Wine for the Last Day of France

Hooray, we are finished with France! And we spent this last day in a most fitting way: by discussing and tasting Champagne! Tomorrow is our France test consisting of multiple choice questions and a blind tasting of one red wine and one white. After the test, we will celebrate with a French meal accompanied by French wine which we actually get to drink.

I have spent so much time studying that now I just want to leave it alone and not think about it anymore. I have been having trouble falling asleep the last few days, mostly because I will be lying in bed when suddenly a name of a french wine region, producer or varietal will pop into my head and I will try to remember everything I know about it, and before I know it, my mind is racing and i am awake.

To try and calm my mind down again I force myself to think of anything other than wine. Last night, for some reason, I started thinking about dogs wearing outfits. Much of the time, I am not a fan. I dislike little shivery dogs wearing sweaters, riding around in people's handbags. But some outfits and accessories are just delightful.

The pug in a tutu is always a big hit, as was the funny, scraggly, hairy little dog we saw running around down by The Warming Hut wearing Bat-wings. The ugly, super-sweet bulldog wearing antlers was also very cute, especially because he just seemed so proud to be wearing them.

Steve is not a fan of any kind of doggie costume, and I can see this causing problems down the line. We don't have a dog at the moment, but we plan on getting one at some point in the future. We both love the movie The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, and have agreed that Tuco is a pretty great name for a dog. I feel very strongly that if a dog is going to be named Tuco, then it must be outfitted properly with a sombrero and a poncho. At the very least, right? I mean, you can add spurs, a gun holster and a Sheriff badge, but that might be pushing it. Steve is staunchly against this, but I just know that I will not be able to stop myself. He insists that the dog will hate it, but I don't believe that to be true. I believe that the dog will come to love its sombrero and poncho, and soon will not want to go anywhere without them.

In fact, for Halloween, Steve, the dog and I can all dress in our wild west attire and actually BE The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. Guess which one I will be? (If you say "the ugly", I will hunt you down. I know where you live,)

To celebrate the last day of France, let's drink a toast together with a lovely bottle of Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec Champagne. Yum, yum and more yum. It's light, fresh and not too sweet, with a hint of dried apricot and lemon on the palate, and a lovely rich, soft mouth feel. It just tastes elegant, if that's possible. Maybe not the sort of thing you'd find Tuco drinking, but that Pug in the tutu...