Promises vs Reality, Mexico

On my Aeromexico flight from LAX to Monterrey Mexico this morning, I was unexpectedly upgraded to Business Class.  Instead of a cramped coach seat in this Embraer 190 (2 x 2 seating in the back, 1 + 2 seating in business class, x four rows), I have a rather spacious left hand 3A seat, with a window all to myself and no neighbor.  Very nice.

Not having flown Aeromexico Business class for many years, I was curious as to what kind of alcohol they might serve.  I of course, looked at their in-fight magazine and immediately located the whiskey.  Whiskey Bushmills - international flight…. well, that’s what I’m on.  Cognac Courvosier - International Flight.  Mmmmm, choices choices.  I also noted that they had Johnny Walker black for those who love peat and smoke, various beers, 2 tequilas, 2 vodkas, and one rum (or Ron).  The white wine list included a Bordeaux, a California Chardonnay, a Riesling, and 2 others.  2 bubblies, and 3 or 4 reds. I’d ask for Courvosier, then go to the Bushmills if they didn’t have it, and then step down to the vino blanco if that was low as well.

“Courvosier Cognac, por favor” I said in my best Spanish to the flight attendant.  I received a blank stare.  I showed the flight attendant the page from GranPlan Aire magazine.  She looked, and said “whiskey?”  Si, Bushmills whiskey for favor.  She then walked back up to the front of the plane, 10 feet away, and opened a 1750 ml bottle of Johnny Walker Black, pouring me a generous serving.  Not my favorite by far, but drinkable compared to its red cousin, that is better off thrown as a molotov cocktail.  After lunch was served she politely asked if I wanted more whiskey.  “No gracias. Vino blanco for favor”.  I am now on my 3rd glass of vino blanco - I am not driving when I get to Monterrey.

Why am I not working? - you might ask?  Well, the company paid for a non-refundable cheap coach class ticket, where there is not room to open a lap top.  I’m up in business class not because of work, but because of the funerals and vacations I’ve taken with Delta this year that have almost made me gold medallion status.  The domestic and Tijuana based work flights I’ve taken have barely moved the needle.  If work wants me to work on a flight, they can pay for business class, and i will drink less, work more, and be a happier camper.  After 5 decades on this mortal coil, I have no patience for trying to placate cheap employers who drive to the lowest common denominator.  Therefore, I am composing my first blog post in many many many months.

I named this post “Promises vs Reality” because in Mexico, there are No Shortage of lofty promises.  Can you makes these parts? Si.  Can you meet the delivery date?  Si.  Will the parts be made from American bar stock and sheet metal?  Si.  Can you mark each part according to the instructions on the specification?  Si.  All promises made to try and make the customer happy.  None of the promises were kept…  no, not even slightly, remotely, partially kept.  Late parts, unmarked, with no data, made from very cheap Chinese sheet stock… a lie on every front.   This is what the last 4 months of dealing with Mexican suppliers has been for me.  And today’s Aeromexico flight is emblematic of what I’ve seen at various supplier throughout Mexico this year.  

No one ever wants to tell you know…  but they will slowly show you (demonstrating) no.

At least I got to sit in a nice, comfortable seat to compose this post... unexpectedly pleasant.  

Les Portes de Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc

Trader Joes has carried the Portes De Bordeaux French wine line for many years.  I've mentioned several of the varietals here in the past, but since my shift to white wines last year I have not had an opportunity to talk about the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc.  It is a "Gran Vin de Bordeaux", the bottles are serialized, and the quality is consistent and good.

If you're looking for a sour, grape-fruity, scrunched-up face New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc, then you will bot be satisfied here.  If you Are looking for a crisp, slightly citrus, smooth finished, very drinkable white wine that sells great at $6 a bottle, then this is for you!

Much like the red Bordeaux, the Rosé, or the Haute Medoc, this Sauvignon Blanc does not let down the drinker.  We keep several bottles in our wine fridge, across the calendar year.  Come visit DDF and I, and you can enjoy it as well.

Back Drop is our back yard, near sunset.

How To Stop Itching, From Personal Experience

When Dr Desert Flower and I moved from Arizona to California 5 years ago, almost immediately, I began getting itchy for no apparent reason.  The house we rented at the time had a hot tub, and while soaking in it felt good, I'd get itchy after drying off.  "Southern California is basically an irrigated desert" is the saying around here... but... after 5 years in Phoenix, the actual Sonoran Desert where humidity of 20% RH was normal, and a day of 40% RH was considered "muggy", one would have thought that California environmental dryness should not be that bad comparatively, right?

