on the thumbnails to enlarge the pics).

<more kitsch, then...>

THAT'S "kitsch"?

Beats the hell outta what passes for kitsch around here, Walter!

http://route66motels.com/deserthills/gallery.htm

Okay, it's a mock Romano-Byzantine extravaganza :wink:

Eva, you should change your location form Venice to
Paris

Can we go somewhere in the beergarden? I'm a Saint
already visiting all these churches.....

An interesting article on California wines and alcohol content - from the NYT.


The Hard Stuff Now Includes Wine
By ERIC ASIMOV

Published: April 13, 2005


NOT so many years ago, back when Americans sought out compact cars and calculated their gas mileage, most California wines clocked in at an economical 12 to 13 percent alcohol. It was perhaps a shade higher than what their European colleagues achieved, but California was blessed with generous sunshine that made ripening grapes an easier proposition than in the cooler climates of Bordeaux and Burgundy.


Twenty-five years later, the 12 percent California wine seems as quaint as the gas-saving hatchback. Today, it's the rare bottle from California, red or white, that doesn't reach 14 percent alcohol. Many now hit 15, even 16 percent, a difference that may seem insignificant until you realize that a 15 percent bottle contains 25 percent more alcohol than one labeled 12 percent.

Casual consumers seem to pay little attention to the small print on the label that indicates the approximate alcohol content. And while these extreme wines do not hide their alcohol levels, few winemakers trumpet them, either.

In fact, many of these wines come from some of California's most critically acclaimed producers, who charge from $25 to $100 or more a bottle. Clearly, consumers intent on intoxication can find far cheaper pathways, like a bottle of bourbon with 40 percent alcohol.

But among California producers and those who follow wine closely, the wines have provoked sharp debate.

Opponents have called them wines on steroids, and insist that the qualities of elegance and subtlety, and the ability to evolve gracefully with age, so prized in traditional wines, are completely lost. Wine's place on the dinner table, they say, is in danger, too. These wines, they argue, overwhelm food instead of enhancing it. High alcohol can create the impression of sweetness, which can clash with food. And then there's the headache factor, not to mention the issue of driving.

"You raise the alcohol just a couple percent in wine, and you change people's experience," said Andrew Murray, a winemaker in Santa Barbara County, who says he has tried taming the alcohol in his wines. "The old concept, my wife and I can split a bottle of wine with dinner, is no longer true."

Proponents say the alcohol level is irrelevant, as long as the wines are balanced and taste good. They complain that opponents are judging them by Old World benchmarks. These producers assert that they are carving out an identity for California in the most traditional fashion, by allowing the wines to reflect the characteristics of the soil and climate in which the grapes are grown. They contend that higher alcohol levels are not a flaw as long as other factors, like acidity, which gives a wine zing, and tannins, which give it structure, do their part.

"We're not trying to be Burgundy, we're not trying to be California pinot," said Greg Brewer, who, with his partner, Steve Clifton, makes pinot noir and chardonnay in the Santa Rita Hills of western Santa Barbara County. "We're only interested in the two grapes that grow best in the area in which we live." The Brewer-Clifton wines are often above 15 percent alcohol. They are intense, but unlike many of the high-alcohol wines they can be balanced and graceful as well.

"It's a number," Mr. Brewer said, dismissing the focus on alcohol. "Are people checking the B.T.U.'s on a chef's burner?"

At the Adega Restaurant and Wine Bar in Denver, where the higher-alcohol wines are popular, the issue of percentages almost never comes up, said Aaron Foster, the wine director. "Their popularity is due to the name recognition," he said. "To a certain degree, most people assume that wines are all the same, and they're looking at taste."

High alcohol levels are not completely new in California. Zinfandels have a long history of surpassing 15 and 16 percent. What's different are the wines from grapes not known for producing blockbuster alcohol levels. The Heavyweight 2003, a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and two other grapes from Behrens & Hitchcock in the Napa Valley, weighs in at 15.6 percent. A 2001 roussanne from Sine Qua Non is at 15.5 percent. The 2002 Hard Core, a blended red wine from Core in eastern Santa Barbara County, hit 15.7 percent. Syrahs from Pax Wine Cellars in northern California regularly approach 16 percent, while the Bulladóir, a 2002 syrah from the Garretson Wine Company in Paso Robles, reached nearly 17 percent. Each of these wines has received scores of 90 points or higher from Robert M. Parker Jr., the influential wine critic.

"It used to be anything above 14 percent was really up there," said Bob Lindquist of Qupé Wine Cellars, who has been making wine in Santa Barbara County since the 1970's. "Now, 15 is the new 14."

Now that's interesting, c.i.

I remember when a glass of wine went with the meal quite nicely. They are right,
it does often overwhelm the food these days. I thought it was just me, and age was
influencing my sense of taste, making the wine taste stronger. I don't drink as much
as I did when I was younger, but I enjoy it much more when I do.

Looking for a 'stiefel'? :wink:



close to Place de Châtelet serves such

The only problem is Place du Châtelet is a little far from Sacre Coeur.

We could walk instead to this "bistro" 3 minutes away. A place where I stop sometimes.

Oh! It seems I came at the right time

Walter, I don't like such a huge glass, as I'm not used
to the stronger beer any longer, I'd get drunk in a minute....

I see.

<Remembering the pic>