State of the Union

Last night when Obama delivered his State of the Union address, I started thinking about my future union..in marriage. Pretty soon I’ll be leaving the Red, White, and Blue for the Blue, White, and Red. I’ve been a fairweather francophile for about a decade now, and although there are several components of the culture that I love, I never imagined I would one day fall in love with a French man, and in my wildest dreams, never imagined I would be marrying a French winemaker. Never say never.

While the future is plein de uncertainty, there are two things I’m sure about: as of very soon, I’ll be wed to the man of my dreams and consequently, I’ll be drinking a lot of French wine. This brings butterflies to my stomach, as the French have a way with their wine. Like their cuisine, it’s sensual, diverse, subtle and equally enigmatic. I’m nearly as thrilled by my gastronomic future as I am by my future with my husband-to-be.

So, in order to profit from my remaining weeks left stateside, I’m commited to tasting only New World vino. I hesitate to say only American wine, as that’s too restrictive (perhaps too extracted) for my palate, but seeing that the New World has a minute presence on the wine shelves in France, I’m going to take advantage of the prevalence of wines hailing from the Americas, the Pacific Rim and South Africa. Join me throughout my journey as we explore the western frontier of wine.

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