Meatball Sauce

I caved. I grabbed my flipflops, ran out to Safeway and snatched up two bottles of the Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir, for 3-bucks-off each bottle! My earlier blog post just induced such visceral memories of its splendour. Turns out the whole wine section was littered with sale tags of all different deals, including several wines that were still on that Buy One Get One for 10-cents special. I contemplated these two listed below, but didn't buy either. (The sale runs through August 20th, so I figured I'd do some Googling when I got home to aid in my discount selection.)

Cupcake Vineyards Malbec (I have no idea what a Malbec is.)
Barefoot Wines Pinot Noir

I looked up the Barefoot first. I have never tried their wines, but they seem to show up at parties often. The cheap price and cheesy label keep me from ever trying them. If I had any doubt, though, this page settled it. If the wine can be used to make a Meatball Sauce, it's probably not the wine I'm looking for.

Off to read up about the Malbec. I'm not throwing away my ten cents on just anything.

Feeding Someone Else's Baby

The wine I need this evening, but don't have, is Robert Mondavi's Private Selection Pinot Noir.
Click here to see the pretty bottle.

I know nothing about the "alluvial soil" you'll read about in the maker's review, or whether it being from California means anything at all. Here is what I know about it:

I got one bottle for 10 cents during the most amazing grocery store alcohol sale ever. I paid $18.99 for the full-price bottle I was obligated to buy in order to get the 10-cent bottle.

It's light in color, which makes it look a little wimpy. That deceptive color, combined with the very smooth drinkable quality, might trick you into thinking it's a lightweight and you can handle the whole bottle on your own. But, halfway through, you'll start to feel the late tipsy kick-in. Just when you thought you were still fully functional, things start weaving slowly, your motions echoing a moment after their conclusion. That winds down slowly to a heavy settling later, perfect for crashing into bed and waking for very little.

It causes little in the way of the annoying stuffy nose problem I frequently experience with red wine, which has something to do with histamines. Red wine causes me all sorts of unpleasant allergic side effects such as stuffy nose, a flushed-red face, nausea and ripping headaches, but I still really enjoy it. I find that cutting myself off at two reasonable-sized glasses can help limit these problems, but I'm not immune to finishing off a whole bottle with a group of friends. (My level of maturity in the presence of joviality can be quite low.)

Despite my love of good company, I should note that I also classify this bottle as "Not Likely To Share."If you come over, there's almost a guaranteed chance I'll be stashing it behind my son's lunchbox on top of our fridge, and serving up something else to you.

During solitary drinking, and possibly doing some kind of chore, I find that that this wine goes quite well with Black Keys, Brothers.

I'm wishing I had a bottle of this with me tonight, and peeved that I actually have no wine at all, because I just found a home for my breast pump, and could use a little alcoholic comfort. I used my pump years ago during the 18 months that I nursed my son. I didn't actually need it since I brought my son to the office with me for 14 of those months. I used the pump anyway because I was always so worried that my body couldn't possibly be sufficient for my baby's needs. Of course, it surely was, but pumping that extra milk that I froze and then donated to mothers who couldn't breastfeed allayed my fears, and nourished other babies besides. I have kept the pump, though my son is now nearly five years old, because breastfeeding was the closest thing to real magic in my life: the body that I thought I knew, and spent plenty of years loathing, changed literally overnight into the perfect thing my baby needed. I was enough, sufficient, capable, magical. That pump is one of my few solid links to that time, but I know it's selfish to keep it collecting dust when another family could make good functional use of it. I found a woman online in Indiana today who is expecting her fourth child and will rely on the pump to help her nourish her baby after she returns to work. I'm packing it up for her tonight, sending it away, and trying to remember that, instead of a machine, that bounding, healthy little boy of mine is really my best souvenir.

Chardonnay

Okay, I admit it: I don't like Chardonnay. I am just not a fan. I do not like my wine buttery or oaky. 

I hate to be one of those people who swears off an entire variety of grape, and I freely admit that sometimes, very occasionally, I find a Chardonnay that I don't think tastes like a combination of sawdust and melted butter. But for the most part, that's the grape that I avoid. 

I do try to keep an open mind, though. And I do enjoy other white wines, so when I had the opportunity to try a bottle that is a blend of Chardonnay, semillon (never heard of that one), Riesling, and Gewürztraminer I figured what the hey. This could be a good way to actually enjoy some Chardonnay: disguise it by blending it with other grapes! 

The result: eh. I still taste Chardonnay and I do not love it. It's fine, I'll finish the bottle, but I do wish I had a Riesling on hand instead. 

The description on the label: "Chardonnay and Semillon provide the body and silky mouthfeel, while Riesling and Gewürztraminer lend delicate fruit, floral, and spice notes. Mingle's slightly off dry finish makes it an excellent partner for a wide variety of hors d'oeuvres, spicy cuisine, and most Asian dishes."

Relaxing

After a massive heat wave in which I worked outside in 110 degree heat every day, today is an absolute gift. The high of the day was 80, the humidity is low, the sky is clear, there is a light breeze. 

I got home from work and thought I would go outside and DO something: go for a run, perhaps, or a bike ride. The I walked in the front door and realized how incredibly tired I am. I am doing what my old swim coach used to say and am listening to my body. I'm pooped. So I stead of running around like a crazy person and depleting my energy even more, I have parked my butt in my recliner in my living room, my windows are open, I can feel that wonderful breeze and smell the fresh air. I have my iPad in my lap, a magazine and my kindle nearby, and I poured the last of the monastrell that I opened earlier this week. 

