Happy Monday...

A funny thing has happened on the way to the forum. I've realized I've started to see far more of my children's backsides than I used to. You see, that proverbial (and actual) forum on which I was on the way to...the trip used to be because I...me...I needed to get there, usually early, because I...me...I was the one on display. The reason, I daresay, that others would soon fill that forum.

But times have shifted. I still go to the forum, of course. And early. But no longer is it me...ME...they've come to see, and to celebrate. It is my children who are showing themselves. And so I suppose I could say I see their frontside, too, all lit up for the world to admire. But it the moments prior...the walks away from me so that they may prepare to shine...those are the subject of my rumination this morning.

Don't get me wrong...I don't particularly crave the spotlight in the way others seem to. Nor do I begrudge my progeny's chance to prove themselves on life's proscenium. I'm just a Dad watching his littles become individuals with their own paths, their own strengths and weaknesses, and I'll be frank...it's an experience utterly impossible to express in words. No, that's not true. It's just a lot of words, often tumbled, jumbled, and strewn across each other in my mind. And not necessarily in English. Most of all there is hope...hope that not only their Dad, but each member of their village, has given them the tools they need to thrive. Hope that we don't screw things up too badly in this world before they have a chance to save it. Hope that they'll be safe whilst attempting the dangerous.

Oy. Moving on...this week's Wine of the Week, described below as always, is just such a fun delight, sure to put a smile on your face. It's an "orange" wine, as in...orange you glad I didn't say rose?

Folks, I'm a Dad. That's how I roll.



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Wine Of The Week
Cacique Maravilla
Vina Naranja

"Manuel Moraga and his family live just outside of Yumbel in the Bio Bio River Valley of Chile. They are the seventh generation to look after their 80 hectare farm, 16 of which under vine. The rest of their land has been dedicated to horticulture, forest, and animals...lots of animals. Horses, cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, and lastly their two dogs Pipo and Pepa. Manuel took over the estate when his father passed away in 2009 and in his first vintage an earthquake completely ruined the winery. He still managed to make wine that year with practically no means at all. Content with the outcome of that first year, he realized not much was needed to make wine and this has been their philosophy ever since.

All of their vines are dry farmed and pertain to the Secano Interior de Yumbel D.O. characterized by its soils of trumao, volcanic sand formed by redeposited ash. In the winery all of the work is done manually meaning no destemmer, only zaranda (traditional bamboo screen); no presses, only free run juice; no pumps, only gravity. In addition, the wines are made naturally without using any type of oenological products, including sulphur." - Selections de la Vina, Importer

There is a lot of history bottled up here, along with an awful lot of fun. Orange wines are one form of what we call skin-contact wines, which really means more "white grape skin contact wines" because the orange hue comes from extended juice on skin contact...and of course red wines are skin contact wines, that's how they get to be red...and bear in mind many white grapes aren't really white. They have pigment, just not a lot. So...you get an orange or pinkish color. And they can taste all sorts of ways and I won't bother you with that. What they don't usually do is remind you of...oranges.

Enter this wine, a cheeky take on the convention. Using the ancient varietal Moscatel de Alexandria (thought to be one of, if not the, oldest varieties in the world) and his traditional methods, Manuel produces an orange wine that, blindfolded, you'd swear was freshly squeezed OJ on the nose, with just a touch of vinous acidity to remind you it isn't on the palate. It's summery, it's hip (if you care about such things) and it'll put a smile on your face!


Cacique Maravilla "Vina Naranja"
W.O.W. Price: $20.69
Bangor Wine And Cheese
86 Hammond Street,
Bangor, ME 04401
(207) 942 3338