Monthly Archives: May 2013
Day 272: Lewis & Clark Were On To Something . . .
1805 is a new wine venture that pays tribute to one of life’s great expeditions and the need that each of us has to explore. For some individuals, the need to explore comes from the great outdoors. For others, it is the need to acquire a new interest or language. And for others, it is the discovery of wine. The folks at 1805 Wines have based their brand on the principle of discovery that is rooted in the great tradition of America’s foremost explorers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. In 1804 Lewis and Clark were commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase and undertake a scientific expedition across the American continent to the Pacific Coast. On this legendary 18-month expedition with Lewis and Clark were Sacajawea and a host of characters who explored, fought, and mapped the lands and rivers westward from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. The expedition’s “Corps of Discovery” included the Missouri River, the Rocky Mountains, the Columbia River, and finally in 1805, the corps’ ultimate prize, the Columbia Valley in what is now eastern Washington. Within twenty years of Lewis and Clark’s expedition, a hardy group of erudite pioneers had “discovered” the ideal climate and soil of Columbia Valley. This stalwart band recognized the value of the valley’s high-desert plains and well-drained soils for the cultivation of the vine and planted the area’s first grape vines.
You gotta love wines that take their name from a date in the past; and this 1805 is going to grab your attention! It’s a wine that borders on the line of seduction, but clearly doesn’t follow through in practice. You’ll be mesmerized by the nose. . .a true cab aroma backed by terrific fruit from Washington. The essence of blackberries and raspberries are really prevalent when first pouring the wine and with hints of cedar and an earthiness that kind of hides in the background, we were excited for what the taste was going to be like! The first sip is all about anticipation. . .we thought there was a nice balance of fruit with the tannins, but the finish is where the honeymoon came to an end. We both were disappointed by the finish of this wine. . .or lack of finish. . .or ANY finish. For the most part, after tasting fruit on the front of the palate, the finish was nonexistent. Here we had a really nice wine–good color, good nose, good taste in the mouth–but in the end? There was no end. We understand this. . .some wines just can’t deliver all of the keys to a mind-blowing tasting. This 1805 is an example of hitting on all cylinders until the final call–as most who read this know, we like a wine that will finish long and smooth. This wine finish short and short! Now, in fairness to the wine and the wine maker, it’s a 2010 wine and some of these cabs from Washington take a little more time to mature than others. . .could be an opportunity for 1805 to shine in the future. We picked this wine up while shopping at HEB in Kyle for less than $11 -not quite the expedition that L & C had – but will do in a pinch.
History is pretty cool. American history is even cooler as far as we’re concerned. When we think about our country back in 1805; we realize that in a little over 200 years, we have come a LONG way. One of those long ways is in wine production; wine sales and wine consumption. But, we said one of those long ways. . .yes, but the key word is wine!
We hope that you’ll enjoy your favorite wine responsibly and please remember to recycle whenever possible.
Day 271: Sometimes It Takes a Dead Bolt . . .
Have you ever installed a deadbolt lock? If the door frame has already been prepped, it’s actually pretty easy. But, if you have to drill the frame to make the cylinder for the bolt to fit, it’s not as easy a proposition. We can say that we have NO experience drilling for dead bolts! Over time, there have been a number of scenes where dead bolts were prominently displayed and used. When the movie, Young Frankenstein was made, the front door to Frankenstein’s (pronounced–Fronc-en shteen) castle was dead bolted. Thank goodness for Marty Feldman as Igor (pronounced ‘Eye-gore’) who was jolly on the spot to open the door and escort the guests into the castle. (I thought the hump was on the other side?) It’s one of Mel Brook’s most successful and best loved movies to this day!
If you’ve seen any horror movies, you know that the dead bolt is a required part of the film. Whether running from the zombies or trying to get out, if you can’t get past the dead bolt, you’re not going to make it! If you’ve watched any action movies, it always seems that someone is hiding behind the door with a dead bolt lock OR is trying to get into the room but can’t get past the dead bolt lock! Action movies, horror movies, comedies. . .they all have a reason to use dead bolts.
