#yellowtail butterflies

[alexanderkidwell]

Things to Do in Paradise on Earth in the Florida Keys

The scenic drive on US 1 heading south in Florida leads travelers to islands some describe as paradise on Earth. An archipelago, the Florida Keys consist of islands that sit off the coast at the southernmost part of the state. Extolled in literature and song, the Florida Keys offers visitors several things to do and see.

Like the rest of South Florida, the Florida Keys offers a vibrant take on relaxation, leisure, and exploration. Unlike its more bustling neighbor, South Beach, the Florida Keys exude a distinct low-key vibe. Visitors can focus less on appearances and more on enjoying the laid-back atmosphere and unique experiences.

US 1 takes travelers over 42 bridges, offering a panoramic view of the entire area, including South Florida's light aquamarine waters. Key West. Considered the crown jewel of the Keys, it provides a blend of history and nightlife. From the Southernmost Point marker to the vibrant Duval Street, home to museums, souvenir shops, galleries, and cafes, Key West has something for every traveler.

At Mallory Square, visitors can visit Old Town Key West or any shops, including the Key West Sponge Market. Key West is also home to the Key West Lighthouse and Keepers Quarters, a historic lighthouse built in 1848. It allows visitors to take spectacular views of the Atlantic after climbing 88 stairs to the top. The Key West Museum of Art at the Custom House, also on Duval Street, features art displays and exhibits, and the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum offers visitors a glimpse into one of America's notable writers' lives, including his 17th and 18th-century Spanish furniture and the gardens.

Moreover, the Florida Keys offer various natural beauty sites, from the live coral reef to multiple state parks. Big Pine Key's Bahia Honda State Park is one of the Keys' most pristine beaches where travelers can snorkel, enjoy boat tours, camp, and picnic. Key Largo's John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is another hotspot for swimming and snorkeling. Key Largo is also home to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, a popular place to snorkel because of the diverse marine life and shipwrecks.

Next, visitors can enjoy the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory or Big Pine Key's National Key Deer Refuge. At the butterfly conservatory, visitors can see 60 different species of butterflies, caterpillars at various stages of development, and 20 exotic birds. They can also learn about the butterfly life cycle. At the deer refuge park, visitors might glimpse miniature species of deer, which grow no bigger than a dog, on Big Pine Key; at the Blue Water Hole, visitors can see turtles and alligators.

Lastly, the Keys offers something for those who enjoy fishing. Visitors can fish at Key Largo's North Dry Rocks and Molasses Reef, where various snapper species, yellowtail, and grouper species exist. On Islamorada, fishing enthusiasts will encounter tarpon and bonefish. Fishing at Marathon Key offers a mixed bag with blackfin tuna, sailfish, or mahi-mahi. Islamorada and Marathon Keys suit angler fishing, and Bahia Honda Bridge caters to tarpon fishing.

The waters of Cudjoe Key contain tarpon, grouper, permit, and snapper. Sugarloaf Key has snook, redfish, and tarpon. Fishermen can find bonefish, tarpon, and permits in the Marquesas Keys and Key West. Therefore, fishing in the Keys has something for everyone.

[floranceeyww]

Different styles of fish cuts

Fish is a highly nutritious and delicious food that can be prepared in a variety of ways. One of the most important aspects of preparing fish is the cut. Different styles of fish cuts can have a significant impact on the flavor, texture, and presentation of the dish. In this blog, we'll explore some of the most popular styles of fish cuts.

Fillet Cut The fillet cut is one of the most popular styles of fish cuts. It involves removing the bones and skin of the fish to create a boneless, skinless piece of meat. Filleting can be done with most types of fish, including salmon, cod, and tilapia. Fillets are great for grilling, baking, or frying and are often used in fish tacos or sandwiches.

Steak Cut The steak cut is another popular style of fish cut. It involves cutting the fish crosswise into thick, bone-in slices. This cut is often used for larger fish such as tuna, swordfish, or halibut. Steak cuts are great for grilling or broiling, and the bone-in nature of the cut adds extra flavor and moisture to the dish.

Butterfly Cut The butterfly cut, also known as the butterfly fillet, involves cutting the fish down the middle but leaving the tail end attached. The cut creates a butterfly shape that can be stuffed, grilled, or baked. This style of cut is often used for fish such as trout, sole, or flounder.

Loin Cut The loin cut involves removing the fillet from the center of the fish, where the meat is the thickest. This style of cut is often used for larger fish such as salmon or tuna. Loin cuts are great for grilling or baking, and they are often used in sushi or sashimi.

Sashimi Cut The sashimi cut is a Japanese style of fish cutting that involves slicing the fish into thin, bite-sized pieces. This style of cut is often used for sushi or sashimi dishes, and it requires a very sharp knife and skilled hand. The sashimi cut is typically done with fish such as tuna, salmon, or yellowtail.

[northernforestsphotography]

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Northern Forests Photography: Insect Series video This is a video of just some of my insect photography, including butterflies, dragonflies and bees

[relaxxattack]

MERMAY MY BELOVED!!!!!

my go-tos for dsmp-mers are:

techno as a lionfish (fancy stripey fish with VENOM)

tubbo as a sergeant major (pseudo bee-stripe coloring)

tommy as either a juvenile yellowtail wrasse (brilliant red with white spots) or a raccoon butterfly fish for obvious reasons

phil as a bird wrasse (really pretty green color) or a flying fish

wilbur as either a ornate butterfly fish (yellow and white with orange stripes) or a sand diver, also for obvious reasons lmao

ranboo as a pennant fish (black and white stripes)

puffy as a potter's angelfish (rainbow scales. enough said)

i hope these give you some ideas!!! <33333 i have more if you'd like to hear more ^u^

THATS SO COOL!!!!!

i might go with the personality or reference based ones instead of the color-based ones because i think giving them new color schemes is really cool!

i love your ideas, i’ll look up images of the fish and if i like them ill definitely draw some!! (that is, if there’s ever a time i am not busy AND have motivation)

[idkhow-you-found-me-writing]

The Most Bodacious Proposal

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27589744

missing scene before bnt proposing to the princesses

It was well past midnight and Bill was still working with Ted on their proposal speeches for princesses. Well, that wasn’t necessarily true. Not exactly. To be more precise- Bill was the one who was working on their proposal speeches for the princesses. Ted, on the other hand, had been staring at the rings  with the oddest intensivity in his eyes. Ten minutes passed by and there was no sign indicating that Ted would wake up from his totally atypical state. 

It was not only the staring thing either. Ted's whole body was completely frozen, his posture fixated in the ways that could only be described as the most uncomfortable. Comparing this to Ted's usual fidgety self, the contrast was jarring to say the least. Quite frankly, Bill was getting more and more worried about what was happening with his most esteemed colleague. 

Ted had to be going through some odious battles of the mental kind and there was an one only way for Bill to find out the source of it all. He had to ask a prized colleague of his what was wrong. After waving hands and saying Ted’s name turned out to be the most unsuccessful in catching his attention, Bill restored to gently tugging his arm. That seemed to do the trick. Ted virgiously shook his head, his hair creating a black halo around his head. Then he smiled sheepishly at Billn as to indicate that he entered again the same dimension everyone else occupied. 

