Doug & Claire's Big Ass Missouri Wine Dump

Yeah, yeah...It's been a long time.  So much time has passed that my pal Kyle over at Sippin' St. Louis called me out on it this past Saturday.  Tonight, inspiration has struck the Uncorked household.

Doug & I have a lot of wine.  Well, we have a lot of wine for what little storage we have, & we had about 10 homeless bottles on top of the bar.  With our penchant for continually buying wine (especially now with my place of employment), this was going to become a problem quickly.  So, I took a good look at one of our wine racks tonight, & saw 9 very dusty bottles of Missouri wine at the bottom.

We decided that it was time to toss it, but not before tasting each one.  We had vintages ranging from 2004 to 2007 in Chambourcin - from a Missouri winery that, in our opinion, makes the best wine in the state - & a Norton/Cynthiana or two from other wineries.  We were told that each of these bottles could handle at least 5 years in the cellar/rack.

They lied.

We opened bottle after bottle, giving each their fair shot.  One wine had turned orange.  One wine had such a sour finish to it that I feared we might have to use Comet to get the taste out of our mouths.  Luckily, we didn't have to resort to such drastic measures - the next wine's lack of anything killed it.  Not one single wine was acceptable, not even the 2007.  Not good, Missouri - not good.

We were now on a mission. Once we'd opened, tasted, & quickly dumped every bottle from Missouri, we grabbed the only one from Illinois.  Again, we were told that this Cynthiana could easily handle 10 or more years. 

I believe you know the outcome.  Poor Truvy was so confused.

We opened up our lone bottle from North Carolina. 

Fuck.

At this point, we just wanted some wine.  We were disheartened yet amused.  I couldn't bring myself to open up our wine from Texas, although after tonight, I don't have high hopes.  We're going to have to open those soon.

So, what are we drinking right now?  A 2005 Hahn Syrah.  We had faith, & we were not disappointed. 

Either that, or our palates were just too roached to know any differently.  Ugh.  I can't bear to think of that possibility.

And she's back...

Whoa, it's been forever!!! Sorry, folks.

So, here's a brief rundown of what's been going on.

At the end of July, I found out that I was losing my job at the end of August...you know, the one I had just been promoted to last December, & after 9 years with the same employer.   Talk about a blow.  And it had nothing to do with anything I did or didn't do - instead, it was some hotshot that thought he was bulletproof.  Other than to say that the U.S. Congress didn't agree, that's all I'm going to say about that.

Some of you may be asking why you didn't know my situation.  Well, that's because I didn't want you to know.  Don't take it personally, I just didn't want more of the questions from people that already knew - like "Oh my god!  What are you going to do?", & "Have you thought about starting your own dogwalking/sitting business?".  I could go on, but I won't.  People, while they may mean well, can be really, really stupid.  (In other words, think before you say anything to friends that have lost their job.)

So, 5 months of unemployment... I can't tell you how many times I've thought that would be close to Heaven.  Boy, was I wrong.  Day after day, hanging out in the house.  I mean, all of my friends worked, & although we were ok financially, I couldn't exactly justify going to lunch with them several times a week.  Oh, I had grand plans for my time off - I was going to get in shape, volunteer, organize this mess of a house I live in, etc.  Well, it turns out that it would take at least 2 people to get even a start on the organizing, the weather turned really crappy, & Truvy was a terrible brat that needed to be worn out so that Doug could get to sleep at night.  Staying home was just easier, but the nasty funk that settled in was pretty tough to deal with.  I did the best I could to keep my chin up, but I know it seeped out from time to time.  Yuck.  So not my style.

Then, Mattie's cancer returned, in her back leg again.  Ugh.  Obviously, at 15 & 1/2, she's just too old to aggressively battle it, so we turned to medicine.  It worked, for the most part, but the Prednisone made her very, very sick, & I really thought we were going to lose her if we didn't get her off of it pronto.  So, we did, & after a while, she got better.  It took a lot of TLC & McDonald's cheeseburgers to get her strength back, but I'm happy to report that the tumor has not grown & Mattie is doing well. 

Ok, let's get to the good stuff.