Okay, so we don’t really have a set theme for tonight, but with the wine we opened and tasted, it made us think about dead bolts; especially since the wine has the exact same name. We opened and tasted a 2010 Dead Bolt blend from California. The 2010 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Syrah, among others. Deep ruby with a glint of purple. Bold red fruit. Hint of oak. Black cherry, brown spice, mocha. All you’d want in a glass of red. Smooth. Full. Satisfying. Yep, this wine is big and bold and for less than $10 a bottle, you’re going to have a tough time finding a better wine in the category. As blends go, the color is magnificent, the taste is amazing and the nose will knock your socks off! But because of the price, many wine lovers will turn their collective noses up at this wine because of its’ price. . .you know, too low, so it can’t be any good. Served with shrimp stir fry, the bold taste of the wine worked amazingly well with the spiciness of the shrimp and vegetables. Bigger than a Zin, bolder than a Syrah and smoother than most blends, we really enjoyed this wine. It’s one of those wines that you can pull out with company and they’ll think you’ve opened the ‘expensive’ stuff instead! Since blends are becoming the ‘rage’ in California, jump on the bandwagon and try this one. At its’ price point, even if you don’t like it, you’ll have spent far less than other wines with more “recognizable names”.
The name of the wine is what motivated us to write about it tonight. Dead Bolt. . .the name alone caused us to stop and look at the label! And you don’t have to be watching Young Frankenstein or any other zombie film to get a bottle of this wine and give it a try! As for us, we’ll continue to sample varietals, blends and other wines in pursuit of good values, good deals and a bottle of wine that goes well with food.
Until tomorrow, please remember to enjoy your favorite wine responsibly and recycle whenever possible.
Day 270 – When Monday Is On A Tuesday…
We love those three day weekends! In fact, we’ve asked friends and family over the years, and the best part about holidays is a three day weekend. . .especially when the third day happens to fall on a Monday. Take Memorial Day for example. . .we ALL know it’s celebrated on the last Monday in May. . .so, no matter what the number is on the calendar, if it’s the last Monday, you KNOW it’s going to be a holiday. Such was the case yesterday with Memorial Day falling on the 27th of the month. The earliest that Memorial Day can be celebrated would be the 25th of the month, and the latest that the holiday could be celebrated would be the 31st. As a couple of folks who’ve had a few holidays over the years, we have a slight preference for earlier in the month rather than later.
Let’s face it, when you have Memorial Day on the 29th, 30th or 31st. . .you’re up against the End of the Month! Anyone in business knows that the end of the month is a killer time and the LAST thing you want to deal with–if you’re trying to make your month–is a holiday that eats up those precious last few days! If you’re in sales, you KNOW exactly what we’re talking about. . .those end of the month deadlines are tough to meet when you lose a Saturday, Sunday and Monday to the holidays, so instead of ending your month on the 31st. . .you’ve ended it on the 28th. . .three days of potential business—sent downstream.
The upside to three day weekends is the time spent with family. We wrote about some of this over the past three days of blogs, but more importantly, it provides the opportunity to do things together, and no matter what age of you kids or their ‘status in life’ the opportunities to spend time with family are rare indeed. Call it quality time or anything else, we’ve had a lot of great Memorial Day weekends. . .and other three day weekends with the girls that we’d NEVER trade. Trips to the zoo, trips to see family, trips to see friends, folks visiting us. . .all happen under the guise of three day weekends. While we stop and remember our fallen men and women in uniform (reference Day 269), we also stop to enjoy the best part of living in America. . .the freedom to see, do, visit, try, play and go where ever and when ever we want!!!
Tonight’s wine has NOTHING to do with Memorial Day. . .it has nothing to do with three day weekends. . .it has no family influence or friends that are coming over! Tonight’s wine is a really, really nice 2011 Malbec from Zorzal. . .this is a young wine but it’s a jammy delight! The nose blew us away (no pun intended) . . .sweet, lots of blackberries with a hint of tobacco was a warm welcome from the minute the wine hit the glass. The first taste was equally impressive. . .we fell in love with the smoothness of this Malbec, so we wanted to know more about where this wine was made.
