La Dolce Vita

Finally! Yes, I finally made it out to a culturally enriching environment last night. My favorite social coordinator thought of the idea and we went to the Postino Winecafe in central Phoenix for dinner.

People say that Thunderbird is an oasis in the desert, but that is being much too generous. The students are fantastic, but when it comes to true intellectual stimulation, ambiance and environment are at the top of my list. And Postino definitely delivered - excellent food (albeit a limited selection). People are often times so anti-cliché. But it was a situation in which "quality is better than quantity." Words to live by?

What made the night unique was the random collection of fellow T-bird students (Andrew, Cara, Milica, Gerhard, Rishab, Megan, Pradnesh, Markus and Rachel) who partook in the occasion. Since the school is small, all of the students know who each other are. However, even at small schools there are always cliques. This night people from different groups came together and share what their plans are for Thanksgiving - Seattle, Burbank, NYC, just to name a few.

This is the 2nd time in four years that I spend Thanksgiving away from Colorado. With all of my upcoming trips, I couldn't justify spending $500 for a quick weekend getaway. No offense to my family, but for $500 bucks I would only whisk away a special somebody, and I think she knows who she is. At least I'll get a chance to ride my scooter with my friend Shane who offered his home to the unfortunate souls who decided to stay behind.

Although I'm a member of the Thunderbird Wine Club, I have my work cut out for me! I still can't rattle off all the different types of wine (red or white) and truly know what the differences are. But since I'm a fan of red wine, I decided to go with one I had never tried before. The first Shiraz I selected ran out. But in typical T-bird fashion, I opted for an international wine as a second choice. It could be argued that I'm biased towards international wine for no apparent reason (possibly based solely on my strong distaste for American beer), but I really enjoy things from far away places (like Hong Kong, maybe?).

Choosing an international wine was such a no brainer - the Goats Do Roam (2004), a pinotage, Rhone blend from South Africa.


I thought I could write up a more interesting tale, but I just found this incredibly written little snippet about this wine from www.bellaonline.com:

"Goats Do Roam - A fun wine from South Africa"

A trend in winemaking is "cute" labels and funny names. Goats Do Roam plays upon the famous Côte du Rhône region of France. This friendly red wine is from Fairview Winery in the Paarl Valley of South Africa. The story of the name is told on the back label:

"One afternoon at harvest time, my mischievious son Jason and his friend Justin let the goats out of their tower and sent them for a walkabout amongst the vines. As in the legend of the Yemeni goat herd - whose roaming flock first discovered the joys of coffee beans - they picked out the best and tastiest fruit."

The vintner has blended together grapes that would never be allowed in the Côte du Rhône. Fairview lists the blend as: 33% Pinotage, 22% Shiraz, 13% Grenache, 13% Carignan, 10% Cinsault, 5% Gamay Noir and 4% Mourvèdre.

The result is an easy drinking wine that is best consumed within one or two years. After first tasting this wine a few months ago I purchased two cases. My household is reaching the end of the second case. I am not the only oenophile to proclaim Goats Do Roam´s praises. It was awarded with a silver medal at the 2001 International Wine Challenge. In April 2001 the Wine Advocate awarded it 86 points.

This wine can be enjoyed while sipping and talking with friends, it can also stand up to stronger food choices. This is a blend of grapes and it is fitting that it can be enjoyed with a hearty winter stew. If you are still able to grill, serve this wine with a steak topped with blue cheese or green peppercorn sauce. It also pairs nicely with garlic enhanced pasta dishes.

I wouldn't certainly agree with her surmise. I enjoyed sipping wine and talking with friends. I'm sure I'll be back to enjoy another time at Postino...and the Gelateria next door is quite good. But remember next time, you have to go with pistachio and nutella!