Red Wines
Blueberry Pinot Noir
My least favorite label, so I hope you don't judge a book by it's cover. Naming aside, there's nothing holy about this wine, so if you do see a face in the juice it's because you drank too much. From the vine, Pinot is notoriously hard to grow, as the grape's skin makes it susceptible to fungal disease and fluctuating temperatures. From a wine making supplies store, however, I got the good deal. Rather than walking through vineyard rows (yet) I keep everything in the basement when it's warmer, the front hallway craft area when it's cooler, and a wine known for being as hard to produce as any other is given birth. This specific Pinot is somewhat sweetened with blueberry, so it's equally good with a wide variety of foods or snacks.
Valroza
I'm not a huge talker, but have loved words, and hence writing,since as long as I can remember, I never cared if people paid to read what I wrote,but doodling in journals in the 1980s, to eventually writin short crime/adventure/horror stories in the 1990s somehow led to designing wine bottle labels. Wine, like words, makes you tap into a creativity you have to find on your own, so I mused, why not use my favorite period book as the basis for one? With no graphic design experience, and, as a full time Uncle Sam employee and Dad, no time to learn, I went with two images I knew I wanted but Evermine did not offer. The clenched fist is no one in particular; I was inspired from remembering the original cover illustration from the novel Fight Club, and the goblet had to be something that I could see one of the Danish or Geatish (Swedish) tribesmen using in an Old World ale hall. I worried that both images touching would look too much like Monty Python animation, so the end result you see is an untouched goblet. Just consider your risks before picking it up to drink. Valroza is a medium red, less dry and more versatile in being a food companion.
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Merlot
SOLD OUT!
I've always loved paintings and pictures of roads; something begins and midway something ends. They've shown up on one of the first cheap wall decor bought for my first one-bedroom apartment after college, to a lane running against a stone wall in a Max Lucado devotional in my office. Nearly all of my favorite books depict someone on a journey: The Grapes of Wrath, The Road, Beowulf (more on that later), The Hobbit. On top of that, Bari is the city on Italy's Adriatic coast where my maternal grandmother came from, incidently being her last name as well. She had a chance to taste nearly all of my wines, and being Italian most likely had an inclination to reds like this. Like most Merlots, this one is oaked and has a berry or plummy taste. Were this straight from the vine, the dark grapes can have a near-indigo complexion. Shiraz
A stronger, spicier cousin of Cabernet may shy some people off, but for the serious red drinkers, Shiraz makes a great pair with anything hearty, from a holiday Turkey, Italian, or even a bowl of mixed nuts. If you like sweet wines, you probably will not like Shiraz, and vice versa. I like them both.
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Passion Red
"There are hobbies, and there are passions", a supervising federal probation officer told us young hires almost a decade ago at his retirement luncheon. As he, a fellow wine-lover, promised, I would not make the distinction until later in life. I have far more hobbies than time, but am passionate about but a few things. If you want to continue hearing what they are, keep reading, if not, keep looking for a wine you'd rather have. One, and number one, is the Lord God, in all HIS mysterious trinity of FATHER, SPIRIT, and SON. Number two is the beautiful, faithful woman of God whose image you see here. She gave me the courage to dare to try and be creative; this website would not exist without her. Number three are the two beautiful (sorry Jack, one beautiful, one handsome) children whose images are one two other bottles of mine. Number four, if you're on this website or find yourself at a vineyard or liquor store, you know what it is. An "easy drinking" red just as good by itself or accompanying food.
Cabernet Sauvignon
As a tribute to our Rainbow Baby, I wanted to juxtapose a name using all we had to cling to during those nerve-wracking nine months Beth carried who we would come to call Renee. Her womb name, even before we found out her gender was Hope, which also serves as one of her two middle names. There are so many wineries throughout New York, and probably beyond, that include springs in their name, from Arrowhead Springs in Lockport, where I was inspired to tackle a wine-themed woodwork, to White Springs in Geneva, where I had the best citrus and coconut blend chardonnay ever, what came out of those two words seemed like a good fit. It seemed all the more fitting when I learned the meaning behind the 18th century poem where the term "hope springs eternal" comes from, made more famous through Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.Hope Springs Eternal refers to a fresh inner strength for optimism, no matter what one's circumstances. In the bottle's picture, Renee is one day old. Cabernet is more "meaty" than Merlot, and has somewhat higher tannins, which is the drying sensation the tongue feels when drinking it.
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