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The Wine Rack Store Goes to California

I’m not going literally, though at this very moment it seems like a great idea. The sun dipped behind the mountains just befor 7:00 last night, after a wonderful sunny picnic, and then it stayed light for a little while. Afterwards the rain came and it’s been wet every since. Not that we can complain about a day of rain: compared with Vancouver, Salmon Arm gets precious little. I’m not even bummed that it’s Labor Day and we’re indoors. The girls still went out to the swingset under our big tree, and have been working on their Fall Fair entries. We had a great summer once the sun came out early in July (after frequent late spring, early summer rains to make up for very little snow). Still, right now I feel cold and wish I were in the southern U.S. roller blading by the beach (though more fully clothed than the beach babes.)

Still, I’m only going in print. The dates are set. September 16th to 19th, Lodi. Apparently the fairgrounds there have regular, twice yearly wine-related events. The Lodi Grape Festival brings food, entertainment, a carnival and exhibitions to the public. Sounds like a Fall Fair, just with alcohol. Ours doesn’t have wine. I wish it did. I’m a bit sick of cows and pigs.

Anyway, if you’re wondering what association Lodi has with wine, then I’ll mention another name: Woodbridge. The Lodi-Woodbridge area is home to – you guessed it – Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi and Woodbridge Uncorked.  Other businesses which might ring a bell include Oak Ridge, Viaggio Estate Winery, Delicato and Cellar Door.

So, if you’re in the are and want something for your wine rack, then think about stopping in at the carnival, a few tasting rooms, even spending the night so you can imbibe but not drive. Lodi features all of the mainstays: Quality Inn, Best Western, Holiday Inn Express and Hampton Inn.

For more information about the festival call 209-369-2771. Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for 6-12 year olds, free for under 5s. Have fun and will me some warmth, will ya’?

High End Wines: A Wine Rack Store News Flash

According to Wines and Vines, the highest growth in the wine industry this past 52 weeks (from August to August) was among the higher-end table wines. By this they mean bottles valued at over $20. Such a trend is in keeping with what the restaurant industry has seen, where consumers seem to be saving up for a nice meal instead of regularly indulging in lower quality food.

It is worth remembering that lower price does not mean poor quality with wine, sometimes with food too. For example, Subway sanwiches are fresh and tasty but exponentially more affordable than, say, Masa. As one finds with South American wines, a good Malbec might set you back $10. Still, the adage that you get what you pay for is often true. Consumers seem to be taking this to heart and saving that space on their wine rack for something worth drinking. A 2007 or 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon instead of a 2008; something with a more complex flavor, full body, and ready to drink now. Heading for the expensive wines, they perhaps have received a recommendation or read a review for a bottle which they might not have purchased before because of the cost. There is an air of excitement around indulgence, especially when you indulge sparingly.

Barbera at the Wine Rack Store

Approaching the reds this evening with caution I decided, finally, to choose one even though there were  a few interesting looking whites. My reasons were these: the price was right; my second-hand wine drinking friends wanted some red; I thought it would go well with the fruit in my upcoming double-crust bumbleberry pie (to be entered in the Fall Fair and mentioned more fully in a later article). I opened the  bottle for airing, placed some kind of aerating lid on top and waited.

The bottle in question is a Benvenuto Barbera from Italy. Not sure why it is so cheap to purchase. I didn’t like the smell, but that doesn’t mean anything. I don’t like the smell of lots of reds, while others smell great and taste terrible.

Strangely, taste and aroma were worlds apart. There was nothing on the back label to indicate what I should experience, a good point I think because I wasn’t influenced in the least. In the nose I got burnt, dark fruit. Not burnt sugar, just burnt. Then I tasted, and this was a different story. Lighter in the mouth than many other reds, the liquid was dry but not uncomfortable. Of all the strange things: I’ve never tasted grapefruit in a red wine before. This is a tangy and refreshing red when sipped and would do well on its own or as that compromise wine. The one you choose when eating a salad with beef it and aren’t sure if you should have a red or a white. Maybe there are experts out there going ‘well, duh’, only using big words that amount to the same thing. I’m no expert. In fact, October will mark one year since I started this wine rack adventure. The rough edges of complete ignorance have been worn down slightly, but a country bumpkin I remain.

