Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania

My cousin Ray Tombaugh was on a trip in June, and was able to visit the area near Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania. The Tombaugh family lived in this area since at least 1785, when George Tombaugh received a "land patent" for the Haw Bottom Tract. He was kind enough to send me the pictures below:


Pic 1: The entrance to the cemetery at the former site of the Dunkard Church.  Supposedly some old ladies from Ohio pay to have it taken care of by one of the local farmers.


Pic 2:  The Leattherman Covered Bridge - down the road from the cemetery.


Pic 3: Tombaugh Homestead


Pic 4: Headstone of Solomon and Lydia Letherman Tombaugh, Parents of Leon H. Tombaugh.


Pic 5: Headstone of Rachel Spohn Tombaugh, wife of Mathias Tombaugh. Mathias's stone was overturned.


Pic 6: Headstone of Eli and Rebecca (Wise) Tombaugh


Pic 7:  Headstone of John Tombaugh


Pic 8: Home of John Tombaugh


Pic 9: Lethermen Homestead: Original graves are up at the top of the hill.


Pic 10:  The Century Inn at Scenery Hill, owned by Tombaughs during the Victorian period.

Johannes Jacob Dambach

I'm confident from my research that our original immigrant ancestor was named Johannes Jacob Dambach, not Tannbach. This is based on a combination of immigration and church records. He is referred to by the later Anglicized version of the name as John Jacob Tombaugh in the "Tombaugh History" book.

I also believe that he was married twice. Immigration records show his wife as Maria Helena, and there is a record of marriage in 1738, after his arrival, to Maria Elizabetha Seyboldt, who was most likely form Holland. I'm guessing that his first wife, Maria Helena, was likely from the same area in Germany as Johannes Jacob. You'll notice how the records listed below have a variety of spellings of the names.

I would love to find out if there are any burial records for Maria Helena Dambach, around 1735 - 1738, at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster. My guess is that she died during or shortly after child birth with Jacob, at about that time.

I've also found this article on the Lancaster Historical Society website that seems to be a close match to the property records for our (Hans) Jacob Dambach. I think that they have the date wrong on this page, but if you follow the "Chain of Title" page its correct...

Paraphrasing from the "Tombaugh History" says: Our earliest known immigrant ancestor left Germany for Friesland, Holland for a few years before coming to the colonies on the ship Albany in 1728. He possibly lived in Philadelphia from 1728 until perhaps 1738. The marriage record below is from 1738 in Lancaster, and the Tombaugh history states that he owned property in Lancaster from 1742 until his death in 1758. The Lancaster Historical Society article shows that he was deeded the Duke Street property in 1745, so there was another property that he acquired in 1742.

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1728 Albany
[List 7 A, B] Albany
Captain: Lazarus Oxman
From: Rotterdam
By Way of: Portsmouth
Arrival: Philadelphia, 4 Sep 1728
30 Palatine men and their families, making in all about 100 persons.

Johann Jacob Dambach
Maria Helena
Johann Philip Adam, 7
Fridrich Marcell, 5
Frederica Elisabetha, 2
from: Ittlingen, Baden
To Lancaster, PA.
Bur1983
alternate spelling: Danbach
Departure: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Arrival: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s
Name: Johann Jacob Dambach
Ship: Albany
Year: 1728
Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Family Members:
Wife: Maria Helena Dambach
Daughter: Frederica Elisabetha;
Son: Johann Philip Adam;
Son: Fridrich Marcell
Source Publication Code: 1031.8
Primary Immigrant: Dambach, Johann Jacob
Annotation: Date and port of arrival or date and place of naturalization. Span indicates period between last mention of emigrant in country of origin and first mention of his residence in the New World. "Surname, ..." indicates a variation of a surname.
Source Bibliography: BURGERT, ANNETTE KUNSELMAN. Eighteenth Century Emigrants from German-Speaking Lands to North America. Publications of the Pennsylvania German Society, 16/19. Birdsboro, PA: The Pennsylvania German Society. Vol. 1: The Northern Kraichgau. 1983. 461p.
Page: 86
Source Citation: Place: Pennsylvania; Year: 1728; Page Number: 86.
Source Information: Gale Research. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. Original data: Filby, P. William, ed.. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2006.

-------------

Church records show a marriage after his arrival, so presumably his first wife died early, and he remarried?

Pennsylvania Church Records - Adams, Berks, and Lancaster Counties, 1729-1881
Marriage Records of Rev. John Casper Stoever
about Johannes Jacob Dambach and Maria Elizabetha Seyboldt Dambach
Name: Johannes Jacob Dambach
Date: 21 Mar 1738
Event: Marriage
Relation: Groom
LOCATION: Lancaster, Lancaster CO., PA
Church: Records of Rev. Stoever
Record_ID: 315756
Source Information:
Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania Church Records - Adams, Berks, and Lancaster Counties, 1729-1881 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004. Original data: Extracted from microfilmed transcriptions of the original church records. The microfilmed records are located at the Family History Library.


Data Source: Pennsylvania, Lutheran Baptisms and Marriages
May 20, 2008 10:18:52 PM MDT

Marriage Date: 21 Mar 1738
Groom: Johannes Jacob Dambach
Bride: Maria Elizabetha Seyboldt
Location: Lancaster
Early Lutheran Baptisms and Marriages in Southeastern Pennsylvania

Source Information:
Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Lutheran Baptisms and Marriages [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Original data: Early Lutheran Baptisms and Marriages in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, PA, USA: n.p., 1896.

Description:
Collection of some Lutheran Church records from southeastern Pennsylvania before 1896.

-------------

Johannes Jacob Dambach’s will lists “Bernard Hubley” as an executor. Bernhard Hubley was listed as an elder of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1766

from: 200th anniversary corner-stone laying 1761-1961, the Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

About this book

Source: Original data: 200th anniversary corner-stone laying 1761-1961, the Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Lancaster, Pa.?: unknown, 1980.

Notes:
Cover title.
Flor Peeters organ recital program tipped in.
Preface signed: Wallace E. Fisher.

Subjects:
Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity (Lancaster, Pa.) -- Anniversaries, etc.
Lancaster (Pa.) -- Church history.
Pennsylvania -- Lancaster County -- Lancaster

Location:
Lancaster (Pa.) -- Church history.

