Taking on Rex Goliath

Another weekend has come and gone, and as usual it went way too fast. This particular weekend seemed to move a little quicker then usual. I have come to realize quick weekend = fun weekend…well, for the most part. There were three major accomplishments made this weekend, and all made it a little tougher to head into work this morning.

First of all, the weather finally broke! Next, my wife and I ventured out on our first bike ride of the year. We hopped on our mountain bikes and put in some solid miles on the bike paths of Bloomington/Normal.  There is nothing like taking in the fresh air while cruising down the bike path with nothing on my mind. Secondly, my wife’s best friend from Kansas City came to visit. This being our first out of town house guest in the new home, we were ecstatic. With the bambino on the way, our lifestyle has changed from going out to the bars to nice, quiet evenings at the homestead. With a guest in town, we wanted to show her a good time, and we did exactly that without spending all of our life savings. As we get older, we have discovered that it doesn't matter where you hang out because it is about the time that you spend with others. 

Now, to the point of the blog, and the third accomplishment, good WINE! Friday night we had some friends over to play cards.  Everyone showed up around 8 and we commenced learning the game of Yuker. It is a fun game, sort of like pitch, but with only face cards. Along the way, Allison whipped out a bottle of Rex Goliath cabernet sauvignon.  Now, this is wine that is common around here; however, the label turned me off slightly. There is nothing wrong with it, just seemed “cheap.” I guess that the labeling is fitting, seeing as the bottle prices under $6. We grabbed a glass and went to town. How surprised was I! What a delicious wine. It was bold, not bitter and actually hung around the mouth a little. I was very impressed, and that combined with some good cards it was a good night.

It was a good night until everyone left. As Allison was getting in her car she noticed she had received a parking ticket. Upfront, I know a law is a law and I try to follow it, but I have serious beef with this ticket. Our street is a snow route, meaning we can’t park on the street…at all. So we must use the drive way or park a block down on a side street. DUMB. But on top of that, it is illegal to cover the sidewalk with a car. Now, I am not a fan of this law but understand the relevance in certain circumstance. What I don't understand is what a cop was doing in one of the quietest neighborhoods at 11:30 at night, and what compelled him/her to write a parking ticket at that time. No warning no looking the other way, just a $30 donation to the city of Normal, IL.  So needless to say, a good night turned south at the hands of a pen wielding police person.  

What I am trying to say is to Try Rex Goliath…use the money you save to donate to our parking ticket fund. I am just kidding, but really…

Cheers- Brandon

Oh my gosh...that was TERRIBLE

…that was TERRIBLE! No, I am not referring to the weekend. Actually, this weekend was a great one. We will work backwards starting with Sunday. We had a good day, had several unplanned but welcomed visits with friends and family capped off with a wonderful dinner. Seeing as though Valentine’s day lands on Monday, we decided to have our romantic dinner tonight. Good food, Great conversation, and all done in sweats and hoodies. (ha we are old…and love it) As for Saturday Mindy was taking care of some testing for school, and I took advantage of some free time to join B3 (Brandon U. Brandon B. & Brandon M) at the bike shop killing time and talking to friendly people. Friday after work we met up with Mindy’s folks for Taco night. It was going great right up until we opened the bottle of wine. That can be right, can it? Yup, believe it or not, the wine was not good!

Empty bottle!

We are members of the local liquor stores “wine club” if you will. This pretty much means we get a postcard that notifies us of their special of the month. It is usually a pretty good deal (<$10) and we have found a few winners in the batch. Well, a month or so ago Lamadrid came across the mail box and in the spirit of adventure, and based on a recommendation of the checker at the store we purchased a couple. {Lamadrid Cabernet Sauvingnon, 2008 Argentina} It then sat in our make shift cellar until we opened’er up. We pulled out a black composite cork, and set it aside to let it breathe. When we came back the smell of it alone warned us to be weary, but did we listen? Nope!  It was not pleasant from the first sip, but again, in the spirit of adventure I stuck it out and did my best to finish it. I do NOT waste wine…until tonight. For what seems like the first time ever, I dumped a bottle of wine. I am not sure if it was a bad batch, didn’t seal properly, or if there is such a thing as composite cork taint (yeah cork taint is real) but it was aweful. Either way the only words that I could find to describe this bottle of wine was…Oh my gosh, that was TERRIBLE!

