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| comment | | "parent_author":"",<br>"parent_permlink":"wine",<br>"author":"holoz0r",<br>"permlink":"a-hybrid-post-a-wine-review-amid-the-australian-federal-budget",<br>"title":"A Hybrid Post - A Wine Review Amid the Australian Federal Budget",<br>"body":"It's that one day of the year where ordinary Australians pretend to have an interest in politics,<br> their hip pocket where their debt inducing plastic implants are placed and outrage are in plentiful supply.\n\nA nation,<br> a democracy,<br> a pool of taxes that must be spent. The people must know how their money will be squandered in various ways by the government that holds onto power that was granted by numbers compulsorily scrawled on sheets of dead tree by a complicit public. \n\nThats a rant about politics. There's no rant about the below image,<br> which is the wine that I'll also be reviewing this evening. \n\n![20180508_180639.jpg (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmVFTJt6CU1oWLBHQYzCNoyu66qscpDUNLbURNTW26qwrR\/20180508_180639.jpg)\n\n<h2>Wightmare (2016),<br> by Alpha Box and Dice<\/h2>\n\nSouth Australia is known well for its full bodied,<br> rich and plentiful red wines. That's all well and good; but I don't like them. The McLaren Vale wine region is the home to a few interesting,<br> boutique wineries,<br> and its a distinct pleasure to drink from the barrels of Alpha,<br> Box and Dice while watching the Federal budget unfold. \n\nLocated on Olivers Rd,<br> in the McLaren Vale,<br> an unassuming shed acts as the cellar door for the quaint,<br> bohemian,<br> and welcoming op-shop vibe; Alpha Box and Dice is home to the alphabet of wines,<br> with a wine for every letter of the alphabet being their mission statement. \n\n![20180310_115505.jpg (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmQ13Q55BVY88zq7A241P6fnCf6KuxStG4DTwT3va8wjr4\/20180310_115505.jpg)\n<center><em>A Photo,<br> taken by myself at Alpha,<br> Box and Dice's cellar door<\/em><\/center>\n\n<div class=\"pull-right\">https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmaqv2hUsDNyrvziM7CrmC6T3CeXHtT1dcFbAf5fZsc2zY\/20180508_182237.jpg<\/div>This evening,<br> with the sophistication of this particular wine,<br> I decided to prepare dinner in the same way that typically accompanies a white wine - fish. I took a piece of salmon,<br> and seared it in a pan with salt and pepper,<br> using a pack of quinoa,<br> rice; and other healthy green stuff that came out of a freezer bag and went into the microwave. The end result,<br> delicious,<br> photogenic food. <br\/><br\/>\n\nThis was accompanied with a cob of oven roasted corn,<br> which didn't make the photograph. It too,<br> was delicious. \n\nBack to the wine. <em>Wightmare<\/em> is an interesting wine,<br> as its a Chardonnay; that doesn't taste like a chardonnay. It is a low acidity,<br> smooth and almost syrupy wine. It is incredibly easy to drink,<br> taking on zero of the characteristics of typical white wines,<br> being not a single bit dry. \n\nThis makes it an appealing summer wine,<br> to compliment the apparent optimism surrounding the silence of the Australian Federal budget. \n\n<h2>Onto the Federal Budget<\/h2>\n\nA budget speech opening with \"What have you achieved?\",<br> met with laughter by the house of people appointed as politicians. Hyberbole surrounding Morrison's third budget,<br> talking so quickly its hard to follow,<br> through no fault of the wine. \n\nIt's a narrative about struggle,<br> progress,<br> and the fact that a million jobs have been created. A Thousand jobs a day,<br> yet there's record numbers of people languishing in unemployment. \n\nWhat isn't a struggle,<br> is this glass of excellent,<br> almost syrupy fluid. \n\nThe government tells us that they aren't borrowing money any more to pay for welfare,<br> and we're one of a few select nations around the globe with a triple A credit rating. We're also one of few nations around the world that plays the boring game of cricket in the dangerous summer sun,<br> but that doesn't make us the greatest country on earth. \n\nIn essence,<br> \n\n<H2>TAX RELIEF<\/H2>\n\nA token cut