----------------

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s about Hans Jacob Donbach
Name: Hans Jacob Donbach
Year: 1728
Place: Pennsylvania
Source Publication Code: 1330.1
Primary Immigrant: Donbach, Hans Jacob
Annotation: Date of arrival or date of oath of allegiance and port of arrival. Name of ship and other historical information may also be provided.
Source Bibliography: COUSINS, ELIZABETH. Immigrants Into Pennsylvania, September 1727-September 1732. np: Pathfinders, nd. 51p.
Page: 7

Source Citation: Place: Pennsylvania; Year: 1728; Page Number: 7.
Source Information:
Gale Research. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. Original data: Filby, P. William, ed.. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2006.

-------------------

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s about Hans Jacob Donbach
Name: Hans Jacob Donbach
Year: 1728
Place: Pennsylvania
Source Publication Code: 1804
Primary Immigrant: Donbach, Hans Jacob
Annotation: Taken from original manuscripts in the state archives. Names given throughout pages 1-677. Foreigners arriving in Pennsylvania named on pages 521-667. No. 3776, Kelker, supplements this.
Source Bibliography: EGLE, WILLIAM HENRY, editor Names of Foreigners Who Took the Oath of Allegiance to the Province and State of Pennsylvania, 1727-1775, with the Foreign Arrivals, 1786-1808. (Pennsylvania Archives, ser. 2, vol. 17.) Harrisburg [PA]: E.K. Meyers, 1890. 787p. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1967.
Page: 14

Source Citation: Place: Pennsylvania; Year: 1728; Page Number: 14.
Source Information:
Gale Research. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. Original data: Filby, P. William, ed.. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2006.

------------------

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s about Hans Jacob Donbach
Name: Hans Jacob Donbach
Year: 1728
Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Source Publication Code: 7820
Primary Immigrant: Donbach, Hans Jacob
Annotation: An index by Marvin V. Koger, Index to the Names of 30,000 Immigrants...Supplementing the Rupp, Ship Load Volume, 1935, 232p. is inferior to Wecken's index in the third edition (above). Page 449 contains "Names of the First Palatines in North Carolina, as
Source Bibliography: RUPP, ISRAEL DANIEL. A Collection of Upwards of Thirty Thousand Names of German, Swiss, Dutch, French and Other Immigrants in Pennsylvania from 1727 to 1776, with a Statement of the Names of Ships, Whence They Sailed, and the Date of Their Arrival at Philadelphia, Chronologically Arranged, Together with the Necessary Historical and Other Notes, also, an Appendix Containing Lists of More Than One Thousand German and French Names in New York prior to 1712. Leipzig [Germany]:
Page: 57

Source Citation: Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Year: 1728; Page Number: 57.
Source Information:
Gale Research. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. Original data: Filby, P. William, ed.. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2006.

---------------------

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s about Hans Jacob Donbach
Name: Hans Jacob Donbach
Year: 1728
Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Source Publication Code: 9041
Primary Immigrant: Donbach, Hans Jacob
Annotation: Contains 29,800 names, with annotations written by Krebs (see no. 4203). Various references to the names in Strassburger will be found in other listings, mostly where authors have attempted to line up their information with that in Strassburger. This work
Source Bibliography: STRASSBURGER, RALPH BEAVER. Pennsylvania German Pioneers: A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals in the Port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808. Edited by William John Hinke. Norristown [PA]: Pennsylvania German Society, 1934. 3 vols. Vols. 1 and 3 reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1964. Repr. 1983. Vol. 1. 1727-1775. 776p.
Page: 21

Source Citation: Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Year: 1728; Page Number: 21.
Source Information:
Gale Research. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. Original data: Filby, P. William, ed.. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2006.

-------------------

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s about Jacob Danbach
Name: Jacob Danbach
Year: 1728
Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Source Publication Code: 6665
Primary Immigrant: Danbach, Jacob
Annotation: Lists Palatines arriving in Pennsylvania between 1718 and 1742. Note that the first printing of vol. 3, 1840, has been used in no. 2048, Filby and Meyer. Also in no. 717, Boyer, Ship Passenger Lists, Pennsylvania and Delaware, pp. 48-86; and printed in pa
Source Bibliography: PENNSYLVANIA (COLONY). PROVINCIAL COUNCIL. Minutes of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania, from the Organization to the Termination of the Proprietary Government. (Colonial Records of Pennsylvania, vols. 3-4.) Harrisburg, PA: State of Pennsylvania, Theo Fenn & Co. Vol. 3 (1840), containing the Proceedings of the Council from May 31, 1717, to January 23, 1735-1736, pp. 299-301, 303-305, 307, 346-348, 350-351, 390-392, 409-411, 414, 436-437, 440-442, 444, 457, 460-461, 483
Page: 348

Source Citation: Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Year: 1728; Page Number: 348.
Source Information:
Gale Research. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. Original data: Filby, P. William, ed.. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2006.

-----------------

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s about Jacob Danbach
Name: Jacob Danbach
Year: 1728
Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Source Publication Code: 717
Primary Immigrant: Danbach, Jacob
Source Bibliography: BOYER, CARL, 3RD, editor Ship Passenger Lists, Pennsylvania and Delaware (1641-1825). Newhall, Calif.: the editor, 1980. 289p. 4th pr. 1986. Reprint. Family Line Publications, Westminster, MD, 1992.
Page: 54

Source Citation: Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Year: 1728; Page Number: 54.
Source Information:
Gale Research. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. Original data: Filby, P. William, ed.. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2006.

Some Updates for the New Year

OK, so I've realized that its been a long time since I've posted anything...

Many of my last posts were reviews of wines, and I haven't posted any of those for a long time, either... While I've continued to enjoy German Rieslings, I have generally been buying the same ones that I have already reviewed. I have continued to see variations in the Saint M -- some have been good, some have been not so good... I've seen some variation in the Schlink Haus as well, but not as much. Also, we've been able to see that the Schlink Haus has changed the into on their label when they are different. Of all of the inexpensive German Rieslings, it seems that the Schmitt Söhne is the most consistent.

I also had a long post about our experiences with eBay and their collection agency. After sending all of the documentation that I could find to both of them, I have heard nothing. From either party... I'm assuming that no news is good news, and that they will be leaving us alone now.

