In Vino Gaudium
Wow. That St. Peter's Square webcam is dangerous. DIH has been lost in happy contemplation of the Colonnade for days.
Today DIH bids a sad farewell to one of her favorite haunts. Napa Jack's in St. Louis Park was everything you'd want a wine shop to be, except maybe really, really cheap but you can't have everything. It was pleasant and attractive to browse in, had a really fun tastings bar, and was not a "wine snob" kind of place. Just lots of interesting wines from all over the world, and the owners' dogs on Wednesdays.
I got a kick out of reading the labels on new California wines that were clearly being marketed with the under-30 set in mind. "Screw Kappa Napa" was proud of its no-cork bottle, and "Aquinas Merlot" brought out the Aristotelian in everyone. I learned to love Sicilian reds there. I learned to eschew "bargain" pinots noirs. And I was introduced to New Zealand wines there. Nice stuff.
Anyway, today I went and bought what I have decided to call my first wine cellar in Napa Jack's closeout sale. This only amounts to two cases of vino but they are almost all wines I've never tried before, so let the adventure begin.
I love wine for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest is that it does the same thing that browsing in the "International Cookbooks" aisle at the Barnes and Noble for me: it's like doing some imaginary travelling. I can't look at a bottle of Australian wine without thinking I've got to learn more about Ula Roo, or at a case of Chilean red without thinking of the Andes, and how it's summer down there when it's winter here... I suppose that's true for Australia too, but I didn't think of it til just now. Wine reminds me what a big, interesting place the world is, and renews my desire to see more of it.
Of course, it also makes me think of Italy. Which makes me think of Rome. Which reminds me, there's always that St. Peter's Square webcam to turn to for a short mental vacation.
Today DIH bids a sad farewell to one of her favorite haunts. Napa Jack's in St. Louis Park was everything you'd want a wine shop to be, except maybe really, really cheap but you can't have everything. It was pleasant and attractive to browse in, had a really fun tastings bar, and was not a "wine snob" kind of place. Just lots of interesting wines from all over the world, and the owners' dogs on Wednesdays.
I got a kick out of reading the labels on new California wines that were clearly being marketed with the under-30 set in mind. "Screw Kappa Napa" was proud of its no-cork bottle, and "Aquinas Merlot" brought out the Aristotelian in everyone. I learned to love Sicilian reds there. I learned to eschew "bargain" pinots noirs. And I was introduced to New Zealand wines there. Nice stuff.
Anyway, today I went and bought what I have decided to call my first wine cellar in Napa Jack's closeout sale. This only amounts to two cases of vino but they are almost all wines I've never tried before, so let the adventure begin.
I love wine for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest is that it does the same thing that browsing in the "International Cookbooks" aisle at the Barnes and Noble for me: it's like doing some imaginary travelling. I can't look at a bottle of Australian wine without thinking I've got to learn more about Ula Roo, or at a case of Chilean red without thinking of the Andes, and how it's summer down there when it's winter here... I suppose that's true for Australia too, but I didn't think of it til just now. Wine reminds me what a big, interesting place the world is, and renews my desire to see more of it.
Of course, it also makes me think of Italy. Which makes me think of Rome. Which reminds me, there's always that St. Peter's Square webcam to turn to for a short mental vacation.
There's a St. Peter's Square webcam? Will you post the link?
ReplyDeleteI love wine, too. And I am very picky about my Pinot Noirs...if it tastes like a cab, then it's a bad pinot.
But I did try one Pinot in early December which was only around $10, so fits in with the "bargain" pinot category: Eschelon. I was completely amazed. It wasn't as good as my favorites (Cambria and King's Estates), but it was good.
I'm quite certain there are pinots that are better than the ones I cited, but I can't justify spending more money on a wine unless it's a really, really, REALLY special occasion.
What are your favorite pinots, if I may ask? You brought up the pinot thing so I assume you are a fan of that particular wine.
Whatever you do, try not to rain your ducats upon the idiots at Surdyk's, who've ruined a favorite magazine.
ReplyDelete-J.