The Wine Commonsewer

Where's My Rebate?

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

To be at the front of the line you should have mailed your return by about April 1. Electronic filers had a few days more breathing room, but it still takes IRS several days to process electronic returns, so figure April 5th, anyway.

The first batch of payments will be sent to those who had refunds electronically deposited and whose tax returns were PROCESSED by IRS by April 15. That's processed, not postmarked.

If you were in that group, your rebate will be automatically deposited anywhere from early to late May depending upon the last two digits of your (the primary taxpayer) social security number. For example, the first payments will be made electronically May 2 to the accounts of refund taxpayers whose Social Security numbers end in 00 to 20.  If a paper check is issued instead, it will be released between mid-May and late June, again depending upon social security number.

The rumor mill has it that if you filed an extension, you don't get a rebate. That isn't true unless you file after October 15, 2008. The timing will be on a rolling schedule throughout the year based upon when IRS gets your return. If you file within a reasonably short time after April 15, it will delay your rebate, but you should see a check by mid-summer.

One thing: If you want the rebate you have to file a return, even if you do not have any taxable income.

As Ever,

TWC

Proof That Fido Is Man's Best Friend

Gentle Readers,

A dog is truly a man's best friend. If you don't believe it, just try this experiment:

Put your dog and your wife in the trunk of your car for an hour.

When you open the trunk, who's really happy to see you?

As Ever,

TWC

Glass tip to Charley

The Economic Stimulus Payment

Gentle Readers,

Dave Barry explains how the Economic Stimulus Payment (tax rebate) that's got the populace drooling actually works. Checks to be mailed in late May or early June.

Be sure to mail your return in a timely manner, because this year, filing taxpayers will receive an Economic Stimulus Payment. This is a very exciting new program that I will explain using the Q and A format:

Q. What is an Economic Stimulus Payment?

A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.

Q. Where will the government get this money?

A. From taxpayers.

Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?

A. Only a smidgen.

Q. What is the purpose of this payment?

A. The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.

Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China?

A. Shut up.

As Always,

TWC

Glass tip to Mrs TWC

If St Hill Gets The Nod

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

As Ever,

TWC

Tip of the Glass to Brian

Heinlein On Tax

Good Evening Gentle Readers,

As we bid a fond adieu to Tax Day here in America I'll leave you with an observation about strong drink and tax collectors.....

Be wary of strong spirits. It can make you shoot at tax collectors ... and miss.

I believe that it is, in fact, wine-thirty. And while the existence of a smooth tax season is fantasy, this one was certainly less stressful than the last two.

Thank you.

As Ever,

The Wine Commonsewer

A Taxing Headache

More TWC after this word from our sponsor......

As Ever, TWC

Tip of the glass to The Man In Black

More Taxes Will Solve Everything

More Mallard Fillmore strips here.

Tip of the glass to Mrs TWC

And Your Working For No One But Me......113 Days You Aren't Getting Back

Gentle Readers,

As SASOB pointed out, George Harrison penned this tune in the 1960's when England's top tax rate was 95%, hence the One for You, Nineteen for Me line. Those kinds of rates had the effect of making tax exiles out of many Brits, including some British Rock Royalty of the day.

One who stayed behind was Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. I recall reading an interview where he talked about his take-home pay being the equivalent of about $185,000.00 US on a couple of million dollars of income (his share). Now, that's loose talk, and if you want a source cite, you'll not be getting one. Further, it seems as though he became a tax exile for some brief period of time. Never-the-less, you see my point.

While US confiscatory tax rates were never quite as dramatic as England's, both countries benefited from Reagan/Kennedy style tax restructuring.

That said, it is instructive to note that despite all the accumulated tax reforms, today's Americans, on average, work 113 days per year to support the government and we spend more on the Tax Man than for Shelter, Food, & Clothing, combined. Heck, taxes are even a bigger chunk of the budget than gasoline.

Think about that as you make out that final check to the US Treasury on April 15th. And while you're at it, ask yourself if you're getting your money's worth.

Don't matter you're political stripe, the way I see it, those guys are going to spend your money on something you don't like and it's going to happen faster than the toilet tank on a low-flow eco-friendly model can refill after a flush. Every dime you gave them in tax during 2007 was spent in the time it took you to read this sentence.

I get cranky toward the end of tax season. Spent about four hours Sunday screaming obscenities and throwing things across the room. The dogs were gone by mid-morning, the kids mostly hid out downstairs, Mrs TWC was stoic.

Tax Freedom Day is April 23, 2008.

Yes, that's Clapton.

As Always

The Wine Commonsewer

2005 Armador Cabernet

Gentle Readers,

The 2005 Armador Cabernet from Odfjell Vineyards is just okay, but it falls in a price range where there are a lot of decent red wines to be had ($10.00-$14.00 US). It could be that TWC popped an off-bottle, because just about everyone in the wine business who knows their butt from breakfast seems be showering 90-92 points on this Cab. Not me.

My email insistently calls for TWC to assign numeric scores to wines I review. Even though I consistently refuse to do so, I'll give you a number for Armador. 87. Maybe 88, tops. What does that mean? It means just okay. It loosely works like this:

• 96-100  Perfect
•   93-95  Superb! Wow!
•   91-92  Excellent Wine-Often is Special Occasion Wine
•   88-90  Drinkable Every Day Wine
•   85-87  You Pay Your Money & You Take Your Chances
•   75-85  Boone's Farm
•    0-75  Thunderbird & Night Train

The Armador Cabernet suffers from an affliction common to inexpensive Chilean cabernets. One that certainly should be absent from a wine in this price range. That is a cloying sense of sticky sweet Marischino cherry on the nose and on the palate. It isn't overwhleming, yet it detracts from the rest of what's going on. Vigorous decanting might help. That's when you shake the heck out of the bottle and frothily pour it into your decanter. The entire point is to get the oxydation process jump started.

The second glass was better, but no matter, the wine didn't grab me. So I opened a bottle of 2005 Montes Alpha, another Chilean Cabernet. Nice. Very nice.

Armador's Tasting Notes.....

Ruby in color with an aura of violet. Following the characteristics of previous vintages, there are aromas of aniseed, vanilla, plums, figs, blueberries and the typical liquorice notes from Odfjell’s terroir. The distinctive facet is the palate; the 2005 vintage is a bigger, more concentrated, richer wine than previous years. The wine grows and evolves on the palate being both juicy and fresh. Fruit flavors and ripe tannins linger.

The Armador is an otherwise interesting wine from the Maipo valley and it may have tremendous potential. 

The winery was founded by a Norwegian ex-pat shipmaker who fell in love with Chile and determined to make a go of the wine business. Pretty impressive to swap climates and cultures and also make a success of your second career.

As Always,

TWC