Learning the states of the USA just for fun

[Wowbagger]

There are vineyards in Kent, Essex and Suffolk. I have also visited one on the Shropshire/Welsh border. I am not convinced that any of these vineyards produce anything that could be described as potable. Having said that, I have yet to find anything potable from the vineyards of California.

Regarding comparative latitudes: when Kurt Searvogel was kicking his successful OYTT off in Florida, I remarked at the time that it was on an equivalent latitude to Cairo. A bit warmer than Marsh Gibbon!

[mark]

AIUI, German viticulture is concentrated in a few river valleys where the orientation of the valley wall lets the sun reflect off the river and warm the grapes. Presumably the river has to be wide enough to form a decent size reflective surface, and the valley wall has to be just steep enough to catch the reflected sunlight, without being too steep to hold soil.

There are vineyards in Kent, Essex and Suffolk. I have also visited one on the Shropshire/Welsh border. I am not convinced that any of these vineyards produce anything that could be described as potable. Having said that, I have yet to find anything potable from the vineyards of California.

If you haven't found anything potable from California, you're making a deliberate effort to buy the worst of California's offerings.

[Cudzoziemiec]

The Romans grew grapes in Lincoln. ISTR being told this was the most northerly vineyard of the Roman Empire. No idea what the wine was like but I expect tastes have changed over the past 2000 years anyway.

[Wowbagger]

The Romans grew grapes in Lincoln. ISTR being told this was the most northerly vineyard of the Roman Empire. No idea what the wine was like but I expect tastes have changed over the past 2000 years anyway.

As has the climate!

[Wowbagger]

...
If you haven't found anything potable from California, you're making a deliberate effort to buy the worst of California's offerings.

Maybe they only export the dross to the UK? We benefit from easy access to French wines and those from southern Europe. I have yet to find anything to compete with these at an equivalent price.

[mark]

Maybe they only export the dross to the UK? We benefit from easy access to French wines and those from southern Europe. I have yet to find anything to compete with these at an equivalent price.

That's a good possibility. The best California wines tend to come from relatively small operations. The big vineyards can probably ship their product in big barrels and bottle (or box) the stuff when it gets to the UK (or wherever they're exporting it). A smaller operation might not produce enough wine to do this, and shipping individual bottles of wine would drive up the price.

[Mr Larrington]

The stuff that came from the vineyard on the north side of Ditchling Beacon was very palatable, to the extent that the Houses of Parliament made arrangements to buy their entire output chiz.

[ian]

I have had a couple of OK British wines. But, of course, as documented elsewhere, I'm not a wine snob and generally, when I drink vino, it's Chateau Sainsbury's out of a box (because it's cheaper than the boxes they sell in Waitrose). If I'm drinking out of a bottle, it must be Christmas. Using a glass just generates more washing up.

In other news, I've been to the Trump winery.

[Basil]

I thought 'British' wine was not from British vineyards and is generally muck.  It needs to be labelled 'English wine.  Or 'Welsh', or are there any Scottish vineyards?

[Kim]

Don't need vineyards to make Irn Bru...

[Wowbagger]

I thought 'British' wine was not from British vineyards and is generally muck.  It needs to be labelled 'English wine.  Or 'Welsh', or are there any Scottish vineyards?

I believe this is true. "British" wine is made from imported grape pulp and turned into "wine" in this country. "English" wine is grown here.

[Basil]

Don't need vineyards to make Irn Bru...

GPWM

[Feanor]

If you haven't found anything potable from California, you're making a deliberate effort to buy the worst of California's offerings.

++;

[ian]

My wife and I have invented an entirely (we think) mythical drink from our childhood called Grandcham. We both remember it, but no else does, not even the internet. But it's real and awesome and the universe has been ordered to forget about it. Imagine Irn Bru if it were nice and not made out of centrifuged Glaswegians,  a drink manufactured by angels on a successful mission to make a better ambrosia, a shimmering golden elixir so loaded with sugar that your brain fizzed gloriously for fifteen minutes after every glass. It was delivered to the doorstep by the pop-man in a breathless ceremony (mostly because he was fat from driving a lorry chased by kids all day).

[T42]

The Romans grew grapes in Lincoln. ISTR being told this was the most northerly vineyard of the Roman Empire. No idea what the wine was like but I expect tastes have changed over the past 2000 years anyway.

Aye - we don't add lead acetate any more to sweeten it. That might change after Brexit, of course... 

[Exit Stage Left]

My wife and I have invented an entirely (we think) mythical drink from our childhood called Grandcham. We both remember it, but no else does, not even the internet. But it's real and awesome and the universe has been ordered to forget about it. Imagine Irn Bru if it were nice and not made out of centrifuged Glaswegians,  a drink manufactured by angels on a successful mission to make a better ambrosia, a shimmering golden elixir so loaded with sugar that your brain fizzed gloriously for fifteen minutes after every glass. It was delivered to the doorstep by the pop-man in a breathless ceremony (mostly because he was fat from driving a lorry chased by kids all day).

Probably some variant of American Cream Soda. There is a powdered version.
https://www.allmarksweets.co.uk/american-cream-soda-powder-sherbet/

[ian]

I reckon if you did a couple of lines of that stuff you be rocking.

[Cudzoziemiec]

This series of "logic, language and intuition" puzzles are quite fun.
https://www.sporcle.com/games/Scuadrado/austronesian-counting-puzzle?playlist=script-click&creator=Scuadrado&pid=1R9764e98

[Mr Larrington]

I reckon if you did a couple of lines of that stuff you be rocking covfefe.

FTFY

[asterix]

The counties of England (and the rest of the U.K. ) are useful to know because a bike ride will often traverse boundaries. Boundaries often follow rivers and rivers, being in valleys, give a pretty good clue as to where the hills are.

This seems to be irrelevant to the US. It is almost as though some invading marauders came in and carved it up with no reference whatsoever to the indigenous people.

Guilty conscience?

[mrcharly-YHT]

Next you've got to learn all the elements of the periodic table.  Have fun!

Every 1st year chemistry student when I was at uni.

No periodic tables allowed in exams. You really can't pass a physical chemistry exam without the periodic table - so we all memorised it. First few minutes before starting exam, everyone frantically writing it out on scrap paper.

Can't remember it anymore.