Well, the rental house also had fleas, which not only spiked up the itching but also drove our cats nuts until I eradicated the fleas using a Boric Acid powder solution across the entire house.  Then we moved into the home we bought in Orange County, sans fleas, but with a pool and a hot tub, and the itching got gradually worse.  I'd wake up in the middle of the night itching myself so fiercely that I'd scratch my neck, back, arms, and legs until they bled, which was really disgusting.  I tried going in the hot tub and pool, but the heat of the tub made it worse, and the rapid drying from the pool dried out my already irritated and aggravated skin even more.  I tried drinking one of the many craft beers readily available in Southern California, and within a few hours of drinking the delicious beverage, I'd start itching some more.  I tried self medicating with red wines that I'd been enjoying for the last 15 years, hoping to drink enough to fall asleep, and not wake up itching in the middle of the night.  This Often Did Not Work.  It was delicious... but the itching intensified.

I tried going to acupuncture to a local practitioner near our OC home, since I'd tried acupuncture while I lived in Phoenix for muscle and joint pain and it had helped significantly back then.  The acupuncture treatment DID relax me, and temporarily calm the itching while I as on the table with needles in me, but it had no lasting effect, between visits.

I tried sleeping pills, which had helped me when I'd traveled over-seas, and gave me a sedative sleep, but the results were lack luster.  Sometimes, the sleep was sound.  Sometimes, the sleep was restless and itchy.  This went on for almost 2 years, maddeningly.  I went to a dermatologist who prescribed ALL SORTS of topical steroids as well as some oral steroids.  "Temporary magic" is what my current primary care doctor calls steroids.  They did temporarily calm my skin down, but they also thinned it out to the point where the tiniest little scratch cause the skin to break and bleed. Bloody sleeves, pillow cases, and sheets were constantly grossing me out, and forcing multiple laundry loads several times a week.  It was not sustainable.

I tried swimming in the ocean several times a week, with the idea that MORE natural bacteria would help Balance whatever had gone out of whack on my skin.  That didn't work, and caused itching as the skin dried on the 15 minute drive home.

I went to a respected immunologist who put me on remarkably nasty drugs that are given to transplant recipients so that they don't reject their new organs.  It suppressed my immune system massively, but the itching persisted, nightly.  It also attacked during my work day when I was on a stressful call with an argumentative customer or contentious debate. Histamines were reigning supreme.  Benadryl, even at high doses, was ineffective.  Madness had begun to settle in, as I was losing my mind.

I'd read online about the homeopathic method of taking concentrated epsom salt baths (magnesium sulfate) to reduce itching.   Costco sells inexpensive MgSO4 in five pound bags, so 2 or 3 times a week, about every other day, I'd soak in a highly concentrated brine solution in our garden tub.  it helped to moisturize my skin, make it less prone to bleeding when scratched, and was a good opportunity to meditate, and calm... stress reduction.  Which was great during the bath, but didn't last through the night after the bath.

By this time both of our elderly cats had died.  The immunologist ran some tests on me that showed my blood was totally allergic to cats, to a level that should have caused anaphylaxis. No new cats, sadly for Dr Desert Flower.  We'd moved into a new house, with new carpeting and new paint, and yet still the nightly itching and stress induced itching were dominating my day-to-day life.  At wits end, I called my buddy Ron, who reads far more than I do, and is one of the smartest people I know, and told him of my plight.  "Elimination diet" we discussed, with just grass fed beef, celery, and almonds. Any vegetable I might eat would have to be organic. No grains, no dairy, no wine, no beer, just water to drink.  I did a 4 day cross-country drive, where I at almonds in the car as I drove alone, ate organic bland beef jerky, and suppered on grass fed steaks.  No sauces, no BBQ, just bland, natural food.  I trimmed my nails SUPER short so that I disarmed the scratching / bleeding devices, and I moisturized like mad.  "Within 3 minutes of drying yourself off (after bathing or swimming), or the moisturizer would have no effect" my immunologist warned me.  I slathered Aveeno, Lubriderm, and all kinds of other moisturizers on.   The itching started to die down... unexpectedly.

