LIVING WILL

Last night, Mary and I were sitting in the living room and I said to her, 'I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.'She got up, unplugged the Computer, and threw out my wine. She's such a _____!"

Kidding of course. Mary would never throw out my wine. That said, she did come down with a nasty case of writers block. So, I will post a few more morsels of wine blather in her stead.

I have encountered several new bottles of red wine you should try.

Pipon 2007- Spanish wine made in Valencia. Made up of 85% Tempranillo and 15% Monastrell. OK, I won't lie - I tried it because it was on sale for $8.99 @ Whole Foods - down from $13.99. I am just a sucker for a deal. But - it was such a pleasurable pour... I would actually shell out the full $14 bucks for it. Nice, meaty, with medium-body while not being overpowered by oak. There may be a few bottles left for $8!

Strong Arms 2006 Shiraz - Made in Southern Australia. I was the kid that picked my books by the cover. I am not ashamed. Thus when I saw the cute label of 13 little girls hanging on to a rope by their arms - I just had to try it. You should too. It is a powerful Shiraz with lots of oak and tons of berry. I first tasted it when I had a cold - and even then was able to enjoy the flavor. Don't ask why I was drinking wine with a cold. But anyway, my husband loved it too. He asked for more... wine that is.

Strong Arms Side Note - The artist Mel Kadel created the labels for this wine bottle. The 2006 year had 6 different labels centered around the same theme. Mel's artwork is worth a look. Click on the hyperlink to view: http://www.melkadel.com/

Bitch!

While this is not an ideal Valentine's Day gift from your significant other, it is actually a pretty good wine, despite the "joke" label. At a family event this weekend, my sister-in-law was given this wine as a gag gift by her brother. But the taste was no joke. At $8/bottle, it's priced right for this "Bitch" of an economy. Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Here is how Robert Parker's Wine Advocate described the wine (after giving it a 90 rating): " The 2006 Bitch Grenache received no oak treatment. Medium ruby-colored, it presents an alluring bouquet of earth, smoke, rhubarb, cherry, and strawberry. Supple, sweet, and tasty, this wine totally over-delivers for its humble price and is an exceptional value."

P.S. I plan to give this to my previous boss that laid me off. You?

Summer is here wine - Try Les Jamelles Viognier 2006

It feels like summer here in Wisconsin at 54 degrees. OK... I exaggerate only slightly. Anyway, it reminds me of sitting on our back deck, on a warm cloudless day, listening to some Miles Davis, and drinking a refreshing white wine. So, my suggestion is this: Les Jamelles Viognier 2006. Many viogniers are too sweet for my taste, but this one is crisp, light, with notes of apricot. This is sunshine in a bottle for less than ten bucks. Enjoy!

Pago Florentino - A Smooth Tempranillo

Yummy Tempranillo! Mary and I took the suggestion of owner, Youssef (of Youssef 242 in Hickory, NC), on our last bottle of wine together. The wine list was a bit overwhelming, with bottles that actually sold for over $2000.00. Yes, that is right! We asked him to please keep the selection below $50 for our budget. After explaining we were looking for something not too fruit forward with balanced tannins, he came up with 3 suggestions. We picked Pago Florentino tinto 2005. Luckily, it was only about $35. Looks like it sells around $19.00 in retail stores, so we luckily did not get the traditional 300% mark up. We were pleasantly surprised to find this tempranillo was smoother than most and tons of flavor. We highly recommend this one.