white zinfandel.

OAK LEAF VINEYARDS
White Zinfandel
California

x-fact~ please do not let the fact that this is a white zinfandel fool you. really, i know you're scared. so was i. but it's going to be okay. oh, and you can only get it at wal-mart. okay, okay, simmer down now, i told you it would be okay. trust me? of course you do.

paid; gift!
reg. 2.97

when i was a younger lass and unequipped with the basics, like a legal drinking age, much money, or any taste, white zinfandel was the classy wine. no foolin' this was it. oh sure, this was right about the time of the boone's. but let's face it, the boone's was just for the "every day," your out in the middle of the country parties, your surreptitious drinking in the park. the white zinfandel was for the special times.

and judging from historical pictorial evidence, i cannot for the life of me figure out what possessed me to think that the wearing of sunglasses and hawaiian skirts and drinking with a bunch of sweaty guys screamed special times, but apparently, judging from the bottle in my hand, it did.

so, as love affairs often do, my love affair with white zinfandel only lasted so long. as i aged so did my taste buds. and for the better. and while i thought fondly of my special times with the white zin, boy was i happy never to have to drink it again!

until now.

now. it was easter of this year, and this bottle was brought into my home. i did not seek this bottle out. and i had no wish to drink it. rather, i stuck it in the fridge and figured, at some distant point, i'd get a taker.

well, take one long rough day a few weeks later that finished in a early spring, warmish, evening and that taker ended up being me.

shocking. really.

may i say i love this wine? may i say this wine is not the white zin of my youth? if it's a white zin at all? this wine is more like a rose'. a delicate, dainty rose', and it's delicious.

it pours out into the prettiest pale pink color. and if you have it chilled just right, it's crisp and clean and sweet right away. but not too sweet, and just *the* right amount of crisp. but it has to be chilled right. i know this because i do extensive research on these things exclusively for your benefit. extensive.

and when i said it's delicate i mean that it's got just the flirtiest hint of floral undertones. and you know i don't use the word "floral." ever. so you're just gonna have to trust me on this one.

and even though this is all sounding precious and pearls, like i've just told you my colors are blush and bashful, please do not be mistaken.

oh, certainly, this would be a perfect before or during wine for that sunday brunch, spring luncheon, baby or wedding shower. perfect.

but i don't think this wine would like to be limited to the table. because i think deep down, underneath all the pink and the delicate, is a good ol' porch wine. meant to be pulled from the bucket of ice (not to be mistaken for an ice bucket, but literally a bucket filled with ice and a few bottles of this wine), pulled and then poured into a jelly jar and drunk on your front porch while you watch the afternoon go by.

the rocking chair and creaky screen door are optional.

all right, so yeah, if you serve this at the brunch, the lunch, or the shower, of course it would pair beautifully with any number of canapes, appetizers, or small flavorful bites. just be sure to be deferential to the individual flavors, keeping things simple, clean, true. don't try to get too fancy with the food of spring. it's got its own fabulousness that only needs a light hand and the chance to shine in its own glory. and darlings, you do know that presentation is everything. right? okay. good.

but what does a girl eat when she's decided to wile away the afternoon, sittin' on the porch, drinking from a jelly jar?

whatever the hell she wants. and who in the hell really cares?

because really, when you've decided to give the day over, i think the rest of it works itself out. quite beautifully in fact.

from my own porch i see the lilacs bursting forth, putting on their annual show. one of the best in the business. blink and you'll miss it. blink and they are already turning brown. the show that we bought the accompanying house for just to be sure we had front row seats for the rest of eternity.

i see the last of the pie cherry in all its fading glory, still holding its own against the lilacs. the apple blossoms are readying themselves, getting all primped backstage, waiting for their curtain call.

and the tulips are just doing what the tulips do best. brazenly turning themselves face up and seeking to soak in as much of the sun and sky and air as they can take.

what more could you ask for? well, maybe a sweetie to share the wine and the afternoon with? someone else who could really care as less as you do for what the food plan may be?

