Todd gave me a great birthday present this year (you're going to be reading a lot about a few great birthday presents over the next few days). He knows I've had fun learning more about wine, and that I'd like to have a small collection around the house so we can open a bottle whenever we have guests or just feel like it ourselves. So last night he said, "I need to pick up your birthday present, and it's just down the block. Do you want to come along?" My curiosity was aroused, because I had no idea what he had in mind. He led me to the wine shop, then told the guy there (the owner, I think) that he wanted to buy me six bottles of wine, all different, so I could taste around.

I think the owner actually enjoyed picking them out for me. We had already picked up a shiraz from the Barossa Valley in Australia because we found the bottle charming (it's the Piping Shrike, and it has a funny little story on the back and not a whole lot of info on how the wine tastes). After approving our selection, the owner picked out six other bottles (the last one was free) of sharp, flavorful red wines (I like bright, spicy wines right now, rather than rich, mellow ones). We got a Spanish rioja that hasn't been mellowed for U.S. palates; an Italian ripasso, which is made by pouring wine over amarone (partially dehydrated) grapes; a Gigondas, from the Rhone region of France; a merlot that is not typical for merlot; and two others from California.