Ah, wine. Some days, I just revel in the magic that is the simple squeezings of the many grape varietals growing across the Earth. I am thankful for the opportunity, especially when I get to devote an entire day to it. Last Saturday was just such a day.

Thanks to Joel and Shell, and Teresa for covering the kitchen, I was able to take the day off to celebrate my birthday (44, for those of you interested…yes, I know, I am younger than I look!). I have never been one to shy away from celebrating, and food and wine are always prime elements in any celebration for me.

It all started with the Phantom, a Bogle blend that far surpasses any other wines this producer makes. Their old vine Zin isn’t bad, for the price, nor is their Petite Sirah. But the Phantom, that wine is in a whole different stratus. Needless to say, it did not disappoint. Next I moved my tastebuds into the Donati Claret (a Claret is a Bordeaux-style blend, this one featuring Cab, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Malbec) from the Monterey region of northern Cali. Delicious, but far more tannic than the fruit-driven Phantom.

Drinking wine at home, however, is only so much fun. Plus, I wasn’t working at The Treehouse, and there aren’t many nights I get to spend time on the business end of the bar, so I stopped by for a glass of the Corbieres, a French blend from south of Rhone, that includes Grenache and Syrah. A beautiful wine, that pairs exceptionally well with chocolate. Then it was downtown for food and wine, with the first stop being Circa.

I firmly believe that dessert should be enjoyed first, just in case you fill up and don’t have room later. So the initial phase included a lovely pot du crème and a bright Syrah. Then it was over to Deluxe, for a few apps and a Zin. Not bad, but it was apparent they had lost their long-time chef. The menu was completely different, and though the food was good, it was not spectacular…as it always had been.

Anyway, I wanted some mouse (because one dessert is never enough!), but Caprice Bistro was polluted with drunken 20-something girls, and my tolerance for that sort of thing was very low, so I settled for cappuccino with Frangelica at Café Phoenix (even though I don’t own that much black clothing). Then home to finish the night with Perrier Jouet Grand Brut and chocolate.

That, my friends, is how you celebrate. Of course, Goodies Powder and a half gallon of water was breakfast, but, what the hell, you only get to really blow it out like than once a…aw, who am I kidding? I don’t need an excuse to overindulge in wine. As Joel has said, the reason we opened a shop in the first place was because our habit had become so expensive we needed a way to buy wine wholesale!

Our boy Jeremy did last week’s tasting, and we had a good weekend. Chef Ed altered another recipe to compensate for my success, and one of them – a prosciutto and smoked Gouda tart – was absolutely phenomenal. I have never been a big fan of smoked cheese, but this combination was reminiscent of bacon, and, well, everything is better with bacon!

This week, Esther, from Ararat, will be pouring some interesting wines, and we are moving closer to the gorging season. I have a natural affinity for a holiday focused on eating so much it becomes socially acceptable to pass out on the floor with your pants undone!

If you haven’t checked out the brunch yet, this would be a good time. I will have to introduce something new, just to keep Chef Ed on his toes (and give him something else to try to outdo), but we will also have the omelet station and the aforementioned tarts.

OK, I have already gone on long enough (but it was my favorite three subjects…food, wine and myself!), so let’s wrap it up. Come on down to the Treehouse Bistro, and let the 2 Wine Guys @ The Grind pour you a glass an fix you a plate.

Shawn