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Want to make wine?  It really is a process that you can do yourself.  You will just need to get a few chemicals and some equipment.

First you will need your materials.  For wine making, you need a water bottle or glass jug,  a rubber stopper, an airlock, a stirrer, funnel, turkey baster, bottles for the finished product, a siphon, and a  sanitizer.

Next of course, you need ingredients.  These include juice of the fruit to ferment (make sure it does not contain Sorbate if you buy fruit juice) one gallon for every gallon you are making, sugar, yeast, and chemicals such as: Sodium/Potassium Matebisulfite, potassium sorbet and a yeast nutrient.

Now you are ready to get started.  Make sure all of your equipment has been sanitized and your ingredients are in front of you.  For every gallon you are making you will need 20mL of the sulfite solution.  Mix that with half a gallon of the juice and 1 pound of sugar.  Shake it to dissolve the sugar then add the other half gallon of juice.  Add your sulfite and yeast nutrient, making sure that it is thoroughly mixed.  Pour yeast into the liquid through a funnel.

This is it for the mixing part.  Next you put your rubber stopper in and your airlock on.

Now comes the fermentation part.  Place your wine in a cool and out of the way place.  Check but do not remove your airlock every few days.  After about 4 or 5 weeks, your wine should be fermented and ready for sampling.

As you can see, making your own wine or country wine at home is not a truly difficult or involved process.  All it takes is the materials, a little know how and the wherewithal to do it.

Once you have made the wine, you may want to think about decanting your wine. The best way to decant wine is through a wine aerator.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/how-to-make-wine-and-country-wine-1665321.html

Get prepared for November 19th! Beaujolais is going to be released. No doubt, it is big day for all wine lovers. But what do you know about this special wine?

The vineyard of Beaujolais start about 40 kilometres north of Lyon. Their reputation is greater than the surface, the region is only about 64 kilometres long and 16 kilometres wide. 180 wineries in this region produce about 190 million bottles per year.

The whole thing about Beaujolais wine started in 1970s-1980s in Paris. Soon it has spread all around the world. The smart marketing guys fully used the demand for fruity and light bodied wine. It is wine produced from variety Gamay, specific by thin skin and few tanins and of course it is in most of the vintages light bodied wine which is easy to drink.

Beaujolais wine industry is dominated by the more than 30 producers who produce nearly 90% of the wine sold outside the Beaujolais region. Many of them are based in Burgundy, for example Louis Jadot or Bouchard Pere et Fils. One of the most well known Beaujolais producers is the Georges Duboeuf who is considered as father of beaujolais.

Vinyards are located on the hillsides, the region is full of historic houses and castles where the wine growers live. The region has been called as „Land of the Golden Stones“.

Would you like to see this country? Would you like to visit many of the cellars around your route?

You should check following route and visit these villages. There are plenty of cellars and places to see during your journey. You could start at Villefranche-sur-Saone which you can easily access by autoroute A6. It is between Lyon and Macon. Take D38 to Bagnols-en-Beaujolais, then continue by D504 and D20 to St-Julien-sous-Montmelas, then follow your way to Villie-Morgon, Belleville-sur-Saone and do not forget to visit Julienas.

Miroslav is author of site about French wine www.aboutfrenchwine.com.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/find-your-way-through-beaujolais-country-1473159.html

Those who know their cigars well also, by that same token, know Brazil-albeit as a source of great tobacco rather than as a top cigar-producing nation. Brazilian tobacco, mainly produced in the country’s temperate northeastern and southern regions, turns up in such world-class cigars as Carlos Torano’s Toro, but the country’s cigar producers themselves haven’t always gotten the same respect. But that may be about to change. After all, Brazilian cigars-including the Angelina, Dannemann and Dannemann, Le Cigar, Don Pepe, Dom Porfirio, and Dona Flor (named for Jorge Amado’s classic novel Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands)-have already convinced many US cigar aficionados that this country’s cigars are as good as its tobacco.

But Brazil’s own rich history-and its sure-to-be-turbulent future-make it an important place for cigar smokers to understand. How has one of the world’s important tobacco-producing nations come to be the home of one of the strongest anti-smoking movements in the Western Hemisphere? And will these two opposing tendencies continue, uneasily, to coexist? Only a prophet could say-but perhaps a brief backgrounder on this Latin American nation can provide some helpful context.

