Star City Blog

The Bottle Chronicles: Monks, Vines & Wines

By Alexis Abel

In early July, in the cool, subterranean cellar of his Priorat winery, Spanish winemaker Jordi Vidal, discussed the complexities of wine production as he used a syringe to extract samples of wine straight from the barrel. Vidal poured the wine from the syringe into his own glass, took a small sip and smiled. Pleased with the results, he poured a small sample into each of our glasses and eagerly awaited our feedback.

Vidal’s winery, La Conreria D’Scala Dei, is one of 50 wineries in the Spanish Priorat region. My husband, Marco and I, along with two fellow foodies, Andy and John, were visiting La Conreria on a wine-tasting excursion, part of our three-day Catacurian culinary vacation. The mountain landscape in southern Catalonia, in which La Conreria is situated, overlooks the breathtaking Mediterranean Sea. But this rugged terroir, with soil comprised of black slate and quartz, creates robust red wines from the Garnacha Tinta, Carinena, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes planted here. Since the 1990s, Priorats have been renowned worldwide for their complexity and powerful flavor.

Earlier that day, we’d spent two hours stumbling through the ruins of the 12^th century Cartoixa d'Escaladei, a Carthusian Monastery, for which the winery is named. It was the contemplative and solitary Carthusians who originally brought viniculture to Priorat. The monks controlled the region until 1835, when the land was seized by the Catalonian government and sold off piecemeal to small landowners. Wine continued to be produced in the region until phloxyerra insects devastated the grape vines in the late 19^th century. Nearly 12,000 acres of vineyards were destroyed, causing financial ruin that led to the emigration of entire families out of the region.

In 1979, Spanish winemaker Rene Barbier, who had been producing wine in the Rioja region, purchased land that would lead to the eventual resurgence of the Priorat as an important Spanish wine region. Barbier, along with other enterprising winemakers, planted new vineyards and began producing wines that would change the Spanish wine industry.

Earlier that week, we had visited one of Priorat’s first wineries, Costers del Siurana, headed by  charismatic owner and winemaker Carles Pastrana. It was Costers del Siurana that produced one of Priorat’s first and most famous wines, Clos de l’Obac, the first vintage of which appeared in 1989.

Pastrana was an impressive showman as he described his complex wines with a smile and faint smirk. Wine tasting, he said, should be like making love, something the Spanish find particularly enticing since it was nearly banned under the fascist regime of Francisco Franco. Pastrana disdains the overly intellectual oenophiles that come to Costers del Siurana armed with their textbook-style approach to wine tasting.

Made from a blend of Garnacha, Cabernet Savignon, Syrah, Merlot and Carinena, Clos de L’Obac is matured in new French oak casks and then bottled without filtering to retain its complexity.

Another Costers del Siurana standout is Kyrie, a white wine that Pastrana spent years developing. Made of four white grape varietals grown on only 2 ½ acres of slate and sedimentary earth, Kyrie has a big structure and complexity that make it more akin to a red wine than a white.

Compared to Pastrana, Vidal seemed less the showman and more the businessman. He was quick to tell us that marketing is as much a part of Priorat’s success as its excellent soil, creative winemakers and complex, fully rendered wines. Vidal himself knew this when he decided to move his winery from a small, medieval village house to a grand and modern mountain tasting room three years ago. The new La Conreria D’Scala Dei is all glass and metal, adorned with modern art and breathtaking views of both Vidal’s vineyards and the nearby Montsant mountains.

Priorat wines have enjoyed international success since the 1990s. As suspected, they are hard to come by in Lincoln. Trader Joe's, 3120 Pine Lake Road, offers an introductory option for those new to Priorat wines. Rêves Priorat Spanish Red Wine, $9.99, is a blend of Carinena, Garnacha Tinta and Syrah and has notes of black cherry and tobacco. On first taste, the oak is overwhelming, so I recommend decanting for an hour before drinking.

Two other local stores I spoke with, The Still, 6820 South 70th Street, and Meier’s Cork and Bottle, 1244 South Street, had large selections of Spanish wine, but nothing in stock from Priorat. Both stores indicated that they would be able to special order.

For online sources of Priorat wines, try klwines.com, where you can find La Conreria D’Scala Dei’s Les Brugueres, a spicy white made from 100% Garnacha Blanca, for $29.99. Wine.com also offers a variety of Priorat wines.

OVERLOOKED LINCOLN: Museum Boasts Nebraska's Smallest Railroad

Editor's note: "Overlooked Lincoln" is a series profiling unique and under-the-radar museums and personal collections in the Lincoln area. If you have a suggestion, send an email to editor@starcityblog.com.

By Marcia Claesson

Just a half an hour west of Lincoln, you’ll find a place where you can ride on a real steam engine. It’s one-twelfth the size of a regular railroad.

