Calling all poets and wine lovers. To celebrate the 151st anniversary of Gundlach Bundschu winery (March 12, 1858, is the date that Jacob Gundlach signed the deed to the estate) the winery is holding a virtual poetry slam on March 12, 2009. Each entry has to be 151 words or less and can be poetry, an essay, song lyrics, whatever you like as long as it touches on the theme of wine.

What do you win for your efforts? The winery will select a handful of winners who will have their work published on their website and in print. Because wine regulations vary by state the winery is a bit curtailed in their ability to award wine prizes, but they will do their best to provide additional awards. The web page has complete details. Entries will be accepted online only, from 12:00am to 11:59pm, Pacific time on March 12, 2009.

Today it was announced that the Sports Museum of Los Angeles, like the Sports Museum of America in New York City has closed its doors. The Sports Museum of Los Angeles will no longer be open to the public but will stay in existence and offer tours to groups of 15 or more. The museum houses the sports memorabilia collection of Gary Cypres which is valued at more than $30 million and is more of a passion project.

Last month, the grander Sports Museum of America in New York City closed its doors nine months after opening because of financial problems. The museum celebrated a wide variety of sports through multimedia presentations that cost close to $100 million. The museum's board of directors is currently looking for a buyer in order to satisfy some of the museum's debts and is asking just $10 million.

One sports blog said that these two museum failures might indicate that today's fans have no interest in past glory. I disagree, after all, the hall of fame museums for various sports have managed to stay in operation for years. The problem, it seems to me, was in trying to incorporate too wide a variety of sports. While visitors to an art museum or a museum of natural history appreciate a wide array of exhibits, sports fans might be more interested in only the history of their favorite sport or team.

Do you remember 1861? I know I do, and that little event at Fort Sumter that started a 'bit of a clash' here inside the United States. Well watchmaker Jonathon Dillon felt pretty strongly about it at the time living in Washington DC at the outset of the Civil war. On April 13th he happened to be in possession of President Lincoln's gold pocket watch (likely for servicing). It was a common practice for watchmakers to engrave markings inside of watch cases to memorialize that they are serviced the watch and when - similar to a graffiti tag. On this occasion however, knowing the owner of the watch and the ramifications of the Fort Sumter attack, Mr. Dillon was influenced to be prolific and felt it necessary to record the actions on the watch. "Fort Sumter was attacked by the rebels [the South] on the above date [April 13, 1861]...Thank god we have a government."

No one, not even President Lincoln himself had seen this inscription until just recently when the Smithsonian Museum opened up Lincoln's pocket watch on rumors of a "secret message," communicated by a descendant of watchmaker Dillon - who was not actually the person who made the pocket watch itself. The watch was purchased over a decade earlier in the 1850's while Abraham Lincoln was a successful attorney in Illinois. Other markings where included on the watch movement face by other watchmakers, but nothing quite like Dillon's words. Lincoln's pocket watch was originally given to the Smithsonian in 1958 by a descendant of Lincoln, who decided the timepiece was important enough to be included in America's greatest historical collection.

Via the National Museum of American History.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

George Clooney has been in St. Louis, Missouri recently shooting of the feature film 'Up in the Air' and he delighted the locals by making an appearance at the vodka/sushi bar Sub Zero last weekend. Sub Zero Vodka bar offers nearly 260 vodkas and has a 28-foot ice bar as well as serving both burgers and sushi. The NY Daily News reports that Clooney may have been a "little overserved" at the bar. He was reportedly stumbling a bit on his way back to his hotel. Clooney has also been spotted at the Mandarin, a local nightclub.

Luxist reader Chris led me to a Boston Globe story on a prime piece of Massachusetts land for sale. Codman Point is a private waterfront compound located at the head of Buzzards Bay. It is on the market for the first time in 137 years. Back in 1872 the Codman family bought the 25-acre peninsula for just $800. They are making quite a return on their investment since it is now listed for $7.7 million.

The property has four homes, a deepwater dock, tennis court and boathouse. When the Codman family bought in 1872 the peninsula had a small hotel that provided shelter to fishermen. Two of the houses were designed at the turn of the 20th century by architect Guy Lowell. The Point House has eight bedrooms and faces the ocean but has no heat because it was to be used as a summer home. The other Lowell house is the Bungalow, another unheated home which features a wraparound porch.