The first thing to know about Brazil is that it’s big-in resources, landmass, and people. It’s the fifth-largest country in the world, and the fifth most populous. Among the world’s pro forma democracies, it ranks fourth in population size, and it controls a powerful economy, ranking ninth in the world in purchasing power. It’s a diverse country, too, with one hundred-eighty-eight living languages, and, interestingly enough, the world’s largest confirmed reserve of uncontacted peoples-small pre-industrial tribes that, for all practical purposes, have stayed sealed off from the rest of the world. In this single nation, then, an ultramodern economy exists side-by-side with some of the world’s last refuges of pre-industrial life, and gleaming cities (Sao Paulo and Brasilia) share the same boundary with huge swaths of rainforest.

What kind of culture does such a diverse country produce? Well-a similar situation produced artistic riches for the United States, and things are hardly any different for Brazil. Consider tropicalismo, one of the country’s major artistic exports. This musical movement, spearheaded by the legendary band Os Mutantes and the singer-songwriters Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and manic genius Tom Ze among others, fuses all the diverse musics of this country (along with a hefty dose of Bob Dylan, Velvet Underground and jazz) to create some of the best-regarded music of the 1970s. Whatever political and logistical headaches it may pose, such bursting-at-the-seams diversity is good fortune for any artist lucky enough to benefit from it.

Like many Latin American countries (and like the US), Brazil was originally the colony of an ambitious European nation-in this case, Portugal. Led by its Portuguese-born regent, Pedro I, the country won its independence in 1822. What followed was a long power struggle between Pedro (eventually replaced by his son Pedro II), various rebelling factions of the population, and the country’s economically dominant classes, who found Pedro variously useful and irksome, depending on the situation. Following the deposition of Pedro II in 1889, the country became a republic; during the twentieth century, though, Brazil fell frequently to military coups, some of them (most infamously in 1964) made possible by covert US assistance. Its current relative freedom has lasted only since 1985.

Made up of twenty-six states and a federal district (think Washington, D.C.), the country’s exports include (among others) coffee, iron ore, ethanol, textiles, shoes, and cars. With a major modernizing initiative underway-in 2007, the country’s government, under President Luis Ignacio DaSilva, dedicated three hundred billion dollars to renovating power plants, roads and ports-Brazil clearly intends to keep those exports booming. Including tobacco? Well-that’s dicier. Brazil is incredibly rich in natural resources, but that rainforest shrinks every day. The resulting controversy raises issues for tobacco farmers: only a sustainable ecology will ensure that Brazil continues to yield those fine tobacco crops, and yet some sustainability measures may threaten farmers’ short-term profits (small farmers, many of them, and small profits). It’s a difficult balance.

More threatening, perhaps, for those of us who value Brazil’s contribution to cigar culture, is the strength of its anti-smoking movement. The country has some of the toughest anti-smoking laws in the world, funnels large amounts of money into anti-tobacco campaigns, and forbids tobacco-products advertising in any form. Still, the total number of smokers grew slightly during the past decade. Some business experts forecast that the country’s tobacco industry will have to get used to a shrinking overall population of smokers, and concentrate instead on increasing brand value, making better and safer products. Cigars, designed to be used in moderation and savored, may well flourish in this environment. At any rate, the reported use of genetically-modified tobacco crops in the country’s southern region suggests that tobacco-related controversies will continue in Brazil.

In tobacco-related news: Recent reports in several media outlets throw some light on the deepening problem that illegal small cigar factories, known as chinchals, pose for the Cuban government. It turns out that other United States neighbors face similar problems in managing the flow of tobacco.

A flurry of news reports suggests that Canada is having trouble controlling contraband tobacco–generally tobacco either stolen from producers or sold off-the-books in order to avoid the country’s high tobacco taxes. The scale of the problem? No one’s entirely sure, but one of the largest Canadian tobacco companies has suggested that untaxed revenue from contraband tobacco is costing the country billions of dollars. And in a recession, that’s not chump change.

The same study (funded by industry groups) found that up to thirty percent of the tobacco used in Canada is illegal. That number balloons to forty or fifty percent in places like Ontario and Quebec.