Founded in 2007, ZORZAL is devoted to the production of luxury wines. The winery is on prime land in the heart of the Uco Valley, 80 km south of Mendoza. The 2011 Malbec comes from a 15-year-old espalier vineyard and is fermented with natural yeasts and aged in concrete tanks rather than wood. It has what you might call a “naked” nose disrobed of oak, but it is very pure and vibrant. The palate is fresh and vibrant embroidered with brisk, fine tannins. We’d never guess this is from Argentina, and it is just downright, delicious. Rated at 93 points by Robert Parker, this wine retails for less than $16 a bottle and for the money, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better Malbec.
Coming off of a three day weekend, the hardest part about going back to work is that it’s TUESDAY and not Monday. . .so now the goal is to get five days of work into four before the next weekend arrives. Summer has ‘officially’ begun. . .gas prices are on their way up as the ‘driving season’ has begun. . .airlines now want to charge you for carry on luggage and people wonder why it’s better to stay home and drink a good bottle of wine than battle the hordes of sunseekers skimming the river’s waters with their tubes and coolers. Sometimes it’s safer to stay home–enjoy your family–enjoy your food–and enjoy your wine. Until tomorrow, enjoy your favorite wine responsibly and remember to recycle whenever possible.
Dat 269: A Salute to All Veterans . . .
Memorial Day. . .a time to stop from shopping, swimming, camping, driving or hiking to pay respects to the thousands of men and women who have paved the way for us to enjoy what we enjoy each and every day. Looking back over history, we’ve seen so many changes in our world–many of them brought about by armed conflicts–that have made a difference in our lives. Rare indeed is the soldier who comes back from battle to a job, a home, a family and a way of life that was close to the same existence before being deployed. Rare indeed is a society that on the surface supports our men and women in uniform, but when it comes to providing a livable income upon return, the tendency is to turn the other cheek. Rare indeed is the family unit–held together by a spouse on the homefront–so precious to the long term survival of this country. We live in changing times–change that has been good and change that hasn’t be so good, but change that has been made possible by the sacrifices made by veterans of armed conflicts.
As baby boomers, we grew up with the stories of heroism from World War II, and from our parents mouths we heard first hand of the bravery in the fields, in the air and under water of people who drew together for a common goal. A common goal. Hmmmm, something totally missing today. We’ve lost the ability to seek a common goal. Unfortunately, as Memorial Day 2013 draws to a close, we’ve become a country that is deeply divided. We have leadership that seeks to polarize the citizenry and a media that exploits it at every turn. Soldiers who have come and gone before us seem to have fought and died in vain because we no longer (as a general rule) espouse the values of a country united for a common purpose, but instead have become a nation forged on ‘what’s in it for me’. Not to be on a soap box, but Memorial Day provides us the perfect back drop of historical significance, patriotic prowess and determination to succeed–all of it compliments of those who have come before us. And, how do we recognize their contributions? We minimalize their accomplishments by getting bogged down in rhetoric and shying away from substance. We’d rather see sound bytes than deal with reality. We’d prefer to see everything packaged neatly in an Entertainment Tonight segment rather than deal with the fact that the middle class is shrinking; the poor are growing in numbers and the skilled workforce is being replaced by the unskilled without a drive and determination to do better than their predecessors. It’s a curious predicament. . .but we can’t blame the contributions of our veterans!
So tonight we opened a really nice wine from Paso Robles, California. . .a 2011 Rare Find Cabernet Sauvignon. We picked this wine up at the HEB Plus in Kyle, Texas as we watched a “Chopped” showdown between the cooking team from the Kyle Fire Department and the Buda Fire Department. . .the event was held in the store and was an appropriate tribute for the hard working first responders in our area. This wine–while inexpensive to buy–tastes like wines that are two to three times its price. The nose was one of sweetness–kind of like trying a raspberry cobbler or blueberry pie. . .a la mode. . .very jammy. We tasted the wine and were immediately greeted by the berry flavor; a nice oak finish and a long, pleasing after-taste were a surprising combination for this wine. While still young in the bottle, we felt like it was better than many in its’ price range and could easily be enjoyed in six to nine months without issue. All in all it was a decent wine to break out on Memorial Day.
