text:
Create great tasting espresso – from bean to espresso– in less than a minute. The Barista Express allows you to grind the beans right before extraction, and its interchangeable filters and a choice of automatic or manual operation ensure authentic café style results in no time at all.
Dose-Control Grinding. Integrated conical burr grinder with dose control delivers the right amount on demand, ensuring maximum flavour. Its fully adjustable grind size and dose, let you customise to suit your taste.
Precise Espresso Extraction. Digital temperature control (PID) delivers water at precisely the right temperature, ensuring optimal espresso extraction. The Breville Razor™ dosing tool trims the puck for a consistent dose and extraction.
Micro-foam Milk. The steam wand performs at the level that allows you to hand-texture the micro-foam necessary to enhance the flavour of the coffee and create latte art.
Get cafe quality coffee at home with this Cafe Barista Espresso Machine. Thanks to the one-touch control panel you can get espresso, cappuccino or latte with just the touch of a button. The integrated milk frother takes the guesswork out frothing milk and any leftover milk can get easily stored in the fridge with the removable milk reservoir.
CitiZ & Milk is an automatic espresso machine fitted with an Aeroccino milk frother allowing you to create an endless number of recipes with velvety milk. This compact modern machine features Nespresso’s unique 19 bar extraction system and thermoblock heating to ensure optimal temperature control and consistency. The CitiZ & Milk also features a folding cup holder to allow for a tall glass, a capsule container with the capacity to hold 10 used capsules and an automatic standby mode after 9 minutes of inactivity to reduce energy consumption.
Your espresso journey begins here. A great tasting espresso or cappuccino is about the right balance of sweetness, acidity and bitterness. The Duo-Temp™ Pro provides you with café quality taste at home.
Precise Espresso Extraction - Low pressure pre-infusion ensures balanced flavours are drawn evenly from all grinds, PID temperature control delivers water at precisely the right temperature, ensuring balanced espresso flavour. The Duo-Temp™ Pro also comes with the Razor precision dose trimming tool. The Razor is unique to Breville and simplifies manual dosing by precisely controlling the amount of coffee in the filter basket. A precise dose each time will help you achieve consistently great tasting coffee every time you use your Duo-Temp™ Pro.
Micro-foam Milk - High power 1700W element for high pressure steam and faster heat up to create micro-foam necessary for café quality drinks and essential for creating latte art.
Micro-foam Milk - High power 1700W element for high pressure steam and faster heat up to create micro-foam necessary for café quality drinks and to create latte art.
The Creatista Plus lets you enjoy cafe-style quality coffee at home. With a fully-automatic steam wand, you can now create perfectly textured milk set to your preferred temperature. Create unique latte art creations and a broad range of milk based recipes. The stainless steel Creatista Plus has a 3 second heat up time, 8 texture levels and 11 milk temperature settings. Each machine includes a stainless steel milk jug.
Barista-quality performance, new intuitive touchscreen display with pre-programmed café drinks menu and automatic milk texturing. All within a compact footprint.
A built-in grinder delivers the right amount of ground coffee on demand and with a 3 second heat up time, you go from bean to cup, faster than ever before.
Intuitive Touchscreen Display: Simplifies how to make your favourite café coffee in 3 easy steps - Grind, Brew and Milk. You can easily adjust the coffee strength, milk texture or temperature to suit your taste. Then save it with your own unique name. Create and save up to 8 personalised coffees.
Automatic Microfoam Milk Texturing: Auto steam wand, allows you to adjust the milk temperature and texture to suit your taste. Delivering barista quality micro-foam that enhances the flavour of the coffee and essential for creating latté art. Then it cleans itself for you.
Precise Espresso Extraction: Digital Temperature Control (PID) delivers water at precisely the right temperature, ensuring optimal espresso extraction.
Faster Heat Up Time: Innovative ThemoJet™ heating system achieves the optimum extraction temperature in 3 seconds. Ready to make your best coffee without the wait.
Hands Free Operation: Innovative grinding cradle allows any at-home Barista to grind directly into the espresso portafilter.
Integrated Coffee Grinder: With a single touch, the integrated conical burr grinder with dose control,delivers the right amount of coffee,on demand, for maximum flavour. Adjustable grind size and dose.
The Oracle is the world’s first automatic manual espresso machine that brings true café quality to your home without the barista. Engineered in Sydney with over 3 years of research and development, the Oracle is Simpler, with automatic grinding, dosing, tamping and milk texturing; Faster, with 2 lattes in 90 seconds; and Better, meeting the Gold Standard in a domestic machine. At the heart of this machine is its Dual Stainless Steel Boiler heating system.
The Oracle uses a dedicated espresso boiler and PID technology to extract the espresso shot to within +/- 1°C of the selected ideal temperture.
The Oracle also uses a dedicated steam boiler to offer instant steam on demand. So you can extract your shot, at the right temperature, delivering optimal flavour and steam your milk to cafe quality, at the same time. What's more, the heated group head further ensures a consistent extraction temperature.
The Oracle also features an Over Pressure Valve. This commercial feature limits the maximum pressure throughout the extraction, helping to prevent bitter flavours in the shot. It also offers a true low pressure pre-infusion, which gradually increases the pressure to gently expand the grinds for an even extraction.
With all the features that a coffee geek would expect, the Oracle keeps it simple for all coffee lovers to rival even the best café.
Introducing Sunbeam Barista Max, a new, at-home espresso machine with integrated grinder. This all-in-one machine brings together everything you need to easily make great-tasting, café-style coffee at home.
Exclusive Tap & Go™ technology allows an easy, on-demand one-touch grind system to deliver fresh beans for every cup. The conical burr grinder achieves consistent grind particle size and the 30 adjustable grind settings will maximise the flavour of your coffee.
The exclusive Temp°IQ Shot Control™ 3-way system combines a fast heat-up Thermoblock, gentle pre-infusion for even extraction and advanced PID controller to regulate and deliver optimal, consistent temperature that all work together to create a great tasting coffee.
Inspired by café machines, the Barista Max uses a 58mm group head. This wider size ensures the coffee grinds are more evenly spread in the filter basket, extracting the maximum amount of flavour.
The Mini Barista uses thermoblock technology, a 15 Bar Italian pump and a 58mm commercial size group head inspired from café machines. This ensures a rich extraction for a coffee that tastes just like it does at the café. Great Christmas gift for coffee lovers.
The Sunbeam Mini Barista Espresso Machine has a powerful Italian pump and a steam wand, making it easy for you to craft your very own artisanal coffee at the comfort of your home.
Inspired by café machines, the Mini Barista uses a 58mm commercial size group head. This larger size accepts more grinds and ensures an even extraction for a rich cafe tasting coffee at home.
Essenza Mini,the small machine for big coffee moments.
The new Essenza Mini & Aeroccino combines ease of use, minimalist beauty and unrivalled Nespresso quality to create the perfect coffee cup every time. It's the small machine that opens up the whole world of Nespresso coffee.
The compact design of the Essenza Mini range comes in two distinctive shapes and each shape is available in three different colours. Choose the design that best suits your style and space and open up to the world of Nespresso coffee.
With a 15 bar pump the Lumio machine delivers high quality drinks with no mess, no fuss. Our carefully selected coffee is sealed in the pods to deliver to you a delicious aroma and full flavour. Because the coffee grinds stay in the pod there is virtually no cleaning either. Simply pop in a pod, select the volume you desire, and go! Create your perfect beverage from over 40 drinks varieties.
Deliver high quality coffees with a thick velvety crema – thanks to its maximum 15 bar pump pressure.
Easy to clean - as all the coffee grinds stay in the pods there is no mess, no fuss.
Be your own barista and create great tasting coffee to rival the best café. The Dual Boiler™ is for the coffee connoisseur who prefers to control every step in the espresso process. You can extract espresso and texture milk simultaneously, allowing you to capture the delicate aromatics of the espresso in your coffee by having the espresso and milk ready at the same time.
Dual Stainless steel boilers and heated group head, both regulated by our digital temperature control technology (PID), delivers water at precisely the right temperature, eliminating temperature surfing* for consistent espresso quality, shot after shot. The Dual Boiler™ also features an Over Pressure Valve (OPV) which limits the maximum pressure throughout the extraction, helping to prevent bitter flavours in the shot. It also offers a true low pressure pre-infusion, which gradually increases the pressure to gently expand the grinds for an even extraction. There is also a shot clock and pressure gauge to help you improve your barista skills.
The steam wand, powered by the dedicated steam boiler, instantly delivers the pressure to create micro-foam texture similar to commercial machines that enhances coffee flavour and is essential to create latte art.
The Dual Boiler is the professional Barista’s choice for their home machine. “24.5 out of 25. Ridiculously good.” Craig Simon. Australian Barista Champion. Temperature Surfing. Purging and flushing water through the group head of single heat source espresso machines in an attempt to hit the correct extraction temperature.
Automatically doses the same amount every time you grind. The very best taste will always come from using quality, freshly roasted coffee that’s ground right before you extract. Coffee is at its peak flavour potential between 5-20 days after roasting, so always buy beans with a “Roasted On” date printed on the bag. Buying beans with a “Use By” or “Best Before” date makes it impossible to know when these were roasted. Always use a quality burr grinder, and grind right before you extract, just like the very best cafes.
Breville's conical burr Smart Grinder™ Pro uses Dosing IQ technology to automatically adjust the dose whenever you change the grind. Choose between 'cups' for French press or Filter, and 'shots' for Espresso to get the right dose for your coffee's needs. You can even tweak for taste.
Essenza Mini: the small machine for big coffee moments.

tokenized:
Create great tasting espresso – from bean to espresso – in less than a minute . The Barista Express allows you to grind the beans right before extraction , and its interchangeable filters and a choice of automatic or manual operation ensure authentic café style results in no time at all .
