Friday! The Best and the Olbermann

Before I get into the wine I want to digress quickly about my evening last night. The family went to see that new Jim Carrey movie. How many more versions of Dicken's A Christmas Carol will I have to endure in my life time? It was frankly just a special effects version of a classic. Don't waste your money. Here is the money part of the night. Here we sit down and of course there are quite a few families so you know I expected people getting up and down repeatedly and kids crying and the like but here's what I didn't expect. We sit down in front of four old people......you know the Greatest Generation......people like in their 70's or early 80's and the two women simply WON'T STOP TALKING. The movie is starting and these two ladies are clearly settling into what will be a two hour chit chat. This is the generation we always think of as thoughtful and well mannered. Wrong-o. On what planet is it okay to have a gal pal chit chat while people are trying to watch a movie? I don't go to the movies often which is sad because I love them. I usually watch them in my basement on my big ass Johnson County big screen. Now I know why. Now I remember why. By the way, this wasn't Wyandotte County this was Leawood and from the conversation which I had no choice but to hear the husbands are doctors. I think when I finally turned around and politely (really) asked them to stop talking the hubbies were probably secretly high fiving each other. They actually DID shut up. Anyway......highly educated people in JOCO are just as rude as people anywhere else I guess.

Now....onto the wine.

This week's best wine comes with a twist. I'll call this not necessarily the best wine I had this week but absolutely the best deal I found. 2007 Muga Rioja (Rosado) Rose from Spain. I love rose and it is probably some of the least understood wine by American consumers. We are simply talking about pink wine that is dry. This wine has lively acidity with floral and red fruit aromas like strawberries an cherries. Seriously, this would be a nice wine to start your Thanksgiving and it was DE-lish. It rocked.

Where I got it: Lukas on 119th.

How much: $5.99. Yes, seriously.

Final Thought: I always preach buy the freshest vintage you can get when buying Rose. This winery has already released 2008 which is why this wine that would normally cost $13 is so deeply discounted. Hey, it needs to be discounted to clear it out. So, in this case......don't buy a case even though it is a great deal. Buy what you need for the next couple months and drink it and enjoy that great deal. Chill it. How often do you find something drinkable for $6??? I think they had at least 6 or 7 cases there today when I was there.

The Olbermann (worst) Wine of the Week: 2009 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolias Nouveau. There is this tradition on the third Thursday of November in which the asshole French in an incredible marketing move pretending to be a fine tradition send amazing amounts of cheap swill to America. I've been to some fun Nouveau release parties in Chicago but it has never been about that wine. In fact, usually it involves just a quick short glass and then moving on more quickly to champagne or other (better) French wines. Here is really all you need to know about the tradition. This is really young wine and tastes like a cherry jolly rancher.

Where I got it: Lukas at 119th.

How much: I thought it was $9.99 but there was some disagreement with my wife cuz she thought it was $12.99. Doesn't she know I'm (mostly) always right?

Final Thought: Somehow each year lots of retailers get suckered into buying a big stack of Nouveau each November and then they have to sucker us into buying it. IF and I mean IF you feel like you have to partake in this tradition it is critical you buy it and drink it young. Don't go back for more and certainly don't buy it out of the close out bin for your New Year's Eve party. Srsly. It doesn't hardly even age that long. If you want to drink Gamay (the grape we are discussing here) I recommend skipping Nouveau and getting Beaujolais Villages. It is a delicious and often overlooked little bottle of wine for about $10. My favorite is readily available and is made by Louis Jadot. Don't mistake it for Jadot's Pinot Noir which is crap.

Allez avec Dieu

Have a good weekend.