One reason this is a serious issue is such tobacco, often sold on the super-cheap in bulk to consumers for a rate that amounts to pennies per cigarette, does not have to clear any health, safety, or quality control boards.

In addition, the larger the trade gets, the bigger the revenue that the government misses out on taxing–which creates big problems for a society with such a generous tradition of social spending. It also means lower sales for convenience stores and other legitimate businesses, not to mention the tobacco companies themselves, who figure their lost revenue at nine hundred million.

Where is this tobacco coming from? The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (who seize large amounts of the stuff every year) say it’s coming from the United States. More specifically, they trace some of the tobacco to the Akwesasne Mohawk reserve near Ontario, which extends across the US-Canada border. Thus the problem with enforcement: the tobacco is coming from a place that crosses national boundaries, and has a certain amount of limited freedom from both. Several levels of a couple different governments need to be enlisted in any effort to significantly reduce the tobacco influx … as well as, most likely, a study of who is producing this tobacco, and what economic, social or legislative changes might reduce their incentive to do so.

In the meantime, say critics, the Canadian government could at least prohibit sales of tobacco products such as rolling papers to those who don’t, you know, have a license to make or sell tobacco products.

In any case, news reports don’t mention a widespread illegal-cigar tobacco problem. And cigars do indeed represent a less attractive option for counterfeiters. Cigar aficionados are looking for better-quality cigar tobacco, and part of the reason for growing illegal cigar tobacco is that you don’t have to do quality control. Also, chopped-up cheap tobacco is easier to transport and hide than the full-leaf kind that tends to make a great cigar. Illegal cigar-making tends only to happen in cases where there’s a strong incentive to do so, as in Cuba … and people don’t exactly stream across the border for these great Canadian cigars.

Still, in a troubled economy, how long before we can expect to see similar problems arise in the other areas? In the meantime, the Canadians’ problem is one more reason to buy cigars from a trustworthy, known source.

Perhaps it’s because there’s a close cultural connection between great music and smoky bars. Anyone who knows anything about jazz knows that its truly legendary improvisers – Coltrane, Bird, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie – cut their teeth playing in bars so smoky that it’s a good thing everybody was too busy improvising to need sheet music.

Or maybe it’s because both cigars and music are contemplative pleasures. A casual smoker can get a quick tobacco-fix from a cheap cigarette, just as a casual music listener can enjoy the background hum of pop songs on the car radio. But to really enjoy a great performance, or a good tobacco, sitting still and paying attention are necessary.

In any case, music and cigar smoking seem to belong together, and some of the most famous musicians are (or were) cigar devotees – just as, it turns out, one of the most famous of cigar devotees is also a musician. Avo Uvezian, the maker of Avo cigars, is also a respected classical and jazz pianist, a Julliard graduate, and even the one-time official pianist of the Shah of Iran. After a successful musical career based first in his native Middle East, and then in the contiguous United States, Uvezian moved in the 1980s to Puerto Rico, where he opened a restaurant and bar and dabbled in cigarmaking. After customers at his Puerto Rico restaurant told him how much they enjoyed some cigars he’d had rolled himself, from a blend of tobaccos he hand-picked, he opened his own Dominican Republic-based cigar factory, working with noted cigar maker Hendrik Kelner. Now his company makes three million cigars a year, and Uvezian himself still makes music – his first CD, Legacy, was released in 2004.

For another example, consider the great trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, who smokes, by his own estimation, four or five cigars a day. Music allowed the Cuban-born Sandoval to rise to fame in his native Cuba – and to defect from that country in 1990, during a long stint playing concerts in Europe (he now lives in Florida). Sandoval has played the horn for Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, Gloria Estefan and Johnny Mathis, Michel Legrand and Frank Sinatra. His technically flawless playing has resulted in his being the kind of musician whose work is often known by people who couldn’t name him – he is brought in as a session musician by some of the world’s finest and best-known (see above), and he often scores movie soundtracks. As his work with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Leningrad Philharmonic prove, he’s even proved able to handle the rigors of classical music as well as jazz – sometimes doing both in the same concert.