this wine is flirty and it's fun. the perfect color of a blushing cheek, bringing to mind those days before. days that afforded an afternoon spent on a front porch with a sweetie, without any sense of the passage of time, without even having to carve it out. without having to ask.

this wine makes a girl want to hike up her skirt a little more and soak up a little sun of her own. and sitting on her own porch she can do just that, and whatever else she wants.

and at 2.97 a bottle (and no, that's not a mistype. crazy, huh?) this wine can do all of the above, the fancy themed parties or the day on the porch, for the best price a girl could ask for. seriously, this is a stock up price for the season. and that's not the sale price either.

buy a bunch for the party and steam off the labels and add your own. a picture of you and your sweetie and your wedding date. a baby's footprint and due date. a beautiful picture of your yard for your spring/summer garden luncheon. or don't. the color is so pretty that just the naked bottles on the table or ice bucket or bucket of ice would be striking, too.

whatever you do, the effort you make, or don't, will be richly rewarded with a glass or two of this wine.

i know times are tough, and getting tougher all the time. all the better reason to purchase some cheap, yet delicious, wine and gather people together. or even just that one special one. even if that one special one is you.

me? the first possible afternoon i have i'm going to gather my own sweetie, the galvanized bucket from the shed (i'll give it a good rinse out), some ice, and a few bottles of this wine.

and we're going to sit on the porch here at the big red house and drink this wine from our wedding jelly jars and count our blessings. and i cannot imagine, as the afternoon fades away and the early evening comes on slowly, that we will possibly run out of blessings to count.

go ahead. pour your own glass and count your own blessings.

celebrate your one beautiful life.

x.

shiraz grenache.

x-fact ~ the razor's edge is defined as "a difficult or precarious position."

shiraz grenache mclaren vale australia 2006
paid gift!
reg. @11.99

for some time now, "economic downturn" has been at some times a four letter word and at all times a very real and very pressing concern around these parts. so imagine my delight and surprise at being gifted such a nice bottle! and right when i was hoping to get back to the wine blog, too!

with not much more than my wal-mart special (please don't ask. it's good. really. for $2.97 it's good. it's no two buck chuck, sure. but, really, let's speak of happier things right now.) i didn't feel i had much to offer you other than a depression V2.0 special. which is all fine and good. but i'm glad to make it back with something a bit livelier. thank you jane!

so the bottle isn't anything i'd ever pick up. all that gray and red nonsense reminds me of someone who is trying too hard. and two decades too late to boot.

but the magical words shiraz and grenache were on the label with a big ol' bow from the giver and a tag that boasted 91 points from Wine Spectator. (psst. that's good.)

first off it's a great color. deep. and sexy like the great nail polishes you find once before they discontinue the color.

i took a sip and it was smooth right away. admittedly there was a little "ting" at the back of the throat. not metallic, really, but close to it. i can't really put my finger on it, but it lasted about 3 or 4 sips in then went away.

in the meantime the rest of it right away was just mouthfuls of jammy and belly warming fabulousness. and it clings to the glass like a pro.

it's been some time since i've had a real sassy, full bodied, take charge kinda wine. it's so different to have a whole body reaction to a wine. your mouth is filled, your belly warmed, your extremities get the initial tingling then the all over relaxation.

it's not unlike a perfect kiss. but then again you know my love for the grenache. a date in a bottle, baby! and this bottle promises to NOT be an exception to that proclamation. furthermore, good lord but this girl could use a date in a bottle right about now!

this wine stays smooth. getting ever so more jammy with little fruit bursts here and there. juicy, and yet there's a bit of the brisk to it. right on the top. marrying with the jammy, and keeping it from going full boar into too much. you know, when your good heavy jammy wine gets that bottom of the fruit bowl taste after awhile? no? maybe it's just me.

rest assured, this wine won't do that. even if you didn't know it did it in the first place. wait? where was i? and how many times can i really use the word "jammy?"

oh, yeah, anyhow, what i really loved was how the flavors just continued to develop and even gain some complexity as i drank on. in fact, i started out with our "new" drinkaday wine glasses when i first poured this. you know the kind. the short little ones they have in your middle of the road italian joints. they aren't new, but newish. i got them a few months ago when all the "good" glasses kept getting broken (by me) and couldn't get fully clean because they don't really go in the dishwasher and they are so thin they scare me when i hand wash them.