As we all head back to our homes for the week ahead, we can’t help but think about–with gratitude–the men and women who have served our country in the past. The ideals and values that they fought and died for were as real then as the are today–so hopefully, we won’t lose sight of our values and ideals. . .because in losing them, we do a tremendous disservice to their contributions to our lifestyle. To the men and women of our country who continue to serve, thank you. You are shining stars on otherwise cloudy skies of society, and we respect you and wish you godspeed to return home to your families, your friends, your communities and your careers. YOUR leadership will prove to be the difference in the future and for that WE are a nation that is grateful.
Please enjoy your favorite wine responsibly and remember to recycle whenever possible.
Day 268 – Fiesta San Antonio
After leaving our good friends in Aransas Pass today, we kept an eye on the sky to make sure that the rains (though VERY welcome) didn’t dampen the rest of our weekend with the girls and their boyfriends! It’s been an amazingly fun weekend with the girls, with friends and enjoying what mother nature has to offer…be it wind, rain or sun…the weather isn’t as important as the friendships! We understand through well placed sources that the fishing TODAY was much better than the fishing YESTERDAY. At least one source has confirmed that the Redfish in the Bay were biting today — unlike yesterday.
We did make a stop in San Antonio and hit the Alamo, the Riverwalk and the Mercado – the best part (other than us all just being together) was the people watching. Amazing how many people were out and about on a beautiful Sunday afternoon after a Saturday full of rain and flooding. It was special to sit and have a snack on the Riverwalk and just spend time with the girls, Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent. What a treat to laugh the afternoon away before heading home to San Marcos and eventually a late dinner and more laughing around the dinner table – these are precious times.
T0night’s wine is a 2010 Shiraz from Messina Hof and features a great nose, full-body flavor and extras smooth flavors. You can’t go wrong with this fabulous flavor display of rich, dark blackberry and spice with lingering vanilla tones. Grown in the Red River Valley. Double Barrel Aged in European and American oak, this Shiraz demonstrates the grandeur of Texas and is perfectly suited for our Texas climate. It’s hearty and robust, yet well-balanced. This Shiraz is wonderful with beef, lamb, pork and even grilled salmon. It is a Double Gold medal winner at the Tasters Guild International Consumer Wine Judging, winner of the Grand Star of Texas at the Lone Star International and a gold medal winner at the Indy International Wine Competition. According to the wine maker, “Planted in 1988 in Denison, Texas. The elevation is at 619 feet , and this vineyard has sandy-loam soil that is four miles from the Red River. A very unique wine featuring smooth and silky flavors of rich berries. Gold medal winner. Perfectly complements beef, lamb, and fowl.” Needless to say, this wine is a winner and is meant to be enjoyed!
The wine exhibits a terrific nose of fruit and spice; we couldn’t believe how smooth this wine SMELLED! That’s right—smooth! The taste was equally as impressive, but restrained because, Texas wines just seem to miss out on what the fruit can actually taste like! The finish and body of this wine are both top notch. We can’t imagine a better looking, better tasting bottle of wine from our fair state! The wine went with kung pao chicken tonight and was a terrific complement to sitting on the deck and enjoying the fruits of mother nature’s rainfalls. . . It’s a wine meant to be shared with family, friends or all of the above – which we did in abundance over the past several nights!!!
Until tomorrow, please remember to enjoy your favorite wine responsibly and recycle whenever possible!
Day 267 – A Quick Trip to Sisterdale . . .
