Disruption? Walk it Off.

When I was young, my father’s solution to all problems, grand and small, was “walk it off.”  There was a good deal of common sense in that, if you didn’t take it too far.  Fall and skin your knee – walk it off.  Twist your ankle playing sports – walk it off.  Get hit by a train – walk it off.  Hey, it was a different era . . .

• “Walk it off” can also be pretty good advice in our new era of "shelter in place."  Some fresh air, a little exercise and some human contact, while observing appropriate social distancing, can make things a little more upbeat.  We’ve met many old friends, and made some new friends, on our daily walks.
• So, what does walking have to do with wine?  Just this: A little walk and some fresh air might be just the thing before you try the sedentary wine courses suggested below.

Speaking of disruptions, we couldn't resist when we saw a Washington wine called "Disruption."  More on that below.  If you're wondering how we can get wine during a shelter in place order -- it turns out that in many states (Pennsylvania being one exception) liquor stores are considered "essential" businesses.  California has taken it one step further and designated cannabis shops as essential.  Hmmm . . .

• Many shops, from large chains such as Total Wine to local wine shops, are beefing up their home delivery programs.  We tried one this week and it worked well.

Anyway, if you've run out of closets to reorganize and furniture to rearrange and would like to learn a little more about wine, there are some really great free internet resources available.  Many wine region trade associations have consumer education content on their websites, with the obvious goal of acquainting consumers with their wines and increasing sales.  These range from fairly basic to some interesting interactive programs.  If there's a region that you're particularly interested in, a google search will probably turn something up, but here are a few of our favorites:

• Napa Valley.  The Napa Valley Vintners Association has an interesting interactive program, Napa Valley Rocks, that provides a great overview of Napa Valley and its wines.  And if you're really bored, you can print and frame the "certificate of completion" that they give you if you finish the course.
• Burgundy.  The Burgundy Wine Board has a good interactive e-learning site that covers Burgundy history and wines, and includes films, quizzes, and interviews.
• Beaujolais.  The Beaujolais trade association's interactive program provides some really good information on the region and its wines.
• Australia.  The Wine Australia learning site is less interactive, but has a tremendous range of information, including the basics of how wine is made.

Which brings us to our wine of the week, a 2017 Disruption Chardonnay from Washington’s Columbia Valley (about $15 retail).  The art work on the label (shown above) is from a street mural by Urban Artworks, a project supported by the winery.  OK, we were a bit house happy and bought it on a whim, but thought it was a really good wine, and an excellent value, and we'll be adding this to our list of easy drinking Chardonnays.  Disruption is made from 100 percent Chardonnay grapes, about a quarter of the wine is aged in new French oak to give it some toasty notes, and the balance is aged in stainless steel.  The wine had citrus, pineapple and subtle apple aromas, and the palate showed citrus, apple and vanilla.  This is a medium-bodied wine, with 13.5 percent alcohol and nice balance.  The finish was medium and pleasant.

• The only problem with this wine is that we seem to have finished it while sitting on the deck planning dinner.   So, it  clearly makes a great aperitif.  It should pair well with fish and light white meats - hopefully we'll save enough next time to put that to the test.

Cheers!