Wine for Making Progress

Well I am happy to say that things are looking up after one week back in San Francisco. The jet-lag seems to be gone, so we are no longer looking at each other across the table at 8pm with our eyeballs spinning around in our heads, desperately trying to stay awake. This is a major coup.

We have found other places to live, all temporary furnished apartments, and though it still involves a couple more weeks of moving around from one place to another, at least we have an idea of where we will be laying our heads for the next month or so, which is greatly comforting.

Add to that a few glimmers in the job department, and things are looking decidedly...brighter.

I am once again writing tasting notes for wines that are being sold on a very cool website www.thewinespies.com

The Wine Spies features and sells a different wine every day at considerable discount, so it is worth checking back in with them daily to see what they are offering. I will also alert you here if I feel there is something particularly yummy coming up, which is exactly what I am going to do now!

On Friday, October 22, the Wine Spies will be offering Balance by Heath Dolan, a 2007 Mendocino County Red Field Blend. There are quite a few cool things about this wine:

The first is that it is made by Heath Dolan, son of Paul Dolan, the pioneer of biodynamic farming and winemaking.

The second is that the wine is made from biodynamic grapes. Biodynamics takes organic a step further, whereby in addition to not using chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, it also strives for harmony with the land, nature, and in some cases, the phases of the moon. It seems to me that biodynamics is about having that close relationship with the land and what you are growing in it and producing from it.

The third cool thing about this wine is that it is delicious, which ultimately, is the most important element of all. This wine, as the name suggests, is beautifully balanced, with subtle tannins, juicy but understated acidity, a lush round smoothness in the mouth, and a lovely nose and palate of blackberry jam, black currant, raisin, cinnamon and dried plum.

You can certainly drink this wine alone or enjoy it with a juicy grilled steak or lamb chop. At $20/bottle on The Wine Spies it's lot of wine for the money.

Let me know if you try it!

Peter, you asked me for a rich fruity wine without any bitterness, and I think this wine really fits the bill. I contacted a wine shop in Fort Greene to see if they sold it and they don't, so I will try to come up with another option for you that doesn't have to be ordered online.