“Sorry for zoning out on you, dude. That was totally unbecoming of me to do.” Ted tried to laugh to show how trivial the matter at hand was. If anything, it made Bill more concerned. It was the most unusual of Ted to hide his worries from Bill like this. Maybe from the others but not from him. The thought that Ted might not know how he could always count on him was nothing but heartbreaking. 

“No need to worry about that, Ted. Just say what non-non-heinous concepts are plaguing you, dude. It’s totally bogus to see you like this.” 

A beat of silence. Ted exhaled deeply, like he was trying to dispose a great weight from his shoulders with this action alone. It must have worked, though. The very next second Ted was ready to share the cause of his recently developed behaviour. Neither of them never could keep anything secret from each other. He should be well aware of that, with the amount of surprise birthday presents that turned out to be totally not a surprise.

“Bill, my lifelong companion, I must tell you something. The whole proposing to the princesses idea is making me feel the most heinous anxiety.” Ted confessed in a hushed tone, not once glancing in his friend's direction. Instead, he made himself busy by playing with his sleeves and looking at where he was touched just a moment before. Everything about this screamed “uncomfortable” to Bill. 

“No way, dude. We already have the rings and almost finished creating our stellar speeches. Jo and Liz are going to be totally enamored by us.”

“Yes way. What if I forget what to say? I don’t think I can do this, dude.”

Bill thoughtfully considered that. To blow a bodacious occasion like this would be the most non-non-non-resplendent thing to do. He could only imagine princesses hating them after this. If only there was a way to make sure everything will go exactly how they planned. 

“Dude, I have an excellent idea!!! We should practise with each other! That way there is no possibility something will go wrong later.” Bill grinned wildly, clearly proud of himself. Now Ted had no reason to be so stressed and they could get back to writing together. 

“You’re totally a genius, dude!” Ted shouted with excitement, weirdly flushed across his whole face but how was Bill to ask what that was about that. They had more important things to ponder about than Ted’s blush or the butterflies in Bill’s stomach at the sight of it. Yes, better to ignore that. 

***

Three air-guitars, two coffee breaks and one hour later, they were ready for the practice part. Ted was first to go as he had been the more worried one. Emphasis on the “had been” as now Bill suddenly was caught in a wave of uncertainty mixed with anticipation so strong he was starting to get a little light-headed. Nevertheless, before he could utter a word about maybe Ted was right about calling the whole thing off, the boy in question was already on one knee before him and Bill found himself unable to say anything. 

Ted unfolded a piece of paper and Bill couldn’t help but think of that one time the executioner was about to tell everyone he was sentenced to death. But that wasn’t exactly right as even then Ted was still by his side.

“As I swim through this dark and fearful sea of existence, surrounded by various creatures: sharks, eels, yellowtail, not to mention tiny barnacles and algae, man-o-wars, starfish, blowfish, catfish. Oh, no, that's freshwater.” 

Ted paused for felt like a second and an eternity at the same time. Their eyes were locked on each other. Bill took Ted’s unoccupied hand in his, pushed by desire he didn’t understand fully, too scared to think what it could mean. He could see the same kind of fear reflected in the eyes of his companion. Ironically, that was what gave him the strength to get prepared to hear the upcoming question.

“What I mean to say is: babe, will you take this promise ring and wear it always?”

They didn’t plan as far as to establish what the answer should be. If Bill should respond at all while Ted was looking for the said ring. There was no need for that. Bill couldn’t fathom the idea that there was a possibility of him not saying “yes”. Before he even knew that, he was already nodding eagerly. 

“Fuck yeah, dude. You should totally kiss me right now.”

Oh shit. Oh fuck. Shit. Time froze. Ted along with it. His one hand trying to fit the ring on Bill’s finger. The other one still held by Bill. That. That wasn’t something Bill wanted to say. That. That wasn’t something Bill should have said. Ever. They both have their princesses. They were doing all of this for the princesses. It wasn't real. None of it was. Why did he say that? Why-. Everything was screaming at Bill but Ted’s silence was still the loudest thing in the room. 

Bill opened his mouth. He didn’t know what he wanted to say. He just had to break this stillness. Its presence was the most oppressing and both of them were barely able to breathe properly. Bill could feel his hands were shaking. It was barely visible however Ted had to feel the sensation in his own hands. It was probably that what made Ted finally react to Bill's statement.

"I-." Ted started, hesitant of every word he was about to say. "I think you're right, dude. We should do it. Kiss, I mean."

"You're serious, dude?" Bill asked, not sure which answer he was dreading more. His face was on fire. Ted palms were starting to get a little sweaty but the last thing on Bill's mind was letting go of them. 

"The most serious, dude. For practice. Just on the cheek." The last part sounded more like a plea for mercy than a try at reasoning. Ted squeezed Bill's hands as he was waiting for the verdict. Everything about this felt fragile like nothing else before. Bill really doubted anything ever will.

"For practice." Bill repeated. A reminder, unclear for which one of them. Perhaps for both. Perhaps Bill would forever be left guessing if he was the only one. Tomorrow evening they will propose to their princesses. Tomorrow Elizabeth will be the one wearing the ring that’s now resting on Bill’s finger. Tomorrow-

Bill’s rather egregious train of thoughts was cut short by Ted kissing him on the cheek, just as he said he would. It still somehow managed to take Bill by surprise. They lived though the most peculiar adventures like time travel but the sensation of Ted’s lips brushing against his skin was still very much a novelty for Bill. It was such a simple action however none of them thought something like this could happen. It was a strange night, full of the most bizzare turns of events. Akin to a dream you forget the minute you wake up. Not remembering what happened here sounded totally odious.

“So what now, Bill? You wanna try saying it too?” Ted stopped kneeling, now standing before him. Ready to do whatever Bill suggested. His voice was once again cheerful and his smile as wide as the one sewn on his jacket. 

"Thanks dude but I'm way too exhausted to do anything more today. I think I'm just gonna go to sleep now." Bill lied. The truth was, he was a coward. To do anything other than decline this offer felt too dangerous to even consider. So he didn't. He couldn’t.

Instead, he laid on his bed. Thinking about the proposal that didn’t happen and his heart longing for the wrong person to say yes.

