One thing that seems to be certain. . .Mondays come and go really fast–all things considered.  As we departed for work this morning, Jean was heading north to Austin and Brian was heading south to his office in San Marcos, the realization of our weekend-in-the-rearview-mirror was evident.  Yep, another weekend had come and gone before our very eyes and we were left wondering what exactly happened.  We had wrapped up work on Friday afternoon with a lot of excitement and thoughts about what we could do over the weekend.  Yes, we sat outside at the picnic tables provided by East Ends Wines and enjoyed a variety of new wines and couldn’t help but think how fun it was going to be with TWO days off! 

As we have detailed in previous blogs–and we WON’T go into them here–, there has been a pretty fair amount of work to be done on the house in Kerr-patch, but we’re on task and ready to make something happen, so whether it’s re-grouting the tile, any time you have new tenants moving into your property, the right thing to do is give it a complete–top to bottom–cleaning.  So, that’s how we spent yesterday (as previously noted)!

When Monday comes along, we’re either glad to have the ‘break’ of a new work week, or we’d wished that we would have hired someone else to take care of the necessary work at the house!  You know what we mean. . .you have the BEST intentions that get derailed.  However, this weekend we didn’t get derailed. . .we worked hard–painting, touching up walls, cleaning windows, sweeping, dusting, covering nail holes and a lot more.  It was the stuff that made Monday look really good!

And so,  tonight we opened a really nice 2011 Stump Jump from McLaren Vale in Australia,  It’s a blend that includes Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre’–it’s young, tart and it’s loaded with grenache.  Not being one of our favorite varietals, we kind of turned our noses up at it, but with a great pricing deal from Twin Liquors at less than $9 a bottle, we felt the obligation to “take one for the team!”  And so, we taste the 2011 Stump Jump blend.  And, it tasted about like we thought it would. . .A Sensational value, not too simple but; rich, savory, and brimming with ripe, spicy fruit flavor.  Endearingly honest and unpretentious, the ideal everyday red. ”  And, according to our friends at drinkupny.com,   The Stump Jump GSM is a rich, flavorful red produced in the traditional McLaren Vale style. Mulberry and plum flavors from the Grenache combine with the blackberry, spice and white pepper of the Shiraz. Best served at room temperature, this wine will gain added complexity with careful cellaring over the next two to five years. Composed of 46% Grenache, 39% Shiraz and 15% Mourvedre.

We just couldn’t make this one work for us.  Probably too much Grenache, but regardless, we’re probably looking elsewhere for our next blog deal.  It’ s nothing against Stump Jump–in fact this is our second bottle to blog about.–but it’s more about the taste and this one just didn’t bring it home.  We know that really, really good wines come from McLaren Vale in Australia, and unfortunately, this one isn’t among them.

As your week unfolds, remember to drive safely-stop and taste the wine and get home all in one piece…Enjoy your favorite wine responsibly and remember to recycle whenever possible.