Only to Spain and Portugal to check out the fortified wines

The world’s view of wine at that time can be seen in the itinerary of the seven-month tour Steven Spurrier made in 1965 on behalf of Christopher’s, his employer and London’s oldest wine merchant. Spurrier spent three months in Bordeaux, two months in Burgundy, one week in the Rhône Valley, three weeks in Germany, and one week each in Champagne, the Loire Valley, and Alsace. Then after a summer break, he went to watch the harvests in Jerez, Spain, for Sherry and Oporto, Portugal, for Port. Interestingly, he did not go to Italy at all, and only to Spain and Portugal to check out the fortified wines.

G. M. Taber, Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine (2005), 27

Tradition is an experiment that has worked

They determined over time, for example, that Cabernet Sauvignon grapes did best in Bordeaux and Pinot Noir grapes performed well in Burgundy, so no one had to waste time trying to grow Pinot Noir in Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignon in Burgundy. The lessons of history had already been learned. As Émile Peynaud, a University of Bordeaux professor and the leading French wine guru of the twentieth century, said, “Tradition is an experiment that has worked.”

G. M. Taber, Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine (2005), 18

Just an ordinary man who sometimes did the monstrous things his society said were legal and proper

His father wasn’t the monster he could have been with the power he held over his slaves. He wasn’t a monster at all. Just an ordinary man who sometimes did the monstrous things his society said were legal and proper. But I had seen no particular fairness in him. He did as he pleased. If you told him he wasn’t being fair, he would whip you for talking back.

O. Butler, Kindred (1979), 146

Trying either to forget who they are or to remember where they live

It was eight in the morning, a time when drinkers are trying either to forget who they are or to remember where they live.

T. Pratchett, Soul Music (1994), 252

The uncertain merits of things like scythes and pitchforks when used in a battle against crossbows and broadswords.

Susan did not know much about history. It always seemed a particularly dull subject. The same stupid things were done over and over again by tedious people. What was the point? One king was pretty much like another. The class was learning about some revolt in which some peasants had wanted to stop being peasants and, since the nobles had won, had stopped being peasants really quickly. Had they bothered to learn to read and acquire some history books they’d have learned about the uncertain merits of things like scythes and pitchforks when used in a battle against crossbows and broadswords.

T. Pratchett, Soul Music (1994), 39

It means “lack of success”

‘It’s still miles to go,’ she said. ‘I mean to do it,’ said Granny. ‘There’s plenty of night left.’ ‘Not enough, I’m thinking.’ ‘A witch doesn’t know the meaning of the word “failure”, Gytha.’ They shot up into the clear air again. The horizon was a line of golden light as the slow dawn of the Disc sped across the land, bulldozing the suburbs of the night. ‘Esme?’ said Nanny Ogg, after a while. ‘What?’ ‘It means “lack of success”.’ They flew in chilly silence for several seconds.

T. Pratchett, Wyrd sisters (1988), loc. 2,813

I often think this is the role I would play on quests. It would not be a helpful one.

They just should not, in Susan’s very definite and precise opinion, be allowed to take up more than a page to say so

She listened with half an ear to what the rest of the class was doing. It was a poem about daffodils. Apparently the poet had liked them very much. Susan was quite stoical about this. It was a free country. People could like daffodils if they wanted to. They just should not, in Susan’s very definite and precise opinion, be allowed to take up more than a page to say so.

Terry Pratchett, Soul Music (1994), 15