Here’s something worth noting this holiday season:  Menu for Hope is a project sponsored by food and wine bloggers, restaurants and others interested in ending hunger in the world.  It seems appropriate that those of us involved in the food and wine industries should sponsor an event such as this.  This is a “virtual” raffle project in that the tickets and sold and eventually chosen electronically.

This year, Menu for Hope III will endeavor to raise funds to support the UN World Food Programme.  Last year, Menu for Hope II raised $17,000 to help UNICEF.  

Food & wine bloggers, restaurants and other food related folks have donated raffle prizes.  We at Cima Collina are also donating a prize which is the following:

Rare Cima Collina Wine Package ($225 value)

1.   Go to the donation page

2.   Make a donation, each $10 will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice.  Please specify which prize or prizes you’d like in the ‘Personal Message’ section in the donation form when confirming your donation (for the Cima Collina package enter “WB25“).  Do tell us how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code -for example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for UW01 and 3 for UW02. 

3.   If your company matches your charity donation, please remember to check the box and fill in the information so we can claim the corporate match. 

4.   Please also check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win.  Your email address will not be shared with anyone. 

5.   Check back on Chez Pim on January 15 when we announce the result of the raffle.  (The drawing will be done electronically.  Our friend, the code wizard Derrick at Obsession with Food, is responsible for the wicked application that will do the job.

Sometimes I like the game of making connections between things that are seemingly unlinked.  I don’t know how useful this practice is, but it’s fun nonetheless.  So, let’s try this one:  what is the connection between John D Rockefeller, modern alcohol regulation, and global warming?  The answer is Prohibition.  Hmmmm….Prohibition?

Yep.  Back in the later days of John D. Rockefeller (that is, in the 1910′s and 20′s), when this country was still mostly rural and most of the population farmed the land, farmers very often did two things on their farms that they don’t do today:  grow hemp (no, not for that, silly, but for fiber, mostly, and for oil and feed for livestock) and distilled alcohol (yes, for drinking, but also to run engines, such as the Model T Ford, which originally ran on alcohol).  Although the Industrial Age had gained steam (so to speak) by this time, cottage- or farm- level production satisfied most people’s needs and local economies tended to be relatively diversified.

John D. Rockefeller who was the founder of Standard Oil was also a Baptist and supported the temperance movement with his religious convictions and his money.  The temperance movement was a combined movement between utopian moralists and various Christian religions to promote the concept of alcohol as the root of all evil in society.  It was said to have caused violent and unsociable behavior, spousal and child abuse, disease, and also caused employees in industry to be late, unproductive and unresponsive to direction.  So, Mr. Rockefeller’s combined interest in business productivity and his religious persuasion caused him to make big donations to the Anti-Saloon League (and, some say, to most of Congress as well) which was instrumental in pushing the constitutional amendment to outlaw alcohol.  But doesn’t it seem more than coincidental that outlawing domestic alcohol production would effectively remove the biggest competitor to oil as a fuel?  Given Mr. Rockefeller’s reputation of being a far-sighted, keen and heavy-handed businessman, one might have the grounds to speculate that this effect on the competition was more than a by-product of religious belief.  (Incidentally, Mr. Rockefeller also figured prominently in outlawing hemp in both Canada and the US, but that will remain a subject for a blog of a different subject…).

So, America’s little constitutional attempt to destroy stills across the country (such as this one in the photo) and get on the wagon ultimately failed (both John D Rockefeller Sr. & Jr. publicly recognized that it was a failure) because as it turned out, violence, contempt of authority, and tardiness at work only increased during that time period.  The economy was also in the dumps as well.  But although Prohibition was ultimately repealed, it’s legacy remains in two unexpected ways:  modern alcohol regulation and a dependence upon Big Oil.  Of course, back in Rockefeller’s day, no one could have predicted that this country would eventually become addicted not to Texan oil but to Middle Eastern and that grave environmental consequences would result from this addiction.  They also couldn’t have known how pervasive alcohol regulation would become.  So in this age of global warming and can’t-go-to-the-store-to-buy-red-wine-in-Massachusets, let’s give three cheers to robber barons, bureaucrats and tax collectors!

Looking for something fun to do for the New Year?  We are working two New Year’s events to ring in 2007:

A winemaker’s dinner at The Terrace Grill in La Playa Hotel, Carmel-by-the Sea.  The dinner will feature the incredible creations of Chef Bunyan Fortune and a different Cima Collina wine with each course.  Many of these wines are our small production wines that aren’t generally available.  It should prove to be a fun and memorable event.

We will also pour our wines just down the street at Pac Rep Theater’s New Year’s Party which will include a performance as well as food and sparkling wine as well.  There are fun folks involved with this group and it should prove to be a lively and entertaining evening.

We had dinner at L’Escargot on Mission Street in Carmel the other night.  Wonderful food!  If you appreciate classic country french cuisine and dishes like homemade pate, coq au vin and tarte tatin, then L’Escargot is not to be missed.  We had a very enjoyable meal and can tell that chef/owner Kerry Loutas puts everything he has into producing not only delightful dishes but a homey, comfortable atmosphere as well.  And, they happen to have Cima Collina on the wine list, too…..

Our new winery pup, Tanner (in the sweater with Sweetie and not-so-sweetie (aka, me)), has been introduced to life in the winery and seems to be enjoying it well enough.  At 8 weeks old he is fitting-in here already and is asserting himself in typical Jack Russell Terrier-style.  Our friend MJ raises these dogs and she does a beautiful job with her pups.  Tanner has other brothers and sisters and if you’re interested in being the proud owner of one of these little guys, call MJ at 831-373-7418.

Holiday Shipping:  if you would like to order wine for the Holidays, please do so by Monday.  It will arrive before December 25 if shipped then; otherwise 2 or 3-day shipment methods are available but at much higher cost.  Here at Cima Collina is Laura who is our director of covert operations and our shipping specialist (among many other specialties as well) says that although she is busy packing boxes, she’s always happy to pack one more!

And, while we are at it, here’s a dog quote:

I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult 

                                                                                          Rita Rudner