Better than last year...

Todd and Kelly Bostock of Dos Cabezas Wineworks added some fizz to some of their Pink blend and got their friends to run it in a small can run last year on a little bit of a whim. It took off. Big time. It wasn’t just that it was a limited release, the fact that the wine was delicious didn’t hurt. It sold out fast. Like really fast. So this year the winemakers were ready. They made more of it for 2015 and made the blend, in my humble opinion, taste better than last year. It’s going to sell out fast this year as well.

So imagine my surprise when I found a can of the 2014 vintage hiding in the back of my beer fridge in the garage less than one week before the 2015 official launch party we had purchased tickets to attend. I resisted temptation to crack the seal and enjoy the sparkling beauty. As I held this new found treasure in my hand, I surveyed my options… One can equals the equivalent of a six pack of beer, so drinking it alone in one sitting was not an option at the time… I could probably sell this lonely can online for a lot of money. But I knew there was only one suitable course of action: a side by side tasting. A showdown of 2014 vs. 2015 vintages.

Wine is made for drinking. When I buy wine I don’t horde it or refuse to share it with my friends, I drink it. I share it. I feel like wine, more so than other beverages, is very communal. You’re tasting what I’m tasting from the same bottle or vintage. Try it with the food we’re eating and it might change completely… When you come to my house and you ask to crack open a bottle of wine, even if it’s my most expensive bottle, I’ll probably say yes. Yeah I don’t spend a ton on wine so there aren’t any bottles worth hundreds of dollars in my collection, but there are some above average wines… Sure I have some special bottles, and I might say no for a specific reason, but eventually even the special bottles will be consumed. Why buy a sports car if all you’re going to do is keep it in the garage and stare at it all day…? Ok so that’s a bit of a stretch to compare wine to a sports car, but you get the idea…

So people at the release party were a little taken aback when I shared this precious can with several guests. Most had the same thoughts after tasting it: 1) the wine held up nicely 2) while the 2014 was nice, the 2015 drank a little better. The carbonation had increased in the 2014 blend, so once it settled down a little bit it also drank really well. But hang on while I get on my soapbox for a second…

What I love about what the Bostocks are doing down south is making wine for this time (now) and even better it comes from this place (Arizona). They’re making wine, in Arizona, really well. And by the way, they’re not the only ones in our state doing this. There are 92 licensed and bonded wineries in Arizona (compared to the nearly 4,300 in California). Yeah, they’re not ALL great. But a lot of them are! My favorites include: Callaghan Vineyards, LDV Winery, Pillsbury Wine Company, and Sand-Reckoner Vineyards. What do these people all have in common? They’re all doing really special things with grapes grown in Arizona. It really grinds my gears when someone says “That’s not bad for an Arizona wine…” To me that’s the equivalent of saying “He’s a good basketball player, for a white guy…” So stop hating on Arizona wine and think before you speak!

So get your Tallboy can of Pink while they last. They will go fast. The easiest way to get your hands on some is to order direct from the winery. And when you do order some AZ wine, come over to my place and let’s crack open a bottle (or in this case a can).