Dylan (age 14) and I were at the grocery store the other day when a woman put wayyyy too much trust in their plastic grocery bags and tried to carry a 2 liter bottle of pop AND a 750ml bottle of wine out in one single layer bag. BASH!!! we hear behind us, and she is standing in a purple puddle surrounded by shards of glass. I was concerned that she not slip in her flip flops and land on the broken glass, but she was sure she could stand there. I fell in a pair of them once, so I know how fast it happens, and I was near a simple wet spot, not near a jagged patch of glass. Anyway, Dylan's first remark was "that smells good," and I had to resist the temptation to pick up a piece of her shattered bottle to read the label, because I had the same thought. We haven't cooked anything with wine for a while (one could make the case that I haven't done much cooking at all in months, it has been so hot.) That particular type would have been a great aromatic addition to beef stew or some thick tomato sauce for spaghetti or lasagne. And a glass on the side. This is the kind of reaction I want from the kids, an appreciation of wine so they have a little defence against the wholesale abuse of it once they get to college. :)

SRS