A toast to B-plus wines

I like buying good wine, nice table wine, at a good price. I like to go into my neighborhood wine store and scout out wines marked 87 or better by I-don't-know-whom, based on I-don't-know-what. This is a good way to go for someone who likes good wines but doesn't quite know how to pick 'em. And often these wines are in my $9-$12 a bottle range. I can usually get a good selection of the varieties we like (Pinot Noir or Cabernet in winter, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or Viognier in summer) that some wine expert has deemed B-plus or better, without breaking the bank.

Dave's all for buying Woodbridge 150 ml bottles for what I generally pay for smaller bottles of Smoking Loon or Twin Fin, but I don't know, once you open a big bottle like that, no telling where things might end up.

That's as much as we know about wine. And I'll admit, I have no shame this muggy time of year about plopping ice into a glass of vin blanc. Learned this from my Aunt Katie in Florida, a former food editor, the greatest cook I know of, with the highest standards when it comes to presentation and elegance. If she's cool enjoying her Chardonnay over a couple ice cubes, hey, I'll drink to that.