i eliminate this issue in the summer by just putting out jelly jars for our gatherings, but the winter holidays dictate something "fancier" and we couldn't afford to replace the pricier glasses.

but, i digress.

can i say about the drinkaday glasses that i LOVE them! i do! the perfect glass in terms of size and care. each pour is just enough. and when you're on a budget and sharing your wine it's good to portion it out to make the bottle stretch. and these glasses do just that.

sigh. i did just write that? my wine soaked muses are turning over in their barrels.

anyhow, i was drinking from one of those glasses at first and then i realized i couldn't get the full scope of the smell or bouquet (fancy, right!) of this wine. which i didn't really take notice of at first. but as i continued it became more pronounced.

so i got out a "good" glass. big enough to really get my nose in there before i took a sip. and it just turned the whole thing up.

full bodied and fruity with none of the overpowering alcohol notes you sometimes get. just a really good whiff or, you know, bouquet.

this wine makes me happy. sure, yeah, the nearly 15% alcohol by volume of the wine has something to do with it, but it's more. a touch of the fabulous when things, by necessity, feel as though they have become routine and required and regimented due to forces outside of your control.

like eating an amazing meal out, wearing kick ass heels, checking into a hotel and only having to pick up the phone for anything you want at top notch personalized service. there is just something to be said for quality. finesse. attention to detail. sexiness.

or, being able to get exactly what you want at the grocery, not having to decide which utility to pay and which to ignore, negotiating which kid possesses the most pressing need for this that and the other and which can make do with the existing, hand me downs, and cast offs. there's something to be said for making every day decisions without stress and fear of mis-utilizing meager resources.

lately, it's been my reality to default to the ultra and then some practical part of my self. though i am generally a practical gal anyway. that hasn't changed. my ability to purchase my way out of practicality, even for an evening, has gone away.

but along with my practical, i maintain my creative. my kids will always have what they need. we will always be warm, we will always eat. further, a fine meal can be made on any budget. one must only have a bit of skill at the grocery store and the stove.

"not poor, resourceful" as my mother would say.

but the incidentals, the "extras" if you will, good wine being chief among them, hell WINE IN GENERAL, are the first to be slashed when the budget goes south and then just stops all together.

i am the queen of liking wines of all budgets. even the non existent ones. but while inexpensive, those wines do come at the expense of a great deal that a wine can potentially offer.

you don't get the same wine at $2.97 that you do at other price points. not the kind that really involves all of the senses and transports you to another place and time, real, imagined, or otherwise.

the kind that engages your body and soul and gives just enough to help you to remember it hasn't always been like this. that life was a different life at one point. even as you have chosen this life, there was another. like the kind of wine that leaves you imagining sitting across the table from someone you love sharing a bottle and an afternoon. a wine that makes you want to share it. glass by glass you are giving a gift of deliciousness and time.

that kind of wine can't be had for $2.97.

and i have to say the one thing about our personal "economic downturn,"okay, well, shit, there have been so many! but apropos of our conversation here, one of the more particular and beautiful lessons i have been left with through this whole "economic downturn" here at the big red house is that i wouldn't need to concoct fictitious lovers or imaginary friends to share this bottle with.

that there are many i could call to my table. and they exist. with their open arms and their open hearts. that i have a partner in this, i have my kids, i have so much.

that even as so much falls away, and will likely be taken away in the near future, that the love i share with so many will not.

i knew this, and then again i needed the lesson, too. a little shake up to the soul.

that's what i love about good wine. this wine. a little engaging of all the senses, some reflection, a letting go enough to let the sap flow and run free.

in vino veritas, right?

oh indeed.

i would drink this wine with a lovely and simple, but well thought out meal. sumptuous, yet not too heavy. a bit rambling even, with breaks for sipping and visiting.