I have also been thinking that the blog might be a good venue for sharing some of my genealogy research. A few months ago, I found some information on someone else's blog, and thought it was an interesting idea. I've just emailed a few things to some family members, and thought that it would make a good start here as well.

NetFlix Keeping Profiles!

Yay! Today, in their corporate blog, NetFlix announced that they would be keeping the Profiles feature. They had previously planned to eliminate the feature, which allows one customer to manage multiple queues of movies. This works out great for families, where each member of the family can select their own movies in their own queue, so that everyone gets something to watch. This is great news! I was afraid that we were going to have to resort to movie channels and Pay-Per-View if this NetFlix feature went away... They were persuaded by an outpouring of public response to keep the Profiles feature in place. Thanks, NetFlix!

eBay is stupid!

We've gotten a couple of collection calls from a company called I.C. System, trying to collect on an account with eBay... Except that we don't even HAVE an account with eBay! Apparently we were victims of an identity theft last year, and someone opened a fake eBay seller's account with the stolen id... They apparently sold something to someone, and eBay wants to collect $45 for their fees.

When we were first called by I.C. Systems, we explained that we had discovered last October that we had been the victim of credit card fraud. My wife had downloaded transactions from our bank, and found several fraudulent transactions had appeared in the preceding days.

Two of the pending transactions were authorizations from eBay, and another was from Juno Online, also on the same date. The only one of these authorizations that became an actual charge transaction was from Juno, which charged our Visa Debit card account for monthly dial-up internet service. We wouldn't need to use Juno for dial-up, as I have a 7Mbps DSL circuit, and host my own website and email!

We immediately contacted our bank to report the fraudulent charges. They closed the account immediately, and issued us a new card and account number.

When the Juno authorization became a transaction, it included their telephone number, which we promptly called and explained our situation. They were very cooperative, and immediately closed the account which had been created fraudulently, and credited all charges. From the information that we were able to obtain from Juno, it appears that an account was opened using my son's name, our address, and using my wife's debit card.

However, since the eBay authorizations never became transactions, there was NO identifying information with which to contact eBay to report the fraud. Our bank advised us that since there was no charge made to the account before it was closed, that we should have no further liability.

During the phone conversation that we had with I.C. Systems, the agent said that while he could make notes in the file, we wouldn't be able to do anything else for us. He said that we would have to contact eBay ourselves. I asked him for a phone number or email address to contact eBay, and was told that they didn't have one! He said that the only way for us
to contact eBay was online, and gave some instructions on using the online “chat” on the eBay website.

When I pointed out to him that since I didn't actually have an account with eBay, I had no way to reference this fraudulent account when talking to eBay. I asked him if he could email me the account information and history for the eBay account. He said that they didn't have email available, only phone, so he read me the account “handle” and gave me the “EID” for the eBay account. This is the only information that I have on the account.

I then attempted to get to the online chat at the eBay website, and discovered that it is damn near impossible to contact anyone at eBay for help without being logged into an account, which I DO NOT HAVE!

After many failed attempts, where I ended up going in circles between the login page and the “help” page to start a chat, I was able to log in as a guest and started a chat. The first person that I chatted with at eBay transferred me to someone in their fraud department. I explained what happened to them, and they said that they would contact me for further information. However, as soon as the chat ended, the text transcript was cleared, so I have no record of this discussion! Neither of the people that I chatted with at eBay have ever followed-up on our conversation.

Since it seems that the ONLY attempt made by eBay to contact the account holder regarding this account before turning it over to collections was to continue to email the fraudulent email account at Juno which was closed in October, we never received any statement from eBay that would have alerted us to the fraudulent account. I can't believe that anyone operating a business would not attempt to send a letter or statement to the physical mailing address for one of their customers before sending them to collections! This seems like it is not only a bad business practice, but is also downright stupid!

The only documentation that I can offer as any kind of evidence is the paperwork from our bank when we reported the fraudulent charges. The eBay transaction was not listed here, since there was never an actual charge to the account, only an authorization. Its sometimes hard enough to prove that you did something when you did it, but how do you prove that you didn't do something?

I have no idea who stole my son's identity, or my wife's debit card number, as we never lost possession of the card. We have not had any further instances of identity theft since this debit account was closed. I would be happy to discuss this with them, and will provide any additional information that I can, but I do not intend to pay any amount on this account, since it was not created by me or any member of my family.

Now, there are a bunch of things that I don't understand about this whole incident...

First, someone went through considerable effort to steal the credit card number, including names and addresses... But the only thing that they actually charged on it was $10 for a Juno account? Except that the combination of the fake Juno account and the credit card number allowed them to open an eBay seller account that is pretty much untraceable.

So what would they do with that? My thought would be that they would setup a fake auction for something expensive, collect the money from the sale, but then never ship it to the buyer. If they had done that, though, it seems like eBay fraud/security would have come to us with an angry buyer to find out what happened to their stuff. That's never happened.

So what would be the advantage of having an untraceable, fake eBay account, if you're not ripping off buyers? I would have to guess that it would be to sell stolen goods that couldn't be traced? Seems like their must be easier, lower profile ways to do that?

In the end, they seem to have skipped out on $45 in seller fees on eBay... They took a lot of risk, and went through an awful lot of trouble to save $45 it seems... And they created a real mess for me!

In addition to the obvious problems of the credit card and ID theft that must have resulted from someone's online purchasing system being hacked, it seems like there are a number of flaws/deficiencies in the way that eBay operates...

Since they are only an online business, they don't have any way to physically validate someone's identity. They can't ask for a driver's license or other ID, since everything is automated and remote. They make the assumption that getting a valid credit card is a safe way to validate someone, so they request an authorization on the credit card for a buck. This still only proves that the credit card is valid, and doesn't really prove that the person is who they say they are...

Only creating an account authorization doesn't really prevent fraud, either. As in our case, we knew that the transaction was fraudulent, but there was nothing to report, as no money was taken. It seems like it would be worth the effort for eBay to charge a nominal fee, like $10-12, to open an account. This is small enough that it shouldn't keep legitimate customers away, but would create an actual financial transaction that could be disputed right away when fraud occurred. They could even credit back the fee against any charges if they really wanted, but why wouldn't they want to make the extra money to cover the costs of opening the accounts?