The cigar-music connection is especially strong in Cuba, known as one of the world’s cigar capitals. Both cigars and music are staples of island life (the cigar remains one of the island’s most prominent exports), and the strength of both in Cuban culture depends partly on the nimble and intelligent blending of elements from everywhere – wrappers and fillers from different parts of Latin America, rhythms and melodies from the African coast, South America, US pop, Western European classical, etc. In other words, Cuban cigarmaking and Cuban music have both survived, and flourished, by mixing and melding.

For generations, cigar rollers were entertained by the sound of paid musicians or by music from the radio. (This tradition continues even now in the Dominican Republic, where workers at the Arturo Fuente factory, among other places, are treated to the work of performing musicians.) With this tradition in place, it’s no wonder that some of Cuba’s music legends got their start as cigar-factory entertainers; and since tobacco smoking has been a part of Latin American life far longer than it has in some other places – Columbus’s sailors noted it being smoked in what is now modern Cuba in the year 1493, so there’s many more centuries of lore to draw on its psychological and emotional associations are deeper and richer, providing better material for songwriters to mine. Thus famous Cuban songwriter Beny More, himself a former entertainer for the cigar-factory workers, touches on the song in a number of his classic compositions.

Cigar smoking is all about shared pleasure. After all, it swept Victorian England and became a national pastime in part because it gave men something to do with their hands while they talked after dinner. And it took off during the so-called “cigar boom” of the 1990s in part because new publications, online forums, cigar clubs, and other social venues allowed cigar smokers to talk about their passion.

So it’s no surprise to find cigar-related events all over the social calendar of smokers around the world. In addition to the lavish, expensive Big Smoke conventions put on by Cigar Aficionado magazine – at least two a year, in Las Vegas and New York City – there’s the Ybor City festival in Tampa, Florida, free and open to the public. And that’s just November. Check out a few other, more-exotic possibilities from all over the globe.

The Dominican Republic is the world’s largest source of premium cigars, surpassing even Cuba (from which many of the country’s cigar-making families and technologies emigrated during the years after Castro). La Aurora, Davidoff, Arturo Fuente, and La Gloria Cubana, among many others, all operate there, and as of 2007, it has its own yearly cigar festival as well! Taking place in Santiago, the two-day Procigar Festival (the first of which took place March 5-7, 2008) featured cigar factory tours, visits to tobacco fields, chances to hobnob with some of the world’s greatest cigar makers, and cigar-and-liquor matchups. Companies such as La Aurora, General Cigar Co., and Tabacalera de Garcia, among others, participated, and the inaugural bow was successful enough to motivate a second – to be held February 16-20, 2009.

While you’re there, if you go, you may want to check out some of the other sights offered by this important Latin American cultural capital. The Dominican Republic was the first place permanently settled by Europeans anywhere in either American continent – the oldest cathedrals, universities, and European-made roads can all be found there. Santo Domingo, the country’s capital, butts up against its southern coast, offering breathtaking views (the Procigar Festival takes place far further north, in Santiago, but the country is not super-large in total area). Four mountain ranges decorate the country; the Cordillera Central (“Central Mountain Range”) approaches Santiago, so visitors to the Procigar Festival could also schedule a day trip to see Pico Duarte, the jewel of the Cordillera Central and the highest peak in the West Indies (over 3000 meters). And, of course, Santiago is itself located in the Cibao valley – between the Cordillera Central and Corillera Septentrional (“Northern Mountain Range”), which run parallel to each other – and it’s this rich and fertile area that houses most of the country’s farms, including its tobacco farms.

Or you could follow in author James Joyce’s footsteps and visit Zurich, Switzerland, where the expatriate Irish modernist polymath-writer completed large sections of his surreal novel Finnegans Wake, and where the Whiskyship sails every November. (What is it with November and cigar events?) This whisky-tasting event, which also offers three hundred premium cigars for the sampling, allows those with sharp noses and tastebuds to enjoy single malt whiskies from all over the world, and to enjoy the companies of folks with similar tastes. The 2008 Whiskyship will be the tenth such event. Switzerland, of course, features all sorts of other attractions – among other things, there’s the James Joyce Foundation, but also, you know, mountains and pristine lakes and thousands of years’ worth of European scenery – and would be worth a visit regardless.

