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For more information, please see our University Websites Privacy Notice 'I think that this opens up a conversation about what more can be done' researchers have found that the ways they perceive and feel about their own physical appearance are important components in their emotional well-being But for Black adolescent girls, satisfaction with their hair may be of particular significance, according to new research from UConn recently published in the journal Body Image In a cross-sectional study, researcher Adenique Lisse ’28 Ph.D and Latina girls entering grades 9 through 11 felt about their overall appearance and their satisfaction with five specific areas of their appearance – including their hair – as well as their experience with discrimination and their tendency to experience depressive symptoms The study found that hair was the only area of physical appearance satisfaction in which differences emerged along racial lines a graduate student focusing on clinical psychology in UConn’s Department of Psychological Sciences significantly beyond their white peers and their Latina peers were more likely to experience hair-related discrimination and hair-related dissatisfied,” says Lisse “That hair dissatisfaction was more likely to lead to increased feelings of depression compared to their peers.” A member of the Milan Intergenerational Risk Lab at UConn Lisse had done some prior work on weight concerns and body image as an undergraduate and she was interested in seeing how appearance evaluation might have particular impact for Black adolescents But she didn’t find a lot of prior research “In looking at some sociocultural factors that were in play I found that body image concerns were not something that were very salient within the Black adolescent population,” Lisse says “A lot of that research focuses on the thin ideal which is something that is more heavily researched within white samples and among white adolescents.” The research was also inspired by her own experiences as well a rise in natural hair content on YouTube caught her attention and helped to influence how she and her friends felt about their hair texture – an entire online movement working to change the messaging around the idea that a loose hair texture was somehow more desirable “A lot of Black adolescent girls may not have hair like that – they might have hair that is more coily in texture and that leaves room for discrimination and microaggressions,” Lisse says That representation is very important for people to see love their hair – to be able to see that there’s so much that they can do with it as well.” Lisse says that its cross-sectional nature and limited sample – all participants were from one Connecticut city – limit how the findings might be generalized across broader populations The sample also didn’t allow for examination of differences within the small number of Black adolescents who took part But Lisse says the study’s finding of such a stark and clear importance of hair satisfaction among Black adolescent girls so distinctly from their peers may be useful in both clinical and policy settings where more awareness around cultural relevancy can help drive conversations about how to best provide interventions that meet the needs of diverse communities interventions and empowerment programs specifically focused on exposing adolescent girls to positive messaging about hair and texture and providing natural hair education through videos may help to encourage hair satisfaction and reduce depression for Black adolescent girls Methods like Attachment tHAIRapy – which pairs traditional psychotherapy with hair care as a culturally relevant intervention to support positive self-worth – could provide useful guidance “This is something that we need to think about – what kind of tailored interventions can we put into place to mediate some of these effects that we see?” Lisse says “There has been more work within the last decade or so to kind of combat racial discrimination at work and school pertaining to hair,” she continues “I think that this opens up a conversation about what more can be done because a lot of the messaging that we see happens amongst peers as well.” Her study contributes to a growing body of research that highlights the importance of understanding the impact of cultural factors on health Lisse also hopes that other researchers will also prioritize investigation into culturally relevant factors tailoring their own research and incorporating more culturally relevant sociocultural factors like hair appearance in their research – I think that’s very necessary,” she says “Because hair within body image research was not something that had been focused on we missed out on so much research that could have been there when thinking about the body image conversation.” Lisse plans to focus her own studies on how interventions can be culturally tailored – working on different interventions within marginalized groups to help reach adolescents and adults in clinical settings This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NICHD R21HDO65185) and the Bond-Mosher Graduate Fellowship in Clinical Psychology A young star nicknamed the Moth plows through a dense cloud of interstellar dust and gas That movement pushes the star’s own dust disk back into a winglike shape but does not affect the bubble of stellar wind the star blows around itself That movement pushes the star's own dust disk back into a winglike shape By Lisa Grossman astronomers have captured an image of an astrosphere around a star like the sun We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday By subscribing, you agree to our Terms & Privacy Policy.  You must be 13 or older to sign up For full digital access, consider a $2.99 per month subscription Astronomers have seen analogous bubbles around hot stars dying stars and baby stars — but not sunlike stars “We don’t see them around … average, everyday stars that might host life,” said astronomer Carey Lisse at the 25 Years of Science with Chandra symposium on December 3 Lisse and his colleagues sought a star that was blowing extra hard. The researchers aimed the orbiting Chandra X-Ray Observatory at HD 61005, nicknamed The Moth because it is surrounded by a swept-back debris disk that resembles wings. Astronomers think the strange shape is because the star is plowing into a dense gas cloud in space at a speed of about 10 kilometers per second (SN: 1/22/08) The Moth is a similar size and mass as the sun so “it’s a relatively good representative of us,” said Lisse of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel But it’s a 100-million-year-old youngster compared to the 4-billion-year-old sun Younger stars tend to be more active and emit stronger solar winds than older ones plus the star’s movement through the interstellar medium made Lisse think the Moth was a good target for detecting an astrosphere The observations showed that the Moth is surrounded by a halo of X-ray light extending 100 times as far from the star as Earth is from the sun the bubble is round rather than wing-shaped it pushes outward on the dense gas cloud more than the cloud pushes back like a thick balloon moving through thin air Studying the astrospheres of other sunlike stars can tell us what the sun was like in its youth “The astrosphere is telling us about the sun’s history.” Questions or comments on this article? E-mail us at feedback@sciencenews.org | Reprints FAQ to correct the characterization of the finding There have been claimed detections of astrospheres with other methods before; this is the first image of an astrosphere C. Lisse. First detection of a resolved astrosphere around a main sequence G-Star by Chandra. 25 Years of Science with Chandra, Boston, December 3, 2024. Lisa Grossman is the astronomy writer. She has a degree in astronomy from Cornell University and a graduate certificate in science writing from University of California, Santa Cruz. She lives near Boston. Stellar winds from a companion star might accrete onto black hole Gaia BH1 (illustrated), giving it a wispy halo distorted by gravity. A dying star can emit a jet (red) surrounded by asymmetrical bubbles of material (yellow and green). The motion of this material through spacetime could also emit gravitational waves, researchers suggest. A time series of images of the star R Doradus shows bubbles of gas rising and sinking. The images were taken in 2023 with the ALMA telescope in Chile on July 18 (left), July 27 (center) and August 2 (right). The giant bubbles appear as bright and dark spots on the star’s surface and indicate convection inside the star. A giant interstellar cloud dubbed Eos (illustrated, green) lurks just 300 light-years from our solar system. Its chemical composition kept it hiding in plain sight until now. The Hubble Space Telescope was placed in low Earth orbit in 1990 by astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery. High-resolution images from the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, a radio telescope in southern China, have helped pinpoint a potential “dark galaxy” in the Milky Way’s neighborhood. Some astronomers think the distant planet K2 18b (illustrated) may be an ocean world capable of hosting life. NASA’s Curiosity rover drilled into different rocks along an 89-meter stretch of terrain on its route up a mountain in an ancient lakebed. Samples from the rocks had carbon-bearing minerals that hint at a long lost carbon cycle and life-friendly climate. Thousands of light-years beyond the eight stars that make up the teapot of the constellation Sagittarius lurks the first lone black hole ever detected, just right of the top of the teapot’s spout, so in the far right region of this image. From mid-northern latitudes, Sagittarius appears in the southern sky during summer and early fall. In the Helix Nebula, X-rays (blue in this composite false-color image) from a white dwarf at the center (not visible) heat a surrounding envelope of dust and gas (yellow). Four small, probably rocky planets orbit Barnard’s star (illustrated). The planetary system is the nearest one to the sun centered on a single star. Science News was founded in 1921 as an independent, nonprofit source of accurate information on the latest news of science, medicine and technology. Today, our mission remains the same: to empower people to evaluate the news and the world around them. It is published by the Society for Science, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education (EIN 53-0196483). Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions. and crispy suet pastry.“This is a craze now in Argentina.” His unguarded happiness lit up the room There had also been a distinct waft of awe in the room as ten of us sat in hushed devotion Argentina: an old-world wine producer in a new-world country Thanks to a population that loves to eat and drink its own produce ever-evolving wine scene that is well able to stimulate all tastes you will find the bars and restaurants are full Argentinians are the living embodiment of the proverb And so might you be if the price of your daily flat white doubled in the time it took you to drink it Sebastián Zuccardi (r) at lunch with Lisse Garnett The Zuccardi family story is Argentina’s in miniature The family emigrated from Italy in the 19th century Those of you who are Soprano’s superfans will recognise that name for it is the very place from which Tony Soprano hailed significant – like most of the Italian immigrants in Argentina the Zuccardi clan came from the poor agrarian south a place where people learned to survive by sticking together Perhaps that’s why Argentinian producers collaborate so successfully As Zuccardi took us through the seven wines he’d brought for us to taste who are just as passionate about Argentina’s radical terroir as he is What is so magnificent about Zuccardi is that despite his obvious and the year it was made.” He worked in France Portugal and the US to hone his skills and believes in drinking wines he hasn’t made It is a mistake to see wine in Argentina as ‘new’ “Argentina is an old-world wine producer in a new-world country.” Unlike other New World countries that have fashioned their wine production predominantly for export Argentina has always made creative wines for its diverse population of predominantly European immigrants Buenos Aires feels like old Europe on steroids grows a broad trunk and can reach over a hundred feet in Argentina Elegant Haussmann-esque lateral apartments and generous vistas reflect the boom years at the dawn of the 20th century when Argentina was one of the ten richest countries in the world Even the grapes are early European imports that have flourished in their new surroundings is Argentina’s premium category calling card There is a whole deck of other varieties to explore too but Zuccardi sees Malbec as “the most transparent grape when it comes to expressing terroir.” Argentinians consume approximately 75% of the wine they produce (Zuccardi exports 50% of his wines) and A well-publicised and oft-criticised influx of international consultants keen to produce lucrative heavily oaked reds put paid to much of the white wine production although today the category is gaining ground again a cross between Listán Prieto aka Mission and Muscatel de Alexandria from which have now manifested 60-plus crosses currently being researched and labelled by INTA Zuccardi winery: a regular award winner for its sustainable design Wine for the Zuccardi family began in 1963 when Sebastián’s grandfather planted vines great for controlling disease but not so great for water Sebastián’s grandfather invented and patented an irrigation system He bought land to show what his system could do and promptly fell in love with growing grapes Phil Crozier was the first to bring Zuccardi Wines into the UK when running Gaucho and his association goes way back I asked him for the lowdown on brand Zuccardi “Zuccardi has been the standard bearer for Argentina ever since it entered the UK market and now the baton has been passed onto Sebastián José remains a great ambassador for Argentina.” “I think Zuccardi is a winery of the people It really is a family business with restaurants Sebastián describes himself as a farmer and it's true they are not posh and they are very generous when talking about the country as a whole.” we are hosting the annual bellringers York Minster Society dinner.’ They like to talk to their consumer You always see them when you are in one of their restaurants too The Uco Valley in Mendoza has had plantings for over a hundred years; talented winemaker and former rockstar Juanfa Suarez of Finca Suarez (next door to Zuccardi in Paraje Altamira) showed me a book that his grandfather Leopoldo Suárez wrote about propagating Semillon in this calcareous rocky ground back in 1911 But it was Catena in 1994 who saw the possibilities of altitude Sebastián Zuccardi planted his first high altitude Uco vineyard in 2004 Zuccardi has ten different vineyards at altitude in the Uco Valley Granite encased in limestone that Zuccardi had to clear from his vineyard the stone latterly being used to build the new winery Zuccardi’s Uco wines reflect the terroir from which they come; we tasted wines from three villages: Altamira each on an alluvial fan of mixed materials (formed by ancient rivers) They are ‘mountain wines’ grown on alluvial soil raised up by the titanic crash of two tectonic plates you’ll find fossils of calcareous sea creatures and granite cased in calcareous limestone Mendoza is a dry desert situated inbetween the mountains and the Pacific Ocean so disease pressure is very low; it is cold and surprisingly continental in climate Vines are grafted to avoid issues with nematodes The region is famed for its intense sunlight which facilitates aromatics and ripens tannins A huge diurnal range retains acidity and freshness; the average temperature is low and varied altitude provides for nuanced climatic variation Irrigation is possible thanks to the Andes meltwater it's pretty perfect for growing vines though snow volume is increasingly threatened by global warming Benegas is and where Chandon planted back in 1992 Adriana (Catena) and Per Se (Edy del Polpolo) are there You might say it’s the Grand Cru of Gualtallary All these Uco regions have a different identity in the glass; the valley is as nuanced as Burgundy Sebastian favours the place over the grape on labels to reflect this Zuccardi was not the first wine producer to go to the Uco Valley but it was the first to separate Uco from the rest of its business with Zuccardi Valle de Uco – a clear it has sold Mendoza and fine Malbec to the world Expressive Malbec is not an entry-level wine that you can knock up for a low price and he thinks it’s time to get evangelical about Argentina’s other grapes and sell them to the world he has been making wonderful Criolla wines under the Cara Sur label He is also a huge advocate for Semillon and Torrontés There is a whole new wave of Argentine producers making delicious quaffable often complex sup that has never reached our shores Cue Crozier (Gaucho and WOFA) and Laurie Webster (formerly of Las Bodegas) who are making it their mission to change this narrative They import Cara Sur through their company Ucopia Wines and are bringing in a range of other Criollas They are what you might call ‘Argentina-obsessed’ By sticking together and talking about place Argentine producers have built nuanced regional identities Their challenge for tomorrow is to reveal their talent for everything else but Malbec to the world Zuccardi Cuvée Especial Blanc de Blancs 2017 12.5% Zuccardi Fósil San Pablo Chardonnay 2021 13% one of the coldest areas 300m from the mountain this year they lost 70% of the harvest to frost) It’s the last plot Zuccardi harvests; he says the Chardonnay here exceeds his skills – it is the place that creates great white wine 10-20% in old 500l barrels; he favours concrete for Chardonnay as he doesn’t want to ‘open the wine’ with oxygen Indigenous yeast and ferment is not cooled; he finds a warm ferment expresses the place rather than the ferment Racking is done or not done depending upon the taste This smells of the local Mendozan harvest herb chinchilla it resists before morphing into salted caramel and pineapple-tinged ecstasy Zuccardi Botànico Gualtallary Chardonnay 2021 13% where the soil is known as ‘caliche’ – a distinctive compaction of granite and calcareous limestone at 1380m 10-20% in old 500l barrels; since 2016 when they first harvested they have used less and less oak Racking is done or not done depending on the taste a bat squeak of lime; the texture is chalky yet silky This is what the word elegant was coined for Zuccardi Aluvional Altamira Malbec 2018 14.5% Zuccardi favours Malbec grown via massal selection in his own nurseries (Edy del Popolo and David Bonomi buy from Zuccardi) from what he describes as “pre-phylloxeric”; vines that entered Argentina before phylloxera struck Europe The fruit comes from alluvial Altamira on very stony granite/limestone soils (see picture) at 1100m the wine is fermented and aged in concrete no carbonic to give a more pronounced sense of place Zuccardi Aluvional Gualtallary Malbec 2018 14.5% The fruit comes from alluvial Gualtallary from grapes grown on ‘caliche’ soil The wine is fermented and aged in concrete to avoid imparting flavour and allow less micro-oxygenation than a small barrel This single-vineyard wine hails from Altamira The clue to the soil is in the name; it took one thousand trucks to remove the stone from this vineyard the stone that was used to construct the winery six years later The vineyard sits on an alluvial fan and is divided into 60 soil parcels They had to build a winery to accommodate the myriad parcels that were blended to create this wine black olive and moreish tannins as fine as baby powder purposefully surrounded by 13 hectares of natural vegetation wine is from a site in Gualtallary Monasterio in the north of the Uco Valley at 1400m anecdotally known as the Grand Cru of Mendoza with old calcareous soils protected by mountains and damson-hued; it’s oh so delicately fruity Linear and ethereal yet still tangibly precise and firm The wines of Zuccardi are imported and sold in the UK by Hatch Mansfield which is a commercial partner of The Buyer. To discover more about them click here The Buyer TVClick below to watch The Buyer's library of online debates, videos and webinars. A woman poses for photos at the Keukenhof park in Lisse The park is open to the public from March 20 to May 11 this year People take pictures of blooming tulips at the Keukenhof park in Lisse A woman takes pictures of blooming tulips at the Keukenhof park in Lisse A mechanic working at the LAM museum in Lisse assumed the artwork