Have you all seen this wine rating site? www.corkd.com

Cost Plus has some store-label wines that I really like, much more than Yellow Tail, at least in the Shiraz, that are about $6. Called Aaku, I think - it's an Australian wine. So that's my new default wine to keep around.

Good holy god. My sister just sent me this from someone on her f-list:

I just wanted to make this post to tell myself how proud I am and that believing in myself and reaching this point is a great accomplishment. Once I graduate with my BS in Hummanties and the Social Sciences when encompases my major English I'll move on to post grad work and work on getting my teaching Crendential.

Won't somebody think of the children???

I'm pretty sure some of my teachers in school had some of those crendentials she's talking about.

I'm pretty sure some of my teachers in school had some of those crendentials she's talking about.

Mine, too. Like my 11th grade English teacher who wrote on one of my essays, "You done real good!" And, no. She wasn't being ironic.

connie, your Bones whitefont broke me. Le guh. Want now.

I love yellowtail! But I have found that I really like cheap wine. For Chardonnay, I prefer the Vendange, which is $7.99 for the huge bottle.

I have a question, though-- when "they" say something like "this wine has a fruity taste of cherries, with an oaky undertone"-- are there cherries in the wine? Or do the grapes somehow taste like cherries or butter or vegetables or whatever it is that the wine tastes like?

Or do the grapes somehow taste like cherries or butter or vegetables or whatever it is that the wine tastes like?

This part. It's more like the grapes are alluding to cherries. But even then it's not going to taste like a popsicle. They're mostly trying to find a taste vocabulary that can capture an array of subtle, complex flavors and there's no way to do that without referring to other flavors.

"Fruity" flavors are just indicators of slight sweetness in some way. "It has a lot of fruit" = little sweet. "Oaky" - drier, not sweet, slight woody astringency. "Buttery" - doesn't mean tastes like butter but a smooth mouthfeel. It's all code!

TAR: I was so happy! And you're right Jessica -- any of the three winning would have pleased me. But I loved that they went to Japan!!!

Top Chef: I guess they decided that forgetting one order was worse than being mediocre with all three challenges? I was surprised that Tiffani did so poorly because she has been doing well with the Quickfire challenges all season.

Oh, BTW, in TAR - what was the thing that they teams had to carry in Maiden. I can't remember what it's called for the life of me.

Thanks!