Another possibility – albeit somewhat closer to home, at least for North American smokers – is the Nebraska Cigar Festival in Lincoln. Taking place in late November (which pits it against the Ybor City Festival and the two CA Big Smokes in drawing the attention of Midwestern cigar fanatics who don’t feel like going to Zurich), the one-evening event brings in cigars, munchies and a pair of drink tickets for those willing to shell out the admission fees and deal with early-winter Midwestern cold.

Starting up a new hobby can be intimidating. Going golfing for the first time with a bunch of guys who have been doing it for years can make a beginner feel self-conscious about his lack of prowess on the links. People just learning to play guitar will go for years refusing to play in front of others. Even someone learning to cook might be embarrassed to share a less than savory meal with his family.

Some people might not consider smoking cigars a hobby, but it certainly is a pastime and it has its own intricacies just like anything else. There are traditions and faux pas when it comes to smoking cigars that any old puffer at the country club will notice and call you out on in a heartbeat.

Good-natured as the ribbing may be, it can’t hurt to brush up on some cigar “do’s and don’ts” before you have a cigar among the aficionados. Included are some suggestions for classy cigars and accessories that will show off your sense of refinement and good taste.

1. It is not a race. Smoking a cigar should be a leisure activity. The best way to start is to smoke as if it is no big deal. Take your time and enjoy it.

The Ashton Magnum is a smooth and creamy cigar that is perfect for new smokers. The aroma and flavor is remarkably consistent so you won’t ever get a bad draw. Ashton Magnums are made from Dominican leaves and shade-grown Connecticut wrappers. It is truly a cigar to be savored.

2. Trim the end of your cigar with a cigar cutter. Don’t try to bite it off with your teeth. This may look cool in the movies but it will just leave you with an unsightly and decidedly uncouth mouthful of tobacco.

The Double Blade Stainless Round Cigar Cutter from Orleans is an inexpensive yet fully functional cigar cutter. In other words, it is perfect for beginners. It works with a dual-blade guillotine action, which ensures a shred-free cut. It is housed in a durable stainless steel case for a long lifespan.

3. Don’t grind out a cigar in an ashtray. Let it go out on its own. This is a handy technique for being able to re-light a cigar later on. It is also polite to not leave the smudged out remains of tobacco scattered around in an ashtray.

In your own home, it is also nice to have a relatively clean ashtray. The Flor De Gonzalez Ashtray is made of simple black porcelain with the company’s logo in the center. It is square with resting places for your cigar in all four corners.

4. If there is less than a quarter left, let it go out in an ashtray. When a cigar starts to get that short, it will begin to lose its flavor. Nothing gold can stay. When it gets to the ¼ mark, it is time to let it go.

Another practical and stylish ashtray is the Hexagon Crystal Cigar Ashtray from Orleans. It looks incredibly luxurious for its modest price. It has wide stirrups (that’s where the cigar rests) to accommodate bigger cigars and a deep bowl for plenty of ash.

5. Don’t show off. Nothing screams amateur more than someone who makes a big deal out of smoking a cigar. Cigar holders and fancy smoking techniques are the antithesis of the cool guy casually smoking a cigar. You are allowed to blow smoke rings though. That’s a cool trick that’s not overtly flashy.

The best way to look natural smoking a cigar is to find one that you enjoy. In the beginning, it is best to start with a milder cigar and work your way up to fuller flavors. The Montecristo #1 is a legendary Cuban-inspired cigar that is made in the Dominican Republic.

6. Don’t chew on it. You are not Peter Parker’s grizzled boss at the newspaper. You are not a grunt in World War II. Unless you are being shot at or trying to ruin Spider-Man’s good name, chewing on a cigar is just plain gross.

Fine cigars can be works of art and the Griffin’s Robusto Natural is not something that you chomp away at. It has a rich and mild taste that smokers of every level can enjoy.

7. Don’t ask for a light. Seriously, you are a cigar smoker now. You should be carrying your own lighter around. In the worst case scenario, ask the bartender for a pack of matches.

The refillable Xikar EX Windproof Flame Cigar Lighter is far more practical than it sounds. It looks good and is affordable without appearing cheap or flashy. It is a functional, fantastic lighter that gets your cigar lit. What else could you want?

