Does wine taste better on vacation? My vacation with: Ghost Pines / Santa Rita Reserva / Chateau Ste. Michelle

Pleasures of Devils Ridge

Does wine taste better on vacation?

Ghost Pines 2008  – Cabernet Sauvignon / Santa Rita Reserva 2008 – Cabernet Sauvignon /  Chateau Ste. Michelle 2010 – Riesling

I think the fast and easy answer to this quandary would be an easy yes. But the more I analyze and ponder about it,  the answer is still yes! Although I should clarify because I honestly think the same feeling and or joy can be attained even when not on vacation.

Think of it, appreciating wine can take you away from your current worries. It can be a form of escaping just as a vacation is. We’re not talking about guzzling here but actual wine appreciation; setting the atmosphere, picking your stemware, presentation, pairing wine with accoutrements, taking notes, sharing the experience, etc.  I truly think this pleasure can be attained or cloned whether at home, vacationing half way around the world or as I am, sitting before a roaring fire in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. I am lucky to say; wine is one of my pleasures in life, no matter where I am, just NO plastic cups please!!  Salud.

Santa Rita Reserva 2008 – Cabernet Sauvignon: $10-12.00 notes of [on the nose] dark/black fruit [plum, fig], leather, wood [cedar/oak], minerality [earth].  Flavors detected; grape, leather, earthy barnyard minerality, pepper, dark chocolate, cherry on the finish.

Ghost Pines 2008  – Cabernet Sauvignon: $17-20.00 An elegantly tasting wine that tastes as if at a higher price point. A winemakers blend using grapes from two different California areas [Napa/Sonoma]. Scents/tastes detected; dark fruit [cherry, blackberry], vanilla, smokey wood [cedar/oak], moist underbrush and believe it or not I get the taste of cotton candy at the finish.

Chateau Ste. Michelle 2010 – Riesling: $8-10.00 This value wine comes in between being medium dry and medium sweet. A perfect choice for those of us who avoid “sweet wines”. Nicely fresh and crisp with flowery flavors of; peach, apple, pineapple and lychee.

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