The Chippewa Northwestern Railway  in Goehner, Neb. was constructed by Jim Culver and Joel Harper, model railroad enthusiasts who wanted to share their hobby with others.  Ten volunteers operate one-inch live steam trains on 1,900 feet of track. It’s the experience of running a real steam engine, as well as riding on the train, that makes live steam different from other kinds of model railroading, Culver said.

“You have to work to make it work,” he said. “You’ve got to maintain the fire, maintain the water. It’s a real railroad. You have all the same problems you would with a full-size version, just in miniature.”

The Bottle Chronicles: Local Wineries Offer Diverse Options

By Alexis Abel

A couple of weeks ago, on a dour, windy and rainy Friday afternoon, I escaped the drudgery of Lincoln for an afternoon in Raymond with two of my favorite wine afficionados — my parents, Mike and Mary.

Perpetually hindered by my inability to find my way anywhere in Nebraska, even though I’ve lived here for more than 25 years, I used my GPS to guide me over gravel roads the 17 miles to James Arthur Vineyards, Nebraska’s oldest and most celebrated winery. This part of the state, only a short drive northwest from the flat, dull landscape of Lincoln, is punctuated with sloping valleys and trees and vineyards of hardy red and white grape varietals.

In 1992, James Arthur Jeffers purchased an acreage north of Lincoln. The idea to plant grapes came from his son-in-law, Jim Ballard. Soon, James Arthur Vineyards was a reality, started with just three grape varietals purchased from a nursery in New York. In 1997, the winery officially opened. Just 14 years later, it's grown to more than 12,000 vines spread across 20 acres. The James Arthur Vineyard estate also boasts an indoor tasting room and wineshop, and an expansive outdoor patio that looks out onto the verdant vista. The outdoor site has become popular for weddings, family gatherings and an annual renaissance festival.

HEARING LINCOLN: Schooner the State

By Andrew Norman
Via HearNebraska.org

A diverse chorus of birds and frogs chirp in swamped ditches while tall grasses fan the prairie like millions of whispering children. The constant warm hum of longboard tires on asphalt means we're getting somewhere. Skating at about 10 to 15 mph along the shoulder of the highway, we're alone with the cows, deer, vulchers and coal trains, until an occasional semi- or pickup truck blows by us going 60. 

 

Leaving Scottsbluff and heading southeast down HWY 26, we passed huge bluffs and rocky plateaus. Jutting out of the fields along the plains, the Courthouse, Jail and Chimney Rocks look like man-made monuments to ancient idols. These naturally formed geographic marvels captivated pioneers along the Mormon and Oregon trials, who used them as landmarks along their journey to the West. Heading the opposite direction, we're doing the same thing, slowly passing them and realizing that this crazy odyssey might just be possible.

 

Yesterday was day one of of Skate the State, a sort of reverse Manifest Destiny — a 430-mile journey to raise $50,000 to make Lincoln's nonprofit, indoor skatepark sustainable, to provide a free, safe, healthy outlet for kids who really need that sort of escape. Mike Smith, the 28-year-old founder of that skatepark — Bay 198 — organized this trip to bring attention to the issue. 

Skate the State Project Seeks to Raise Funds, Awareness for Skateboarding Youth in Lincoln

By Dene Oglesby

After spending a month sleeping under a bridge in order to raise $10,000 for local skater youth, Mike Smith has developed a reputation for unconventional non-profit fundraising. His next fund-raising goal? $50,000. How does he plan to raise it? By skating across the state of Nebraska.

Smith intends to use the money he fundraises to “give the kids the gift of skateboarding” by eliminating the entrance fee to the state’s only indoor skate park, Bay 198, located in Westfield Mall. As Bay 198 is a non-profit run completely by volunteers, Smith also hopes to use the funds towards insurance and rent costs, as well as purchasing new equipment for skaters such as helmets and boards.

“Does the state believe in these kids enough to put their money where their mouth is?” he asked.

Smith is not alone in his endeavor. Originally, the crew just included fellow Bay 198 volunteers and skate enthusiasts Steve Andel, Phil Burcher and Nick Goodwin; in the last few days, however, HearNebraska.org directors Angie and Andy Norman decided to participate and will be joining Smith and the others on their 400+ mile trek from Scottsbluff to Lincoln. Their journey begins tonight, May 21st, and they'll spend about ten days passing through smaller Nebraskan towns, inviting local youth to skate with them and talking to residents about their project and skateboarding.

"Scoot to Thrill" Scooter Club To Host Swap and Sale on Saturday

By Hilary Stohs-Krause

The thought of a scooter often evokes images of tan, short-clad Italians zipping around in the Milan sunshine. So when the temperature routinely dips below freezing, riding around on a scooter is probably the last thing on most people’s minds.

But not for members of Scoot to Thrill.

 “We’re just a collection of scooter enthusiasts,” said defacto club president Molly Nance. “Anytime you have a hobby, to share that with others who have that hobby, it just multiplies the fun.”

In the warmer months, the club hosts group rides about every month, as well as Scootstock — a two-day scooter rally — in August.