We all know that the economy is in the toilet, & unemployment is the new epidemic in this country.  I applied all over the place, & didn't get a single call from anyone.  I might as well have taken my resume', folded it into a paper airplane, & flown it into the Grand Canyon... my chances of getting called would've been the same.  So, I saw this part-time job on Craigslist with next to no information other than the hours & general location & figured why not?  A few weeks went by, & I had a voicemail.  I got an interview, walked in, & got the job the very next day.

Yeah, yeah, that's great.  But here's the kicker....

Ladies & gentlemen, I am now working as the office manager for ....

Wait for it.....

A WINE DISTRIBUTOR!!!!!!!!!

The ONLY call I got in 5 months, & it was this!  I know, crazy, right?  Me, working in the wine business.  And my job rocks.  So much.  I couldn't have ordered nicer people to work for & with, & of course, the part-time hours &, oh yeah, the 20% off of wholesale discount of all the wine & liquor we carry doesn't hurt, either!   Oh, & did I mention that Mattie can come to work with me?  She can!  I can bring my dog to work!  I can bring any of them, but I know my time is running short with my girl.  I want to spend as much time as I can with her, & she loves being at the office.  The warehouse seems to be her favorite place (she takes after me, she wants to be around a lot of wine). 

So, there you have it.  My life is a great thing again, & here's hoping that yours is, too!

Revisiting a Christmas Past: O Holy Crap

Some people wonder why Doug & I have started our tradition of leaving town for Christmas.  Our standard answer is "If you knew our family, you'd understand!", & it's so true.  Now, we love our family, of course, but seriously - just seriously.  We'd talked about bailing on Christmas for several years, but the following story (originally written 12/26/06) sealed the deal.  So, for the next few minutes, kick back & be grateful...

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I realize that I may be in the minority here, but boy, am I glad Christmas is over. Anyone who has read this blog has probably picked up that both sides of our family are a bit off, & this year only added to the proof. In the interest of keeping this as short & as easy-to-read as possible, I'm going to break it down. So, without further adieu, here are the "highlights" of our Christmas...

CHRISTMAS EVE

* For reasons that we don't know (it's just less painful to not ask), my (divorced) parents were 30 minutes late. We weren't upset about it, but we knew that at least my dad would be. Yay, let the good times roll...

* Rather than bring my mom's very cute but very rambunctious dog Poppy in first in order to secure her in the kitchen with the other dogs (both Poppy & Charles are runners) & then unload the car, both of my parents had their arms full of presents while my dad had the dog on a leash. This is bad because neither of them are too steady on their feet, & it also made the situation much more hectic than it needed to be. As a result of this chaos, my dad became very frustrated & (unintentionally & briefly) hung poor Poppy. I ended up yelling at my dad, which always gives a great feeling.

* During breakfast, my dad almost made my mom cry by asking her to tell us news of her brother (who has cancer & is having a difficult time). The news wasn't horrible, but it shook her up. Greeeaaat timing there, Pops. (My mom later cried in the driveway.)

* Also during breakfast, my dad, as usual, talked over everyone else & asked the same questions over & over again. I began to think of spiking my coffee.

* My mom had a hard time opening up one of her gifts. Always ready to assist, my dad threw an open pocket knife at her. Yes, I did say the words "open" & "knife". Thankfully, it landed on the floor & not in my mom's chest - right between 2 dogs & Doug's bare feet. Whew, disaster averted....

* Apparently, my mom doesn't know me. She bought me this sickeningly cute sweatshirt with an appliqued puppy on it that said something like "Dogs aren't our whole lives, but they make our lives whole". Awwww...obviously, I agree, except I don't do cute, & I definitely don't do appliques. Oh, & she has one, too. Mine's way too big, but I'll keep it because I hate returning gifts. It can be my housework sweatshirt or something. Oh well, I really don't care about the gift, it's the thought that counts...this was really just amusing.

* After my parents left (!!!), Doug & I headed to Sugar Creek Winery to meet our friends Lisa & Jason. We were having a great time until an old man in the next room collapsed at the table. The family started to freak out - understandably so - & Lisa ran over to him because they said he wasn't breathing & she knows CPR. Yay, Lisa! When she got the man on the floor, she told the family that he was indeed breathing. It turns out that the old man rarely drinks & he passed out as a result of drinking too much. At 84, I guess that can happen pretty easily! The ambulance came & took him to the hospital. The family went with him, & we were alone in the winery. After we recovered from that incident, we ended up having a lot of fun & stayed past closing (we know the owners & a few of the employees). After that, Doug & I went home, had some drinks, & then went to bed. What a bizarre day.

