Wine for Flash Cards

First things first: I will be modifying my posting schedule a little. I will be adding new posts Monday-Thursday evenings, and sending out my reminder email on Friday mornings. Hope that works for you, too!

I have been having a few flash-car-related mishaps lately. As I'm sure you know, the whole idea of flash cards is that you write a question on one side of an index card, and the answer on the other side of the same card. In this way, you can test yourself. I, however, have been so intently writing down all of the questions and answers, and paying such attention to getting down all of the information, that I have accidentally been writing the questions and answers on the same side of the card. Adding to this embarrassment is the fact that it took me almost four weeks to realize my mistake.

The consequence of this little oversight is that my poor husband now has to test me on all the information on these cards. Which brings us to the second flash card-related-issue: as I believe I have already mentioned, my handwriting is, um, bad. After almost 9 years together, Steve is remarkably adept at deciphering my scrawl, but even he periodically hits a snag. Recent study sessions have gone like this: Steve asking me to name a producer or area in France, and me not being sure and asking him to give me a hint in the form of the first letter of the answer. Steve then looks at the flash card and says: "I can't", to which I reply: "What do you mean, you can't?", to which he says: "Well, it's either a 'P' or a 'B' or a 'G". Undeterred, I suggest he give me the second letter instead. Long pause. A look from the flash card to me. Me to the flash card. Then, "I can't".

The best one of these was when he asked me to name a "grar cnu". When I told him that it was actually "grand cru", Steve announced that my handwriting is atrocious. This is, of course, completely 'tnue'.

Today in class we enjoyed some of the dry white and sweet wines of Bordeaux. My wine for flash cards is a Clos Le Thibaut Monbazillac 2003. This is technically a wine from the Soudouest, but it was included in our Bordeaux extravaganza. It is a sweet botrytis wine made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadel. This one has wonderful aromas of ripe fig, passionfruit, lychee, pineapple, kumquat and honey with lychee, pineapple and apricot on the palate. It really is a lovely wine, and though it falls a little flat on the finish, at $18 a bottle, you can't go wrong.

Let me know what you think!