Then, as a proper science experiment, I introduced one new food each week.  Let the body metabolize it, and if no itching occurred, kept enjoying it.  If itching occurred, stop consuming that food.  Through February, March, April, May, and June, I added one food at a time, with discipline.  Sadly, I found that beer caused me to itch almost almost immediately upon drinking it.  The better and more tasty the beer, the more crafty the beer, the worse the itch.  Even going near a brewery and taking a tour made me itchy that day, the following night, and part of the next day.  Nearly every red wine, by the time I got to glass number two, the itch would start up, and last for hours.  Spicy foods, sriracha, jalapeno, chilis, spicy curries, anything spicy... all made my skin hot and itchy, so they got avoided.  Then, the revelation that red wine caused a delayed itch response, usually 2 to 3 hours after going to sleep, almost drove me to clinical depression.  I'd grown to love my red wines from all sorts of regions of the world... and now, my immune system had conspired to make them dermal unenjoyable.  Bordeaux, Malbec, Burgundy, Chianti, Sangiovese, Nero d'Avola, Primitivo, Loire valley, Napa valley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Valley, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet...  it didn't matter. If I enjoyed more than a shot glass worth of a red wine, I paid the price that night with itching and restless sleep.

My primary care physician recommended bleach baths, a 1/4 cup per 10 gallons, soaking for 10 to 15 minutes, luke warm, NOT hot water, every other day, 2 to 3 times a week.  This helped the scratches on my skin heal, reduced the redness and inflammation, and served as a "rinse" after taking a normal shower.  [Note: one must be careful though, to avoid new variations in bleach that are "anti splash" types that have detergent in them that causes the bath to foam up rapidly... just get the generic old hypochlorite solution].

So I am happy to say that after 4 years, 3 of them physically bloody miserable, I am now containing and managing my over-reactive itching skin, and things have gotten MUCH MUCH better.
- Removed the external allergens (cats died, didn't replace them & I pay a guy to cut my grass, as I am terribly allergic to grass as well)
- Eliminated the internal allergens inside what I ate and drank (no beer, no red wine, no rye whiskey [rye is grass])
- Stopped taking all the steroids that were thinking out my skin terribly
- Massively moisturized, within 3 minutes of getting out of the tub or shower or ocean, slathering it on rapidly
- Keep nails very short, to reduce accidental self injury while sleeping
- Massively reduce dependency on prescription sleep aids, using them infrequently, and basically only when traveling, and relying upon totally natural products instead.
- Avoid all spicy foods... if a reaction starts, stop eating that food.
- Alternate between bleach baths and magnesium sulfate baths, 3 to 5 times a week
- Have supportive friends and a loving wife who put up with my annoying itching... so that I didn't become self-destructive & suicidal.
The work stress rarely ever causes an itching episode anymore (better management of work stress, plus reduction of biological drivers), and the vast majority of nights are no longer invaded by itching.

I am not saying that my methods will work for you, or for anyone who reads this... I am just saying that it took years to contain (after cropping up in a very short period of time), and it is something that has to continually be managed, with vigilance.  For me, there was No Easy remedy.  If you found one, I'd be more than happy to hear what worked for you.

May 2017 addition - Emu Oil.  The Oleic acid in Emu oil doesn't melt off you like coconut oil does, and if you've got dry, itchy, flaky skin (on your arms, neck, face, legs, or anywhere else) the Emu oil smoothes the itch, significantly reduces the flaking, and stays on you without creating a massive oil slick on everything you touch.  I wear long sleeves if I've put some on, but it works really well.  The stuff is expensive.  $11 for 2 ounces, $55 for a 10 ounce bottle, but it is local (Southern CA emus), available at Sprouts, and works pretty well.  Cheaper than $400 a tube tacrolimus that crappy United Health Care no longer covers in their "formulary", despite the fact it works well.

My final red wine posting...

Followers of and visitors to JustJoeP know that I love wine, and I've blogged about wine here more than just about any other subject; more than food, more than politics, more than nature photography, music, or travel.  Well, sadly, blogging about wine is coming to an end for me.