a bite here and a nibble there and they all add up eventually. a late afternoon lunch on the perfect spring day. a little chilly towards the wane of the afternoon because the sun is not yet accustomed to our neediness and the demands of a change of seasons. perfect for pulling on a sweater and sitting a bit closer. maybe a fire outside later to chase the chill. giving an equally perfect excuse to open another bottle and visit longer.

what reminds you of spring? what do you eat when the weather is teasing us all with the promise of brighter sunnier days ahead?

this wine is bringing to mind the promise of brighter sunnier days ahead for me. even as the frigid temperatures outside and the rocky financial road i am on suggest otherwise.

the thing is about food, and wine too!, is that those brighter sunnier days are always attainable. sure, we can't create the menu and meal of our dreams each night, nor can we indulge in wine we can't afford each night, either.

but for a moment, a few moments strung together, we can indulge even in lean times. a table of food made with love, a bottle of wine, friends and loved ones gathered. perfection comes so simply if we just adjust our ideas of what it can be.

even more special if we can get those first california strawberries, a bunch of asparagus, some spring lamb, a few meyer lemons to juice for a tart.

a bottle of this excellent wine and an afternoon.

and indulging, even as we decidedly have positive proof that we simply cannot afford to, can be done and can make all the difference in the world. perception and optimism are everything when you are faced with very little.

the dictionary defines the razor's edge as "a difficult or precarious position."

the back label on this bottle defines the razor's edge as "the thin line representing a perfect balance between extremes."

well, i have been on the razor's edge for some time now. and seriously, the wine bottle nailed it.

again, in vino veritas, right?

so should you find yourself with your arms wide open, stretched out and maneuvering the razor's edge, know that your arms wide open are your first and best move.

blessings!

x.

sangiovese.

x-fact ~ the first 5 years of my life were spent in mendocino county. and i love sangiovese. i may be biased.

sangiovese mendocino county 2006
paid 9.99
reg. @13

I! LOVE! THIS! WINE! and i'm not biased. i'm not. this is great wine.

the forever designated driver brought this home weeks ago. and the moment i saw it i thought of my dear friend, jeni-o, who's sipping at the great wine bar beyond. the cheerful yellow label, her signature flower, a california coast wine. plus, her birthday was coming up and i had been thinking about her a LOT lately. so, i just couldn't drink it. yet.

i put the bottle aside, where i could still see it, but didn't open it.

i even put it out at our dia de los muertos gathering. but, um, sort of in the back. sort of behind the other bottles of cider and wine. and it lasted! no one opened it! which, um, may or may not have to do with the fact that halfway through the gathering i may or may not have stuffed it behind the recycling basket.

anyway, at first sip it's juicy and jammy and fresh. it just has this really fresh taste. crisp, even. and yet it's deep. and yet, yet, bear with me here, it's really drinkable.

i don't know if it's because this wine is from possibly one of the most amazing places on earth AND it's organic (oh, did i mention it's organic? no? well, it's organic. and not only is it organic, the label says it's VEGAN. really? okay. and yes, they put it in bold on the label. VEGAN wine. huh? who knew?) or not, but there's just something so fresh picked and accessible and yet divine about this wine. like all truly good food it's at once simple and sumptuous.

and it's such a pretty wine. actually, it's an absolutely gorgeous wine. all ruby jewel tone in the glass that breaks into a million glassy pieces on the top.

and like the wine, the day was gorgeous. today was a perfect fall day. i raked leaves and dead headed the last of the lavender and some other perennials that i didn't get to before.

and as i worked i thought about my friend jeni-o and what a gardener she was. gardener, crafter, cook. good lord if she saw the space i have and how i just let it go to pot. well, not let it. busy with kids and home schooling and life. but she knew that. she always listened, she would understand my plight, she would understand the state of this yard.

and as i wheeled the leaves to the back pasture i thought about how next spring might be different. another new start. the boys older. more able to help. a group effort. a gorgeous yard.

and perhaps come next fall, a whole swath of it filled with gorgeous sunflowers reaching towards the sky on a sunny crisp autumn day. not unlike today.