 Dose - Control Grinding . Integrated conical burr grinder with dose control delivers the right amount on demand , ensuring maximum flavour . Its fully adjustable grind size and dose , let you customise to suit your taste .
 Precise Espresso Extraction . Digital temperature control ( PID ) delivers water at precisely the right temperature , ensuring optimal espresso extraction . The Breville Razor ™ dosing tool trims the puck for a consistent dose and extraction .
 Micro - foam Milk . The steam wand performs at the level that allows you to hand - texture the micro - foam necessary to enhance the flavour of the coffee and create latte art .
 Get cafe quality coffee at home with this Cafe Barista Espresso Machine . Thanks to the one - touch control panel you can get espresso , cappuccino or latte with just the touch of a button . The integrated milk frother takes the guesswork out frothing milk and any leftover milk can get easily stored in the fridge with the removable milk reservoir .
 CitiZ & Milk is an automatic espresso machine fitted with an Aeroccino milk frother allowing you to create an endless number of recipes with velvety milk . This compact modern machine features Nespresso ’s unique 19 bar extraction system and thermoblock heating to ensure optimal temperature control and consistency . The CitiZ & Milk also features a folding cup holder to allow for a tall glass , a capsule container with the capacity to hold 10 used capsules and an automatic standby mode after 9 minutes of inactivity to reduce energy consumption .
 Your espresso journey begins here . A great tasting espresso or cappuccino is about the right balance of sweetness , acidity and bitterness . The Duo - Temp ™ Pro provides you with café quality taste at home .
 Precise Espresso Extraction - Low pressure pre - infusion ensures balanced flavours are drawn evenly from all grinds , PID temperature control delivers water at precisely the right temperature , ensuring balanced espresso flavour . The Duo - Temp ™ Pro also comes with the Razor precision dose trimming tool . The Razor is unique to Breville and simplifies manual dosing by precisely controlling the amount of coffee in the filter basket . A precise dose each time will help you achieve consistently great tasting coffee every time you use your Duo - Temp ™ Pro .
 Micro - foam Milk - High power 1700W element for high pressure steam and faster heat up to create micro - foam necessary for café quality drinks and essential for creating latte art .
 Micro - foam Milk - High power 1700W element for high pressure steam and faster heat up to create micro - foam necessary for café quality drinks and to create latte art .
 The Creatista Plus lets you enjoy cafe - style quality coffee at home . With a fully - automatic steam wand , you can now create perfectly textured milk set to your preferred temperature . Create unique latte art creations and a broad range of milk based recipes . The stainless steel Creatista Plus has a 3 second heat up time , 8 texture levels and 11 milk temperature settings . Each machine includes a stainless steel milk jug .
 Barista - quality performance , new intuitive touchscreen display with pre - programmed café drinks menu and automatic milk texturing . All within a compact footprint .
 A built - in grinder delivers the right amount of ground coffee on demand and with a 3 second heat up time , you go from bean to cup , faster than ever before .
 Intuitive Touchscreen Display : Simplifies how to make your favourite café coffee in 3 easy steps - Grind , Brew and Milk . You can easily adjust the coffee strength , milk texture or temperature to suit your taste . Then save it with your own unique name . Create and save up to 8 personalised coffees .
 Automatic Microfoam Milk Texturing : Auto steam wand , allows you to adjust the milk temperature and texture to suit your taste . Delivering barista quality micro - foam that enhances the flavour of the coffee and essential for creating latté art . Then it cleans itself for you .
 Precise Espresso Extraction : Digital Temperature Control ( PID ) delivers water at precisely the right temperature , ensuring optimal espresso extraction .
 Faster Heat Up Time : Innovative ThemoJet ™ heating system achieves the optimum extraction temperature in 3 seconds . Ready to make your best coffee without the wait .
 Hands Free Operation : Innovative grinding cradle allows any at - home Barista to grind directly into the espresso portafilter .
 Integrated Coffee Grinder : With a single touch , the integrated conical burr grinder with dose control , delivers the right amount of coffee , on demand , for maximum flavour . Adjustable grind size and dose .
 The Oracle is the world ’s first automatic manual espresso machine that brings true café quality to your home without the barista . Engineered in Sydney with over 3 years of research and development , the Oracle is Simpler , with automatic grinding , dosing , tamping and milk texturing ; Faster , with 2 lattes in 90 seconds ; and Better , meeting the Gold Standard in a domestic machine . At the heart of this machine is its Dual Stainless Steel Boiler heating system .
 The Oracle uses a dedicated espresso boiler and PID technology to extract the espresso shot to within + /- 1 ° C of the selected ideal temperture .
 The Oracle also uses a dedicated steam boiler to offer instant steam on demand . So you can extract your shot , at the right temperature , delivering optimal flavour and steam your milk to cafe quality , at the same time . What 's more , the heated group head further ensures a consistent extraction temperature .
 The Oracle also features an Over Pressure Valve . This commercial feature limits the maximum pressure throughout the extraction , helping to prevent bitter flavours in the shot . It also offers a true low pressure pre - infusion , which gradually increases the pressure to gently expand the grinds for an even extraction .
 With all the features that a coffee geek would expect , the Oracle keeps it simple for all coffee lovers to rival even the best café .
 Introducing Sunbeam Barista Max , a new , at - home espresso machine with integrated grinder . This all - in - one machine brings together everything you need to easily make great - tasting , café - style coffee at home .
 Exclusive Tap & Go ™ technology allows an easy , on - demand one - touch grind system to deliver fresh beans for every cup . The conical burr grinder achieves consistent grind particle size and the 30 adjustable grind settings will maximise the flavour of your coffee .
 The exclusive Temp ° IQ Shot Control ™ 3 - way system combines a fast heat - up Thermoblock , gentle pre - infusion for even extraction and advanced PID controller to regulate and deliver optimal , consistent temperature that all work together to create a great tasting coffee .
 Inspired by café machines , the Barista Max uses a 58 mm group head . This wider size ensures the coffee grinds are more evenly spread in the filter basket , extracting the maximum amount of flavour .
 The Mini Barista uses thermoblock technology , a 15 Bar Italian pump and a 58 mm commercial size group head inspired from café machines . This ensures a rich extraction for a coffee that tastes just like it does at the café . Great Christmas gift for coffee lovers .
 The Sunbeam Mini Barista Espresso Machine has a powerful Italian pump and a steam wand , making it easy for you to craft your very own artisanal coffee at the comfort of your home .
 Inspired by café machines , the Mini Barista uses a 58 mm commercial size group head . This larger size accepts more grinds and ensures an even extraction for a rich cafe tasting coffee at home .
 Essenza Mini , the small machine for big coffee moments .
 The new Essenza Mini & Aeroccino combines ease of use , minimalist beauty and unrivalled Nespresso quality to create the perfect coffee cup every time . It 's the small machine that opens up the whole world of Nespresso coffee .
 The compact design of the Essenza Mini range comes in two distinctive shapes and each shape is available in three different colours . Choose the design that best suits your style and space and open up to the world of Nespresso coffee .
 With a 15 bar pump the Lumio machine delivers high quality drinks with no mess , no fuss . Our carefully selected coffee is sealed in the pods to deliver to you a delicious aroma and full flavour . Because the coffee grinds stay in the pod there is virtually no cleaning either . Simply pop in a pod , select the volume you desire , and go ! Create your perfect beverage from over 40 drinks varieties .
 Deliver high quality coffees with a thick velvety crema – thanks to its maximum 15 bar pump pressure .
 Easy to clean - as all the coffee grinds stay in the pods there is no mess , no fuss .
 Be your own barista and create great tasting coffee to rival the best café . The Dual Boiler ™ is for the coffee connoisseur who prefers to control every step in the espresso process . You can extract espresso and texture milk simultaneously , allowing you to capture the delicate aromatics of the espresso in your coffee by having the espresso and milk ready at the same time .
 Dual Stainless steel boilers and heated group head , both regulated by our digital temperature control technology ( PID ) , delivers water at precisely the right temperature , eliminating temperature surfing * for consistent espresso quality , shot after shot . The Dual Boiler ™ also features an Over Pressure Valve ( OPV ) which limits the maximum pressure throughout the extraction , helping to prevent bitter flavours in the shot . It also offers a true low pressure pre - infusion , which gradually increases the pressure to gently expand the grinds for an even extraction . There is also a shot clock and pressure gauge to help you improve your barista skills .
 The steam wand , powered by the dedicated steam boiler , instantly delivers the pressure to create micro - foam texture similar to commercial machines that enhances coffee flavour and is essential to create latte art .
 The Dual Boiler is the professional Barista ’s choice for their home machine . “ 24.5 out of 25 . Ridiculously good . ” Craig Simon . Australian Barista Champion . Temperature Surfing . Purging and flushing water through the group head of single heat source espresso machines in an attempt to hit the correct extraction temperature .
 Automatically doses the same amount every time you grind . The very best taste will always come from using quality , freshly roasted coffee that ’s ground right before you extract . Coffee is at its peak flavour potential between 5 - 20 days after roasting , so always buy beans with a “ Roasted On ” date printed on the bag . Buying beans with a “ Use By ” or “ Best Before ” date makes it impossible to know when these were roasted . Always use a quality burr grinder , and grind right before you extract , just like the very best cafes .
 Breville 's conical burr Smart Grinder ™ Pro uses Dosing IQ technology to automatically adjust the dose whenever you change the grind . Choose between ' cups ' for French press or Filter , and ' shots ' for Espresso to get the right dose for your coffee 's needs . You can even tweak for taste .
 Essenza Mini : the small machine for big coffee moments .


