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CHEERS TO THE MORNING
BY: ALLIE MERRICK I bookend my days with coffee and wine coffee to start and wine when I dine. Cheers to the morning & to the day that will pass, and to the evening when wine's in my glass. |
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IN PRAISE OF WINE
BY: JOHN T. BAKER When I'm no longer here and am called to appear up on high on that Last Judgement Day And our Maker begins to examine my sins, I can truthfully then only say: "I do not," I'll exclaim, "now remember the name of the girl, or the village that May: I but dimly recall the encounter at all, but the wine was a fine Cabernet. "All the times that I strayed, all the errors I made, while I wondered which way I should go, Of the toilsome travails I forget the details, but the wine was a fine Merlot. "And my deeds on that date when, sad to relate, I succumbed to unworthy desire, AS you well might expect, I cannot recollect, but the wine was a fine Pinot Noir. "How I'd hunt high and low for that special Bordeaux; I'd pursue every new Beaujolais: And I'd spend money, Lord, I could then ill afford when the wine was a fine Chardonnay. "With the rest of the apes I would traipse through the grapes as we sampled the White Zinfandel: I adored the bouquet of a luscious Tokay, and I idolized Graves and Moselle. "Early on in my youth I discovered vermouth and had more than my share of Vouvray: I would drink to keep warm any Port in a storm and I quipped as I sipped Montrachet. "I would stock my garage with the best Hermitage, Liebfraumilch, Sauvignon and Chablis: I imbibed lots of Hock, far too much Armagnac, and I laughed as I quaffed Burgundy. "So I humbly report all my sins to this court and I pray for Your pardon divine: As you add up my score, I can ask nothing more than to help turn the water to wine." |
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PERFECT PAIRINGS
BY: ALLIE MERRICK every time i sit down with intentions to dine i am never without a bottle of wine with thai I prefer a sauvignon blanc with dark chocolate to follow a cabernet franc with grilled chicken i choose beaujolais with fettuccine alfredo i grab chardonnay hermitage goes well with lamb zinfandel i pair with ham sauternes match up with creme brûlée but with scallops you need montrachet when i serve salmon it's pinot noir for that is the best pair i've found by far |
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A BOTTLED MEMORY
BY: ALLIE MERRICK a walk in the woods with a bottle of bordeaux two glasses poured of chateau margaux aromatics of autumn we smelled as we walked fall's finest hues we saw as we talked of the wine we were very fond but our adoration went beyond i looked at you you looked at me and we saw what we didn't expect to see your love for me you then confessed followed by passion we became undressed the details that followed for only you and i to know were a show of emotion - a private show leaves on the ground around us danced while on our palates the margaux pranced in an afternoon beneath an old oak tree we found love in a forest that few can see i loved that walk and i love that wine a bottled memory that's yours and mine |
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NO CHAMPAGNE ON NEW YEAR'S DAY
BY: ALLIE MERRICK i sip in a different way each and every new years day most look ahead to the future but i look behind to my past they pour champagne to celebrate as i pour burgundy to recast others makes toasts with promises they make while i raise my glass as i account for each mistake some find their once filled glasses empty and begin to pour once again but when my wine is gone instead of the bottle, a grab the pen i pour my thoughts of yesterday on pages to remember the good, the bad and in between from last january through december it's on these ink etched pages not in a wine filled glass that i find cause to smile and sip again with class yes, i sip in a different way each and every new years day |
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I'M DREAMING OF A RED CHRISTMAS
BY: ALLIE MERRICK i'm dreaming of a red christmas with all the wines i love and know cabernet that's intense and immense and smooth, silky merlot tempranillo with spice can be naughty but nice though as far as reds go i prefer a pinot shiraz is generally fine by me especially when it's peppery and zinfandel will make me merry with layers of rich, black cherry while visions of sugar plums fill your head what i desire comes in shades of red and in a bottle not a box with a bow at the sight of which i begin to glow so, as i dream of a red christmas with all the wines i love and know please pour me a cab that's intense and immense or a smooth and silky merlot |
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ODE TO CHARDONNAY
BY: ALLIE MERRICK it was many and many a year ago with a bottle of chardonnay that i first fell in love with wine in a whole new way before this bottle i swore an oath to drink just red and never both red for me was nearly ideal i’d have it with every single meal carnivorous when i dine it just made sense to drink red wine then one day i was poured a wine in a home that wasn’t mine what filled my glass wasn’t red not even pink but white instead not wanting to offend and come across as rude i swirled the glass a bit and shifted focus to my food the focus never came as i became distracted it was to the aromatics of the wine that i reacted bright, steely notes swirled and sped as i sat up inhaling with intention in attempt of keeping up sipped and savored layers of flavor streaking by breathing in each nuance i exhaled with a deep sigh “what just happened” i asked out loud unaware of the nearby crowd “it’s chardonnay” someone said i grabbed the bottle and then i read it was indeed chardonnay but i’d never had one taste that way had i known it could be like this like an angel’s tear like first love’s kiss like heaven’s mist and morning’s dew like promises and oaths held true i would have never turned away and silenced a wine with so much to say speaking of which here’s what it said as i now hungered for what it fed while i’m not red like cabernet much like pinot i have much to say while i don’t shout but whisper by choice you’ll find there’s value in my voice i speak from vines of burgundy from a place that’s called chablis i carry with me little weight but substance that will satiate forward fruit that will not bend my acidity knows no end you’ll find that i am beautifully brisk worthy of one taking a risk the chardonnay had made its case and with it built a solid base on my palate that now craved chardonnay for which i raved cheers to you chardonnay may more explore what you have to say |