later, as i headed in the house and pulled off my boots and washed my hands the promise of being in the yard began to fade with being within four walls. as it is want to do, no?

ah, who knows if next year will yield a more gorgeous with the group effort yard or not?

i do know that an afternoon of yard work on a crisp day gives one a certain satisfaction that cannot be named, the four walls be damned. it however can be celebrated with, among other things, a glass of wine.

so i retrieved the bottle from behind the recycling basket (yes, i forgot about it until just then) and poured a glass.

and as i stood there with a sweaty brow and muddy pant legs i was happy with this delicious wine. and i thought about the day and the effort. and the more i sipped the more i warmed to the idea that yes, maybe, just maybe, next year will be different. that by next fall my yard will be weed free and gorgeous and awash in sunflowers.

it's possible. sip sip, indeed.

and then, again, i thought of my friend, jeni-o. how much she would have loved this wine, and how she would have probably picked up this very bottle in the store based on the label alone. and i thought about how much she would have loved this day. despite the lack of sunflowers, unruly yard, prolific weeds, and all. she would just bask in the beauty of fall and appreciate all it had to offer.

so here's to you, jeni-o.

i raise my glass in your honor tonight. you left us far too soon, my friend, and yet you are never far from the squishiest parts of my heart. especially so when i see a sunflower, each of which i believe blooms in your very name.

x.

cabernet merlot.

x-fact ~ south australia not only has some really good wines, they have some really good wines at really great prices.

little boomey cabernet merlot south australia 2004
paid 3.97
reg @7

that's some crazy pic, huh? i haven't seen pink like that since the mid 80's. but what's this? less than 4 bucks? you don't say!

well, not only does australia have good wines at great prices, cost plus world market gathers a bunch of these wines and a bunch of other wines from all over and offers all of them at even greater every day prices than your average store.

granted, this is a really good sale price, but on the average i find that cost plus consistently seeks out lesser known value wines to offer at great deals in their stores. in addition, they have a lot of more popular and better known labels at great every day prices as well.

now. knowing nothing about this wine except that the name and the label are hokey and would not be given a second glance except for the price, did i get what i paid for? is this swill and i'm not out too much, or is this in the same league as the two buck chuck and i have in fact found another great deal?

it's good. it's no two buck chuck, it's not earth shattering, but it's good enough to write home to you about.

i'm not sure at its true retail price i'd be a regular customer, but it's good.

it starts off a little thin. and it doesn't really recover from that. which is to say, it neither gets worse, nor does it markedly improve.

the most measurable taste is right at the first few sips. there's a bit of a cracked peppercorn taste right at the back of the throat. i know i know i don't know anything about wine and therefore reeeeeeeely try to stay away, BY CHOICE, from the fruity (pardon the pun) descriptions.

BUT, as jesus (who knew a thing or two about wine thankya very much) is my witness it's cracked black pepper, it's only a bit on the back of the throat, it's not offensive, and it goes away after a few sips.

so. that's it. it never got bolder or more flavorful, but, like i said above, it didn't get worse either. in fact, if i could describe it in the most flattering light i'd say it was pleasant and soft.

above all, it remained drinkable. in a pleasant and soft kinda way. if this wine were a person this wine is me at 37, definitely not me at 24. not that i've ever been soft and pleasant at 24 or now. but there's that edge that i've managed to sorta soften and beat into something more resembling pleasant over the years. at least in public around other actual adults.

that being said, if other actual adults invited me and my soft and pleasant self over i could definitely see bringing this wine to a barbecue or serving it at one. (if you could get over the label. but hey, for the price, i dare say i could)

all that grilled meat and snacky foods and condiments. oh, the condiments. the pickle relish would have nothing to fear because this wine would be perfect in that it wouldn't add to the gluttony, nor would it overpower any of the flavors you really want to enjoy.

now that's soft and pleasant. in a wine, or in a girl, at least you know you're gonna make it home in one piece. without pissing off the pickle relish.

and, let's not forget all those salads left too long in the sun. nothing like a little red wine to kill any forming bacteria colonies. good times.

