Wine in South Florida

 Now, I know a lot of my readers aren't into wines, but while this isn't all about wine, it is about wine here is south Florida.  First of all, whenever we talk with family, we are constantly asked whether we are staying down here, or whether this is like a winter home of some kind.  Let me set the record straight.  We ARE staying down here.  This is not a temporary place, although how long we will be at this address isn't known.  But I would say we will remain residents of Cape Coral indefinitely.  Whether we live here in this house or find a place of our own.  The one thing I have noticed here in Florida is how abundant wines are in grocery stores compared to living in NY.  

I have six bottles of wine in our storage unit with an average cost of about $17 per bottle.  Having said this, I read of a Sommelier who has tasted over 15,000 varieties of wine.  He says the sweet spot for wine is between $30 and $50.  He says all other wines in the lesser prices are just factory produced wines for the retail market.  Now, I know many of you aren't into wines, but I drink exclusively Cabernet Savignon.  I might have something else once in a great while, but this is pretty much what I drink almost exclusively.  

My wife and I were at the grocery store the other day and she noticed that even with the same label the Cabernets were more expensive than other varietal wines under the same labels.  Then she asked why.  I told her that the grapes in Cabernet required more care and because of a water shortage there are fewer of them.  Cabernet wines are NOT the more popular wines.  White wines, which are lighter, sweeter, and more flavorful are more popular than reds.  

There was a time when for me, $15 for a bottle of Cabernet was about the most I wanted to spend on a wine.  Now, it is more like $15-20.  I like the flavor of a good red wine and it seems for me that Cabernet hits all the right notes.  But for me that $30 minimum gets a little steep.  And maybe with today's inflation that $30-50 price range was my $20 maximum. And once in a great while, I could find a $40 on sale at a good price.  

I don't drink wine to become inebriated, but a good Cabernet can make certain foods taste better like steak or an Italian dinner and some cheeses.  I have tried to keep with the old rule of thumb that reds were for heartier meals and whites with poultry of fish.  But these days it is a red wine with most anything.  I'm not fussy about reds with red food and whites for white food.  But in the end, I would say my price point now is between $15-20 with anything over that being a little too rich for my blood.

Can a pipe tobacco be too cheap?  Not really.  If one drinks wine to become inebriated, a $3 bottle will work.  But when it comes to pipe tobacco ot is just a matter of taste.  I've known pipe smokers that won't touch any Aromatics, which tend to cost less than good English blends.  But there ARE pricey Aromatics.  As a general rule Aromatics cost less, but many pipe smokers find a favorite and stuck with it.  If I am buying from a place like Smoking Pipes I would say my average is around $3 an ounce.  Shipping costs just depend on how much I order at any given time.  

But I'll buy an ounce and a half tin for $15.  It just depends.  Bulk tobaccos are generally cheaper.  But I know that four ounces of one of my favorites is now $35.  That is about the most I want to spend on any tobacco.  These days I won't spend more than $150 for any pipe, with most being between $100 and $150.   Comparatively speaking pipes are a much cheaper hobby than wine collecting.   I just like good quality at a decent price.  

Today I am smoking one of my Nording pipes with my Good Stuff blend.  I am enjoying this blend very much and my wife likes the room note.  Well, those are my thoights about wines and tobacco this morning.  Plus removing any doubts about us staying here in south Florida.  Thank you for your time and Peace to each one of you.

Dave