entitled All The Good Times We Spent Together A Dutch museum has recovered an artwork that looks like two empty beer cans after a staff member accidentally threw it in the rubbish bin thinking it was trash The work, entitled All The Good Times We Spent Together by French artist Alexandre Lavet, appears on first glance to be two discarded and dented beer tins. However, a closer look shows they are in fact meticulously hand-painted with acrylics and “required a lot of time and effort to create”, according to the museum. Read moreBut their artistic value was lost on a mechanic who saw them displayed in a lift and chucked them in the bin Froukje Budding, a spokesperson for the LAM museum in Lisse, western Netherlands told AFP that artworks are often left in unusual places – hence the display in a lift “We try to surprise the visitor all the time,” she said Curator Elisah van den Bergh returned from a short break and noticed that the cans had vanished She recovered them from a bin bag just in the nick of time as they were about to be thrown out “We have now put the work in a more traditional place on a plinth so it can rest after its adventure,” Budding said She stressed there were “no hard feelings” towards the mechanic said: “Our art encourages visitors to see everyday objects in a new light.” “By displaying artworks in unexpected places we amplify this experience and keep visitors on their toes,” added Van Zanten the cans are unlikely to stay on their traditional plinth for long “We need to think hard about a careful place to put them next,” she said In 2011 an overzealous cleaner in Germany ruined a piece of modern art worth £690,000 after mistaking it for an eyesore that needed a good scrub People pose for photos in an armchair decorated with dahlias at the garden of Keukenhof Castle during the Keukenhof Dahlia Days event in Lisse The annual event is held here from Sept 6 to 8 Children view a butterfly-shaped decoration made of dahlias at the garden of Keukenhof Castle during the Keukenhof Dahlia Days event in Lisse A heart-shaped decoration made of dahlias is displayed at the garden of Keukenhof Castle during the Keukenhof Dahlia Days event in Lisse People enjoy blooming dahlias at the garden of Keukenhof Castle during the Keukenhof Dahlia Days event in Lisse The study showed how hair satisfaction played a major role in Black girls' mental health A new study has revealed how the mental health of Black girls can depend on their satisfaction with their hair According to UConn research published in Body Image and Latina were asked about their satisfaction with their appearance The study also asked the girls about their experience with discrimination and symptoms associated with depression The study found that hair perception was the only area that varied among the racial groups The Black participants specifically faced the most discrimination in regard to hair the study concluded that hair discrimination and subsequent dissatisfaction predicted more depressive symptoms in Black girls were more likely to experience hair-related discrimination and hair-related dissatisfaction,” says Adenique Lisse a Black graduate student at UConn studying clinical psychology “That hair dissatisfaction was more likely to lead to increased feelings of depression compared to their peers.” Lisse wanted to explore how specific physical appearances mattered in the well-being of Black girls She found that body image did not weigh as heavily for this racial group as opposed to white adolescent girls has been an ongoing issue in the perception “That made me think about my own experience growing up and how much conversation there is within the Black community about hair,” explained Lisse we’ve been seeing a movement for more hair acceptance and talking about that a lot more within different spaces.” Lisse noted that modern movements sought to diversify messaging surrounding natural hair The PhD student believes that these shifts have helped Black girls accept and take pride in their diverse hair textures even when initial societal preferences championed looser curl patterns “A lot of Black adolescent girls may not have hair like that—they might have hair that is more coily in texture and that leaves room for discrimination and microaggressions,” Lisse says the study participants provided a limited scope given the girls’ location in a Connecticut city its findings still could shed light on broader issues across the nation for Black girls and finding ways to directly address them this may lead to eliminating the mental health stressors and depression triggers for teen Black girls “There has been more work within the last decade or so to kind of combat racial discrimination at work and school pertaining to hair,” added Lisse “I think that this opens up a conversation about what more can be done whether that’s things parents can do or teachers can do within the school because a lot of the messaging that we see happens among peers as well.” Lisse is continuing her research and encouraging more cultural analysis in future studies regarding race RELATED CONTENT: FDA Finally Revokes FD&C Red No. 3 For Food And Drugs (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=5b3bcac0-fd93-4f19-a0ff-086917fa2de1&cid=2b3b1cf8-11b9-409d-a906-ab6746c50467'; cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "5b3bcac0-fd93-4f19-a0ff-086917fa2de1" }).render("91f25ce91bc54ec882146d5148845d2a"); }); © 2025 Black Enterprise. All Rights Reserved. Lisse, Netherlands: They’ll stream in by bus, by bike, in cars of their own or rented ones, and when all is said and done, well over a million visitors will have completed the trek to the park and garden complex known as Keukenhof. Given the short, eight-week period in which the park is open, the tally is all the more astonishing. One of the main reasons for the park’s enduring popularity is no two visits are ever the same. Each year, 7 million flower bulbs are planted across the park, including 800 varieties of tulips alone. Early bloomers such as crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths gradually give up space to tulips, which are joined by iris and allium as the end of the season approaches. Keukenhof’s 40 gardeners work tirelessly to ensure that on any given dayk no flowers past their prime are ever on view. The park’s outdoor spaces include a windmill, sculpture garden and gently elevated paths offering sweeping vistas of the nearby tulip fields. A historical garden features heirloom varieties of tulips that have been cultivated for centuries. A maze, playground and petting zoo provide young visitors with space to roam and play. Four spacious pavilions host exhibitions dedicated to orchids, roses, chrysanthemums and other blooms. While in no way close to the grand scale of Keukenhof, other corners of Europe also offer opportunities to admire tulips. Published: Oct 8, 2024written by Emily Snow A convincing contemporary sculpture—featuring two hand-painted beer cans displayed on the floor of a Dutch art museum’s lift—was almost thrown away after a maintenance technician mistook the work for garbage The work’s unconventional placement is part of the LAM museum’s mission to showcase art in “surprising” locations Alexandre Lavet’s contemporary sculpture is currently on view at the LAM museum in Lisse The beer can art piece was originally exhibited on the floor inside the museum’s lift—purposefully positioned as if it had been left behind by construction workers a lift technician at the museum recently mistook the display for actual garbage and trashed the hand-painted beer cans LAM museum curator Elisah van den Burgh quickly noticed that the beer can art piece had gone missing from its unconventional perch and the sculpture was recovered from a museum trash bag just before it was scheduled to be thrown out both cans were found intact.” The beer can art piece has since been cleaned and relocated to a more traditional plinth near the museum’s entrance The LAM museum also clarified that it “bears no ill will towards the lift technician who made the mistake.” All the good times we spent together is a deceptively realistic hand-painted sculpture by the French contemporary artist Alexandre Lavet The beer can art piece comprises two aluminum cans while the second can is slightly crumpled and lies on its side they look like an ordinary pair of discarded beer cans Lavet’s meticulous craftsmanship is revealed exhibition openings at galleries and artist-run spaces and to this common and familiar object that brings people and friends together.” “The theme of our collection is food and consumption,” explained Sietske van Zanten “Our art encourages visitors to see everyday objects in a new light By displaying artworks in unexpected places we amplify this experience and keep visitors on their toes.” A spokesperson for the LAM museum “We try to surprise the visitor all the time.” She continued We need to think hard about a careful place to put them next.” Emily is an art historian and writer based in the high desert of her native Utah In addition to writing about her favorite art historical topics she covers daily art and archaeology news and hosts expert interviews for TheCollector She holds an MA in art history from the Courtauld Institute of Art with an emphasis in Aesthetic Movement art and science A lift mechanic accidentally threw away artwork at the LAM museum in Lisse, mistaking it for left-behind trash. The artwork concerns two hand-painted beer cans by the French artist Alexandre Lavet (1988). The artwork was recovered from the bin and is undamaged, the museum said on Tuesday The work of art is titled All the good times we spent together It consists of two apparently used beer cans but a closer look reveals that the dented and empty cans have been painstakingly hand-painted the cans symbolize his precious moments with friends Evenings spent drinking together may not seem special but are ultimately valuable moments when people connect with each other,” the museum said The LAM museum displayed the cans in the glass lift shaft as if they had been left behind during construction “The theme of our art collection is food and consumption,” said museum director Sietske van Zanten we let you look at everyday things in a special way By presenting the works of art differently The effect proved too real for a lift mechanic who mistook the art for actual litter and disposed of it in the bin The curator noticed the piece was missing and launched a careful search The cans were eventually found in a bin bag Van Zanten stressed that the museum doesn’t blame the mechanic who was standing in for the regular mechanic who tends to the museum’s lift and knows its eccentricities “He did his job to the best of his ability,” she said it is a compliment to artist Alexandre Lavet.” Join thousands of local cyclists in our trusted marketplace Reach thousands of buyers in a few clicks. Learn more. Interested in selling your stock on Bike Hub Our dealer offering allows you to affordably and effectively reach buyers Search our help center for the answer or contact us directly for support While Leica Store Lisse specializes in Leica it will often expand beyond those brands to offer rarities from other manufacturers it has what it describes as “one of the biggest most collectible museum level pieces of photography and optics history” in this truly unique fisheye optic from Nikon the Nikkor 14.3mmm f/4 Fisheye was originally made for Disney with plans to use it “for a futuristic film and theater viewing with 360-degree screens.” As such it was custom-made by Nikon to cover IMAX 360-degree film cameras at 70mm film That means that if it were to be used on a 35mm full-frame camera making it what the store calls “ultra-fast” in its class of fisheye lenses Author’s Note and Update 1/16: The math of “translating to f/2.8” is what Leica Store Lisse provided but PetaPixel recalculated based on reader comments pointing out that it doesn’t sound right and we agree: that’s actually underselling the speed of this lens Leica Store Lisse describes the lens as covering “IMAX 360 degree film cameras at 70mm film.” If what Leica Store Lisse means is that the lens can cover IMAX 65 format film Crop factors are often reserved for photography The diagonal of a full-frame (36 x 24mm image area) is 43.27 Where equivalent aperture equals the f-number (4) times the crop factor the Nikon fisheye lens works out to having an aperture equivalent to f/2.03 “Considering this lens is one of a kind vs the dozens of copies of the 6mm has a similarly ultra-fast aperture scaled up to 70mm you can begin to understand the significance of what we have on our table today!” the store writes comes in the original wooden case produced for it Shipping isn’t included and will cost $100 the Nikkor 14.3mm f/4 Fisheye should probably spend its time behind glass but if a buyer was so inclined “With a bit of professional engineering this lens can be adapted to many modern cameras such as Leica S or Hasselblad XCD,” Leica Store Lisse writes “It’s just a marvel to gaze into this lens and get lost in the glass.” Image credits: Photographs by Foto Henny Hoogeveen Become a PetaPixel Member and access our content ad-free By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Museum staff sometimes struggle to distinguish art from everyday objects, as seen in a recent incident at the LAM Museum in the Netherlands mistakenly threw away Alexandre Lavet’s All the Good Times We Spent Together (2016) two hand-painted beer cans meant to evoke memories of friendship had been intentionally placed inside an elevator shaft to mimic something casually left behind LisseWhat looks like two old beer cans but definitely is *not* two old beer cans It’s French artist Alexandre Lavet’s All the good times we spent together. The unique artwork recently wound up in a garbage bag after a mechanic mistook the cans for trash at Lisse’s LAM Museum The museum’s staff say it was an honest mistake The mechanic was there to repair a glass elevator and thought he was helping clean up “He was just doing his job,” museum director Sietske van Zanten said All the good times we spent together convincingly resembles two half litre containers of Juplier it’s easy to miss that they’re actually hand-painted works of art The cans are meant to serve as a tribute to Lavet’s friends and the time they’ve spent hanging out and drinking beer which suggests the cans were left behind by construction workers doing some day drinking visitors might encounter what appears to be an old banana peel and two slices of fake meat designed by artist João Loureiro The staff launched a full search after the cans went missing Curator Elisah van den Bergh found them in a garbage bag along with some other rubbish that was about to get tossed out All the good times we spent together was still in good shape and “They’re currently presented in a more traditional way,” museum spokeswoman Fleur Rewijk told Dutch News “They have been given a temporary place of honour in the entrance of the museum on a classic pedestal.” One person’s trash is another person’s treasure The incident has ‘gone viral’ since the museum shared the details in a press release The Guardian and CNN are among the international outlets that have reported on it This also isn’t the first time a work of art has been destroyed or mistaken for something else in recent years An employee at the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem painted over a black dot on a white surface in 2017 It was actually a minimalist artwork titled Portrait of the nail behind the canvas And in 2011 several hapless visitors walked on a four by 14 metre carpet of peanut butter at the Boijmans van Beuningen museum in Rotterdam Schippers in 1962 and contained 1,100 litres of peanut butter As for All the good times we spent together on Wednesday morning Rewijk said the museum’s staff is getting ready to be busy in the coming days “Today is the first day the museum is open since the incident hit the news worldwide,” she said “Now that the story has gone viral internationally We’re expecting more visitors in the coming period Online we’re already seeing an increase in the number of followers and interactions.” But the cans won’t stay on that pedestal forever “We want to draw extra attention to the artwork after the events of the past few weeks,” she said “Where it will be placed afterward will remain a surprise for a while We like to surprise our visitors in unexpected ways The cans could wind up anywhere in the museum.” We could not provide the Dutch News service without the generous support of our readers Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days We could not provide this service without you Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey Yet despite its compact size, the Netherlands offers countless points of interest some of the best of which are located within its many smaller towns and villages Featuring a fascinating mix of historical intrigue these seven whimsical towns in Netherlands offer a magical blend of culture and charm that makes them well worth a visit The Netherlands has long been associated with flowers, in particular tulips So iconic a flower is the tulip that it was responsible for one of the world’s first economic crashes in the 1600s when speculators traded these once-rare bulbs for the equivalent of thousands of dollars in today’s money the small town of Lisse in the heart of the country’s Bollenstreek (bulb region) is the best place to visit in the Netherlands to truly appreciate the splendor of these magnificent flowers It’s also where you’ll find Castle Keukenhof with its picturesque gardens and art exhibitions the surrounding bulb fields stretch for miles in every direction and are perfect for cycling or driving tours Known as the "Venice of the North," picturesque Giethoorn features a network of canals instead of roads making it one of the most pedestrian-friendly tourist spots in the country Here you can rent a quiet “whisper” electric boat or a kayak for a quiet exploration of the over four miles of canals and the 50-plus elegant old wooden bridges that span them A great time to visit is August when the Giethoorn Gondola Parade sees elaborately decorated gondolas and other small boats parade along the canals at night Situated along the shores of the Markermeer, one of Europe's largest lakes and just 30 minutes north of Amsterdam Volendam offers a whimsical take on the traditional Dutch fishing village with its colorful wooden houses and locals dressed in traditional attire Head first to the town's harbor for a boat tour across the lake to nearby Marken a tiny island village that feels a lot like stepping back in time Other highlights include Volendam’s cheese factory and a traditional wooden shoe shop where you can buy the ultimate in Dutch souvenirs pop into Fotostudio Volendam where you can dress up in traditional outfits for a memorable photo keepsake The town also hosts the annual Volendam Festival a carnival that started in the 1700s and continues to celebrate summer with parades and entertainment There’s no better place for a traditional Dutch experience than Zaanse Schans. This village-like satellite of the larger town of Zaandam is an easy train ride from Amsterdam making it the perfect Netherlands day trip Zaanse Schans displays the county's rich industrial heritage through a collection of 10 historic windmills and other well-preserved 18th- and 19th-century buildings Highlights include seeing the attraction’s still-working windmills in action some of them grinding grain into flour for use in the on-site bakeries Pop into the Zaans Museum with its displays of Dutch culture and crafts; the traditional wooden shoe workshop where you can watch clogs being made; and the Verkade Experience for a memorable (and tasty) chocolate-making demonstration A great time to visit is in May during the annual Windmill Days celebration with its displays and demonstrations of these fascinating buildings in action One of the country's best-known UNESCO World Heritage Sites Kinderdijk is a whimsical wonderland of windmills set against a backdrop of wetlands and waterways The town is home to 19 well-preserved windmills that date back to the 18th century each offering visitors a glimpse into the Netherlands’ long history of water management you’ll learn about the complex system of dikes and reservoirs that have kept the country dry for centuries Visit in September and the town’s Windmill Days celebrations see the mills illuminated at night creating a magical atmosphere that draws visitors from around the world Boat tours along the canals offer a unique perspective of the windmills and the surrounding polder landscape Just a few miles east of the city of Maastricht near the border with Germany, Valkenburg is a must-visit for its fairytale castles Famous as the only Dutch castle to be constructed on a hill the ruins of Valkenburg Castle date from the 11th century and provide a fascinating glimpse into medieval life as well as great views over this picturesque town lies underground in the town's extensive network of marlstone caves you can explore a network of labyrinthine caves that stretch for miles as part of a guided tour that includes visits to underground chapels and even a Christmas market for those visiting during the winter months Then Valkenburg’s Fairytale Forest is a small theme park offering a whimsical experience complete with animated displays of classic fairy tales The town also hosts the Valkenburg Christmas Parade each December Last but by no means least is the quirky town of Naarden This star-shaped fortress town features perfectly preserved 17th-century fortifications Highlights of a self-guided walking tour of Naarden also include exploring the old Grote Kerk (Great Church) an architectural wonder built in the 1400s that features a series of elegant wooden vaults depicting scenes from the bible More can be learned about the town at the Dutch Fortress Museum (Het Nederlands Vestingmuseum) This fascinating attraction is an interactive experience providing details of the town’s military history and unique defense systems the Netherlands is full of whimsical small towns offering its own unique blend of attractions and charm From the canal-lined streets of Giethoorn to the historic windmills of Kinderdijk these pretty towns provide a chance to step back in time for an authentic taste of old Holland Whether it's dressing up in traditional costumes in Volendam or exploring underground caves in Valkenburg these seven whimsical towns in the Netherlands provide perfect escapes for those seeking an authentic Dutch experience photos and original descriptions © 2025 worldatlas.com Spring must have arrived in the Netherlands because the Keukenhof is opening for the season on Thursday This is the 76th season for the world-famous flower garden in Lisse “Keukenhof is welcoming the spring with enchanting early blooms Crocuses in white and purple and early daffodils adorn the park,” the organization said in an update on Tuesday visitors can enjoy an overwhelming flower show with tulips and hyacinths.