Tippling in Tucson
Ah, Tucson. Perfect balm for an endless Kansas City winter. Clear skies over the mountains, desert in full, gorgeous bloom, my oldest friend and a bottle of wine waiting for me. Now THAT, Grasshopper, is a spring break.
The bottle of wine was a 2000 Dynamite Cabernet Sauvignon. Friend Linda had no notion of its quality, as despite her many attributes she is a white wine woman. The Cab was a gift from a patient of hers, she said. Funny, that: It would never occur to me to gift my physician with a bottle of wine. Unless I were invited to her home for dinner.
Linda is a doctor (a pulmonary specialist), and we did present her with a bottle of wine, but that was for the friend, not the physician. She seemed to enjoy her 2004 Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, a prime example of the luscious SBs from New Zealand's Marlborough region. Andie and I enjoyed the Dynamite Cab, too, but not as much as we enjoyed the 2003 Windmill Zinfandel that accompanied our Sunday night pasta, which was smothered in garlic and fire-roasted tomatoes and green chile. At $12, the Windmill Zin is half the price of the Dynamite Cab -- proving that price does not necessarily match up with taste. Or preference.
At the Rum Runner Wine Store, we had a delectable dinner at The Dish, a small restaurant tucked at the back. The food was quite good (although the prices caused my beloved's already pale face to blanch further), and the wine list naturally had quite a few choices -- although not by the glass. I sampled most of the interesting-looking reds on the by-the-glass list after first trusting the server and trying the Duckhorn Meritage. Eh. A funky, earthy nose, and a less smooth finish than Danny's choice: the velvety 2001 Flora Springs Cab, 89 points if I correctly recall my Wine Spectator rating. I also tried a Spanish wine and another meritage, without achieving satisfaction. In the end, for my second full glass, I ordered up the wine I'd recommended to Danny: the Flora Springs Cab. A $23 retail price tag, although Costco offers it for $18.99.
Strangely, The Dish was one of those upscale restaurants that serves its wine-by-the-glass selections in little carafes, presumably so they'll be precisely measured. I didn't like the presentation, though; surely they know how large their red wine glasses are? I'd have found it more aesthetically pleasing to have it poured from the bottle. Given that there's a 250 percent markup (over RETAIL), I wouldn't think they'd be losing money should they pour the occasional extra ounce of wine.
Passing the Baptist church at 29th & Holmes today, I read the sign. I note it here without comment: "Stop, Drop and Roll Won't Work in Hell. Jesus Loves All."
Okay, I'll comment: Hee-hee-hee!
The bottle of wine was a 2000 Dynamite Cabernet Sauvignon. Friend Linda had no notion of its quality, as despite her many attributes she is a white wine woman. The Cab was a gift from a patient of hers, she said. Funny, that: It would never occur to me to gift my physician with a bottle of wine. Unless I were invited to her home for dinner.
Linda is a doctor (a pulmonary specialist), and we did present her with a bottle of wine, but that was for the friend, not the physician. She seemed to enjoy her 2004 Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, a prime example of the luscious SBs from New Zealand's Marlborough region. Andie and I enjoyed the Dynamite Cab, too, but not as much as we enjoyed the 2003 Windmill Zinfandel that accompanied our Sunday night pasta, which was smothered in garlic and fire-roasted tomatoes and green chile. At $12, the Windmill Zin is half the price of the Dynamite Cab -- proving that price does not necessarily match up with taste. Or preference.
At the Rum Runner Wine Store, we had a delectable dinner at The Dish, a small restaurant tucked at the back. The food was quite good (although the prices caused my beloved's already pale face to blanch further), and the wine list naturally had quite a few choices -- although not by the glass. I sampled most of the interesting-looking reds on the by-the-glass list after first trusting the server and trying the Duckhorn Meritage. Eh. A funky, earthy nose, and a less smooth finish than Danny's choice: the velvety 2001 Flora Springs Cab, 89 points if I correctly recall my Wine Spectator rating. I also tried a Spanish wine and another meritage, without achieving satisfaction. In the end, for my second full glass, I ordered up the wine I'd recommended to Danny: the Flora Springs Cab. A $23 retail price tag, although Costco offers it for $18.99.
Strangely, The Dish was one of those upscale restaurants that serves its wine-by-the-glass selections in little carafes, presumably so they'll be precisely measured. I didn't like the presentation, though; surely they know how large their red wine glasses are? I'd have found it more aesthetically pleasing to have it poured from the bottle. Given that there's a 250 percent markup (over RETAIL), I wouldn't think they'd be losing money should they pour the occasional extra ounce of wine.
Passing the Baptist church at 29th & Holmes today, I read the sign. I note it here without comment: "Stop, Drop and Roll Won't Work in Hell. Jesus Loves All."
Okay, I'll comment: Hee-hee-hee!
posted by Winetaster | 2:37 PM
|
0 comments
