Tonight I went to a wine tasting at my local wine cellar. They marketed it as wines of the world, saying they were showing off the best 9 wines the staff had tasted in the past year. The cost was $US 80 + tax. I always forget about the tax.

We began with a French 2002 blanc de blancs from one of the best champagne houses, which retails at $US 70. It was lean and lemony, and a beautiful wine. But my neighbour’s blanc de blancs in Australia was almost as good, for a fraction of the price. We then had a 2004 rousanne from North Yuba in California, retailing at $US 32. It had tropical fruit and apricot aromas but I found it hot — too much alcohol.

Next in the batting order was a 1994 Felsina chianti classico from Beradenga in Italy, for $US 34. Given its age, it was still bright ruby red rather than brown tinged. The tannin lingered but much of the fruit had disappeared. Verdict: Ordinary. Australia has so many better wines that are much cheaper. I sound like such a chauvinist!

Next came a 1999 Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino reserve sangiovese from Italy, selling at $US 110. It had a superb nose of mint and bbq wood. Dark cherry colour. The silky tannins integrated nicely with the fruit. But it had a slightly bitter aftertaste. Disappointing, given the price. But second tasting, at the end of the night, I found it a better wine. Perhaps my palate had awoken. Still have reservations, given the price.

Wine number 5 was the 2004 La Spinetta Barbaresco Valeirano, costing $US 130. I liked it for its vibrant colours, luscious berry flavours, and silky tannins. A well-integrated wine. But the price was too high, compared with what one could get for that same amount of money in Australia. It had an aftertaste of bitter almonds. I marked it as worth trying again.

Best red wine of the night for me was number 6, the 2004 Woodward Canyon cabernet sauvignon from the Columbia Valley in Washington state. A relative bargain at $US 45. Dark cherry colours, almost brooding in its intensity. It smelled of violets and mint. The tannins were tight and lingering. But it’s too young. Think wine infanticide. Drink in a decade from bottling. Again a slight aftertaste of bitter almonds which was not unpleasant. How’s that for a double negative?

I tasted it an hour later and it was even more powerful, with caramel notes and pungent cassis aromas. Beautiful integration of fruit and tannins.

Wine number 7 was an old vines zinfandel, the Klinker Brick Old Ghost 2005, from Lodi near the Central Coast between SF and LA. Costs $US 39. Rustic, with a minty and strawberry nose. Vibrant colour. The high alcohol made it taste hot. OK but risible compared with a decent Aussie shiraz from the Barossa.

Wines 8 and 9 were the pick of the night. The 2006 Donnhoff Norheimer Dellchen auslese riesling auslese, from Nabe in Germany, was $US 60 for a 375ml bottle. It was worth the wait. Though pale in colour it had an intensity of flavours and taste that was quite overwhelming. The fruit and acid balanced well. The combination of lemon and honeyaromas was exhilerating. Memories of sherbet lemon sweets from my childhood. The flavours lingered. But we only got a tiny taste. If I had the cash I’d buy the 1.5 litre bottle for $US 275. And drink it in 20 years.

Best of all was the 1996 Royal Tokaji Mezes Maly 6 puttonyos from Mad in Hungary, selling at $US 120 a 500ml bottle. I was told it was from one of the best two vineyards in Hungary. It was magical: Old leathery honey and malt and lemon and ripe apricot. Think of a premier cru sauterne, and double the flavour intensity. Its age meant it was dark gold. Yet the wine glistened in the glass. Our host offered some designer chocolate sprinkled with salt, a magnificent combination. Apparently the wine is made from muscat grapes. Who would have thought something so wonderful would come from such a relatively ordinary grape?

Ah the joys of Californial!

Because I’m only in SF until the end of February, it was pointless getting a cell phone contract. So I was forced to get a pre-paid account. I chose T-Mobile because my previous account was with them: $50 for 400 minutes, or $100 for 1,000 minutes, plus a $10 connection fee, plus tax. Note that here people pay to receive calls as well as make them. But with pre-paid accounts it is not possible to access the Internet or make international calls. Turns out that 3G has yet to arrive!! So while I’m near Silicon Valley, the home of innovation on the west coast, I’m limited to domestic voice calls! Though I can send a text message overseas. These often take several hours to arrive. The range of options on phone contracts (called “plans” here) is huge and confusing.

