26 Miles Is 25 Miles Too Far

The 2011 San Francisco Marathon kicked off this morning. Part of the course leads the runners right underneath one side of our building along Haight Street. While it was mildly tempting to wake up a little early and go downstairs to cheer the athletes, we quickly realized it’s a Sunday morning, it’s 60 degrees outside, and running is crazy. We could hear the clapping and cheers from our apartment, so we were there in spirit, of course.

And who on earth would run 26 miles? After one mile, my knees start threatening to call their local union reps and go on strike. Do that for 25 more miles, and I’m pretty sure my entire body would expatriate to Canada. It truly boggles our minds that there are people who PAY for the opportunity to experience that kind of pain.

But, to each their own. One thing is certain, after a race like that, whether you are a runner or a fan, or someone who lies in bed thinking about the runners going by and shaking your head, you deserve a drink. May we recommend some champagne? Perhaps one such as the G.H. Mumm Brut Rosé ($35). This is a cousin of the regular G.H. Mumm Brut that we often go to for celebratory drinks. This one was full of spunk, as it created a vortex of bubbles once poured into our glasses. It had a sharp initial taste that was a little sour, surprising for a rosé. The flavor then melted into floral and bitter apple notes that carried a little sass with them. The end brought on a punch of grape that rounded out the flavor experience. We were not wowed by this one, but that probably wouldn’t matter after 26 miles of running. We’d just be happy to be alive!

Score: An all-around 3.

Recommended: While it was pleasing and went well with the Mystery Science Theater 3000 movie we watched while we drank, it wasn’t as good at the regular Brut. We’d go with that instead.

Things For Which You Shouldn’t Tip

We’ve entered the ranks of true un-paid bloggers with our recent milestone – two months without a new entry. And we’ll do the cursory whining, that there was wedding planning, and out-of-town trips, and script-writing, and flying monkeys that got in the way of our postings. But we know you’ve heard all that before, and they’re just excuses. If you really want to do something, you make time for it, simple as that. So we apologize. Feel free to throw virtual tomatoes (just not heirloom tomatoes, you should keep those babies to eat!).

While you may be unhappy with us, we’ve also been unhappy with some of the sparkling wine selections we’ve encountered over the past few months. Maybe we’ve been too stingy and haven’t been springing for the pricey stuff as much as usual (weddings can take a bite out of the budget), but I also think our good luck with finding bargain wines that still please the palate couldn’t last forever. And so, here are a couple wines you can be sure to avoid, at any price. (Unfortunately, because one of us changed phones, we no longer have photos, but you wouldn’t want to see these pitiful bottles anyway).

First, the Pol Remy Brut ($9), the second least impressive champagne we’ve tried so far. It was furiously bubbly and abrasively sour upon first sip. It lacked pretty much any other flavor besides sour, and even smelled slightly of wine that’s turned a bit too far towards vinegar. It did have a moderate crispness, but the wine itself lacked any complexity, and was just another empty promise. The ending was nothing but dry all over.

Score: She gives it a 1.5, he miraculously bestows a 2.5 upon this wine.

Next is the Enrico Prosecco ($13), a sparkler from an Italian vineyard that was established in 1983, which seemed promising as that was the year of this author’s birth. But alas, not everything founded in ’83 was meant to be spectacular. This was another wine with too many bubbles, perhaps trying to make up for a lack of flavor. It was typically dry, with sweet and sour top notes mixed together. The flavor was so light it was hard to identify, and merely tickled the tongue without providing any real enjoyment. The closest flavor we could come up with was watery apples, almost like apple flavored watermelons (are there such things?). It was an underwhelming, unremarkable experience.

Score: She gives it a 2, he goes with a 2.5

Recommended: Obviously, even at bargain prices, we suggest avoiding these wines and using your money for a nice six-pack of micro-brewed beer. For those times you need a break from champagne. Hey, it could happen.