Every August I begin to dream. I dream of mountains, museums, bookstores, and theaters. Rain and spring-fed pools. Anything except 110 degrees in the shade. That I don't have to dream of, that is reality in Austin in August.
This year I'm dreaming that we've rented a Chateau in a small village in the mountains of France, where we buy pastries at the pâtisserie, fresh produce at the local market, and drink vin from the vinery. We ride bikes to the next village to take the train to explore other regions, and buy more wine. We are friends, and we have come to escape the torrid August heat.
Only this time I plan to not only dream, but to go. I plan to be relaxing in rural France, surrounded by friends and wine and prehistory. Two years is the plan: August 2012. In the meantime, I will be busy. I need books and maps and a dictionary. And a bottle of vin.
Which brings me to my first (in a long line) bottle of wine. 2006 Chateau Patache d'Aux Médoc. It is soft and earthy, not too strong, and has lasted me three days. I have three requirements for wine: it must be full and warm, it must be reasonable priced, and it must last. I picked this one up for about $18 at Specs. At the store near work, when you walk in your are greeted by a display of boxes on the floor. Closer inspection reveals they are wines from France. I am hooked.
But this 2006 médoc is not spectacular, and while it could be stronger, it is more than enough to send me over the edge with my latest travel obsession. I will have another bottle or two to share next week. Now where is that book of phrases?
Nous allons découvrir (let us discover)~
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