plus, you know when people gather around the grill salivating over the meat and having a few too many sips of something they start breaking into an australian accent. shrimp on the barbie and all that.

well, then, here you go. you can thank me next summer. i hope it's still on sale.

you know, i have to say, further in this wine's defense, there are times when you find yourself dining at a certain kind of restaurant that offers "house wines" by the half or full carafe. generally at a pretty good value.

oh, to order wine simply by one color or the other, "do you want the red or white?" reminds me of my grandma billie. eternal cocktail waitress, hell on wheels, and loved her some half carafe with a side of ice. restaurants with her ALWAYS meant red or white. oh, not for me, i was too young, but let's just say it's a pleasant memory and i don't need to look too far to figure out some of those little, ah, idiosyncrasies i might posses.

anyway, don't get me wrong, i've had some good house wines, but boy howdy have i had my share of crap, too. more crap than good, but it's nearly like it's expected, so you sip away and don't think too much about it. and i'm not being snobby because i do enjoy a good wine value and there are times when beggars can't be choosers and should just sit back and sip happily.

this wine would be an excellent house wine by the full carafe.

and that is a complement.

so sometimes it's better to be a beggar than a chooser. less money, more variety, and a little something to write home about.

cheers! mate!

x.

malbec.

x-fact ~ i stole this picture. i hope they don't come after me. oh, and malbec is a thin skinned grape. perfect for how i feel today. seriously, i hope they don't come after me about the picture. oy.

gouguenheim malbec 2006 argentina
paid 7.99
reg. 12.99

i know the picture doesn't do it much justice, but this is a HANDSOME bottle, no? this is like the pierce brosnan, no! the george clooney, of wine bottles.

the shape, the label, the graphics! (granted, again in the picture the graphics really don't come out, but trust me) i think this is the best looking bottle i've seen in a long time.

this bottle belongs on a beautifully set table. good china, tall candlesticks, a chafing dish or two if you will.

yeah yeah yeah, that's all well and good, you say, but handsome is as handsome does. how does it taste, you ask?

well, i'm glad you asked! i could use a drink right about now!

this is a great wine, but not for the faint of heart. it isn't dry and it isn't dainty. it's a deep and dark and jammy taste, and it's big and gooey and chewy.

i know, i know. but please allow me the completely accurate if not completely overblown descriptions as it's been a looooonnnnngggg day.

this wine is a bit bracing right at the first, right at the top of the mouth at the back of the throat. like a lot of wines of this caliber i assumed this would go away with a bit of warming in the glass and i was right. after awhile it was smooth smooth smooth.

it looks great in the glass, too. a rich ruby tinging to a liquid deep pink at the top, where incidentally the legs start after each sip, trail down the glass, and just don't go away.

darlings, this is a big wine.

this is a wine to pair with food for sure. drink it alone and "suffer" the consequences. i put suffer in quotes as i do believe the last time i reviewed a malbec i mentioned that it was "potential debauchery in a bottle."

though suffer is indeed in the eye of the beholder.

so if you're drinking this with food, what do you pair it with? i'd say a heavier dish or a bigger meal. perfect if you've been invited somewhere and know the dinner will include the full complement of starters, entrees, and sides, a fabulous dessert at the end. you know the hosts, foodies to the core, will go all out. and what will you do? bring this bottle. you'll arrive as a guest, but this wine will ensure that you leave as family.

conversely, this wine also complements a deeply flavored, but simple and quiet fireside meal for two. think individual french onion soups with rosemary rolls, or the one dish wonder that is cassoulet paired with a simply dressed butter lettuce salad. sitting on the rug in front of the fire with napkins on laps, food in hand, and a glass of wine set on the floor beside you.

either way, this is a welcome wine for an autumn evening, perfect after coming in from the cold, and sharing with whomever you are dining with.

tonight there wasn't a fancy dinner or an intimate meal for two, but it was a long day and none of that mattered. debauchery notwithstanding, tonight i'm just glad to have a glass of it and my feet finally up.

and with many an enjoyable sip i ignored the televised debate in favor of watching my youngest create art at the dining room table. i admired his use of color, the imagination that had a bowl of fruit flying through space towards the moon, and fielded questions that included but were not limited to, "mama, do you think the soul looks like a pickle?"

