Alamos Red Blend 2011 – $11.99

Winemaker’s Notes: Dark berry fruit flavors, integrated with brown spice and vanilla oak characters that form a plush mouthfeel. The Tempranillo and Syrah grapes contribute bold, spicy flavors of blackberry and black pepper which marry well with the juicy dark cherry flavors of Bonarda and the deep plum flavors of the Malbec base. The addition of Cabernet Franc helps to balance the blend, as it melds with notes of warm brown spice to create a long, supple finish.

Kim Notes: “Mmmm…it was delicious both before and after the trash picking!”

First, let me address the elephant in the room- Yes, last week I said I was going to step outside of my comfort zone and try some new crazy stuff, something other than Cabernet Sauvignon. Ok, so this is another red wine, but at least it’s not a Cabernet Sauvignon. Baby steps, people, baby steps.

Moving on.

Recently, I read an article in the September 2013 issue of Wine Spectator (yes, I actually have a subscription) entitled “The Great Bottle Test” by James Laube. In it, he says that an indicator of how good a bottle of wine is, regardless of price, is if you’re tempted to drink the whole thing or not. I couldn’t agree more! There have been plenty of wines that I’ve rated as “Meh”, the reason…I didn’t care to drink the whole bottle. Don’t get me wrong, I may have finished the whole bottle but it was more of an effort than a true desire.

Ok, so anyway, the “trash picking” thing is a long story but I’ll only bore you with about two-thirds of it:

Collin was on his skateboard today and he fell off, skinning his knee pretty badly. I washed the wound with clean water… and consequently found out that clean water is the only thing I have in the way of emergency care.

As he was soaking in the tub (I made him sit in a tub full of water, with his clothes on, splashing water on his knee), I searched every cluttered cabinet we had and returned with a bottle of hydrogen peroxide that expired in 2009, some gauze leftover from the dog’s anal gland surgery, and a roll of black duct tape.

The duct tape made me feel resourceful, like a survivalist! The gauze just made me feel ashamed.

After bandaging the wound, I poured myself a glass of Alamos. YUM, YUMITY, YUM! It was full, well balanced,had a slight spice, and although it wasn’t overly oaky, the other flavors more than made up for it.

Then, as I was finishing my glass, I saw this Facebook message on my neighbor’s timeline:

Free stuff at the bottom of our driveway. We have a long board, helmets, knee pads, much more.

Talk about destiny! I grabbed the kids, the flashlights (it was late), and we hopped in the car. You better believe we snapped up those knee pads. I’m not an idiot, the universe wanted us to have them. We also grabbed a sled and some Barbie dolls- the universe is generous.

When we returned, I poured my second glass of wine and guess what? I still liked it! In fact, I had to stop myself from drinking the whole bottle! And that’s how you know it’s good! James Laube said so.

Go out and buy me some today!

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