news-record.com

It was a dark and stormy night ...

Guess how long I've waited with bated garlic breath to launch that cliché?

As my wife and I were leaving a holiday party and stepping out into a cold pre-Christmas drizzle, our neighbor favored us with a bottle of red: 2005 Vampire Vineyards (Paso Robles, $11).

See, our neighbor shares my daughter's craving for all things "Twilight" -- that vampire epic series that has estrogen hearts aflutter.

Our neighbor wanted an assessment of Vampire. I found it seductively silky and hauntingly addictive, a midweight Cabernet Sauvignon that showed distinct earthiness.

Depending on your taste, maybe you'll stake yourself out on this.

* * * * * *

In the light of day a few days later, I'm stretched out on the beach in 80-degree weather with azure-clear skies, the surf rolling in, a good book in hand, my daughter digging sand castles -- and a white wine in the cooler.

Post-Christmas finds me enjoying Floridays with family. On this day I'm seaside with the 2007 Bellingham Fair Maiden (South Africa, $25) -- a blend of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Verdelho.

On a sun-drenched day, this crisp blend of citrus, peach and vanilla is one heck of a way to spend an afternoon.

* * * * * *

As a run-up to New Year's Eve, the family gathers for a whomp-it-back spaghetti dinner. I've come prepared to share some of North Carolina's finest. There's the 2006 McRitchie Vineyards Ring of Fire, a red blend dominated by Petit Verdot. There's the 2005 Cellar 4201 Sangiovese. And there's the 2007 Stonefield Cellars Mountain Mama Madness, a Barbera-based red. I figure each might make a nice accompaniment to hearty tomato-based pasta. All run about $16-$18 retail.

I crack a fourth bottle -- a 1986 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. It's an obscenely priced Bordeaux -- a gift from a friend and a special wine for a special time. The cork is crumbly so I pass the wine through a slightly damp coffee filter. It does the job of screening cork bits and heavy sediment.

Before dinner, I pour samples to see how the crowd reacts. Half prefer the fuller-bodied McRitchie Petite Verdot -- lots of dark fruit and tannic grip. Half favor the lighter-bodied but higher-acid Sangiovese and Barbera from Cellar 4201 and Stonefield Cellars.

But no one knows what to make of French Bordeaux hibernating 20-plus years in a bottle before I strain it into the anonymity of a German beer stein. So silky, so smooth, so introverted, it gets polite nods before everyone dives into the pasta and knocks back North Carolina wine.

I swap back and forth through dinner, but go heavier on the Mouton Rothschild when the bread plate is passes.

I enjoy the Tar Heel wines against the pasta. I enjoy the Bordeaux all by itself. And I especially enjoy inviting a Blackberry-toting nephew to Google the Rothschild label. Dutifully tapping in a search, he pulls up reviews and reports current price against the Euro.

The table is immediately reaching for the beer stein. But alas, it is bereft.

* * * * * *

Booking a kayak tour of The Thousand Islands off Cocoa Beach -- this to show my daughter how I whiled away my growing-up on the Florida coast -- I give some thought to a wine to toast the day amongst the mangroves, osprey and manatee.

When I was her age, I was in a tiny johnboat, jetting canals, bumping waves in the river, cursing the shallow-water flats and praising island mysteries. I saw all manner of creatures -- sea and sky -- and reveled in the funky brine.

This day, I want my daughter to see what I saw so long ago.

I learned long ago that a good wine makes most experiences better but that a good experience makes for a great wine. This day will prove memorable; so I smuggle aboard a 2007 Paul Jaboulet Aine Cotes du Rhone Rose ($12), courtesy of a Girl Scout water bottle.

As porpoise fins roll lazily past our kayak, I sip crackling crisp cherry from a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah. The sky seems bluer, the water greener, and this simple French blush tastes world class.

* * * * * *

My sister invites me to a neighbor's New Year's Eve party. I pack a bottle of 2006 Rockhouse Cabernet Franc ($17) from North Carolina and a 2007 Covey Run Gewurztraminer ($9) from Washington State.

Most guests bring favorite bottles, so we swap, swirl and sip. No spitting allowed. The ripe black cherry and raspberry of the North Carolina Cab Franc stands out amongst the obligatory Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. What garners even more interest is the Gewurztraminer, a spicier, fruitier white than the Riesling at the tasting trough.

Welcoming the New Year proved toasty.

Here's hoping your 2009 is a good one, enhanced by your favorite pour.

Ed Williams, Public Information Director for Alamance Community College, has written about wine since 1990. This column publishes the first Wednesday of each month. If you have news of an event, e-mail him at williamsonwine@aol.com at least 10 days prior to publication.