But Nance said she typically won’t ride if the temperature drops below 40 degrees, and “certainly not in snow or ice,” which means the group doesn’t get together much in the winter.

This Saturday, however, the club is hosting a scooter sale and swap at The Cup, 643 S. 25th St. from 2 to 4 p.m.

HEARING LINCOLN: Stairway to Nostalgia

By Andrew Norman

Each creaky step I take up the steep, narrow staircase leading to my grandmother's attic feels like a slow march to invade a long-forgotten crypt. Cold air leaking through seams around thin windows and the smell of moth balls and 30 years of dust welcome me at the top of the stairs.

My father and his brother lived up here when they were kids. But since then, it's been a place for my grandmother to store the boxes upon boxes upon stacks upon piles of clothes, newspaper clippings, photographs, report cards, postcards, books and toys that she swears she'll one day get around to doing something with.

The old clothes? They'll come back in style, you know. And the newspaper clippings will one day be gathered and preserved. Someday, she says, she'll have the end-all-be-all garage sale that rids her of all this, well, stuff.

But that will never happen.

With a Little Preparation, Biking in Winter Can Be a Positive Experience

By Hilary Stohs-Krause

Bicyclers are a ubiquitous image in summer: arms and legs bare, perhaps even wearing sandals, coasting down the street and clearly enjoying the warm weather.

Take that same image and insert a snowstorm, and suddenly the mood takes a turn for the worse.

But gusting winds don’t have to mean a return to gas guzzlers, and snowflakes don’t necessarily require swapping a Schwinn for a sedan.

“You’d be surprised,” said Jeff Reznicek-Parrado, who prefers to bike to work and school even on the coldest days of winter. “The benefits outweigh the negatives, for me. And bottom line, it’s just fun.”

While any bike will suffice for Lincoln’s winters, there are several ways riders can prepare their gear – and themselves. Experts from several Lincoln bike shops shared their tips for safely commuting in winter, from which tires get the best grip to keeping warm on the way.

Ember Schrag, Musician and Founder of Clawfoot House

Editor's note: Ember Schrag, musician and founder of Clawfoot House music and arts venue, 11th and F streets, is currently at the beginning of a three-month national tour. She took some time to fill in Star City Blog on how the tour's going so far and saying goodbye to Clawfoot House. Schrag's full tour diary can be found here.
 

By Ember Schrag

I’ve been on the road for one week. Just ten more weeks to go!

We started off in Ames and Iowa City for two shows with Ron Wax. The whole crew: me, my boyfriend Bryan (who will be playing some of the shows as Eloine), my bassist Chris Bowing and my drummer Gary Foster, and Ron Albertson and Dave Rabe of Ron Wax. We enjoyed two brilliant diner breakfasts while in Iowa; everyone’s such a character, especially Ron. We met a woman named Willie Nell Wade in a rest stop, and she was a scream. As are the Iowa rest stops: they’re absurdly swank.

The first show was at a rented office space called the Ames Progressive, where Ron and Dave got everyone to play along. Dave threw everybody shakers, and Ron told all the members of the other bands (and anyone else who was standing near an instrument) that all the songs were in D flat and to just hit it.

Hard floors, delicious food

 It seems like we end up having lots of time off in the smaller towns like Dubuque, Decorah, Monee. In the bigger cities we keep missing everything besides the neighborhood around the venue we’re playing.

We’ve slept on lots of floors but also had friends cook pots of Vietnamese soup for us and make breakfasts with kale and brie. We played at a gorgeous rented synagogue called the Gates of Heaven in Madison, Wis., in a park next to Mendota Lake. On Labor Day in Milwaukee, Bryan played an afternoon show with Bryce Beverlyn II and Peter J. Woods at the Borg Ward Collective while I went to do an in-studio radio set at WMSE.

PODCAST: Blog Talk Live: Interview with Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, Sheena Cheng

By Dennis Kornbluh

In today's program I'll interview Sheena Cheng, a Rotary Club Ambassadorial Scholar for 2009-2010. Sheena was born in a rural fishing village on a small remote island in China. In 1986, she moved to Hong Kong with her family and received formal education. She was the first member of her family to speak English and to graduate with a college degree.  

Sheena came to the United States almost a year ago on an Ambassadorial Scholarship that was offered by the Rotary Club of Tai Po (Hong Kong). Her visit here was hosted by the Rotary Club of Omaha.  During her stay she studied Communications at Creighton University.  She also found opportunities to live with several Nebraska families to learn about American culture.  On June 10th I was able to record a phone interview with Sheena, which I will broadcast in its entirety this evening.

Rotary International is an organization of clubs that are located all over the world. This secular organization is open to all people, regardless of race, color, creed, gender, or political preference. The charter of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

PODCAST:

Sheena_cheng_interview_10JUN2010_Part1

Sheena_cheng_interview_10JUN2010_part2

Blog Talk Live airs every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. Central on KZUM 89.3 FM, KZUM-HD, and on the web at kzum.org.