Like a Kid In a Candy Store

Today I made my first visit to the Binny's Beverage Depot around the corner from my house. This is one of the largest I've been through.

Aisle after aisle of wines, beers and spirits.

I really was like a kid in the candy store.  I saw thousands of bottles of wine . . . many of which I hadn't seen before. Lately I've been interested in various blends rather than a specific varietal over another.

A couple of years ago a friend had given me a bottle of Owen Roe Sharecropper's Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley that I really loved. I spent three years in the mid-80s in the Willamette Valley. Unfortunately, the Willamette Valley AVA was created only in 1984 (when I arrived) but I wasn't much of a wine drinker at the time.

I think I wasted three and half years in the Valley and missing out on the launch of some really fine wines. I'm always interested in how wines get their names. In visiting the Owen Roe website, I discovered a lot about how each wine got their names.

It appears that in the early years of the winery (2001), Oregon's grape growers had a hard time selling their fruit and the winery didn't want to miss out on great fruit but couldn't buy the fruit because they didn't have the resources.  They resorted to an age old practice and shared the profits with the growers.  A win/win for everyone.

Tonight's dinner was a simple dinner of some potato wedges and Italian beef sandwiches.  The Italian beef came from my favorite grocery in Chicago, Caputo's. You get the beef and the jus all you need to add is the Turano buns. A perfectly simple meal.

Ideal for an evening of watching movies.

As I mentioned I picked up a couple of Owen Roe wines, Sinister Hand and Abbot's Table. I chose the Abbot's Table. The founder and winemaker of Owen Roe, David O'Reilly once heard of the generosity of those within the many monasteries would offer a weary traveler a place to dine at their table.

He thought he'd try it out on one of his European trips and found himself seated at the Abbot's table sharing delicious wines and sharing stories of travels. On his return he created this wonderful wine in honor of his visit.

This wine is a blend of fruit from the Yakima Valley. It includes Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Blaufrankisch, Merlot and Malbec. Quite a mix of wines from several regious around the world. This is where the winemaker earns his marks.

This wine was a real treat. I can't wait for tonight when I open a bottle of the Sinister Hand. I'll be digging into the story behind that one, too.