To prevent fraud, it seems like they could mail an account contract to the name and address that they were given, and have the form be signed and returned in order to activate the account. This would also validate the name and address are legitimate, especially if verified as the billing address used on the credit card. This would also get them a signature on an actual contract for legal purposes.

There must have been some advantage to be gained by opening the Juno account. Presumably eBay requires an email address to open an account (I don't know, since I don't have an eBay account!) and they will probably not accept a free account like Yahoo! or Gmail since they could also be easily faked. But requiring a commercial email account as a component of authentication doesn't really prove someone's online identity, either. It only side-steps the issue, and relies on the ISP to have properly verified the identity of the person opening the account. This is a pretty weak assumption.

The next place that eBay's business model falls apart is that they only email statements to the address given in the account setup. We called Juno and had them close the account the day after it was opened, so it would only have accepted email for about 24 hours. If eBay continued to send statements to that address, they must have been bouncing back to them. At that point, they should have mailed a printed statement to the physical mailing address that they had on file. eBay gave our address to their collection agency, so they must have had it themselves. Why not spend the postage to make an effort to contact the account holder themselves? To immediately turn an account over to collections seems lazy and irresponsible...

My other issue with eBay is that there is no way for a fraud victim who doesn't actually even have an ebay account to contact them for assistance. Every avenue to contact eBay seems to be through an online chat, and requires that you be logged in with your account. But what about those of us who don't have accounts? While I can understand their desire to avoid publishing a customer service call center phone number that everyone could call, it seems like they should at least be able to let their collection goons give a phone number to contact to dispute charges.

I've now written letters to both eBay and I.C. System explaining all of this again, and have included copies of the dispute forms from our bank as my only "proof" that I didn't create the account. We'll have to wait to see what happens next, I guess...

Save NetFlix Profiles!

Yesterday NetFlix announced that it was going to be removing the Profiles feature of its subscription service. I think that this is a huge mistake! Profiles turned out to be the best feature of NetFlix when we switched from Blockbuster a year ago. With one account, we could have one queue for me, one for Jeannette and Melissa, and one for Eric. We all have different interests in movies, so using separate queues allowed each of us to have a movie that we would like. This also helped with the Recommendations, since it would suggest the right kinds of movies for each of us. If we were all using the same queue, the recommendations would only be able to show action/adventure/romantic comedy/science fiction movies from Disney!

I can't really understand what NetFlix hopes to gain by eliminating profiles. While it will reduce some of the complexity of multiple queues under a single account, its no different than managing subscribers and dependents for health insurance plans, or many other common scenarios. It won't reduce the number or frequency of movies being rented, which is where I would imagine their capital expenses are tied up.

It really seems like netFlix is trying to drive its customers to use several individual accounts that cost more per movie than the multiple-movies-per-month plans that are more cost effective for consumers.

Since we have already had so many issues with BlockBuster, I'm not sure that we would return to their online service. They still don't have a store that would be convenient for us, which is part of the reason we left them. Being able to return the online movie at the store in exchange for a free rental gave us a lot of flexibility.

I think that if NetFlix removes the Profiles, we are likely to cancel, and get movie channels or use the Pay-Per-View on DirecTV instead. We've also rented movies from the grocery store or checked them out from the library. Its not as convenient, but beats paying more to NetFlix to get back the functionality that we already have today...

There is an online petition to try to convince NetFlix to keep the Profile feature. If you are a NetFlix subscriber who uses the Profiles feature, please consider signing the petition to encourage them to reconsider.

Wine Tasting 16 March 2008

At the wine dinner last week, we sat with Sterling Robinson, Derek's friend from Seven 30 South. We talked about each wine as we tasted them. When we were discussing the Riesling's, he suggested that I try a Riesling from Alsace, France, as they have a different character than the German varieties that I usually get.

When I stopped at Davidson's later in the week, I picked up an Albrecht Riesling from Alsace, as well as another bottle of Schmitt Söhne Riesling QbA. On Friday, a lady that Jeannette works with brought her two bottles of Riesling, to thank her for helping with a project. That gave us a Columbia Winery Cellarmaster's Reserve from Washington state, and a Schlink Haus from Germany. We thought that since we had such an interesting assortment, we should do another wine tasting.

Columbia Winery 2006 Cellarmaster’s Riesling
Columbia Valley, Washington
Our Cellarmaster’s Riesling offers fragrant honey, pear and apricot aromas that lead to delectable fruit flavors and crisp acidity. Enjoy with spicy foods, fresh fruit desserts or sipping on your deck or patio.
http://www.ColumbiaWinery.com
Produced and Bottled by
Columbia Winery
Woodinville, WA USA
Alcohol 10.0%
$8.99 at Davidson's

Had a subtle fruity, floral aroma. Medium body, with some spritz. An attack of sweetness, not so well balanced. Acidic mid-palatte, and a bit too much alcoholic finish.

I had all of the opened leftovers in the fridge for a couple of days before I finished them off. After the Columbia had a chance to breathe for a day or two, it actually smoothed out a little bit. The alcohol on the finish wasn’t as strong, and the acidity and sweetness balance seemed better as well. This wine might benefit from decanting, or at least being opened an hour or two in advance to breathe.

Schlink Haus Riesling 2006 Qualitätswein - Rheinhessen
"Schlink Haus Wine Selections represent dependable quality and great values.
The Blue-glass-bottle has been revived from a 200 year old tradition in the Nahe Valley.
The Riesling is the finest and best known of Germany’s white varieties. A crisp and refreshing wine for seafood, chicken and salads."
Bottled & Shipped by:
Günther Schlink GmbH
A.P. Nr. 7 907 008 028 07
D-55543 Bad Kreuznach
in D-54518 Esch
Produce of Germany
imported by: Wein-Bauer, Inc.
Franklin Park, Illinois 60131
Alcohol 9.5%
$5.99 at Davidson's

Light bodied, subtle earthy aroma, light straw color. Light fruit up front, apricot note on the finish. Subtle minerality, but overall very smooth.