Now, if the topic were cheesecake…

Beer Margaritas: at the Wine Rack Store?

I had to laugh when my friend Tracy said she had tried a beer margarita. Though not tea-total, she isn’t a drinker either. Her husband makes his own wine, but they make it last. At dinner a few nights ago she enthused about this new drink she’d tried, so I thought it ranked a place among my Wine Rack Store articles.

     ‘A what?’ was my incredulous reply.

     ‘Seriously. A margarita, made with beer. Just like it sounds.’

     Okaaay.

 This is how it works, apparently. You make limeade from a can of frozen concentrate, using beer instead of water. Then you add a shot of tequila (in her case it was a splash). This is a beer margarita, and she said you couldn’t taste the tequila. Her policy is if she doesn’t like it, she isn’t going to drink it. She must have liked it. I can just see her knocking back one of these and going ‘wow, how refreshing, can I have another,’ then staggering to bed not sure what hit her. Apparently, the lime makes it so refreshing that one could easily forget alcohol was involved.

I also imagine that you have to choose the right beer, something light, not a bitter or a thick malty brew from Britain or something. Then you’d be picking hops out of your teeth and wondering why someone tried to feed you the dishwater and call it a cocktail.

The Wine Rack Store Tackles a Serious Issue

 

Health Day just published a report about teen sex and STDs. American pediatricians are concerned about the lack of parental involvement in their teens’  sex education and how often sex is portrayed on TV and in movies without consequences. I would, of course, add the dangers of alcohol since I was a teenager. I vaguely recall wine coolers came in bottles too large to store in wine racks (as if), tasting deceptively like kool-aid. I wouldn’t drink either now, but  I expect my not-far-off-teenaged daughter might like to try one (not the kool-aid) before she reaches the legal drinking age.

Alcohol and sex: hmm. As if teens weren’t loopy enough to start with, imagine what happens when they drink alcopops. Then, there is the risk of picking up a glass or bottle into which someone has dropped a date-rape drug. Getting pregnant, STDs and the emotional upheaval of having sex for the first time are enough to cope with; I shudder to imagine my little girls in a crowd containing anyone sick enough to slip them drugs.

Were these drugs around when we were teens? If so I wasn’t aware of them. Booze was enough to make me an idiot, thank you very much. It’s a miracle when any of us gets out of the teens barely scathed if you ask me. As for talking to my kids, they already know more than they want to know. I have to admit to having no reserve about these kinds of discussions and frequently sending my kids into paroxysms of ‘ew, that is so gross!’ Long may that last.

The Wine Rack Talks About some Winners

Among the winners of the 2010 Best of Varietal Competition in the Okangan, three names stand out. Sandhill won for Chardonnay, Merlot, Meritage, Viognier, Syrah and Mixed Red. Jackson-Triggs was awarded for its Red Blend, Red Meritage Blend, Riesling Icewine, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. Finally, See Ya Later saw awards for Syrah, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling and Rose/Blush. There were other multiple recipients of course, but this does speak well for these particular wineries and suggests some sure winners to stock on any wine rack. After all, amid these selections is something for lovers of full-bodied reds, crisp whites, and mild blushes.

The Okanagan grows an amazing array of grapes for such a short summer season. Already we are watching the birds at our feeders chowing down like maniacs as though to stock up for a very cold winter. The Canadian Geese started flying south a few weeks ago in loud, symmetrical flocks.

This means, too, that we can soon look forward to a new vintage of late harvest bottles. Yum.

Back to School at the Wine Rack Store

In June, when school breaks up for summer, I dread the coming of September. Having my two girls home is my strongest desire from about October onwards. Then mid-August arrives and I realize that they are bored with each other, with me, and they like school. I am always grateful for this psychological 180 which makes the day after Labor Day bearable.