8. Don’t be afraid to let it go out and re-light it later. If you have spent some money on a nice cigar, there is no need to smoke it all at once and no need to waste it. Just scrape the ash off and rotate it over a flame for a moment to catch it again.

The Davidoff Millienium Churchill is a full-bodied, hearty, Dominican cigar that you won’t want to let go to waste. These cigars are top-notch and have a complex blend of aromas and flavors. Don’t be afraid to let it go out and enjoy the rest later.

9. Take your time warming up the end before you light it. This prevents you from charring the tobacco.

The Vector Vulcan Triple Flame shoots out a powerful trident flame that will allow you to perfectly light your cigar without over-toasting it.

10.  Don’t smoke one after another. You are not chain smoking cigarettes here. Cigars are meant to be savored. Take your time and enjoy it. When it’s done, it’s done. Get on with your life for a while before having another.

If you find yourself enjoying your new pastime of smoking cigars, you are going to want to eventually invest in a humidor to keep them fresh. The Capri Humidor is a lovely, affordable way to keep your cigars tasting fresh for a long time.

Smoking cigars isn’t like smoking cigarettes. It is a hobby, not a habit. It is the difference between enjoying a fine glass of wine and slamming whiskey before noon. Take to heart these tips and smoke in moderation and you will be on your way in no time.

Robert Frank’s book titled Richistan is about the lives of the new rich and those who make up the wealth boom occurring in the United States.  The book is 250 pages long and is fun to read.  While we know there are millions of millionaires in the world, Frank exposes them in completely new ways, from how they hire butlers to the silly ways in which they make their fortunes.  Frank gives us perspectives that we never think about when it comes to the self-made, rich population. 

To start the book, the author gives the reader an idea of just how many millionaires there are in the United States; about eight million as of 2003.  This number has risen drastically between 2003 and 2009.  He also goes on to define the term “Richistan,” and divides his new country into three different categories based on household net worth.  Lower Richistan consists of households worth $1 million to $10 million dollars.  Middle Richistan consists of households worth $10 million to $100 million dollars.  The elite Upper Richistanis consist of households worth $100 million to $1 billion dollars.  There are only several thousand households in the Upper Richistani category. 

Chapter one is titled, “Butler Boot Camp: Housetraining the New Rich.”  This chapter serves as a great introduction to the secret world of the new rich households.  Frank talks of butler boot camps, especially the boot camp held at the prestigious Starkey International Institute for Household Management.  Here, men and women train to simply run the households of millionaires and billionaires and get paid a ridiculous amount of money to answer to the wishes and needs of the super rich.  These butlers get paid anywhere from $75,000 dollars to well into six-figure territory.  They must know how to please the super rich, and tasks include washing high-end cars, rolling cigars, setting up home entertainment systems, and the usual services such as cooking and babysitting. 

Chapter two is titled, “The Third Wave: The Era of the Instapreneur.”  There are thousands of people who are becoming instant millionaires every year.  In fact, in 2005 there were about 227,000 new financial millionaires in the United States alone.  Robert Frank describes in this chapter the six ways that most people acquire their wealth and points out several individuals who have instantly made millions of dollars through development and sales of several large companies.  Jared Polis, for example, has developed more than a dozen companies and sold them all for more than a total of $600 million dollars. 

Chapter three is titled, “Making It: Ed Bazinet, King of the Ceramic Village.”  This chapter is devoted to those who have made fortunes in an unlikely manner.  One person mentioned in this chapter is Sydell Miller.  Ms. Miller operated a hair salon and developed a shampoo line called Matrix Essentials, which she was fortunate enough to sell to Bristol-Myers Squibb for a mere $1 billion dollars.  Then there is the chapter’s title man, Ed Bazinet, who created miniature ceramic houses and ended up mass producing them for department stores.  By taking a chance and producing his line of mini houses, he is worth over $100 million dollars.  This chapter gives you the feeling that anyone can be rich if you have the will and a good idea. 

