Wine Snoots

L'Chayim!

I have been known to enjoy a glass of wine occasionally.  On stressful days unfortunately, I have been known to enjoy a glass of wine frequently.  The key words and tags for this blog post might be "Wine", "Enjoy", "Moderation", etc. but I have no call to be preachy with anyone.

While Henri snoozed, BB and I watched a movie, starring Meryl Streep who played a Jewish psychiatrist whose 23 year old son was involved with an older female patient of hers.  Pretty good movie, but in that flick, they used the term "Manischewitz", and BB asked me what that was.  I replied that it is a wine, and normally associated with the Jewish religion and/or lifestyle, similar to Mogen David 20 20 - (Mad Dog 20 20 as us backsliding Baptists called it.) 

Anyway, that got me to thinking about wine and about the avalanche of wines which are available to anyone who wants to try sampling the different kinds, brands, etc.  It also got me to thinking about how elitist and pretentious some wine enthusiasts can be.  I'm not sure that I have ever met a certified sommelier (say that three times, especially after you had a glass of two of Concord Grape!) that I would describe as "just a regular type of guy."  Heck, this Camp Wood boy still has a hard time pronouncing the word sommelier  (try so - mul - YAY).  Ooh, ooh, ooh.... while you're at it try pronouncing the wine varietal "Viognier."  I think the French must have a thing about ending things with "YAY".  That's cool - we Texans have a thing about ending things with "Y'ALL."  Most sommeliers I have known tend to take aim at you down a long patrician nose, and take a deep breath before telling you ... "Sir, the Boone's Farm Melon Ball wine has been retired for some time now"

I digress ...must focus ... need wine.

Anyway, when trying wine, you might be tempted to read reviews of different wines since there is such a bewildering array of choices out there today.  Wine reviews are fascinating to me.  I thought I would share some of the ones I found interesting:

• "...combined with strong minerality and complex layers of buttered toast, honey and creamy lees.  The description alone hardly does justice to the wine's beauty.  The acidity is perfect, the oak deftly applied, the finish long and completely satisfying." (OK - for my buttered toast, I prefer white Wonder Bread - with the crust left on, of course).
• "...the wine sinks down dramatically on the midpalate, offering masses of cherries, raspberries, red currants, cured meats, sauteed mushrooms, spices and sweetly toasted sandalwood.." (How about toasting cured Armadillo meat over a Boise d' Arc branch?)
• ..."the aromas move through a spectrum of flower, spice, fruit and animal." (hope the animal ain't Possum.)
• ...flavors of black currants are complexed with indefinable things from the soil..." (Well, at least they were honest about it.)
• "The tannins are so fierce...that they effectively lock it down and make it tough to drink now.  Yet everything about it suggests ageability.  Give it at least eight years in a proper cellar..." (Yep - I'm definitely gonna spend $65 on this wine, then stick it under the front seat of the pickup for 8 years or so.)
• "...it finishes dry, with a steely minerality, like stones and cold metal." (Why not just suck on a smooth Nueces River rock or chew on a ball of tinfoil?)

And ... drum roll ... my personal favorite review so far :

• "Hardy florals mix with quince, Asian pear, peach and lemongrass, and of earthy wet concrete." (Ooh... I GOTTA try that one.)

So... a toast!  Here's to Grape Expectations, Y'all.  YAY!