For the last year, I've been experiencing chronic itching that has been driving me batty.  It typically gets worse in the evenings, but it can also manifest itself in the mornings when I am waking up at 4 or 430am and starting my work day, hosting international conference calls with 50 to 100 engineers calling in some mornings with me as the ring master / orchestra leader / debate moderator.  Sometimes the itch was so severe that I'd scratch until I bled, arms, legs, neck, chest, back... it was unsustainable.  So upon the advise of my wise friends Steve and Ron, as well as DDF, I went on an elimination diet in February that last 2 months, eating a mono-diet of simple foods and adding one thing at a time, one week at a time, to see what the effects were.  Problem was, I didn't exclude wine from my diet, as I love it so very much.

I have known for many years (more than 10 years) that Valpolicella, a delicious red Italian wine, caused my neck and chest and face to turn red, itch, and made it hard for me to breathe.  Other wine varietals grown nearby did not have that effect, so I just avoided Valpolicella.  And looking back through the 221 postings here on wine, I enjoyed many different types of red wine from many different countries over the years.  But I started noticing this summer, that after drinking a glass or two of Bordeaux (usually 50% merlot + other varietals) that I'd start to itch, my hands would turn pink or red, and forearms would start to light up with intense surges of itching, and I'd generally be miserable. Falling asleep that night was rough. Going to work the next morning, the itch resurfaced and drove me out of my mind.  So I started avoiding Bordeaux.

I stuck to Syrah and Malbec, and other varietals like Primitivo, Nero d'Avola, and my favorite, Minervois.  Kept it to a glass or two... but even then, over the last few months, the itching resurgence was directly correlating.  Stay away from wine, itch is much less.  Drink wine, itching flared up right after and the next morning.  So a few weeks ago, I bought a bottle of Santa Julia Malbec, Mendoza Argentina, made with organic grapes.  Sprouts sold it for $9 a bottle, and I've had good organic wine from them before, so I thought... "let's see".   Santa Julia was good, drinkable, paired well with the grass fed steak I had grilled... but still, the itching flared up after drinking it.  I fooled myself into thinking "maybe it was a bad bottle... the next one won't cause me to itch!"  So last week, I bought a second bottle, and opened it up that night with dinner.  Before the 2nd small glass was done, I could feel my arms starting to itch.  When I went to bed that night, my neck and chest and back were itching as well.  Highly medicated, I eventually fell asleep, and upon waking the next day was hit with the regular resurgence of itching.

2 days ago, I saw the last glass still in the bottle.  I felt bad leaving it in the bottle and DDF doesn't like most red wines, so I poured the last 4 ounces into a small Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens glass, and had it with lunch.  Soon thereafter, the tops of my hands turned pink, the itch began creeping up...  it was not the Malbec's fault.  It's my over-reactive immune system that has now decided that Joe's had enough red wine in his lifetime, and it's going to punish me if I have anymore.  Just 4 ounces, and my immune system over-reacted, again. = \

So I've had a glass of white wine, and it's ok... but without the tannins and the depth of flavor, I can't help but seeing it as empty calories.  Fine for a hot summer afternoon with cheese perhaps...  but...  not something I want to have with dinner regularly.  Adieu, delicious reds...  I bid you farewell, with much remorse.  

It's a good thing that bourbon and Irish whiskey cause no such itching for me.  I've not yet run extensive Cognac experiments, but I fear with Cognac's geographic proximity just North of Bordeaux, that it may stimulate a similar immune response from my insides, on the outside.  Vodka and ice and some small amount of mixers for flavor (like lemonade or 100% cranberry juice + stevia) also have no ill effects with itching or anything else.  And no, my liver is not having problems... my liver function tests are just fine, checked more than once a year, just in case.  One must choose their poison, very carefully. 

Why More Than One Feeder?

There's more than enough nectar for all 4 of us. Everyone, chill & have some sucrose. (out my office window)

Why do I set out more than one nectar feeder in some locations around my house?  Well, first, the shepherd hook mounts often come with 2 hooks, and I have more than one double hook...

Now boys, there's no need to fight...

 ...but more than that, it is to encourage more hummingbirds to come and feed, attracting as many as possible.   I get Anna's, Allen's, Rufous, Black Chinned and the occasional Costa's hummingbirds.

The females share the nectar happily, though nervously...  always wary of some young male who might try and swoop in and threaten them.  Two adolescent males will try and intimidate each other, but usually they both decide they're too thirsty to fight, and just perch on the same feeder to lap up as much sugar as they can before a bigger, older, stronger male runs them off.