Chapter four is titled, “Living It: Tim Blixseth.”  This chapter talks about those who love their work and make their work their life.  Men and women like Tim Blixseth do not seem to have the capability to relax; they are always thinking about business.  Tim may be on vacation or relaxing on his yacht, but he never stops working on his business.  Blixseth started in business at a young age by buying and selling timber to various other companies, and eventually started the Yellowstone Club, which charges $250,000 dollars to join and millions of dollars for the right to build a house on his land.  This ultra-exclusive club has members such as Bill Gates and Dan Quayle who want their own retreat where privacy is at a maximum.

Chapter six is titled, “Barbarians in the Ballroom: New Money vs. Old.”  Formal celebrations and balls are popular in the world of the ultra-rich.  People are invited and expected to attend, knowing that a large monetary donation to the charity of choice is mandatory.  The rich must donate large amounts of money and when they fail to donate, controversy arises.  Not only are people expected to donate up to millions of dollars at a time, but there is also controversy about who is allowed or nominated to be chairperson of these formal events.  The chapter goes on to discuss homes owned by Donald Trump and Sean Combs and how much property in various parts of the country can sell for.  This chapter is the least interesting of the book, but still gives good information on the world of the ultra-rich. 

Chapter seven is titled, “Size Really Does Matter: My Boat is Bigger than Your Boat.”  The seventh chapter is all about comparing the property and expenses of the rich versus the ultra-rich.  Mega yachts seem like standard property for a rich person these days, and boats are coming in huge sizes with all kinds of crazy options.  Some foreign leaders are having boats made that are about 500 feet long, costing over $200 million dollars to build.  The boats come with smaller boats, helicopter pads, dozens of hot tubs, swimming pools, theaters, gold-plated bathrooms, etc.  The author goes on to mention how millionaires compare cars, watches, and homes, and spend vast amounts of money just so they can have the biggest and the best. 

Chapter eight is called, “Performance Philanthropy: Giving for Results.”  This chapter is intriguing, and it discusses entrepreneurial charity.  People like Philip Berber who made a vast amount of money with an online stock trading company which he sold for nearly a half billion dollars, are finding new ways to spend their money.  Berber started Glimmer of Hope, a company which uses large amounts of money to help make the world a better place.  Other millionaires and billionaires like Michael Dell have donated millions of dollars to help Berber build schools, health clinics, waters wells, and vet clinics in countries where poverty is a severe issue.  Men and women like Berber and Dell have high hopes to heal the world and have taken the initiative to help fight poverty with the fortunes they have accumulated.

Chapter nine is titled, “Move Over, Christian Coalition: The New Political Kingmakers.”  The ninth chapter deals with the money that drives politics and campaigns.  This chapter presents how policymakers ask for money to fuel their campaigns and the differences between the techniques Republicans and Democrats use to find their much-needed money.  Four Democratic supporters in Colorado helped to elect their candidate to the House of Representatives.  Not only did this happen in Colorado and the House of Representatives, but it happens all the time in the race for President of the United States.  The Republican Party often gains large sums of money in a public manner while the Democratic Party often collects money from the ultra-rich in a more private manner.  This chapter shows that people will stop at nothing to have their candidate nominated into office, even if it means donating millions of dollars every year. 

Chapters ten and eleven are titled, “Worried Wealth: The Trouble With Money,” and, “Aristokids: We’ll Always Have Paris.”  These two chapters talk about the troubles that come with large amounts of money.  For example, more than half of America’s super-rich agree that money does not buy happiness.  Money can dominate their lives and leave little time for personal time with kids and spouses.  Money can cause such concern that millionaires have started meeting groups to discuss financial matters and meet with similar people in similar situations to get concerns out in the open.  Who better to talk about your millions of dollars with than other millionaires?  The final chapter of the book talks about the super rich children, or those who are in prime position to inherit fortunes.  Kids today are attending classes to learn about manners and living the high-life.  They also are being forced to learn about finances and what to do with millions of dollars so when they do inherit the money one day, they will not make unwise decisions and blow the money away like many of today’s celebrities and heirs/heiresses are doing. 

Overall, Richistan is an engaging and enlightening book about today’s new rich.  This book will keep you reading as you learn facts about the rich that you probably never knew.  The chapters about prestigious butlers and how “bigger is better” are especially interesting and will give you a great idea how millionaires and billionaires really live and spend their fortunes.  This book is rated 4.5 out of 5.