We were touring wineries on Prince Edward County in Ontario, Canada when I received a frantic text to call Andy, our daughter’s boyfriend. The problem, there were no bars on the cell phone. Kathy held the phone as I drove to our next appointment. En route, there was an intersection where the phone indicated three bars. I called Andy and he asked permission to marry Meghan. They were off to Wales where Andy proposed on the Gower Peninsula. A few weeks later, the excited Meghan, helped us bottle our 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. Meghan asked if we could serve some of our wine at her wedding.
The wedding was to be in Ohio, on August 4, 2012. Ohio during the summer is hot and humid, not the best conditions for a bold Cabernet Sauvignon. So last September, I decided to buy a top of the line wine kit, featuring a Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. Kathy and I had visited wineries in Marlborough just nine months earlier. The Sauvignon Blanc turned out much better than expected. By this summer, it was quite good. We took a case of the Sauvignon Blanc along with a case of the Cabernet Sauvignon to Ohio.
The wedding day was hot and humid. Rain had threatened all day, but there were some rays of sun during the wedding Mass. By the evening reception, the skies opened up and the rains came. Although the humidity was damp, spirits were not. The wine winner for the evening was the Sauvignon Blanc. In fact nine bottles of the Sauvignon Blanc were drunk to the three bottles of the Cabernet Sauvignon. This was fine. It seems that the white wine was just right for the time. Meanwhile, the Cab can continue aging in the bottle.
A decision made a year ago turned out to be a winner. If the wedding were at another time of the year, perhaps the Cab would be more popular. In a few weeks, Kathy and I will celebrate our fortieth anniversary. Some of our children are planning a get together. We’ll have our wines. Although we’ll open a Cab, I’m pretty sure the temperatures will be in the nineties and the humidity will be near 100. The Sauvignon Blanc, served at 55º F will be a hit. So may Kathy’s peach wine, served with a frozen peach slice in the glass to help keep the wine cold.
As much as we like our Cab, the Sauvignon Blanc and peach wines just pair well with August.
Cheers,
Terry
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