[barbaraniven]

I am in my hotel celebrating my blessings as I learn lines for tomorrow. We are almost finished filming block one, episodes one and two. So far we all think it is the best beginning to any Chesapeake Shores season yet. The dailies look great and we can’t wait to share it with you. Even though we love the work and are so grateful for it, it can be hard being away from home for so long. I want to share how I keep love and light around me when I’m on location. I am a crazy “nester” and have to have my place feel like home. So I confess that I brought six suitcases with me this year to the island, plus I already had four big boxes here. Now I have all my favorite things around me and a full kitchen where I cook every night. I always pack my coffee pot, wok, and so many of my favorite kitchen and bedroom items. It keeps me grounded. I also talk to my family every day and do FaceTime with the kids on the weekends. I try to keep it as normal as possible, so that I can be in a creative space and not too homesick. This is my fireplace mantle right now. I always keep wine glasses set up for my mom and dad and my father‘s favorite bottle of Yellowtail wine. There’s also a little cast iron black bird or crow (I see them all the time watching over me), plus I found a drum this year with a Wolf on it (for my newest grandson). A white butterfly too. See all the heart rocks I have found on the beach in the past four seasons? Makes my heart full. My family is definitely here with me. Cheers, Dad. You too, Mom. 🙏❤️ Do you travel for work too? And if so, what is your best tip for staying connected and at peace when you are away from home? Well, back to learning lines now. Have to get up at 5:15 AM. Sending love and light to you and your family from me and mine... and also a little magic from this beautiful island. Love, Barbara xo

[aiweirdness]

The neural network meets its match: Fish biologists

(Drawing by Max Graenitz)

I train machine learning programs called neural networks - they work by looking at lists of data and then deducing their own rules about how to generate similar data. They’re used in everything from ad targeting to facial recognition to self-driving cars, but I use them for humor by giving them very silly datasets.

Usually in my experiment, I give the neural network an unfair dataset - like paint colors - and it tries its best, but ends up with something unintentionally weird, like a brownish color called Stanky Bean, or a bright blue color called Dad.

Fish biologist Colin Gross sent me a new dataset for the neural network, a list of the common names of 37,265 fish from fishbase.

I gave the list to an open-source neural network and let it start trying to generate more fish.

Here’s a snapshot of its early attempts, as it tried to spell common words like “butterflyfish” and “shark” and “snapper”

Blue-spotted erlerfish Seer batterfly Seelet guby Pit-hard fish Seate shurper Seelee murchlip Segfish Seare moatherfish Seale multerflyfish Seeled cudfish Seored barshont Seare sputterfish Spotfin spunterfly Spotfin sul shripper Sponted stripper Spotfin shurk Spotfin snarper Blue-spotted mrinnfish

But then, it got good at this. I mean, really really good at this. You may think these names are the neural network being weird? No. They are pretty much indistinguishable from actual fish common names because, let me tell you, fish biologists are the weird ones. 

The rest of this post is going to be the neural network’s ode to its new best friends, the fish biologists. And, I am very lucky to have excellent drawings by the talented Max Graenitz who wanted to get in on the weird-fest.

Black Sea sweetlips Eastern Dear eel Oastern nose sucker Vermillion assfin Cuban fork head sucker Gempofloise sand flaky Vumberfish Gerpike dwarf monocle bream Wrink clown-shark Bluebanded smooth-eet Bluebacked tube-spot skate Wallare pipe-eyed parrotfish Moon-lined wad Kascopcan tonguefish Highfin stonebasher

Dantuman ghost puffer Moo lanternfish Darfer butterflyfish Hornmack croaker Horny deepwater darter Horseshark Orangespotted smooth-hound Yellow-black yellowtail dragonet Small-dotted catshark Small-mouthed unicorn fish Orangespotted tilefish Horse-eye grunt Horse-snout fang-tailed dogfish Pacific squeaker Pacific headless lamprey Little weakfish

Mottonsfish Danubiec spring-striped lumpsucker Kaire-fin eartheater Sputtail Vague-lined sleeper-banded soapfish Dangle shark Daui's deepwater redhorse Khan's hound shark Rathead batfish Lanto sand tiger unicorn fish Bockon cubehead Bow spiny lumpsucker Boster weedfish Deep dogfish Binder's flathead parrotfish Hawaiian Stump ray Black Sea gardenfish Black Sea jobfish Horny humbug

Short-nose batfish Short-nosed leatherjacket Short-nosed jewelled-eyed rainbowfish Short-lined pigfish Short-toothed trumpeter Short-face shrampgoby Short-headed hogfish Bokinker's tubeshoulder Bottlenose wobbegong Bostriebann flute-tooth wolffish Boguu dragonet Pighead mullet

Moanygoby Mottled utterfish Kack's coral gropes Kalhal gardensean block ray Wurp fish Whitley assfish Sudderspot happy ghost-perch Sucking puller Sunsetnose spider shark Witcheefin squirrelfish Orangeside slickhead Hawaiian doctorfish Chornacher comb-tooth Black Sea lampeye Striped flying fang loach Striped hone-spine dottyback Greater butterfly tube-snouted ghost knifefish Cuban armoured cat

I’ve posted the original dataset so you can see I am NOT KIDDING about how weird fish names are.

Want to help with neural network experiments? For NaNoWriMo I’m crowdsourcing a dataset of novel first lines, after the neural network had trouble with a too-small dataset.

Go to this form (no email necessary) and enter the first line of your novel, or your favorite novel, or of every novel on your bookshelf. You can enter as many as you like. At the end of the month, I’ll hopefully have enough sentences to give this another try.

[mhumble91]

9/8 Tiger Yellowtail

I was shooting a wedding on Thursday and tried to get a shot of butterfly that kept following me everywhere. I wanted footage of it landing and flying away, but then it made its way to a branch. I kept waiting for it to fly away. I stood there filming for a full 2 minutes and in that time it felt spiritual, like that Tiger Yellowtail was speaking to me in a way I'd never experienced. It was one of those moments I hope for all the time when I'm gazing at the sea, looking for a dolphin- a sign God is speaking to me. This time, I got home and thought deeper and my husband made a comment about my little sister sending me signs that she's still here with me. In that moment I knew Nicole was speaking to me. I thought she was gone forever and I'm used to the quick exit of someone who has abandoned me in the past or those who I have lost, but she was speaking to me that she's here and not going anywhere.

I googled what it meant to see a yellow and black butterfly and this came up....

Yes, a black and yellow butterfly has a unique symbol for you. This butterfly symbolizes a positive change soon. It indicates that something important will change and you cannot prevent that change. A butterfly with black and yellow flaps also signifies death. It is a sign of the end of a life cycle.

[delfinamaggiousa]

Natural Wine Takes Australia

For the last decade or so, natural wine has slowly been making its way into the global conversation thanks to a group of winemakers who have bucked conventional methods for a more stripped-down and bohemian approach to viniculture. There are plenty of producers from Old World locales who have been driving this way of thinking and working, but there’s a growing movement in the New World, and nowhere is that more apparent than in Australia.

It’s important to remember that Australian wine isn’t all Yellowtail or expensive Shiraz. There is a whole world of experimentation happening Down Under, especially in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills and Basket Range, in nearby Barossa, and far-away Margaret River, just south of Perth in the west. Ten years back, in Adelaide, a rogue’s gallery of winemakers, Sam Hughes, Anton van Klopper, Tom Shobbrook, and James Erskine, formed Natural Selection Theory. They looked — borrowing an overused tech term — to disrupt conventional winemaking ways, starting a growing community of more thoughtful vignerons who wanted to portray what Australia really tastes like, one bottle at a time.