text:
Alicia and I attended a lecture tonight by Wally Owen at the Lyceum, Alexandria's History Museum, called, "A Visual Tour of Civil War Alexandria." Wally Owen is the Assistant Director of the Fort Ward Museum and co-author of "Mr. Lincoln's Forts: A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington." The lecture was a two hour tour of Alexandria in the Civil War including a finale where everyone got to see some of the stereoscopic images in 3D using funky two color glasses.
It was a wonderful presentation. Wally literally had the audience gasping in amazment as he showed some of the details in the high resolution photos available from the LoC and other places. He also showed examples of how he does detective work to identify photos, locations, dates and other details through cross correlation of photos and original documents.
The advance billing for the talk said some of the photos had never been published and indeed, there were several that I have never seen before.
Some highlights that I noted included.
A photo of an engine parked in front of the Wilkes Street tunnel showed a large light mounted on the tender. I don't think I have ever seen a shot showing a back-up light on the tender. That was cool.
He presented a shot of the Alexandria, Loudon and Hampshire engine terminal that showed the view from the east to the west. It had a lot of good detail of the AL&H terminal. Anyone modeling the AL&H needs to get a copy of this photo. Wally did not mention the source of that photo.
Wally mentioned that W. M. Merrick, the draftsman that drew several important maps of Alexandria, Washington and City Point, was friends with Captain Andrew Russell, the photographer. Wally showed a sketch that Merrick drew of Russell painting the tender of the engine Stanton. This engine has an elaborate painting of secretary Stanton on the tender. Apparently Russell's first avocation was as an artist and he learned photography on the fly in 3 months during the war while in the employ of Haupt. Wally speculated on what else Russell may have painted, perhaps the eagle on the Lincoln funeral train.
The presentation was chock full of interesting information. It was well worth attending.
The cold, icy weekend meant lots of progress on the layout. First I reconfigured the slope of the hill behind Potomac Creek to make it look more like a country road. This resulted in a slightly sunken road at the top of the ridge. Then I painted the rocks at Wiellep's Cut with a dark base color. I find that when using water putty for rock carvings, one can not just stain the rocks like you can with hydrocal. You have to completely paint the rocks. I use a dark base acrylic color and then add lighter drybrushed colors on top.
Next I worked on the culvert at Accokeek Creek. It is built like a railroad tunnel, but without the tracks. I used the laser to cut the parts except for the styrene blocks on the top cap. Those I made from a strip of .125 inch styrene, shaping each block to look like stone.
plastic strip stone cap pieces.
The brick lined culvert pipe.
Cutting and fitting the culvert under the tracks.
I also worked on installing the grist mill, but it was tricky as I had to add the mill race to the mill as I went along. That took a bit of cutting, filling and test fitting. I had to reconfigure the terrain under the mill race to make room. I sealed the terrain with water putty. I need to make the area water tight as I plan to pour resin to simulate the water and it needs a water tight base.
Working on the tail race. I still need to build the feed race sluice.
design. The wooded hill will help downplay the visual dominance of the dam.
The Potomac Creek station scene will feature a long line of soldiers marching on a road to the railhead. The road leads from the back drop to the railhead at Potomac Creek.
My intent is to display a regiment with each figure shown one-to-one. A full strength regiment has over 1,000 men. At two years into the war, most regiments were at partial strength. I have about 400 figures planned in this scene, representing a regiment that is about one third full strength.
The figures I am using look quite energetic and excited, so I decided this is a two year regiment whose enlistments have expired and they are going home. There will be other soldiers and people watching them and cheering along.
This drawing showing two-year men taking a train is part of my inspiration.
I built the road with pieces of foam hot glued to the hard shell. In retrospect, I think the road is too well built for a country dirt road of the 1860s. So I will add a ridge as shown in the photo below and have part of the road cut through ridge top, creating a sunken section. That will remove some of the fill and make the road look more rustic.
The red lines show the planned terrain addition.
word "pink" shows through, as that is the last pink scenery in the north room.
I added some ballast and base scenery.
I continued the base scenery around the curve at Brooke as the panorama photo shows below.
I will probably add the base scenery to the ridge behind Brook and then paint the back drop.
In surveying the new work, AW's said, "Wow, do you think you'll actually finish this one?"
A two shot panorama showing the big curve at Brooke.
In a long awaited move, I finally painted the base scenery and fascia from Brooke to Accokeek. Only a 6-foot section to go and all the fascia and scenery will be painted the base color. I am using Ralph Lauren Adirondack Bark. It is a textured paint and does a great job making the fascia and the layout visually blend together. The base coat of paint makes a big difference. The layout takes on a much more finished appearance even though there is still lots to do.
I painted the tunnel rock cuts leading up to the tunnel portal. Then I added a base layer of scenic material. That helped reduce some of the darker shadows so that it doesn't look so much like the entrance to Shelob's Lair.
Rock carving at Weilepp's Cut is done, whew!
The Weilepp's Cut area still needs to be painted. I also need to finish the mill so I can place it in the scene and fill in the gaps with Water Putty and scenic material. I have to install a road in the far corner behind Weilepp's Cut. I have to build up the road with pieces of foam and water putty, as the terrain there is fairly rough.
The 2012 issue of Model Railroad Planning has an article about my layout. It was written by Gerry Fitzgerald. You might recognize him from this blog as he is one of my regular gandy dancers even though he lives in Charlottesville, VA where he is a graduate student at UVa while serving as a visiting professor at GMU. Gerry wrote the article with my permission and cooperation. I took the photos and did the graphics.
I found it a bit strange reading about my layout in the third person, but Gerry did a great job with the article. He provided his own insight, not exactly that of an outsider, but certainly an independent look at the project. Thanks Gerry.
BTW We still have about 5,000 spikes to go.
Thom Metz stopped by tonight to discuss his plans for an NTRAK module based on Alleghany, Va. We are lucky that Matt Schaefer designed an excellent module based on Alleghany for Dudley Ross several years back. Matt was one of the best NTRAK modular designers ever. People from across the globe sought his design advice. Alas both Matt and Dudley have passed away, but their memory lives on in an excellent module design.
"Curiously, to look at them, the impression is that the old bore is really the new one, and vice-versa. This is because the new bore was drilled for single track, while the old one is wide enough for two." The single track in the old bore gives the feeling of spaciousness associated with a newer excavation."
I photographed Dudley's layout for Kalmbach's Great Model Railroads 2005 and you can find the overall track plan there. Here are some other shots of Dudley's Alleghany including a simplified drawing of just the Alleghany section.
The main scene at Alleghany includes a turntable, brick cabin and depot.
I recently learned that the Alco Heritage Museum in Schenectady has moved to a new, larger location. The museum will feature many neat exhibits including tanks, locomotives, a replica of an engine erecting shop, an FA-1 cab simulator, and a civil war railroad model display.
According to the museum website, it plans to open in Spring 2012. Tanks, trains and models! I definitely need to add it to my bucket list.
There are several interesting things I noticed in the photo. The obvious gallows turntable in the left foreground. The engine has an enclosed tender and it has the passenger car on its nose. The passenger car has a plain, arched, non-clerestory, roof, and small windows. Note the exterior bracing under the passenger car body. I am not sure why the wood is piled up by the track, possibly fuel?
Also note the lack of trees in the background. There also appears to be a cemetery or perhaps encampment in the background.
There is currently a legal fight between historical preservationists and the University of Princeton who want to relocate the station and convert it to a bus line.
If you know anything about this photo, please post a comment.
Top down, visor on, iPod synched - ready to boogie.
There is nothing like a trip to sunny Florida in January. Prototype Rails 2012 is over and I had a good time. Here are some of the highlights.
The FECNTrak group was present with part of their oNeTRAK layout. Gregg Stoll, Tom Chaffee and Matt Gatof gave me a run down on their layout and let me operate a train. Their oNeTRAK modules really capture the intent for oNeTRAK when I first proposed the oNeTRAK concept at the NVNTrak Christmas party nearly 15 years ago.
They have some nice modules that combine intense switch districts and open running.
They use balloon tracks at each end of the layout to reverse the trains. They are lucky that their prototype has an actual balloon track in Hialeah, FL that they selectively compressed for one of the loops. They use the other loop as a staging track.
It was appropriate that I got held up at a grade crossing in Melbourne by a 150-car long northbound train on real FEC as I returned to my brother's house on the night I met with the FEC guys.
I went to several good clinics. I especially enjoyed Dave Ramos's NY harbor layout presentation, John Roberts talk on his O Scale C&O layout, both of John Wilkes talks, Jim Lincoln's discussion of prototypical auto rack unloading and Gilbert's Thomas talk on the Tropicana Juice Trains. I had trouble getting my iPad to project the photos for my talk on my layout update, but everyone seemed to enjoy the talk nonetheless. My make-and-take class was small but the students all did great jobs. The meet organizers asked if I could return next year to do it again.
On Sunday I visited John Wilkes and Tom Wilson's layouts on the west side of Florida before flying out of Orlando. They are both super nice guys and it was pleasure seeing their layouts. Both have impressive double deck layouts. I believe that mountain railroads are well suited to double deck layouts as the frequent tunnels and hills allow one to hide much of the infrastructure necessary in a double deck layout.
John used aluminum C Channels for his benchwork and thus his layout seems to be built to Hadron collider level standards. His track work is very nice with over 100 hand laid turnouts. His scenery is also coming along nicely. It is a complex layout, with two helices and two railroads running parallel to each other with some shared track. But he has generous aisles and it all feels just right. I got to run a test train and I look forward to returning for a real op session.
A scene on John Wilkes layout. He models the L&N and Southern where they share trackage.
He uses Florida native lichen to make his realistic trees.