“ The park’s displays are dependent on the weather and the time of the season the larger tulips will bloom outdoors along with daffodils and different types of hyacinths including the muscari variety that looks like dangling bunches of grapes As the Keukenhof season draws to a close in May and azaleas will then add color to the park.“ The garden also has several events lined up for the season marching bands will play Dutch music in the park Keukenhof will be open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. until May 11. Tickets are available here. © 2012-2025, NL Times, All rights reserved. Friday will be wonderfully sunny and warm in the Netherlands, with maximums climbing to 22 degrees in the south. The weather will see more cloud cover and showers, marking the switch to cooler weather next week, according to the meteorological institute KNMI. Friday morning will be quite sunny and dry, with some clouds appearing in the afternoon. The wind will come from the east and will be moderate, occasionally strong near the sea and above the IJsselmeer. The southern parts of the country will have a warm day, with temps climbing as high as 22 degrees in some paces. The north will be cooler. On the Wadden Islands, thermometers will climb no higher than 13 degrees. Tonight might see some rain in the south. The evening will be very mild for the time of the year, with minimums ranging from 7 degrees in the northeast to 12 degrees locally in the southwest. Saturday will be cloudy, with some showers falling, particularly in the southern half of the country. Maximums will climb to around 16 degrees, with a moderate easterly wind that could be quite strong along the coast. Sunday will look much the same but with even less room for sunshine and maximums around 17 degrees. After the weekend, the weather will be changeable and temperatures will gradually drop towards typical for the time of year. The long-term average maximum for late March is around 11 degrees Celsius. stress and much emotive beauty in the glass…” writes Garnett summing up what 2022 meant for her.Lisse Garnett (r) and colleagues cruising the Danube As I write reeking and surrounded by fetid teens on our sixth day without water I can honestly say that 2022 was a year of pain some gain and what the ancient Greeks called anagnorisis Colombia and Chile and tried some mighty vini An unexpected detour to Bogata en route to Chile resulted in a missing suitcase Ten days traversing Chile with only a stick of mascara and a tin of Vaseline were generously supplemented by De Martino winery couture the balm of Madeleine Stenwreth and jeans of Daniella Lund We travelled to Santiago via Guarilihue to Pucon and back again and these were two wines that stood out Baettig Vino de Viñedos Los Compadres Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 – dry-farmed low-cropped old vines bringing sublime tension blackcurrant fruit and a superbly silky texture Cointreau-noted smörgåsbord of wondrous complexity Andrew Edmunds upstairs in the Academy Club my last solo meal with the multi-faceted magical Mr Benn of Soho we ventured North to The Drapers and were far from disappointed by the food the wine nor the wonderful care taken by Nick Gibson earthy and spicy – lifted by fragrant sage We are all prismatic in personality according to the company we keep and my friend Andrew was ageless and spritely in wit and deed He’d spin acid-etched tales of swinging 60s London of the outré associates that played there – and of the wild antics they engaged in We’d bitch deliciously about bad behaviour The fact that he was my friend when he might have had far grander company His death is in keeping with his arrival in my life I saw him a few more times in his reputable Soho print shop housed in the early Georgian block that combines the restaurant and upstairs club Reminiscent of a 17th Century coffee house the whole has a Dickensian air lurking in those wainscoted corridors or climbing the wonky ill-lit creaking stairs that lead directly into the past Perhaps at table in his eponymous restaurant offering generously under-priced sleepers or upstairs in the Academy Club doling out low-priced The Real Wine Fair was an over whelmingly positive experience both the trade and the consumer days thronged with a multi-generational posse of wine lovers sipping and supping contentedly with the makers of their poison I’m going to namecheck Charlie Herring for producing mighty cider and call Renaud Boyer because everything about this wine says class; from its green credentials and characterful importer to its subtle elegant richness Perfectly poised white peach fruit laced with citrus acacia blossom white pepper and savoury saline complexity courtesy of Penfolds’ collaboration with Dourthe in 38°C heat allowed me to eat a sublime dinner seated next to an exceptionally modest Andrew Caillard MW and his wife Bobby The room was filled with iconic characters most of whom I’d only seen in Jancis Robinson’s 90s Wine Course Caillard probably understands Australian wine better than any other living being so this was a massive result for a rube like me We drank insanely well but a bottle of Penfolds Shiraz 1962 Bin 60A Coonawarra Cabernet Kalimna ‘one of the greatest Australian wines ever made’ Penfolds’ most successful show wine ever and pivotal in Max Schubert’s successful blending of Cabernet and Shiraz The wine was sublime – fresh and exotic with a prevailing note of incense (smoky handbags) Gorgeously lifted by the scent of dried rose petals and as light on the tongue as diaphanous silk We tried a second bottle and it didn’t sing forth like the first Now to South Africa and a fantastic chance to compare the superb Savennières Les Vieux Clos 2019 – Nicolas Joly with several South African offerings which were shown at the Loire Valley Wines single varietal tasting should be applauded and applaud I will – of the several South African examples shown held its territory and at a miniscule fraction of the price of the sublimely sensual and impossible-to-source Joly The Joly was a sensually layered joyous assignation of a wine teasing our taste buds with sweet cinnamon Lisse Garnett at the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction The Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction was an outstanding event After two years in exile it took place at the Lord Charles in Somerset West The lots went sky high – the best year yet with female winemakers and whites hitting the top slots and prices up 30% on the previous year with 30% of the lots sold to overseas bidders Samantha O’Keefe’s Lismore Valkyrie Chardonnay 2021 hit the highest gavel price Closely followed by Andrea Mullineux’s Trifecta Chenin Blanc 2020 Kanonkop CWG Paul Sauer 2019 reached the highest average price per bottle with Cederberg Teen die Hoog Shiraz 2020 a close second Argentina delivered insanely good wines for ridiculous prices and too many to call a favourite but I am going to slyly single out Ver Sacrum Pedro Ximenez and El Porvenir de Cafayate Naranjo because they are both gorgeous Some of the mightiest wines I tried this year came from home savoury beauty – delivers the ultimate expression of England’s textural potential a saignée-made rosé from the Stoner Valley It is a beautiful pale peony colour – is bright full and aromatic with a gorgeous note of English rose wild strawberry and hibiscus – superbly fitting for a wine that is actually selling well in Champagne My interest piqued in the late 80s when I watched the brilliant film White Mischief staring Greta Scacchi and Charles Dance The story is set in Kenya and based on the reported antics of the Happy Valley ex-pats whose gin-oiled sexual appetites might be downplayed as louche known as mother’s ruin –and yet it always makes me very happy indeed How fittingly modern that my favourite gin is made by amiable Mouse Hall Gin is my final toast for 2022 and I’m advocating a large pour There is no doubt it’s going to be a bumpy ride but let’s make it an enjoyable one is a bucket list item for many travelers for almost countless reasons from its Red Light District and quaint canals to its chocolate and Millions of Amsterdam tulips are displayed every spring drawing in visitors from around the world in droves Amsterdam tulips can be admired in both the city and the surrounding countryside as they all transform themselves into a myriad of vibrant colors For cruisers, too, the Amsterdam Tulip Festival is a must-see event Don't let the name fool you: The Amsterdam Tulip Festival is celebrated all over the north of The Netherlands many events occurring both in and near Amsterdam we'll explore the best places to witness the tulips during the festival and overall tulip season when to visit and which cruise lines include Amsterdam and its tulips in their itineraries A bed of tulips in Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse (Photo: Jorge Oliver) "Tulip Festival Amsterdam" is an overarching title for a festival celebrating tulips during their prime blooming season It includes Amsterdam and its surrounding areas all of which provide visitors the opportunity to witness the tulip display events in Holland (the Netherlands) with flower parades Tulip enthusiasts can see it all via bike routes and driving routes Tulip season in Amsterdam typically runs from mid-March to early May with the peak blooming period usually occurring in April Note that the timing of peak bloom will vary depending on weather conditions To ensure you catch the tulips at their best, consider planning your tulip cruise itinerary around mid-April. You can stay updated on the blooming progress by checking the Flower Forecast Keukenhof Gardens is considered the world's largest flower garden and is a stone's throw from Amsterdam The 32-hectare park contains over seven million tulips making it quite the paradise for anthophiles Many cruise lines, such as AmaWaterways and Viking River Cruises offer shore excursions to Keukenhof Gardens during the tulip season To reach Keukenhof Gardens from the Amsterdam Cruise Port, book a shore excursion through your cruise line or take a self-guided tour which are close to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport From Amsterdam Central Station travelers can take a train and then transfer to Keukenhof Gardens by bus Travel time typically takes between 40 minutes to one hour and 30 minutes Colorful tulip fields dot the countryside surrounding Amsterdam Cruisers can rent a bicycle or join a guided tour to explore the blooming tulip fields Popular areas include the Bollenstreek (Bulb Region) and the towns of Lisse Cruisers can book an independent or ship-sponsored guided tour to visit the tulip fields from the city's cruise port Many tours include transportation and will take you directly to the most popular tulip fields and farms catch a train from Amsterdam Central Station to Leiden or Haarlem and then rent a bicycle For those opting to bike, the journey to the tulip fields is flexible. Expect at least a 20-minute ride to reach the scenic fields and plan for rainy weather. Adventurous cyclists can find downloadable tulip route maps and routes online Flevoland, a province northeast of Amsterdam, is home to the famous Tulpenroute (Tulip Route) This 62-mile route takes visitors through vast tulip fields showcasing the vibrant colors of the Dutch countryside The route is best explored by car or bicycle allowing you to stop and admire the tulip displays at your own pace Some cruise lines do offer shore excursions in Flevoland, specifically the tulip fields. AmaWaterways includes Flevoland as an excursion option in their "Tulip Time" river cruise itineraries Visit the Amsterdam Tulip Museum for a deeper insight into the history and significance of tulips in Dutch culture this small museum offers a glimpse into the tulip trade and the "Tulip Mania" of the 17th century You can take a taxi or public transportation from the cruise port to the Amsterdam Tulip Museum take a tram or walk to Amsterdam Central Station do as the Dutch do and cycle there; many river cruise lines offer up complimentary bicycles for guests to use The Bloemencorso Bollenstreek and the specific date is released the year prior Parade floats decorated with fragrant hyacinths and other spring flowers travel along a 26-mile route Hillegom and other charming villages before concluding in Haarlem The local communities along the route actively participate in the festivities You’ll need to arrange transportation from the Amsterdam Cruise Port to see the Keukenhof Flower Parade travel to Amsterdam Central Station by taxi shuttle bus or public transportation from the cruise port You can get a train or bus from there to one of the towns along the parade route Be sure to check the local bus schedules to plan your trip effectively Public transportation will likely be more crowded than usual during the event so allow extra time for your journey and be prepared for potential delays Cruisers have various options to experience the Amsterdam Tulip Festival including both mainstream and river cruise lines Viking River Cruises and AmaWaterways offer "Tulips & Windmills" and "Tulip Time" river cruises These itineraries provide a more intimate look at the charming villages and colorful tulip fields along the Dutch countryside Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line occasionally include Amsterdam in their European and Northern European itineraries allowing guests to witness the stunning tulip blooms during port calls But it's been some years since I've considered partaking in the workwear staple again — until now When you're a fashion editor, people might expect Carrie Bradshaw levels of styling every day. The reality, though, is quite different: I'm normally in jeans (or jorts for summer) and some sort of easy tee to fight the L.A I made it a goal to incorporate more elevated pieces into my everyday rotation And this fluttery pleated top by Rue Sophie has been the perfect swap for my beloved T-shirts.  Crafted in a crisp but light cotton, the simple cami feels elevated with its A-line fit and pintucked pleats that cinch into a gentle empire waist before splaying out into a peplum shape. It's not only a subtle riff on the tennis trend (shoutout "Challengers") that doesn't feel too sporty but it's also an accessible take on a recurring runway trend (Designers have been betting on a peplum revival since Spring 2023.)  my obsession was validated when I wore it to brunch and had to send the link to three editor friends which is more than enough approval for me.  Rue Sophie Lisse Flutter Top, $138, available here (sizes XS-XL) In no way do either affect our editorial decision-making Never miss the latest fashion industry news. Sign up for the Fashionista daily newsletter Savannah is Fashionista's Market & Branded Content Editor. The Nikon fisheye 14.3mm f4 next to Leica Noctilux 50mm f1.2 The 14.3mm f/4 lens for 70mm cinema cameras originally made for viewing films on 360 degree screens An extremely rare, and huge, collectable lens has become available to purchase, the Nikon fisheye 14.3mm f4 The lens is available to buy from the Leica Store Lisse "We currently don't really have a price in mind yet as we aren't officially putting it up for sale at this time We are happy to have it in our collection ourselves Although we never know what offers might come our way..." Martijn de Clercq from the Leica Store Lisse told DCW lens is a piece of photography and optics history and was originally made for Disney with plans to use it for futuristic film and theatre viewing with 360-degree screens.  the lens could be fitted to IMAX film cameras shooting onto 70mm film this lens can be adapted to attach to multiple modern cameras which translates to f2.8 on 35mm can be considered ultra-fast for a fish-eye lens the giant lens is sat next to the Leica Noctilux 50mm f1.2 which takes a moment to even notice in comparison Described by Leica Store Lisse as “the holy grail of (fish eye) lenses,” they add “Considering this lens is one of a kind vs the dozens of copies of the 6mm you can begin to understand the significance of what we have on our table today!” Fisheye lenses date back to 1906 Wood developed a lens based on how a fish would view the world underwater The lenses were used in the 1920s when they were used to study cloud formations but it wasn’t until the 1960s that the fisheye lens became more popular Nikon released their first consumer fisheye lens in 1962 and the style of photography became synonymous with the swinging sixties Many famous album covers were taken with fisheye lenses including Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Are You Experienced and The Rolling Stones ‘Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) Media and Communications Leonie developed a love of photography after taking a year out to travel around the world.  Bangladesh and Ukraine with her trusty Nikon Leonie learned how to capture the beauty of these inspiring places and her photography has accompanied her various freelance travel features.  As well as travel photography Leonie also has a passion for wildlife photography both in the UK and abroad.  