What is looked at by the winemakers as a return to ancient, more simple methodology can get wrapped up in marketing mythology. Because even though humans have been making gallons of vino since around 6000 B.C., there’s still no legal definition of natural wine.

And while the individual definition depends on which winemaker you ask, the generally agreed-upon one is, as importer Tess Bryant of Tess Bryant Selections puts it, “Nothing added, nothing taken away.”

Meaning: The winemakers go to great lengths to make a product with as little intervention as possible. That translates to organic farming methods, dry-farmed vines (meaning no irrigation), no spraying of herbicides or pesticides in the vineyards, no fining or filtering, and — in some cases — no added sulfur. It should be said though that, yes, sulfur is a naturally occurring byproduct of the fermentation process, and yes, many consider it an important part of the winemaking process. Sulfur dioxide (SO2 for the honors students) is added to preserve the wine and counteract its butterfly-like desires to metamorphose into vinegar. The amount necessary of said SO2 depends on the producer, but there’s a faction of natural winemakers who use minimal amounts (>100-70ppm) and some who abstain from it entirely.

James Erskine, of Jauma in McLaren Vale, is a big reason Tess Bryant started her business.

Aussie natural wine’s white knight is undoubtedly Anton van Klopper, who identifies himself as staunchly anti-sulfur. Coming from a traditional winemaking background, he opened Lucy Margaux winery in the Basket Range and has spent the last decade fine-tuning his methods of making wine that is, as he puts it, “as wild as the wind.”

Van Klopper’s first vintage was 2007, with each of his small-production wines yielding only a barrel to a barrel and a half each year. His aspiration is to make something raw, untamed, and expressive of cool-climate Australian terroir. His Pinot Noir vines on the windswept hills look nothing like the manicured fields of Burgundy; he’s allowed the earth to reclaim its property and avoids all spraying and any pruning.

Alex Alan, wine director at Brooklyn’s Hotel Delmano, has focused his wine list almost exclusively on natural wines. He even traveled to Australia last year to work a harvest with van Klopper and was struck by the precision of his approach. For one, van Klopper ferments his wine not in stainless steel but in porous ceramic eggs, which adds even more complexity to his bottlings.

What makes the Adelaide Hills and Basket Range such a fruitful nexus? The community. It’s where Australia’s natural wine movement started. James Erskine, of Jauma in McLaren Vale, is a big reason Bryant started her business. Bryant’s first trip to Australia had her finding these natural producers serendipitously. She says: “They [van Klopper and Erskine] have in their own ways been mentors to young winemakers, [like Tim Webber and Monique Millton of Manon and Sophie and Jasper Button of Commune of Buttons], being really open and generous with their time. James opened a lot of bottles and barrels for me, and opened my mind to natural Grenache,” a grape she had overlooked for its old-world traditionalism.

Grenache vines in Australia date back to 1850, but everything changed for Erskine when he experienced Priorat Garnacha in Catalonia. He, along with van Klopper, is a no-sulfur-adder, and today his bottlings range from Shiraz to Chenin Blanc/Muscat blends and Cabernet Franc to an array of Grenache. He sources organically farmed grapes from McLaren Vale and Clarendon, just south of Adelaide Hills, and produces terroir-driven wines made holistically.

As word has spread about these Aussie natural wines, so has their distribution. It’s now not uncommon to find Aussie natural wine in Japan, Texas, or Copenhagen. Sure, there’s always the help of an artsy label, euphoric word of mouth, and limited supply, but the real reason is the excitement of tasting a wildly new expression of a grape you thought you knew.

So drink it now and drink it often (in moderation, naturally), because what’s happening now in Australia is certainly worthy of our attention.

This article is sponsored by Wine Australia.

The article Natural Wine Takes Australia appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/natural-wine-takes-australia/

source https://vinology1.wordpress.com/2019/10/21/natural-wine-takes-australia/

[domaypintas-blog]

Manila Ocean Park

Freshwater Organisms

Koi

Colored varieties of Amur carp (Cyprinus rubrofuscus) that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens.

Koi is an informal group of the colored variants of C. carpio. Several varieties are recognized by the Japanese. Koi varieties are distinguished by coloration, patterning, and scalation. Some of the major colors are white, black, red, orange, yellow, blue, and cream. The most popular category of koi is the Gosanke, which is made up of the Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties.

Catfish

A diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia, the wels catfish of Eurasia and the piraíba of South America, to detritivores(species that eat dead material on the bottom), and even to a tiny parasitic species commonly called the candiru, Vandellia cirrhosa. There are armour-plated types and there are also naked types, neither having scales.

Danio rerio

A freshwater fish belonging to the minnow family (Cyprinidae) of the order Cypriniformes.Native to the Himalayan region, it is a popular aquarium fish, frequently sold under the trade name zebra danio (and thus often called a "tropical fish" although not native to the tropics). The zebrafish is also an important and widely used vertebratemodel organism in scientific research, for example in drug development, in particular pre-clinical development. It is also notable for its regenerative abilities, and has been modified by researchers to produce many transgenic strains.

Freshwater Angelfish

A small genus of freshwater fish from the family Cichlidae known to most aquarists as angelfish. All Pterophyllum species originate from the Amazon Basin, Orinoco Basin and various rivers in the Guiana Shield in tropical South America. The three species of Pterophyllum are unusually shaped for cichlids being greatly laterally compressed, with round bodies and elongated triangular dorsal and anal fins. This body shape allows them to hide among roots and plants, often on a vertical surface. Naturally occurring angelfish are frequently striped longitudinally, colouration which provides additional camouflage. Angelfish are ambush predators and prey on small fish and macroinvertebrates. All Pterophyllum species form monogamous pairs. Eggs are generally laid on a submerged log or a flattened leaf. As is the case for other cichlids, brood care is highly developed.

Red-Tailed Tinfoil Barb

The tinfoil barb (Barbonymus schwanenfeldii) is a tropical Southeast Asian freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae. It is distinguishable from other species of the genus in having a red dorsal fin with a black blotch at the tip, red pectoral, pelvic and anal fins, red caudal fin with white margin and a black submarginal stripe along each lobe, and 8 scale rows between dorsal-fin origin and lateral line. Large individuals are silvery or golden yellow while alive with its dorsal fin red and caudal fin orange or blood-red. It grows up to 14 inches (35 cm) in length. Tinfoil barbs have a lifespan of 8 to 10 years.

Indo-Pacific Tarpon

In appearance, it is like the Atlantic tarpon, Megalops atlanticus: olive-green on top, and silver on the sides. The large mouth is turned upwards; the lower jaw contains an elongated, bony plate. The last ray of the dorsal fin is much longer than the others, reaching nearly to the tail. It is capable of filling its swim bladder with air and absorbing oxygen from it. Those living in fresh water tend to be smaller than the ones living in saltwater, growing just over 50 cm (20 in), while saltwater examples grow over 1 m (3.3 ft). They live upwards of 44 years and mature within two. They complete their metamorphosis from their larval stage in ten days.

