Green Eggs & Ham - Graduation Day

I can only pretend to understand what truly goes through Perry's mind on a daily basis - such must be his life living with Asperger's - but I think it's pretty safe to say that he was a pretty proud guy today as he graduated from high school.

I said the same thing a couple of years ago when Perry's sister, Stargirl, graduated, but I can't believe how extravagant high school graduations have become - cap and gown, local dignitaries and processions across the stage at Simon Fraser University's great concourse. It appears high school gym stages aren't quite as acceptable nowadays as they were in my day. Then again, didn't we use to trudge six miles through three feet of snow in tired old Basketmaster runners, blah, blah, blah? How times have changed.

One neat aspect of Perry's graduation - that is, neat if there hadn't been 500+ kids to go through - was that, as each student walked across the stage, a short quote of their choosing was read out. None of us knew what Perry had chosen. In addition to thanking his Mom and teachers, his parting words were, "I do not like them Sam I Am. I do not like green eggs and ham."

Dr. Seuss? I'd have guessed Phinneas & Ferb or Mario Bros. Shows you what I know but I was secretly that his procession was greeted with a healthy round of applause.

On top of that, Perry's graduation called for a family and friends' BBQ and, funny, we had us some wine to toast Perry. I offered him a glass as well but received his regular, "No thanks Uncle Bob."

1640.  2013 Miraval Côtes de Provence Rosé (AOC Côtes de Provence -France)

That didn't stop the rest of us and I was more than happy to see that Perry's mom, my sis, Vixen, brought out one of her recent shower gifts - a bottle of Brangelina's Rosé. Not that she knew what Miraval was until after I'd told her.

I'd wanted to try the wine following its début last year but had yet to commit to the $30 sticker price it carries in Vancouver. Since it was the only Rosé wine named to Wine Spectator's best 100 wines of the year, that would presumably that make Miraval the best Rosé wine in the world last year.

Hey, I guess this means that any one of us should be able to bag one of the year's best with our first vintage - if we have $60 million to buy a château and estate - one that happens to come with its own valley and a geography that allows estate vineyards to encompass exposures of every which manner.

Up front, I'll admit that, in general, I'm a fan of Provençal Rosé but I wanted to like this wine more than I actually did. Although a touch unorthodox, I don't mind the packaging at all and it's undoubtably a pretty wine. I found it, however, to be very acidic but without the counterbalancing fruit that I so enjoy with local BC Rosés. Granted, it may have fared better with food but it was long gone by the time we got the BBQ going. Seems I wasn't the only one who wanted a touch of Brad and Angelina in their life. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to horn in on another bottle that some unwittingly opens.

1641.  Amberley - Kiss & Tell Moscato (Western Australia)

I'd picked up the Moscato partially because, to some extent, it's a flavour of the month, but also because it hails from Western Australia. When I see the words "Western Australia" in conjunction with wine, I'm automatically on my way to thoughts of happy sips. My thoughts just go straight to Margaret River and one of my favourite wine regions in the world. We don't see many Western Australian wines in our neck of the woods, but the ones that do find their way here are often delightful sips.

The reason I'd brought the bottle to Perry's BBQ was that I figured this would be a wine that would appeal to his sisters. Stargirl is just starting to regularly accept a glass of wine with us at family gatherings and I thought this might work with the youngest, Melmo, as well. Stargirl said this was right up here alley and even Melmo took a couple sips and said that it was "alright." It was a bit too sweet for my liking and even though I didn't notice any of the promised spritz, but I could see using it in an Aperol cocktail should we run across another bottle.

1642.  2012 Cline - Lodi Zinfandel (California)

For my glass, the Zin was the steadiest pour of the lot. That being said, this isn't the kind of bottle that I'll drink a lot of. An everyday bottle in the US, it clocks in at about $20 in Vancouver - maybe twice the price you could find it for south of the border. This is a prime example of liquor board pricing up here and why I tend to only buy American wine when I'm actually in the States.

I was happy to have it in my glass at Perry's party though. Burgers and Zin are a classic pairing in my book. High school may be many decades behind me now, but I still know that there's always room for the classics.

As for Perry, he may not have as many options before him as his sisters do - and he may never be a wine drinker. All the same - and to invoke Dr. Suess again - he's certainly looking forward to all the places he'll go. No doubt we'll be along for much of the ride - glass in hand.