One World, Two Wines

Yesterday, early afternoon, I'm having lunch with the old lady and the kids. I tell Efrat, "want me to open a bottle? It's a sweet bubbly, only 4.5% alcohol. You'll love it and it's only a half bottle, you won't even feel the effects of the alcohol." So I open the La Spinetta, Moscato d'Asti, Bricco Quaglia, 2005 I bought just this week. And she loves it, I love it, the kids love it and it's gone within five minutes. There's really nothing to this wine, just fruit, a little alcohol and bubbles, but it's so fresh, so delicious, so yummy - it's like a little puppy that someone dumped on your lawn and you fall in love with it and can't let it go.

The next day, however, as though I needed another reason to prefer whites:

Masi, Tupungato, Passo Doble, 2002

This is from Masi's Argentinian project. I know it’s supposed to be a Ripasso rip-off but I found many resemblances to Port and even Oloroso, especially the nose. Although I think it’s actually even more limited as a food match than any of the three. Black fruit, spicy oak, chocolate and leather on the nose. Full-bodied, with chocolate and Amarone-like sweetness. Elegant, for the style, with average complexity. Fine for what it is, but I’ll not be buying more. Sells in Israel for anything between 95 and 110 NIS. Since France-Israel imports it, it's probably much cheaper outside Israel.

Really, Really Off Topic

If you've got kids the right age, take them to see the new Pirates Of The Caribbean flick. And when Keith Richards does his walk-on bit as Captain Jack Sparrow's dad, make sure you tell them - because they probably didn't read the interviews and the press releases - that he's the guy Johnny Depp has been aping throughout the series. Then buy them Beggars' Banquet, Let It Bleed and Exile On Main Street. They'll thank you yet.

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