This is a beautiful evening. 

Tarima Hill

I took my car in for an oil change on Monday. My mechanic is up the road from Annapolis Wine Cellars and while I was sitting in the waiting room, I received an email blast from them advertising a wine they just got in. It's the Tarima Hill monastrell. 

Monastrell is a Spanish grape and I don't know much about it other than I liked the one other Monastrell I have tried. But the wine was described as being an incredible bargain, costing only $15 a bottle at Wine Cellars, despite reviewers saying it tastes more like a $30-50 bottle. I immediately called and reserved two bottles. 

I opened one last night, and it is lovely. My immediate thought was that it has a nice smoky flavor, with subtle chocolate notes. It's very nice on its own, if you like a medium bodied red wine, which I do, but does not pair well at all with lemon gelato. I would say its more of a steak and potatoes wine than a dessert wine. 

I just enjoyed a glass while cooking a new recipe (chili rellanos), and it is fantastic.

Sadly, I can't say that about the rellanos.

Introductory

My first sip of wine, or alcohol-anything, came on my 21st birthday (because I'm just that kind of girl.) I was out for a birthday dinner with my boyfriend and favorite girlfriend, celebrating my transition to adulthood at a diner near my university. I had no idea what to order to toast the big day. The drinks list was short, but even then, it made little sense. I knew that beer smelled pretty bad, so I wanted nothing to do with it, but wine---well, at least it was pretty. I asked the disinterested waitress which wine should would recommend. She looked at me like I couldn't possibly be more awkward, more naive, more unprepared for adulthood. I could see her thinking, "Here? You want to party up your 21st birthday HERE? With a club sandwich?" (I tried out a real-true-actual Bar a few months later, and found it terrifying.) She looked over the drinks list with dismay, and after a very long pause she said, "Well...you could try the blush. It's mild, and pink, and sweet." Well, that certainly didn't sound like the Devil's Invitation to A Life of Depravity, so I agreed to it. It was all she promised, and bubbly, too.

It was awful.

Bargains in the barrel room

Years ago, I did some freelance writing for a local magazine. One month, my assignment was for a feature about local wine shops. I distinctly remember two things that I learned from a local wine expert:

1. Women tend to choose wines based on the label; and 

2. Don't hold into a special wine for a special occasion.  You ARE the special occasion. 

I am definitely guilty of number 1, mainly because most local shops are liquor stores, not wine shops, meaning they offer shelves full of bottles, usually arranged by region, and staff who know absolutely nothing about them. The only way to make a selection is to pick and choose at random, usually based on whatever I've had in the past that has been okay. This method has resulted in me wasting a lot of money on bad wine, or rather, on perfectly good wine that I just don't like. I couldn't even choose wines based on magazine or online reviews because inevitably, the local stores wouldn't have whatever it is I was looking for and I'd either have to drive around chasing it down at some inconvenient store three towns over, or give up and buy something else at random. I don't really care for either of those options. 

 Annapolis Wine Cellars has taken the guesswork out of choosing a wine. They have what they call their "barrel room," where there are always a dozen or so wines open for tasting. For free. With no obligation to buy. It's the coolest thing ever if you're like me and like to try new wines but don't feel like using the eeny-meeny-miney-mo method. They also have lots of wines available at bargain prices, and each one is accompanied by a really good description of the wine. They haven't steered me wrong yet. 

The barrel room. This is just a small portion of what they have to offer. 

My selections today, based on their recommendations. More on each individual wine as I taste them. I will say that all four of these wines only cost about $60 total, which is much better than what other boutique wine shops charge. 

My favorite wine

I can't believe that this is my favorite wine (right now): 

The reason I can't believe it is because its two things I don't often go for: sparkling and sweet. Yet holy cow is it good. I thought about stocking up and buying a case of it, except I like trying new wines more than I like drinking this particular wine, and I know if I buy a lot if this, I won't like it as much. It's just how I am. I'll get bored, want to try something new, but will feel obligated to drink my supply of this ONE thing. So instead, I buy it occasionally, and enjoy trying new things. 

But this wine is seriously good. 

Birthday wine

While wine typically is discussed in terms of pairing different varietals with different foods, I often pair a particular wine with a memory or a situation. 

Sometime last year (I think), a friend mentioned that for her 50th birthday she would like a great bottle of chianti. Just as her birthday was approaching, I received an email from a wine shop I frequent, advertising a chianti which had just arrived. I went right to the shop and asked for two bottles (one for my friend and one for me). The wine guy was excited that I was choosing that wine, saying how much he liked it. The email had gone out that morning, and by the time I got there several hours later, they had sold close to half of their supply. 

I opened my bottle that night and it really was good. I haven't had too many Italian wines so far, and the ones I have tried I haven't loved, so I was skeptical about this one. But it was a very nice, unassuming, not overly obnoxious wine. It was just the right balance of dry and fruity and was lovely all on its own.

I felt good about giving this wine as a gift. Today, that friend came to my house (about an hour and a half drive for her, each way), and made ME lunch ("pasta rustico" which was whole wheat linguini tossed with sautéed spinach, basil, garlic, and butter, and topped with parmesan cheese). We enjoyed the chianti, some crusty bread, and later on, two flavors of Haagen-daas gelato (lemon and salted caramel). The food was outstanding, but more than that, I now have a new memory pairing a lovely wine with a terrific afternoon and a great friend. 

This wine is a bargain at $12.99 a bottle!

The finishing touches for our lunch.