The wine world knows that France, Italy and California produce the best red wines.  The top two wine producers switch between Italy and France, with Italy now #1.  #'s 3 and 4 also change, with Spain today producing more than the USA.  Australia is #5.  China is rapidly rising, and is  affecting wine prices in other ways,  too.  Interestingly enough, though  world wine production is dropping , and  is lower than 1961.  Some blame climate warming. Today I will focus on the best red wines.  Some day I'll talk about the finest white wines. France:  Bordeaux and Burgandy. More specifically, there are two blends of Bordeaux, the left bank uses mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and right mostly Merlot. Burgandy is almost always Pinot Noir, although White Burgandy is Chardonnay. Italy:  Piedmont for Barolo and Tuscany for Brunello de Montalcino. California:  Napa Valley and parallel Sonoma Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon and red blends. ...

Donald Trump met with President Joe Biden at the White House today .  Four years ago, Trump was the first president in a long time not to have invited the incoming president.,,,Biden.  Worse, Trump did not bother to show up for Joe's Inauguration, the first absentee outgoing president to do this since Andrew Johnson's skipped Ulysses Grant's 1869 swearing-in ceremony.  Apparently all went well today. Senate Republicans voted on their new majority leader and picked  John Thune  of South Dakota. John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida also ran.  Mitch McConnell was the longest serving leader in Senate history.  Scott was the only MAGA endorsed candidate, so Thune might not be what Trump will desire. One significant change to be instituted by the re-elected President Donald Trump will be to create at least one new department to allow for only true loyalists to serve in his bureaucracy.  This new one will be called the  Department of Gover...

This blog site has too much recently focused on natural disasters and Donald Trump, so today, an escape into sports. Must start with Spain beating England for their first  soccer World Cup .  From utter turmoil to triumph, what a story.   The women had revolted against their Spanish soccer authority, and lost that battle .  Perhaps 12 of their best players might have been missing in Australia.  Yet, they're world champs.  Incredible. Oh, I drafted three ESPN NFL fantasy football teams yesterday.  Took me two hours.   Mind you, it is FREE. Had no idea what I was doing, but ended up, I think, with competitive teams.   First kick-off is not until the day after my birthday, a game between Detroit and Kansas City  (I have Mahomes and Kelce ) on September 7.  I'll be on the Pride of America between the Big Island and Kauai. There will be three games this year in London and two in Frankfurt.  They had one game in Munich...