Thursday, April 7, 2016

Vino anyone?

I like wine. A LOT.  I also like beer, bourbon, vodka....but I always go back to wine. White, red, champagne, iced, it doesn't matter.

Back in the day, I didn't know anything about wine. We didn't have a Coopers Hawk restaurant where they teach you about different types of wines and you get to sample them. On top of that, my parents didn't drink. My dad started drinking Bordeaux when he was in his seventies because Consumer Reports said (yes my dad was one of those) said it was the best red wine at the time and he was drinking a small glass a day to lower his cholesterol. But before then, my experience with wine was a sip of some blush wine at the local Red Lobster.

Then I met this French guy, who became my boyfriend and I spent a summer in France meeting his relatives. From Paris to Normandy to Provence then Lyon, I drank wine and wine and wine. Bordeaux, Cote de Rhone, Chateauneuf de Pape, Macon Rouge, I don't know what I was drinking because sometimes, for example in Provence, we would just fill up the empty bottles of wine from the local town wine. I was also introduced to my first beer, Kronenberg 1664 and Pelforth. It was all so yummy and I don't know how I was not drunk most of the time. Maybe all the walking and eating? No clue. Needless to say, I am grateful for my experience because I was spoiled. I learned what good wine is and how to cook French food.

Since my experience in Europe, I have learned to appreciate wines from California (of course), Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, and Portugal. The latter two have struggled but lately they are outshining the wine market.

Presently, places like Coopers Hawk just doesn't cut it for me. It's great if you are a beginner in oenology and a lot of fun to do with friends. What do I do? Binny's . I love Binny's. Costco is great too but a bit of a limited selection. Binny's will let me know the points, who critiqued it, and price for many of their selections. They send me emails about the latest wines, and if you don't act, they sell out. When I visit the store, my filter is as follows: 90 points or higher; $15 and lower. I have found some great wines that are easy on my pocket. Here are a couple:



Now, I do love champagne, prosecco, cava, anything that sparkles with grapes. My friends will tell you, I find any reason to open one up. There's no waiting for an occasion. PLEASE. Here's a prosecco I found at ALDI (yes there!!) that is a delight to drink but it is seasonal so you have to stock up.
Post Red Lobster days, in Lyon, France....I don't look like this anymore!
 



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