Tom's layout is chock full of interesting structures. His upper deck is primarily devoted to a steel mill which was featured in my steel mill modeling book. I had a chance to operate it a few years back and it is a hoot. The lower deck is more rural WV and PA scenery. Tom gives me good ideas for future steel mill related projects and we may have some new items coming out soon.
The Brass Monkey Bar - where workers go to flush the monkey?
A little photoshop fun with some of Tom's cool mill structures.
 I'm off to Prototype Rails 2012 in Cocoa Beach. I will be doing an update on my layout at 9:00AM on Friday, 6 Jan.
If you are coming to the make-and-take, bring your tool box and a pencil soldering iron. I'll provide the kits and solder. The fee is $25.00.
This is for those of you that thought that the rock face looked like Mordor. I always thought Middle Earth would make a neat setting for a Lord of the Rings inspired model railway. They didn't have steam power in Tolkien's world, so you'd have to come up with some other form of motive power. Water powered cable railway maybe?
Unlike Sisyphus, I am nearly done with my rock work. I ran out of Durham's water putty or I might have finished tonight. Another night or two of of mudding and the basic terrain will be done. That will be a relief.
Once the rock face at Brooke was dry, I painted it with a base coat of acrylic paints. I do the dark colors first as I like the extra contrast it gives me. So I use a mix of Black, Burnt Umber and Spice Brown to paint in the whole rock face, making sure I get the crevices completely covered. It can be tricky to get the cracks fully colored with the dark paint.
Once that dries, I will add the highlights and mid tones using a mix or spice brown and a touch of white. You have to be careful when lightening red based colors to avoid a pink look.
This reminds me of a story. I was carving rocks for a friend on his layout. He is very particular. I was using prototype photos to copy an exact scene. It was progressing well. When I got to the shadow painting phase he freaked out because he thought I ruined them. Anyway, it worked out as acrylics dry quickly and I finished the painting.
A couple more cans of Durham's water putty and the rock carving will be done. I think the layout room will undergo a transformation when I get all the base scenery and fascia painted the base color.
Rock faces on the tunnel portal.
An N scale locomotive? What the ding-dong is that doing there? Checking clearances?
Nah, I'm just fooling around.
under the turnout. It is now hot glued to a layer of pink foam, braced underneath and is much sturdier.
paint the medium and highlight colors.
Why the reference to Sisyphus other than the obvious rock work connection? I have been known to start layout projects and get about halfway through, then rip them out or sell them and start all over. But this layout has been different. I hope I will actually complete it.
It has taken me several years to realize what I like and can achieve in a model railroad. This layout seems to meet my interests the best. It is also pushing me to learn new skills in scratch building, and engine tuning. I have reached a model railroad Nirvana of sorts, though there still are many challenges ahead, such as scratch building engines, battery power control, model ships and the big waterfront scene - saving the best for last.
Some of my friends are still struggling with this issue as they tear out and modify layouts, or can't even get started. Marty is documenting his machinations on trying what to model on his blog. Check it out when you get a chance.
Gerry Fitzgerald stopped by for a work session on the afternoon of New Years Eve. He worked on fixing some loose scenery by Potomac Creek siding as well as spiking some more rail. I worked on adding hard shell and rock carvings.
We decided that the rock carving process was interesting and worth making into a video tutorial. You can see the 12 minute movie below.

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Alicia and I attended a lecture tonight by Wally Owen at the Lyceum , Alexandria 's History Museum , called , " A Visual Tour of Civil War Alexandria . " Wally Owen is the Assistant Director of the Fort Ward Museum and co - author of " Mr. Lincoln 's Forts : A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington . " The lecture was a two hour tour of Alexandria in the Civil War including a finale where everyone got to see some of the stereoscopic images in 3D using funky two color glasses .
 It was a wonderful presentation . Wally literally had the audience gasping in amazment as he showed some of the details in the high resolution photos available from the LoC and other places . He also showed examples of how he does detective work to identify photos , locations , dates and other details through cross correlation of photos and original documents .
 The advance billing for the talk said some of the photos had never been published and indeed , there were several that I have never seen before .
 Some highlights that I noted included .
 A photo of an engine parked in front of the Wilkes Street tunnel showed a large light mounted on the tender . I do n't think I have ever seen a shot showing a back - up light on the tender . That was cool .
 He presented a shot of the Alexandria , Loudon and Hampshire engine terminal that showed the view from the east to the west . It had a lot of good detail of the AL&H terminal . Anyone modeling the AL&H needs to get a copy of this photo . Wally did not mention the source of that photo .
 Wally mentioned that W. M. Merrick , the draftsman that drew several important maps of Alexandria , Washington and City Point , was friends with Captain Andrew Russell , the photographer . Wally showed a sketch that Merrick drew of Russell painting the tender of the engine Stanton . This engine has an elaborate painting of secretary Stanton on the tender . Apparently Russell 's first avocation was as an artist and he learned photography on the fly in 3 months during the war while in the employ of Haupt . Wally speculated on what else Russell may have painted , perhaps the eagle on the Lincoln funeral train .
 The presentation was chock full of interesting information . It was well worth attending .
 The cold , icy weekend meant lots of progress on the layout . First I reconfigured the slope of the hill behind Potomac Creek to make it look more like a country road . This resulted in a slightly sunken road at the top of the ridge . Then I painted the rocks at Wiellep 's Cut with a dark base color . I find that when using water putty for rock carvings , one can not just stain the rocks like you can with hydrocal . You have to completely paint the rocks . I use a dark base acrylic color and then add lighter drybrushed colors on top .
 Next I worked on the culvert at Accokeek Creek . It is built like a railroad tunnel , but without the tracks . I used the laser to cut the parts except for the styrene blocks on the top cap . Those I made from a strip of .125 inch styrene , shaping each block to look like stone .
 plastic strip stone cap pieces .
 The brick lined culvert pipe .
 Cutting and fitting the culvert under the tracks .
 I also worked on installing the grist mill , but it was tricky as I had to add the mill race to the mill as I went along . That took a bit of cutting , filling and test fitting . I had to reconfigure the terrain under the mill race to make room . I sealed the terrain with water putty . I need to make the area water tight as I plan to pour resin to simulate the water and it needs a water tight base .
 Working on the tail race . I still need to build the feed race sluice .
 design . The wooded hill will help downplay the visual dominance of the dam .
 The Potomac Creek station scene will feature a long line of soldiers marching on a road to the railhead . The road leads from the back drop to the railhead at Potomac Creek .
 My intent is to display a regiment with each figure shown one - to - one . A full strength regiment has over 1,000 men . At two years into the war , most regiments were at partial strength . I have about 400 figures planned in this scene , representing a regiment that is about one third full strength .
 The figures I am using look quite energetic and excited , so I decided this is a two year regiment whose enlistments have expired and they are going home . There will be other soldiers and people watching them and cheering along .
 This drawing showing two - year men taking a train is part of my inspiration .
 I built the road with pieces of foam hot glued to the hard shell . In retrospect , I think the road is too well built for a country dirt road of the 1860s . So I will add a ridge as shown in the photo below and have part of the road cut through ridge top , creating a sunken section . That will remove some of the fill and make the road look more rustic .
 The red lines show the planned terrain addition .
 word " pink " shows through , as that is the last pink scenery in the north room .
 I added some ballast and base scenery .
 I continued the base scenery around the curve at Brooke as the panorama photo shows below .
 I will probably add the base scenery to the ridge behind Brook and then paint the back drop .
 In surveying the new work , AW 's said , " Wow , do you think you 'll actually finish this one ? "
 A two shot panorama showing the big curve at Brooke .
 In a long awaited move , I finally painted the base scenery and fascia from Brooke to Accokeek . Only a 6 - foot section to go and all the fascia and scenery will be painted the base color . I am using Ralph Lauren Adirondack Bark . It is a textured paint and does a great job making the fascia and the layout visually blend together . The base coat of paint makes a big difference . The layout takes on a much more finished appearance even though there is still lots to do .
 I painted the tunnel rock cuts leading up to the tunnel portal . Then I added a base layer of scenic material . That helped reduce some of the darker shadows so that it does n't look so much like the entrance to Shelob 's Lair .
 Rock carving at Weilepp 's Cut is done , whew !
 The Weilepp 's Cut area still needs to be painted . I also need to finish the mill so I can place it in the scene and fill in the gaps with Water Putty and scenic material . I have to install a road in the far corner behind Weilepp 's Cut . I have to build up the road with pieces of foam and water putty , as the terrain there is fairly rough .
 The 2012 issue of Model Railroad Planning has an article about my layout . It was written by Gerry Fitzgerald . You might recognize him from this blog as he is one of my regular gandy dancers even though he lives in Charlottesville , VA where he is a graduate student at UVa while serving as a visiting professor at GMU . Gerry wrote the article with my permission and cooperation . I took the photos and did the graphics .
 I found it a bit strange reading about my layout in the third person , but Gerry did a great job with the article . He provided his own insight , not exactly that of an outsider , but certainly an independent look at the project . Thanks Gerry .
 BTW We still have about 5,000 spikes to go .
 Thom Metz stopped by tonight to discuss his plans for an NTRAK module based on Alleghany , Va. We are lucky that Matt Schaefer designed an excellent module based on Alleghany for Dudley Ross several years back . Matt was one of the best NTRAK modular designers ever . People from across the globe sought his design advice . Alas both Matt and Dudley have passed away , but their memory lives on in an excellent module design .
 " Curiously , to look at them , the impression is that the old bore is really the new one , and vice - versa . This is because the new bore was drilled for single track , while the old one is wide enough for two . " The single track in the old bore gives the feeling of spaciousness associated with a newer excavation . "
 I photographed Dudley 's layout for Kalmbach 's Great Model Railroads 2005 and you can find the overall track plan there . Here are some other shots of Dudley 's Alleghany including a simplified drawing of just the Alleghany section .
