Love in a bottle

So it's been over six months since I last wrote. Pathetic, especially since it was my new year's resolution to rev up the blog, and now it's almost April. But I'm inspired anew... so the blog is back with a fresh look and a more personal approach: I haven't worked out the details yet, but I will try to integrate my wine discussion with other things going on in my life. I also plan to post photos. Let's see.

::: Ce Vin Chateau Bellevue La Foret 2005, Negrette grape, $13 at Harris Teeter:::

This was my first experience with the Negrette grape varietal, and it was a pleasant one. I found this wine to be very fruit-forward, with an almost overwhelming taste of plum. The finish is very sour (almost as if you were biting into a lime!), but it doesn't have much of a harsh tannin feel at all. There's a little bit of pepper and spice. It is medium-bodied, with a very rich dark red tint. I snacked on chips and salsa while drinking, which was fine, but I imagine a steak (like the bottle recommends) may go over better... not that I would know, since I don't eat steak. I would definitely recommend it with food though; on its own, the citrus kick is intense! All in all, good wine.

I'm writing this on Friday night, drinking alone... it's been a while since I did that. (Before you get worried, let me assure you that I just had one glass.) It's nice though; it's nice to just be relaxing on my own and having a glass of wine to wind down the day. I really do love wine. Love. Funny thing, isn't it? My friend Aditi sent me the link to love on Wikipedia tonight. I found this line to be striking: "According to many philosophers, the only goal of life is to be happy. And there is only one happiness in life: to love and be loved." Is love really all you need to be happy? I've actually been struggling with this for two weeks. It makes sense if I think about love in more than a strictly romantic sense, though. As in, my love for art, my love for friends, my love for wine, my love for the little intricacies of life all contribute to my happiness.

One of my favorite quotes about (romantic) love is Shakespeare's "Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; being purged, a fire sparkling in lover's eyes. Being vexed, a sea nourished with lover's tears. What is it else? A madness most discreet, a choking gall and a preserving sweet." So I choose to name this post "love in a bottle," because love has been on my mind, but also because I think the wine leaves you with this "preserving sweet" taste even though the sour ("gall") is very strong.