HUDSON — When Russia invaded Ukraine in late February "I wanted to do whatever I could to help,” said Brian Lisse who has practiced medicine for 41 years, will travel back and forth between the U.S and Poland starting this month to help provide medical care to Ukrainian refugees "This is just a part of who I am," Lisse said inner-city hospitals and community health centers He is trained as a primary care doctor and emergency department physician But he has continued to work at free clinics including the MetroWest Free Medical Program clinic in Framingham “I wasn’t really ready to quit practicing,” Lisse said He earned his medical license in 1981, completing his residency at UMass Medical Center in Worcester He had every intention of joining the Peace Corps leaving the country and never coming back when he first went to medical school “It just didn’t quite work out that way because the woman I met and married at the time had no interest in doing that,” Lisse said Statistics from the United Nations state that about 3.5 million people have fled to Poland since Russia invaded Ukraine Lisse will treat people who have primary care needs but no access to a primary care doctor his patients can include “someone who left their medication behind or has problems with chronic illness like diabetes and hypertension,” Lisse said He wanted to help after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 but couldn't because of scheduling conflicts there has been disaster over disaster all over the world that I wanted to go to but there was always a problem because of scheduling,” Lisse said Lisse connected with a doctor in Canada who will take him to Ukraine putting him on rotation with other doctors from Canada He’s going to help for as long as needed and as long as he can afford to Lisse will work with the Archdiocese of Przemysl in Poland; they're in need of donations of windbreakers sandals and flip-flops. He can get necessary medical supplies in Poland but Lisse said people urgently need those three items they can donate them at the First United Methodist Church on 34 Felton St said Lisse and his wife are amazing human beings for what they do in the community — donating supplies and food and running their nonprofit Bridges to Malawi in which doctors make medical trips to the southeastern African country to provide health care in rural hospitals telling her about how they needed help on the Poland-Ukraine border “Everybody knows him because of the work that he does,” Lourens said “He’s just a really kind man.” People who want to donate supplies can drop them off at the Avidia Financial Center at 17 Pope St IA — Lisse Garrett has been appointed the District Manager of the Iowa/Nebraska/South Dakota District making her the first woman to hold that position for the district Garrett oversees a workforce of more than 10,000 employees working at 1,600 Post Offices and stations The district provides service to more than 2.5 million delivery points through nearly 5,200 delivery routes “I’m looking forward to implementing the groundwork of the Postal Service’s Delivering for America 10-year plan here in our district,” Garrett said Garrett began her career as a clerk in Chandler She has held numerous leadership positions throughout the country including Postmaster; Post Office Operations Manager; Manager of Operations Program Support; Manager Delivery Programs Support; and District Manager in Georgia “This is a great opportunity to build relationships we’re expecting great things and look forward to continued success,” Garrett added The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage restore long-term financial sustainability dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories and maintain the organization as one of America’s most valued and trusted brands Copyright© 2025 United States Postal Service steeped in bacchanalian festivities and youthful vignerons Kate Hawkings and Libby Brodie found out.Sounding like a bad cop show: Brodie Every gathering had the casual vibe of an impromptu At Belleville-en-Boujolais we were greeted by an upended Citroën in a ditch There were also huge cauldrons of steaming molluscs steeped in chorizo multiple magnums and a heart stopping view The 12-piece brass band playing Radiohead was unexpected as were the twirling there are some things that happen in Beaujolais that stay in Beaujolais They enveloped us into their throng without explanation nor second glance No one would have dreamt of offering us anything so gauche as product information We were seamlessly absorbed into enchanting company and seduced by youthful zealots of the vine dancing Dutch importers were the only other foreign interlopers we met like smug 80s ravers who’d blagged their way backstage to hang with the band at the mightiest of secret gigs but Beaujolais Nouveau is the name the man on the street knows Over egged and marketed to within an inch of its credibility it shrank back into obscurity and became a bit of a joke Beaujolais producers have celebrated the harvest by sharing young wine that is made and sold the same year for over a hundred years Released on the 3rd Thursday of November; fresh it should be low priced and is ideally supped in Paris with steak frites thanks to a campaign that was inadvertently lit by the London papers According to Oz Clarke it was the Sunday Times journalist Allan Hall who kicked things off He promised to give the first person to walk in his office on the 15th November 1974 with a bottle of fresh Beaujolais a bottle of good Champagne The lunatic British wino fringe took to the roads in all manner of rangy vehicles – traversing the French countryside in an attempt to get to London avec le Beaujolais Nouveau only to be pipped at the post by some unsportsmanlike individual who made use of a private jet Beaujolais Nouveau made household names of growers like Georges Duboeuf Let’s not forget Beaujolais is also the birthplace of natural wine and Guy Breton decided to make wine like their grandfathers They saw the results of industrial post-war farming and they wanted out The wines they made spawned a movement that resonated across the world Today the party they started in Beaujolais is propagated by conscientious younger growers who are keen to protect the environment and express the region’s heritage as well as complex terroir Beaujolais overlaps the Mâconnais in the Southern part of Burgundy but much of its territory lies further South in the Rhône Department and is not far from Lyon Though primarily a region known for red wine made from the Gamay grape (98% of plantings are Gamay) white and rosé wines are also being produced from small plantings of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir From 2009 to 2018 soils were comprehensively mapped thus allowing growers to create plot-by-plot cuvées They can also now use the ‘Unesco Global Geopath’ label in recognition of Beaujolais’ outstanding geology some of the richest and most complex in France The climate too is complex and subject to three main climactic influences; continental currents oceanic air movements and Mediterranean winds Over half the world’s Gamay is located in the Beaujolais AOP purple/black-skinned grapes are fairly good at adapting to soil but do require meticulous care and attention A natural cross between Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc Gamay can produce age-worthy wines of great elegance and finesse as well as supple showing pretty strawberry and raspberry notes and nuanced Carbonic maceration and semi-carbonic maceration are used Carbonic maceration has been adopted by growers throughout the world keen to convey fruity flavours and freshness Beaujolais is a region that offers much that is memorable complex and nuanced in terms of range and style The distillation of the Beaujolais concept allows for over-simplification of what is essentially a broad canvas Beaujolais perfectly illustrates the wonders a varied terroir might convey on a single variety Beaujolais Crus might not even use the word Beaujolais on their labels so all need to be memorised and explored to be understood This exciting and diverse region is fascinating impossible to pigeonhole and incredibly it suits all budgets Rare words to hear in association with Burgundy More and more drinkers view these wines as an alternative to red Burgundy – now so costly you need to sell your front teeth to buy it Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly are the ten Beaujolais Crus While the southern region of Beaujolais is flatter and clay-based these northern crus offer fruit grown on the monts de Beaujolais – granite hills that deliver richer Styles offer broad and varied personalities they can be anything from lithe and ephemeral Chiroubles to dark and even tannic such as those from Moulin-a-Vent I have included information on individual crus in the tasting notes below Interestingly when the Grand cru appellation in the Cote d’Or relaxed their regulations on maximum yields This is a region that is extremely keen to prove itself worthy of note A lot of what we tried is simply not in the UK the natural and the more traditionally poncey too I cannot recommend enough going out there to party and sup yourself as for much of the time I was having too much fun to write notes Wines from Morgon are said to be fuller flavoured and grown on weathered schist on the south-facing slopes of Mont du Py Made by Brits from old vine fruit dating back 40 to 100 years Intense perfumed notes balance a sensual muscular structure gently gripping tannins and a hint of coffee The wine is fresh and sappy yet layered and rich with interest Sunier makes incredible terroir-expressive wines and is a bit of a rockstar wine god now otherworldly elegance that lifts certain wines toward the divine A delicate hint of rose petal lends a floral note to this sapid red fruit-laden sup pomegranate and cranberry enliven a silken texture Perhaps seen as fancier than the other crus and often the call people make as an alternative to Burgundy Moulin wines usually deliver in terms of grace and value Jadot bought this estate between Fleurie and Chénas in 1996 on ancient granite and is vinified in closed vats pumped over and aged in new oak for 12 months The wine is fresh and redolent with cherry raspberry coulis and a hint of Bakewell Tart A natural wine made from grapes in conversion to organic the silken texture culminates in a tannic finish with a delicate hint of rose petal and exotic incense iron-tinged with grainy tannins and a lengthy finish Brouilly is the largest cru (containing Côte de Brouilly) and is situated around Mont Brouilly – often mouth-wateringly fresh and fruity Aligoté and Melon de Bourgogne as well as Gamay Cuvée Melanie comes from Boulard who is famous for his Morgon the tannins intensely moreish and the finish Jean-Claude Chanudet aka Le Chat and the late Marcel Lapierre were childhood friends who travelled the world working together Chanudet took over Domaine Joseph Chamonard when Lapierre died They were part of the group who spoke out in favour of natural wine though Chanudet is now vehemently against the dogma of the movement that he derides as a new religion comes from the most famous and oldest plot in Fleurie grown biodynamically on decomposed pink granite cola and high church incense meet intense minerality The tannins are elegant and supple – it’s fruity too but the elegant perfume and earthy minerality move the dark fruit in a textured All manner of soft red berries enliven this silky they are wildly new and fresh and yet still have the hallmarks of granite and tradition I would encourage you to try them all and the labels are fantastic Claire Thevenot MS is his importer in the UK (as were a huge proportion of the wines we tasted) Tomix is partially aged in concrete It’s delicately floral too with violet and spring blossom a natural wine made from grapes in conversion to organic Sour cherry and plum; a silken texture culminating in deliciously dry tannins An average altitude of 1000 feet in Chiroubles produces light This was once a region known for oak hence the name The smell of roses is a well-used descriptor alive and zippy; this radiates life with a hint of farmyard white pepper; super dry and chalky with tannin Founded by Marie and the late Marcel Lapierre and Jean-Claude Chanudet in 1995 mainly in Morgon plus a small parcel of vines in La Côte du Py The texture is silky and delicately laced with fragrant Fruit came from old vines; the wine was aged for ten months in oak crunchy and tart with cranberry and sour cherry aged for around eight to nine months in old foudres enticingly wild and sour with a gorgeous violet note Organic and made with the absolute minimum of intervention was the year I took a good hard look at myself,” writes Garnett in her Best wines of 2023.Wine writers retreat: Tiffany Vernon I met many wine professionals who stood up for their ideals and accomplished fantastical feats UK-based sommelier Tanguy Martin somehow found the energy to cycle from London to Brighton in aid of paediatric brain tumour research for his little son Max And wine’s irrepressible now somewhat svelte bon viveur and fine wine trader There are winemakers who have also created real change – Kobie van der Westhuizen and Tertius Boshoff of Stellenrust in South Africa are the second generation of their family to farm whilst actively enacting black economic empowerment and protecting old vines are now majority shareholders in the business and part owners of the land My first wine of 2023 is their 2021 Stellenrust ArtiSons Series pungent peach of a wine with a pithy texture and mineralic On Cloud Wine is another example of selfless thinking forged by youthful ingenue Emily Batchelor who felt the need to import South African wine made by black women She is a sincere advocate and fights hard for their place at the UK table My second best wine of 2023 was discovered at The Old Vine Conference field trip in March which was hosted by Feudi di San Gregorio in Campania which cares for more than 50 hectares of centenarian vines Sarah Abbott MW introduced us to famed agronomist Professor Attilio Scienza and vine surgeon Pierpaolo Sirch and Mount Pleasant in Oz have all aligned themselves with the cause evidence of real progress by Abbott and her campaign to recognise old vine wines On the trip we tasted Vivianna Malafarina’s Basilisco Storico cooled by sea breezes on the steep volcanic cone of Mount Vulture ink-deep and textural with a deliciously dry finish Tokaj is one of only three places in the world with a history of wines aged under flor and could be the only place to use botrytised berries in a biologically-aged wine fermented to dryness On my third visit to this fantastic region with Wines of Hungary I was fortunate enough to take a closer look at dry flor-aged Szamorodni under the expert guidance of Gergely Somogyi and his truly magnificent moustache A standout was Samuel Tinon’s Tokaj Szamarondni Szaraz 2003 13.8% 90% Furmint 10% Hárslevelú which shows honeyed beeswax The finish is fruit-driven and slightly smoky caramel-laced with white pepper and a hint of furniture polish A trip to Milan on the eve of famed impresario Berlusconi’s funeral was an adventure in itself It was especially memorable for the time I spent with Ferrari’s Camilla Lunelli and then Helena Lageder of Alois Lageder Both women are scions of wine families who use their privilege to protect our environment I hugely enjoyed these two wines: Guilio Ferrari Reserve del Fondatore 2010 and Alois Lageder Löwengang Uvaggio Storico 2020 The Guilio Ferrari Reserve del Fondatore 2010 is 100% Chardonnay which spends ten years on lees Superbly textural and layered with a smörgåsbord of flavours: red apple Alois Lageder Löwengang Uvaggio Storico 2020 is a blend of Carmenère Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot – all grapes grown on limestone and sand The wine is matured in barriques and culminates in a moreish The Bertani brothers behind Tenuta Santa Maria lost their father unexpectedly ten years after the 2011 sale of Bertani to Angelini Wines The sons retain three of the finest estates including the astonishingly romantic Neoclassical Villa Mosca Bertani family history is full of feats of courage and enterprise; the term Amarone was even coined in the family cellar A sincere quest for elegance prioritises aromatics over sweetness and is evident in the glass Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva DOCG 2016 is lithe I then had the opportunity to meet Andrea Lonardi MW for a tasting of the Bertani library collection from 1958 to 2013 at London reataurant Spring orchestrated by the brilliant Monique Ziervogel The collection is on sale and contains 250,000 bottles Lonardi proved a modest ambassador; he appraised each vintage with a refreshingly candid eye Standout was Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 1964 still ruby after 19 years in wood (bottled in 83) hauntingly fragrant with potpourri and sweet A game at the Rugby World Cup was a highlight of an incredible Loire Valley Wines odyssey shared with The Buyer’s Geoffrey Dean; his company made the spectacle of a pissed-up Welsh fan attempting to board our bus all the funnier We tasted multitudinous Muscadets and Cabernet Francs Château de Plaisance 2015 and 2021 Nicolas Joly principled and young; it was beautiful to taste an old style of wine made in a youthful guise Despite rumours suggesting Virginie Joly is not keen on botrytis English wine has continued its rise toward universal excellence On meeting Ridgeview’s Tamara and Mardi Roberts It’s easy to understand why some of the UK’s most particular brands put their faith in these two and commission them to produce wine for them delivered dish after dish of well-priced delicious food Of the wines tasted I favoured the Oak Reserve NV It’s the antithesis of taut minerality and all the more wonderful for it The wines of self-made South African winemaker Duncan Savage paired perfectly with the inspirational dishes (and hospitality of head sommelier Ciarán Bagchus) at Pied a Terre in Charlotte Street this September It was one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten and I would rate it alongside the hospitality of ex-Michelin star chef Savage ‘Follow the Line’ 2021 will make you sing cherries and an angel’s kiss in spring.” Gorgeous I saw another mighty (ex)somm up close as the guest of Axa-owned Quinta do Noval in the Douro Managed by Christian Seeley and his director of communications whose genius for hospitality was chiselled during the late 1990s heyday of GB wine pioneers Hotel du Vin which proved as potent as a night on the Raki with London restaurateur Isa Bal The Quinta do Noval Nacional 2003 Vintage Port makes my ‘Best Of’ I felt I might find all the secrets to human existence at the bottom of my glass Gorgeously chewy and endlessly stimulating on to Bordeaux and the second Château de Ferrand Wine Writers Retreat the conference provided a real and meaningful opportunity to appraise our collective purpose as wine writers and to examine the direction in which we are all hurtling We also learnt once again that getting a beer after 9pm in Saint-Émilion is absolutely impossible Château de Ferrand is owned by the inventors of the Biro the humble 1950s writing implement which was inspired by the wheel of a wheelbarrow and has since become the world’s biggest selling pen Their patronage was much appreciated by this tatty wine scribe as is the beautiful evolution of this château under talented winemaker Gonzague de Lambert formerly of VIK in Chile; watch this space Chateau de Ferrand Grand Cru Classe Saint-Émilion 2019 is deep was the year I took a good hard look at myself and questioned why I do what I do A career in wine is something many people dream of; I realised just how many when I hit the dating sites this year Pretty much every bloke who contacted me was hot…for my job It made me uncomfortable because although I travelled to Italy 12 times (thanks EU funding) stayed at the most remarkable Quinta in the Douro and was the guest of a good few of the most wealthy and more modest winemaking families in Europe I do this because I love it; I love the people And so it is with opinions… we may not share them but let’s allow one another’s to co-exist without venomous reprisal,” writes Garnett.Women in wine at the Wines of Argentina symposium: Lisse Garnett a phrase that flows so easily across the tongue a buzz topic on every blog and in every PR in-box But what does it mean to be a woman in our trade and I’m in Mendoza, Argentina, where I have been invited by Wines of Argentina (WOFA) to speak to an audience of sommeliers about what it means to be a woman in wine I’m in impressive company: Sarah Jane Evans MW; Argentine’s Valeria Gamper who won the ASI Best Somm of the Americas award; Jessica Vargas from Wine Enthusiast; and Audrey Doré of El Celler de Can Roca in Girona are also speaking has signed the organisation up to the United Nations Principles for the Empowerment of Women which includes some pretty reasonable demands for balanced representation egalitarianism in pay and a lack of workplace harassment and violence about my hospitality ‘journey’ and about the way I have treated and been treated by my fellow and opposite sex I haven’t always been the best friend to my kind I wrote a piece about influencers for the Spectator to which my editor attached an image of the exceptionally beautiful Georgie Fenn New to Instagram and heavily influenced by a male colleague’s disgust for algorithms I wrote a pretty scathing partially tongue-in-cheek series of pieces about the age-old phenomenon of using sex to sell wine Industry women went nuts – I was vitriolically attacked by many on Twitter (I was not on it then) in particular by a MW (female) to whom I wrote a cogent letter of reply Happy to slag me off as ‘an enemy to my sex’ in public she nevertheless did not lower herself to engage in private loved and subbed the primary piece did not deign to champion me on Twitter either to distance himself and maniacally people (sorry) ‘women please’ instead It was Georgie Fenn who restored my belief in