Clown Knifefish

Anocturnal tropical fish with a long, knife-like body. This knifefish is native to freshwater habitats in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, but it has also been introducedto regions outside its native range. It is one of world's most invasive species.

It is often seen in aquaculture and the aquarium trade where frequently confused with Chitala chitala; the latter species is very rare in the aquarium trade.Despite its popularity, the clown featherback reaches 1 m (3.3 ft) in length, outgrowing all but the largest aquaria.

Giant Gourami

A species of large gourami native to freshwater habitats in Southeast Asia, with its occurrence in other locations due to introductions. This species is commercially important as a food fish and is also farmed. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.The species has been used for weed control, also on highly invasive aquatic plants like Salvinia molesta, as the giant gourami can be a voracious herbivore.

Black and Red-Bellied Pacu

Pacu is a common name used to refer to several species of omnivorous South Americanfreshwater serrasalmid fish that are related to the piranha. Pacu and piranha do not have similar teeth, the main difference being jaw alignment; piranha have pointed, razor-sharp teeth in a pronounced underbite, whereas pacu have squarer, straighter teeth, which are uncannily similar to human teeth, and a less severe underbite, or a slight overbite. Pacu, unlike piranha, mainly feed on plant material and not flesh or scales. Additionally, the pacu can reach much larger sizes than piranha, at up to 1.08 m (3.5 ft) in total length and 40 kg (88 lb) in weight.

Alligator Gar

A ray-finned euryhaline fish related to the bowfin in the infraclass Holostei/hoʊˈlɒstiaɪ/. It is the largest species in the gar family, and among the largest freshwater fishes in North America. The fossil record traces its existence back to the Early Cretaceous over a hundred million years ago. Gars are often referred to as "primitive fishes", or "living fossils" because they have retained some morphological characteristics of their earliest ancestors, such as a spiral valve intestine which is also common to the digestive system of sharks, and the ability to breathe both air and water. Their common name was derived from their resemblance to the American alligator, particularly their broad snout and long, sharp teeth. Anecdotal evidence in several scientific reports suggest that an alligator gar can grow up to 10 ft (3.0 m) in length.

Marine Organisms

Moorish Idol

A marine fish species, the sole extant representative of the family Zanclidae in order Perciformes. A common inhabitant of tropical to subtropical reefs and lagoons, the Moorish idol is notable for its wide distribution throughout the Indo-Pacific. A number of butterflyfishes (genus Heniochus) closely resemble the Moorish idol. It is closely related to, if not a direct descendant of, the extinct Eozanclus brevirostris, from the Middle Eocene of Monte Bolca.

Blue Tang

Paracanthurus hepatus has a royal blue body, yellow tail, and black "palette" design. The lower body is yellow in the west-central Indian Ocean. It grows to 30 cm (12 in). Adults typically weigh around 600 g (21 oz) and males are generally larger than females. This fish is rather flat, like a pancake, with a circular body shape, a pointed snout-like nose, and small scales. The blue tang has nine dorsal spines, 26–28 dorsal soft rays, three anal spines, and 24–26 anal soft yellow rays.

Butterfly Fish 

The butterfly fish is a generally small-sized species of marine fish, found in tropical and subtropical waters, primarily around coral reefs. The butterfly fish is well known for its brightly coloured body and elaborate markings.

Blue Damsel Fish

Chrysiptera parasema, also known as yellowtail damselfish, yellowtail blue damsel, goldtail demoiselle, and other variations, is a popular saltwater aquarium fish from the Indo-Pacific.

Banded Humbug

Dascyllus aruanus, known commonly as the whitetail dascyllus or humbug damselfish among other vernacular names, is a species of marine fish in the family Pomacentridae. Banded humbugs are common inhabitants of shallow coral reefs.

Harlequin Sweetlips

Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides, the harlequin sweetlips, is a species of grunt native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. It is a denizen of coral reefs found at depths of from 1 to 30 m. It can reach 72 cm in TL. The heaviest known individual weighed 7 kg.

Manila Pufferfish

Found singly over mud, sand, seagrass beds and silty areas of sheltered estuaries, shallow lagoons, seaward reefs and estuaries. The bodies of Pufferfish are covered in a toxic mucus, if the skin or flesh is consumed it can be fatal to humans. When threatened they will puff up like a football to deter predators.

Pajama Cardinal Fish

The pajama cardinalfish, spotted cardinalfish, coral cardinalfish, or polkadot cardinalfish is a species of fish belonging to the family Apogonidae. It is a popular aquarium fish. The Pajama Cardinalfish is a rainbow of playful colors. It has a greenish-yellow face, bright orange eyes, and a silver-based body.

Clown Fish

Clownfish or anemonefish are fishes from the subfamily Amphiprioninae in the family Pomacentridae. Thirty species are recognized: one in the genus Premnas, while the remaining are in the genus Amphiprion. In the wild, they all form symbiotic mutualisms with sea anemones.

Venomous Stonefish

Synanceia is a genus of fish of the family Synanceiidae, the stonefishes, whose members are dangerously venomous and even fatal to humans. It is one of the most venomous fish known. They are found in the coastal regions of the Indo-Pacific.

[dailyoutdoorsman]

Bonaire–Invisibles

Bonaire–Invisibles

The Invisibles has made my top five favorite sites at Bonaire.  Beautiful Reef’s, bountiful aquatic life, and interesting channels that cut between the reef.  When you enter the water like many dive sites you will encounter a sandy bottom without much to see.  However as you venture out to the bouy I recommend you drop down about 10 yards before you reach it.  If you are slow and careful not to…

[carot-dj]

4.0 out of 5 stars BEWARE! You will be hunting down your nearest Chinese Tea house!

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but photos would be better. There's a Dim Sum place down the road from me. I've never gone because I get all panicky about how to do the whole Dim Sum thing. This book will definitely help me understand what I'm ordering. Plus, because it describes the foods so well, I'm thinking I could use it to make my own little tidbits.Imagine you're out in the wilds of a Chinese restaurant, Asian Market, or Street Vendor and you spot the elusive "Deep Fried Shrimp Pouch." Wouldn't you want to know how to identify it, its basic fillings, its nestng habits, origins and various species and genera -- not to mention its typical dipping sauce? of course you would!The book is divided in the following sections: Introduction, How to use this guide, Key, Savory Dim Sum (which contains the sub-headings Steamed Wrappers, Unwrapped Proteins, Baked Dim Su, Pan and Deep-Fried Dim Sum, Delicious Extras) and Sweet Dim Sum (which are further broken down into Hot and Warm Sweets, Sweet Buns, Chilled Sweets, Cakes and Tarts.), Acknowledgments, About the Author, Index.The Introduction explains the various teas and etiquette one should know in a Dim Sum restaurant.Each variety of food is introduced with a hand-drawn illustration on the left page and brief descriptions on the right.If you ever had one of those field guide books -- for birds, butterflies, mushrooms, whatnot-- you'll get the hang of this book. It's a cute, fun, and handy idea because the book is easily-carried and can fit into a bag easily.I like this book a lot. I highly recommend it. I'm sure some folks would prefer photographs to the illustrations but I'm cool with the illustrations. They're nicely old-fashioned and the gimmick of having a field guide is very cute and different. If I were giving a dim sum guide to a friend, though, I would probably give them one of the many guides which have photographs.This book was given to me free in exchange for a fair and honest review. Go to Amazon