What a day! Someone once said, a horrible day fishing is better than any day in the office. Today, truer words were never spoken! Having arrived last evening here in Aransas Pass to visit with the Deases’ clan, we were up at 4:30 this morning for an early call and the opportunity to hit the water for some fishing in the bay! Thanks to Fred’s advance planning, there were two boats going out this morning…thank you, Monty Scruggs…and with the two boats means that Daughters 1 & 2 and their boyfriends got the opportunity to go fishing with Fred while we fished with Fred’s brother, Mike and his wife, Jean (aka Jean #2 as mentioned last night).
A quick stop for breakfast tacos and we were on our way to the docks—one of the first things we noticed was the wind. Yeah, it was blowing out of the south–yeah, that meant lots of waves. After securing bait, we were on our way and looking forward to a day of fishing. After getting beat up by waves, catching trash fish and losing bait to bad water, we got the text message from Daughter #1 that two trout fish were on board and both were caught by her! Oh man, going to be an interesting afternoon as the gauntlet has been laid down! Our boat did however have a unique experience – – – Jean #1 (aka blog Jean) hooked a seagull and actually landed it – no fear, the bird was hooked and was “reeled in” and subsequently was released unharmed.
Actually, we were excited that the girls were together with their boyfriends. . .and had an opportunity to learn from the “Trail Boss”! The day was absolutely spectacular – all the obstacles may have limited our “haul” – but bottom line is that we had a marvelous day!!!
It seemed appropriate after a very long day of fishing–it certainly wasn’t a long day of catching–that we’d enjoy a “three bagger” from Sister Creek Vineyards in Sisterdale. For us, a three bagger means that three different grapes were used in the production of the wine. . . Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, and Merlot make up this wine and — once again — this Texas wine is a winner. The nose gave us hints of oak and a smokiness that wasn’t expected from this wine. A nice array of dark fruit, a little leather and a slight breath of kerosene. The taste was every bit as good as the nose…the fruit really comes out especially as the wine opens up, but it’s the finish that kicked our tails! It was superb with lots of fruit lasting long, long, long after the taste. This is the way wine is supposed to taste–good nose, great first taste. . .superb finish. This 2009 Sister Creek blend is the right combination of taste and flavor! We have purchased this wine on a regular basis and have extolled it’s virtues numerous times – yep, it’s a keeper!!!!
Our faith, fishing, good food and good friends are the things that sustain us – every day!!
But, remember to enjoy responsibly and recycle whenever possible.
Day 266: Heading to the Coastas, with the Mostas, Baby . . .
Today has been an adventure to say the least – – – when the sun came up over the horizon, the inhabitants of Casa del Vino were on the move. Brian headed off to a meeting – then back to the house for a day off, Jean headed to Austin to take care of a little bit of work business before coming back home for a day off, Daughter #1 rolled out at a reasonable hour to take care of some chores before Bruce Wayne arrived and Daughter #2 and Clark Kent headed to Kerrville for a trip down memory lane. Whew, just tired thinking of all the activity.
We finally all hooked up at the house around 1:30 p.m. – about the same time as the clouds opened up and dumped about 2-3 inches of rain on San Marcos. We packed up and got ready to head to the coast to spend the weekend with best pals Fred and Edel and crew for a bit of fishing and R & R. With six of us going, we had to take to two cars – so pretending to be the Beverly Hillbillies, we loaded up and headed out. Like a bad penny, the rain followed us all the way south – UNTIL we got to AP and there it just dried up like the Sahara Desert.
So, here we sit amongst a group of mostly non-wine drinkers, but willing participants nonetheless – and have opened a glass of really fun wine from Oregon – 2009 Syrah from Purple Cow Vineyards in Forest Grove, Oregon. Have to admit, we heard the name and visions of Ogden Nash’s poem popped into our minds. Anyone remember the immortal words of “I never saw a purple cow, I never hope to see one, but I can tell you anyhow, I’d rather see one than be one” – ok, we digress – back to the wine . . .
When we popped the cork and saw what Jean #2 (yes, we have one of those this weekend – and she is a fisherwoman DELUXE – more on that tomorrow night) described as a purple giraffe pattern – we were a bit skeptical. BUT, have to admit – it wasn’t all that bad. Nose was packed full of clove and plum with a dash of nutmeg – the palate had a twinge of tobacco and fruit, mostly of the mushy purple kind . . . not all that memorable but tolerable and enjoyable – the finish, although a bit short, was nice and actually quite pleasing.
