Wine Labels

I don't usually buy a bottle of wine here, a bottle of wine there.  When I buy wine, I usually go on a shopping spree, if you will - I buy 12 bottles minimum (to get a discount) every 3 months or so.  I either visit my favorite local shop, Wine Room of Forest Hills, or we get a ZipCar and trek out to Jersey for Total Wine*.  The latter of which we did yesterday.

Dragging a nine-year-old child through Total Wine is a feat, to say the least.  Especially since Adam is usually doing his own beer shopping as well - they have an excellent selection.  I mean, it is waaaay boring for Bug and I only thank goodness my mom didn't try to do the same thing to us three kids when I was growing up.  Can you imagine trying to control an 11-year-old (me), a 9-year-old (my brother), and a one-year-old (my sister) through a wine store?!  The sad thing is that my mom probably needed a glass of wine more back then than I do now, dealing with us kids.  Anyway...

So I came up with a way to entertain Bug: she gets to pick one bottle that I buy, based on the "prettiness" of the label.  And as long as it's affordable.  She loves it.  She goes through the store, finding the wines she likes, looking for the "maybe" bottles.  Yesterday, she found this one:

She saw it and exclaimed - okay, she yelled really loud: "IT'S THE WHOMPING WILLOW WINE!!!!"

As mentioned before, our household is obsessed with all things Harry Potter and this label just screamed Whomping Willow to her.  And as luck would have it, I've actually had the Gnarly Head Zin before, as its 1) incredibly affordable, and 2) located in Lodi, CA, very close to where I grew up.  It's big and juicy, of course, but it also has a nice earthiness to it that prevents it from being too jammy.

So, yes, dear readers, I have managed to tie together Harry Potter and Zinfandel.  Not bad, eh?  How's that for tying together children's books and wine?

Eat, drink, and sometimes judge a wine by its label.

* Soooo off-topic but had to share: any time I say "Total Wine" I think of that line from The Breakfast Club.  You know the one?  "If I lose my temper, man, you're totaled."  And Bender replies, "Totally?"  Then Emilio Estevez says, "Totally."  So I say "Total Wines."  Then I expect all of you to reply, "Totally?"  I know.  Weird.  But had to share.

Buying Wine

Most of you probably already know this...but I adore wine. I drink it every night with dinner (and usually a glass after dinner too). On the weekends, I'll even have a single glass with lunch. When I have dinner parties, we've been known to go through two bottles (or three, depending on the company). So, with the exception of Adam's passion for beer, it's safe to say that ours is a wine-drinking household.

But here's the thing: I don't really have a collection. I usually buy a couple bottles a week from Fresh Direct and sometimes I'll trek over to The Wine Room of Forest Hills, which is one of my favorite places to buy wine. If we're really low, we'll get a ZipCar and drive over to Jersey to the Total Wine. Even then, sometimes I'll buy two bottles of something I know I like but, mostly, I buy a lot of single bottles.

The idea is that I want one of everything so I always have something great to drink with dinner. I rely heavily on What to Drink with What You Eat by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, and few things frustrate me more than when they make a strong recommendation and I don't even have anything close. So I try to diversify when I buy wine.

Recently, though, I ran into a problem. I fell in love with a Rose that I bought at Total Wine a couple months ago. Here it is:

It was so well-balanced and refreshing. It was floral and herbal, but it also managed to be dry and grounded. I adored it.

But now what? I only bought one bottle. In Jersey. Wait until I go back? But then it'll be October or November and they most likely won't have the crazy-awesome selection of Rose. Go online? But then do I order six bottles? Go for the full case? Do I love it that much?

I also had a similar dilemma with Cubanisimo wines recently. As you'll recall from my previous post, I really love their Rose and their Pinot Noir. So I went to the Cubanisimo website to look into buying a couple bottles. It made sense to buy at least 6 bottles because of their discount. But my grand total was going to be $120+...and I couldn't bring myself to click the "Buy" button. I mean, $20 for a bottle is no big deal. But dropping more than a hundred? There's a mental hurdle that I can't seem to get over.

I've done a lot of wine reading (The Battle for Wine and Love...Red, White, and Drunk All Over...Educating Peter...The Wine Guy...these are some of my faves) and I don't feel any less confused on this issue. Does it make more sense to buy a half-case or full-case of something I love? But then I risk a lack of space and funds to have a wider selection. Or does it make better sense to diversify to make sure I always have the perfect wine-food pairing on hand? Have any thoughts on this issue?

Eat, drink, and when in doubt drink bubbly...

Sympatico

Oh, you guys, today was goooorgeous. Just...wow. After a number of days of gray clouds and rain, the sun came out today and it was glorious. It wasn't humid and it wasn't too hot - just 70s and sunny. The kind of day when New Yorkers lay on benches, on walls, on anything horizontal and soak up the sun like lizards.

So imagine my unbridled joy when I realized that my menu planning for the week just happened to coincide with the weather: Ricotta Crostini with Cherry Tomatoes. With some grilled local asparagus. Can you imagine a better meal to celebrate a sunny day? And a sunny day so close to the weekend?!

I didn't follow the recipe exactly in this case - specifically, I didn't actually sauté the tomatoes. I just cut them up, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, balsamic vinegar, and put them on top of the grilled bread and ricotta. But start with the recipe above, which is exceptional as is, and feel free to experiment from there. This recipe also doesn't call for basil but, since I have some growing in my balcony herb garden, I added it.

You should also know that I'm in love with a wine. I know, I know. I'm in love with all wine, really. But thanks to my local wine shop - Wine Room of Forest Hills - I've discovered Carpineto. I fell in love with their rosé first - the label is beautiful, as is the color and the crisp fruitiness. But I also bought a bottle of the Dogajolo Toscano Bianco and it paired beautifully with the acidity of the tomatoes. It even matched the asparagus. A perfect way to bring in the weekend.

Eat, drink, and cheers to lucky menu planning!