5.0 out of 5 stars Dim Sum Field Guide Perfect for the Intrepid Eater dim-sum-imageDim Sum wasn't part of my childhood. No restaurant near my suburban tract home served duck feet or jelly fish or buns filled with sticky red bean paste. It was the 1970's and my people (Catholic, Italian, East Coast) would be hard pressed to put the words "adventurous" and "eating" together in a sentence unless they were also describing long bouts of incapacitating illness. Adventurous eating had consequences rather than rewards, we were warned.Fast forward to the late 1980's and my move to Seattle, where adventurous eating was already common place in this international city. There was palak paneer and tikka masala, ikura and yellowtail, mole and tortas, and sticky rice and chow fun--none of which I had tried before. Before foodie culture really took hold, international cuisine was already everywhere for the tasting. And I dug in with enthusiasm, if not enlightenment.I first went to dim sum with a large work group one busy lunch time. The dishes plunked down in front of us were delicious, commandeered from rolling metal carts by a coworker who'd clearly done this before. I didn't give much thought to the little plates still circling past on the carts, the ones not chosen. I was happily enjoying siu mai, pot stickers, hum bao, sticky rice, and egg tarts for the first time.Eager to taste more, and to eat those goodies again, I adventured out with a friend who was also a dim sum newbie. The dishes I'd had before were easily recognizable, and I just pointed and smiled to make my selections. And then there were the dishes I hadn't noticed when someone else was ordering. I confidently smiled and pointed at some of those too, even though I had no idea what they might be. They smelled good. They mostly looked good.Read more › Go to Amazon

[thataquariumplace-blog]

SALTWATER LIST 10/23/19 ready by 1 pm

BLUE SPOT JAWS ARE BACK LIMITED STOCK ONLY 6 AVAILABLE

ACHILLES TANG

KOI TANG ONLY 2 IN STOCK

HORN SHARK

SUPER ORANGE TUBE ANEMONE

RADIANT WRASSE

yasha goby only 2 in stock

200 ACROPORA FRAGS ARE BACK 20 WAFFLES EA

60 mushroom rocks are in

***********************************************************************

CLOWNS

***********************************************************************

Ocellaris clowns

Black and white Clowns

Frostbite extreme

Davinci

Blue sapphire clowns

Fancy Snowflake lots of spots

Black ice with spots

Black snow flake classic

Picasso helmet

Picasso Nebula

Midnight pair

Chocolate with spots pair

Midnight with spots

White strip Maroon clown pair

Blue lightning maroon pair

Lightning maroon extreme pair

wyoming white

Domino

***********************************************************************

TANGS

*******************************************************************

pacific sailfin tang

yellow tang

Naso tang sm

naso tang md

Achillies tang

Kole tang

Blue tang md

Pacific sailfin tang sm

yellow mustard tang ml

naso tang ms

lopez tang

desjardin tang

mimic tang

Orange shoulder tang

Brown scopes tang

Convict tang

Powder brown tang

Yellow tang

black and white mimic tang

Gold rim tang

Powder brown tang

Orange shoulder tang

Yellow mustard tang

Desjardin tang

Blue tnag 4inch

Blue eyed Bristle tooth tang

Blonde naso tang sm

Blonde naso tang md

blonde naso show size

***********************************************************************

ANGELS & BUTTERFLY ***********************************************************************

bicolor angel

coral beauty angel

Emperor angel

Venustus angel

copperband butterfly sm

copperband butterfly md

copperband butterlfy lg

diamond butterfy

Midnight angel

keyhole angel

majestic angel

emperor angel

lemon peel angel

Striped angel

Blue Pygmy angel

racoon butterlfy fish

Blue Koran angel

Potters angel

Flame angel

Flame back angel

***********************************************************************

WRASSE

***********************************************************************

Carpenters wrasse

Lubbocks fairy wrasse

Tri color fairy wrasse

Yellow coris wrasse

lunare wrasse

six line wrasse

Black leopard wrasse

Melanarus wrasse

pin tail fairry wrase

green bird wrasse

xl bi color cleaner wrasse

Scott’s fairy wrasse

Yellow flanked fairy wrasse

Radiant wrasse

Multicolor pencil wrasse

Possum wrasse

Nakoes wrasse

Yellow flanked fairy wrasse

Rosy scale wrasse

4 spot yellow wrasse

Leopard wrasse

lunar wrasse

tri color wrasse

***********************************************************************

MISC. FISH

***********************************************************************

Purple queen anthias

purple square anthias

disbar anthias

zebra moray eel

panther grouper

star and stripe puffer

valentini puffer

humu humu trigger

stripe soilder

big eye red soilder

banded cat shark

blue throat trigger pairs

Dwarf lion

zebra bar goby

Blue reef chromis

Flame hawk fish

sergean Major damsel

blue damsel

yellow belly damsel

Kupang damsel

yellow fox face

Panther grouper sm

Saddle puffer

Rolland's damsel

White spot puffer

banggai cardinal

peacock lion

Pacific lyretail anthias

3-stripe damsel

Domino damsel

Blue eye anthias

Disbar anthias

banghai cardinal

pajama cardinal

porcupine puffer

sweet lips

long nose hawks fish

one spot fox face md

one spot fox face sm

Purple fire

Yellowtail damsel

Spotted sweetlips

Blue spotted sharp puffer

Gold-lined rabbitfish

Black peacock lion

shark egg

**********************************************************************

GOBIES & BLENNIES ***********************************************************************

Lawn mower algae

tail spot blenny

Green mandarin xl

orange spot goby

Diamond goby

Wheelers prawn goby

Yellow watchman

Spotted mandarin goby

Orange spotted goby

Diamond goby

Algae blenny

Midas blenny srilanka

pink spot watchman

Orange spot blenny

Rainfords goby

Pink and blue spotted goby

ruby red dragonet

***********************************************************************

INVERTS

***********************************************************************

Cleaner shrimp

Scarlet reef hermit

Fire shrimp

Pincushion urchin

Pencil urchin

Gold banded coral shrimp

Red and gold feather duster

Brittle star

white sand star

red serpent star

anemone crab

scarlet reef hermits

bumble bee snails

Flame scallop

Royal urchin

***********************************************************************

CLEANUP CREW ***********************************************************************

Tiger tail trochus snails

Nassarius snails

Blue knuckle hermit

Turbo snail

Blue leg hermits

red leg hermits

astrea snails

margarita snails

cerith snails

turbo snails

trochus snails

[wineanddinosaur]

Natural Wine Takes Australia

For the last decade or so, natural wine has slowly been making its way into the global conversation thanks to a group of winemakers who have bucked conventional methods for a more stripped-down and bohemian approach to viniculture. There are plenty of producers from Old World locales who have been driving this way of thinking and working, but there’s a growing movement in the New World, and nowhere is that more apparent than in Australia.