female solidarity and taught me a valuable lesson by chance at a masterclass where she shook my hand and willingly joined me and Francisco Baettig for lunch Hannah Crosbie and many other female influencers – highly successful wine communicators well capable of cogent debate take all forms of communication to reach audiences It seems I needed to take a leaf out of History of an Unusual Wine Company Doug Wregg’s account of setting up natural wine pioneers When labelled a natural fundamentalist over his championing of the ‘commercial con’ of natural wine at The Natural Wine Fair in 2011 Wregg calmly explained that the wine church is broad and all might co-exist So it is with wine communication in all of its many forms And so it is with opinions… we may not share them but let’s allow one another’s to co-exist without venomous reprisal Yael Doctorovich (WOFA) Jaoquin Hildalgo (Vinous) My mother was a waitress and a single parent of six – so I suppose it began there had been severely injured by a bullet to the head and ended his life as a caretaker in a Polish convent near Northampton took the only job she could to support her family I followed suit and began waitressing aged fourteen Hospitality has since funded two journalism degrees a Masters and a separation I hope will end in divorce my very best friends and numerous nights of enjoyable public service It even got me my first job in television – through contacts made serving pizza not really knowing much about it apart from what I’d seen on Brideshead Revisited Naïve and green I’d flown to Firenze with no clue it was actually the same place as Florence My first interview was at a casino on the outer periphery of the city I was buzzed through a side door into a white hall and shown into a space that revealed itself to be part office reappearing clad only in a white towelling robe and proffering a silver salver of strawberries complete with a bottle of something sparkling I don’t remember how I got home but I do remember him plaintively calling after me This kind of situation was fairly commonplace in Italy fathers of other children would routinely place their hand on my leg and proposition me for sex One night I awoke having crashed on a friend’s sofa in Florence after a late finish to find an English Lord pleasuring himself above me Such is the life of the dispossessed unprotected young female abroad Exploitation when far from home and reliant on work to supply One five-star hotel I worked in (under a female boss) near Elba treated its live-in foreign staff appallingly We worked from 6am stacking sunbeds on the private beach until 1am on wash-up A pair of us staff took off in the dead of night – a Basque and a Brit – too fearful and insecure about our rights to confront injustice instead choosing to ride the night bus to Florence and test our wits there I’m not entirely comfortable with individual women who promote themselves as the public face of female empowerment either those who tag reputable female causes for personal traction in social media and also in inappropriate contexts – during a 13-hour vintage vertical lunch But surely we can do far better for our sex than watch unctuous trade insiders get wankered on vintage verticals We wine communicators all need attention to thrive and to get limited lucrative work – an ever-higher profile and competition is encouraged – huge social media followings mean invites to speak and placement on trips but there are those who utilise their status to gain personal affirmation Men and women that cultivate affirmation and a position of power over substance ought not be trusted in my humble opinion Witnessing male industry individuals gain the trust of young girls merely to furnish their ‘wank bank’ is galling live-in accommodation and the odd foreign trip is not unusual Best Argentine sommelier Andy Donadio embracing her mentor and best friend Valeria Gamper Best Somm of the Americas 2022 and Best Somm Argentina 2019 And what of that conservatoire – the Mendozan address For this is a worthy and credible cause – equality is a given (the base line for all) – and we must show solidarity to our sex in this Domestic violence and coercion thrives on the silence of women I’ve seen it first hand and it is hard and potentially libellous to speak out I was so privileged to share the stage with these women The only individual on that stage unable to converse in Spanish and I trembled erudite MWs and young women who have conquered the prejudice of class and race are far better speakers than me As I left the stage a young female sommelier from Argentina held out her arms and enclosed me in a hug And just like the three fantastic women I saw come first second and third at the Argentinian Sommelier 2022 Championship earlier that day For there is nothing more noble nor powerful than championing your sex and feeling their sweet collective arms embrace so I tasted as many as I could and I was deeply impressed,” writes Garnett.Tasting the best of South Africa and Italy: Bibendum’s Cape & Boot tasting Bibendum‘s Cape and Boot tasting was a masterpiece of canny curation and nifty naming being a focus on the importer’s South African and Italian agencies Towering amicable Saffers and platters heaving with biltong lined half the walls The throng was so intense that it was quite tricky getting to some wines Informality was key to making the venue and tasting the success it clearly was In-depth tasting opportunities such as this are much appreciated and I would have liked to have stayed all day Italy is Bibendum’s largest-selling sector, and there was much to like. My favourites Lageder and Ferrari were on excellent form and there were a few new faces such as Sardinian Cantina Mesa a country so sensuous it is impossible not to be moved by the wines they produce a minuscule voyeuristic visitor to a timeless Eden I confess to being hopelessly seduced by every sip I take of the country’s lusciously intoxicating All of the bottles I sampled had that magical sense of place that makes any wine – simple or complex – irresistible so I tasted as many as I could and I was deeply impressed by Stellenrust a producer who not only makes sumptuous wines from predominantly old vines but is Fair Trade and operates a black empowerment system that the world should take note of is that this ‘New Wave’ of South African producers can’t be called new anymore; some of our Saffer hosts had salt-and-pepper barnets and vari-focals But South African wine continues its stratospheric evolution The beaming face of Bubble Master Pieter Ferreira was a welcome sight, as are the gorgeous wines he creates. Graham Beck‘s Méthode Cap Classiques are hugely sought after and his 2018 Cuvée Clive has been named South African Sparkling Wine of the Year by Tim Atkin The MCC category improves every year as site selection older vines and greater time on lees bring complexity and characteristic ‘sunshine’ as Ferreira appositely describes it the base wine spends five months in barrel prior to secondary fermentation candied lemon and buttery Biscoff biscuit make this a moreish choice Partially fermented in wood for creaminess and stainless steel for freshness Zero dosage is a rarity in South Africa and this is not produced every year zesty and dry with a sublimely gorgeous creamy texture and a zippy 45% Pinot Noir – a hugely successful well-priced staple blend made with 10% of reserve wine and grapes sourced from many growers across the Western Cape Bright fresh creamy and redolent with cherry 90% Pinot and 10% Chardonnay from prized vines jointly pressed followed by four years of lees ageing Fresh with creamy cherry and raspberry zip I enjoyed meeting the owners of Springfield Estate very much eccentrics Abrie and Jeanette Bruwer are a charming accompaniment to their wonderful wines Descended from persecuted Huguenots who left the Loire in the 17th Century they’ve owned Springfield for four generations Their retro styled labels really stood out The Springfield Estate lies on the Breede River in Robertson Brother and sister Abrie and Jeanette talk of fishing and supping; their wines are made to complement the fish they catch single vineyard and wild yeast are their trademarks They are one of only two producers to plant Albariño in South Africa Miss Lucy is made to complement fish and is a super sapid grapefruit and peach on the nose and white melon We winos do love a yarn and David Nieuwoudt spins the perfect tale when talking of the appropriately named Ghost Corner This time delivered by pouring behemoth Nick Vlok who gave me the lowdown on “The most Southerly planted vineyard in Stellenbosch closest to the sea.” The southernmost tip of Africa where compasses fail to show true North and a treacherous reef extends out from the coast Some 130 trading ships were lost over the years and grim tales of headless ghosts and grey ladies are rife well as cool as South Africa gets and the soils are deep I first came across David Nieuwoudt through his Longavi collaboration with Julio Bouchon in Chile His family has farmed Dwarsrivier in Cederberg since 1893 with 13% spending nine months in new oak barrels The wine is bone dry but offers the illusion of creamy salty sweetness; it’s ever so slightly round with pear fresh and bright with a deliciously appealing herbal complexity Elim was once a mission station where holy wine was produced Fairtrade producer and old vine custodians, Stellenrust is responsible for one of the most successful and impressive black empowerment movements in South Africa The farm is run by brothers Tertius Boshoff and Kobus van de Westhuizen 70 employees have taken ownership of the land they farm people that Tertius and Kobus played with as children and friends who they’ve known all of their lives Their decision to join the Fairtrade movement in 2010 was taken not to sell wines but to contribute further to the excellent existing relationship with their workers and optimise the support they could give them Education is a tertiary benefit of the programme with far-reaching consequences a number of the younger members of the Stellenrust community are graduates who will go on to have successful careers independent of the wine trade sapid and salty with a lovely herbal blackcurrant leaf note a hint of mineral; wet stone and tangy ripe fruit Stellenrust 52 Chenin Blanc (barrel fermented) £16.22 peach-laden sup of buttered honey-spiced zesty apple and a sweet hint of orange blossom Swiss winemaking master Jean-Claude Martin and his Saffer ‘wine royalty’ wife, Carolyn Finlayson, named their wines well. They founded their now 50-acre estate in 2002 on virgin soil in Walker Bay, a beautiful spot down the coast from Cape Town, known for where the icy cool Atlantic brings cool climate complexity and verve – Creation Wines as a location punches pitch-perfect hospitality natural beauty and an internationally lauded cellar door Single site selection in Hemel-En-Arde (means Heaven and Earth) as they say in SA; layer upon layer of salty like lemon sherbet on the tongue with a hint of nutmeg on the finish Shannon Vineyards is a small Elgin property with only 10 hectares under vine and a brilliant winemaking duo at the helm – Gordon and Nadia Newton-Johnson – who champion low intervention and are known for wines with a great sense of place The fruit is so fresh: zippy blackcurrants and English plum dusty chocolate and an achingly fresh acidity Gorgeously savoury and fresh with sage and wild herbs Right in the heart of Stellenbosch, you will find Journey’s End Vineyards and its jaw-dropping terroir and there is a brilliant foundation (Journey’s End Foundation) attached that provides an incredible 30,000 meals a week via soup kitchens to impoverished people in the Helderberg Region This initiative was fundamental to the survival of unemployed people during the epidemic a situation already chronic but acutely exacerbated by Covid ethics and sustainability are key to this exciting winery Zesty yet tropical – fresh yet fecund with lime peach and nectarine This feature was written before the floods of September 24 that have caused devastation in many parts of South Africa – badly affecting two of the estates in this piece – Springfield Estate and Creation Bibendum is a part of the C&C Group which is a commercial partner of The Buyer. To discover more about them click here. Last week (26 November) saw more than 300 people gather in the presence of Edouard Philippe to celebrate the official opening of Chateau Fleur de Lisse’s new cellar and wine-making facility The property is part of the Teycheney Familly’s Vignobles Jade group over three properties – Chateau Fleur de Lisse Vignobles Jade was created in 2015 when Patrick Teycheney took over the running of the family’s properties with his wife Evelyne and his daughter Caroline who was appointed President The project was ambitious – to bring together a ‘dream team’ focussed around Jean-Claude Berrouet as consultant oenologist and to begin immediately the conversion to organic and biodynamic wine-making AB certification was attained in 2020 and a strategy to achieve the double certification of Demeter and Biodyvin is already in place A third part of the project was the construction of an entirely new wine-making facility at Chateau Fleur de Lisse This needed to be capable of vinifying all of Vignobles Jade’s St Emilion It was designed by the Bordeaux-based Goldfinger Architects working with a range of local artisan craftsmen The design combines the ancient and the modern with featuring a patented state of the art walkway connecting the vinification tanks in the most ergonomically efficient manner and a beautiful barrel cellar lit by stained-glass windows designed and manufactured by the master glassmaker “The term ‘winery’ is more suited to the dynamics of this project than that of ‘Chateau’ It is a place in which the visitor discovers a universe of know-how and of passion The cellar of Château Fleur de Lisse was designed to share a variety of experiences they will bring the local atmosphere that our visitors are looking for” Your email address will not be published. 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Whilst working in a pub in Fulham I witnessed a New Zealander get hideously maimed by the local Chelsea ‘shed’ (Chelsea FC) His face was battered and swollen having been smashed against a bar prop right before my eyes When the assault was finally over he stood up and offered the brute responsible his hand I think there is a smidgeon of this indelible sense of decency in every glass of New Zealand wine We asked him what this will mean for exports “In simple terms it’s going to make it easier for New Zealand winemakers to get into this market The changes in the rules around winemaking practices are much more modern and much more flexible “We believe sustainability; care of the land air and people is an incredibly important pillar that both the market expects and our producers need to prioritise going forward.” “The price points we sell at show that our customers care about these things and the New Zealand wine industry has got to deliver in spades on these issues going forward We need to meet the expectations of our customers and the trade.” Inflation is a significant issue for New Zealanders with production costs increasing as a result It’s the first time New Zealand has suffered high inflation (7.2%) whilst exporting wine so there is no track record of dealing with it The last inflation wave took place in 1990 when wine exports were practically nil New Zealand’s wine export market value was up 6% for the year end in September 2022 despite a drop in sales by volume They have doubled the value of their wine exports in ten short years Market manager Chris Stroud took us through the numbers Stroud being living proof that a chilled and casual delivery does pair well with a razor-sharp comprehension of the facts “Still wine volumes are down everywhere but the price has gone up by 11p across the board volumes are down but the price has increased further it still has the second highest still white wine price in the market.” New Zealand is responsible for 7.5% of the still white wine category quite a feat for a country with a population of around 5 million The key Christmas period in 2022 showed trust in the brand was not stilted by shortage Packaged wine continued to increase in 2022 whilst unpackaged fell The impulse sector reveals an average spend of £10 a bottle and they are selling seven million bottles annually People really do trust the New Zealand brand They are getting to pre-Covid volume supply chain levels and they are holding their position on the shelf Strong premiumisation is key to this sector New Zealand Wine’s brand refresh – the first since 2006 – created by agency Many Minds There has been a lot of navel gazing over the isolation years in the New Zealand wine marketing department General marketing manager Charlotte Read proffered its distillation at the pre-tasting trade and press briefing A new promo film conveying the new strap line “get back to basics and define who we really are as a wine brand to explain why we are worth that premium.” The key to their success New Zealand Wine Growers is a membership organisation which exists to enhance the reputation of New Zealand wine It is the only unified national winegrowers industry body in the world sustainable and diverse are key messages that are shared by rival countries Argentina and Chile so Read and her team set out to seek out what encapsulates New Zealand in particular She said the ‘Purity’ represents their southerly location; intense sunlight and luminosity warm days and cool ocean currents; ‘Innovation’ represents their collective sense of adventure And ‘Care’ encapsulates a long-standing commitment to the land and a sustainability programme dating back to 1995 is representative of these three pillars and emotes a teeny bunch of grapes bold and sophisticated were the words Charlotte used to describe the rebrand There’s not many actors who could still elicit mainstream appeal after playing The Omen so well and chopping off that lovely lady Holly Hunter’s finger just for playing the Piano I’m not sure what ‘unblemished sunlight’ is though I’m afraid it made me think of holes in the ozone but that’ll just be my tainted mind I wondered if the sense of kindness New Zealand conveys is down to Māori influence. The indigenous people of New Zealand are thought to have arrived by open canoe 4000 miles from Tahiti in the 14th century. It was 300 years before the Europeans pitched up. Māori developed rituals to preserve limited resources as the population grew and, according to TUKU many of New Zealand’s green values stem from indigenous culture the ultimate green move in protein recycling First day of 10 0’clock closing at the Porirua Tavern in 1967 two days after the antiquated 6 o’clock law was abolished A love of purity might be a positive modern manifestation of a country settled by God-fearing puritanical picts and celts in the 19th century a predominantly beer and whisky-producing nation unfamiliar with the cultivation of the vine Prohibition came within a hair’s breadth of becoming law back in 1910 when 12 of the country’s voting electorates were dry including key wine regions Wairapara and Mount Eden This led to pubs closing at 18.00 inducing drinkers to undertake the 6’o clock swill (pictured) A national vote on Prohibition in 1919 was in favour of banning booze altogether and was swayed simply because troops abroad fighting in World War I voted 3 to 1 against Shocking as this seems it’s not that surprising considering 20 percent of the New Zealand population hailed from Scotland a country once so weighted by religious asceticism that it did not officially celebrate Christmas until 1958 There have been two gold rushes in New Zealand The first was all about the metal and centred around what was to become the Pinot capital of Bannockburn (more on that later) Sauvignon Blanc was planted so fast on Marlborough’s South Island in the 1980s that the locals christened it the Klondike after the Canadian and US goldrush of 1896 The entire Sauvignon industry in Marlborough might never have happened were it not for Ozzie David Hohnan and three random Kiwis who rolled up at his Australian winery back in the early 80s The lads’ rucksack contained a bottle of the best Sauvignon David had ever tasted buying land to plant once New Zealand law had been changed to allow him to Initially the wine he created was marketed as Cloudy Bay and New Zealand only appeared at the rear of the bottle in small letters He explained that prejudice against New Zealand’s then ‘noxious brews’ made this imperative Nigel Greening of Felton Road in Central Otago was another interloper who brought fame to New Zealand when he purchased Felton from esteemed pioneer Stewart