The males' brains are instinctually programmed to fight and hoard as many resources as possible.  The younger males, especially of the smaller Rufous and Allen's species try to threaten everything, while the older, mature, fully-ascotted males like the larger Anna's that are ~20% bigger than the other species are more often laid back, like "boy, you don't want to make me angry... you wouldn't like it when I'm angry Mr McGee"

I try to wash out the feeders about every 2 weeks, or "every other filling" if they don't show visible signs of mold, fungus, bacteria, or smell bad.

Trying to focus in on the head of a hummingbird while the wings are furiously beating is not an easy task.  The photo above was taken at 10 feet away, with a 75X zoom, through a glass window and screen (Panasonic Lumix makes some truly awesome optics software).

Sharing is much less stressful than fighting and fencing with your beak & aerial momentum, as these Anna's females understand.

This feisty little Rufous thinks he owns the feeders outside my window.  It's always a treat when I can catch him in the sun light feeding with his fierce plumage reflecting the sun's rays.

This immature Anna's male (note the lack of fully bright ascot plumage and just the start of a goatee) loves the Fuchsia plants outside the family room windows in my back yard.  I believe hummingbirds see Fuchsia flowers & Hibiscus blossoms similar to how I see most red Bordeaux and Languedoc-Roussilion wines... as a delicious staple that's preferred, whenever available.  Sure, I'll take a $5 Nero d'Avola Italian bottle as a daily table wine (like a sucrose nectar feeder). But given a choice of something more delicious... mmmmm.

This little Rufous guards the front yard feeders outside of DDF's window, roosting high up on the spines of the palm trees in the shade. He's ready to swoop down the 15 foot elevation advantage and scare off anyone who's attempting to sip his nectar.

He's trying to do his best Smaug impersonation... but doesn't have the scales or girth to pull it off.

The Anna's male who sits on a  low hanging vine-that-looks-like-a-swing over our backyard patio will often sit and sing for an hour or so, telling all the neighborhood females "hey baby, I've got nectar if you're thirsty, Fuchsia plants not too far away, and lots of places you can build your nest...  hey baby..." It's just kinda sad that the male hummingbirds don't help at all in the nest building, child raising, or home defense, leaving it all to the fertile female.  The only thing the males do is hoard resources, fight with other males, attempt to posture impressively, and sing their own praises loudly.  It's a good thing their plumage looks spectacular int he sunlight, or I would have lost interest a long time ago.

Warm Weather Rosés

I've mentioned before (link here) how warm weather is the best time to drink a chilled Rosé wine.  I've found 3 more Rosés that are worth mentioning here.

Each one has a unique crispness.  Each one is less than $10 at Trader Joe's.  Each one was enjoyed on a warm afternoon in my back yard, with DDF, or by myself if she was not around.

Crayon La Rosé is a new selection from Trader Joe's.  Light, refreshing, delicious, Southern French Rosé.

Côtes de Provence, J.L. Quinson 2014...  a classic staple from Trader Joe's French wine shelve.  Always a good choice.

Les Portes de Bordeaux,  Bordeaux Rosé, 2014, is a new selection at Trader Joe's to compliment the Bordeaux Superior, The Fronsac, and the St. Emillion Portes de Bordeaux that Trader Joe's has offered for a long time.

I encourage everyone to try these three delicious Rosés, if you're looking for a refreshing adult beverage.

Chateau Poyanne Côtes de Bourg 2013

Another Trader Joe's hidden treasure, I found this Côtes de Bourg red awesome and it was only $7 at the Laguna Hills Trader Joe's.  Drinkable, a high quality right bank Bordeaux, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I've read haters' blog postings about how unpleasant and undrinkable it was, with terrible smells upon opening and pouring.  Guess what boys & girls, you got a bad bottle; it had turned.  The one I had was awesome, and at $7, even more impressive.

If you're looking for an inexpensive, high quality Bordeaux, why not try the Chateau Poyanne Côtes de Bourg?

Château Colombier-Monpelou 2008

Back in July, my buddy Ron's son G came to visit with us for a week in California from the UK.  While G was here we enjoyed some hearty grass fed, hormone free rare grilled steaks and other delicious dishes.  The first nice "dinner" we had at home, DDF insisted we open up a good solid Bordeaux for G to taste.  I selected this Château Colombier-Monpelou 2008 which I believe we purchased at Total Wine for around $20.  It did not disappoint.

