whine & wine

Still on the bleak train headed for I’m-Losing-My-Shit-Ville, but decided to pull my head in for a few hours and head to Winex with some friends.

If there’s one thing I get excited about – it’s fermeted grapes. As I get older, I appreciate this shit more and more. For one, it makes me drunk. Vodka fails to do that to me anymore. For two, really good wine won’t leave me gasping for breath while cradling my thumping cranium in hungover incarceration. Well the stuff that doesn’t come in a papsak or a two litre bottle anyway.

The good stuff doesn’t make you hang like a wizard’s sleeve.

Besides, it was an excuse to be out in public in a South African environment. Something I’m not used to anymore. God, I don’t know if that’s sad or deeply disturbing, but either way we did Winex a bit differently to the usual.

I didn’t steal the glass to take home. Have an entire collection of Winex-branded glasses from the previous years. It’s up there with the good crystal. Decided that I will no longer harbour crap and/or corporate glassware.

One wine (what the devil was it again?) – swear to Jesus and his mother – smelt like pumpkin. In my wiser years, I’m starting to actually try to distinguish the flavours in wine.

And let me tell you, this one honed of root tuber.

I even made the dude at the stall smell his own wine.

‘Dude. This bad boy smells like pumpkin soup. Nice work. I think.’

‘Is that the Cabernet Sauvignon you’re referring to?’

‘Yes. Smell it. Here.’

‘I know my wine. Don’t need to smell it. And it actually smells like pepper.’

‘No it doesn’t. Smell this. Amazing.’

‘Fine.’

‘…ah yes….a little.’

Of course I pushed my way through the crowds at the Diemersfontein stall. ‘Step aside Junior, I’m going in.’ They served their latest Pinotage – the 2009 – not available on shelves yet – and I almost had a full on orgasm whilst taking the first sip.

They also served it with a Belgian chocolate. God they’re good.

A friend and I decided to buy a case of this chocolate-filled liquid heaven, and are having it delivered in 3 weeks. Fuck, why does it TAKE so long?

Ate a cheese platter. Well not the actual platter itself, but bought a cheese platter and ate what was on top of it. See? I wouldn’t have been that cultured a few years ago. When I go to Winex now – sure I swallow everything – and with gusto – I take time to enjoy my vintages over cheese.

Do love a little bit of Winex. Pity about the zero-tolerance-to-mood-lighting scenario. Those fluorescents are a little stark, let’s be honest.

But otherwise, glad I got off my depressed derriere and mingle ever so slightly.