Good (frosty) morning, all!

It's more often that we see articles about artificial noses. In the past 20 years they've come a long way - eventually they will be a fixture in the wine industry... #FutureTech #Wine #Sensory
https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/occitanie/haute-garonne/toulouse/video-l-intelligence-artificielle-met-son-nez-electronique-dans-l-industrie-agroalimentaire-2706618.html

Stuff I didn't know! Those iconic cherry trees in Washington DC? They are replacements for the initial plants gifted by Japan, but which were riddled with diseases. One forward-thinking woman was behind the effort to prevent damaging fungi from spreading in the US, and starting the quarantine program we still have today!
#History #PlantQuarantine #Bioprotection
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-overlooked-scientist-helped-save-washington-d-c-s-cherry-trees/

Norwegian #aquavit tasting tonight! Glass bottle on the left, plastic on the right, so flavour might be affected by that. Large differences in nose, the Opland is more intense and caraway/fennel seed on the nose and palate, finer/cleaner as well. I prefer it to the Solvegg, but both are nice!
#Liquor

For those who don't quite understand how Mastodon fits in with the rest of the Fediverse and how that differs from centralised platforms, like Twitter, this was an excellent read for me - and possibly for you! :-) #BeginnerTips
https://tidbits.com/2023/01/27/is-your-future-distributed-welcome-to-the-fediverse/

More #Foodie trivia! This time about Worcestershire sauce... #FoodHistory
https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/history-of-worcestershire-sauce

We had Aramon at our domaine, but got rid of it for the same reason most of the rest of Languedoc did - it makes plonk unless you really reign it back in terms of yield. It's also early budding, earlier than Viognier, so would often get frosted. Final nail in the coffin? It's not an approved variety for AOP Languedoc (which I can understand), or IGP Pays d'Oc. The latter is particularly damning! :-)
https://mstdn.social/@wineecon/109753224433043345

Amazing. There was a time before Carignan in the #Languedoc region of France. Here, grape varieties in the Hérault Department in 1948/49. Many interesting facts - but two stand out: (1) field blends account for almost 30%, (2) Aramon rules.
#winevarieties #France #winehistory

Nice little article about spices that tingle or numb your mouth! One time at a meal in Beijing, I had a few too many Sichuan peppercorns - it took me a while to recover!! 😂 #Food #Spices
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/tongue-tingling-spices

Take a gander at the punt on this old wine bottle displayed at the Museum of Ancient Arles and Provence in Arles, France. I don't think they make them like that any more! 😂#WineBottle #History #WineTrivia

Sheesh! Talk about not being able to read the room!! #TheyJustDontCare #ClimateChange
"UAE names oil company chief to lead UN’s COP 28 climate talks"
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/12/uae-names-oil-company-chief-to-lead-uns-cop-28-climate-talks

Be afraid. Be very afraid! #RobotApocalypse #BostonDynamics
https://buff.ly/3aYjTWG

Nature finds a way... 😁

Food waste remains a huge problem for Earth - losing all the resources put into producing it, and the production of methane when it is disposed of. Lear more with this Al Jezeera podcast... #FoodWaste #Sustainability #SaveThePlanet https://omny.fm/shows/the-take/revisiting-the-cost-of-food-waste-on-our-planet

This #ChristmasEve, take some time to listen to Peter Capaldi read a letter written by a soldier describing the incredible story of a Christmas in the trenches of #WWI
#LetThereBePeace

"Peter Capaldi reads a letter from WW1 Captain Reginald John Armes"
youtu.be/ZQgR1h2Rogg

As you spend your hard-earned money on Champagne this holiday season, think about this: "...inspections of Champagne-related businesses in 2020 and 2021 found 15% were infringing guidelines."
I'm guessing the number is actually higher...
#Champagne #Fraud

Tweet from @wineecon: https://twitter.com/wineecon/status/1606079820063973376

@wineecon

Are electric cars green? Not yet! Mining of essential metals is a big sore point that needs to be addressed urgently!
#CleanAndGreen #ElectricCars #Mining #HiddenCosts

https://restofworld.org/2022/indonesia-china-ev-nickel/

Good news in the fight to save the Earth! It will cost consumers more, but that's a small price to pay considering what's at stake! #ClimateChange #ClimateEmergency
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/18/eu-reaches-agreement-on-pivotal-carbon-market-deal

Talk about challenging places to grow grapes! Not only a harsh climate, but also an unforgiving market!
#Winemaking #Viticulture #India #Kiwifruit #Preserverence
"Tropical vineyards put India on the wine map"
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62993189