Good evening! Two more weeks of me and then I hand it off to Scotchy for his previews/hobo chronicles?

I’ve been listening to Fantasy Football podcasts lately trying to get whatever edge I can. The thing that saddens me is that the washington Football Team seems to be casting off Antonio Gibson. I had that fumbling red zone disaster last year in great keeper positions in two leagues. Now, he’s on the bloody punt team. Last year was a disaster for me during the regular season with injuries, COVID, and just shitty picks overall.

Questions I have;

Will Adams catch the eye of QB Robert Smith like Renfrow and Waller have in the past?

Will Lazard catch A-A Ron’s eye and get leaned on heavily?

Will Henry or McCaffrey get broken?

Will the Hippo be happy with Nanobubbles firing to Judge Judy or Court land Sutton?

Will Jalen Hurts be good with AJ Brown, Devonte et al?

Whatever the answers I will get it wrong but that is why we have Boris.

Travelling stuff now.

I have slept in many airports over the years and it is very challenging yet money saving! Here is a few tidbits.

1. London Gatwick – Full on bus stop and you can’t rest due to so many damn people. Bars are open though for early morning champagne.
2. London Stansted – Equally as bus stoppish. Once I had to sleep on the floor behind a Ryanair desk. At 5 AM an unhappy lady was poking me with a broom, yelling “You can’t sleep here!”. I guess she wanted to start “working”. Also Dance Dance Revolution is hilarious when bored and super drunk with your buddies.
3. London Luton – Not that busy, arms on all chairs.
4. London Heathrow – You can find secluded spots there for a snooze as it is so big that at night is can’t all be in use.
5. Athens – Only place to sleep was on the floor. I chose in front of a sunglasses store. Bad choice, woken up again by a grumpy lady.
6. Thailand – No arms on chairs, you can stretch out. Especially in the domestic terminal.
7. Cairns –  Was so wasted I overslept my alarm and had to be taken to the plane via golf cart. Must have been comfortable.
8. Miami – During a hurricane so it was basically a tent village with very little power.
9. Dallas – Verboten. Was kicked out. Had to get a hotel in a neighbourhood that the cab driver warned me not to go out in.
10. Denver – Everything closed at 10 pm. We took a very long cab ride to a dive bar and got trashed then tiptoed through security so we could sleep in front of the gate.
11. Sydney – Nothing remarkable
12. Melbourne – Easy to stretch out in there.
13. Santorini – On a bench out front as they weren’t open and I didn’t trust myself to get up in time. Also their security is lacking intensity. I had a gun pulled on me in Athens as I had a corkscrew in my carry on that they missed in Santorini
14. Calgary – Have to find sneaky places that have chairs with no arms.
15. Koh Samui – This is basically an outside airport with so many bugs.
16. Denpasar – FANTASTIC. I had my wallet stolen in Melbourne and only had an AMEX card which is NOT accepted anywhere on the island and it is unable to withdraw money. Howevah! It is accepted at the airport.
17. Taiwan – Great 24 hour dumpling spot, phenomenal smoking area outside in a palmed garden.

I think that’s it. Even being middle aged if I was travelling alone I still would not hesitate to sleep in an airport.

Wine time.

If there is an audience for it I will continue Food and Wine days next off season batting behind Yeah Right.

I’ll get in to France regions in depth next year. I will now give you a quick cheat sheet for your wine store or wine list at on of them klassie restos.

Burgundy – Must be Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. The whites are very minerally and always finished in stainless steel. The taste is completely different from the Chardonnays from Oz and California where you tend to get butter and oak flavoUr bombs. The region in Burgundy for whites you hear the most about would be Chablis.The reds are earthy as hell and you get barnyard nose from them especially if they are aged.

Loire – This is Sauvignon Blanc country. Once again they aren’t as fruity as the same variety from New Zealand. Flinty, steely, a little bit deeper and longer lasting that its new world styles. The red that they are known for is Cabernet Franc. Dark, inky, and with a grassy nose. Not my fave grape but this is the place where they have vinted this varietal for a damn long time.

Bordeaux – Typically people will ask if it is right bank or left bank which refers to where they are in relation to the Gironde estuary, the Garonne and Dordogne rivers . What they are wondering is whether it is a Merlot based bland (right bank), or a Cabernet Sauvignon based blend (left bank). They blends usually include Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc and one of the many different blending grapes. Whites in Bordeaux are predominantly Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon (yuck) blends. You also get the king of dessert wines here from Sauternes. I will get in to Noble Rot next season.

Rhone – Hooo boy do I love this region. This is a blending area with Syrah or Grenache taking the seat at the head of the table. I will definitely break this one down next year as it is my fave and to be fair quite interesting. Sub regions you would recognize is Chateauneuf du Pape, and Cotes du Rhone.

Alsace – Way up north, think white wines! Fresh, crisp, clean lovely spring and summer wines. I love pinot blancs, and gewürztraminers from here.

Beaujolais – Gamay country, springtime reds and hot weather reds.

Drink Roses from everywhere in France if you like them dry. They are nowhere near as sweet as we get over here. They are absolutely fantastic.

Until next week!