Lucien Albrecht 2003 Riesling Reserve
Appelation Alsace Controlee
White Alsace Wine
Bottled by Lucien Albrecht
A 68500 Orschwihr Haut-Rhin
Alsace, France
Product of France
Martin Linhoff Selections
Imported by Pasternak Wine Imports, Greenwich, CT
http://www.lucien-albrecht.com
13% alcohol

Mineral presence was noticible in the aroma. Sharp mineral bite, rather dry. Rather tart/sour on the mid-palatte. Would probably pair well with something like filet of Sole with lemon and capers?

I finished the leftover portion of this on St. Partick’s Day evening with some corned beef, potatoes, and saur kraut, which the Albrecht paired with pretty nicely.

Wine Dinner at Baur’s Ristorante 11 March 2008

Last Tuesday night, we had the opportunity to attend a wine dinner with Bob Bertheau, head winemaker from Chateau Ste. Michelle, at Baur’s Ristorante. Many thanks to our friend Derek Bennington of Vine Catcher for the invitation.

Baur's is located at 15th and Curtis St. in downtown Denver, about a block from the Denver Center for Performing Arts. There is an RTD Light Rail station next to the DCPA, so we took the train downtown after work. The restaurant is in a building that used to be home to Baur's catering, restaurant, and candy shop since 1891. Current owner Jimmy Lambatos opened this restaurant last fall. Our wine dinner was in the elegant "Venetian Room" for private parties.

I should mention that since I'm lactose intolerant, I had made arrangements to have whatever modifications/substitutions made for my meal, in order to avoid any dairy. The staff at Baur's were most accommodating, and made sure that everything they brought me was dairy-free. I'll only mention the regular menu items below, although I was served something slightly different in a few cases.

Before the dinner began, we were treated to several glasses of Chateau Ste. Michelle's exquisite 2006 Eroica Riesling. It made a wonderful start to the evening. The Eroica Riesling is very light and refreshing, with the hints of citrus and and subtle mineral note. The Eroica is produced as a partnership between Chateau Ste. Michelle and German winemaker Dr. Ernst Loosen. Dr. Loosen's Blue Slate Riesling is Jeannette's favorite, so we both enjoyed the Eroica immensely.

The dinner was served in five courses, each accompanied by a different wine. It began with a "Dinner Amuse" course of Honey Smoked Salmon, Baby Fennel, Chive, and Créme Fraiche, paired with the 2006 Eroica Riesling.

The Appetizer was a Vadouvan seared Diver Scallop, served in a shallow bowl of Watercrest Soup with Spring Peas and crisp bacon. It was paired with the 2006 Horse Heavan Sauvignon Blanc. This wine was light and crisp, with a subtle citrus component.

Next came the Salad course, with Prosciutto Di Parma, baby Arugula, candied walnuts and shaved Parmesan, served with the 2006 Indian Wells Chardonnay. The warm and buttery oak flavor paired quite nicely with smoky Prosciutto.

The Fish course included a grilled Alaskan Halibut, with Chantrelle Mushroom crust, white asparagus and Fava beans and smoked corn. The wine was the 2005 Canoe Ridge Estate Merlot. While I was a bit surprised to see a red wine with a white fish, the mellow Merlot actually paired nicely with the Halibut.

A Meat course followed the fish, bringing a Muntok Pepper-crusted Bison Tenderloin, accompanied by a Goat Cheese and Shallot Bread Pudding and a sour cherry sauce. The Bison was fabulous! It was so tender that you could pull it apart with your fork! The pepper and sour cherry flavors were enhanced by the 2004 Ethos Syrah, which brought warm earthy tones and dark fruits.

For the Dessert course, we had a brown butter Financier with vanilla poached pears, and a Riesling Sabayon custard. It was served with the 2005 Ethos Late Harvest Riesling. This wine was more intense than the Eroica, with rich honey and apricot flavors. It was delightful!

Between each course, Bob Bertheau gave us some history of the winery, some of his background, and a few stories about picking the frozen grapes for the 2006 ice wines on Halloween night and working with Dr. "Ernie" Loosen. The food was fabulous, and the wines were wonderful!

The staff at Baur's did a great job of delivering the food and wine quickly and unobtrusively, and whisked away the remains almost without notice. As I mentioned earlier, they paid special attention to my dairy-free diet, and were careful to mention with each course that my serving had been specially prepared so that I didn't need to worry. We had a wonderful evening, and are looking forward to their next special event!

Riesling Ice Wine

My neighbor Steve called me last weekend, needing help with his printer on his home network. After spending some time reconfiguring the printer, and creating some new print queues, Steve rewarded my efforts by popping open a 2000 Plum Creek Riesling Ice Wine that he had chilling. Plum Creek is a Colorado winery, near Palisade, about 10 miles from Grand Junction on Colorado's western slope.

I’ve had a Rosé from Plum Creek last October that wasn’t really to my taste, but this Riesling Ice Wine is a different story!

An Ice wine is made from grapes that have stayed on the vine until they freeze, so they are overly ripe, very sweet, and very intense.

Plum Creek Riesling Colorado Ice Wine 2000
Produced and bottled by
Plum Creek Cellars, Ltd.
BWCO10 - 3708 G Road
Palisade, Colorado 81526
(970) 464-7586
Alcohol 8%
375ml

With a rich aroma, heavy body, and intense burst of flavor, this dessert wine is a very enjoyable experience. Long lasting finish. I'm not sure that Plum Creek produces this wine every year, but I'm going to look for more of this!

Wine Tasting 14 Feb 2008

For Valentine’s Day, which is also Jeannette’s birthday, I had wanted to get another bottle of Dr. Loosen Blue Slate Riesling that we had at Christmas (See Wine Tasting 24 Dec 2007) since it was Jeannette’s favorite. Davidson’s, where I usually shop, was out of stock. I went to several other local wine/liquor stores, but they either didn’t carry it, or were also out. I decided to substitute with something else in same price range, about $13-14.

I’ve liked the other Rieslings that I’ve had from Mönchhof, so I decided to pick up their Estate Riesling, which Davidson’s has priced at $12.99.

