What Wine Geeks Drink on July 4th

First, many thanks to the salesman who left a message on my voicemail. He wanted to sell me a blog-writing service, based on his observation that while my entries were interesting, they didn't occur regularly enough. To that end I will attempt to make a daily blog entry.

I am often asked by customers walking into Chesapeake Wine Company the first time, if we carry other alcoholic beverages besides wine. Unfortunately I am prone to giving a smart-ass response like "If you walk into a store named Blah-Blah Discount Liquors, do you ask if they carry other alcoholic beverages besides booze?" I've gotten better, though - usually I take the time to point out our small but high quality selection of spirits and beer.

Fact is, I'd be bored just drinking wine. I couldn't have imagined spending July 4th drinking only wine. Sure, I drank some great bubbles at the store - we were open 'til 5pm, and I generally encourage the staff to have some fun on days like the 4th - it was mostly Paul Bara Champagne Brut Rose. But once we made it to our July 4th festivities, I mixed it up; a couple of Coronas, a margarita, then a few glasses of a terrific dry pink Loire Valley Pinot Noir made by Eric Chevalier (like the Bara, a Kermit Lynch selection). By the way, there is no truth to the conventional wisdom that mixing alcoholic beverages causes hangovers. Over drinking causes hangovers, period.