It’s important to remember that Australian wine isn’t all Yellowtail or expensive Shiraz. There is a whole world of experimentation happening Down Under, especially in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills and Basket Range, in nearby Barossa, and far-away Margaret River, just south of Perth in the west. Ten years back, in Adelaide, a rogue’s gallery of winemakers, Sam Hughes, Anton van Klopper, Tom Shobbrook, and James Erskine, formed Natural Selection Theory. They looked — borrowing an overused tech term — to disrupt conventional winemaking ways, starting a growing community of more thoughtful vignerons who wanted to portray what Australia really tastes like, one bottle at a time.

What is looked at by the winemakers as a return to ancient, more simple methodology can get wrapped up in marketing mythology. Because even though humans have been making gallons of vino since around 6000 B.C., there’s still no legal definition of natural wine.

And while the individual definition depends on which winemaker you ask, the generally agreed-upon one is, as importer Tess Bryant of Tess Bryant Selections puts it, “Nothing added, nothing taken away.”

Meaning: The winemakers go to great lengths to make a product with as little intervention as possible. That translates to organic farming methods, dry-farmed vines (meaning no irrigation), no spraying of herbicides or pesticides in the vineyards, no fining or filtering, and — in some cases — no added sulfur. It should be said though that, yes, sulfur is a naturally occurring byproduct of the fermentation process, and yes, many consider it an important part of the winemaking process. Sulfur dioxide (SO2 for the honors students) is added to preserve the wine and counteract its butterfly-like desires to metamorphose into vinegar. The amount necessary of said SO2 depends on the producer, but there’s a faction of natural winemakers who use minimal amounts (>100-70ppm) and some who abstain from it entirely.

James Erskine, of Jauma in McLaren Vale, is a big reason Tess Bryant started her business.

Aussie natural wine’s white knight is undoubtedly Anton van Klopper, who identifies himself as staunchly anti-sulfur. Coming from a traditional winemaking background, he opened Lucy Margaux winery in the Basket Range and has spent the last decade fine-tuning his methods of making wine that is, as he puts it, “as wild as the wind.”

Van Klopper’s first vintage was 2007, with each of his small-production wines yielding only a barrel to a barrel and a half each year. His aspiration is to make something raw, untamed, and expressive of cool-climate Australian terroir. His Pinot Noir vines on the windswept hills look nothing like the manicured fields of Burgundy; he’s allowed the earth to reclaim its property and avoids all spraying and any pruning.

Alex Alan, wine director at Brooklyn’s Hotel Delmano, has focused his wine list almost exclusively on natural wines. He even traveled to Australia last year to work a harvest with van Klopper and was struck by the precision of his approach. For one, van Klopper ferments his wine not in stainless steel but in porous ceramic eggs, which adds even more complexity to his bottlings.

What makes the Adelaide Hills and Basket Range such a fruitful nexus? The community. It’s where Australia’s natural wine movement started. James Erskine, of Jauma in McLaren Vale, is a big reason Bryant started her business. Bryant’s first trip to Australia had her finding these natural producers serendipitously. She says: “They [van Klopper and Erskine] have in their own ways been mentors to young winemakers, [like Tim Webber and Monique Millton of Manon and Sophie and Jasper Button of Commune of Buttons], being really open and generous with their time. James opened a lot of bottles and barrels for me, and opened my mind to natural Grenache,” a grape she had overlooked for its old-world traditionalism.

Grenache vines in Australia date back to 1850, but everything changed for Erskine when he experienced Priorat Garnacha in Catalonia. He, along with van Klopper, is a no-sulfur-adder, and today his bottlings range from Shiraz to Chenin Blanc/Muscat blends and Cabernet Franc to an array of Grenache. He sources organically farmed grapes from McLaren Vale and Clarendon, just south of Adelaide Hills, and produces terroir-driven wines made holistically.

As word has spread about these Aussie natural wines, so has their distribution. It’s now not uncommon to find Aussie natural wine in Japan, Texas, or Copenhagen. Sure, there’s always the help of an artsy label, euphoric word of mouth, and limited supply, but the real reason is the excitement of tasting a wildly new expression of a grape you thought you knew.

So drink it now and drink it often (in moderation, naturally), because what’s happening now in Australia is certainly worthy of our attention.

This article is sponsored by Wine Australia.

The article Natural Wine Takes Australia appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/natural-wine-takes-australia/

[isaiahrippinus]

Natural Wine Takes Australia

For the last decade or so, natural wine has slowly been making its way into the global conversation thanks to a group of winemakers who have bucked conventional methods for a more stripped-down and bohemian approach to viniculture. There are plenty of producers from Old World locales who have been driving this way of thinking and working, but there’s a growing movement in the New World, and nowhere is that more apparent than in Australia.

It’s important to remember that Australian wine isn’t all Yellowtail or expensive Shiraz. There is a whole world of experimentation happening Down Under, especially in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills and Basket Range, in nearby Barossa, and far-away Margaret River, just south of Perth in the west. Ten years back, in Adelaide, a rogue’s gallery of winemakers, Sam Hughes, Anton van Klopper, Tom Shobbrook, and James Erskine, formed Natural Selection Theory. They looked — borrowing an overused tech term — to disrupt conventional winemaking ways, starting a growing community of more thoughtful vignerons who wanted to portray what Australia really tastes like, one bottle at a time.

What is looked at by the winemakers as a return to ancient, more simple methodology can get wrapped up in marketing mythology. Because even though humans have been making gallons of vino since around 6000 B.C., there’s still no legal definition of natural wine.

And while the individual definition depends on which winemaker you ask, the generally agreed-upon one is, as importer Tess Bryant of Tess Bryant Selections puts it, “Nothing added, nothing taken away.”

Meaning: The winemakers go to great lengths to make a product with as little intervention as possible. That translates to organic farming methods, dry-farmed vines (meaning no irrigation), no spraying of herbicides or pesticides in the vineyards, no fining or filtering, and — in some cases — no added sulfur. It should be said though that, yes, sulfur is a naturally occurring byproduct of the fermentation process, and yes, many consider it an important part of the winemaking process. Sulfur dioxide (SO2 for the honors students) is added to preserve the wine and counteract its butterfly-like desires to metamorphose into vinegar. The amount necessary of said SO2 depends on the producer, but there’s a faction of natural winemakers who use minimal amounts (>100-70ppm) and some who abstain from it entirely.

James Erskine, of Jauma in McLaren Vale, is a big reason Tess Bryant started her business.

Aussie natural wine’s white knight is undoubtedly Anton van Klopper, who identifies himself as staunchly anti-sulfur. Coming from a traditional winemaking background, he opened Lucy Margaux winery in the Basket Range and has spent the last decade fine-tuning his methods of making wine that is, as he puts it, “as wild as the wind.”