The other great thing is that I can make some plans for my wine rack. Though most days are spent writing, canning, cooking, gardening and cleaning, I aim to put some time aside this year to visit some wineries not too far from home. I’ve discovered one within twenty minutes by car, plus there are two I still haven’t been to on the outskirts of town. Three or four wineries dot the route from here to Kelowna, places I can visit without going into Kelowna itself (I hear it’s a bit like Vancouver these days, no thank you). Without traffic jams, I can get through a handful of wineries between dropping off at 8:00 and picking-up at 2:00. Mind you, most wineries won’t open that early. Drat. I’ll have to stop for coffee on the way (I’ll find any excuse for a good cup of coffee). If I’m lucky, I could discover one of those Starbucks that serves coffee and wine.

The Wine Rack Examines Wine-fed Cattle

 

At dinner with friends this past Friday the topic of wine came up. Seems someone did not know that I write about wine. The subject was surprisingly popular, especially when it changed tack and someone mentioned wine-fed beef.

I was a bit stunned. The Vancouver Sun, however, carried an article in July detailing the process. Cattle raised in Kelowna for Sezmu meats are not only free of hormones and antibiotics; they also get one litre of Okanagan red wine every day for ninety days. The cows seem to like it.

Janice Ravndahl reports that the wine is mixed into feed or fed straight to the cows, who respond enthusiastically. She says they approach more quickly at feeding time when the jugs of wine are spotted. They also moo a bit more and are kind of mellow.

As for the meat itself, chefs report a good texture, enhanced aroma and flavor when the beef is marinated before slaughter.

I just hope staff at Sezmu never get mixed up at the wine rack and feed their cattle the good stuff. Imagine the stampede if staff then tried to revert to lesser examples once more. It might take more than a tazer to get inebriated bovines under control, and what would that do to the meat?

Toddler Toys and the Wine Rack Store

This weekend was my God-son’s birthday party.  He is an amazing 2 years old, going on 13.  He thinks he is pretty big for his britches. :)   For this reason, we had a terrible time picking out a present for his birthday.  It seemed like everything we picked up that we thought might be a good gift was way out of the age range for the item.  We had one heck of a time deciding but finally ended up with a really neat shaving kit.  I know, sounds a little absurd but it is a kit with a plastic (no razor) shaver, soapy shaving cream, a shaving cream brush and a little comb.  We just thought this would be the coolest idea for a little boy.  I can picture him now “shaving” with his dad.  What a great way to include him in on the big boy things in life while keeping him safe from a scary real razor accident.

Now, if it was my birthday you can bet I would be slightly disappointed if I received a faux shaving kit.  I am after all 25 years old so I think I have gotten that whole shaving thing mastered by now.  What you could get me, if you happened to be in the birthday shopping mood, is a great metal wine rack. I just love the contemporary look of them.  No worries though, you have plenty of time to decide what to get me.  My birthday is about 11 months away…

Fish Tail Fun at the Wine Rack Store

A couple days ago I had the pleasure of having lunch with my mommy (oh yes, you read correctly) for her birthday.  We decided to meet with some of her friends at some place that we had heard of 1,000 times but had never actually gone:  The Fish Tail Brew Pub.  They are a local brewery that makes amazing beer.  They offer great variety from everything to a blonde beer all the way to the darkest of the dark which they have appropriately named Mud Shark.  That beer is so dark that it looks like muddy water and is so heavy that you can barely stomach a full glass because you just get too dang full.

To make a long story short, we had an amazing lunch there.  We had such a hard time choosing what we were going to have to eat because everything on the menu sounds amazing.  Since Olympia is all about ‘green’ and ‘organic’, they had a really nice menu of things you wouldn’t normally guess to be on a pub menu.  I settled on some amazingly fresh fish and chips and hand-cut french fries.  Yummy!  I wonder if I could buy some of their beer by the bottle and find a way to fit it in my wine rack.  Now that’s what I call multi-functional!