Sure, it was G's first taste (by his own admission) of a quality Bordeaux wine, but like my own introduction back in 2002 in Jonzac France by Pierre Gourdon (R.I.P.) who served us an amazing Margaux which he'd cellared for 10 years, I wanted the first taste to be better than "OK".  DDF and I tremendously enjoyed it, and G liked it.

Les Portes De Bordeaux Haute Medoc

Les Portes De Bordeaux Haute Medoc 2012, is the latest offering from Les Portes De Bordeaux family.  I mentioned earlier (link here) how Les Portes de Bordeaux expanded from just the Bordeaux Superior to a Fronsac. Well they also have a Haut Medoc, and a St. Emillion (the Saint will be blogged about after Christmas, when we'll drink it).

For $9 a bottle, this is a fantastic Haut Medoc.  It was rather young, at just 2012, but very drinkable and enjoyable.  Like other Haut Medocs, I found it to have a lingering mineral finish on the tongue, pleasant, and dry.  A grande vin de Bordeaux indeed.  If you see a bottle at your local Trader Joe's, try it.

Highly recommended.

December Laguna Sunsets

The Sunsets have been pretty amazing too.  This sequence was taken the evening of December 11th, from my office window, backyard, and front yard.

jgjgj

And as I took these images at dusk, I was wearing sandals, shorts, a light weight shirt, drinking a delicious red Bordeaux wine, and it was 65F.

Yeah, living here doesn't suck.

Croix de Marsan COSTCO 1/2 Case

Last month I was walking through my local COSTCO when I noticed an end display of cardboard boxes in the wine section.  The sign "$30 Bordeaux 1/2 Case" caught my eye.  $5 a bottle?  That's pretty good for a generic Bordeaux, why not?  So I bought the 1/2 case of Croix de Marsan Bordeaux 2011, Bordeaux A.O.C., and opened a bottle that night. It did not disappoint.

Don't be intimidated by "élevé en fût de chêne"- just means that it was stored / aged (élevé = raised) in oak barrels.  60% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon (as all Bordeaux A.O.C. wines are supposed to be). "On the palate the attack is supple, the tannins are round and velvety" - sure, I would agree with that.  I did not aerate the bottle, but I did let it "breathe" for a good 20 minutes before tasting the first glass.  "Can be kept for 5 years" - well, it's not going to reach 5 months.

Bottled by a negotiant L.C.D.R. A F-33550 Gironde France, and imported to the US by Misa Imports, Dallas TX.  For $5 a bottle, it's a good red table wine, negotiant bottled or not.

More Offerings From Les Portes De Bordeaux

Our local Trader Joes began carrying not just the excellent "Les Port De Bordeaux, Bordeaux" (for less than $8 a bottle) that I've appreciated here previously, but now a Fronsac version as well!  A true "Grande Vin De Bordeaux" from the Fronsac region within Bordeaux, and it too, was less than $8 a bottle. Wonderful!

I try to keep at least one or two bottles of these inexpensive gems in my wine rack, so that I can introduce my house guests to excellent inexpensive Bordeaux wines.  If you come over to visit or have dinner, don't be surprised if you're offered this selection.  =)

Summer of 2013 Affordable Wines

I had delusions of grandeur that I'd be posting a whole bunch of separate entries about various wines that Dr Desert Flower and I enjoyed over the summer.  Fall arrived just 2 weeks ago, and there's a formidable collection of empty bottles building up in my office. a-waiting to be blogged about.  But pragmatically, I am running out of time, and the rental house in which we are living now had a lock box on the front door and is going "to be shown" to get the next set of renters in here once we head to our new home in October.  So this morning, while our visiting son is sleeping upstairs (and before I get the bacon fat heated up in the skillet to cook everyone pasteur raised eggs) I am going to post as many of the bottles we enjoyed over the summer as possible, all in one fell swoop.  The recycling bin will be heavy with colored glass this week.

Castillo Clavijo Tempranillo was an inexpensive Spanish Rioja (D.O.C.) imported by Saranty Importers, White Plains NY.   It was a Crianza (as my one page wine summary explained years ago) and it was pretty good.   No complaints.  The Spanish, and their government regulatory & quality assurance system (as well as a brutal market place) know how to make good wines that are affordable for "everyday drinking".







