The color red

Last week, I had what was quite possibly the worst wine I've ever tasted. It was made by Red Guitar, which, if you go to their website looks (and sounds) like it might be delicious. But, in all actuality, it isn't fit to clean the inside of a toilet bowl.  Sadly, it was recommended by some grizzly liquor store owner in Keystone.  What's worse is it showed it got 92 points on the tasting. Yipes. And what's ever worser (is worser a word? If not, I'm going to use it anyway.), it cost almost $20.  You'd think you'd get a little more than a bottle of toilet bowl cleaner for $20.  **shaking head in shame**


After a long day of mingling and having to be on my A game last Thursday, I was looking forward to snuggling on the couch in front of a roaring fire (ok... maybe not roaring... really more of a dim flicker from  a gas fireplace) with a glass of wine. Imagine my disappointment when past my lips slipped what I can only describe as (pardon my English) shitty, cheap, tangy nastiness. Sorry, but true. Very disappointing. (But very memorable, I will tell you this. I've had a few laughs over it, intermingled with a few tears.)


After an experience like this, one just gets a case of the shiver-me-timbers at the thought of red wine. But... after about a week of recovery, I am ready to re-engage my seasoned taste buds.


Let me tell you a little something about cheap wine. Some people have a love affair with Two-Buck Chuck (that's Charles Shaw for the layperson). In most states, this wine actually does only cost $2 a bottle. In Oregon it was $3. Listen, for that kind of price, is it a bad wine? Not really. Is it a great wine? Certainly not. But it does the job and it's a nice basic wine to have around the house. (Gotta love Trader Joe's (TJ's, as we like to call it) for introducing a decent wine with an uber-low price tag.)


Even Target carries a decent cheap wine.  Bare Foot makes a great (gold medal) wine. A bottle of Merlot will run about $5. And it tastes pretty good. I mean... for the price. It's not great. But it isn't bad. It's acceptable. Much better than that crap wine I picked up in Keystone. 


Now... I'm not one to complain about the price of wine. You often get what you pay for. I was spoiled living in the Pacific Northwest, and more specifically the Willamette Valley, where the landscape is littered with vineyards and wineries. If there is one thing the Pac NW does right, it's Pinot Noir (among others).  We have done our share of wine tasting and winery tours. We've had our share of expensive wine. It's been a fun self-inflicted challenge to find that $100 bottle of wine for the low-low price of $18. There are plenty to choose from.  

One of my favorites is Willamette Valley Vineyards. I can say with all honesty and quite a bit of enthusiasm that I have never had a bad wine from Willamette Valley. It's quite good. The vineyard and winery isn't a bad spot to hang, either.  


Another winery that we're fond of is Redhawk. Their most popular wine is called Grateful Red. Kind of funny, with a great label. But... it's not my favorite. What Redhawk does really well is blend. They make an amazing Cuvee, which is a classic bordeaux blend, basically a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, and sometimes some other version of red for kicks.  It's full, but light, and always does very well in the tasting room. What's a bonus about Redhawk is we are acquaintances with the owners. We've been up to their tasting room many times when it was just us and them. (We also ran into them once at The Ram in Salem, and they paid for our drinks.) Lovely people who followed their hearts and took hold of their dream to own a winery. I love stories like that.


Apparently, Colorado has a fair share of wineries, as well. I think one of these days, when the wind is right and I get a fire in my belly, I just might take a road trip to see what all the hub-bub is about.


I loves me a good glass of wine.... or two... or five.