Where in the world is Winnemucca? Better yet, what is a Winnemucca? What do you mean it’s in Nevada? I thought Nevada only had Las Vegas and Area 51? Oh, I forgot, Area 51 is a well kept secret that no one knows about. So this is how my conversation began a few weeks ago. After a brief geography lesson and looking at an old map, I learned that this town is located in one of those big empty spots on my map of Nevada. I forgot that Reno was also in Nevada and it would be one of my stops on the way to the world famous (as of today that is) Winnemucca. To get there is not easy. Several plane rides that had me up at 3 AM to get to the airport, a tight connection and I eventually ended up in Reno. From there you rent a 4 wheel drive vehicle this time of year and begin driving East. About three hours East. What is East of Reno? - Winnemucca. Make sure you have a full tank of gas and an empty bladder before you begin the drive - there is not much along the way. If it’s snowing, call ahead to see if the roads are open or closed - they have frequent pull off points to put chains on your tires. Yes, today was an adventure.
I just arrived in Winnemucca about an hour ago and I can tell you there is not a whole lot to do except visit all of the casinos. The problem is I don’t gamble. Well that is not entirely accurate, I do take a chance on whether a bottle of wine might be good or not. Sometimes the gamble pays off and sometimes it does not.
Winnemucca really is a cute little town. It actually began as a trading post back in 1850. It was originally called Frenchman’s Ford but it was renamed in 1868 to Winnemucca in honor of an Indian Chief - that’s what the little book in the hotel room says. I have never read one of those books but right now I am looking for any kind of amusement.
Trixie was the smart one on this trip. She decided to stay back at the Vintage Tuesday corporate headquarters (home). Now that I am left here without much to do, I have to think….. what would Trixie do? I know! She would find a wine store and go exploring. OK, that’s just what I did. The exploration took ten minutes and I was right back in the hotel parking lot. Then I noticed a big sign behind the hotel - Wal-Mart!! …and it had a grocery store and a wine department (sort of).
So I was now on a mission to find an interesting wine. Passing all of the jug wines I found a bottle with a label that jumped out at me. It is Red Bicyclette a 2004 Merlot from France. On the back of the bottle was the following description:
“Welcome to Red Bicyclette, from a little corner of the very best place in France. Wines from a place where the sheer joy of living is as easy as riding a bike”
Wholly Shiraz! They just described Winnemucca! And this place was originally Frenchman’s Ford. French? France? Another one of those Vintage Tuesday coincidences?
The wine was just under $10 so it seemed like a good gamble. Hey this is the town for that kind of bet! They have a pretty cool website www.redbicyclette.com where you can learn more fun things! The wine has a very deep red appearance with a touch of purple. The bouquet (aroma) had a bit of cherry and perhaps some oak and the taste was quite good and mellow. I also picked up a flavor of dark berries. This wine would go well with beef but since I am stuck in a hotel with a limited menu, I can tell you it also goes great with chicken!
Cheers from the Now World Famous Winnemucca!
Angus
