Recently I wrote about beer: I thought I would write about wine.  I prefer wine to beer, and either to a weekend in Iowa.

 

Wine was a special treat when I was growing up. My grandfather liked to have wine at Thanksgiving and Christmas, so wine was associated with special times.  He liked German Rieslings. For a long while I thought all wine was white and sweet and crisp (and German). 

My boring parents never drank wine with dinner; we were a ‘milk’ family. When I grew up I vowed I would drink more wine.

 

I made a study of wine. I read a lot of books; I read “The Wine Spectator” every month. I got all the lingo down: I think I have a discriminating palate. 

When I lived in Chicago, I had a basement.  I started developing a wine collection. My focus was finding very good bottles at low prices. I like the notion of drinking a $15 bottle ranked at “85” rather than a 200$ bottle ranked at ‘90’.

 

Turns out, I am more ‘book savvy’ than a drinker. Someone is not a great wine drinker (and red wine gives him a headache). So we don’t drink much wine. Then there is the Arizona climate. Wine ‘bakes’ with heat. In summertime we keep the AC at 80 degrees (yes, that is cool compared to 110 degrees). This ruins what wine we have. I’ve learned to buy a bottle and use it or loose it.  No more collecting.

Last Christmas we decided to forgo much gift giving in lieu of buying a wine storage box, but we haven’t yet purchased it.

 

Once again my genes work against me. I get rather sleepy after 2 glasses and therefore limit myself to that. In a restaurant I never order a bottle of wine; I order by the glass.

 

My favorite vineyards –

Stag’ Leap in Napa.

Schloss Vollrads from Germany.

Ruffino Chianti.  

Pol Roger is my champagne (non-vintage is fine)

Cakebread Cellars

Pinot Noirs from Oregon.

Eiswein from Ontario

A Shiraz from Australia.

 

If you drink wine, please tell me your favorite or a good recommendation.

I am always keen to try new types.