Cheers- Brandon

Buehler....Buehler?

This weekend we made a trip to Kansas City to spend some time with some good friends and family in the area. I have a hard time using the term vacation because I am pretty sure we are far busier here then we would be working on our home, none the less it is always a blast.

We always make it a point to stop and my aunt and uncle's to visit them and my crazy cousins. I would have to credit them for introducing me to wine and fueling my desire to learn and try more. I can always count on them to open a bottle and share their new finds. This particular trip we drank two pretty tasty selections the first of which was picked out by my sister Rebecca,(Mckenna's not quite of age) who is finishing up school here, and living with crew. She chose a Jacobs Creek Cab Merlot. This is the second Jacobs Creek wine that I have had recently and it played pretty true to my expectations. At first open it was a little bitey, but after letting it it sit for 30 minutes or so (allowing it to just breathe), it developed into a delicious wine and definitely a good value.

The second wine that we sampled was a Cabernet Sauvignon by Buehler....Buehler! This was very good as well, my uncle actually visited this winery while in Napa strictly because of the name, and found a wonderful value. He had purchased a case while in the valley but had recently found it at the Costco in Mid Town (KC) for $17. This is a little above my price range still but I will be grabbing a bottle or two on our way out of town for a special occasion i.e. post Jr.'s arrival.

These two wines are officially on my go to list, depending on my budget and mood. I would recommend either both highly, but why don't you make up your own mind and try them for yourselves.

Cheers- Brandon

Just Breathe

One of the hardest things for me to learn about wine was patience. I did not grow up around wine, and equated it to other forms of alcohol in the “pop the top and chug” sense. It took me several failed attempts, but only one successful, to understand that just a little bit of patience will often drastically enhance your experience and leave more satisfied. I am referring to letting a wine breathe. This is as simple as opening the bottle and allowing the air around the wine do its work. This allows wine warm up and expose aromas and flavors that my otherwise be missed. Delicious right?

There are few widely accepted options each with their benefit. First of which is simply opening the bottle and letting it sit, not the most efficient but free and easy if you plan ahead. The second is an aerator; they are quite common, and range anywhere from $25-$45. We got ours at Amazon click the link to see what specials they are running. We discovered these wonderful devices three years ago and is truly a life saver. You pour the wine through this devise and it sifts through a fine screen allowing air to circulate through the wine as it is poured into your glass. This method is by far the quickest, but not the best, but better than nothing. The last is by decanting, this to me is the best way to air out your wine. It isn’t easy to describe but check the picture for details. The reservoir allows a pocket of air to sit close to the wine and maximize its potential. To be fair it is faster than just letting a bottle sit but still takes time and a little planning, not to mention you better finish the bottle. The lack of a lid prevents you from prolonging the wines life much longer then an evening. 

Decanter

So…patience is good, No brainer right? That is what I thought, and then I realized the blatant lack of patience in my everyday life. This concept recently reared its ugly head in of all places the Best Buy parking lot. We were making a quick run after a miserable Bears playoff loss, and ran into the 2 biggest dummies in Bloomington.  (The whole story is too crazy and long to include here but I will be glad to share over a glass of wine) Now, I won’t lie and tell you I handled it perfectly, and it wasn’t my proudest moment, but all things considered it wasn’t too bad. But, as we drove home I found myself a little embarrassed of my reactions in the parking lot. I realized the insignificance of these people and the situation.

So if want the most out of your life and wines, practice some patience and “Just Breathe”

Cheers- Brandon