The peninsula includes five beaches and in the past the extended Codman clan would spend entire summers there. But times have changed, the family is spread out and most people don't summer like that anymore. While the property could remain intact as private compound it is more likely that it will be bought by someone who could divide it into seven or eight different lots which is a bit of a shame. Having grown up on Cape Cod, I know just how little relatively unspoiled land remains in southeastern Massachusetts.

The Amazon Shoulder Bag by Marc Jacobs is definitely not meant for the resident wall-flower at the party with vibrant hues, a mix of animal prints (including python, hairhide, and patchwork) and multiple flowery leather tassels dangling all over the place -- plus a little golden padlock detail. Very bold and retro-eighties. Unfortunately it's a shoulder bag (I think a clutch would work better with a crazy design like this) and features a layered flap top.

I think this bag is completely and totally horrendous, but if I ever see a woman carrying it I will respect her (for the guts). $2,850

Princess Kasia Al Thani seems to be everywhere lately. The Princess, who is married to a brother of the Emir of Qatar, launched the luxury gifts website Savoir-Faire and was spotted at the Chanel show she was quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying that Lagerfeld "never disappoints."

Savoir-Faire focuses on the top tier of luxury gifts and home goods. Jewelry designer Loree Rodkin, famous for pieces worn by Michelle Obama, designed a special collection just for the site. Fashion stylist Rachel Zoe also has a section of selections where she expresses her love for the Boucheron earrings and Anya Hindmarch purses available on the site.

But how is a new luxury website doing in this economy? I sent Princess Kasia Al Thani an email to find out. I asked what behavior she has seen from luxury consumers. She says, "I don't think people are buying less but they are buying cautiously. Fortunately we are a gifting site and even during austerity people still like to receive and give gifts. I always say that generosity never goes out of style. I do believe it's extremely important to keep buying so we help bring up our current economical situation."

Famed French champagne house Veuve Clicquot is known for inspiring a wide variety of interesting accessories to enhance what's already a luxurious quaffing experience. The latest example is merely conceptual but the company should seriously consider producing it in our opinion. French industrial designer Thomas Lemaire came up with the innovative tribute to one of his country's finest products. The Dry Blizzard consists of a high-tech cooler and champagne flutes ensuring the wine is always perfectly chilled.

The super-sleek cooler uses dry ice and a battery-powered fan to circulate cold air around the bottle, dispensing with wet, messy melted ice. The system keeps the champagne at the optimum temperature and also prevents the label from coming unstuck in icy water. The three-part flutes are also designed to keep the Veuve from being warmed by your hand. Double-walled glass insulates the contents, while an aluminum grip for your fingers also keeps unwanted heat at bay.

Over the past few years the number of millionaires has been rising but that trend has ended in a big way. A new report "Affluent Market Insights 2009," released by Spectrem Group indicates that the number of millionaire households in the U.S. has shrunk to its lowest level since 2003. In 2008 there were 6.7 million households with a net worth of $1 million or more, not including the primary residence. This number represents a dramatic drop from 9.2 million just a year before.

And it's not just the millionaires. The number of ultra high net worth households, those with a net worth of $5 million or more not including the primary residence, dropped 28 percent to 840,000 in 2008, down from 1.16 million in 2007. Meanwhile the affluent households, defined as having $500,000 or more in net worth not including the primary residence, also declined 28 percent in 2008 to 11.3 million, down from 15.7 million in 2007.

Today's home looks out over 24 acres of verdant Vermont land. The home itself is large handsome house with a traditional style that belies its age (it was built in 1995). The property includes a heated pool with a pool house and an outdoor cooking and dining area with a beehive oven and grill. There is also a three-bedroom guest house that connects to the mudroom entrance of the main residence. The garage also offers a two-bedroom staff apartment.

The ain home's entrance is dominated by a columned piazza and inside crown moldings, wood floors and many fireplaces offer a classic Vermont appeal. This home includes a formal living room, large kitchen with breakfast bar, a sitting area with a pizza oven and a heated conservatory. The upstairs features a master bedroom suite with a circular study that includes window seats. This estate is listed at $5.95 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Common in today's world of ultra-luxury watches is the teaser image – a glimpse at a new timepiece with just enough detail to intrigue you, but not enough detail to inform you. Christophe Claret releases scant few watches under his own label, but the magician-like watch maker is the brains (and guts) behind some of the world's most exclusive watches (including having a key role in the new Maitres du Temps watch line).