 Velvet Moon Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011, California,  was a lark purchase at Trader Joe's during one of my "I love California" wine buying trips to the store.  I want to love California wines, and there are many good ones, but most are really over-priced.  The Rioja above was less than $10 (everything on this posting will be less than $10, unless otherwise noted) and it came 1/2 way around the world, was made in a country (and regulatory system) that Californian wine producers would consider "oppressive", "stifling" and "not supportive of the free market"and yes cost a dollar less a bottle to me, the end wine drinker, in California.

Velvet Moon was not bad.  It was drinkable.  Went well with a grass fed, pasteur raised steak I grilled (which cost more than the bottle of wine...  maybe I need to re-think this...) and I would recommend it as an adequate red table wine.  It's nothing to rave about, nor is it anything to criticize, trash, or pour down the sink.  It was OK. If you're in the mood for a OK Cabernet, you could do worse. I know that's not a "gushing" review, but Velvet Moon didn't knock me off my feet or leave a powerful, distinct impression. Would I buy it again?  Eh, probably...  if it was on sale.  Why not?

The Bougrier Loire Valley Anjou (Appellation Controles) 2011 from Total Wine was an Alfio Moriconi selection.  Total Wine's website calls it a "blush selection" - I called it a Rosé.  We drank it during the 2 week August "Hot Spell" when temperatures climbed over 85F here in Southern Orange County, and it's always nice to have a cool Rosé on a hot summer day.  The Total Wine site says it is $11 a bottle, but I think we got it on sale for $9.99.  It was light, refreshing, flavorful with lots of fruit while not tasting like HFCS flavored kid's grape juice. The French - much like the Spanish - also have excellent quality controls, government over-sight, and time-tested regulations on wine production that make excellent sense and help to produce excellent wines.  This Anjou selection is among them.

I explored a new selection in the Bila-Haut, Cotes Du Roussillon Villages - Appelation Cotes Du Roussillon Villages Controlee.  It's full name is "Les Vines De Bila-Haut, by Michel Chapoutier, 2011."  Mis en bouteille par M.Chapoutier (Michel is a negotiant who bottles lots of wine).  The Languedoc region is often under-appreciated both in France and in the US, but I've actually had a bad bottle of Languedoc wine.   This bottle of red was wonderful.  "Fleshy and well structured" is what the back label said...  ok...  I guess so.  I didn't notice any "fleshy" tones or tastes.  It was good.  It was drinkable, and I liked it.  If you try it, you'll probably like it too.

Chateau de Sales Pomerol was NOT under $10.  It was a DDF purchase to have a delicious (and somewhat expensive, at $28) bottle of Bordeaux on hand for a colleague of her's from Phoenix who came to visit us last summer for a weekend at the beach and shopping with DDF.  Bottled by Heritiers de Lambert, this Pomerol did not disappoint, and delivered the full flavored, robust tannins of a hearty and impressive Bordeaux - which is primarily Merlot (and some Cabernet Franc mixed in), so take THAT, Merlot haters!  I'd recommend it if you can find it for under $30 a bottle and you have a special occasion and you serve it FIRST, and not as a 2nd or third bottle with dinner.

The Noccese Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (D.O.C.) 2008 from Chiusa Grande was a Trader Joe's purchase that was either $11 or $12, and it was not just delicious and affordable, but it was also ORGANIC!  Imported by Organic Cellar, Laguna Beach CA, it was a great wine.   Estate bottled by Azienda Agricola Chiusa Grande di Franco D'Eusanio, Nocciano Italia.  I really meant to blog about this wine earlier in the summer, but I got distracted - in Southern California there's just so much more to do outside and at the ocean than there is in the desolation of western Phoenix.

The Harthill Farm Pinot Grigio was a $6 WholePaycheck purchase by DDF that she especially enjoyed, and has been a repeat purchase on our dinner table.  I do not mind pinot grigios, but DDF has become somewhat of an aficionado of affordable and delicious white wines.  The Harthill Farm offering is now a "go to" for us.  Bottled in Livermore and Ripon California, Harthill Farms "gets it", providing high quality & delicious Californian wine at a reasonable price.

And now...  it is time for breakfast.

More wine blogging after breakfast.  Stay tuned....

Château Mayne Guyon Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux 2010

Château Mayne Guyon Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux 2010 is another fine, affordable, Trader Joe's red wine.  Less than $9 a bottle, consistent quality, delicious, drinkable, under-appreciated, well recommended.  Yes, it is bottled by a negotiant, and sometimes that can make a slightly "lesser wine", but not this time.  I enjoyed it.  You can too.

