Wow!  So many memories . . . I Spy was a television show that ran in the late 1960’s starring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby.  Yes, the same Bill Cosby who has entertained audiences for almost 50 years – can you spell JELLO!  Bill Cosby had two albums out before we even knew he existed.  Brian’s brother, Tim had both of them . . . and Brian can still remember getting a hold of those albums and listening to some of his bits . . . The ‘Lone Ranger’ & ‘Tonto’ after a little too much to drink!!  Driving in San Francisco . . . and having to shift gears!  Going to the dentist and having the novocaine wear off!  If ANY of these relight a fire from your past, you’ve probably watched, I Spy.

I Spy was also the name of a book series that was aimed at children.  These books featured AMAZINGLY DETAILED photos of things in a child’s room or things in a play room and the object was to find – among all of the items in the picture specific things that may or may not be easy to see with the ‘naked eye’.  We bought several of these books for the girls when they were growing up and can tell you that we literally spent hours looking at them.  It’s a part of childhood missing for too many kids – that quality time before bed when a book and the pictures with the book, tell hundreds of stories.  Even as adults, we marvel at the detail in books – something that gets lost in today’s ‘translation’.

“I spy, with my eye, something that is . . . ” a familiar sound in car road trips across the country.  It didn’t matter if you were half way across the state of Kansas or in rush hour traffic outside of Denver, when you played “I Spy”, all you had to do was look around – observe your surroundings–to find the ‘right’ answer.  Driving vacations – yet another American institution on the brink of extinction–sad, because driving trips were part of the ways we bonded as family.

So, tonight – purely by accident . . . we came across at H-E-B – and opened a 2010 Eye Spy Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley of California.  Um, this wine isn’t going to take home ANY gold, silver or bronze medals.  BUT, it will bring home some amazing fruit flavors – a nice combination of light and dark fruits here – but a lot of fruit nonetheless!  The finish on this wine is right out of a jar of maraschino cherries . . . it’s scary how after you’ve tasted the wine the aftertaste is . . . well, you have to try it to believe it!  Beyond the finish, we loved the deep, dark color . . . for a Cabernet, it’s a beautiful thing.  It’s not the smoothest wine you’ll ever taste, but still not a bad bottle of wine for the price !

Interestingly, we’ve searched numerous websites trying to find out more about this wine and uncovered an Australian wine maker utilizing the exact bottle design.  Further digging yielded few if any clues as to where this Cabernet Sauvignon is actually made–the bottle clearly says, ‘Napa’ but the websites clearly don’t agree.  It must be a ‘big-name’ winery using a little known name to unload some of it’s product.  This wine is not more than $12 a bottle . . . in fact, you can probably get it on sale for $10 a bottle.  And, if you’re looking for something a little different, but with a good taste and finish, then “Eye Spy” is worth checking out . . . otherwise, you can miss this one.

Whether it was a television show, a book series, a car game or something else, I Spy or Eye Spy is synonymous with past culture.  Keeping it alive for future generations may not be as easy as it was previously, but there are opportunities for families to reconnect – whether it’s through games like “I Spy” or some other means, the time spent together as family – actually helps BUILD family.  But, hey, what do we know . . . we’re just wine bloggers on a mission of our own!

Please remember to enjoy YOUR favorite wine responsibly and recycle whenever possible.