A rosé by any other name

I don't know wine. To me, a good vintage is one that's in the clearance aisle at the supermarket. Beer is my beverage of choice.

On Monday, though, I played wine connoisseur. At two wineries in Napa, California, I gave several varieties a visual inspection, swirled them around to "unlock their bouquet," aired them out a bit, and finally threw them at my palate. I did what some people — a lot of people, actually — do every day.

I liked the experience. Though I didn't understand the science of winemaking or half of my sommeliers' gibberish about "notes of this" or "hints of that," I liked what I tasted. Then again, I expected to. When you taste the wine in one of world's greatest wine regions, you are bound to find something good.

I visited Northern California this week as my wife Cheryl's administrative assistant. She attended an education conference. I edited her blog and enjoyed the ride. A fair trade. As a part of our experience, we took an e-bike tour of the Napa Valley, home to five hundred wineries.

Our guide, Don, a transplant from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was a font of information on all things Napa Valley. He educated two couples on everything from the region's geography and climate to its history and rise as a wine-making capital following a 1976 wine competition in Paris, an event chronicled in the 2008 comedy-drama Bottle Shock.

As for the bike ride, it was nice as well. Starting and ending in Yountville, home of the French Laundry restaurant, it covered about eighteen miles on sidestreets, paved paths, and even highways. Along the way, we passed not only vineyards and wineries but also lush farmland, olive orchards, and eucalyptus groves. E-bikes, in case you have not tried them, are a kick. They are exercise for the rest of us.

I hope to take a few more of these trips in between writing and editing novels. Doing is living, as they say, and I plan to do a lot more.

Review: John Adams

He was not the most glamorous founder. Or the most charismatic. Or even the most admirable. His most notable initiative as president, the Alien and Sedition Acts, prompted protests across the country.

Even so, he was interesting. John Adams, America's second president, was a study in contrasts who fascinates researchers, readers, and even television viewers. He was a man who still intrigues.

I reacquainted myself with Adams this month when I rented John Adams, the 2008 miniseries from HBO. Based on the Pulitzer-Prize-winning book by David McCullough, the seven-part series documents Adams' life as a lawyer, a congressional delegate, an ambassador, a vice president, a president, and a senior statesman.

Though Paul Giamatti shines as the moody, mercurial Adams, others turn in strong performances. Laura Linney, David Morse, and Stephen Dillane play convincing versions of Abigail Adams, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson. Ebon Moss-Bachrach does the same as John Quincy Adams, the founder's oldest son and a future president.

The loving but turbulent relationship between John and Abigail Adams is particularly compelling. The power couple endured numerous hardships during America's colonial and revolutionary periods, including hardships chronicled in more than one thousand personal letters.

No less riveting is Adams' friendship with Jefferson. The allies, rivals, and friends maintained a grudging respect from the time they signed the Declaration of Independence to July 4, 1826, the day the United States turned fifty and Adams and Jefferson died hours apart.

I rented the series to better familiarize myself with Adams, who plays a small but significant part in The Patriots, a historical fiction novel I will release in September. Adams, a delegate to the Continental Congress, mingles with protagonist Noah Maclean in early 1777.

I would recommend both the miniseries and McCullough's book to people who love history and compelling drama. Rating: 5/5.