No shrinking fleur (du cap)

Last Friday, our plans to picnic on the hill at Miller Outdoor Theatre while watching Twelfth Night were "rained out." (Admittedly, they were probably mere sprinkles, but after this many months of drought, re-exposure to precipitation must be undertaken slowly and in limited doses.) Instead, we relocated our picnic to a more climate controlled setting, but nonetheless partook of the "tonics" we had previously packed (purely for their medicinal utility in numbing the nerves against the mosquitoes and heat, of course). Among the refreshments first aid was one of those fortuitous selections from Spec's (ranking right up there with my favorite Spec's lark, the Colterenzio Pinot Grigio).

Spec's wine guys and gals are consistently good at suggesting wines. I've never been disappointed by their selections. But the Fleur du Cap Pinotage (South Africa) was a standout. What started out as a heck-it's-less-than-12-bucks-and-I'm-late-already-and-the-wine-guy-
has-never-failed-me-before pick, was elevated upon opening to one of the most novel, complex, and startlingly smoky (in a good way) wines I've tasted.

The Spec's guru advised that it would stand up to spicy foods well (one of my requisites) without the usual mouthful of alcohol associated with cheap reds from down under (thank you, Primary Color Caudal Appendage). It did. But it also performed surprisingly well with lighter bites and desert, a holy grail of wines for a potluck or grazing a wide range of hors d'oeurves. And considering we jumped right from a light, semisweet rose to the Pinotage without so much as rinsing glasses, this wine would be ideal for one of those gatherings where a ragtag selection of wines are served without order or deliberate pairing.

Now if only it could be laced with electrolytes and some recovery-speeding protein. Why can't sports drinks taste this good?