Mönchhof (Robert Eymael) 2006 Estate Riesling
Mönchhof - Robert Eymael
D-54539 Ürzig/Mosel
http://www.moenchhof.de
A.P. Nr. 2602 029 012 07
Mosel-Saar-Ruwern Riesling Qualitätswein
http://www.germanwine.net
Imported by Cellars International, Inc.
San Marcos, CA 92078 USA
for Rudi Wiest
9.5% alcohol
Produce of Germany
Price: $12.99 from Davidsons

Tasting Notes:
pale color, medium body, some spritz, smooth, slightly sweet, good balance with acidity, nice finish. Not quite as intense as the Mönchhof Mosel Slate, but definitely very nice for the price, and a Riesling that I would consider buying again.

This update addresses compatibility with Mac OS X

In the past two days, Apple has released updates to Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and tonight for iWeb, stating only that "This update addresses compatibility with Mac OS X."

Since these Apple applications only run on OS X, what else could it possibly be? I can't recall the last time that any software vendor was so vague about what was contained in an update... If they said that it was to improve compatibility with Leopard, I might understand, but they don't even specify what version of OS X is affected.

Last week, many issues with incompatibility related to the QuickTime 7.4 update were reported...

I know that we've had trouble with Numbers consuming large amounts of disk space before crashing when we try to print. I can't say that we have had any particular issues with the other apps, but I haven't tried using them much since I upgraded to Leopard.

I did have issues with iPhoto not being able to print. It would complain that "There are no themes installed" despite nearly 300 folders of themes in the /Library/Application Support/iPhoto/Themes directory. After repeatedly deleting all of the components, prefs and receipts for iPhoto, and repairing permissions, then reinstalling, and repairing permissions again, I was finally able to get it to recognize that the themes were indeed installed.

Its making me wonder if Apple has reached "critical mass" or "terminal velocity?"

Wine at Restaurants

I've had a glass of Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling with dinners at restaurants on a couple of occasions. Now that I have developed more of an interest in wines, I find it somewhat annoying that the wine list at most mid-priced restaurants provide so little information about the choices.

At Mimi's Cafe tonight, they only listed the producer and varietal... So I asked to see the bottle! It turns out that the Riesling they offered is the 2006 Columbia Valley Riesling from Chateau Ste. Michelle. According to their website, it was rated 86 points by Wine Spectator. Davidson's has it priced at $7.99, the same as the Saint M that I like. It was $5.95 for the glass, which seems about average for restaurants...

I thought that the Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Riesling was a very nice wine, although perhaps not as interesting as the Saint M... It had a light fruit aroma, and a light gold color. It had a subdued mineral component, with subtle fruit component, hints of pear, apple and melon. There was a slight sweetness, offset by a mild acidity... Overall, not quite as intense as most of the German Rieslings that I had tried. Would I get it again? Certainly! The Chateau Ste. Michelle seems to be frequently offered at restaurants. It was definitely good enough to get again. At Mimi's Cafe tonight, I had their Diablo center cut pork chops, which paired with the Riesling very nicely.

I've also had a Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling at the Elephant Bar, with their MisoYaki Grilled Salmon. I'm guessing that it was also the Columbia Valley...

The last time we were at Applebee's, they had just revised their menu and wine list. This seems to happen about every six weeks, or about every time that we go there... They no longer offered a Riesling, so I settled for the Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio. I wasn't terribly impressed with it... It seemed lacking in any discernible flavor, like most of the Chardonnay that I've had.

In December I was at C.B. & Potts with some co-workers, and tried the Black Swan Riesling from Australia. I think that Davidson's sells the Black Swan Riesling for $5.99, which is probably about what it cost for the one glass that I had at the restaurant! It also seemed pretty flat... I wouldn't have guessed it to be a Riesling if I didn't know that was what it was...

I haven't posted reviews of any of these on Vine Catcher since i had so little detail about what they were. Perhaps I'll post something on the Chateau Ste. Michelle, since I know what it was...

Batch or Bottle Variation

One of my favorite inexpensive Rieslings over the past few months has been the 2006 "Saint M," from a joint venture with Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington, with Dr. Loosen in Germany. My local wine shop, Davidsons, carries the Saint M for $7.99, which I think is a great value. I've had a bottle of Saint M on hand the last couple of times that I've done wine tastings, so I've been able to compare it with a number of other German Rieslings. The Saint M has come out better than several other wines that are twice as expensive. I know, I should stop equating the cost of the wine with the "quality." I still expect that better wines would cost more, so I have higher expectations from more expensive wines, but am pleasantly surprised when I find a really enjoyable wine for less than $10. The Saint M has hit that spot for me. Its light and refreshing, with a subdued sweetness, balanced with a tartness and acidity that makes it interesting. There is no one aspect that seems overwhelming. Nice by itself, but also goes well with light foods...

In fact, one of our typical Friday night routines is a late dinner, after my daughter gets done with dance class, stopping by Panda Express on our way home for take-out. Their signature "Orange Chicken" or "Thai Chicken" goes great with a Riesling like the Saint M. Slightly spicy/tangy food like Oriental is balanced with the sweetness of the wine -- a great combination, at a great price!

Anyway, back to the topic... Last weekend I picked up a Saint M, which I intended to keep for a wine tasting with my neighbor Steve. We're going to compare some of the less expensive German Rieslings head to head, and wanted to include the Saint M. Well, I couldn't wait, so I opened it early, since we weren't able to meet up over the weekend. I was really disappointed with the Saint M! Instead of the nice balance that I expected, it was more tart than usual, and seemed to be lacking the sweetness... Looking at the back label, I noticed that the last two sets of the "A.P. Number" that indicate the batch and year the wine was bottled were different than the others that I've had... I think that all of the other bottles of Saint M 2006 that I've had ended with "01 07" but this bottle was an "08 07" so it was apparently a different batch. I am sure that this isn't all that unusual, but its the first time that I've experienced this firsthand...

I was out tonight, and stopped at Davidsons for another bottle of wine. I checked the bottles of Saint M on the shelf, and was happy to discover that they were again ending with "01 07." So happy, in fact, that I bought two, so that I could open one, and save one for the tasting/comparison with Steve this weekend...

While I would expect to be able to detect differences between vintages, I was surprised that there was this much difference between two batches from the same year...