2007 Was As Good As 2006

Back in 2006, I did a posting on Vieux Chateau Grean, mise en bouteilles du Chateau by Danielle et Richard DUBOIS, St. Sulpice de Faleyrens France, a wonderful $12 Bordeaux.  Well DDF and I recently enjoyed a 2007 bottle, and it was just as good.  I actually blogged this twice..  but I am having some serious issues with continuity here on google blogger from the Apple Store, so I am going to make this short and sweet (for the third time).

Château de Bel-Air Lussac-St. Émilion 2009

We recently enjoyed a semi-fancy Bordeaux at Christmas - a Château de Bel-Air Lussac-St. Émilion 2009 (link here).  DDF bought it at Total Wine for about $20 and we had it with some delicious pork for a holiday meal while our son was visiting.  The bottle has been sitting around my office for far too long, for an over-due blog posting.

It was a good, full bodied, healthily tannin'ed Bordeaux.  No complaints about the wine - it was good, and drinkable, and if you're looking for a nice Bordeaux under $20 that's a step up form the $9 bottles I usually blog about from the bargain bin, you could do much worse than this one.

Lussac-St. Émilion is the "cheaper cousin" to regular St. Émilion.  I always find it a little under-handed when a restaurant lists Lussac-St. Émilion or Lalande de Pomerol as actual St. Émilion or Pomerols.  They're adjacent regions, very similar, but Not The Same, and when a sommelier tries to pass off the cheaper cousin, sight-unseen, grrrrrrr.

So, enough of my rant...  I have 2 more bottles to go in the next 30 mins.

Debottled

In an effort to jettison unnecessary clutter, I've been throwing out and recycling an inordinate amount of "stuff" this last month that is not worth moving, and consuming food and beverage without replenishing stocks of supplies.  One of my fond memories that I gently placed in the recycling bin (seriously, I could not just toss them in, I laid each one into the bin, with a heavy heart), were the wine bottles I'd collected over the 5 years of living in Arizona.  They were kept on the top of the kitchen cabinets, and I dusted them every couple of months to keep them shiny. 
In earthquake prone California such precariously perched glass would be a certain disaster of dangerous shards - the rental agreement DDF signed even stated that we understand that all water heaters in California homes Must Be firmly braced to the home's structural members to avoid being tipped over during an earthquake.  Rows of bottles will not do, and who wants to move empty bottles anyways, right? 

Included in the collection were the delicious Bordeaux wines that we drank, most of which we painstakingly personally moved here in 2 wine cases, in the 1999 I30 we drove 3 days across the country alongside 2 sedated cats in July of 2007.  The wine fridge was our first Arizona purchase, which we could fit in the car and bring to our new home, before the heat of the Phoenix summer could ruin the delicious wine - and 2 days before Home Depot could deliver our new GE appliances too.

The Amano was an inexpensive Italian Zinfandel I picked up at Total Wine, identical to a vintage that DDF and I enjoyed with our son on our first trip to the Grand Canyon as a family.  The night after he and I hiked down to Indian Gardens and back (1/2 way to the river) we sat in a nice Flagstaff cafe and drank the bottle together.

The High West Whiskey would never have been discovered if not for our friend Dr Todd, who had frequented Park City Utah, and clued us in about the High West distillery and the awesome quality products they produce. 

The Pause Cafe Cognac was given to me as a gift by my buddy François in 2011, when I visited him and his family in France while on a business trip.  It was indeed a delicious little Cognac.

The Arizona Stronghold wines that Maynard makes will be dearly missed.  It was really nice to be able to find them in Arizona retailers, and in local, sustainable restaurants.  I think finding them in California will be quite elusive. 

And yes, there's all sorts of California wines I can try. Napa, Sonoma, Russian River, etc.  I know.  And I will try to keep an open mind.  I just find it difficult to pay twice as much for a local Californian wine that is often overly-oaked and inferior quality, when I can be drinking a much better, higher quality, delicious AND inexpensive French, Italian or Spanish red that traveled much farther to make it to the same store shelves, was picked with higher paid labor, and was bottled with strict government regulation and over-sight that provides consistent, repeatable, reliable quality at a reasonable price.  But I will try to keep an open mind.