After our libation filled 365 Beer Every Day Great Success party last night, I
wake up, drag myself out of bed at 8:30am to drive 3 hours up the coast to attend my wine club's, Ampelos, annual summer bbq. Two red bulls later and I'm there with a smile in my face.
I know what you're thinking: why does this beer enthused weirdo also belong to a wine club? The answer lies in the subtle updating of a Chinese proverb.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Well for a birthday, give your son a box of wine and he will drink well. Give him a wine club subscription, and he will drink well for several years. Some gifts just keep giving.
It's the curse of a father in love with wine. Three birthdays ago, I asked for a membership for my favorite winery and have been grape-content ever since, although my collection is now stockpiling because I haven't the libido to drink a beer every day AND wine. I'm unfortunately mortal and have found my limit but that doesn't exclude me from taking advantage of free food and vertical flights of wine up in beautiful Solvang, CA.
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| Classic 2006 Pinot Noir with classic coke |
The owners, Peter and Rebbecca, are both awesome and hilarious. Their story is also really fascinating. They were working in SoCal for Disney while their son studied Viticulture at UC Davis (THE place to study wine making). They bought the amazing land you see for their retirement, and one summer in between class their son asked if he could live in a trailer on the land and grow wine. Soon after, Peter and Rebbecca become sick of the corporate world and leave Orange County for the greener hills. They learned winemaking from their son, who now is the winemaker at the prestigious Sea Smoke, and then they began their own business. How often does a parent learn a profession from their son?
They make really good wine and you should check out their Rho Pinot Noir or their Grenache if it's available. Under its influence, bearded people wear Justin Timberlake hats for the first time. It's science.
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| Even silly hats can't disguise a beer nerd |
Driving 6 hours round trip for 4 hours of wine drinking and eating slow roasted pork can get me pretty thirsty for something light and refreshing. Good thing I have a low alcohol neo-berliner style weisse bier that's fermented with peach juice waiting for me at home. Also awaiting me is the disaster that is my apartment.
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| Drinking Jenga! |
The wheat beer style lays the foundation for a light and refreshing brew with a relatively low alcohol percentage for Dogfish Head, 4.5%. The style is also pretty sour, which makes it a good choice to partner with peach juice. I'm unfortunately not a fan of tart beers, evidenced by my dislike of every sour beer ever drunk and this one kinda assaults your tongue with that character. But there will certainly be those who like this style and the flavor, so if you like lighter beers give it a shot. THE ISLAND rating.
I know what you're thinking: why does this beer enthused weirdo also belong to a wine club? The answer lies in the subtle updating of a Chinese proverb. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Well for a birthday, give your son a box of wine and he will drink well. Give him a wine club subscription, and he will drink well for several years. Some gifts just keep giving.
It's the curse of a father in love with wine. Three birthdays ago, I asked for a membership for my favorite winery and have been grape-content ever since, although my collection is now stockpiling because I haven't the libido to drink a beer every day AND wine. I'm unfortunately mortal and have found my limit but that doesn't exclude me from taking advantage of free food and vertical flights of wine up in beautiful Solvang, CA. 
They make really good wine and you should check out their Rho Pinot Noir or their Grenache if it's available. Under its influence, bearded people wear Justin Timberlake hats for the first time. It's science. 
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