It’s been a long work week, and my wife is away in Okanagan wine country for a few days. 

Finally having a day off, I was able to laze around for most of the day, see some friends and pretty much relax.  I get fairly stir crazy when I’m home alone for any longer-than-average length of time, so I decided to head out for a bite to eat and a glass of wine or two.

Saddling up at the bar at The Cascade Room, I ordered a glass of the Aussie Tahblik ’07 Marsanne.  First thing’s first:

Originally from the Northern Rhone and Hermitage regions of France, the Marsanne grape’s use in Australia can be traced back to the 1860′s, and this little number out of Victoria holds some great varietal character – rich lemony brightness, a few drops of honey, a little racy and spicy with a nice lush mouthfeel.

I opted for the Tagliatelle Amatriciana, with smoked & braised pork cheeks, tomato sauce and fresh chili.  The wine was perfect with it.  Tucking into the pasta, I took the opportunity to crack the spine on The Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace, which I’ve been meaning to read for a while now.

The official blurb:

The Billionaire’s Vinegar tells the true story of a 1787 Château Lafite Bordeaux—supposedly owned by Thomas Jefferson—that sold for $156,000 at auction and of the eccentrics whose lives intersected with it. Was it truly entombed in a Paris cellar for two hundred years? Or did it come from a secret Nazi bunker? Or from the moldy basement of a devilishly brilliant con artist? As Benjamin Wallace unravels the mystery, we meet a gallery of intriguing players—from the bicycle-riding British auctioneer who speaks of wines as if they are women to the obsessive wine collector who discovered the bottle. Suspenseful and thrillingly strange, this is the vintage tale of what could be the most elaborate con since the Hitler diaries.

I love it already and it really is a page-turner.  I also find it particularly interesting, as my friend Rhys Pender has just handed off his dissertation to become Canada’s next Master of Wine, and his thesis was on wine fraud.  The book is fascinating read that just touches the tip of the iceberg of what Rhys has been researching and writing about for the better part of the last year.

To finish off my pasta, I ordered a glass of Naramata’s Kettle Valley ’08 Pinot Gris:

I love Kettle Valley’s wines.  I love that they have a Gewürztraminer Slushie machine in their winery for visitors.  The Gris always has a salmon-y/pink hue and is juicy, round and has elements of peaches, nectarines and cherries.  The pasta had a little heat to it, and the roundness of the wine enveloped it quite nicely.  It really was two great wine pairings for the dish, and before I knew it, an hour and a half had passed while I was immersed in the book and the place buzzed around me.

Quite an enjoyable evening all in all, but I look forward to my wife’s return tomorrow morning. 

That, and I look forward to that case of wine she’ll be bringing along with her… 

OK, I’m REALLY excited about THAT part!

G’nite!