Christmas Eve Wine Tasting

On Christmas Eve, we had a wine tasting with our neighbors, Steve and Diane Porterfield. Steve is the one who introduced us to the German Rieslings, so it was fun to do a tasting with him. Steve and I had gone to Davidsons over the weekend, where we each picked up 2-3 bottles. I had a Saint M already open, so we had a total of six wines to compare. We had an array of appetizers while we tried the wines, including a variety of fresh sausages (sweet Italian pork, Cajun chicken, chicken and apple, and Polish pork) from Sunflower Market, Italian meatballs, Buffalo wings, chips with various dips, and a fresh vegetable tray. Here is what we tried:

Dr. Loosen 2005 Blue Slate Riesling - Mosel Saar Ruwer
Qualitätswein - Produce of Germany
Produced and bottled by Dr. Loosen D-54470 Bernkastel/Mosel
A. P. Nr. 3 576 162 1306
Imported by Loosen Bros. USA Ltd. Salem, Oregon
Blue Slate Riesling comes entirely from steep blue slate vineyards in the Mosel valley. These vineyards are noted for their delicate aromas and vivacious personalities, which are quintessential expression of the Mosel. Blue Slate Riesling, made in the classic, off-dry style.
Alcohol 8.5%
Price: $12.99

Tasting Notes:

Had a good balance of sweetness and acidity, slightly sweet, fairly light body, with a discernable citrus note. This wine was very smooth. I think that it compares well with the Mönchhof Mosel Slate, which has been my favorite, especially at 2/3 the price!

Steve said: A blast of sweetness carried by a burst of tangy citrus to a lovely finish...

This was Steve’s favorite of the night, and my (close) second favorite. This was Jeannette’s favorite as well. I liked it enough to buy another bottle for New Years’s Eve. The only drawback was that the champagne we opened at midnight was disappointing compared to this lovely Riesling!


Wegeler 2003 Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Spätlese - Rheingau
Weingüter Wegeler - D-65375 Oestrich-Winkel
Rheingau - Qualitätswein mit Prädikat
Gutsabfüllung A.P. Nr. 002902401104 - Produce of Germany
In 1882 Julius Wegeler established the Wegeler Family Estates which are now operated in the fourth generation. Know-how, garnered in over a century both in the cellar and vineyard evolved a winemaking philosophy that strives to produce great Rieslings that reflect the signature of both estate and vineyard.
Imported by Cellars International, Inc.
San Marcos, CA 92069 USA
for Rudi Wiest
Alcohol 8.0%
Price: $12.99

Tasting Notes:

Had a nice heavy body, full of citrus flavors, loads of sweetness, with a definite mineral bite. Had a bit of a “sour apple” tart finish. This also compares well with the Mönchhof Mosel Slate, like the Loosen Blue Slate. This may become my new favorite! (I’ve already bought another bottle...)

Steve said: A bold mineral presence mixed with a subdued sweetness and tartness with a short, fading finish.

I ranked this as my favorite of the night, and Steve placed it second. I liked the heavier body, but Steve thought it was too heavy!


Saint M 2006 Riesling - Pfalz region
11% alcohol
Bottled by Villa Wolf property of Ernst Loosen for Chateau Ste. Michelle
Qualitätswein
Product of Germany - Bottled by D-RP 142 463 in D-07231134
A. P. Nr. 5 142 463 01 07
Shipped and imported by Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, WA, USA
Price: $7.99 from Davidsons

Tasting Notes:
Light gold color, medium body. slightly sweet, off dry, a bit of a tart/acidic finish. A well balanced combination of sweetness, tart apple, mineral and acidity.

Steve said: A smooth, almost halbtrocken combination of mineral, sweetness, citrus, well balanced yet light and very tasteful.

Both Steve and I ranked this as our third pick of the night. We enjoyed the Saint M more than the Flying Ace, Rosch or Detonation, and the Saint M is considerably less money!


Josef Rosch 2005 Halbtrocken Liewen Klostergarten
(Need to get the details from the label)
Price: $16.99 at Davidsons

Tasting Notes:
A sharp attack of mineral and acid, with a tart finish. Not as well balanced as the other wines we tasted. Disappointing for the price point.

Steve said: A halbtrocken with a smooth balance yet Stronger on mineral strength, lesser on sweetness and citrus. Medium finish - not remarkable.

Both Steve and I ranked this in fourth place, after the Saint M. For the same money, I would buy two bottles of the Saint M instead of buying this again.


Flying Ace 2006 Riesling - Rheingau
Qualitätswein
The Red Baron was the original Top Gun, known for his skill and courage. Flying Ace is a deftly made half-dry Riesling from the land where this grape reigns supreme. Flavors of golden delicious apples mingle with ripe peaches and tangerine, followed by a refreshingly crisp finish. This is a versitile, food-friendly Riesling that can pair with poultry dishes, salads, and Asian cuisine. Prost!
A.P. NR. 3107102307
White Wine - Product of Germany
Bottled by Weingut Karl-Joh. Molitor
65346 Eltville-Hattenheim
Alcohol 11%
Imported by Magellan Wine Imports, Inc.
Centennial, CO 80122
Price: $12.99

Tasting Notes:
Overwhelming sour apple flavors, strong mineral component, no discernable sweetness, very flat finish...

Steve said: A definite halbtrocken not withstanding, fair balance of mineral, sweetness and citrus. A half finish as well...

We both ranked this wine as our fifth pick, although neither of us expect to buy this again...


Batterieberg 2006 Detonation Riesling - Rheinhessen
Qualitätswein - White Wine - Product of Germany
A. P. Nr. 1 907 133 190 07 - Bottled by D-RP 907 133 in D-07 135 092
Shipped by Weinhaus C.A. Immich-Batterieberg, D-56850 Enkrich
Imported by Magellan Wine Imports, Inc.
Centennial, CO 80122
Housed in a 1,000 year-old castle, the estate of Batterieberg (Cannon Hill) takes its name from its vineyard that was created in the 19th century by blasting away a mountainside with dynamite. The blasting echoed like 100 cannons in the valley and revealed the pure blue slate that the vines grow in today. Detonation Riesling pays homage to the vineyard created with dynamite.
Alcohol 11%
Price: $11.99

Tasting Notes:

Sharp mineral bite, lacking discernable sweetness, lacking balance. Perhaps too dry for my taste? Very disappointing for the price.

