“So how bad can it be?” Paula asked, holding up a bottle of wine with a handsome stag on the label. “Hey, if we don’t like it we can always cook with it.” This exchange took place a couple of years ago when Paula and I had been shopping at Lee’s Discount Liquors. There, just in front of the check-out counter, was a large barrel of wine marked $1.99. There were two different wines, but nothing either of us had heard of. There was the elegant stag; surely that would be good wine. The other had bold printing which certainly denoted a no-nonsense, hearty Cabernet, right? It turned out that we got sucked in by pretty labels and a cheap price. But hey, at the time we thought for a mere $1.99 we’d both get some. Why not give it a try? We both reached for the bottles with the handsome stag. I’ve since learned… Read More »
Wine is not Soda Pop!
Awhile back my friend Valerie told me she was going to have to give up white wine. “Why would you do that?” I asked. Valerie likes white wine, especially Chardonnay, an issue on which we don’t see eye-to-eye. White wine does have a place in the universe, such as on a warm summer evening paired with oysters or crab salad, but overall it is not my beverage of choice. Nevertheless, I try to give it a fair shake. At wine tastings I always try a little. Well, almost always. But when the reds are opened, I take a deep breath and feel a wonderful frisson of excitement. I inhale the delicious aroma of a deep, rich wine, and I am instantly happy. Valerie admitted she would never give up whites entirely, but she explained the reason for approaching them sparingly: “White wine goes down too easily. I can drink half a bottle before I even realize it.” Okay, I will… Read More »
