sybaritesauvage   Uncorking a Mind Twisted by Wine, Food, Love & Remembrance

How big is your decanter?

After last’s week’s soap opera of lust, social castes, marital infidelity, suicide, and the power of curses, today I turn to a lighter more frivolous side.

First, a confession: I am a man that doesn’t mind shopping.  Don’t Judge Me. 

During lunch a couple of months back, a couple of my boys from the office and I went shopping at a local Home Goods store.  Home Goods is the kind of place where you are likely to find bored suburban housewives looking to furnish their suburban palaces with some decorative kitsch.  Also the place, where bored office mates go for some entertainment, apparently.

What were three mates doing there?  Well, um, Home Goods has a small if interesting gourmet and kitchen section.  In the past, I have scored some Le Creuset pie plates, non-stick roasting pans, and the like at very reasonable prices.  And two of us, being the types of guys who don’t mind spending time in the kitchen, we thought to see what was new. 

That day, we scored some Smoked Spanish Paprika which I use in a number of dishes as it adds a layer of complexity to marinades and the like.  But being at Home Goods, we I also toured the tabletop aisle (plates, glasses, soup bowls, etc.) and the adjacent decorative aisle where you would find things like glass vases.  Not that I need any vases.  But it wouldn’t hurt to look, would it?  

As I did so, I came across a large vase in an unusual shape.  Now, as a vase, it was marginal, in my opinion.  But with its tall long neck, flared lip, and bulbous base, it is the perfect shape for a decanter even if it was a bit freakishly Frankensteinesque.  And though large, it is not too heavy.  And I think it should easily accommodate a magnum of wine (like I need an excuse to open a large format bottle)!  Moreover, it being Home Goods, I got it for about $10!

Of course, when I get home with this glass monstrosity, Ms. R, in a fleeting moment of practicality, looks at me, shakes her head, and asks where I planned to store the thing. 

Well, I actually had not thought that part through, to be honest.  But being all over it, she immediately thought that my new “decanter” would make an ideal vase for some sunflowers or other long-stemmed varieties.  Really, a vase?  Why would I buy a vase?

I DON’T THINK SO.

Long stemmed whatevers might be fine for the Bored Housewives of Home Goods (coming soon to A&E).  But this is me we’re talking about.  And while I have vases aplenty, till that day, I had but two decanters.

I’ll show you my decanter if you show me yours.  Never mind, I’ll show you mine since it’s so big I have nothing to be ashamed of. 

As the change of seasons approaches, it’s good to know that we will be prepared to decant whatever wines make it to our table.  However, today’s wine needs no such special treatment.  A Spanish rosé from Penedes for these waning days of Summer and the crisp Autumn days ahead.  Perhaps I will take that smoked paprika and make a nice little marinade for some grilled shrimp…

Pares Balta Ros de Pacs 2011  ($11).  To the eye this hardly seems to be a rosé, this is so dark.  But with juicy, sprightly berry flavors, and a touch of earth on the nose, this is a great example of a rosé that can be drunk year round.  Though made of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it has vivacious fruit due to its stainless steel fermentation, maintaining pleasing levels of acidity that will have you coming back for refills time and again.  While it does not have the finesse of some Provencal rosés, it represents a unique style that can hold its own with the better rosés in the marketplace.  Rated **1/2 

The little guy in the photo at the top of this page doesn’t have a guilty bone in his body.  Neither should you.  No-Guilt Wednesday (NGW) is not about compromising on quality.  It’s all about drinking good wine that does not break the bank ($15 or less), eating good food and of course, it’s about sharing with the ones you love.