On the Move

It looks as though this move thing might actually be happening. Gods willing. As of this writing.

Which means! Now I get to think about packing. Unfortunately I know of no way to get your stuff to a new house from your old house without putting it all in boxes, one box at a time.

Also if you’ve never paid for movers — as I hadn’t before I moved to my current house in 2014 — I really recommend it. It focuses the mind wonderfully to pick up that vase that someone gave you in 1996 and think, do I really want to pay someone to move this?

Of course, my stuff includes my ~100 bottle wine collection. Luckily I’ve got pals who own a winery. I emailed my friend Stacy McGuigan, the events coordinator and wine club manager at William Heritage and asked if they had any spare boxes lying around.

“Sure!” she replied. “Would 10 be enough?”

So if you’ve ever wondered what 10 case boxes look like in the back of a 2008 Honda Fit, here you go.

I think this will do the trick!

I’m also taking the opportunity to reconcile my collection with what I actually own. Apparently I have not been careful about checking off my wines as I drink them. So I’ll be printing out my list (thank you, CellarTracker) and checking them off as they go in boxes. I may never get this chance again!

While I was at William Heritage scooping up boxes, I also picked up my March wine allotment (which I’ll definitely highlight for you later...)

And I filled up my growler. Yep, wine growlers! Wine club members can buy a stainless steel growler and fill it up whenever they remember to bring it back to the winery, or once they find the missing cap that goes on top (ahem). The wines on tap always change up, and on the Saturday I visited they were pouring cabernet franc.

I’ve rhapsodized about cabernet franc before, but just to summarize: it originated in the southwest of France. It’s a key part of the classic Bordeaux blend, and it’s the parent grape to cabernet sauvignon and merlot. It does well in a variety of climates around the world, and seems well suited to the East Coast. It’s the favorite red grape of the Finger Lakes in New York, as well as here in New Jersey. If we had a signature red, my pals at the Winemakers Coop think this would be it.

Not sure which year this cab franc was, and honestly I was too wrapped up in hauling boxes to the car to ask. It’s got a pronounced red berry on the palate, and a little fizz on the end. The one thing about the growlers is it makes it difficult to store for any length of time. So I hate to tell you, but you’re just going to have to drink it quick. I’ll do what I can over here.

Hoping to have good news, and a bottle I’ve been saving, to share with you next week. Meantime I’d appreciate your not quite uncrossing those fingers just yet. Have a great weekend!