Opera rehearsals started Tuesday, I volunteered to cook dinner last couple of nights. Then realized that Tues I had busy afternoon, followed by an early evening speech at a synagogue to some kids. Crockpot to the rescue! I realize some look down on slow cookers, but they come in handy in situations like this. Late morning I went back to house, browned a roast, then threw ingredients for pot roast in slow cooker. See you in 10 hours. When I got home, Betsy had made a salad, quick sauce from the roast and we sat down to dinner and the 2005 d'Oupia "Les Heretiques" (VdP de l'Hérault). Still edges the Borsao as my favorite under $8 red. Juicy red fruit, not complex but well defined, ripe without any hint of flabbiness. Some herb and earth, very good wine for the price. B+/B
Tonight I made shrimp in a curry-ish sauce (onions, pepper, mint, cumin, turmeric, coconut, etc) along with baby artichokes fried with lemon (from S. Yaniger's description on FLDG). Wine was the 2004 Boxler Edelzwicker Reserve. Floral, some lychee, a little honey and almond. Seems just a touch off-dry, a little short, not a thrilling wine but does as well with a pair of complicated matches as any wine I could think of. More Gewurz-y than Riesling-y (though I'm sure its mostly the cheaper varieties). B
The Boxler a decent value, the Iche a super value.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.