to individual tax rates; coupled with the simplification of tax brackets in the future,<br> creating three brackets with three different income levels,<br> roughly reflective of the low,<br> middle,<br> and the elite bourgeoisie (though google attempted to auto-correct this to burglarise) - fitting. \n\nLower,<br> fairer,<br> simpler. More working Australians paying lower rates of tax. 1. Tax relief for low and middle income earners now. Saving us from \"bracket creep\",<br> and simplifying the tax system further. Up to $530 of tax relief. <em>Up to<\/em> $530. Give me a calculator,<br> and that goes to about $10 per week. With that,<br> I can buy another couple of dozen wines,<br> or pay for half a gym membership for a year. Such luxury. \n\n<H2>MORE JOBS<\/H2>\n\nA whole bunch of new roads,<br> railways,<br> and other social services will ensure that there are new jobs in construction,<br> and large construction firms,<br> fuelling short term growth in certain areas where said roads are being built.\n\n<h2>Other shit<\/h2>\n\nA statement about renewable energy targets basically being ignored. That government subsidies for such things would be thrown in the bin (not even the recycling bin) by the year 2020. Great job. Keep burning that horrendous coal. \n\nThat's more of a reason to be ill due to the impacts of burning dirty coal,<br> with 500 million Australian dollars going into genome research to discover why our politicians have inferior mitochondria powering the dendrites in their grey matter. Literal sons of bitches (you inherit your mitochondria from your mother!) \n\n<h2>At least the education sector will get a boost<\/h2>\n\nAbout 50% per student,<br> according to the treasurer. This will at least ensure,<br> hopefully,<br> that future generations will have the ability to run more competent governments,<br> rather than what we have presently. \n\n<h1> Back to the wine<\/h1>\n\n![ (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmay2TBUGw1sANkz43YH3UGH3WKV7oB2r1En57pTNh2WUB\/image.png)\n\n<em>Wightmare<\/em> is incredibly drinkable,<br> and the marketing is brilliant. Let's capture the key points:\n\n- LOOKS LIKE\u2026 A 1980s pool party\n\nPool parties in Australia in the 1980s would have most likely looked fairly prudish by today's standards,<br>with a sophisticated sense of decorum surrounding the garmented bodies of slightly stocky blokes clutching to beers with the same gusto as they clutched to the girlfriend's waists. \n\nThis wine doesn't look a 1980s pool party,<br> but rather a smooth,<br> oaky,<br> (and to to quote the marketing) - <em>pourmeanotherglassness<\/em>.\n\n- FEELS LIKE\u2026 Licking a stone\n\nThis is nothing like this wine. It isn't dry. Chilled,<br> it has a moist,<br> crisp flavour,<br> of green applies,<br> grapes (obviously) and a smattering of deliciousness. Like a spaghetti cabonarra,<br> it is very more-ish,<br> and quickly intoxicates as the bottle disappears as quickly as it is opened. \n\nThe other statements remain untested,<br> but it does taste like apples,<br> and certainly,<br> is something that tastes like summer. Unlike the Federal Budget. There's little reference to anything that matters to me; and no word on cryptocurrency or blockchain in the Australian treasurer's speech. \n\n<h2>Should you buy the wine?<\/h2>\n\nIf you can find it,<br> yes. Please do,<br> and send me a bottle. Wightmare is a rare,<br> fantastic,<br> and truly unique wine,<br> unlike any other chardonnay I've had.",<br>"json_metadata":" \"tags\":[\"wine\",<br>\"budget\",<br>\"money\",<br>\"life\",<br>\"review\" ,<br>\"image\":[\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmVFTJt6CU1oWLBHQYzCNoyu66qscpDUNLbURNTW26qwrR\/20180508_180639.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmQ13Q55BVY88zq7A241P6fnCf6KuxStG4DTwT3va8wjr4\/20180310_115505.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmaqv2hUsDNyrvziM7CrmC6T3CeXHtT1dcFbAf5fZsc2zY\/20180508_182237.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmay2TBUGw1sANkz43YH3UGH3WKV7oB2r1En57pTNh2WUB\/image.png\" ,<br>\"app\":\"steemit\/0.1\",<br>\"format\":\"markdown\" " |
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