Right on Claret's website is a teaser image of soon to be released new watch, called the "DualTow" that will no doubt include some impressive technical specifications. While Claret with surely hope that the new watch will be novel, it is entirely possible that they are simply refining an idea that is already out there. What we know so far about new watch is the name and the simple image. "DualTow" implies that there are two pulling systems (one for the hours and one for the minutes maybe?). I anticipate that the watch will use some type of conveyor or belt system to display the time. The two circular pieces in the image are not tourbillion cages, but likely serve as rollers or something else to operate the "towing" aspect of the watch. Enough with the speculation - all will be revealed regarding the new Christophe Claret DualTow watch on March 27th at Baselworld.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Whether you've never heard of the MCM brand or you remember it from the 80's, MCM is making a new start in the United States.

The brand left the U.S. a number of years ago due to hush-hush reasons having to do with their previous owner, Michael Cromer, but stayed alive and well in Europe and Asia (you've seen these designs -- think supermodels' luggage). They have since changed their name from Michael Cromer Munich to Mode Creation Munich, and are running under new leadership: one of the most famous businesswomen in Asia, Sung-Joo Kim.

As the Plaza in New York City completed their renovations this winter, MCM moved in their first American shop in decades. We headed right down to 58th and Fifth Avenue to check out the exciting new store, which has already been visited by Heidi Klum and Ivanka Trump!

With environmentalists pushing for more earth-friendly transport, surely gas-guzzling behemoths like Bentleys would be going the way of the do-do. Not so fast, says Bentley, as the British luxury automakers, famous for making cars that more closely resemble locomotives with enormous engines, has revealed its game plan to take the Winged B badge into the environmental age.

Called the Continental Supersports, the concept car is the first of what Bentley hopes will be many ethanol-burning vehicles it will offer. Not only does the Supersports offer improved fuel economy and reduced emissions, but it is actually the most powerful, fastest Bentley to date. With 621 horsepower on tap and a zero-to-sixty time of an amazing 3.7 seconds, the Bentley Continental Supersports hit the scene in Geneva to say that we can have our cake and eat it, too.

The biggest problem with access to Cuba may not be production capacity, as many suspect. Trademark and copyright issues have the potential to be a greater problem, and there is no easy solution.

You've probably noticed that brands such as Partagas, Montecristo and Cohiba occupy your local tobacconist's humidor. A saunter through a duty free store at any airport outside the United States will put the same names under your nose. Of course, these cigars have nothing to do with each other. The latter are Cuban, the former are not and the companies have no relationships. Cohibas in the United States are not the "non-Cuban" or "legal" versions of a single company's product.

General Cigar Co. Inc., for example, sells Cohiba cigars in the United States. Cohiba is also a prominent Cuban brand. Unfortunately, Habanos S.A. never registered the name up here. Habanos sued General Cigar, and a nine-year battle followed. In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Habanos (shocking, right?), reasoning that the embargo barred a challenge to General Cigar's claim.

When the embargo is lifted, there will be more legal challenges, and several companies will have to change their names and labels – ultimately requiring the reconstruction of brand identities from scratch. Winning the brand battles will have profound consequences. For this reason, General Cigar has "invested" close to $3.5 million on lobbyists over the past 10 years.

As with all other Cuba-related speculation, there is no way to forecast where this issue will go in a post-embargo market. Even if we assume that the Cuban brands will lose their claims, the impact on the market would be nearly impossible to predict. What we do know, however, is that the transition will be far from easy.

With the R8 supercar, German automaker Audi demonstrated to the world that it is capable of producing the most capable performance sportscars on the road. But the gap between the R8 and its kid brother, the TT, remained as wide as the supercar's track. At this year's Geneva Motor Show, however, Audi closed that gap considerably with the new TT RS.

Packing a turbocharged, direct-injection inline-five with 340 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque, the TT RS is capable of hitting 60 in a scant 4.6 seconds, and will be available in both coupe and convertible body styles. Unfortunately the hot TT won't be making it to the North American market, so those on the Western shore of the Atlantic will just have to admire from afar, like with the images in the gallery below.