On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 10:33:17 -0800, john hauer <[log in to unmask]> 
wrote:

>I mostly delete the rants, 

The Chattanooga Times Free Press has a column for "rants" fo
any reader to submit.  The condition fits the newsgroup and
LISTS readers' DEFINITION for a "rant".   For the CTFP, 
"RANT:  Tell us about it in 25 words or less".

For internet readers, 25 words is about the limit of their
attention span.


>
>  This item was loaded into one of the posts -- shocking as it may 
sound!!!!!
>
>  >I even have a bottle of 1966 Chateau LaFite Rothschild (you can't
>>even find in cruises or most of the expensive restaurants; and if you
>>do. it would probably command a bill of $500 for the bottle) to share
>>with my internet friends and divers !

Ah, that's no "rant" by the Choo Choo Free Press standard.
It's too LONG by at least 15 words -- didn't bother to 
count carefully.

>
>  Most importantly how could one know that a '66 is still good? 

You never know until it's opened, isn't it?  Unless of course
if you can see caked up "mud" at the bottom.   But if YOU 
offered a '61 or older Chateau LaFite, I for one would not
look at the gift horse's mouth, at least not till the time
for consumption, as you noted below:

"I would fear that so many things could happen. A friend once had 3 
bottles of Bordeaux from '82. We drank all three over three days. They had 
all been imported together and lived in a remote forest location with the 
elves for most of their existance. None the less, each of them was quite 
unique. How will we know which variety this bottle will take. Perhaps a 
taste-off is in order."

>
> ...perhaps I'm dreaming. Oh, yes I am in fact dreaming.

Yes, you're indeed dreaming.  But at least you woke up a bunch
of others in this group to start talking, in an enviroment that
had been near moribund.

>
>  Last remaining question: How will we know if any of us has any taste at 
>  all???

This deep question can be answered from two different perspectives,
meaning the same thing.  :-)

1.  Judging from the discussion, it appears EVERY one has a

    taste for wine, the CHEAP kind winos appreciate.  :)

2.  Some discussants are true to form -- they wouldn't KNOW
    a good Chateau LaFite or a good year for it if a horse
    France delivered it to them.  But that doesn't keep them
    from discussing what they don't know.

However, here's an alternative that is unspoilable -- because
a SPOILED bottle may in fact taste better than the original,
in its Saturday vintage in November:

The bottle label reads:

                Special Reserve
                  PHYCO PLONK

                    November
                      2002

An ideal accompaniment to ships biscuits and hard tack.  This
premium full bodied wine is a skilful blend of seaweed, salt-
water and spittle lovingly left to mature in Juilen's Old BCD.

    < rest of the descriptions for connoiseurs snipped >

I have also witnessed a bottle of the same Special Reserve,
same vintage (Saturday), February 2006, except this one was
lovingly left to mature in Tricky's Old BCD.

I am sure all wine connosieurs in this House of Ill Repute
will gladly make a colletion to pay for Strike's and Sylvia's
airfare to bring HIS special reserves, to be served with 
bottles of Crusty's 'Goats Roam around the Village', Alfred's
"Big Ass Beer", and even Chuck's non-vintage non-wine, to 
flush the commodes into which guests might be so fascinated
by the bouquet, nose, and other qualities of the wines to
raise them to the untrollable ecstasy to instantly feed fish
in the bathroom at a convenient location for all partiers
to visit, as in our 2002 miniNEDfest held at the Feeesh
Aquarium in Choo Choo.

The preceding paragraph serves as my invitation for a
2006 mini-NEDfest, in which I'll gladly my vintage liquor
to Chuck's non-wine for the convenience of the fish-feeders
at the party.  John Hauer is hereby nominated by me to be
the Chairman of the Fund Raising Campaign for "the 
Phyco Plonk travel funds for the Strikes".

I almost left Christian out.  He is invited too, but he'll
have to row his own boat here, but I do have several 
"genuine leather kangaroo scrotum", purchase in Sydney,
Feb 2006.  that is extremely suitable as containers for
his wines.

-- da Feeesh