Long time no see!

I hadn't realized that this newsgroup still existed. My ISP abruptly pulle d the plug many years ago, and I thought, "well that's that.". I had met a number of people from this group in person and even more in a virtual sens e and was sorry to see them go. They all knew me as Tom S. I contacted Mi ke Tommasi through LinkedIn yesterday and he replied promptly that this new sgroup still existed. It was a little tricky to find, but here it is and s o am I.

I have been a winemaker since 1982 - both professionally and as an amateur

- mostly and most recently the latter. I retired 2+ years ago from my day- to-day aerospace career and am now free to pursue my hobbies and interests. I've gone back to college and plan to seek a degree in enology.

I still make barrel fermented Chardonnay (my favorite!) as well as the occa sional red. I'm getting a barrel of 2014 Pinot Noir ready to bottle, which will be followed shortly thereafter by my 2015 Chardonnay. Both are, if I may say so, delicious. I recently bottled a 2015 off-dry Riesling that I made on a whim. That was only a little more than four cases. It's a perfe ct summertime Spatlese style wine that everyone who has tasted it really li kes.

I don't do this for the money. It's simply in my blood and a part of me an d who I am - just as Bridge, Square Dance, fast cars and good food are.

I doubt that I will have the time to be as frequent a contributor here as I was in the past, but I'll pop in from time to time as time permits. Salud os!

Reply to
tjshudic
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In message , snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com writes

Welcome back!

Sheila

Reply to
Sheila Page

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

Hi Tom, how long without news from you!!! It is so nice to see you back around.

And I remember having a couple of bottles of your wine, like 14 years ago. Great Chardonnay! I still have the empty bottle in my collection of special bottles. See pic:

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Do your wines make it to this side of the pond?

Hope that's true,

s.

Reply to
santiago

Hola Santiago!

I had completely forgotten about sending that bottle of wine to you! I'm g lad and honored that you enjoyed it that much. Unfortunately, in the wake of the 911 attacks it has become impossible to ship things innocently in or out of the Country. :^( It would probably have to be a hand-carry, and I don't see that happening a nytime soon.

I don't recall for sure where you are located, but my guess would be Spain. I was there on vacation in October of 2001, right after the NYC terrorist attacks. It was a great time to travel. The airplanes were almost empty because everyone was afraid of ending up in another hijacked plane, and the Euro was 87 cents to the dollar. My sister and I visited Madrid for a few days and took in some touristy things: the Prado; Toledo (where I bought a very nice chef's knife); Paloma San Basilio in "My Fair Lady"; and a pret ty good flamenco show. Then off to Malaga for a week where we caught some sun, drank some good inexpensive rose, ate paella, and took a trip to Gibra ltar. The little bit of Spanish I had picked up at work turned out to be s omewhat useful! Now that I'm back in college I'm actually studying Spanish because it's a requirement for enology majors. I'm OK with the vocabulary , but the verbs are driving me crazy!

If you're ever in Los Angeles be sure to give me a call or drop me a line.

Tom S

Reply to
Tom S

glad and honored that you enjoyed it that much. Unfortunately, in the wak e of the 911 attacks it has become impossible to ship things innocently in or out of the Country. :^(

anytime soon.

n. I was there on vacation in October of 2001, right after the NYC terrori st attacks. It was a great time to travel. The airplanes were almost empt y because everyone was afraid of ending up in another hijacked plane, and t he Euro was 87 cents to the dollar. My sister and I visited Madrid for a f ew days and took in some touristy things: the Prado; Toledo (where I bough t a very nice chef's knife); Paloma San Basilio in "My Fair Lady"; and a pr etty good flamenco show. Then off to Malaga for a week where we caught som e sun, drank some good inexpensive rose, ate paella, and took a trip to Gib raltar. The little bit of Spanish I had picked up at work turned out to be somewhat useful! Now that I'm back in college I'm actually studying Spani sh because it's a requirement for enology majors. I'm OK with the vocabula ry, but the verbs are driving me crazy!

Good to read you again Tom !

Mike Tommasi

Reply to
Mike Tommasi

Tom S of Chateau Burbank! Great to see you here again. Remember meeting you and Kriss Reed in Laguna many years ago. Glad to hear you are still making wine/

Reply to
DaleW

From a long time lurker, welcome back.

Jack

Reply to
cruciverbalist

Hey, Tom! Good to see something from you again. AFW is far less trafficked than it was when you were last here, but many of the Usual Suspects™ do still weigh in from time to time. Good to know that Chateau Burbank is still an ongoing enterprise.

Mark Lipton

Reply to
Mark Lipton

Tom S wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

You can count on that!!

Correct.

I was there on vacation in October of 2001, right after the

Sure English is so much easier on the verbs than Spanish.

The bottle I got was from 2000 vintage so it should be around year 2002, I guess. Not really sure and I do not really have the email account we used anymore.

Will do!

s.

Reply to
santiago

I also got the 2000 vintage Ch Burbank, good stuff it was. I may be in LA over teh summer for a quick visit. Cheers all here

Mike

Reply to
Mike Tommasi

Well here it is 16 years later and some of the usual suspects are still her e. Nice to see that!

Dale - I remember that visit in Laguna Beach. It was nice to put a face to your name.

Mark - I remember asking you a science question that I didn't understand th e answer to. Something about negative temperatures (below zero Kelvin) may be?

Mike - Be sure to let me know if you're going to be in town (Los Angeles) t his summer. It would be great to meet you in person. Ian and Jacqui staye d with me around the turn of the century, and also visited with my sister i n Sonoma County for Thanksgiving another year. Good times!

I'm at a loss to remember his name, but I recall a prominent AFW member fro m Austria. Is he still around? And there was also Lord St. Hellier, down in New Zealand, I believe. Several others too, whose names escape me at th e moment. A lawyer from Canada e.g., and others. How time flies, and with it goes part of the memory .

Reply to
Tom S

Tom S wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

Michael Pronay, I think.

Have not seem him for quite some time.

s.

Reply to
santiago

ere. Nice to see that!

to your name.

the answer to. Something about negative temperatures (below zero Kelvin) m aybe?

this summer. It would be great to meet you in person. Ian and Jacqui sta yed with me around the turn of the century, and also visited with my sister in Sonoma County for Thanksgiving another year. Good times!

rom Austria. Is he still around? And there was also Lord St. Hellier, dow n in New Zealand, I believe. Several others too, whose names escape me at the moment. A lawyer from Canada e.g., and others. How time flies, and wi th it goes part of the memory .

I'll let you know. drop me an email so I have your contact info, I will rep ly. snipped-for-privacy@lastname.org

Saw Michael Pronay make a furtive appearance on facebook recently. Andrew l ast contact 2 yrs ago.

Reply to
Mike Tommasi

ere. Nice to see that!

to your name.

the answer to. Something about negative temperatures (below zero Kelvin) m aybe?

this summer. It would be great to meet you in person. Ian and Jacqui sta yed with me around the turn of the century, and also visited with my sister in Sonoma County for Thanksgiving another year. Good times!

rom Austria. Is he still around? And there was also Lord St. Hellier, dow n in New Zealand, I believe. Several others too, whose names escape me at the moment. A lawyer from Canada e.g., and others. How time flies, and wi th it goes part of the memory .

Reply to
aybee1947

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