Heard some excellent jazz at the weekend at The Jazz School, a private music college in Berkeley, in Addison Street. Four teachers and friends performed for about an hour. An audience of about 30 people braved the freezing weather. Highlight was the saxophone of Dayna Stephens. Take note of that name. He has a beautifully mellow sound.

Tempted to use a headline like “transports of delight” but resisted the urge. The public transport system here is big and complex. BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is a subway, though it sometimes goes overground. It is fast. My 12-stop journey to San Francisco from Albany takes about 25 minutes. Price depends on distance. Buses cost $1.75 regardless of distance. They remain at the mercy of traffic, so are fine for short distances. Different companies run different bus lines. MUNI, the San Francisco transport company, offers a 50 cent discount for the bus after a BART journey. You need to collect a “transfer” ticket at the BART station before boarding the bus. Ferries are a fine way to see the second most beautiful harbour in the world, after Sydney! (Ahh, patriotism.) Trolleys are slow and at $5 a ride seem mostly aimed at tourists. The main problem is the lack of integration. Cards are available for multiple journeys on each system, but you need a separate card for each one. SF needs to investigate something like Hong Kong’s Octopus system. But because of the range of companies here, the process would involve a lot of negotiation.

At the weekend I went to the world’s biggest tasting of zinfandel, at the Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason in San Francisco. The general public had only 3 hours to sample an average of 2 or 3 wines from almost 300 vineyards. The organisers provided bread and cheese, presumably to soak up the alcohol. It was a swill-fest by late afternoon. Every time someone dropped their glass a cheer arose from the crowd of about 3,000 souls at the sound of smashing glass. By late afternoon the cheers became frequent and louder. The program was littered with errors, such as listing $20 wine at $120! The festival moves to New York, Chicago, Washington DC and Cleveland between March and July. Let’s hope they correct the errors.

University endowments at elite American schools astound me, when we compare those numbers with education funding in Australia. Harvard’s endowment in 2007 was $US 34,600 million. Next highest was Yale’s $US 22,500 million. Third highest was Stanford’s at $US 17,100 million. The 10-campus University of California had a total endowment of $US 8,000 million. These numbers make the $A 8,300 million total for all tertiary education in Australia for 2007-08 seem tiny, even allowing for the fact the US population is 15 times larger than Australia’s.

Berkeley displays an immense amount of wealth. People drive expensive cars, dress well and exude an air of satisfaction and prosperity. I see lots of expensive shops, restaurants appear to be flourishing, and coffee shops on every corner do a roaring trade. I’ve been to at least 20 bookshops since I got here. Yet I also see beggars (mostly African Americans) on most main street corners. Last night I went to a talk by a vice-president from Google about the future of the media. As I walked back through the town about 9.30pm, I saw scores of vagrants. Earlier, I saw them lining up outside St Mary’s Episcopal church, which borders the university, waiting for a meal and presumably a warm place to sleep. Also saw numerous men sleeping on cardboard in shop entrances. Again, almost all African Americans. The contrast is stark.

Am based at the graduate school of journalism at UC Berkeley from this week until the end of February. It is a formidable J-school: classes of about 10; teachers who are practitioners, and up to date with current trends; excellent facilities; and good links with industry. It’s a 2-years master’s program so students already have a good degree. Hundreds apply each year and only 50 get in.

Newspaper advertisements and public notices offer lots of amusing content. This from the Berkeley Daily Planet earlier this week. Someone is seeking volunteers to help newts cross the road. The advertisement read: “Every year newts migrate across Hillside Drive to reach their breeding pools in Castro Creek. Volunteers prevent many of these creatures from being crushed by cars. We need volunteers every evening during January and February. The newts are most active on rainy nights.” Lucky newts, given the rain predicted for the next 4 days.

I’m based in San Francisco for the first half of 2008, though I’ll be back in Australia in March. Nice to be back in California, with all of its delights and oddities.