Hot Sauce and Aspirin

Today is an exciting day if you are a wine lover. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, every third Thursday in November is Beaujolais Nouveau Day. This day marked the end of the harvest season, and celebrated the efforts of wine makers introducing their newly created wine to markets all over Europe, and now all over the world. Beaujolais Nouveau is a lighter red wine, fruity, almost pink, but despite its humble and inexpensive qualities it has created a massive following. Today millions of people eagerly await the release of the newest vintage. Being in south central Florida, I did not have access to any brand new vintages, but I will remain on the lookout and update things if I am able to locate one. I did pick up a bottle of Beaujolais-Villages to have something to toast the day with, but I haven’t opened it yet.

When researching Zinfandel Day, things got a bit murkier. According to Thirst Mag’s calendar, today is their day. According to a google search it is usually celebrated on the third Wednesday in November, which would have been yesterday. Regardless of which day you choose, this holiday was created by the ZAP, the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers, to drum up business for an often overlooked wine. Researchers think that what we now know as Zinfandel originated in Croatia in the 18th century, under the name Primitivo. The wine is made from black skinned grapes. Nowadays it is considered a very American wine, in fact over 10% of California vineyards produce Zinfandel grapes. If you are a BBQ lover, Zinfandel pairs well with smoky meats, though I think it stands alone quite well. Whether you celebrate today, or you were ahead of the game pairing your Zin with your cider yesterday, you will find it is certainly an easier wine to grab ahold of, no matter where you are. I am currently enjoying a bottle of Saldo Zinfandel, it’s one of the pricier ones, coming in around $25. It is made by The Prisoner and always a safe choice, sure to be a crowd pleaser or make a great hostess gift. It has a soft feel, and a rich but still very smooth flavor. The reason I chose it over a less expensive bottle was the design of the logo. The simplicity grabbed my attention on a shelf full of very busy labels.

Red wine is NOTORIOUS for a hangover, the sulphates are killer and it seems to get worse as I age. In an attempt to ward off any potential malaise tomorrow, (remember I am training for 2 long races and a 800 mile distance challenge), I will be taking a complex B vitamin, a milk thistle, and drinking 40 ounces of water today. That should be enough, but if it is not, I will let you know what I take tomorrow to get me over the hump. For now, carpe diem, and enjoy your wine! We are all safe in our houses anyway, so drinking and driving won’t be an issue. Cheers, and happy wine day! If you participate and use instagram, please tag me #hotsauceandaspirin or #zinday, and like yesterday I will like and comment on my favorite submissions!