So I've neglected my blog for some time. There's really no excuse besides going on a beer and hard alcohol binge, as well as sheer laziness and an occasional crappy bottle of wine - I don't care what the Eli's Wine man told me, that Slovenian white was not good! I digress...Today one of my childhood friend's came over for dinner and a movie. My fridge was pretty empty, so she brought the meat and the Annie's Mac N Cheese. The only thing I could offer was a bottle of red that had been sitting in my fridge for a few months. I had been hesitant to open it for a while because my friend Massiel said I should wait until at least May. I thought I should give it a little more time, but I had no other alternative in my shoebox apt and I didn't feel like stepping outside in 90+ degree weather to buy anything.
Chateau J&B Meritage Reserve 2007, from California Grapes, was made by Massiel's father Juan Pedreira and his sidekick who's last name is Azuaje - no first name on the bottle. They made the wine at MYO (Make Your Own) Wine in Westchester, NY. I'd never heard of a place where you could borrow a winery's machinery to MYO. I have to say it tastes very much like a Cabernet Sauvignon. It's medium, bordering on full-bodied. There's a hint of spice and I can definitely taste the black cherry. I hope Mr. Pedreira and Mr. Azuaje continue to make this delicious wine.
I was expecting Chateau J&B to taste more like the moonshine my dad and his buddies try to pass off for legit wine. They make it in a basement in the Bronx every year, mixing red and green grapes. It's a big to do in late September/early October for my dad and his buddies Al and Frank. Every year since I can remember we go to Nonna's house. I think my dad got involved in the winemaking when I was about 9 years old. I remember I'd go with him, but basically Al's daughters and Frank's daughter and I would help push crates of grapes to our dads and sometimes we'd help trying to pry the boxes open with hammers. However, soon enough we'd go upstairs, watch TV, gossip and take a nap.
Now that I'm older (and can drink) and appreciate this time with my dad and my childhood friends it's goes a little differently. We all sit at the kitchen table and the men figure out how many grapes they need to get, but most importantly we all discuss at great length what food stops need to be made on Arthur Avenue so we can have the Last Supper before we get to work making wine. We're about 15+ people now in this wine making circus - fiances, bfs and friends have been added on over the years. It's like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but in truth it's my Italian/Guatemalan/Honduran/Colombian mash up.
Every time I drink the moonshine wine, I think of time with my dad driving to Nonna's, catching up with my childhood friends/family I don't see as often as I used to, the laughs we share, the great food that leaves me in a comatose/indigestive state and the stinging on my arms from mixing the grapes in the barrels. It's not the best tasting wine, but I'll have it any day because it brings me back to these memories that hold a special place in my heart.
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