Wine for Christmas

Yup... forget Holidays.... Labor Day is a Holiday... Memorial Day is a Holiday... New Year's Day is a Holiday.... Christmas is Christmas....

Then again, I guess you could technically call any day that you get off work a Holiday...

Then again, any day can be an even better Holiday with some nice beverage... i.e. wine.

Over the last 5 months, I've written all kinds of posts to this blog and I don't think anyone is reading them. I may as well be writing in a little journal or diary and tucking it neatly into a night stand before crashing each evening.

Oh, well... doesn't matter. I think this is my first post in about 7-8 weeks. And it's all about getting pleasantly toasted for Christmas.

Perhaps this is because I've had a nice 22oz bottle of my home-brewed IPA tonight and 3 glasses of 2006 3 Rings Barossa Shiraz - one of my favorites. Or maybe it's because I found a bottle of 2008 Yellow Tail Shiraz for $4.99 at Target this afternoon. Or maybe it's because my Rosenblum Red Rangers shipment arrived last week. Or maybe it's because I've been expounding all year long about the merits of buying Columbia Crest wines only to watch its' 2005 Reserve Cabernet top Wine Spectator's Top 100 list for 2009.... or maybe it's just because I like to drink.

It doesn't matter, does it? I mean, whatever is your liking, enjoy it. Whether it's a Holiday or Christmas or both.... all I know is that Jesus turned water to wine... and in the movie "Bottle Shock", it is quoted that wine is the perfect blend of sunlight and water... or something like that... I was drinking when I watched that, too.

Well, in these recessive times... to hell with all of you who think that a $500 bottle of wine is better than a $27 dollar bottle just because it's really cool to brag to all of your Lexus-driving friends that you can match your monthly lease payment on grape juice.... to hell with you. Why? Because if it tastes good, the rating doesn't freaking matter. If it tastes good, raise your glass and say.... with a big healthy intoxicated smile across your beaming mug....

Cheers!

What if it's just grape juice?

Sometimes, while I'm drinking wine, I think.... this is just crushed and fermented grapes. Or to put it more cynically, rotten grapes.

It's really funny when I think about it; I used to love that purple juice in the Welch's jars... it was so sweet and washed a bologna and cheese sandwich down perfectly. If I didn't know better at the time, I'd say that Welch's and a bologna sandwich exists in a parallel universe to Cabernet and steak. Or peanut butter and jelly... or beer and hot dogs....

Last year, while looking at the highest rated wines in one of the wine rags, I noticed that those in the 96,97,98... and even 100 point rating range were also priced accordingly.... I think the cheapest of the 8 100 point wines was about $200 per bottle.... coincidence? I think not.

The rags say that price has no bearing on the ratings system. But, price has to be related to quality at some point, doesn't it? Or is it just a gimmick? I mean, is a $750 bottle of Screaming Eagle noticeably better than a $150 bottle of Insignia... or a $25 bottle of 2005 Columbia Crest Reserve Cab? After all, the 2005 Columbia Crest got a 95 point rating... the exact same rating as the 2005 Screaming Eagle Cabernet, while the 2005 Insignia received a 'lowly' 92 points.

Hmmm... let's see.... $25 or $750.... both 95 points... both cabs.... Where's my Welch's!!!!!