 The main scene at Alleghany includes a turntable , brick cabin and depot .
 I recently learned that the Alco Heritage Museum in Schenectady has moved to a new , larger location . The museum will feature many neat exhibits including tanks , locomotives , a replica of an engine erecting shop , an FA-1 cab simulator , and a civil war railroad model display .
 According to the museum website , it plans to open in Spring 2012 . Tanks , trains and models ! I definitely need to add it to my bucket list .
 There are several interesting things I noticed in the photo . The obvious gallows turntable in the left foreground . The engine has an enclosed tender and it has the passenger car on its nose . The passenger car has a plain , arched , non - clerestory , roof , and small windows . Note the exterior bracing under the passenger car body . I am not sure why the wood is piled up by the track , possibly fuel ?
 Also note the lack of trees in the background . There also appears to be a cemetery or perhaps encampment in the background .
 There is currently a legal fight between historical preservationists and the University of Princeton who want to relocate the station and convert it to a bus line .
 If you know anything about this photo , please post a comment .
 Top down , visor on , iPod synched - ready to boogie .
 There is nothing like a trip to sunny Florida in January . Prototype Rails 2012 is over and I had a good time . Here are some of the highlights .
 The FECNTrak group was present with part of their oNeTRAK layout . Gregg Stoll , Tom Chaffee and Matt Gatof gave me a run down on their layout and let me operate a train . Their oNeTRAK modules really capture the intent for oNeTRAK when I first proposed the oNeTRAK concept at the NVNTrak Christmas party nearly 15 years ago .
 They have some nice modules that combine intense switch districts and open running .
 They use balloon tracks at each end of the layout to reverse the trains . They are lucky that their prototype has an actual balloon track in Hialeah , FL that they selectively compressed for one of the loops . They use the other loop as a staging track .
 It was appropriate that I got held up at a grade crossing in Melbourne by a 150 - car long northbound train on real FEC as I returned to my brother 's house on the night I met with the FEC guys .
 I went to several good clinics . I especially enjoyed Dave Ramos 's NY harbor layout presentation , John Roberts talk on his O Scale C&O layout , both of John Wilkes talks , Jim Lincoln 's discussion of prototypical auto rack unloading and Gilbert 's Thomas talk on the Tropicana Juice Trains . I had trouble getting my iPad to project the photos for my talk on my layout update , but everyone seemed to enjoy the talk nonetheless . My make - and - take class was small but the students all did great jobs . The meet organizers asked if I could return next year to do it again .
 On Sunday I visited John Wilkes and Tom Wilson 's layouts on the west side of Florida before flying out of Orlando . They are both super nice guys and it was pleasure seeing their layouts . Both have impressive double deck layouts . I believe that mountain railroads are well suited to double deck layouts as the frequent tunnels and hills allow one to hide much of the infrastructure necessary in a double deck layout .
 John used aluminum C Channels for his benchwork and thus his layout seems to be built to Hadron collider level standards . His track work is very nice with over 100 hand laid turnouts . His scenery is also coming along nicely . It is a complex layout , with two helices and two railroads running parallel to each other with some shared track . But he has generous aisles and it all feels just right . I got to run a test train and I look forward to returning for a real op session .
 A scene on John Wilkes layout . He models the L&N and Southern where they share trackage .
 He uses Florida native lichen to make his realistic trees .
 Tom 's layout is chock full of interesting structures . His upper deck is primarily devoted to a steel mill which was featured in my steel mill modeling book . I had a chance to operate it a few years back and it is a hoot . The lower deck is more rural WV and PA scenery . Tom gives me good ideas for future steel mill related projects and we may have some new items coming out soon .
 The Brass Monkey Bar - where workers go to flush the monkey ?
 A little photoshop fun with some of Tom 's cool mill structures .
  I 'm off to Prototype Rails 2012 in Cocoa Beach . I will be doing an update on my layout at 9:00AM on Friday , 6 Jan.
 If you are coming to the make - and - take , bring your tool box and a pencil soldering iron . I 'll provide the kits and solder . The fee is $ 25.00 .
 This is for those of you that thought that the rock face looked like Mordor . I always thought Middle Earth would make a neat setting for a Lord of the Rings inspired model railway . They did n't have steam power in Tolkien 's world , so you 'd have to come up with some other form of motive power . Water powered cable railway maybe ?
 Unlike Sisyphus , I am nearly done with my rock work . I ran out of Durham 's water putty or I might have finished tonight . Another night or two of of mudding and the basic terrain will be done . That will be a relief .
 Once the rock face at Brooke was dry , I painted it with a base coat of acrylic paints . I do the dark colors first as I like the extra contrast it gives me . So I use a mix of Black , Burnt Umber and Spice Brown to paint in the whole rock face , making sure I get the crevices completely covered . It can be tricky to get the cracks fully colored with the dark paint .
 Once that dries , I will add the highlights and mid tones using a mix or spice brown and a touch of white . You have to be careful when lightening red based colors to avoid a pink look .
 This reminds me of a story . I was carving rocks for a friend on his layout . He is very particular . I was using prototype photos to copy an exact scene . It was progressing well . When I got to the shadow painting phase he freaked out because he thought I ruined them . Anyway , it worked out as acrylics dry quickly and I finished the painting .
 A couple more cans of Durham 's water putty and the rock carving will be done . I think the layout room will undergo a transformation when I get all the base scenery and fascia painted the base color .
 Rock faces on the tunnel portal .
 An N scale locomotive ? What the ding - dong is that doing there ? Checking clearances ?
 Nah , I 'm just fooling around .
 under the turnout . It is now hot glued to a layer of pink foam , braced underneath and is much sturdier .
 paint the medium and highlight colors .
 Why the reference to Sisyphus other than the obvious rock work connection ? I have been known to start layout projects and get about halfway through , then rip them out or sell them and start all over . But this layout has been different . I hope I will actually complete it .
 It has taken me several years to realize what I like and can achieve in a model railroad . This layout seems to meet my interests the best . It is also pushing me to learn new skills in scratch building , and engine tuning . I have reached a model railroad Nirvana of sorts , though there still are many challenges ahead , such as scratch building engines , battery power control , model ships and the big waterfront scene - saving the best for last .
 Some of my friends are still struggling with this issue as they tear out and modify layouts , or ca n't even get started . Marty is documenting his machinations on trying what to model on his blog . Check it out when you get a chance .
 Gerry Fitzgerald stopped by for a work session on the afternoon of New Years Eve . He worked on fixing some loose scenery by Potomac Creek siding as well as spiking some more rail . I worked on adding hard shell and rock carvings .
 We decided that the rock carving process was interesting and worth making into a video tutorial . You can see the 12 minute movie below .


text:
DPC provides an excellent network both nationally and internationally. This makes it possible to look after our clients beyond the borders of Austria and to assist them in the real estate search and all relevant real estate issues.
Looking for a residential investment property in Berlin, or a valuation appraisal of your property in Warsaw or looking for a new office in Bucharest? We are the right partner for you. Through our extensive network we can service your requirement.

tokenized:
DPC provides an excellent network both nationally and internationally . This makes it possible to look after our clients beyond the borders of Austria and to assist them in the real estate search and all relevant real estate issues .
 Looking for a residential investment property in Berlin , or a valuation appraisal of your property in Warsaw or looking for a new office in Bucharest ? We are the right partner for you . Through our extensive network we can service your requirement .


text:
A 29-year-old property developer has bought Delph House and Leylands House and plans to start the conversion scheme next month. He says the initiative will help the area "turn a corner" and provide a positive future for the community and local economy. "This will breathe new life into Keighley," said Nottingham-based Arran Bailey, owner of ALB Investments. "The apartments have such amazing views of beautiful countryside and it only seemed right to regenerate the blocks to match the surrounding landscape." He plans to turn the 53-year-old high-rise buildings, at Parkwood Rise, into 190 one and two-bed apartments. Work is expected to take 18 months to complete.
The sale of the tower blocks to ALB was handled by Eddisons, who said: “We had a significant amount of interest in both blocks – receiving in excess of ten bids – and are delighted to have secured a great result on behalf of our valued client. It's been fantastic to see a developer with such ambition."
We had a significant amount of interest in both blocks – receiving in excess of ten bids – and are delighted to have secured a great result on behalf of our valued client. It's been fantastic to see a developer with such ambition.

tokenized:
A 29 - year - old property developer has bought Delph House and Leylands House and plans to start the conversion scheme next month . He says the initiative will help the area " turn a corner " and provide a positive future for the community and local economy . " This will breathe new life into Keighley , " said Nottingham - based Arran Bailey , owner of ALB Investments . " The apartments have such amazing views of beautiful countryside and it only seemed right to regenerate the blocks to match the surrounding landscape . " He plans to turn the 53 - year - old high - rise buildings , at Parkwood Rise , into 190 one and two - bed apartments . Work is expected to take 18 months to complete .
 The sale of the tower blocks to ALB was handled by Eddisons , who said : “ We had a significant amount of interest in both blocks – receiving in excess of ten bids – and are delighted to have secured a great result on behalf of our valued client . It 's been fantastic to see a developer with such ambition . "
 We had a significant amount of interest in both blocks – receiving in excess of ten bids – and are delighted to have secured a great result on behalf of our valued client . It 's been fantastic to see a developer with such ambition .


text:
I’m a fairly close observer of what we have come to call “The Wine Media”. My 20+ years observing the writing and reporting of all things wine, and any expertise I’ve accumulated as a result, is part of what I offer my clients—who hire me and keep me around in part because I’m a fairly reliable analyst of the wine media. I make a living understanding the wine media, how it works, what it wants and who reads it.
