Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the Final Installment of Carpe Vinum’s Newsletter and Tasting Announcement Thingy for 2005! We are just days away from the New Year’s parties, and need something to pour! That’s what I’m here for! So for the final Carpe Vinum tasting of the year, it’s: New Year’s Party Wines! Exactly what is a party wine? Well, let me give a few scenarios that might enlighten the subject a bit.

Scenario 1: (And this has happened to me a number of times.) You buy a fancy-schmancy bottle to bring to a party. It’s a well esteemed bottle of something you’ve heard is really, really good. The descriptions make you shudder with anticipation. You arrive at the party with the bottle in hand. At some point the bottle leaves your hand and makes its way to where the wine goes. (Table, bar, counter. Doesn’t really matter, does it?) But by the time you get back from hanging up your coat, the bottle has been opened, distributed, and devoured by the jackals at the wine table/counter/bar and the bottle has already been recycled/smashed over someone’s head. All that is left are the wine people hovering around the table remarking “Hey! That was really, really good! You paid HOW much for it?!?”

Scenario 2: (Story courtesy of Kathy) You have a bottle that has been in your cellar for a long time, waiting for the special occasion to be opened. You figure this is the one. After all that discipline it took to not open it on a whim, and all of the wine critic’s predictions say the planets have lined up just perfectly for this precious bottle, covered in dust and dryer-lint, to be tasting at optimal levels. You show up to previously-mentioned party with bottle in hand. The host/hostess sees said bottle says “Oh WOW! THANK you!”, nabs the bottle, and whisks it away to their own personal collection. Not wanting to seem an ungracious guest, you say nothing.

Scenario 3: You brought Yellowtail or Charles Shaw. So did everyone else. There are no interesting wines to talk about. You decide to grab a Bud Light instead.

Scenario 3A: You brought Yellowtail or Charles Shaw. It’s the only wine bottle there. Not wanting to have to DRINK the bottle of that stuff (or the possibility that this wine-free party is also a corkscrew-free party), you decide to grab a Bud Light instead.

Scenario 3B: You brought Yellowtail or Charles Shaw. It’s a dry party. (Better get the full details about the party beforehand, there Sparky.) Not wanting to be the only one drinking at the “party” and not wanting to leave a bottle of booze in a potentially dry household, you pack it home where you might have to actually drink it there, someday.

Okay, okay.. .I’m not totally coming down on the Yellowtail. I had the Shiraz recently, and it is passable as a wine. It’s not a total embarrassment, but it’s not terribly original either. The gist of the matter, for a party wine, is a bottle that isn’t too expensive, wouldn’t be a disaster if you didn’t get to taste it, but would actually be something you’d want to drink. An extra addition to that would be something interesting about the bottle that makes it a conversation piece. This is one opportunity for your bottle to outshine the sea of Yellowtails.

Wine types to keep in mind, at least in my opinion are the fun and festive grape varieties that don’t really beg for food as much as others. For example, interesting wine blends, syrahs, petite syrahs and zinfandels are my favorite picks. They’re great with most snacky foods, or just fine by themselves. Of course, I have a handy selection of bubblies, as well!

So Friday, December 30th, New Year’s Eve Eve, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

5 Great Party Wines And Reasons Why They’re good!!
friends.zin 2001 Zinfandel, Sonoma, California
What better wine to bring to a friend’s house than a Zin? What better Zin to bring to a friend’s party than one called “friends.zin”? It has a friendship bracelet on the label. How cute.
Rabid Wines 2003 Rabid Red, Napa Valley, California
It has a cool looking dog on the label. We probably all know someone this fits in well for. . .dog lovers. . .the party animal. . .that friend who just got bit by a raccoon and had that series of shots in the stomach. I’ve heard that’s a myth, though. The series of shots, that is. . .not the raccoon.
Roshambo 2001 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, California
Rock. Paper. Scissors. A great way to see who gets the rest of the wine.
Writer’s Block 2002 Syrah, Lake County, California
It’s a great bottle for groups of writers or for the uncomfortable lapses in conversation. What are those? Converser’s block? It’s got Shakespeare on the front and a story on the back. And good juice inside.
Norman 2002 The Monster Zinfandel, Paso Robles, California
It’s a monster! And it’s one of my favorites from this year. Just tell friends you’re bringing a monster to the party. It’s got a kittly on the label too. It’s a Cougar. Big kitty.

2 More Great Party Wines!!
Kiona 1999 “Nice Legs” Merlot, Red Mountain, Washington
“Legs” are the streams of wine as they come down the glass after swirling the wine, indicating alcohol and/or sugar content. “Legs” are also what we stand on and walk/skip/run with. Some people have nice ones that are worth celebrating with a bottle of Merlot.
Dashe 2002 Petite Syrah, Ripkin Vineyard, Lodi, California
This is one of my favorites of this year, as well. If we all remember, Dashe has the label featuring the monkey riding the whale. A monkey riding a whale? What the heck does that mean? Discuss. . .

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Wines of Italy’s Sicily!

M