Fireworks - Oooh! Aaaah!

The August long weekend is always one of the most happening in Vancouver. It's the "time of my people" and, as if Pride and its related activities isn't enough, this weekend also had Dr. Dirt's 50th, Miss Jaq is in town visitng from the Emirates and, now, there's an invite from Mr. D. to wander down his way to the West End and watch the final night of the Celebration of Light Fireworks.

As much as Boo and I enjoy the annual fireworks, we don't get down to see them much anymore. The thought of ooohing and aaahing with another 500,000 folks, and then fighting the traffic to get home with that same gang, just doesn't have the same allure that it used to. Besides, on the weeknight shows, I plan to be in bed long before the shows are over.

But it was Saturday night of the long weekend, Boo had to work nights and Mr. D. has a great view of English Bay. So, we could sit back in comfort, have some wine and watch the show without the hassle of jostling with thousands in the street.

546. 2008 Marcus James Malbec (Mendoza - Argentina)

One of the brands marketed by Constellation, Marcus James is apparently the #1 Argentinean label sold in the US. I don't know whether that's a fact for the Canadian market as well; however, even though I can't say that it's a wine label that I reach for, I have been aware of Marcus James as a brand that receives a fair bit of buzz for being good value at bargain pricing (at least for the Vancouver market).

There aren't too many wines in our market that sell for $10 or less and actually pass the muster of a lot of the local wine writers but this is definitely one of them. While I don't think that anyone expects this Malbec to be a wine that will leave you oooohing and aaaaahing - like the evening's fireworks - it is a very drinkable glass of wine. There's enough dark fruit in the glass that the wine is enjoyable on its own but there's still some tannin and structure to it so that it's not just a glass of strong grape juice.

The idea of this evening was to keep my head in tune for a busy day tomorrow and an early start at that. So, Mr. D. and I kept to just the one bottle. The fact that we moved on from the wine to some beer at one of the local pubs - while I waiting out some of the transit crush for a bit - is a whole other story. But, all things considered, I think I still managed to get home in pretty good shape and it was a nice chance to take in a local iconic event and add another bottle to The List. I wouldn't have had the opportunity to add that extra bottle had we ventured to the waterfront to watch the show - or if I'd just stayed home for the evening. Good on Mr. D. for dragging me out.