Well we made another trip to our neighborhood wine shop to see the “wine wizard”. We found a bottle with an interesting label called “Cycles Gladiator”. There is how you want to pick out wine - how interesting is the label! I mentioned this one in the wineglish post a few days ago just because the title seemed odd to me.
Now the problem I have with all of this is mixing wine with bicycles. - yes this is the voice of experience! Years ago I was an avid bicycler taking those crazy 100 plus mile trips pedaling my…. well you know, I was peddling it off. These days I go in the garage, open the car door, turn the key, kick up the air conditioning, CD player, great tunes and all the creature comforts. The bicycle only makes it out a few times a year for a leisurely cruise through the neighborhood.
Once upon a time during a younger crazier time in my life, I was with friends in college and we had a little too much wine. Oops - that only happened once - I promise! At the end of the evening I had to ride my bicycle back to my college apartment. Some of you think riding a bicycle can be a little tricky, try doing it without a sense of balance - or at least a temporary altered sense of balance. I was riding across a pedestrian campus so cars were not a problem, but there were curbs and other adventurous obstacles that I had to avoid. In those days I could ride 100 miles but that evening’s 1/2 mile ride home was quite an adventure. So….. that is why the title puzzled me - bicycles and wine seemed like an odd combination.
Much to my surprise, there actually was some thought that went into the label. Now there’s a novel approach - I’m glad someone else put some thought into it because I’m done thinking tonight. The label and wine company are both based on a little bit of history. (You are actually getting an education here!) At the peak of the early bicycle years during the late 1800’s (would love to try some wine from back then) a French painter G. Massias created a famous Parisian art poster of a new bicycle called “Cycles Gladiator” - Who knew??
Most pictures that I recall of the 1800’s bicycles always had some goofy looking guy with a big mustache in a suit riding a bike with an enormous front wheel - I always wondered how he even got on the bike. Well this one is a little different. There is definitely not a guy in a suit in this piece of art. She seems to be floating behind the bicycle and makes a great picture for a wine bottle. The winery is named Cycles Winery in Soledad, CA - the Central Coast Region of California. It was quite a nice bottle of wine with an interesting label . Best of all it was only $9.99 which is right in line with the Vintage Tuesday budget (quarters stuck in the sofa). I wonder if anyone will ever name a wine Schwinn Roadmaster?
Trixie and I popped this one open while listening to Amy Winehouse. What a great combination, wine and winehouse - another one of those coincidences? Many of you probably saw her perform at the Grammy’s recently . I don’t watch much TV, but that night Trixie drug me kicking and screaming to the evil TV and I was mesmerized by her performance. We had to run out and buy her latest CD Back to Black. The music sent a shiver up my spine - it was also cold out, maybe that was it. For a young British singer, she comes across with the heart, soul and attitude you might picture in a smoke filled lounge from decades ago with Etta James, Billie Holiday or one of the greats from that era. If you like funky “off the trail” music, this CD is a great one. She does a great remake of “Me and Mrs. Jones” appropriately renamed “Me and Mr. Jones.”
The Cycles Gladiator 2004 Merlot wine was quite good. There are hints of spices and berries. A very mellow red wine, the kind of wine we really enjoy. Trixie thought she picked up a hint of smoke but I think it was the music from the CD! That lounge thing was coming through. If you are looking for a great combination of wine and music, Amy Winehouse and Cycles Gladiator wine can certainly do the trick. Just don’t jump on the bike afterwards!
Cheers!
Angus