We checked out the website for this wine – and found this wine was priced at $27 per bottle – ok, it was good – but truth be told, not that good. While it has been aged in oak barrels for 27 months – it could use a few more to impact the final result. We want to thank Edel who opened the wine for us, and for Steve for giving the wine to Edel – just LOVE the philosophy of paying it forward!
Ok, we have to wrap things up early tonight as we have to up and at ’em at o’dark thirty to got slay the trouts and reds. We wind down with Edel, Fred, Jean #2, Tony, Andrew, D#1, Bruce Wayne, D#2 and Clark Kent – oh, and who could forget O Captain, my Captain! No doubt there will be adventures to share tomorrow night – can’t wait!!!!
Until then, remember to enjoy responsibly and recycle whenever possible.
Day 265: T-Minus 100 Days and Counting . . .
A milestone occurs tonight–albeit a minor one, but a milestone nonetheless–tonight represents 265 days of a different wine each day, AND it also means that we are entering the final 100 days of our goal. With that thought in mind we thought we’d share with you some of what’s transpired over the first 265 days of our blog. . .we’ve been fortunate enough to have been viewed by someone (not sure who or why) in just under 20 countries around the world! Yes, we know that there are heavy-duty bloggers out there who have hundreds or thousands of followers from hundreds of countries. But, we started this with nothing in mind other than to taste and write about a different wine every day for a year. In that same time, we’ve had just shy of 9300 views; just under 50 regular followers and…here’s the best part…we’ve had comments from readers from all over the globe! It’s one of those ‘sit back and soak up’ moments that keeps us going, and believe us, there have been days when the LAST thing we wanted to do was taste a wine and blog about it.
There have been great wines, good wines, so-so wines, and “OMG Bad Wines!” in the first 265 days–we’re guessing that there are still plenty of these still available in stores! We tasted wines from all over the world with a biased preference for California wines, but have a growing affinity for Washington and even certain Texas wines! We’ve tasted more white wines than we thought we’d try, and for the most part they have been pretty good. We’ve had three guest bloggers which have come at perfect times and their experiences have certainly enhanced our quest! It’s this zest for wine adventures that brings us to the doorstep of the final 100 days of our blog. So, after scouring the blog rack for a wine to enjoy as a kick off to our Memorial Day weekend and seeing nothing, we went to the wine cooler and looked at the bottles and really didn’t find anything that grabbed our attention, so it was to the final stop. . .a little know spot where we keep some awesome wines from Paso Robles.
Tonight we revisited our tasting experience with Roger Nicolas in Paso Robles this past October. A visit to his tasting room—his living room—looking out over acres of grapes and rolling hills of vines was a site of pure beauty. Since we had arrived late for our first tasting back in 2007, we were certain to arrive early so as to not be chastised by our host for being late. When we mentioned it to him upon our arrival. . .even he had a chuckle about it. When another couple was late to the tasting, we expected the same treatment, but, no. We guess that in the past five years, Roger decided it was more important to serve great wine than worry about late comers to the the table. Regardless the wines were young, fruity, flavorful and all of them have a LOT of promise to be enjoyed several years from now. Yes, they are that good that his wine can be laid down for a minimum of 5-7 years and be fantastic upon opening. Of course, tonight being Day 265, it called for a special wine—and thus we opened and enjoyed a 2010 Cuvee des Artistes–a beautiful blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Petite Verdot. While still young in the bottle, the nose was superb. . .dark fruits with hints of tobacco, leather and cedar. The more we swirled the better the aromas–a sneak sniff of oak reassured us that this was going to be a tasty wine. From the first sip, we were immediately brought back to Roger’s living room for the tastings. This was a seriously good–no Great–bottle of wine. And, while it’s priced out of our normal range, for a special occasion wine, you simply can’t go wrong with an RN Estates Wine.