i don't know if the soul looks like a pickle.

but i do know what happy looks like. happy is some wine in your glass, a quiet and engaged and entertaining child at your dining room table, and the close of a long and arduous day. you're not saving the world or just trying to get through the day, you're just being. at last.

the label on the back of this bottle suggests that upon drinking there is a secret that will be revealed and shared regarding the wine's "unique terrior."

the only secret here isn't a secret at all.

do what you love, especially after a trying day. do what you love and the rest comes.

blessings!

x.

red wine.

x-fact ~ the label says to serve this red slightly chilled to "enjoy its soft and expressive array of ripe red and black fruits." yeah, i'll let you know how that pans out.

colombelle red wine 2006
paid 7.99
reg. 9.99

vin de pays des cotes de gascogne is a region in france. not the name of the wine. this wine is made mostly of the tannat grape, 60%, blended with 20% merlot, and another 20% cabernet.

okay, so let's cut to the chase with the slightly chilling.

yes, it worked.

it was round and smooth and smacky and juicy and syrupy right at the first sip. darlings, it's delicious.

after the second and subsequent sips it mellows out a bit, it's still round and juicy, but even smoother and the smacky and the juicy gives way to simple, unadorned lush.

this is more than a sexy wine. this is a come hither wine. this wine not only turns your head but it beckons you forth as well.

if this wine was a person it would be a stranger who stops you in the supermarket, drugstore, hardware store and says "i know we've never met, but you have to know that my whole life has come to this and i need to take you for a drink and to sit across the table and flirt with you mercilessly for an hour straight. truly, that's all i need and my life is complete. say yes."

actually if this wine was a person it would be you, because you would say yes.

this wine has a beautiful color. swirly girly color with legs for miles down the glass.

i am enjoying this wine so much solo, i don't know what i would drink this wine with food wise. something simple and snacky? yet, polished. please god, not sliced cheddar and a triscuit.

better, the trite but true brie and grapes with a water cracker, perhaps a firm blue cheese with a sour cherry pomegranate spread, or a creamy blue with some fresh honeycomb alongside.

oddly enough, the exact cheese pairings i served when i catered a big birthday party for a friend this weekend. the only difference is i'm not working right now. i actually have time to sit and have a bite and a sip. not a needy guest in sight or the three inch heeled boots i insisted on wearing while working for 8 hours straight (makes all the difference in the world when you are sweaty and working your ass off) on my feet.

life. is. good.

and i can walk again! hallelujah!

and had this wine been at that party i may have had no choice but to abandon my duties in favor of the siren call of this wine. a bottle tucked under one arm and platter of cheese in the other hand, i'd find the quietest corner and go to work. and by work i mean sipping and nibbling and leaning against the wall in satisfaction.

thankfully for my friend and her party guests (though not for my feet) this wine was not at the party.

but i needed only to wait a few days and now i have a party of my own. and not a loud drunk overly made up and underly equipped with anything resembling the ability to act remotely like a lady with any amount of alcohol in her system and smells like an unventilated hair salon on a hot day girl. in. sight.

well, i do have a few glasses to go...

uh, and, buh dump bump.

throw a party for two with a few posh nibbles and your own "stranger." and a bottle of this wine, mais oui.

beware, it is a screw top, the color is all kinds of wrong, and the label is cheesy. so don't serve it from the bottle. better to chill it slightly first in the bottle and then decant it to a different serving vessel.

it needn't be fancy, a simple glass carafe will do. or if you want fancy, bust out and dust off that fancy pants decanter that's been hanging around at the back of the cupboard and you never thought you'd use in a million years.

however it gets served it will be well received.

and the praise and adoration, the worship, will be yours to do with what you wish.