Steve said: Subdued mineral tastes blended with sweetness, absent of citrus, no real finish

We both ranked this as our last pick. Certainly, for the money, I would rather spend an extra dollar or two for the Dr. Loosen or the Wegeler, or even save a few bucks and get the Saint M, which is more enjoyable. This is not a wine that I would expect to buy again, and it may steer me away from other Batteriebergs, although their higher end wines are well rated... Perhaps I’ll have to try another sometime...

I finished this bottle over the days following our tasting, and it seemed to improve a bit... Perhaps it needed to breathe a little, or perhaps our palattes were overwhelmed by the Dr. Loosen or Wegeler Spätlese that we tasted first? I still didn’t like this as well as the Saint M, so it didn’t change my opinion much... Perhaps enough to tie with the Rosch?

Conclusions:

As I have developed a taste for German Rieslings, and gained some exposure to different producers and regions, I have come up with some criteria for rating them. First, do I enjoy the wine, and find it interesting? Is it good enough that I would like to have it again? Then, do I like it more than other wines in the price range? If I don’t like it more than another wine that is the same price, or less, then I wouldn’t rank it highly. So, the first cut is a pass/fail test: would I buy it again? Next question is would I spend more money for this wine that another that I like?

I noted our rankings in the notes above. The top three wines all make the cut - I would definately buy them again. In fact, I already have! The lower three wines definately fail that test - I would certainly NOT buy any of them again.

Ranking the top three picks by the second criteria is perhaps a bit more difficult. Since October, my absolute favorite Riesling has been the Mönchhof Mosel Slate, which is about $18 a bottle locally. Both of the top two from this flight are about $13 each. I definately like them as well as the Mönchhof, and since they are about 30% less expensive, I’d have to say that I expect to buy the Dr. Loosen Blue Slate or Wegeler Spätlese more frequently than the Mönchhof. The Saint M has been one of my preferred wines for “everyday” (or in my case, weekend). It goes nicely with food or by itself, and at $8 is easy to afford.

This tasting was interesting for several reasons. Most of the Rieslings that I’ve had so far have been from the Mosel region. This time we included Rheinhessen and Rheingau regions as well as the Saint M from Pfalz. Also, most of the Rieslings I’ve had before this were QbA or Spätlese, where several of these wines were “halbtrocken,” the German term meaning “half-dry.” I think that both Steve and I came to conclusion that neither of us like the halbtrocken styles. If you prefer a dry white wine, then you might enjoy the Flying Ace, Rosch, or Detonation more than we did. Also, I think that both of our wifes like the sweeter wines better, which means that we wouldn’t get into so much trouble buying them, as long as we share! ;-)

Another Class Action Lawsuit against Apple?

Slashdot had an article today about another class action lawsuit being filed against Apple for monopolistic business practices, because the iPod doesn't play music in Microsoft's proprietary WMA format. I think that this lawsuit is absurd!

If I buy an iPod, I can use it with a Macintosh or a Windows PC using the free iTunes software from Apple, which works on either platform, in exactly the same way. Apple has even switched the connection that the iPod uses from its own FireWire to USB, in part I'm sure to make it more easily accessible on the PC, where FireWire ports are more rare.

With the iPod, I have the option to "rip" music from CD's that I own or buy, or the choice to purchase music through the iTunes store. I can also download music in the industry standard MP3 format from a variety of other online music services. Apple does not make it mandatory to even use the iTunes music store. If the iTunes music store were the only way to get content for the iPod, then that would be a monopoly. Apple also offers UNenrypted versions of much of the content on iTunes store, so its possible to purchase music from the iTunes store that you could play on other players as well as the iPod. The iPod can play music in either MP3 format, or a format called AAC, which is part of the MPEG4 standard used for DVDs. AAC is an industry standard format used by other manufacturers.

In my view, I have plenty of affordable options for acquiring and loading content into an iPod. If I were to choose a competing product, like a Microsoft Zune, for instance, I would be limited to use Microsoft's software on a Microsoft Windows computer, because they don't offer any support for any other platforms.

Apple doesn't claim to provide support for all formats, or for WMA specificially, so there isn't any misrepresentation about features or capabilities. Apple's product does what Apple says it will do. If you already have music that you have purchased in WMA format, and need a compatible player, then you should probably pick a different portable music player.

Not that Microsoft will guarantee compatibility even with their own products, of course! Microsoft's initial format for "Digital Rights Management" protected media was a system ironically called "Plays for Sure." When the Zune was introduced in 2006, it used a different format! The Zune uses "WMA-DRM" instead of "Plays for Sure" so if Windows users had previously purchased encrypted music from Microsoft's own "URGE" online store before the Zune, it couldn't be played on the Zune. How's that for brand loyalty, customer service and support?

Given that Apple's iPod accounts for 70-90% of the portable music player market, it might seem more appropriate for someone to file class action lawsuits against content service providers that don't support the formats that the iPod uses (with either Mac or PC).

Apple's decision to not pay to license technology from a competing company seems like a reasonable business decision to me. In most regards, Apple does a much better job of cross-platform support than other vendors.

This is no different from situations like operating systems and application software that only work on some hardware. Microsoft only offers most of its software for its own operating systems. The products that it DOES offer for Macintosh are much different than their Windows counterparts. Adobe has managed to offer its entire suite of products on both Macintosh and Windows, with the same features. Apple offers not only iTunes and QuickTime for both platforms, but also has its FileMaker products on both platforms, with the same features and file formats.

There are plenty of other cases of intentional incompatibility in consumer products that are much worse than anything that Apple has done with the iPod. Look at any game console for examples. While some older games can be played on newer consoles, there isn't any backwards compatibility at all. All of the accessories like controllers are designed to be incompatible, just to force consumers to have to replace everything with the new system. Most of the new game systems have USB ports, but they use other interfaces for controllers and accessories instead of standardizing so that controllers could be interchangeable between game systems or computers.

The same arguments could be made in the current DVD format wars, where some movies are being released only in Sony's BluRay format, while others are only available in the competing HD-DVD format. Neither format will play on a standard DVD player. Should every vendor be forced to support every standard or format available?

It amazes me that consumers have tolerated bad behavior from companies like Microsoft for decades without whimpering, but are ready to attack Apple at the drop of a pin!