Bush Takes on Wine Country…In Style
If there must be a HUGE national debt, I suppose it’s good that Wine Country gets some of that spending.
Next weekend President Bush and what must be an amazingly large entourage, will roll into Napa Valley and completely take over the Meadowood Resort. That is to say, no one but the President and his people will be staying a the famed and very expensive Napa Valley Resort.
I think they’ll like it.
But what will it cost. Meadowood’s low-end rooms (the ones that are small and have little view) go for about $400 per night. The suites? $4000 a night.
What can President Bush do while occupying all of Meadowood? Golf, Croquet, get a facial, eat, drink,
visit the gym, play tennis, take a hike (literally, not figurativley).
I can’t fathom what this weekend will cost Americans. However, I’m positive the President will have a good night’s sleep.
I’m not so sure the residents of Napa Valley will get quite as good a night’s sleep, however. Napa Valley and the town of St. Helena and Wine Country are not exactly "Bush Country."
I’m not sure why that is. Why are the Wine Country counties of Sonoma and Napa predominantly liberal?
All I have to comment here is one of my favorite wine quotes from Shakespeare:
“Good wine needs no bush.”
The ranch resident in the character of the president will appreciate the agrarian atmosphere.
In the world of enology viticulture, liberalism is defined differently from its commonly understood meaning in politics. If I were to describe the politics of a former professor of enology with whom I studied, mine would be only a guess as to whether he is liberal or conservative. However, if one were to create a vernier scale of liberal ranging to conservative, and then place his viticultural and enologic practices along that hypothetical gauge line, I would ascribe his wine politics as being liberal: how else would we categorize an estate owner who has declared he will restrain bottle price below $50. regardless of quality which easily could bring more revenue, and regardless of meticulousness of effort which might be among the most labor intensive state of the art viticulture and enology in the world.
Perhaps he is eccentric, even quixotic, and generous, principled: sacrificing total revenue, and gifting the world with superb reds and a few whites, all guaranteed to be well below $50.
Folks from Napa Valley may know the identity of this person to whom I refer. For purposes of this post, though, let’s simply say he is another “liberal”.
My take on the president’s entourage’s junket: probably there are more than a few oenophiles in that group; reportedly the president himself no longer imbibes; though, perhaps after departing from scening Napa Valley and his outing with companions he will have second thoughts about the possibilities of becoming a grower himself, in some suitable clime; some variety other than Vitis cinerea the TX graybark wild grape or Spanish grape (V. berlandieri as used in vinifera rootstock making 41B).
NB: In preview, the tags are lost; if in post format the tags+links are missing, I will add an Addendum for the rootstock links.
John L
ADDENDUM
graybark grape vitis cinerea http://nmrareplants.unm.edu/droplist/vitber.htm
Spanish grape vitis berlandieri two links first as http://permaculture.info/cgi-bin/eden?plant=7272 also as 41 B http://www.actahort.org/books/528/528_43.htm
JohnL
How about mountain biking and clearing brush?
What’s the official reason of the visit?
The reason given in the news story for the visit is “politiking and relaxation.” I think “politiking” probably means fundraising. There is no significant campaign out here for Bush to help with.
The people who must be very happy about the president’s visit are the White House Press corps. Think about it: Crawford vs. Napa Valley.
I have lived in Angwin for the last 17 years. It is a nice place to live and raise a family. One of the highlights of the last decade or so was the honor of having our President land at our local airport.
I know that some chose to voice their discontent during President Bushes vist but I was very proud of how my neighborhood reacted with respect to his presence. On my ride home from work I saw many people linning the roadside with patriotic flags and banners welcoming his arrival. It reminded me of times past when Presidents were welcomed with fanfare.
My president might not be my exact vision of perfection but he is one of the symbols of my country. I support him and am honored that he chose my small neighborhood to visit.
I understand that there were some who stood close to the enterance to Meadowood Country Club that “demonstrated” against the President. I suggest that those with such a superior value system and yet the abilty to show disrespect and rudeness stay home in their own communities waiting his arrival there.
why are you writing about things you dont know about. one thing is he didnt take up the whole resort so lets no lead people to think all our money is being wasted on that.