Aren't blogs wonderful?

Blogs are great. I love them. I really enjoy doing this blog, and it's a real bonus that so many read it. I feel lucky.

One of the things that makes it fun is the functionality of modern blogging software - I use blogger, which has the advantage that it publishes onto my web server, while not requiring installation as a program on my webserver (if you see what I mean...I'm not expressing myself very clearly, am I).

What this means is that all I have to do is fire up a window in my browser (currently IE, but I've been experimenting a bit with Safari), type away, upload images, and all the rest is taken care of, including the powerful labelling feature (which groups posts by topic). Flickr now manages my images with similar functionality. I may even switch my email to my google mail account, although this is a bit more complex for various reasons.

The way we work on the web is changing, and I might soon have to think about redesigning wineanorak so that the blog can be integrated more seamlessly with the rest of the site, and the site content managed a little more automatically. I haven't done any significant redesign of the site since I launched it in its current format in 2000. There are lots of options, and it's all very exciting. Still, the focus must be on better and more content.

Tonight, two more wines from the Malhadinha Nova stable.

Monte da Peceguina Branco 2006 Vinho Regional Alentejano, Portugal
Quite a deep yellow colour. Ripe herb, melon and wet stone nose leads to a full flavoured palate with a fresh mineral streak underneath the rich, warm, herb and straw fruit. This is quite a striking full flavoured white that's food friendly. There's a whack of alcohol on the finish, but it's not completely out of place. A fairly serious effort from a region not known for its whites. 88/100

Malhadinha Nova Pequeno Joao 2005 Vinho Regional Alentejano, Portugal
In a 50 cl bottle, this is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Aragones and Syrah, foottrodden in lagares and raised in new French oak. A very deep colour, this wine bears the hallmarks of the drought 2005 vintage, with great concentration, high alcohol (15%) and plenty of structure. It has a powerful, almost overwhelming nose of pure red and black fruits, together with some spiciness and tarry new oak. There's almost a saltiness on the palate, sitting under the multilayered dark fruits and spicy oak. It's hard to say where this wine is going: I reckon it needs some time to settle down, and then will develop nicely into a warm, complex wine. Hard to drink at the moment, such is its intensity. 92/100 (but this could change...)