Check price before saying I do

I swirl the dark berry colored liquid in my glass and take a sip.  Not bad.  The wine shop owner tells me its mostly cab and goes well with roast beef.  My mother decided on roast beef for Christmas dinner and I told her I’d bring a red wine.  My parents hate red wine.  Jack and I love red wine.

I wander away from the tasting bar and around the store.  I’m in here often, Jack and I are wine snobs.  Actually, cheap wine snobs is closer to the truth.  We belong to the store’s wine club because the owner stocks nice reds for $9 – $15.  His selection includes $100 and up red wines and $80 champagnes too.

We recently opened a French red wine we loved, and the label says Revelation.  Trouble is, I cannot remember where I bought it.   I stop and ponder the Italian wine shelf.  The Barbera I just tasted is there, in my price range.  The rhinoceros label catches my eye.  I love this label and 3 choices beckon on the shelf.  One is $20, one is $25 and one is….$128 (holy crap).   I already splurged on a bottle of French zero brut champagne.  I’m spoiled by The Drunken Cyclist’s adventures in the OhMyGod series.  http://thedrunkencyclist.com/.  Every time I narrate an episode, I want to try more champagnes.

I chose the Barbera.  I need another red so I decide on the other French red I tasted, the mostly cab.  I search for it while I’m looking for the Revelation label, but no luck on either wine.  I ask the owner and he heads for a corner of the shop I rarely visit.  He grabs a bottle and heads to the register.  I glance at the price on the case.    Oh crap, its well past $30.  I cannot bring myself to say its a bit out of my price range.  Most of his customers are like the lady who just burst through the door, announcing she must have several more bottles of Grand Cru.  That stuff starts at $50 a bottle.

Its the holidays and my parents are getting up in years so who knows how many more Christmas dinners we will have together.  Back home, I examine the Margaux, the most expensive red wine I’ve ever tasted.   I realize I’ve purchased my first Bordeaux red wine from a well known French appellation, Margaux.

The Revelation label turns out to come from Trader Joe’s.    I’m on the fence about whether to serve the Margaux or the Revelation at dinner.  Only one other person coming to dinner likes reds.  The Margaux feels like fine china, and I’m prone to breaking stuff.

The moral of this story is, after tasting, find wine and check price before saying “That’s good wine, I want some.”

Have a very wonderful holiday!

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