Cloud & Cabernet

Observations about IT and wine

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Advanced Azure Policy Techniques #1: Extend Arrays Using DINE

This is the first post of a series showing some more advanced Azure Policy techniques that might not be featured so frequently, but can be very useful if the situation requires it.

Have you noticed that if you use a DINE policy to update a property on an existing resource where the property type is an array, it will overwrite the existing array with the one that you configured in the DINE policy? That behavior makes sense if we look at what a DINE policy is supposed to do - update a resource using a deployment template.

Mulled Wine / Glühwein

As the days grow shorter and Christmas decorations begin to light up our streets, the festive spirit comes alive. With the start of Advent, Christmas markets are finally opening in most places, bringing with them the delightful aromas of Bratwurst, Raclette, gingerbread, and — of course — Glühwein. But what makes a good Glühwein, and can you make it at home?

Mulled wine, or Glühwein as it’s known in German-speaking countries, is essentially spiced wine and can be made with either red or white wine as the base. To the wine, you add a variety of spices — usually seasonal ones like cinnamon, star anise, and cloves — to give it more depth and warmth. You can also incorporate fruit juices, most commonly orange juice, to make the Glühwein a bit easier to drink and to add sweetness and acidity. Some people prefer to give it a little extra kick by adding a shot of rum, brandy, cognac, or other liqueurs.

Wine and Food Pairing Basics

Drinking a glass of wine on its own can be delightful, but pairing wine with the right food takes the experience to a whole new level. A well-chosen pairing allows the wine to elevate the dish’s flavors while the food enhances the wine—a beautiful harmony that can feel like an intimate dance between two perfect partners.

The Basics of Food and Wine Pairing

The theory of pairing begins with the flavors on the tongue, the elements of a wine and their relationships. On the tongue we can taste salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami (savory) aromas. These can also be found in wine:

Wine Synonyms

Have you ever tasted two different wines and felt sure they were made from the same grape? Well, you might just be right! Many grape varieties go by different regional names, and some even have slight genetic variations known as biotypes.

A synonym is simply a locally different name for the same grape—genetically identical but called something else depending on where it’s grown.

A biotype, on the other hand, refers to a variant of the grape with subtle genetic differences or variations in its composition, behavior, or adaptability. These differences often come about through natural mutations or environmental influences, but they aren’t significant enough to classify the grape as a completely new variety.

Prompt Engineering 101

The past years heralded the advent of the age of AI and though some scepticism is certainly justified, there’s no denying that many of these tools have proven to be incredibly useful. Among the most practical applications are AI-powered chatbots, such as ChatGPT, Bing/Copilot, Gemini, and Grok. These bots excel at processing natural language queries (like “What temperature should I cook my steak at?”), leveraging generative AI models to craft responses, and delivering answers in a variety of formats—text, tables, images, and more.

Zurich Wine Events

Due to it’s central location and high purchasing power, Switzerland is at the top of the list for many wine exporters. Considering this, it makes sense that Zurich has a vibrant wine scene and can call itself home to multiple exciting wine fairs. Let’s go over the most popular ones.

Please keep in mind the information below are based on previous experiences, ticket prices and locations may change in the future.

Email 101

For better or worse, if you work any kind of corporate or office job, emails will take a prominent spot in your daily work schedule. They are arguably still the most important means of communicating, since they are both (nearly) instantaneous but also asynchronous and allow the transfer of structured information.

However, they are also one of the technologies that are rarely trained, since most people assume that writing a mail, be it digital or analog, is obvious. While that may be true in general, there is a significant gap between a well-crafted email and a poorly written barely understandable one. This post aims to give a sort of crash course based on personal experiences and opinions in how to write effective messages.