As some of you may have noticed, I am a pack rat of sorts; of course, to a degree I am happy that I am, because it has allowed me to “show and tell” wines and the events where the wines were enjoyed. While I was packing away the Christmas decorations, I also decided to grab a storage box of odds and ends and go through them to see if there were items that no longer needed to be saved. There were several big manila envelopes containing wine labels in this box, which caused everything to come to a screaming halt for a couple of days, until I could sort through and see what I have written about and what I haven’t written about. In these manila envelopes, I found a couple of pristine labels and it dawned on me that they were from tastings that we did of wines that we had not purchased.
There were two labels from Garland Ranch from California. At first I, did not recognize the label and then I found my notes about these wines. Garland Ranch is a value driven wine from Chateau Julien in Carmel Valley in the Monterey region of California. My Bride and I have visited Chateau Julien a couple of times and we have always enjoyed and purchased wines each time we were there. The wines from the Garland Ranch were fine, but it was not what we were looking for, during our trips, as the wines carry the California appellation and not a designation from the Monterey area, and buying popular priced wines to send home, is never our plan when we are tasting wines at a winery. The first wine, I am sure that we tasted only out of being nice, as neither of us were really interested in the Garland Ranch California White Zinfandel 1999 though we do know friends and family that would. The other wine Garland Ranch California Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 was fine, but we were in the Monterey area and we were looking for wines that remind us of the trip.
The other wine label that I had, that had stumped me originally was also from Chateau Julien and must have been from our second trip there. Emerald Bay Coastal California Merlot 2000 was also another entry level wine and while good, was not what we were looking for. When we are at a winery we are looking for wines that I think are indicative of the area and of course we will try their popular priced wine offerings as well, but we really are not seeking out generic wines on the trips, and I think that is why I originally did not recognize either of these labels, while marveling at other labels that will eventually be formal remembrances.
Boxed wine is all the rage among the popular price wines and when goes into convenience stores and party stores, there is a myriad of cardboard containers filled with wine. I guess that it is much more practical as compared to the old days of jug wines in the big gallon bottles with a thumb hole for pouring. In fact, box wines, may account for more wine drinkers than any other segment of the market, because it is handy, priced economically and the wine is ready to drink, without the need of cellaring. We are in the world of instant gratification.
Ms. Yoga while she was in town for holidays, spent a full day with us and she had a full itinerary, but of plans that she wanted to accomplish as well. I was off that day, but I declined to spend the whole day with her, not because I don’t enjoy her company, but because I knew that she would have preferred to spend the time with my Bride. They were going to go shopping, visit a mutual friend that is in the midst of redoing her new home, have lunch and of course more shopping. They even had time to sneak in a movie, and they really didn’t me tagging along, as it was a Ladies day of things to do, and I understand that.
When you get a group of people together even for New Year’s Eve, there will be no consensus of what sparkling wine is best. Everyone has different tastes and there really is no one-size-fits-all, in fact that is true for any type of wine. I have noticed that even at weddings when there is sparkling wine poured for all of the guests for toasting, afterwards there are plenty of glasses that have been barely touched. I think that some Brut finished wines are just too dry for many people, and really that is not sacrilege. I have always espoused that people should drink what they enjoy, and in that manner, they will eventually try other wines and that is what all wine lovers do. I know for a fact that I have learned to embrace many of wines.
I have to admit that that I like to go out for dinner quite a bit and you may have noticed, as I like to write about restaurants almost as much as I like to write about wine. Suffice it to say, that there are a few nights that I do not like to venture out on and New Year’s Eve is one of them. Over the years, I have found that the menus shrink, the prices rise and the service diminishes. I guess in my youth, I didn’t notice it as much, but now I do, so I know that there are other nights where everything will line up more favorable. Though I do miss the chance for some dancing, as bands seem more prevalent on that evening. So, for the last ten to fifteen years we seem to have everyone come here to ring in the new year, though some of the younger relatives skip our dinner to be with the crowds and that is understandable.
For everyone that celebrates Christmas, while the holiday is so special, it is also hectic. For those that are having big dinners at their home, it is an all-day affair of cleaning and cooking. For others, it is traveling to sometimes two or more different houses to give everyone the Christmas Cheer; and that is what we do on Christmas Day. We try to cover as many relatives as possible. On Christmas morning, it has become a tradition to have breakfast at my Mother-in-Laws home and since she has five daughters who are all married with children the house gets quite cozy with the ability to get everyone seated. There were doughnuts and Danishes, omelets, bacon and pancakes, enough to sate everyone for the morning. And then there are Mimosas, that wonderful breakfast drink of orange juice and sparkling wine. This is a drink where one does not have to splurge when making it, as any sparkling wine will work. We used Cook’s California Champagne Brut Grand Reserve NV, and you will notice that it is a “California Champagne” and since Cook’s was established in 1859 they have been grandfathered in for using the term “champagne” since it is now only legally used for wines from France, except for a few wineries that were allowed to keep the name, because of longevity. Cook’s proclaims that they are the “#1 Sparkling Wine in the U.S.” and I am sure that it is true, because they are a popular priced sparkling wine, made in the bulk process method using Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grapes and it is festive.
The Wine Raconteur 