We are officially on the downward slide–yes, we talked about that at the midway point of the year, but when you get to the final 100 days, well, it’s time to start the count down! We’re excited to start the countdown with such a fine wine and the company of family. . .what better way to enjoy something. . .along with a rack of smoked ribs! We hope you’ll stay with us for the next 100 days—it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Until tomorrow, please enjoy your favorite wine responsibly and remember to recycle whenever possible.
Day 264 – Wine … Wine … Wine
Blogger's Note: The following blog was NOT written under duress but rather out of love for what Brian and Jean are doing. Kris.
When Jean and Brian first approached me about writing a blog for them and their quest to review 365 bottles within one year, I was amazed. After picking myself up off the floor, I started laughing and in a moment of absolute insanity I agreed to add my two cents … actually it was $3.99.
If one is going to look for fine wine, the absolute most non-obvious place would be Walmart! So that’s where I went! Walking up and down the aisle, I was amazed at all the colors and flavors available … who knew? Prior to reading the blog – my knowledge was limited to “Do you want Red or White?” Now, of course, thanks to the Jean and Brian tutorials, I am much more informed. I knew that I probably wanted a sweet white!
The variety of labels caught my eye and I was drawn to the colors of green and blue – two of my favorites. When I saw the flip flops … I was sold. Thank goodness I had already decided on a white or my decision would have been more tricky. So, liking the design on the label and the colors was a big help in this choice! By the way, just to add a side note, as my friends often do … green and blue are great colors for football uniforms too – specifically the Seattle Seahawks … not my favorite team, but I digress.
It just so happens that I had a small dinner party last night – unfortunately, only two of the guests drink wine and they are not experts either, so I did not get any help from them in the taste testing. They did agree that the label was nice and that as my favorite choice of footwear is a Flip Flop – it was very appropriate for me. I chilled the wine and when it came time to open – to my delight, the cap unscrewed very easily. The clarity of the wine was wonderful, regardless of the color of the glass in which it was served. The taste was sweet … not too. I definitely tasted grapes. It seemed to “open well” and of course, after a glass or two, I really thought it tasted better! In fact, the more I drank, the better it was. Not sure if this is directly related to the fact that my nose and cheekbones became numb or I just didn’t care anymore?
So … once again, I must digress. This wine brought back wonderful memories of college football games in the “Big House” and the fine tradition of passing the empty Boone’s Farm bottles from the lower rows in the stadium to the top row. This became a green wave of color for at least a couple minutes between the 3rd and 4th quarter of the game. Which did not pair well with your stomach at times if you had drank more than your share. As our team was normally winning, we were not drinking to drown our sorrows … just drinking! For the unlucky few whose friends had imbibed a bit too much – they might find themselves also passed up … which is what happened to my mother when she came to visit me one weekend. Thank goodness the Red Cross in Washtenaw County provides first aid stations at each home game!
This is a wine to be shared (as you don’t want to drink too much yourself) with friends. Tonight I was with Don, Bob, Anna, Veronique, Diane and Jean (for the record – not the San Marcos variety). I paired the wine with my first attempt at grilling chicken on my new gas grill – the wine seemed to take some of my anxiety away! We also had a nice salad, broccoli and fresh bread. Add a dessert of peanut butter “bombs” and oatmeal/PB/chocolate chip cookies and eventually the wine taste disappears! So … whether you are reliving your misspent youth or sharing a nice dinner with friends – the quality of wine really doesn’t matter to me, as normally I can’t tell the difference. What matters is the quality and support of your friends and family – and I am very blessed in this area. I am also thankful that Jean and Brian consider me one of the folks in their “circle of trust” (trivia … trivia … trivia). “Meet the Parents”
So … drink responsibility and recycle when possible. Be sure to invite me to your next party if you need a wine connoisseur.
Blogger's Note: We want to thank Kris for her outstanding (in the field) review and commentary tonight - please it was published as written - so blame Kris for any typos. It's friends like Kris that keep us drinking---err, we mean tasting wine! ;-) Until tomorrow night---Cheers!
casa del vino 