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.