I always see this stuff in the Duty Free and am always afraid of it.

We have to admit, it was a bit disconcerting at first to drink black vodka. It kind of felt like opposite day, where up was down, Goths were cheerful and vodka was black instead of clear.

But we got over that quickly, and we were very impressed with Blavod Black Vodka. It has a pleasant nose, and while it’s definitely got a bit of a bite, the aftertaste is spicy instead of the medicinal flavor you get with some vodkas. It was tasty straight or on the rocks, but we enjoyed it in mixed drinks, if for no other reason than the fact that they looked cool.

Blavod Black Vodka Review [Liquor Snob]

Glad they put the label in the review. Sounds like a nice one.

I’ve smoked about twenty of these, all from the duty-free store in Amsterdam (Schiphol) airport. They’re extremely good value for money. They smoke just like a MC No.4, just not as flavourful. They’re much lighter, but still have a lot of taste. I’ve never had a bad one yet!

Partagas Mille Fleurs Cigars [Cigars Review]

The three-alarm fire at Wines Central sent plumes of smoke more than 700 feet high that could be seen for miles. The blaze could not be controlled by firefighters because the Mare Island building — a 1942 structure that once housed Navy torpedoes — had steel doors and 3-foot-thick concrete walls and a concrete roof that could not be penetrated.

Wines Central converted the old military fortress three years ago into a 240,000-square-foot specialty warehouse that stored more than 500,000 cases of rare vintages believed to be worth up to $100 million, officials said. Clients included wineries, private collectors and some other businesses.

Warehouse fire destroys huge wine collection [SFGate]

Turnabout is fair play, I suppose. I’m making some cab right now in time for Turkey Day so it’s nice to see some folks telling us what it’s like to become a “real” winemaker. It definitely isn’t pretty.

Thanks to the masochism and keen observations of one of our local wine writers, W. Blake Gray, we now have an answer. Blake spent a day working both as a picker and as a cellar rat for Seghesio vineyards last month, and on Thursday he published a piece describing his experience. It’s well written and a lot of fun to read.

Get Out From Behind That Desk and Into The Fields [Vinography]

From WristWatchReview.com - This needs no introduction. Excellent work by Velociphile on how to buy a watch.

1. Know your target. Know the bottom line cheapest price in your country, and rest of world from greys (and then take off 10%).
2. Persistence -Agree with all the dealer’s points whining about shop rent, “last one available” nonsense or a “special price for today” - whatever. Just nod sagely, but don’t budge from your view; preferably based on well researched facts from ‘1′.
3. Pitch several dealers against each other if possible.
4. Patience. Say less, do not fill silences in the conversation. The fact that you haven’t walked away signals you are still interested.

Check it out here.