Happy Birthday, VinoMama

Mr. B and I had a rare night out recently because Miss Puff was at a sleepover. Over a few succulent oyster shooters, the topic of our upcoming birthdays came up.

“What do you want for your birthday, Mrs. B?”

“I want you to get rid of that giant concrete thing in the driveway.” Silence. “What do you want for your birthday?”

“I want you to stop asking me to get rid of that thing in the driveway.”

Hmmm. 

And so this is how it goes when a Sagittarius is married to another Sagittarius. What were we thinking?

I am very much a glass-half-full person; Mr. B is, “What glass?”

I am a dreamer; he is a realist.

I believe in the hereafter; he believes in game over.

I love butter and use it whenever humanly possible; he can eat an entire baked sweet potato with no butter.

As a self-certified Vinostrologist, I confess to having some difficulty in deciphering what wine embodies the essence of Sagittarius. Is it possible that no such wine exists? Can a wine be both Winnie-the-Pooh and Eeyore? Only an experienced (and optimistic) Vinostrologist knows the answer.

To solve the wine puzzle of Sagittarius, I must again refer to our beloved Disney characters and the magical place they lived – The Hundred Acre Wood. Much like this enchanted woodland, there is a real-life wine region that is home to two such diabolically different grape varietals – Burgundy. This idyllic land is the birthplace of both white Burgundy (chardonnay) and red Burgundy (pinot noir) – two exquisite wines that have very little in common other than their homeland.

As you may have guessed, I am the easy-to-grow chardonnay. Chardonnay from Burgundy produces smile-inducing wines reminiscent of golden apples and tropical pineapple. And when made with the true character of the fruit in mind, the wine is expertly seasoned with just the right amount of buttery goodness (used oak barrels), thus allowing its sparkling minerality to shine through naturally. White Burgundy is, quite simply, the nectar of gods and goddesses and can easily stimulate a dream-like state-of-mind. Someday very soon, after I've been discovered by Oprah (or John McCain), I will be able to afford my most favorite white Burgundy of all, a Puligny-Montrachet.

I won’t argue that very few people would consider red Burgundy an “Eeyore-like” wine in taste, but in character, it certainly can be. According to The Wine Bible, "of all the classic grapes, pinot noir is the most difficult to make into wine.” It is a bit of a stickler and requires ideal growing conditions in order to prove just how likable it can be. Burgundy, however, is the supernatural region for pinot noir and produces one of the most-renowned wines in all of France...Domaine de la Romanée -Conti. In all honesty, i.e., realistically, red Burgundy is pinot noir done to perfection and proof, that when given the attention and space that it needs, the Eeyore of all grapes can be simply irresistible.

Happy Birthday to all you Sagittaruis'. May your glass be full and your driveway clear of large, concrete objects -- mine is now.

xoxox,
VinoMama