One thing about writing articles pertaining to wines is the chance to mention some great wines, and some very esoteric wines and varietals as well.  I was getting ready to put some wine bottles in our recycling tub, and each time I do, I wonder if the workers that empty these tubs think that the people living in our house are winos or just major party animals.  About once a month, the entire tub is filling with the empty bottles of wine, without the labels, as I end up soaking them off for a keepsake or a memory.  While I was filling the tub, I had to laugh at some of the bottles that were going in for recycling.

My Bride likes to buy what I call jug or bulk wine, in very small bottles.  She claims that she likes to use them for cooking rather then raid our cellar for an expensive bottle of wine.  I guess there is a method to her madness, as none of her preparations have been ghastly because of her cooking trick.  I would probably get mad, if she was using a forty or fifty dollar bottle of wine for cooking, I am sure that there would be more nuance to the dish, but at a major cost.  I also think that she likes these little bottles, for the occasion when she wants to sip a glass of wine, while she is working or even watching television and she doesn’t want to raid the cellar.

Most of the wine bottles that I saw are as I said jug or bulk wine.  The major brand that I saw was Gallo Family Vineyards of California.  I remember in my youth seeing this brand in gallon bottles, and I am sure that one could still buy these wines in the same manner.  The Gallo Family has been making California wines for years, and they were one of the first branded wines that I recall.  I guess what I applaud of a winery like this, is that they offer safe reliable wines for the masses, and perhaps they are a stepping stone or the first rung on the ladder of people discovering wine to enjoy with their dinner.  I was looking at these small bottles and there was Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio.  These are all grape varietals that are written about in both wine magazines and the newspapers, so these wine names are recognizable.

The other brand of wine that I saw as I was discarding some of these bottles was Cavit Collection Pinot Grigio 2012 from Italy.  This is also a jug wine from a company that does some major advertising and is available from grocery stores, party stores and wine shops, which gives them added weight in the mind of the buying public.  I look at it, as the buyer of these wines, just out of curiosity may branch out and say, this wine is good, I wonder what a more a few dollars more will taste like.  This is the start of a wine lover and perhaps a lifelong appreciation of what a master vintner can offer.