Me and people like me may be more valuable than ever before for the simple reason that the Wine Media has never been more complex and has never more fully satisfied the audience for wine information than it does today. This has implications—for everyone.
I cannot pull up an example of a single source of wine information that comes close to satisfying the needs of all these different types of audiences or the other audiences you could easily slice off of these and identify as having unique needs and desires. I can’t even think of a single foolish publisher of wine information that has ever attempted to address the entire universe of wine media consumers with a single effort.
Unless a publisher/writer/reporter of wine information wants to invest considerable amounts of money, expertise and time, it’s extraordinarily difficult to build a significant audience in the realm of wine media, no matter how many slices of the wine-centric reader you may want to try to satisfy. This means it remains very difficult to develop a profitable or even near-profitable wine media venture meant to be more than a sidelight for said publisher.
These realities shape the contours and content of today’s “Wine Media”. Interestingly, as one attempts to break down this unique subject area, it’s still best to do so by looking not at what kind of audiences have been developed, but rather the categories of publishers that are attempting to meet these audiences’ needs. Furthermore, the most useful way to gaze upon the Wine Media is not by looking at the kind of writing and reporting being done, but rather who is doing this. This is the case because wine information is largely inconsequential the vast majority of literate people.
Consider the kinds of stories about wine that find their way out of the blogs, wine publications and wine sections of the daily newspapers and into the mainstream press: “A Wine Counterfeiter Scams Rich Folk out of Millions”. “France Has a Disastrous Harvest”. “Wine Experts Shown To Know Very Little”. It’s the scandalous and disastrous that is deemed worthy of coverage in the mainstream media. Occasionally, the business or political writers cover wine politics when a state considers significant change to its regulatory or legal structure.
The Wine Media reports on what the general population would call esoterica: information and an area of interest that is very specialized, very obscure and highly relevant to only a relatively small number of, well, geeks.
The Wine Blogger remains largely an amateur. That is to say, the vast majority of wine blogs are written without the intent of the publisher making much of anything in the way of revenue. This is not necessarily a reflection of the depth of ambition of the average wine blogger. It’s more a reflection of the slight general interest in wine-related writing and reporting, the lower expectations people have of blogs in general, and the somewhat inadequate structure of the traditional blog layout to accommodate revenue streams.
Yet, it can be said that some of the most impressive wine expertise and some of the most interesting commentary is now appearing on wine blogs written by these amateurs. While some folks dismiss the quality of writing and commentary appearing on blogs, they do this correctly only by averaging the quality of the entire universe of wine bloggers. But when you zero in on the best of wine blogging it is very difficult not to make the case that remarkable talents inhabit this publishing category.
It is still true that the best wine bloggers tend to publish regularly, often multiple times per week. It is still true that the best wine bloggers have a well-developed and unique voice. It is still true that the best wine bloggers tightly embrace the wine sub-culture with all its seeming inscrutability, quirks and layered cultural meaning. It is still true that the best wine bloggers foster audiences that contribute to the blogger’s success and influence by engaging in substantive comments of their own. Put another way, the best wine bloggers appear to genuinely care deeply about the meaning of wine and the benefits it delivers to those who dive in to the deep end of the wine pool.
Finally, here’s the real interesting thing to remember about wine bloggers today: They in no way constitute a sideshow, a unique alternative or a developing sector of the wine media. They are today an integral and mainstream component of the wine media mechanism.
By “Wine Critic” I am referring to that category of the wine media that tends largely to review and assess the character and quality of individual wines. They write notes and reviews of wines and often grade wines. The club of serious wine critics is relatively small and always has been. What I find most interesting about this slice of the wine media is that their output has changed the least over time, their body of work has tremendous room for evolution and that this small group still maintains significant influence.
The most read and therefore most influential wine critics remain ensconced at traditional publications: The Wine Advocate, The Wine Spectator, The Wine Enthusiast, Wine & Spirits Magazine, International Wine Cellar, Connoisseurs Guide to California Wine, etc. While most of these publications and critics have in one way or another taken their work online, this fact is inconsequential to the character of their output. The wine critic remains dedicated to what is generally a 100-word review with a score or rating of some type attached.
The questions that seems to most consistently occupy wine media watchers is whether or not the value of wine critics is waning or should wane, whether the 100 point rating scale remains valuable or influential and the degree to which critics are being, or ought to be, replaced by the crowd? The first two questions are difficult to answer because they require some form of measurement that can then be compared to measurements taken in the past. And I’m not sure any forms of reliable past measurements have been undertaken. A number of wine critics have obviously been very consequential in the past. And these folks remain influential today. But to what degree? It’s hard to say with any precision.
However, it is true that traditional wine critics have new competition today in the form of social media and the crowd-sourced wine review. Denying the impact of CellarTracker, for example, is just stupid. Furthermore it appears that the crowd will be with us for the foreseeable future if only because technology provides easier and more convenient ways for members of the crowd to express an opinion and because this technology motivates more members of the crowd to do just this.
That said, to-date I see no indication that the individuals wine critic/expert is loosing any important measure of their influence among wine geeks any more than the academic journals are loosing their influence among the economics, paleontology, historiography, particle physics and Hegelianism geeks that read them. It seems to me that the crowd sourced reviews will play an increasingly important role among the crowd, while the wine experts and critics will continue to play an important role among the geeks or demand a reliable level of expertise from their wine critics.
That said, I am convinced there is room for the wine critic to evolve their output into something different. There is something stale about the 100 word wine review. It will be something fascinating to see if there is any development in this area of the wine media going forward.
They are relatively small in number and those with the largest readership, despite increasing their circulations (Wine Spectator is up to a 400,000 circulation), still have a readership smaller than the largest circulation publications covering many other notable subjects.
However, the avid consumer of wine information should have noticed that these mainstream wine publications still possess and employ the best minds in wine writing and produce some of the most reliably important coverage of the world of wine. No matter what you think of their opinions and biases, it’s a fact that the Jim Laubes, Matt Kramers, Steve Heimoffs, Patrick J. Comiskeys, Joshua Greenes, Paul Gregutts and Andy Perdues are formidable wine minds.
It has always been the case that excellent reporting and writing about wine came from the mainstream wine media primarily because this is where you go to get paid to write about wine. Wine writing is almost never a lucrative project. So, when payment is offered for prose, those offering they payment often have their pick of the litter.
Also under the category of “The Wine Publications” I put the wine newsletters and journals. Most of these are headed up by wine critics, yet nearly all of them offer commentary. There has been a certain dynamism in this sub category of the “Wine Publication” category. Still with us and still going strong are the Charles Olkens Dan Bergers, Robert Parkers and other stalwarts. But others have come on the scene who offer new perspectives and opportunities for wine geeks including Antonio Galloni, Doug Wilder, and Alice Feiring, to name just a few. These specialists provide coverage of niche topics and deliver very unique takes on the world of wine and I see no reason to believe that they will go away anytime soon and I’m sure they will be joined by new entrants into the newsletter/journal/niche category. In fact, this area of niche publication is one of the more likely ways for the wine blogger to graduate to a paying audience.
Certain mechanical harvesters do a better job than others. The size and dynamism of direct to consumer sales channel is important to more and more companies. The development of the Chinese retail sector is impacting global wine production. These are the kinds of topics one finds covered in the wine trade media and this sector of the overall wine media world is critical to the functioning of the wine industry.
A number of writers and publications contribute to realm of wine trade media. However, in the United States The Wine Communications Group dominates the sector. This company publishes Wine Business Monthly, Wine Business Insider, Wine Business Daily News Email, WineBusiness.com, Wines & Vines and The Practical Winery and Vineyard Journal. Their impact and influence on how members of the wine trade understand their business cannot be underestimated.
M. Shanken Communications, the publisher of The Wine Spectator, also happens to be the publisher of another important source of trade news. They publisher both IMPACT as well as MarketWatch, two publications that regularly survey the wine and spirits industry and chronicle the movement of its movers and shakers and most important sales channels.
These and other sources of industry-related writing tend to trade in nuts and bolts reporting, making them somewhat unique inside the wine media. They also are the source of the most traditional journalists in the wine media, those reporting the facts and not opinion. It’s important to note that this kind of wine writing rarely gets much attention, if only because it rarely the source of scandal and bombast. However, the growing complexity of the global wine industry and the quickened pace of change in the industry over the past 10 years means that no other sector of the wine media has played a more important role than the trade media does today. This is also the reason why news aggregation sites and services such as Lew Perdue’s Wine Industry Insight has gained such an important following.
There is no indication that the importance of the wine trade media will wane. There is such constant movement and development and complexity now swirling inside the wine industry that outlets covering this maelstrom of ideas and change will remain critical and dynamic.
Lettie Teague of the Wall Street Journal, Eric Asimov of the New York Times, Katherine Cole of the Oregonian, Jon Bonne of the San Francisco Chronicle, Bill St. John of the Chicago Tribune, S. Irene Virbila of the Los Angeles Times, Dave McIntyre of the Washington Post…These are the writers that provide the foundation for the public opinion and perception of wine in America and their influence nearly unmeasurable.
The large daily newspapers, whether in print or online, remain the place where the largest number of Americans get their information in written form. The circulation of only those publications mentioned above is in the millions. So, when Mr. Asimov or Ms. Teague or Mr. St. John declare what the wine trends in America are or advise on what to buy or introduce us to a new winery or weigh in on the way Americas do or ought to buy or keep wine, it has impact…great impact.
These are also the writers that interpret for the general public what the geeks inside the world of wine are talking about, arguing about and worrying about. I would argue that the degree to which the general public has a positive or negative view of wine or the wine industry in large part is due to how this relatively small group writes about the subjects they cover.
