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Sucking the romance out of wine

Okay, so I realized my last post had nothing to do with wine.

Then next, I realized, I wrote it because it was what I felt, something real, and it has been so long since I felt anything real about wine.

I, along with the prevailing economic situation, have sucked all romance out of wine.

What is there left in wine if there is no romance?

Not much. Just another commodity item, one whose price tag is $10 vs the harder to sell one that is $50, and then the really hard to sell one that is close to $100. Great.

What is it, when restaurants tell you they are hanging on by a thread, worried, anxious, not seeing any changes, hoping things will get better? It is something, but it is not about wine.

There was a time that the mere mention of Agrapart Non-vintage 7 cru would bring tears to my eyes because I've actually been to the estate and saw how this delicious beverage was made, tasted the grape juice that it came from, saw the men around the hand-press actually press down with their muscles and their backs until all the juice ran down... tasted the base wine, saw the vineyards, the horse that plows ("Venus"), tasted the bubbles and the vintage stuff that the proprietor only opens for special guests.

Wow, that time is today.

Fall has finally fallen

For the first time, I'm waking up in the morning NOT to find blasting yellow hot sunshine streaming in through the windows. What a relief.

It has been non-stop sunny here in sunny California, a condition that many people love but I have come to loathe. Hot, dry heat, months and months without precipitation - all this has turned into a curse for me.

Today, at last, darkness and gloominess outside. A hint of wetness on the sidewalk. Ah.

A good sleep with tons of dreams. A dream where I owned two properties, little cute places, old, not big, places I decided to buy with the little money I had. One place on a hill somewhere. Another, I'm not sure where.

Then there was another dream where I had a little boy, who was riding with me in the car. He was good. He enjoyed riding along with me.

The third dream had to do with riding up a hillside again, and then later discussing this with my dad, and he knew that hill, where on one side was a beautiful golf course, and on the other side, some gorgeous homes.

I am daydreaming about being in Vancouver and walking around Granville Island on a misty, almost wet morning. Cup of coffee in hand. Warm sweater plus light coat. Then afterwards going to see my nieces and their grandparents (my parents). Then afterward retiring to our condo back near Granville Island again.

A new respect for Dolcetto

I went out this evening with a friend to a new wine bar in town called La Vineria Italiana. Cool place, very modern, very European, with a great Italian wine list. I had a glass of Dolcetto, and I don't know the producer, but I really liked it! I believe it was an 07 vintage too. Real delicious and practically the best glass of red wine I have had in a restaurant recently.

I haven't had that much Dolcetto, but now I think I should! A not-too-expensive old world red that I can enjoy. Now that's something to be happy about!

Everyone should be drinking something good on Tuesday evening....

I'll be at Arnie Morton's enjoying happy hour with a friend after I meet with the wine director (hopefully I get the account too!)

Everyone should stock up this weekend on something fabulous (Champagne, a high end red, an old Riesling, something) to enjoy while tuning in to find out who will become the next president.

Something to cheer with or cry into. Duzzent matter!

Or be at a bar or restaurant where they're showing the thing on a big screen so you can be among others crying or cheering into their drink - why not?

My hubby, in classic Canadian fashion, will be at a hockey game, avoiding the whole scene. F'ing EH!

Holy Scheurebe, Batman!

Okay, it has been a while since I have been inspired to write about a wine, a wine that surprises me with its goodness.

The wine: 2007 Pfeffingen Scheurebe Spatlese. Okay, I wish I were writing this wine up so I could sell more of it, but the fact is that it is almost sold out, ie. there are about 2 cases left of it and for some reason, we cannot get more of it from the winery.

Probably because there just isn't that much Scheurebe planted.

Pfeffingen is an estate in the Pfalz that is owned and operated by Doris Eymael and her son Jan Eymael. Doris is the ex-sister-in-law of Monchhof's Robert Eymael in the Mosel. Above is a pic of me with Doris and Jan. Jan is a talented winemaker who finished top of his class at Geisenheim, the German equivalent of U.C. Davis.

Anyhoo... the wine: aromatic grapefruit and starfrut on the nose, followed by a mouthful of exotic citrus - mandarin orange, pink grapefruit, and tangerine, bright piquant acidity that gives it that special something that Gewurztraminer doesn't have. What a fun wine!!!

That's it!

If I had to be a Wine Spectator writer, I would be Bruce Sanderson, no contest!

I mean, I would have the following wine regions: Champagne, Burgundy, and Germany. What could be better? I mean really???? You can have your Bordeaux, your Napa Valley, your Tuscany and Piedmont. I would be perfectly happy seeing what was going on in the awesome places tucked away in Germany, Champagne, and Burgundy, thankyouverymuch!

I'll post some of his tasting notes on German wines tomorrow, just because!