CHRISTMAS DAY

* Doug & I spent a much-needed relaxing morning at home. Since we were headed to Doug's sister's house way up in "Da Hood", we decided to spike some eggnog at around 10:30. We left at noon & stopped for beer along the way. I called my mom to wish her a Merry Christmas. She was hanging out with my dad, who was playing with Poppy. (Good thing Poppy forgives quickly!) A few minutes later, she said "I don't know if your dad's coming or going", to which I replied "What else is new?" - turns out, he went to the car to get something, & then got in the car & left. I assumed he was running to QuikTrip or something & then got off the phone. I then called Monica to talk to her about that evening's plans.

*My phone rang when we were about 20 minutes from my sister-in-law's house, & it was my mom. She was crying. She said that a man called to tell her that my dad had been in an accident not far from the house, & she was leaving right then to see what was going on. I told her to calm down before she left, that we didn't need 2 accidents. Thank goodness I can think rationally - I told her that since he gave someone her phone # (he doesn't carry a cell or an emergency card) that he wasn't dead & was most likely still conscious. That worked. She said she would call me back.

*As we were pulling up to my s-i-l's house, my mom called again. My dad crashed into a telephone pole, & no other cars were involved. I asked if he'd had a heart attack or a stroke, & she said that it didn't appear that way. My dad had some cuts on his face & a burn on his arm from the airbag & the paramedics were checking him out. His car was totaled. She told me she'd call me back.

* We walked into Misty's house to sheer mayhem. My nieces were shrieking with delight over our great-niece & great-nephew (both under a year old). They were making those stupid faces that people make at babies, & the babies started screaming. Well, duh! Why don't people think before they do that??? It usually scares the tar out of the baby. Anyway, we plowed in, frustrated, & headed to the kitchen to load up on chili cheese dip & beer. Babies at Christmas.  Again. Shit.

* A few minutes later, my mom calls back to let me know that my dad refused to go to the hospital to be checked out & was going back home with her. Fabulous. Apparently, his blood sugar dropped & that's what caused the whole episode. Tremendous. The good thing was that he seemed to be ok. I have talked to him several times since, & he's fine (so far), & had full coverage, so he'll be back on the road soon enough. (Those of you in The Lou, beware.)

* By this time, everyone had found out about the accident & the details of it. My mother-in-law then decided that my dad needed to go to the hospital, & that I needed to make him go. Well, that's like making the weather change & she knows it. I explained to her that my mom already tried that to no avail, & that I wouldn't do any better. She agreed, however, that didn't stop her from telling me several more times that he needed to go. Between that, the babies crying & puking, shrieking preteen girls, embattled nephews, & horrific grammar, Doug & I simultaneously agreed that it was time to go. And we did.

* We decided that neither of us were in the mood to go to Monica & Cory's house, so I called to let them know what had happened. Cory's parents were in town from Canada & are very "normal" & polite, & I couldn't guarantee that we wouldn't be dropping F-bombs left & right. Monica thought that sounded like fun, but we didn't want to offend her unsuspecting in-laws. We stopped off to rent movies & went home.

So there you have it, our little piece of Christmas Heaven. In retrospect, most of this was actually pretty damn funny - hence the writing of this blog - & the parts where people were in danger turned out fine. So people, laugh & appreciate the story for what it is. It could've been so much worse.

We told both families that we would not be participating in next year's Christmas, except for maybe a phone call from Mexico or a cruise ship or something. One side was ok, the other side wasn't. They'll get over it - we're DONE. In fact, I'm sending off an email to our travel agent right now.....

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And so started our tradition.  The first year, we went on a cruise out of Puerto Rico that hit St. Thomas/St. John, Dominica, Antigua, Barbados, & St. Lucia.  Our ears burned the whole time - Doug's side didn't believe us when we said we were going.  The next year, we went to Jamaica, & hey!  We drive to Memphis tomorrow & leave Saturday morning for Jamaica again.  We're so freakin' stoked. (Why Memphis, you ask?  Because St. Louis doesn't have direct flights at decent times, so we're driving to Memphis because they do.)  So, on Christmas, think of us, hanging out on the beach or at the swim-up bar, drinking Dirty Bananas & whatever else strikes our fancy...