But it is also notable that unlike in previous times, it is no longer a requirement that a large daily newspaper have a wine writer on staff or print a wine column. There is an equation here that impacts this reality. Categories of information that are in no way crucial the public weal and that are merely best understood at hobbies (such as wine, the game of bridge, the art of dance and gardening) must pay their way in the large dailies. That is, any space devoted to these topics must produce accompanying advertising in order to justify their inclusion in the newspaper. Wine columns have not always done this and with the continuing decline of circulation numbers of daily newspapers, the wine column has steadily disappeared. This development should remain of critical importance to the wine industry.
Finally, I want to draw attention to one realm of the wine media that may not be considered a traditional slice of that pie, that has expanded with the development of the Internet and that provides wine geeks with a remarkably robust source of wine information and opinion: Online discussion forums.
This is where the geeks gather to discuss in-depth any number of wine-related topics and the form of these discussions often takes on a very sophisticated note. They represent places where novices, experts and other wine-interested parties can learn a great deal about the topic of wine.
There are a number of wine discussion forums and each possess a unique personality. Wine.Woot revolves around the “Wooters” that are catered to by this wine selling platform. WineBerserkers.com is home to a very active group of both wine lovers and members of the trade. Mark Squire’s Wine Discussion Board at eRobertParker hosts subscribers who have very opinionated views of wine. CellarTracker hosts a forum that delivers a wide-ranging discussion of all things wine. The Wine Lovers Discussion Forum is the oldest and most venerable discussion forum. Finally, Facebook has a number of “groups” where various aspects of wine and the wine industry are regularly discussed.
It’s rare that news is broken at these venues. And it’s true that the commenters who inhabit these forums can sometimes be overly opinionated to the point of rudeness. But it’s equally true that they can be dynamic communities where intense, enlightening and detailed discussion of wine topics are most fully explored. Personally I adore them and have regularly surveyed their content since the early days when Compuserve, AOL and Prodigy were the places where wine geeks gathered online.
I see no indication that the way wine is written about and discussed will or is changing in any meaningful way. Whether it is on a blog, in a Daily, on a discussion forum or in the wine trade publications, the subject of wine will focus primarily on opinion the evaluation of particular products. Places, people, companies and trends will be evaluated for the benefits and inspiration they provide. Reviews whether by critics or crowds will remain central to the discussion. Ratings and scores are going nowhere. And the diversity of products and producers will remain the primary driver of how wine is covered in the media.
We all know that “wine” in general is unique in its ability to bring worlds together. Albeit subjective in its taste, critics and publishers that introduce us to new worlds should be commended. I shall continue by journey until I pass. Please continue to write, critique, advise and blog on, so I can continue by life’s work.
Amongst social networks, it seems that Twitter takes a (more and more) valuable and relevant position in term of content curation and marketing tool as well. And when I write marketing, I intend that Twitter can be turned into a strategic / competitive marketing tool. What do you think ?
Great piece Tom! Well written; well said. Thank You for sharing the insight. Happy New Year to you & yours!
Tom, good analysis. Sorry I didn’t get around to reading it until now. Happy new year!
Tom, I very much appreciate this post and the many other informative posts you have provided in the past. This post in particular is a wonderful nugget summarizing the current state of the wine world. Fermentation is my “go to” wine blog. Keep up the great work – and Happy New Year!
Great Article Tom… Cheers !!!

tokenized:
I ’m a fairly close observer of what we have come to call “ The Wine Media ” . My 20 + years observing the writing and reporting of all things wine , and any expertise I ’ve accumulated as a result , is part of what I offer my clients — who hire me and keep me around in part because I ’m a fairly reliable analyst of the wine media . I make a living understanding the wine media , how it works , what it wants and who reads it .
 Me and people like me may be more valuable than ever before for the simple reason that the Wine Media has never been more complex and has never more fully satisfied the audience for wine information than it does today . This has implications — for everyone .
 I can not pull up an example of a single source of wine information that comes close to satisfying the needs of all these different types of audiences or the other audiences you could easily slice off of these and identify as having unique needs and desires . I ca n’t even think of a single foolish publisher of wine information that has ever attempted to address the entire universe of wine media consumers with a single effort .
 Unless a publisher / writer / reporter of wine information wants to invest considerable amounts of money , expertise and time , it ’s extraordinarily difficult to build a significant audience in the realm of wine media , no matter how many slices of the wine - centric reader you may want to try to satisfy . This means it remains very difficult to develop a profitable or even near - profitable wine media venture meant to be more than a sidelight for said publisher .
 These realities shape the contours and content of today ’s “ Wine Media ” . Interestingly , as one attempts to break down this unique subject area , it ’s still best to do so by looking not at what kind of audiences have been developed , but rather the categories of publishers that are attempting to meet these audiences ’ needs . Furthermore , the most useful way to gaze upon the Wine Media is not by looking at the kind of writing and reporting being done , but rather who is doing this . This is the case because wine information is largely inconsequential the vast majority of literate people .
 Consider the kinds of stories about wine that find their way out of the blogs , wine publications and wine sections of the daily newspapers and into the mainstream press : “ A Wine Counterfeiter Scams Rich Folk out of Millions ” . “ France Has a Disastrous Harvest ” . “ Wine Experts Shown To Know Very Little ” . It ’s the scandalous and disastrous that is deemed worthy of coverage in the mainstream media . Occasionally , the business or political writers cover wine politics when a state considers significant change to its regulatory or legal structure .
 The Wine Media reports on what the general population would call esoterica : information and an area of interest that is very specialized , very obscure and highly relevant to only a relatively small number of , well , geeks .
 The Wine Blogger remains largely an amateur . That is to say , the vast majority of wine blogs are written without the intent of the publisher making much of anything in the way of revenue . This is not necessarily a reflection of the depth of ambition of the average wine blogger . It ’s more a reflection of the slight general interest in wine - related writing and reporting , the lower expectations people have of blogs in general , and the somewhat inadequate structure of the traditional blog layout to accommodate revenue streams .
 Yet , it can be said that some of the most impressive wine expertise and some of the most interesting commentary is now appearing on wine blogs written by these amateurs . While some folks dismiss the quality of writing and commentary appearing on blogs , they do this correctly only by averaging the quality of the entire universe of wine bloggers . But when you zero in on the best of wine blogging it is very difficult not to make the case that remarkable talents inhabit this publishing category .
 It is still true that the best wine bloggers tend to publish regularly , often multiple times per week . It is still true that the best wine bloggers have a well - developed and unique voice . It is still true that the best wine bloggers tightly embrace the wine sub - culture with all its seeming inscrutability , quirks and layered cultural meaning . It is still true that the best wine bloggers foster audiences that contribute to the blogger ’s success and influence by engaging in substantive comments of their own . Put another way , the best wine bloggers appear to genuinely care deeply about the meaning of wine and the benefits it delivers to those who dive in to the deep end of the wine pool .
 Finally , here ’s the real interesting thing to remember about wine bloggers today : They in no way constitute a sideshow , a unique alternative or a developing sector of the wine media . They are today an integral and mainstream component of the wine media mechanism .
 By “ Wine Critic ” I am referring to that category of the wine media that tends largely to review and assess the character and quality of individual wines . They write notes and reviews of wines and often grade wines . The club of serious wine critics is relatively small and always has been . What I find most interesting about this slice of the wine media is that their output has changed the least over time , their body of work has tremendous room for evolution and that this small group still maintains significant influence .
 The most read and therefore most influential wine critics remain ensconced at traditional publications : The Wine Advocate , The Wine Spectator , The Wine Enthusiast , Wine & Spirits Magazine , International Wine Cellar , Connoisseurs Guide to California Wine , etc . While most of these publications and critics have in one way or another taken their work online , this fact is inconsequential to the character of their output . The wine critic remains dedicated to what is generally a 100 - word review with a score or rating of some type attached .
 The questions that seems to most consistently occupy wine media watchers is whether or not the value of wine critics is waning or should wane , whether the 100 point rating scale remains valuable or influential and the degree to which critics are being , or ought to be , replaced by the crowd ? The first two questions are difficult to answer because they require some form of measurement that can then be compared to measurements taken in the past . And I ’m not sure any forms of reliable past measurements have been undertaken . A number of wine critics have obviously been very consequential in the past . And these folks remain influential today . But to what degree ? It ’s hard to say with any precision .
 However , it is true that traditional wine critics have new competition today in the form of social media and the crowd - sourced wine review . Denying the impact of CellarTracker , for example , is just stupid . Furthermore it appears that the crowd will be with us for the foreseeable future if only because technology provides easier and more convenient ways for members of the crowd to express an opinion and because this technology motivates more members of the crowd to do just this .
 That said , to - date I see no indication that the individuals wine critic / expert is loosing any important measure of their influence among wine geeks any more than the academic journals are loosing their influence among the economics , paleontology , historiography , particle physics and Hegelianism geeks that read them . It seems to me that the crowd sourced reviews will play an increasingly important role among the crowd , while the wine experts and critics will continue to play an important role among the geeks or demand a reliable level of expertise from their wine critics .
 That said , I am convinced there is room for the wine critic to evolve their output into something different . There is something stale about the 100 word wine review . It will be something fascinating to see if there is any development in this area of the wine media going forward .
 They are relatively small in number and those with the largest readership , despite increasing their circulations ( Wine Spectator is up to a 400,000 circulation ) , still have a readership smaller than the largest circulation publications covering many other notable subjects .
 However , the avid consumer of wine information should have noticed that these mainstream wine publications still possess and employ the best minds in wine writing and produce some of the most reliably important coverage of the world of wine . No matter what you think of their opinions and biases , it ’s a fact that the Jim Laubes , Matt Kramers , Steve Heimoffs , Patrick J. Comiskeys , Joshua Greenes , Paul Gregutts and Andy Perdues are formidable wine minds .
