The Exchange

Each month, Golf Digest poses a challenge for two of its writers to debate, dubbed "The Exchange". This month, I had the task of going up against senior writer Rohan Clarke (senior in experience, not years) defending the Ryder Cup as a spectacle against the Presidents Cup. We got stuck in.

Long Haul Cinema- Take Two

With 14 hours to kill on the flight from Sydney to J'burg, there is more than enough time to check out a few new movies,

Adventureland

This was a cracking film with surprising level of emotional depth and feeling, very much at odds with its suggested 'teen movie' leanings. In fact, I'd say that it was the best of its type that I have seen since 'Almost Famous', which was for me a real benchmark for the coming-of-age genre.

Without giving too much away, the gross-out components of it are handled well enough to not leave you cringing, and the acting of the characters portraying marginalised and identity seeking teenagers is spot on. Really good stuff.

Disgrace

I thought, you know, maybe I was too expectant/tired/distracted to do this movie justice the last time I flew. So, I watched it again from the point where I turned it off in August. Unfortunately, the second half is even more laboured. You almost feel obligated to say nice things about a movie that has John Malkovich in it, but ultimately this is a real dog that bobs up and down on the spot and leaves you wondering how the screenwriters managed to so successfully butcher JM Coetzee's epic book.

Enron- The Smartest Guys in the Room

Brilliant doco. Compulsory viewing for every rampaging capitalist spruiking the beauty of the free market economy and de-regulation. A tale of total greed and disgusting manipulation of the stock and electricity markets in the U.S. by Enron, of lies and deceit and fraud on a scale almost too huge to imagine. And, when you look at the ease with which this all came together and the complicity of banks, business and regulatory authorities who allowed it to continue, you are all too aware that it can and probably will happen again.

Haskell Vineyards scoops the pool at Tri-Nations

Well, this was bloody exciting. Made it to the Tri-Nations Wine Challenge presentations last night in Sydney at the Four Seasons Hotel. We had a horse in the race, the as yet unreleased Haskell Pillars Syrah 2007, which had struck a couple of judges in South Africa as a pretty good wine and had been chosen for the South African team.

To cut a long story short, the Pillars 07 won Best Shiraz, Best Red Wine, and Wine of Show. It was the first time that South Africa had won best red wine in the history of the competition, and also the Champion Wine.

Rianie Strydom (winemaker) was pumped, I'll admit to letting out a few hollers and hoots and celebrating in a renowned fashion into the early hours. A great achievement for us, we couldn't be more pumped.

A Postcard from Stellenbosch

And just to catch up the last couple of months, here's a little reminiscence from a round at the Heineken in Perth back in the late 1990's and a third round, two ball match up with Ernie Els.

Living with the (Sporting) Enemy

Just catching up on posting a few articles here now that the old site is done and dusted (as of today). This is my September article from Australian Golf Digest, and no, it doesn't have anything to do with Tiger but I dig this picture with the Turnbery lighthouse in the background. Thats the best excuse I can think of!

Coche Dury, Chevalier Montrachet and more

More firsts from a couple of weeks back. My first taste of Coche Dury, one of the most vaunted and revered white burgundy producers. Coche Dury wines sell for astonishing sums of money and getting your hands on them is quite a challenge. The wine tasted here was the Meursault Perrieres 1er 2002, and it was brilliant. Sleek, shiny and crammed full of power. The Bouchard Chevalier Montrachet 2005 was also impressive, but needs many years of cellaring to show its full potential, especially in a large format bottle. Can't recall if I tasted the Clos de Mouches...it was all getting a bit silly at this point.

Three Years Hence

It has been a couple of weeks since the third anniversary of the death of Len Evans. How quickly that time has passed. I was reflecting on that today as I cleaned up my computer desktop and found this article.

It reminded me of a few things, but mostly of how much I miss the excitement and sense of anticipation that he bought to my life. Wine became somehow magical when Len was around. Every visit to the Hunter Valley to see him was potentially a journey of discovery, and some of my most cherished memories are of times spent dining and enjoying wine at Loggerheads, his Pokolbin home.

Anyway, we shouldn't forget the great, and I won't. You're still missed, Chairman.