Mediterranean White

Always on the lookout for a bargain I couldn't pass on trying this $4 bottle of wine, Rene Barbier Mediterranean White from the Catalunya area of Spain. Clean, crisp, low alcohol and refreshing are words that come to mind. There's some citrus zest in the nose mixed with some herbs and flowers. The taste is light and dry, not heavy. This is a wine for a hot summer day. It's not vintage dated so it's probably a blend of several years. Grapes involved? The back label says indigenous grapes and in this part of Spain that probably means some Viura and whatever else was growing locally. This is not a wine to discuss, just one to drink.

Sunday was beautiful in the morning with not a cloud in the sky. Temperatures were in the 60 degree range by noon. As the day wore on a cold front with November colored clouds rolled in and we finished the day with thunderstorms and a lot of rain. Today's high is not expected to break 40 degrees and there is a chance of snow tonight. Welcome to spring in the great American Midwest.

I spent several hours grooming Scott yesterday, clipping, trimming, pulling out undercoat and making him look like a Gordon Setter again instead of an overgrown mass of black and tan hair. He spent the time on the grooming table watching the birds on the neighbor's bird feeder. The birds knew the front was coming in and they were seed loading to get through the next couple of days.

Dinner was simple, but good. I threw a whole chicken on the grill to roast. For the last few minutes of cooking time some asparagus joined the bird on the grill as did a couple of crusty rolls. No need to use the indoor oven to warm the bread when the grill is going. There was some prosciutto and provolone ravioli tossed in olive oil to finish the meal. It was a very Mediterranean meal to match the wine.