Elms in 1991 A chance meeting much like that of Hohnan and the Kiwis ten years before brought Walter and Greening together Felton Road Pinots are touted as the Southern hemisphere’s successor to Burgundy Greening hosted a fantastic tasting dinner to mark 25 years of Felton Road at London Cru two days after New Zealand Wine Over sumptuous scoff cooked by game chef Jaime Haslelock he confirmed that his vineyards lie on the site of a huge gold reserve impossible to mine with hydraulic sluicing The Dunstan gold rush story has much of the fairy tale about it; two ordinary blokes discovered gold just lying about amongst the bucolic splendours of the Clutha Riverbank Furtively filling their backpacks with as much as they could carry (87 pounds) they hiked to the nearest town where they were forced to disclose where they’d found it Bannockburn subsequently boomed for 50 years as desperados from all over sought their fortune Greening has no plans to excavate his gold and assures me it will never be found He also told me he met Jimi Hendrix and knows Fleetwood Mac but that’s for another day Imogen Taylor of Swig and Lisse Garnett apply themselves to the art of tasting New Zealand wine I decided to choose many of my favourites from The Wine Merchant top 50 table as chosen by independent wine specialists from across the UK I have only included one Sauvignon because I wanted to sniff about and see evidence of the diversity mentioned in the marketing spiel I’ve added a few favourites that were not on show such as Felton Road and Burn Cottage Akitu and Rippon are all magnificent producers too that should be sought out by the curious drinker There was no evidence of a growth in sparkling winemaking on the tasting floor so I’ve not included one Neudorf Rosie’s Block Moutere Chardonnay 2019 Sourced from a single block on clay-gravel soils and named after the Neudorfs’ daughter This wine is extremely moreish and textural yet elegant and fresh A hint of cucumber water suggests minerality Ripe peach and racy grapefruit bring succulence tempered by and seasoned with savoury hazelnut and sensual A fancy wine at a fancy price but it will never disappoint An Alsace-inspired three-way blend of Gewürztraminer biodynamically produced and spontaneously co-fermented and aged in neutral oak for three months on occasionally stirred lees this is such a seductive spicy sensual chameleon of a drink that it will be your friend no matter what you fancy I bet it’s amazing with goats-cheese-stuffed zucchini flowers in Tempura or calamari Johanneshof Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 this wine is classical Marlborough Sauvignon but to me it is somehow more layered There is that gorgeous addictive saltiness I crave as well as a moreish bitter note that brings colour to the palate Burn Cottage Riesling/Grüner Veltliner 2019 Made by the eccentric Marquis Sauvage whose family owns Kohler Ruprecht in the Pfalz Claire Mulholland the highly esteemed current incumbent This biodynamic dry wine is crisply laced with white pepper An aromatic smörgasbord of quaffable delight Te Whare Ra ‘D’ Single Vineyard Marlborough Riesling 2020 biodynamic and one of the first to be planted in 1979 (the oldest in Marlborough) super sapid mouth-watering acidity was too much and I simply had to swallow Less muscular than the Cornish Point but I loved the thought-provoking nature of this wine I could guzzle gallons of spicy sensual Cornish Point but this made me pause and think and brought its own mature its deep velvety incense-hued bramble and plum fruit paired magnificently with dense yet refined tannins high church incense brings a touch of complicated class Volume 8 - 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2020.00338 MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a major class of conserved non-coding RNAs that have a wide range of functions during development and disease Biogenesis of canonical miRNAs depend on the cytoplasmic processing of pre-miRNAs to mature miRNAs by the Dicer endoribonuclease the miRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC) incorporates one strand of miRNAs as a template for recognizing complementary target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) to dictate post-transcriptional gene expression Dicer is also part of miRISC to assist in activation of the complex Dicer associates with other regulatory miRISC co-factors such as trans-activation responsive RNA-binding protein 2 (Tarbp2) to regulate miRNA-based RNA interference Although the functional role of miRNAs within epidermal keratinocytes has been extensively studied within embryonic mouse skin its contribution to the normal function of hair follicle bulge stem cells (BSCs) during post-natal hair follicle development is unclear we sought to ascertain whether Dicer-Tarpb2 plays a functional role within BSCs during induced anagen development by utilizing conditional knockout mouse models functions within BSCs to regulate induced anagen (growth phase) development of post-natal hair follicles These findings strengthen our understanding of miRNA-dependency within hair follicle cells during induced anagen development The hair cycle and follicle are model systems to investigate intrinsic and extrinsic factors that control stem cell quiescence and the commitment of stem-cell precursors toward differentiation and apoptotic death of those cells to repeat the cycle again primary miRNAs undergo processing by the Drosha-DGCR8 protein complex to form pre-miRNAs pre-miRNAs are then exported into the cytoplasm and further processed by Dicer into mature miRNA duplexes The miRNAs are then loaded onto Ago family proteins to form the miRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC) whereby target mRNA is degraded or dissociated from the translation machinery By and large these findings depict the important role of miRNAs toward embryonic and neonatal development of hair follicles and skin we hypothesized that global miRNAs and miRISC-mediated RNA silencing are required within BSCs during induced anagen development our results suggest that Tarbp2 regulation of miRISC within BSCs is not essential during induced anagen development of hair follicles Conditional knock out of Tarbp2 with hair follicle bulge stem cells (A) Schema outlining the genotyping and conditional knockout of Tarbp2 and Dicer within bulge stem cells (B) Images of the depilated regions of control (Tarbp2+/+;K15PR1Cre+) and experimental (Tarbp2flox/flox;K15PR1Cre+) mice at 0 days post depilation (DPD) and 9 DPD (C) Histological analysis of 9 DPD skins in both control (Tarbp2+/+;K15PR1Cre+) and experimental (Tarbp2flox/flox;K15PR1Cre+) mice Boxed region is magnified in the lower panels Thickness measured from the panniculus carnosus (pc; muscle) to the outer epidermal layer (e) Bars (top panels = 1 mm; bottom panels = 100 um) (D) Skin thickness Distance from the striated muscle layer to the outer epidermal layer (μm) (E) Whole mount uDISCO analysis of 9DPD skins in both control (Tarbp2+/+;K15PR1Cre+) and experimental (Tarbp2flox/flox;K15PR1Cre+) mice (F) Schema of the targeting construct for generation of Tarbp2 floxed mice (top panel) Schema of the PCR strategy to determine Tabp2 ablation efficiency within tissue samples (bottom panel) (G) Tarbp2 deletion PCR results using RU486 pre- and post-treated tissue samples Conditional knockout of Dicer within hair follicle bulge stem cells (A) Images of the depilated regions of control (Dicerflox/flox;K15PR1Cre–) and experimental (Dicerflox/flox;K15PR1Cre+) mice at 0 days post depilation (DPD) and 9DPD (B) Histological analysis of 9DPD skins in both control (Dicerflox/flox;K15PR1Cre–) and experimental (Dicerflox/flox;K15PR1Cre+) mice Bars (top panels = 1 mm; bottom panels = 100 um) (C) Hair follicle count and skin thickness analysis Serial skin sections were assessed from control and Dicer cKO mice (n = 12; p ≤ 0.001 (D) Whole-mount uDISCO analysis of 9DPD skins in both control (Dicerflox/flox;K15PR1Cre–) and experimental (Dicerflox/flox;K15PR1Cre+) mice (E) Schema of the targeting construct for generation of Dicer floxed mice (F) Dicer deletion PCR using RU486 pre- and post-treated tissue samples schema of the PCR strategy to determine Dicer ablation efficiency within tissue sample (F) Arbitrary keratin gene expression using real-time PCR Gene expression presented as arbitrary units for individual genes and samples (n = 3; ***p ≤ 0.001 (G) Fold change in keratin gene expression Fold change in gene expression comparing Dicer cKO versus control Dotted line is no change in gene expression (n = 3; ***p ≤ 0.001 pro-survival and sebaceous gland gene expression Dotted line is no change in gene expression (n = 3; **p ≤ 0.01 these results suggests that their differentiation is mediated by Dicer a decrease in K15 suggests that the long-term maintenance of BSC reserves post-anagen initiation are mediated by Dicer as well it appears to play a functional role within subsets of these cells during induced anagen development Based on the overall level differences in gene expression our results suggest that Dicer plays a larger role within K40-postiive keratinocytes during induced anagen development indicating that Dicer ablation within BSCs does not affect the pool of sebocytes after induced anagen development these data provide a mode for delayed induced anagen development that does not involve induction of apoptosis nor alterations in the “stemness” of BSCs the K14-specific Dicer mutants also exhibit severe hair follicle phenotypes further highlighting the specific functions Dicer plays within skin compartments and that epidermal defects can effect hair follicle development there are several limitations to those studies the lineage tracing studies were not quantified therefore it remains inconclusive about the extent of K15-derived Dicer-less progeny recruited to hair follicle compartments the complete hair follicle profiles in the tissue sections were lacking thus the results do not provide the actual potential of BSC-precursors upon Dicer deletion the extent of follicular defect was not adequately assessed as the potential hair follicle stage and molecular phenotypes were not investigated it remains inconclusive whether Dicer ablation within BSCs affects induced anagen hair follicle development miR-24 transgene overexpression led to abnormal hair follicle development by way of premature differentiation the potential lack of miR-24 within our BSC-specific Dicer deletion studies may contribute to the delay in the hair cycle and keratin expression within hair follicle keratinocyte sub populations In our studies we show that sebaceous glands are not affected by Dicer deletion within BSCs and once again may reflect in which particular cell types miRNAs dictate function it is possible that Dicer may play a role in the wound repair process in mice as well Dicer-null conditional (Dicer1TM 1Bdh/J) mice (referred to as Dicerfloxed; JAX stock no 0063661) and Tarbp2- Null conditional (Tarbp2TM 1.1Dzw) mice (referred to as Tarbp2Floxed;MGI: 5645258) were received from the Jackson laboratory The Tg(Krt1-15-cre/PGR)22Cot line (referred to as K15-PR1Cre; JAX stock no 005249) was on a mixed C57BL/6 and SJL background also obtained from Jackson Laboratory and was used for generation of RU486 (Sigma; M8046)-induced Cre recombinase-mediated gene deletions within BSCs of hair follicles Dicerflox/flox (Dicerfl/fl) and Tarbp2flox/flox (Tarbp2fl/fl) mice were bred with K15-Cre line to achieve cell-specific knockout of targeted regions within BSCs of hair follicles Lineage tracing was performed using the Gt(ROSA)26SorTM 1(CAG–Brainbow2.1)Cle/J (also called the R26R-Confetti line) mice obtained from the Jackson Laboratory (R26R-Confetti; JAX stock no we generated the K15PR1Cre+:R26R-Confetti reporter line and induced recombination with RU486 topical treatment at P50-P53 of age we depilated the fur of the animals and waited 9 days (P63) to harvest the skin for analysis of BSC progeny using the confocal microscope All animals were maintained in a 12-h light (6am to 6pm) and 12-h dark cycle vivarium in the Research Animal Facility at the University of Miami Animals were provided acidified tap water through filter bottle and irradiated pelleted 2018 Teklad global 18% protein rodent diet from ENVIGO pups were dated based on the presence of vaginal plugs and by noting the delivery of newly born pups All animal studies were approved by the University of Miami Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols All genotyping proceeded by using tail tip excision/partial amputation under the age of 21 days Dicer floxed allele was genotyped by using primers DicerF1 (CCTGACAGTGACGGTCCAAAG) and DicerR1 (CATGACTCTTCAACTCAAACT) PCR product for genotyping PCR was 420-bp band for Dicer and a 351-bp band for wild type allele The deletion was genotyped by using primers DicerF1 and DicerDel (CCTGAGCAAGGCAAGTCATTC) PCR product for deletion PCR was a 471-bp band for deletion and a 1300-bp band for the wild type allele To assay floxed versus wild type allele in Tarbp2 animals we used TRS-loxF (CAGAAGCACAGCAGGAACAA) and TRS-loxR (CGTGATATGCACAGCCCACT) primers PCR product for genotyping PCR was 180-bp band for the floxed and a 130-bp band for the wild type allele Deletion allele was detected by using primers TRS-loxF and TRS-3loxR (CAAAACCACTTCCCCATGTT) All mice genotyping was based on established protocols listed on the JAX website for each stock animal PCR program was run according to recommendations: 95°C for 5 min and 72°C for 10 s for Dicer genotyping and deletion PCR; 94°C for 3 min 61.7°C (59°C annealing for delete allele) for 30 s and 72°C for 20 s for Tarbp2 PCR Under general anesthesia (inhalation isoflurane) 50-day-old animals were subjected to hair depilation of two separate left and right side of the dorsal area by using Wax Strips after hardening All procedures were performed using sterile instruments and aseptic conditions Mice received topical daily treatments of 1% RU486 (Sigma; M8046) in acetone and skin samples were collected for analysis To visualize thick skin tissue and hair morphology we applied the organic solvent-based uDISCO clearing method Greater than 3 mm-by-3 mm skin tissues were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde at 4°C overnight Samples were washed with 0.1 M phosphate buffered saline and subjected to a tert-butanol series (70–100%; Sigma-Aldrich 36053) for gradient dehydration for 2–12 h 270997) was replaced as a pure solution for the delipidation step for 1 h at room temperature A refractive index matching solution was prepared by mixing BABB (benzyl alcohol + benzyl benzoate 1:2; Sigma-Aldrich 24122 and W213802) and DPE (diphenyl ether) (Sigma-Aldrich 240834) at a BABB:DPE ratio of 10:1 (vol/vol) The samples were reacted with the BABB:DPE mixture until they became optically transparent Skin tissues (1 × 1 cm2) from the lower trunk region were dissected from mice and incubated 2–4 h in 4% paraformaldehyde in phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.4) at 4°C and transferred to 70% ethanol Sections at 7 μm were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) by The University of Miami Histology Core Services skin tissues (1 × 1 cm2) were dissected from mice and incubated 2–4 h in 4% paraformaldehyde in phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.4) at 4°C and subjected to graded sucrose treatments (15–30%) for cryoprotection These tissues were embedded face down along the midline in optical cutting temperature embedding medium (Histolab; 45830) Cryosections were made using a Leica CM 1850 Cryostat Sections at 10 μm were incubated with 0.4% Triton X-100 in phosphate buffered saline for 30 min at room temperature to reduce background staining Tissue sections were directly blocked in phosphate buffered saline containing 5% normal horse serum for 30 min at room temperature Then incubated with endogenous mouse immunoglobulin G blocking solution 1:10 in phosphate buffered saline (Unconjugated AffiniPure Fab Fragment Goat Anti-mouse immunoglobulin G (H + L); Jackson ImmunoResearch Labs Sections were incubated with primary antibodies at 1:200 dilution for 30 min at room temperature; antibodies used in this study included Dicer (BioLegend Following 3x washes for 2 min each in phosphate buffered saline-Tween-20 the sections were incubated at room temperature for 20 min with corresponding species-specific 1:2000 secondary antibodies (Alexa series Following 3x washes in phosphate buffered saline-Tween-20 sections were mounted with Vectashield medium containing 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI; Vector Laboratories; H-1200-10) for nuclei staining Negative controls were included that had either no primary or secondary antibodies in the blocking buffer Immunofluorescence microscopy was performed using a Zeiss Observer 7 ApoTome2 unit Images were captured from BSCs compartment for DICER expression and normalized to acellular dermal regions Means of expression intensity of individual follicles were compared between control and mutant animals (n = 8) Imaris (Bitplane) was used to generate 3D rendered models of Dicer expression hair follicles per 2.5 mm tissue; n = 12 sections) and skin thickness measurements (i.e. distance from panniculus carnosus (muscle) to the outer epidermis; n = 12 sections) serial skin sections were analyzed between control and cKO mice Two-tailed unpaired t tests were performed between control and cKO data sets using Prism (GraphPad) where the p value summaries were depicted as ∗∗∗p ≤ 0.001 RNA was prepared using the PureLink RNA Mini kit (ThermoFisher Scientific) cDNA was synthesized using 200 ng total RNA with the ProtoScript® First Strand cDNA Synthesis kit (New England Biolabs; M0368) utilizing random hexamers All cDNAs were amplified under the following conditions: 95°C for 10 min to activate AmpliTaq Gold® Polymerase; followed by 40 cycles of 95°C for 15 s and 60°C for 1 min with an internal ROX reference dye qPCR analysis was performed on a QuantStudio 3 Real-Time instrument (ThermoFisher Scientific) utilizing the Power SYBRTM Green PCR Master mix (ThermoFisher Scientific; 4367659) Target genes were normalized to beta actin mRNA expression the mouse genome sequence coverage assembly GRCm38.p6 was utilized from the Genome Reference Consortium K17 primers: Forward 5′GGAGCAGCAGAACCAGGAAT3′ and reverse 5′ TCGCGGGAGGAGATGACC3′ K15 primers: Forward 5′AGGAGGTGGCGTCTAACACAGA3′ and reverse 5′CATGCTGAGCTGAGACTGCAAC3′ K40 primers: Forward 5′TGCCAGACTGAGATGTTGGA3′ and reverse 5′GCCCCTGTACGTGTTGATCT3′ Beta actin primers: Forward 5′CCAGTTCGCCAT GGATGACGATAT3′ and reverse 5′GTCAGGATACCTCT CTTGCTCTG3′ K25 primers: Forward 5′GGCCAGAAGCTGGAATATGA3′ and reverse 5′CCACTATGGCTTTGACTGGA3′ K72 primers: Forward 5′GAGATCGCCACCTACAGGAA3′ and reverse 5′CCACAGCTACCCTTGGTCTT3′ K73 primers: Forward 5′GAGATCGCCACCTACAGGAA3′ and reverse 5′GCTACCCTTGGTCTTCACCTC3′ PPARG primers: 5′TCACAATGCCATCAGGTTTG3′ and reverse 5′TCCGTTGTCTTTCCTGTCAA3′ Noxa1 primers: 5′CCCAGGCGATACCTAAAACA3′ and reverse 5′TGGATGCCAGCAAACTATCA3′ Puma primers: 5′GCCCAGCAGCACTTAGAGTC3′ and reverse 5′TGTCGATGCTGCTCTTCTTG3′ Akt1 primers: 5′CCCTTCTACAACCAGGACCA3′, and reverse 5′TGGGCTCAGCTTCTTCTCAT3′. Data are presented as fold induction of Dicer cKO compared to control samples normalized to beta actin mRNA levels (i.e., the comparative CT Livak method (Livak and Schmittgen, 2001) Data also presented as arbitrary values derived directly from the dCT values (2–dCT × 104) Melting curve analysis was performed for all primers to eliminate those that yielded primer-dimers As the delta Ct (dCT) values are measures that are proportional to log expression a t-test using two groups (control and mutant; n = 6; in triplication) of dCT values was used to generate the p-values The data supporting the results reported in this article will be provided upon reasonable request The animal study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee University of Miami NV conducted the experiments and edited the manuscript TL and NV are supported by the College of Arts and Sciences TL supported by Grant # IRG-17-183-16 from the American Cancer Society and from the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Miller School of Medicine The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest We especially thank Kathryn Helen Forcone (University of Miami) for her critical comments on this manuscript We also thank the Division of Veterinary Medicine (Miller School of Medicine and the animal care and veterinary staff at the Neuroscience Annex (University of Miami) for their animal support MicroRNA-214 controls skin and hair follicle development by modulating the activity of the Wnt pathway Google Scholar miR-24 affects hair follicle morphogenesis targeting Tcf-3 CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The