The things wine will do...

We've all done it at some point. The end of a long week, your better half dressed to the nines, it's pay day. Let;s go out for a date and have a nice glass of wine!

I arrived at the Veranda this evening for a glass of malbec (Punto Final, my obsession lately). As I sat down, I saw a couple clearly infatuated with each other, two half empty glasses at their fingertips as they canoodled in the corner. Nick and I shared a few laughs as this couple spent more time lip-locked than drinking. They quickly paid their bill and headed, incredibly, to St. Cloud's other wine location, Corks, with a promise to return.

I had been sipping the malbec, wrestling with my feelings about it. It's a great wine (previously rated on Noble Rot!) but they've changed it for the '05 vintage. It's more Zinfandel-like than Cabernet, and I've noted that malbec has that characteristic. Not quite a Zin, not quite a Cab, but sometimes just as good as either. The Punto Final '04 was a real bargain and the '05 is good...and believe me, I've had a few glasses in my quest to recapture those elusive elements, but it just doesn't quite put me over the top.

At any rate, the couple offered their bottle to the bar and I smiled thankfully, expecting to see a bottle of white zin. Not at all - they left half a bottle of Andretti 50% Primitivo and 50% Zinfandel - a truly great wine, like the man himself.



So now, as I sit here with a decent glass of Punto Final in front of me - do I let it sit and have a glass of Andretti, or do I finish the Punto and then curl up with the Andretti? Oh, to have this dilemma every night....