Stop hating - it's the holidays!

T-Day Survival Plan: Year 4

Our families are crazy, so we consider ourselves very lucky when it comes to Thanksgiving.   My parents meet at our house & then they follow us to Doug's parents' house. This way, we aren't hurting anyone's feelings by leaving early or arriving late (& we are so happy to dodge that bullet), & we avoid all of the running around that happens all weekend long. That's Step 1 of the Survival Plan.  What this means, however, is that the end result of both sides of the family being together is one big dysfunctional soup. This year, we'll have my dad, Doug's dad, my sister-in-law, her husband, & their kids, my thrice-divorced, diabetic brother-in-law, & 2 of his 3 sons, & quite possibly the 2 oldest boys' babies & babies' mamas.  Oh yeah, & us.  My mom's skipping out this year because she wants to do yard work.

Whatever.

Let me paint you a tiny picture:  My dad will just talk on & on - mostly to my brother-in-law about the bakers' union (they're both retired members). He has this amazing ability to start a subject, change it, & then seamlessly pick up the first subject 20 minutes later - it's quite funny to watch everyone struggle to figure out what he's talking about (Doug & I are pros, we've been doing it for years). Since our nephews have gotten older, my sister-in-law has become the dirty uncle - she's constantly rubbing their arms & backs, & hugging them. Yes, folks, I've witnessed a body hug or 2, & the looks on our nephews' faces... well, "priceless" is close, but it doesn't quite cut it. Doug & I just sit back & snicker. Anyway, because of this affection from their other aunt, sitting by me at the dinner table is the hottest ticket in town.   Unfortunately for them, Doug sits by me, so that leaves 1 seat.  The smarter of the 2 nephews has  tricked the other one into arriving late for the last 2 or 3 years, thereby dooming the late one into sitting in The Scary Spot. Now mind you, nothing truly inappropriate (just marginally!) is happening, but it sure makes for great entertainment for me & Doug.

Step 2...the wine.  We bring 3 bottles every year - a sweet one for the rest of the family, & 2 just for us.  Usually a red & a white, but sometimes we'll throw in a rose' or a sparkling.  Now, we never bring the really great stuff because someone always wants to try what we have, only to say that they don't like it.  Life's too short to waste great wine on people who don't know better!  We could've gone safe with our choices this year & gone with a Pinot Noir (always a winner) & perhaps a Gruner Veltliner or dry Riesling, but we wanted to go a different route this year.   For the red, we had several options, but we went with the Lucca from Mosby Winery in Buellton, CA.   It's a blend of estate-grown Sangiovese & Dolcetto, & I knew it was the one for this year when I tasted it!  It was also under $16, so that didn't hurt.  We're still deciding on the white - we have a couple in mind, but we're headed to a wine store later so who knows what the winner will be.  Oh, & just as an FYI to some of you newer wine drinkers...there WILL be a tasting or 2 at any wine store worth their salt tonight.

Step 3 is easy.  We never stay long.  I mean, really - we can only take so much.  Anyway, dinner's at 2, & when our bottles are gone, so are we.

The final part of the plan - Step 4 - is to get the hell out of town, so were headed to Nashville again on Friday.   We can't wait!

Ok, I have wine to buy & clothes to pack, so I'm out of here.  I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!  

Peanut Butter....How I Love Thee

While that's very true, I really just needed a title, & my peanut butter & jelly sandwich inspired me.   I'd forgotten how much I love those!   You see, for the first time in a long while, we actually have a jar of peanut butter in the house that's only for us..... The dogs get peanut butter every night, & they have their own jar.  Last week, I decided that Doug & I were worthy of our own, especially since we both love it so much.  Ah, it's the simple things.

Man, it's been a while....& I have to admit, writing up our first Cali wine trip was more than I wanted to deal with.  This in no way means that I will diminish the fantastic experiences we had...I'll cover them as time allows, or as we open the bottles that we purchased.  Our California Central Coast wine trip was a complete success, & my lack of writing should not reflect anything negative...