miRNA-processing enzyme dicer is essential for the morphogenesis and maintenance of hair follicles Google Scholar Stem cells in the hair follicle bulge contribute to wound repair but not to homeostasis of the epidermis The molecular anatomy of mouse skin during hair growth and rest CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Dicer is required for haploid male germ cell differentiation in mice Novel type I hair keratins K39 and K40 are the last to be expressed in differentiation of the hair: completion of the human hair keratin catalog TRBP alters human precursor microRNA processing in vitro CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Differential roles of human Dicer-binding proteins TRBP and PACT in small RNA processing elegans heterochronic gene lin-4 encodes small RNAs with antisense complementarity to lin-14 CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Lineage-specific transcriptional regulation of DICER by MITF in melanocytes Google Scholar Vitamin D activation of functionally distinct regulatory miRNAs in primary human osteoblasts The vitamin D receptor is required for activation of cWnt and hedgehog signaling in keratinocytes Analysis of relative gene expression data using real-time quantitative PCR and the 2(-Delta Delta C(T)) Method CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Micro-RNA-31 controls hair cycle-associated changes in gene expression programs of the skin and hair follicle Apoptosis and keratin intermediate filaments Google Scholar Keratin 17 gene expression during the murine hair cycle MicroRNA-140 Provides Robustness to the Regulation of Hypertrophic Chondrocyte Differentiation by the PTHrP-HDAC4 Pathway Google Scholar A comprehensive guide for the recognition and classification of distinct stages of hair follicle morphogenesis Noncanonical functions of microRNA pathway enzymes - Drosha CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Functional redundancy of DICER Cofactors TARBP2 and PRKRA during murine embryogenesis does not involve miRNA biogenesis Lgr6 marks stem cells in the hair follicle that generate all cell lineages of the skin Inducible deletion of epidermal Dicer and Drosha reveals multiple functions for miRNAs in postnatal skin Keratin 17 modulates hair follicle cycling in a TNFalpha-dependent fashion CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Detection of Bim and Puma in mouse hair follicles using immunofluorescence and TUNEL assay double staining CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar modulates keratinocyte proliferation by targeting FGFR2 Morphogenesis in skin is governed by discrete sets of differentially expressed microRNAs DGCR8-dependent microRNA biogenesis is essential for skin development MicroRNA-205 promotes keratinocyte migration via the lipid phosphatase SHIP2 Specific microRNAs are preferentially expressed by skin stem cells to balance self-renewal and early lineage commitment miR-218-5p regulates skin and hair follicle development through Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway by targeting SFRP2 Citation: Vishlaghi N and Lisse TS (2020) Dicer- and Bulge Stem Cell-Dependent MicroRNAs During Induced Anagen Hair Follicle Development Copyright © 2020 Vishlaghi and Lisse. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Thomas S. Lisse, dG9tLmxpc3NlQG1pYW1pLmVkdQ== Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher. 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc follow in this vibrant Bordeaux inspired blend,” writes Garnett about the new Creative Block 5.Spier Wine Farm managing director Frans Smit addresses writers before the tasting South Africa is one of the oldest wine producing countries in the New World which was first populated by the Portuguese it was colonised by the Dutch to provide vital victuals on a profitable long-haul maritime route Dutch East India Company ships stopped off in Cape Town on their way to and from the East Indies triumphantly recorded the region’s maiden grape pressing in 1659 Muscadel and other white grapes were cultivated ‘with the aid of certain free burghers and some slaves’ Later, in 1679, Commander Simon Van de Stel discovered the fertile valley he christened Stellenbosch. Spier Wine Farm was one of the original tracts of Stellenbosch to be claimed by a colonist or freeburgher An ex German soldier and favoured employee of the Dutch East India Company By 1692 he had successfully cultivated 2000 vines on the riverfront property Spier Wine Farm boasts over 600 hectares and also works in long-standing partnerships with numerous well-respected producers Spier Wine Farm wines were paired magnificently with food at Petersham Nurseries It’s always a pleasure to spend time in the presence of Spier’s managing director he somehow managed to engage with each and every one of us during the crowded presentation of these wines at Petersham Nurseries in Covent Garden The food was perfectly paired as well as absolutely delicious there are approximately 35 hectares of Albariño in the whole of SA and 9 in Stellenbosch on the Bottelary Hills Three whites and three reds made with grapes grown close to the ocean This is made with Chardonnay grown on the Tygerberg Hills barrel fermented and fecund with flavours of peach nectarine and lime with a spray of white blossom Luscious and weighty as cold silk; fresh and crystalline Viscous with almond oil and there is a smorgasbord of fruit on the palate; peach nectarine – laced with honey and lifted with lime vanilla and a spray of fragrant white blossom Named after the Spier art project that support African artists South African interpretations of Bordeaux and Rhone blends gooseberries with a good pinch of aromatic fynbos bush herbs rich and velvety with salted savoury Asian plum layered and enticing; there is a moreish savoury character too; black pepper and fennel Merlot and Cabernet Franc follow in this vibrant Bordeaux inspired blend aromatic cedar and dark mint chocolate chip dance delectably across the palate A predominantly natural ferment of single vineyard vines planted in 1982 whole bunch and botrytis add layers and texture as does barrel ageing Deliciously indulgent and begging for caramelised fatty food Spier 21 Gables Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 13.7% cedar and salty Asian plum laced with sweet violets and peppered with pencil This is only just beginning to show an ankle give it time to seduce you and become poetic with age It happens to us all with the right accompaniment KTM introduced the Lisse aero road bike as a concept last fall where we got a first look from Eurobike other than disc brakes and fairly dramatic aero tube shaping Almost a year later the bike has been revealed and there are few changes to what is now the production-ready KTM Revelator Lisse aero road bike we reveal some interesting new tech that makes for a relatively easy-to-manage setup for completely internal cable routing even with mechanical drivetrains and a unique steerer tube spacer design that allows you to adjust the height of the bar without impacting those neatly integrated cables… The Lisse is the latest bike to join KTM’s Revelator family of road bikes and is more of an all around solution that most of their other bikes That is in large part due to the move to disc brakes across all road segments that has allowed the industry to pursue aerodynamics at the same time as getting better braking more optimized carbon layups for that balance of drivetrain stiffness but rider comfort and the extra room to ride fatter road tires that can be adapted to a wider range of road conditions From an aero standpoint KTM looked beyond just the aerodynamics of the frame & fork to see what really could most benefit on the total bike They actually came to the conclusion that reducing turbulent wind was maybe the most important aspect of aero design And only then could they really benefit from optimized frontal area and tubing profiles Of course that led KTM first towards front end integration As KTM put it to us integrated cable solutions are pretty much a benchmark in the aero road bike category now So they took that as an opportunity to explore a better solution for not just improved aerodynamics but also a more reasonable setup and real world usability The result is a unique stem that clamps the handle bar with a removable top plate that also builds into it a tidy cable routing setup Two cables enter either side of the carbon stem via smooth bends that will work with even mechanical shift housing & hydraulic brake lines and get held in place with a simple internal clamp (labeled for easy setup It does not require any special handle bar And the cables can be routed directly from behind the bar with a normal radius while still staying completely out of the wind Inside the special full carbon steerer tube of the Lisse fork (shown here with a front cutaway window for demonstration purposes only) molded in plastic tubing guides each cable to its destination The front brake stays inside the fork all the way to the dropout while the rear brake & shift lines exit into the large downtube Of course a special (not) star nut/steerer plug is needed so the Lisse fork gets an alloy plug bonded in that lines up the routing and works with a special slotted top cap that ultimately gets covered over by the stem’s top plate The other unique technology to the Lisse’s integrated stem is the way that bar height is adjusted Since using a normal set of spacers under the stem would require the variable height of the steerer tube (remember above that the steerer’s top cap gets covered up by the stem so the steerer tube must be cut to size at the factory where the steerer plug can be bonded in) KTM has an alternate method to adjust bar positioning The four spacers above (plus the standard 0 one installed on the bike in the photos above) allow the rider to move the bar up or down in roughly 5mm increments on a typical 100mm stem (the longer the stem It works as you can see above where the angle between the top of the headset (the flat table in the pic above) & the steerer tube (the inner hole in the spacers) remains the same but the outer diameter that the stem actually clamps to changes as do the angles of the lower extensions of the spacer that meet the overall outer shape of the stem Besides providing the absolutely necessary ability to adjust handle bar height (or more clearly it also results in a clean solution where cable length for the internal setup is not impacted by altering bar height We already notices the widely set fork legs and squared off fork crown when we previewed the bike last year which claim to reduce turbulence where the top part of the rim tire & spokes are spinning forward against the wind The fork design then transitions smoothly into a wide truncated aerofoil downtube That in turn houses a modular cable access port to aid in setting up the internal routing but can also be used to locate a Di2 junction box Looking further to the claimed 1000g frame & 480g fork the Lisse includes most of the same details we find on the majority of top-level aero road bikes these days That means dropped seatstays – which again get widely set to allow airflow over the forward spinning wheel – plus a deep wheel cutout and tall but thin aero shaped stays The Lisse fork continues some unique shaping with a teardrop extending just behind the 12mm thru-axle to smooth airflow over the fork tips And at the front edge of the legs they taper to slice into the wind KTM is co-title sponsor for a French Pro Continental team so sticking to UCI guidelines was always a driving force for the Lisse development We didn’t see UCI approval stickers on the bikes yet but they did find their way onto the approved list as of the latest 21 June 2017 UCI update So they should be turning up in the pro peloton once the riders get their heads out of their… more accustomed to improved braking The Lisse uses a proprietary D-shaped seatpost and clamped with an expander wedge accessible from under the toptube the Lisse is very much asymmetrical allowing air to flow more smoothly to the less turbulent non-driveside around the lower downtube and Press Fit bottom bracket area The Revelator Lisse will be available later this year in two complete bike builds that share the same 85% 30T The Lisse Prestige will come in classic KTM orange & black with a SRAM Red HRD eTap groupset and DT Swiss PRC1400 wheels The second Lisse Elite gets a blue & black paint job with a Shimano 105 mechanical groupset still with hydraulic braking and down spec’d to DT P1800 spline wheels Both bikes will be available in the same five size range with effective seattubes from 49-59cm KTM-bikes.at Cory Benson is the EU Tech Editor of Bikerumor.com Cory has been writing about mountain bikes gravel bikes & bikepacking for over 25 years even before the industry created some of these names Cory was a practicing Architect specializing in environmental sustainability has designed bike shops & bike components Cory travels extensively across Europe riding bikes meeting with key European product developers industry experts & tastemakers for an in-depth review of what’s new Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed then reposition your bars and torque to spec Why not have a small access hole in the cover to allow you to access the star nut/plug I’m all for aero and clean looks but sometimes that comes with some practicality issues @Collin Snyder- how often does your headset need adjustment These are the prices we pay for progression and capability Technically isn’t not adjusting stem and bar stack height but rather stem angle Which further complicates fit as stem angle change also affects handle bar reach They should let you cut the steer yourself and then bond in the star nut Changing your fork stack also affects your handlebar reach with a 100mm stem would shorten the reach by 0.23mm And if you’re really keeping track or thinking about this putting a spacer under the stem doesn’t move the bar vertically but along the steerer which is angled back toward the saddle Raising a bar by 5mm shortens the reach by 1.4 with a 74hta this system is better than conventional spacers Those calculations mean little without the drop from saddle to bar I had got the Revelator Sky… ride quality was pretty bad very harsh over rough road and overly sensitive steering Swapped to TCR Adv SL disc and it’s a much better ride I still hope they could do better with this unique looking new bike I’ve actually found it to be very stable but also over rough stuff) and as comfortable as anything else Possibly the sensitive steering you mention is offset by the longer wheel base of the Canic Was using old SES 3.4 and 25mm Corsa G+ with latex tubes The sensitive steering was particularly serious when riding uphill so the front end doesn’t have too much pressure Once the speed pick up it’s more stable but that bike was more difficult to accelerate (than my current TCR) Maybe that’s not for me… not the fault of the bike… Do they even offer KTM here in the States They do direct sales if there isn’t an importer near you I have a 2017 Revelator and a Myroon Sonic hard trail MTB Cannondale’s approach for the 2018 Synapse looks soooo much better The stack/reach numbers looks very aggressive (which I like) But it looks like integrated stem is very tall I do like the general direction of hiding cables on an aero bike especially with hydro brakes and wired electronic shifting But the recent Ridley prototype looks cooler I think it’s an illusion created by the chainstay angle Chainstay does not bisect the bb nor the rear axle The BB drop is pretty much in line with much of the similar top tier racing bikes They do offer a bigger drop on smaller frames to improve handling with the expectation that the rider will be using a shorter crank length to negate the chances of pedal strike The sizing of the bike is a bit on the long side given the stack height This bike has the intent of putting its rider on the low down and out of the air Wheelbase is tiny bit longer as are the chain stays but its not an all rounder and certainly no light weight Its quite fair given it has a quite a bit of aerodynamic features and disc brakes This bike has a specified purpose and hopefully it does it well I just don’t think its ideal for much of the riding/racing public truly a bike only their product manager could love I think a bit more attention to asthetics would improve that brand’s opportunities to enter new markets but don’t want to deal with solvents Simpyfast claims their Lube Cube is the easiest way Peak Performance expands on their MTB specific clothing with new pants Apparently that’s an option when you’re designing products for the GOAT We spotted Cofidis racing an all-new prototype wireless 13-speed Campagnolo Super Record 13 WRL SC road groupset Canyon Bicycles is now selling select models directly through Amazon.com Want wireless shifting but don’t want to have to buy a whole new drivetrain Be protected from the sun with the new UV Hooded Trail Shirt… OrNot The new Van Nicholas Astraeus is a beautiful titanium road bike that’s limited to just 50 frames The Symphony of Colors is performed to mark the 75th anniversary of the Keukenhof park in Lisse is open to the public from March 21 to May 12 this year Visitors view colorful flowers at the Keukenhof park in Lisse Visitors take selfies at the Keukenhof park in Lisse Visitors view the Symphony of Colors being performed to mark the 75th anniversary of the Keukenhof park in Lisse Visitors are seen at the Keukenhof park in Lisse Blooming tulips are seen at the Keukenhof park in Lisse We're here to help you find it. Contact us if you have specific questions. Or check out the latest news, schedule and program or podcast information NKyTribune Covington officially welcomed Lisse Steakhuis to MainStrasse Village Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony The new restaurant is located in the building at 530 Main Street that was for many years the iconic Chez Nora Lisse Steakhuis owners have spent months remodeling and renovating and changing the entire look and feel of the place Co-owners Hans Philippo and Jeff Wolnitzek and General Manager Tim Weiss were drawn to the city “We chose Covington because of the opportunity Lisse Steakhuis aims to provide Covington with top-of-the-line food The Dutch-inspired restaurant uses homegrown vegetables and quality meats for its menu items and features an extensive international wine selection Lisse Steakhuis is open Tuesday through Saturday from 4-11 p.m For reservations, please visit http://www.lisse.restaurant/reservations. Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); while Speller teamed up with renowned Italian writer Georgio Melandri to showcase aged classics.Sangiovese Reset: March 7 Jane Hunt MW and Walter Speller have got form when it comes to Sangiovese. Troubled by its misrepresentation in the UK market, they established ‘Sangiovese Reset‘ without involving the region’s consorzi ensuring they were stringent about the producers they invited To address the generic marketing of rather ordinary Italian wine being made by larger producers Hunt and Speller see ‘the blood of Jupiter’ (‘sanguis Jovis’ in Latin) as one of the world’s greatest red varieties – no workhorse grape but a hypersensitive transmitter of terroir that requires delicate handling I arrived in its Tuscan heartland to work in a rural hamlet near Tavarnelle Val Di Pesa Italy was in the throes of one of the greatest political and financial crises in its short history A judicial investigation into political corruption at one point implicated more than half the Italian parliament; widespread proof of kickbacks or bribes paid for government contracts led to politicians being indicted in droves; some even committed suicide leading to the collapse of the traditional parties in Italy and a new majority voting system the Berlin Wall had fallen and communism had imploded Sangiovese was also undergoing a reckoning of its own a law was passed to restructure the entire classification system Distinctively marketed in a raffia-clad flask (called a ‘fiasco’) the bottles enjoyed a resilient secondary market as lamp stands in many a student dig Lax wine laws meant that Trebbiano and Malvasia accounted for 10 percent of the Chianti blend as did illegal doctoring with generic Sicilian red wine Provided you remembered to bring along a container to transport it the finger of blame for poor quality wines was pointed at the variety rather than the clone or farming methods.” Italy grows around 65-thousand hectares of Sangiovese both on the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts it forms the main component of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Morellino di Scansano and is the sole grape of Brunello di Montalcino This widespread planting suggests that the grape is easy to grow producing prodigious quantities if not kept in check it requires the best sites on the poorest soils low intervention winemaking and little or no oak to reveal its true character highly productive clones such as R10 found fashion in the 1970s As a result of post-war privations and a desperate need for financial recovery widespread cultivation was encouraged by the government can deliver enormous yields with large bunches tart wines with unripe tannins and limited structure was that improvement could only come from blending with other grapes Cue the Super Tuscans: a new epoch of structured blends that signalled a move away from strict regulation towards the addition of unsanctioned Bordeaux varieties Antinori’s 1971 Tignanello was the first Super Tuscan incorporating fifteen percent Cabernet Sauvignon and five percent Cabernet Franc; Sassicaia Ornellaia and Masseto are famed examples too aged in French oak rather than the traditional Slovenian they hit the American zeitgeist and sold well critics caution that they are not in the least bit representative of Sangiovese which was historically blended with indigenous grapes such as Canaiolo “When Italian law allowed the inclusion of French varieties in almost every denomination it was a disastrous move which signalled to the international market that Italy’s own indigenous varieties were simply not good enough,” says Speller From 1996 the use of white grapes was outlawed in Chianti Classico and over the last couple of decades, change has been widespread. The Consorzio Chianti Classico has endorsed quality improvements including exhaustive research into suitable clones for specific sites information it now provides to producers without charge Giorgio Melandri pictured with author and friend Today, Sangiovese is experiencing a renaissance, championed by writer Giorgio Melandri, whose influential tasting notes and exceptional knowledge, amassed over twenty years, finally turned him batty enough to produce wine himself. Giorgio worked for Gambero Rosso as he supped his way through gallons of Italian vino he could not help but notice that Sangiovese had an uncanny knack for expressing terroir Melandri is a native of Modigliana in Romagna a small municipality in the Apennine mountain range which sits on the ancient salt route from Faenza to Firenze he believes the variety likely hails from the Apennines The flavour profile of Sangiovese typically includes sour cherry though in the past much of it has been stifled by barrique ageing He produces three single vineyard wines on three completely different soils for his label Mutiliana one of eleven local producers who have formed a Romagna collective heavily influenced by the French natural wine movement ignoring the more modern methods of their fathers and instead returning to the wisdom of their grandfathers Named after the three valleys of Modigliana – Ibola Tramazzo and Acerreta – each of Melandri’s wines expresses the terroir of its roots Ibola sits on sandstone and is typically elegant and austere sandstone and clay and shows finesse and energy grown on a combination of marl and sandstone is delicately fruity with a tight tannic structure vinifies many of the wines for growers in the Modigliana collective forest and sandstone distinguish the wines of Modigliana from their Tuscan counterparts He advocates waiting four or five years before drinking but says they will keep for at least twenty though his Reserva sees 3000 litre Slavonian botti “Sangiovese from this region has minerality And we like to produce naked wine with absolutely nothing added pomegranate and red orange all feature in the taste profile of our Sangiovese,” Bordini says “Modigliana has three clearly different styles according to the valley from which the grapes come all are at higher altitude than Tuscany and therefore cooler Tramazo is from a cool windy valley and the wines tend toward spice and crushed herbs Acereta comes from a warmer valley and you sometimes find herbs and red orange as well as more tannins.” Understanding the way Sangiovese has been re-assessed Brunello de Montalcino is 100 percent Sangiovese by law yet in 2008 a scandal erupted when significant quantities of the wine were found to include illegal varieties at the time many reputable brands apparently lobbied for a change in the law to accommodate this failing the suggestion being that blending Sangiovese was a necessary evil there has been a remarkable change in attitude and also in the look of Brunello di Montalcino (Brunello being the local name for Sangiovese) age-worthy Sangiovese is not a simple wine – you must wait to be seduced and make the effort to comprehend – yet reduced oak careful clone choice and gentle vinification are increasingly delivering Sangiovese with a sense of place The variety produces some of the most sensual sublime and intellectually stimulating wines on the planet but if you grow it in the right place and vinify it with delicacy The ancient Greeks christened Italy ‘Oenotria’ temperate climate and unique smorgasbord of indigenous grapes all work in her favour Add to that a healthy disrespect for central government and you have ideal ground for diverse grape bottlings and localised terroir expression Wines on show at Sangiovese Reset hailed from Tuscany A selection of notes from the walk-around tasting plus Speller and Melandri’s Romagna Sangiovese Historical Masterclass Sangiovese di Romagna DOC Superiore ReservaAged in Estonian large format casks shows a distinctive and delicious aged integrated profile of rich the flavour of molasses without the sweetness a bat squeak of cigar smoke and bitter walnut skin Has a velvety silken texture and the finish is delicious; dry and grainy with ripe tannins an endless vinous tome in a delicate vessel Vino da tavola di ModiglianaFresh and mouth-wateringly moreish with notes of smooth caramel Forlì IGT (Modigliana)This wine is made from grapes planted above 500m Romagna DOC Superiore Reserva Predeppio AltaIntense aromatics silky chalky tannins and delicious sapid sour cherry notes This wine comes from the oldest vineyards in Romagna (90 years) and is clearly capable of long ageing There is something super sensual and distinctly naughty about this wine a really fascinating wine that will continue to morph and move Brisighella Romagna DOCSour Morello cherry Smoothly textured and sapid with delicious bitey tannins Mutiliana Tramazo 2019 Romagna Sangiovese Modigliana DOCTerracotta coloured blood orange and pomegranate tempered by savoury thyme Long and fresh; grippy and thought provoking II Sangiovese 2021 Romagna Sangiovese PredappioSensual cigar smoke and supple dark ripe cherry Querciabella 2019 Chianti ClassicoBlack cherry dry chalky savoury tannins and stony mineral notes too UNO 2019 IGT Rosso (in magnum)Gorgeously fragrant florals and sweet spices Robin Baum Wine RBW 2018 IGT Toscana RossoSapid dry chalky moreish tannins dusted with cherry sherbet Halley 2019 Vino Rosso biologico di Castellina in ChiantiSuper sweet on the nose it is smoky and sapid and reminds me of those lovely farm wines I supped in my youth Villa PapianoPure and crunchy with notes of pomegranate Villa PapianoPronounced acidity and full tannins its excellent ageing potential is clear and it does have a note of sour cherry I wrote a piece for the Spectator entitled 'How Argentina conquered Malbec' The back story of Malbec's unlikely journey from Cahors to Chile to Argentina in the hands of a French agronomist from Tours is a good one Human struggle drove Malbec's exodus to the promised lands of South America and everyone from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Napoleon III played a part Chile became richer than Sweden and twice as prosperous as Japan in the mid-19th century A newly established landed Bourgeoisie looked to France and Paris for cultural inspiration A fashion for establishing aristocratic Bordeaux-style wine estates developed The Quinta Normal de Santiago was modelled on similar Parisian institutions (like the École Normale Supérieure) to study the potential of new species in Chile Viu Manent’s old Malbec vines came from Quinta Normal where the now-famous agronomist from Tours when Pouget was tempted across the border to Mendoza to run the new Argentinian Quintas Normales in 1853 World Malbec Day on April 17th marks the date Pouget arrived in Argentina brought Malbec to British palates when she established the wine trade in London London was already the biggest city in Europe when Eleanor made it her court Having schlepped to Jerusalem on a disastrous crusade with her ex thus enriching the bland lives of pallid Brits evermore Eleanor forged strong trade bonds with France facilitating the import of ‘black wines’ from Cahors London loved these Malbec-dominated vinous elixirs and readily turned their tastes toward the ports of Nantes The nineteenth century witnessed a significant decline in Malbec's popularity as other varieties gained favour The devastating effects of phylloxera and frost further compounded the situation for European plantings Michel Aimé Pouget had already introduced Malbec to Argentina and Chile left France when Napoleon III won power and established his vaguely mystical authoritarian rule He found Malbec ripened easily 6000 miles from its frosty French home Chile produces more Bordeaux blends than Argentina thanks to cooler plantings at altitude and less oak Chile also has a long-established gourmet wine route thanks to a youthful Jose Miguel Viu Bottini third generation co-owner of Viu Manent who Wine tourism and a change of philosophy at Viu Manent Wine tourism accounts for 20% of ViuManent revenue Jose’s family arrived in Chile from Catalonia in the early 19th century left the village he hailed from in the Pyrenees to seek his fortune and travelled through Brazil and Argentina before settling in Santiago where he met his Catalonian wife They were part of a well-established Catalonian community of négociants with a significant stake in Chile’s nascent wine industry in the 30s and 40s driven by entrepreneurship more than family connections to wine; the Catalonians saw a business opportunity and grabbed it Jose’s father was given the first option to buy the historic Hacienda San Carlos de Cunaco because he’d been buying their distinctive old vine fruit grapes for three decades with Paul Hobbs as their winemaking consultant and Patricio Celedón the chief winemaker Wine tourism plays a significant part in the success of the estate Viu Manent has two restaurants: The Food and Wine Studio where famed chef Pilar Rodriguez works her magic Wine tourism represents between 15 and 20% of Viu Manent’s revenue 2023 was a terrible year for the wine industry in Chile overall tourism brought in 20% of Viu's total sales for a population accused of not drinking much wine a demographic Jose thinks owes much to the pandemic ViuManent has been producing wine under family ownership for 88 years Jose joined the company in the early 90s when production focused on table wines for the home market British importers like Cliff Roberson began to make a lot of money importing good bulk Chilean wine to European supermarkets Jose saw this and decided to change the DNA of the company Recognising the potential of the fine old vineyards the family already owned he convinced his father to produce international fine wines for export from the beautiful 370-acre San Carlos de Cunaco estate in Santa Cruz where the family's oldest plantings lie Aurelio Montes was Jose’s friend and advisor at that time The two young bucks fired ideas off one another and fought to change the business’s mentality Both saw Chile’s great potential for quality wine Jose’s father was very much on board; he recognised the need for new technology and philosophy He’d already diversified into bottle shops and haulage His father before him made the leap into owning land I asked Jose if Viu Manent faces struggles in China “China’s wine consumption is very different from the rest of the world; they don’t yet drink wine at home wine is aspirational and has an opportunistic business mentality so many can fall prey to inexperienced importers “Many new labels were created for this reactive opportunistic market but we understood this relatively early and decided it was not a good idea to produce myriad labels for every Chinese company that wants to import We tried to create a brand with a story and pushed quality We are still pushing the sale of our high-end wines and trying to get the benefit out of that.” There is an affinity; Brazil has sympathy for Chile that it doesn’t have for Argentina and Chilean wines are number one in Brazil; the second in terms of volume is Argentina but at only half the Chilean volume… third are Portuguese wines Our image in the US is good low-priced wines so that needs to change; we need to keep trying mineralic stone and a bat’s squeak of orange There is a saltiness that speaks of Pacific influence Tiny Trials Chardonnay Colchagua Costa 2020 Natural ferment in steel and used French oak fresh and firm with a touch of peppery spice Made from San Carlos de Conoco’s centenarian vines Fruity dark and velvety with a hint of violet and rounded tannins El Incidente Gran Carmenére 2021 14.5% abv.Famously misnamed Merlot until the mid-90s Chile now officially has the most Carmenére plantings in the world velvety and delicious with silken tannins to caress the throat The fruit is sourced from the winery’s San Carlos Vineyard near Cunaco in the Colchagua Valley spicy and redolent with plum and moist toasted cigar Made with fruit from the centenarian vines in the San Carlos vineyard A fragrant elegant profusion of bramble fruits; plum blueberry and violets dusted with cinnamon The wines of Viu Manent are imported and sold in the UK through Louis Latour Agencies which is a commercial partner of The Buyer. To discover more about them click here. Elastique was founded in 2016 by Emeline Kuhner-Stout, who saw the potential in developing products at the intersection of activewear and skincare Kuhner-Stout had grown up in France and moved to Houston as a new mother; the brand takes inspiration from the Vodder Method of manual lymphatic drainage which was created in France in the early 1900s tissues and organs that drain excess lymph fluid that leaks into tissues from tiny blood vessels A lymphatic draining massage can help move trapped fluid which is particularly prevalent for those who’ve had a mastectomy have rheumatoid arthritis or chronic venous insufficiency Elastique’s leggings feature a compression range of 8-13 mmHg, and source fabric from a top compression mill in France. But do Elastique’s activewear products really deliver on the skincare benefits they promise Athletech News put Elastique’s MicroPerle (patented mini-massage material) and Lisse Compression collections to the test.  Elastique activewear is beautifully designed many are earth tones or have subtle pops of color the tops and leggings felt comfortable and energizing due to their compressive nature.  For the MicroPerle line the beads are placed throughout the activewear for lymphatic-system stimulation the small indentations on my skin were prominent but disappeared quickly and I did notice improved circulation due to the compressive technology the leggings were tighter around the ankles and looser up the leg to encourage blood flow For the Lisse line but it didn’t feel overly restrictive during workouts While it might be too compressive for long runs it worked well for HIIT and low-impact workouts Lisse would also be great for long flights particularly for those whose injuries become aggravated during travel both collections were useful for post-workout recovery as I felt reduced muscle soreness after wearing the top and leggings.  more so than many other compressive brands it took me a little bit of time to put on the leggings it also took some time to get accustomed to the feeling of the MicroPerle beads pressing against my skin Although I got accustomed to the feeling after a few wears some might struggle getting used to the sensation of the beads against their skin during a workout I also didn’t notice any reduced swelling or any changes in my skin texture due to the apparel the beads are also noticeable through the leggings if someone is looking closely.  Overall, while I didn’t notice any difference in skin texture or reduced swelling from wearing either Elastique line, I was impressed by the quality of the brand’s fabrics and their beautiful designs. If you’re looking for a way to improve circulation with intense compression for your low-impact workouts, consider Elastique.  Read more ATN Product Reviews here Correction: A previous version of this article misidentified the founding team at Elastique The brand was founded by Emeline Kuhner-Stout Sign Up for Our Newsletter Trusted by 100k+ Fitness Athletech News provides comprehensive media coverage of the most impactful news and trends shaping the fitness and wellness sector Our newsletter and website cover emerging fitness technology new fitness formats and the industry’s economic outlook Keep pulse with the latest in fitness news New owners of what had been one of Covington’s best-known watering holes and restaurants plan to open with a new theme Chez Nora at the corner of Sixth and Main in the MainStrasse neighborhood will jettison the French name for Lisse which is the name of a city in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands Tim Weiss said the new name reflects the hometown of Hans Philippo who owns the property with business partner Jeff Wolnitzek “We’re going to redo the entire building from the basement to the top floor,” said Weiss He said a “soft opening” is scheduled tentatively for Aug “We will also do a complete remediation of the brick (exterior) and plan to change the color,” Weiss said The three-story building has an open-air rooftop bar that provides an impressive view of the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati skylines as well as an enclosed room where Chez Nora attracted customers with live jazz Although Weiss provided some details about what the owners plan to do with the building he declined to reveal any details about the menu other than to say The owners plan to hold a press event late next week to fill in some of the blanks in the information that was released – reluctantly – this week Buildings permits for the interior and exterior work as well as a rebuild of the kitchen are “in the works,” Weiss said The Covington employee who handles building permits was not available for comment Tuesday afternoon he said he did not know what the renovation work would cost Philippo will own the restaurant and the bar and Wolnitzek will retain an ownership stake in the property who added that he has 30 years of experience in the restaurant business He declined to provide any detail about where he has worked recently Philippo is the founder and the CEO of Holland Roofing which specializes in large commercial buildings The company website says that Philippo founded the business in 1986 and that in that first year the company had 10 employees and revenues of $1.8 million the company is listed by the Engineering News Record as the sixth largest roofing company in the country Chez Nora closed early in January of 2014 after some 20 years under the ownership of Jim and Pati Gilliece who had made an effort to sell the business while the restaurant was still operating the bar had become kind of an unofficial City Hall other elected officials as well as prominent business people who made the wheels turn in the region The Gillieces also played a significant role in city-wide and neighborhood events and could be counted on to donate Chez Nora favorites for special events in Covington Covington City Commissioner Steve Frank was quoted as saying that Chez Nora had been Covington’s “living room” and that he had to find other places to talk politics once Chez Nora closed its doors After more than 11 months as a prominent yet unoccupied building on MainStrasse’s commercial strip of bars Wolnitzek described himself as a long-time patron of Chez Nora He said last December that he didn’t know if it was possible to continue to operate a restaurant and a bar that encompassed three floors of a building that has a substantial footprint on MainStrasse’s most prominent intersection Wolnitzek opted not to release any information about plans for the property But Wolnitzek and Philippo apparently are convinced now that they can make the entire building work the first floor was divided into two dining areas The second floor was typically reserved for meetings special events and private parties while the third floor included the open-air bar and the jazz performance space