(as will, perhaps, the stranger. non?)

tendres baisers!

x.

red.

x-fact ~ this wine is from lodi. yes, that lodi. and no, i wouldn't mind being stuck in lodi again thank you very much.

abundantly rich red california 2005
paid 10.99
reg. @15-18

we made a special stop in lodi for this wine. you can order it on the interwebs or ask your store to order it for you. the store we like in lodi has it at 10.99 a bottle (steal! yeah, um, except it's like two tanks of gas and a day down to lodi from here so....) but regularly it's anywhere from 14.99 to 17.99 on the interwebs or in a store.

we actually first had this bottle last year on my birthday at this fabulous local restaurant. one sip and this girl was hooked! not since i first layed my eyes on michael hutchence have i been as easily smitten!

well, okay, to be fair, there was bono and then johnny depp, most recently colin firth and so many countless others... but! i digress. and more importantly, though sweet elixirs in their own right, they weren't wine.

okay, where was i? oh yeah, so we asked about it at the restaurant and where to acquire it locally, and the sommelier said oh they don't sell it locally and blah blah blah.

well, it just so happens that the forever designated driver had a business trip in lodi the. very. next. week! i know, right?!?! what are the odds?!?

i say there aren't any odds because this was fate. and for a year now this has been my absolute favorite wine. i know i know, i do love the flirty grenache. sigh.

but sometimes a girl just wants to let her hair down without having to wash and style it first. and sometimes a girl just wants to not feel the need to suck in her stomach, even at a flirty memory. sometimes a girl just wants to drink the wine. so as far as just a straight red wine goes that's as fabulous as all that but you don't have to be, this is it.

can i just say, drinking this wine is just like drowning in the sea of love where everyone would love to drown. (thank you, stevie nicks)

it's rich and smooth and juicy all at once on the first sip. it pops on your tongue and pulls at the roof of your mouth. it's got the innocence of the best grape juice you ever had as a kid and the experience to make you put the glass down and look at it and say, "wow. "

it just takes over. with the mouth feel at first and then hits the stomach gradually and firmly. it stays smooth and juicy, but the flavor gets a bit more layered and complex after a time.

and if you let it sit a bit after pouring and before sipping you will be rewarded with the most beautiful of aromas. like a juicy berry kiss all grown up and right on the nose.

when i had it before it was with a very wonderful meal full of complementing flavors and expertly executed dishes. it was just as enjoyable with the starters, through the main, to the dessert. except, i guess, technically, the rest of the bottle was dessert! happy birthday to me!

it's just bold enough to be drunk with food, but subtle enough to be enjoyed on its own or paired with small bites rather than a big meal.

i love that in a wine. and i guess that's why i love a red table wine or red blend so much. but you knew that. i love to fold things into my life. i don't have time to do it any other way right now.

that being said, i intended to review this bottle with a wonderful meal of my own construction. i had it planned down to the fresh thyme and last pool of melting compound butter.

alas, the best laid plans of sillymortals and all that.

an extra play date here, another day of a young visiting house guest there, an overheating car and subsequent 11th hour vehicle swap in a parking lot to get to the ferry on time here, and a summer cold ridden minor child there, and all ideas of a complicated dinner went out the door with the young guests back to their respective homes and the car to the mechanic.

instead, i sip this wine on a quiet afternoon, sans the fabulous and complimenting meal, but no less enjoyable. instead of lit candles and clinking glasses and cloth napkins i'm sipping to the sounds of spongebob in the background, fielding questions and random thoughts that plague the 7 to 11 year old set, and refilling juice and soup requests.

not too hot! can i have a different straw? he got more crackers! sip sip. happy happy.

the thing about enjoying wine, though, is the thing about living life. be flexible and you will see the world bend to your will.

and hell, everyone needs a day off from being fabulous. even the house chef can be happy to heat up a can of soup. and voila! it still tastes like love. even the drove 600 miles to get you wine can sit unceremoniously on a messy desk and be sipped in the middle of the afternoon by the girl who still hasn't gotten a shower from morning yoga. and voila! it still tastes like a million bucks!

don't wait for the perfect moment to fully enjoy your life. overheating cars, canned soup, and all.

and if you're in an imperfect moment, pour a glass of red and pretend that you aren't. and pretty soon, there's no more pretending.

trust me.

salute!

x.