Clif Bars now Producing Wine

by Neil Woodburn on

Clif Bars are a staple part of any backpacking trip I’ve ever been on.

These chewy energy bars, in my opinion, are the best on the market–they are neither too much like cookies nor too much like paste. They’ve got great flavors such as Cool Mint Chocolate, Peanut Toffee Buzz, Crunchy Peanut butter and they are all packed with carbohydrates, protein, and fiber to increase blood sugar levels and boost energy.

The family owned business, which has done quite well providing outdoorsmen with all the healthy nutrients they need, are now branching out to a product with entirely different benefits: wine.

Clif Bar Family Wines comes to us from a plot of land in Napa Valley on which the family practices sustainable farming. So far, the vineyards have produced just four vintages:

The Climber, 2004 North Coast Red Wine
Kit’s killer cab, 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Gary’s Improv, 2003 Napa Valley Meritage
Syrah, 2004 Napa Valley

Bottles range from $15 to $35 and can be purchased here.

I haven’t tried any myself but certainly will. In the meantime, it brings a smile to my face that after decades of getting us to the top of mountains, the Clif family is now providing entertainment for us once we’re there.

Where to Savor Wine

by Jamie Rhein on

A friend just sent me a link to A Fine Living Hub. I think it’s where people network about various topics. One topic forum that caught my attention was, “If you could drink a glass of wine anywhere…” Various people have offered up their favorite wine drinking spots. I’ve included their wine recommendations if they offered one.

One for the Road: Osterie & Locande D’Italia

by Kelly Amabile on

Travelers who love Italy (are there any who don’t?) and those interested in the Slow Food movement will want to get their hands on a copy of Osterie & Locande D’Italia, which combines two older Slow Food guides into one. Published by Slow Food Editore and distributed in the US by Chelsea Green, this guide contains listings for 2,100 traditional places to eat and stay in Italy.

Recommended by the Slow Food organization, these traditional taverns, inns, trattorias, wine shops and hotels are guaranteed to give you a taste of Italy’s regional diversity — the cheese, the seafood, the fresh produce, the wine!! The book is organized by region –from Piedmont (where the Slow food movement was born in 1986) to Sicily, and everywhere in between. It also contains a handy glossary of Italian culinary terms and a place index in the back. Published for the first time in English, this comprehensive guide will be a useful tool for food lovers planning their next Italian gastronomic adventure. Mangia!


Giant, Mutant-like Vegetables at Alaska State Fair

by Neil Woodburn on

State fairs in America are always a fascinating glimpse into a rural part of life that so few of us ever actually see anymore.

Each state fair is unique in its own special way but one that stands out from all the others is the Alaska State Fair and its fantastic giant vegetable contest.

Sure, every state fair has similar contests where local farmers wheel in giant pumpkins and other items they’ve either grown or raised on their land. The difference with Alaska, however, are those very long, extended summer hours when the sun stays out much longer than it does in the lower 49 states. Produce is exposed to the nurturing sunlight exponentially longer and as a result, can grow exponentially larger.

For example, here is a list of state vegetable records set in last year’s Alaska State Fair:

23-foot, 3 1/2-inch corn stalk
4.702-pound parsnip
1,019-pound pumpkin
17.195-pound yellow zucchini
67 1/8-inch long gourd
55.15-pound blue hubbard squash
21.530-pound bushel gourd

In addition, there is a separate category focused entirely on cabbage. Last years winner of the Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off was Brenna Dinkel with her 73.4-pound cabbage (photo above).

So, if big vegetables are your thing, make your way up to Palmer, Alaska August 23 – September 3, 2007 and feast your eyes on the world’s largest vegetables this side of Chernobyl.

(For a list of all FIVE state fairs in Alaska–yes, the state is that big–click here)

Americano To Go (Away from Forbidden City)

by Iva Skoch on

Following up on Neil’s post, the Starbucks in Forbidden City is in fact, closing. The Chinese have gathered 500,000 signatures that caused the management to shut it down.

Is that good or bad news?

Tim Footman of The Guardian expresses a concern in his column today that “in a global market of implied cultural signifiers, absolutely any product – even a cup of mediocre coffee – seems to have the potential to challenge socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

He points out what we all know: it is not coffee that Starbucks sells. They sell “a lifestyle, a feeling, a brand, a corporate reimagining of bohemian leisure.” Although the Chinese are perfectly willing to sell the fancy coffee, they refuse to sell the name and lifestyle. It was either changing the name or closing shop.

If you change the name, you end up with mediocre coffee. Closing shop, I guess, made perfect sense.