Van Klopper’s first vintage was 2007, with each of his small-production wines yielding only a barrel to a barrel and a half each year. His aspiration is to make something raw, untamed, and expressive of cool-climate Australian terroir. His Pinot Noir vines on the windswept hills look nothing like the manicured fields of Burgundy; he’s allowed the earth to reclaim its property and avoids all spraying and any pruning.

Alex Alan, wine director at Brooklyn’s Hotel Delmano, has focused his wine list almost exclusively on natural wines. He even traveled to Australia last year to work a harvest with van Klopper and was struck by the precision of his approach. For one, van Klopper ferments his wine not in stainless steel but in porous ceramic eggs, which adds even more complexity to his bottlings.

What makes the Adelaide Hills and Basket Range such a fruitful nexus? The community. It’s where Australia’s natural wine movement started. James Erskine, of Jauma in McLaren Vale, is a big reason Bryant started her business. Bryant’s first trip to Australia had her finding these natural producers serendipitously. She says: “They [van Klopper and Erskine] have in their own ways been mentors to young winemakers, [like Tim Webber and Monique Millton of Manon and Sophie and Jasper Button of Commune of Buttons], being really open and generous with their time. James opened a lot of bottles and barrels for me, and opened my mind to natural Grenache,” a grape she had overlooked for its old-world traditionalism.

Grenache vines in Australia date back to 1850, but everything changed for Erskine when he experienced Priorat Garnacha in Catalonia. He, along with van Klopper, is a no-sulfur-adder, and today his bottlings range from Shiraz to Chenin Blanc/Muscat blends and Cabernet Franc to an array of Grenache. He sources organically farmed grapes from McLaren Vale and Clarendon, just south of Adelaide Hills, and produces terroir-driven wines made holistically.

As word has spread about these Aussie natural wines, so has their distribution. It’s now not uncommon to find Aussie natural wine in Japan, Texas, or Copenhagen. Sure, there’s always the help of an artsy label, euphoric word of mouth, and limited supply, but the real reason is the excitement of tasting a wildly new expression of a grape you thought you knew.

So drink it now and drink it often (in moderation, naturally), because what’s happening now in Australia is certainly worthy of our attention.

This article is sponsored by Wine Australia.

The article Natural Wine Takes Australia appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/natural-wine-takes-australia/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/188493192524

[johnboothus]

Natural Wine Takes Australia

For the last decade or so, natural wine has slowly been making its way into the global conversation thanks to a group of winemakers who have bucked conventional methods for a more stripped-down and bohemian approach to viniculture. There are plenty of producers from Old World locales who have been driving this way of thinking and working, but there’s a growing movement in the New World, and nowhere is that more apparent than in Australia.

It’s important to remember that Australian wine isn’t all Yellowtail or expensive Shiraz. There is a whole world of experimentation happening Down Under, especially in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills and Basket Range, in nearby Barossa, and far-away Margaret River, just south of Perth in the west. Ten years back, in Adelaide, a rogue’s gallery of winemakers, Sam Hughes, Anton van Klopper, Tom Shobbrook, and James Erskine, formed Natural Selection Theory. They looked — borrowing an overused tech term — to disrupt conventional winemaking ways, starting a growing community of more thoughtful vignerons who wanted to portray what Australia really tastes like, one bottle at a time.

What is looked at by the winemakers as a return to ancient, more simple methodology can get wrapped up in marketing mythology. Because even though humans have been making gallons of vino since around 6000 B.C., there’s still no legal definition of natural wine.

And while the individual definition depends on which winemaker you ask, the generally agreed-upon one is, as importer Tess Bryant of Tess Bryant Selections puts it, “Nothing added, nothing taken away.”

Meaning: The winemakers go to great lengths to make a product with as little intervention as possible. That translates to organic farming methods, dry-farmed vines (meaning no irrigation), no spraying of herbicides or pesticides in the vineyards, no fining or filtering, and — in some cases — no added sulfur. It should be said though that, yes, sulfur is a naturally occurring byproduct of the fermentation process, and yes, many consider it an important part of the winemaking process. Sulfur dioxide (SO2 for the honors students) is added to preserve the wine and counteract its butterfly-like desires to metamorphose into vinegar. The amount necessary of said SO2 depends on the producer, but there’s a faction of natural winemakers who use minimal amounts (>100-70ppm) and some who abstain from it entirely.

James Erskine, of Jauma in McLaren Vale, is a big reason Tess Bryant started her business.

Aussie natural wine’s white knight is undoubtedly Anton van Klopper, who identifies himself as staunchly anti-sulfur. Coming from a traditional winemaking background, he opened Lucy Margaux winery in the Basket Range and has spent the last decade fine-tuning his methods of making wine that is, as he puts it, “as wild as the wind.”

Van Klopper’s first vintage was 2007, with each of his small-production wines yielding only a barrel to a barrel and a half each year. His aspiration is to make something raw, untamed, and expressive of cool-climate Australian terroir. His Pinot Noir vines on the windswept hills look nothing like the manicured fields of Burgundy; he’s allowed the earth to reclaim its property and avoids all spraying and any pruning.

Alex Alan, wine director at Brooklyn’s Hotel Delmano, has focused his wine list almost exclusively on natural wines. He even traveled to Australia last year to work a harvest with van Klopper and was struck by the precision of his approach. For one, van Klopper ferments his wine not in stainless steel but in porous ceramic eggs, which adds even more complexity to his bottlings.

What makes the Adelaide Hills and Basket Range such a fruitful nexus? The community. It’s where Australia’s natural wine movement started. James Erskine, of Jauma in McLaren Vale, is a big reason Bryant started her business. Bryant’s first trip to Australia had her finding these natural producers serendipitously. She says: “They [van Klopper and Erskine] have in their own ways been mentors to young winemakers, [like Tim Webber and Monique Millton of Manon and Sophie and Jasper Button of Commune of Buttons], being really open and generous with their time. James opened a lot of bottles and barrels for me, and opened my mind to natural Grenache,” a grape she had overlooked for its old-world traditionalism.

Grenache vines in Australia date back to 1850, but everything changed for Erskine when he experienced Priorat Garnacha in Catalonia. He, along with van Klopper, is a no-sulfur-adder, and today his bottlings range from Shiraz to Chenin Blanc/Muscat blends and Cabernet Franc to an array of Grenache. He sources organically farmed grapes from McLaren Vale and Clarendon, just south of Adelaide Hills, and produces terroir-driven wines made holistically.

As word has spread about these Aussie natural wines, so has their distribution. It’s now not uncommon to find Aussie natural wine in Japan, Texas, or Copenhagen. Sure, there’s always the help of an artsy label, euphoric word of mouth, and limited supply, but the real reason is the excitement of tasting a wildly new expression of a grape you thought you knew.

So drink it now and drink it often (in moderation, naturally), because what’s happening now in Australia is certainly worthy of our attention.

This article is sponsored by Wine Australia.

The article Natural Wine Takes Australia appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/natural-wine-takes-australia/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/natural-wine-takes-australia