 It has always been the case that excellent reporting and writing about wine came from the mainstream wine media primarily because this is where you go to get paid to write about wine . Wine writing is almost never a lucrative project . So , when payment is offered for prose , those offering they payment often have their pick of the litter .
 Also under the category of “ The Wine Publications ” I put the wine newsletters and journals . Most of these are headed up by wine critics , yet nearly all of them offer commentary . There has been a certain dynamism in this sub category of the “ Wine Publication ” category . Still with us and still going strong are the Charles Olkens Dan Bergers , Robert Parkers and other stalwarts . But others have come on the scene who offer new perspectives and opportunities for wine geeks including Antonio Galloni , Doug Wilder , and Alice Feiring , to name just a few . These specialists provide coverage of niche topics and deliver very unique takes on the world of wine and I see no reason to believe that they will go away anytime soon and I ’m sure they will be joined by new entrants into the newsletter / journal / niche category . In fact , this area of niche publication is one of the more likely ways for the wine blogger to graduate to a paying audience .
 Certain mechanical harvesters do a better job than others . The size and dynamism of direct to consumer sales channel is important to more and more companies . The development of the Chinese retail sector is impacting global wine production . These are the kinds of topics one finds covered in the wine trade media and this sector of the overall wine media world is critical to the functioning of the wine industry .
 A number of writers and publications contribute to realm of wine trade media . However , in the United States The Wine Communications Group dominates the sector . This company publishes Wine Business Monthly , Wine Business Insider , Wine Business Daily News Email , WineBusiness.com , Wines & Vines and The Practical Winery and Vineyard Journal . Their impact and influence on how members of the wine trade understand their business can not be underestimated .
 M. Shanken Communications , the publisher of The Wine Spectator , also happens to be the publisher of another important source of trade news . They publisher both IMPACT as well as MarketWatch , two publications that regularly survey the wine and spirits industry and chronicle the movement of its movers and shakers and most important sales channels .
 These and other sources of industry - related writing tend to trade in nuts and bolts reporting , making them somewhat unique inside the wine media . They also are the source of the most traditional journalists in the wine media , those reporting the facts and not opinion . It ’s important to note that this kind of wine writing rarely gets much attention , if only because it rarely the source of scandal and bombast . However , the growing complexity of the global wine industry and the quickened pace of change in the industry over the past 10 years means that no other sector of the wine media has played a more important role than the trade media does today . This is also the reason why news aggregation sites and services such as Lew Perdue ’s Wine Industry Insight has gained such an important following .
 There is no indication that the importance of the wine trade media will wane . There is such constant movement and development and complexity now swirling inside the wine industry that outlets covering this maelstrom of ideas and change will remain critical and dynamic .
 Lettie Teague of the Wall Street Journal , Eric Asimov of the New York Times , Katherine Cole of the Oregonian , Jon Bonne of the San Francisco Chronicle , Bill St. John of the Chicago Tribune , S. Irene Virbila of the Los Angeles Times , Dave McIntyre of the Washington Post … These are the writers that provide the foundation for the public opinion and perception of wine in America and their influence nearly unmeasurable .
 The large daily newspapers , whether in print or online , remain the place where the largest number of Americans get their information in written form . The circulation of only those publications mentioned above is in the millions . So , when Mr. Asimov or Ms. Teague or Mr. St. John declare what the wine trends in America are or advise on what to buy or introduce us to a new winery or weigh in on the way Americas do or ought to buy or keep wine , it has impact … great impact .
 These are also the writers that interpret for the general public what the geeks inside the world of wine are talking about , arguing about and worrying about . I would argue that the degree to which the general public has a positive or negative view of wine or the wine industry in large part is due to how this relatively small group writes about the subjects they cover .
 But it is also notable that unlike in previous times , it is no longer a requirement that a large daily newspaper have a wine writer on staff or print a wine column . There is an equation here that impacts this reality . Categories of information that are in no way crucial the public weal and that are merely best understood at hobbies ( such as wine , the game of bridge , the art of dance and gardening ) must pay their way in the large dailies . That is , any space devoted to these topics must produce accompanying advertising in order to justify their inclusion in the newspaper . Wine columns have not always done this and with the continuing decline of circulation numbers of daily newspapers , the wine column has steadily disappeared . This development should remain of critical importance to the wine industry .
 Finally , I want to draw attention to one realm of the wine media that may not be considered a traditional slice of that pie , that has expanded with the development of the Internet and that provides wine geeks with a remarkably robust source of wine information and opinion : Online discussion forums .
 This is where the geeks gather to discuss in - depth any number of wine - related topics and the form of these discussions often takes on a very sophisticated note . They represent places where novices , experts and other wine - interested parties can learn a great deal about the topic of wine .
 There are a number of wine discussion forums and each possess a unique personality . Wine . Woot revolves around the “ Wooters ” that are catered to by this wine selling platform . WineBerserkers.com is home to a very active group of both wine lovers and members of the trade . Mark Squire ’s Wine Discussion Board at eRobertParker hosts subscribers who have very opinionated views of wine . CellarTracker hosts a forum that delivers a wide - ranging discussion of all things wine . The Wine Lovers Discussion Forum is the oldest and most venerable discussion forum . Finally , Facebook has a number of “ groups ” where various aspects of wine and the wine industry are regularly discussed .
 It ’s rare that news is broken at these venues . And it ’s true that the commenters who inhabit these forums can sometimes be overly opinionated to the point of rudeness . But it ’s equally true that they can be dynamic communities where intense , enlightening and detailed discussion of wine topics are most fully explored . Personally I adore them and have regularly surveyed their content since the early days when Compuserve , AOL and Prodigy were the places where wine geeks gathered online .
 I see no indication that the way wine is written about and discussed will or is changing in any meaningful way . Whether it is on a blog , in a Daily , on a discussion forum or in the wine trade publications , the subject of wine will focus primarily on opinion the evaluation of particular products . Places , people , companies and trends will be evaluated for the benefits and inspiration they provide . Reviews whether by critics or crowds will remain central to the discussion . Ratings and scores are going nowhere . And the diversity of products and producers will remain the primary driver of how wine is covered in the media .
 We all know that “ wine ” in general is unique in its ability to bring worlds together . Albeit subjective in its taste , critics and publishers that introduce us to new worlds should be commended . I shall continue by journey until I pass . Please continue to write , critique , advise and blog on , so I can continue by life ’s work .
 Amongst social networks , it seems that Twitter takes a ( more and more ) valuable and relevant position in term of content curation and marketing tool as well . And when I write marketing , I intend that Twitter can be turned into a strategic / competitive marketing tool . What do you think ?
 Great piece Tom ! Well written ; well said . Thank You for sharing the insight . Happy New Year to you & yours !
 Tom , good analysis . Sorry I did n’t get around to reading it until now . Happy new year !
 Tom , I very much appreciate this post and the many other informative posts you have provided in the past . This post in particular is a wonderful nugget summarizing the current state of the wine world . Fermentation is my “ go to ” wine blog . Keep up the great work – and Happy New Year !
 Great Article Tom … Cheers ! ! !


text:
has picked up a GOLD medal in this year's RASV Australian Food Awards!
From the tradition of the oldest restaurant in the world situated in Madrid - Botín, who have been serving cochinillo (suckling pig) since 1725. We are proud to be the first in Australia to bring you Cochinillo from Segovia.
SUCKLING PIG D.O SEGOVIA -The suckling pigs are born and raised by their mothers in big stable boxes where the small suckling pigs can move freely with enough space to play with the others in the litter and develop through physical activity. The piglets’ only nutrients are in their mother’s milk. The sows give birth after 114 and 116 days with litters between 10-16 piglets. No medical prevention, only a dosage of iron, given orally when they are born. No mutilation has occurred (no castration, no tail cutting etc). The suckling pig are slaughtered between the 21st and 28th day and its average weigh is between 4,5 to 8Kg (Only the D.O Segovia).
Open the tin and put it in a water bath until the fat has melted completely (30 min.). Carefully take up the piece and lay it on an oven tray with the skin side up.
Come and visit us to taste some award winning Artisan Charcuteria by La Boqueria.
Jamon Serrano from La Hoguera.
Spanish Hot & Mild Chorizo Authentic Spanish spices and the best Australian pork — at La Boqueria. Champion and gold medal winner at the 2014 Sydney Find Food Show!

tokenized:
has picked up a GOLD medal in this year 's RASV Australian Food Awards !
 From the tradition of the oldest restaurant in the world situated in Madrid - Botín , who have been serving cochinillo ( suckling pig ) since 1725 . We are proud to be the first in Australia to bring you Cochinillo from Segovia .
 SUCKLING PIG D.O SEGOVIA -The suckling pigs are born and raised by their mothers in big stable boxes where the small suckling pigs can move freely with enough space to play with the others in the litter and develop through physical activity . The piglets ’ only nutrients are in their mother ’s milk . The sows give birth after 114 and 116 days with litters between 10 - 16 piglets . No medical prevention , only a dosage of iron , given orally when they are born . No mutilation has occurred ( no castration , no tail cutting etc ) . The suckling pig are slaughtered between the 21st and 28th day and its average weigh is between 4,5 to 8Kg ( Only the D.O Segovia ) .
 Open the tin and put it in a water bath until the fat has melted completely ( 30 min . ) . Carefully take up the piece and lay it on an oven tray with the skin side up .
 Come and visit us to taste some award winning Artisan Charcuteria by La Boqueria .
 Jamon Serrano from La Hoguera .
 Spanish Hot & Mild Chorizo Authentic Spanish spices and the best Australian pork — at La Boqueria . Champion and gold medal winner at the 2014 Sydney Find Food Show !