Speaking of food & wine...

A few nights ago, Doug & I had a special meal.   A while back, we went to Time For Dinner, & it was the second time we'd been.  Those of you that know me, I am not a cook.    I want to be, but I'm not at this point.   Luckily, there's Time For Dinner - or TFD - for people like us (for those of you that are not in St. Louis, look up pre-prepared frozen dinners, or whatever - I'm sure that there's something just as lovely in your corner of the world).  We had just purchased a bottle of Cosentino's Franc, & we wanted something that would work well with it.  I reached into my freezer & found the perfect solution: Rosemary Flank Steak.

My goodness.  It was terrific & a great matchup for the wine.  Of course, I knew it would be because rosemary is actually considered to be a "red wine booster".  I'm sure both the steak & the wine would've been good on their own, but they brought great things out in each other.  Yum... We felt so fancy that we even ate at the table, something we rarely do.  Fancy is good.

Tonight, we're going to Pi Pizzeria with friends.  They just opened up a new location just a stone's throw away from where I grew up, in Kirkwood.  Some of you that don't live here might recognize the restaurant from the news:  President Obama chose them to fly to D.C. to make their pizza for the first family.  Hey, good enough for them, it must be good enough for me.

In other news, Truvy is growing like a weed, & her top speed on the treadmill is 7.4 mph!  She was 53 lbs. at her last weigh-in at the vet's last week.  She had to get a flu shot - yes, there is a canine flu; it's fatal, & there have been cases in Jefferson County.  That's not home, but it's close enough!  Anyway, she finds new ways to challenge me every day, but I think we're finally getting somewhere.

Or maybe I'm just fooling myself.

The little jerk actually gave me poison ivy a few weeks ago.  Unbelievable, right?  I'd never had it before, & after my poison ivy cherry was popped, I never want it again.   I was reminded of this after watching a Grey's Anatomy rerun...you know, the one where Addison had poison oak on her.... yeah, you do know.  Seeing that reminded me to count my blessings - my poison ivy was nowhere near that place!  I shudder at the thought.

One month from tomorrow, I'll be in Jamaica.

Back off, kittens.

Because I'm Awake...

...& because I haven't written in a while.  Bloggin' ain't easy.  I mean, sometimes you have the time but no energy or inspiration.  Sometimes you have the energy or inspiration but no time.  Now is one of those times when it's all there.  Plus, I need a break from writing about our Cali trip, & perhaps you do as well.

I'm wide awake.  Usually, I'd have been in bed for at least 40 minutes...but not tonight.  I'll probably be up for at least another 40 minutes, & I'll feel like Hell tomorrow.  So be it.  Right now, I'm watching recorded Grey's Anatomy reruns, & I'm totally into my glass.

My glass...it doesn't have much left, but I love what's there.  Overall, I'm a fairly adventurous wine drinker that'll try just about anything & find the good in it even if I'm not head-over-heels in love with it.  Tonight, I reached for something I could count on because it's crappy outside, the puppy's being a brat,  & I wanted to know.  I'm so pleased to report that I am head-over-heels in love with it - 2006 Hahn Estates Cabernet Franc.

It's no secret that I adore Hahn wines; I swear I'm not on their payroll nor do I receive free samples from them.  I happily buy them again & again because they're an extremely affordable, superbly consistent, high quality, &  wonderfully delicious piece of wine heaven.  Really.

This Cab Franc is one of our all-time favorites.  The wine isn't 100% Cab Franc - it's 80% with 14% Merlot & 6% Cab, but it's enough that they can legally call it Cab Franc.  Who really cares anyway when it's this good? It always sells out very quickly, so we try to grab it whenever we see it.  Why?  I'm tempted to just say "Because I said it's good, so buy it already", but I'll give you a little more information...& then you should go buy it.  Well, after checking with me to make sure I have enough.  But I stray... I love this wine for so many reasons.  It's pretty to look at with it's deep ruby color.  It smells of cinnamon, clove, & cherries -- lots of cherries.  The flavors in my mouth are more cherries, blackberries, a little chocolate, & some earthiness.   In the back, I get some raspberry-ish tastes, all rolled up with some great acidity.  Tonight, I'm drinking it on its own, but I know it rocks with food.  Like pork, steak, whatever.  It's great...& for less than $17.

