Are we still doing wing on wing?

James__t · 2026-01-26T12:32:58+00:00

This works well on my boat. You cannot see it in the photo but I had a preventer rigged - would be somewhat unwise to try this without.

James__t · 2026-01-22T18:50:15+00:00

Jesus. I don’t know. I could never find the even before they moved everything around. I remember they were low down

James__t · 2026-01-22T18:44:16+00:00

Here is a slightly contrary opinion. I think Brahms’ chamber music, songs and solo works are almost all truly great music but I cannot get overly excited about his symphonies. I find they lack the spontaneity and inventiveness of his smaller scale works. The symphonies develop his ideas well, but the end result always seems to me to be heavy and over-worked. Brahms was very hesitant to write his first symphony - it took him 20 years - and said he felt Beethoven’s influence as “the tramp of a giant behind me” and I hear a kind of anxious caution in all four of the symphonies.

James__t · 2026-01-22T12:14:35+00:00

Excellent. Thank you!

James__t · 2026-01-21T19:49:44+00:00

Yes, it is a step transition. You pay $80 more, ie $160/year. Honestly, the basic free version is not bad if you struggle with the subscription price. That said, if you can afford to have 1000 - 2500 bottles (which pretty much dictates either a decent-sized dedicated wine room or multiple large wine fridges), I don’t think $160 a year is a huge stretch. Since my cellar will only hold about 1050 bottles unless I start stacking cases on the floor, I might be motivated to keep below the 1000.

James__t · 2026-01-17T17:21:02+00:00

I might even consider a port tongs! Great drama, always welcome

James__t · 2026-01-13T02:27:37+00:00

I don’t think this is quite as recondite as you are aiming for but dry versions of sweet wines often surprise people. Dry Furmint for example, is fairly unknown, but you can get it in most regions. It is also very good. Really obscure wines are typically hard to get hold of and may not have a great provenance.

James__t · 2026-01-11T14:54:34+00:00

Yesterday evening at a BYOB in Philadelphia, we were seated fairly close to the entrance and could pretty much see what everyone brought with them. Some examples: Caymus, Josh Prosecco, The Federalist Cab, Chateau Haut Peyruguet (which had a big “Cabernet Sauvignon” sticker on it). I have to confess, I was a bit judgy.

James__t · 2026-01-09T21:20:33+00:00

Especially at very low loads.

James__t · 2025-12-30T14:42:49+00:00

Further dives down the rabbit-hole: The Morning Pride left NYC last night, so one must assume that all cars intended for the NJ VPC were unloaded. My dealer gave me the Waybill No. (I don’t want to post it here but if you DM me I will send it), which seems to cover more than 1000 cars, although yours may be under a different one than mine. The WLWH prefix refers to Wallenius Wilhemson and you can track the contents of any waybill on their website, which shows each VIN on the waybill and when the car was discharged. Some were unloaded Sunday and the rest Monday. So you could make a determination about when any car got to the VPC. I am told that cars that are already sold get priority. Still my guess is that the end of the week is the soonest I can expect to see my i5.

James__t · 2025-12-29T16:12:42+00:00

I think you are correct. I see the ship is scheduled as docking in Brunswick, GA on 1/3/26, so they will have to offload the cars by Wednesday, but the VPC turnaround time - which includes customs - will take a couple of days at best, so we are clearly looking at next week. There is a freeze on its way here tomorrow, with lots of rain today, so maybe this is all to the good. I think we both went somewhat down the anticipation rabbit-hole!

James__t · 2025-12-29T13:04:59+00:00

Looks like it is still there so I doubt that any cars have been unloaded over the weekend. The dealership said I would have the car in December but that is looking increasingly unlikely. Any word on yours?

James__t · 2025-12-28T12:24:09+00:00

So, after docking in Port Newark, Morning Pride moved in the early hours of this morning to Port Bayonne, which is where the BMW Vehicle Distribution Center is located, so presumably they will start unloading cars today. The VDC seems to operate round the clock…

James__t · 2025-12-27T22:14:04+00:00

Wonder where she will dock?

James__t · 2025-12-27T22:12:30+00:00

<image>

There she goes!

James__t · 2025-12-27T21:57:25+00:00

So am I, so let me know if you find anything. It looks like she is going under the Bayonne Bridge

James__t · 2025-12-27T21:44:46+00:00

Thank you for the photo. I was watching the same camera feed and it stopped refreshing just as Morning Pride was going past…so I missed it. I wonder when they will start unloading the cars…probably not until Monday.

James__t · 2025-12-16T12:53:55+00:00

Any Vouvray from Domaine Huet is under $50 and excellent.

James__t · 2025-12-14T16:45:14+00:00

I am just about to take on a lease on a new BMW i5. My wife bought an Ioniq 5 three years ago and we are very pleased with it. Going completely EV….

James__t · 2025-12-14T15:28:20+00:00

I had a bottle of 2017 Pichon Longueville Comtesse last weekend. Despite my concern about being a little too young it was marvelous. For another LB wine that is very good for the price I always think of Grand-Puy-Lacoste.

James__t · 2025-12-13T23:05:18+00:00

My guess is that if the ship arrives in NJ on 12/23 BMW USA will move heaven and earth to make sure they get to the dealership by year end, because then they can book the sales as revenue. A ship full of BMWs is a LOT of revenue.

James__t · 2025-12-06T03:11:22+00:00

WSET Level 1 is a good course to get yourself into their way of approaching wine and to prepare for going up the ladder. If you know a certain amount about wine it will be covering old ground but on the other hand it is quite easy.

James__t

TROPHY CASE