New Year. New Debt.

I don't know if it was one of Boo's resolutions for 2010, but he's certainly started the new year off by making his best contribution towards spending the country's way out of the recession.

While at the dinner party last night, Axel made the "mistake" (at least it was one for my pocketbook) of saying that he and the English Doc were heading down to a "close out sale" of one of the Oriental carpet shops in Gastown. For a carpet queen like Boo, that's like a new dealer in town offering introductory new prices to a crack addict.

As you can see, he wears his carpets with pride and this one is a beauty. It's just that this is the first time we've picked up a fine Persian silk at Vancouver prices. We'd been lucky enough to pick up some incredible rugs while visiting Miss Jaq in the UAE, but those rugs were at much nicer prices (even after duty and all).

Suffice it to say that he's not allowed to complain about me buying any new wines for some time to come. The "No Buy Leash" has been noticeably loosened.

317. 2002 Renwood Old Vine Zinfandel (Amador County - California)

Now, normally the silk carpets and vicinity are no wine zones - to the extent that they occasionally get rolled up if we know that guests intend to fully indulge in vino veritas. Just the thought of trying to remove a stain from a Qum or a Kashan is the stuff of nightmares. And pity the poor person that caused the spill!

We risked the photo though - just to show how we spent January 1 this year (and I supposed I really do mean "spent").

The bottle labelling describes this wine as "Ripe & Fleshy, Sexy & So Sophisticated." I'm not sure whether that was referring to the wine or to how Boo felt wrapped in his new baby - but I won't take that image any further.

I remember hearing that there's a group of California wineries that produce bang up Zin's and they all start with the letter "R." My guess is that Renwood must be one of them, because as over the top as the labelling might have been, it was a very tasty wine. Not exactly inexpensive - $37 when we bought it a few years ago - but full bodied and full of ripe black fruit. I always hope for a little something extravagant with a bottle of that price and I think this delivered.

(No doubt, this is a good example of the BC tax system when it comes to importing wine. I see that the 2005 vintage of this wine is listed on the winery website at $18US. It's currently listed with the BCLD at $32. I know the Canadian dollar was suffering a few years back but how can there be such a difference in price? Crazy! No wonder our household drinks so little US wine - particularly if Boo wants to buy another carpet down the road.)

But, after all, a new silk carpet has to be an occasion for a nice bottle.

That, and the fact that we needed something with a bit of personality to match up with our more traditional New Year's Day activity. Being the good Southern boy that he is, Boo is always one for his black-eyed peas and cornbread come January 1 and the new year's dinner table. There was a bit of a bite to this year's batch, so the spiciness of the wine wasn't completely out of sync.

A new carpet, Southern vittles, a fine wine and a loosened "leash," what more can a guy ask for to start a new year?