I wasn't going to write about wine the next time I wrote, but tonight, I just couldn't help myself.  Now, I just want more.

Paso Robles, Day 3 - A Day of Wining

On our final full day in Paso, we sprung out of bed (really!), grabbed breakfast, & headed out onto Highway 46 West.   We were going to find Four Vines, damn it!

Well....it was only 9:30 when we found it, & the tasting room opened at 11:00, not 10:00 like we were hoping.  So we drove farther down 46 & saw some spectacular scenery.   Admittedly, it was much like what we saw the day before, so just go back to the last post to take a peek if you missed it.  It's just so different from what  I see here in Missouri, or anywhere else I've been for that matter.

We were heading back towards the wineries when we saw a guy putting up his "Open" sign on a small winery, & we thought that was perfect timing.  Well, we thought wrong.  That winery - which shall remain nameless (unless you are planning a trip to the area, then feel free to email me) - was a total bust.  Blech.  We ended up buying a bottle...Doug said that he hated to lose the tasting fee, & we could always pour it as, oh, a 4th or 5th bottle.  Or perhaps as a gag.

Redemption was just up the road at a little winery called Lone Madrone.






(It didn't hurt that the wisteria smelled so nice!)





We hadn't even made it inside yet, & we were already completely taken with the place!  We thought it was cool that they had chickens & baby goats...





Finally, we walked inside.  What an oasis!  We were welcomed with the faint scent of lavender when we walked in, & the tasting room was gorgeous.



At this point, the wine could've completely sucked & we wouldn't have cared.  The joint just oozed goodness.  Had I done my research, I would've known that the owner is the winemaker at Tablas Creek!  Hearing that simple fact was a promise in itself - we knew great things were coming!

We were right!  Everything we tasted was outstanding.   Our favorite was their Zinfandel, Petite Sirah,  & Barbera blend, the 2006 Barfandel.   I know, I know....they really could have come up with a better name.  I mean, really -  Barfandel?   In the end, a name is just a name, & this wine proved that.  It's delightful, & we're looking forward to actually drinking it.  Now, the issues are when, what food to pair it with, & who to share it with (if anyone!).

I could go on & on, but there are other places to talk about!

Like Four Vines... It turned out that it was very easy to spot from the road, & we were excited to be there.  I've talked about Four Vines a lot on this blog.  If you love Zin (& oh, do I ever!) or other big reds, you should always have something from this winery on hand.  They not only produce superb wine, but the prices are very reasonable, so there's no excuse.

The tasting room was in the process of being renovated, so it wasn't that impressive to look at.  BIG DEAL.  (It will be, by the way, once it's finished!)  All that meant to us was that we didn't have too much to take photos of (& therefore less to show you).  We were able to revisit our favorites like "The Biker" & "The Maverick", & taste the harder-to-find-in-St. Louis "Anarchy" (a Rhone blend) & "Heretic" (Petite Sirah).  Mmmmmmm.....  There are also a bunch of others that we don't get at all here; for example, their Tempranillo "Loco", the "Phoenix" Syrah, & the "Monarchy", a blend of Petite Verdot, Malbec, & Tempranillo.  If I only had 1 word to describe all of them?  Sublime. 

They had soil samples from their 4 different areas.  Not your usual garden soil, that's for sure, but that's to be expected.  The vines produce higher quality grapes if they have to struggle.



Sorry, I only remember which ones were from Paso - the ones on the end.

Just imagine trying to grow anything in that soil!

Even though the tasting room was in transition, it was still a party! We had fun glasses. We got tattoos...




Ok, fake ones, but they lasted for several days!

Our tasting room hostess-with-the-mostest Holly was so much fun.  We hope that she'll be there when we go back next time.



In the end, we brought back "Monarchy" & the 2006 "Los Alamos Vineyard" One Tree Hill Block Syrah.  That 92-point Syrah won the 2009 Hospice du Rhone Syrah Shoot-Out, & it's truly fantastic. 

Believe it or not, there's still more to go, but I'll end this post here.  Sorry it's taking me so long!