Monday, March 15, 2004

A glass (or 48) of wine and thou...

I bought my first case of wine yesterday. Gosh, how much fun...

My boss had some extra bonus money in the budget, so he got everyone on our team a gift certificate to the place of their choosing. I chose Barriques Market for mine, thinking we'd get maybe $50 or $60...plenty for a couple good bottles. Imagine my surprise and delight when the gift was $150! Holy smokes!

So, after some hemming and hawing about what I'd spend the gift on, I went to Barriques yesterday, commandeered their only "cart" in the store, and started picking wines from their "Wall of 100." This is a literal wall in their store that is devoted to the display of 100 wines that all retail for under $10. One of Barriques' goals is to demystify wine, and make it more accessible to the everyday Joe or Jane. They have succeeded admirably!

Some of my picks, if you're interested:
  • Cline Red Truck. This was highly recommended by Laura, a woman who runs many of the wine tastings there. She wears her passion for wine on her sleeve, is generous with her knowledge, and I trust her judgement. I got two bottles of this.

  • Bucci Verdicchio: I had this wine at a recent tasting (referenced in a post below), and fell in love with it. It tastes like spring, crispy and frisky and zesty. Dee-lish! Another two-bottler.

  • Giovello Pinot Grigio: No good link for this one, but one place on the web describes it as "Medium-bodied with a floral, clean nose, this wine delivers pleasant apple, citrus and mineral notes." It has a distinctive blue dragonfly bottle, which is very pretty. I got two bottles of this as well.

  • Bogle Petit Syrah: One web source says, "this wine is a complex contradiction of characteristics: powerful fruit and viscosity make this a big hearty red, yet soft and supple tannins finish the wine with finesse." I bought it because Barriques termed it an "exquisite value for the price."

  • Apoyo Pinot Noir: Described as "A superb value, this slightly smoky '00 Pinot Noir is a truly pleasing wine; great with lighter meats, one of the top surprises of the year."

And, a few others made their way into my cart, too. Now, the lamentable task of opening and drinking them all. *Sigh...*