Dreaming of A White Christmas

Feliz Navidad!

White Christmas, eh? Unless you count the lily white, totally lacking a tan, skin that I'm sporting, I suppose the white sands are about as close as we'll come to a White Christmas here in Cuba. The locals may be complaining about how cold it is, but it's still shorts and short sleeves for this Canuck.

Since I'm having to spend the holidays away from Boo this Christmas, I'm glad that the toughest decision I have to make is whether to sit back and sip on my mojito on the beach or at near the poolside bar. Tough choice, but I know it has to be made. Unless, of course, I take in a little Christmas cheer on both fronts. What could be easier?

Indeed it was an easy day. There's something to be said about not having to make plans or having to fit in as much as you can into a day. To top it off, the couple in the room across the hall from me offered us their reservation at the resort's steak house. I wasn't sure that I'd actually be able to talk someone into not dining with the whole group and into using the reservation but Mom and Dad said that they wouldn't mind going. They'd already been at the resort for a week, so a change from the buffet was a welcome change.

686. 2008 Bodega Sottano Merlot (Mendoza - Argentina)

I'd rather expected that the wines at a Cuban all-inclusive resort weren't likely to be all that exciting, so I brought along a few bottles of my own. It seemed that an Argentine red would be a nice accompaniment at a steak house. The meal might not be quite the same as a Buenos Aires asado or parilla but we're not exactly eating Christmas turkey with the trimmings either.

Sottano was one of the wineries that Boo and I were lucky enough to visit back in October. I hadn't expected to find any of their wines in Vancouver, but lo and behold, some of the wines were front and centre in a couple of bottle shops. The wines aren't a general listing at the provincial stores, but I hadn't expected to find them in even the private shops. I didn't think that Sottano was big enough to penetrate our market. Just shows how popular Argentine wines are becoming in Canada.

Mom's not much of a red wine kind of girl, but I've never known a wine (of any colour) that my Dad would turn down. I guess this fruit didn't fall far from that tree. I don't think Boo and I tried this Sottano while in Mendoza, but the Merlot was pretty much what I'd expect - lots of fruit, not too bold on the tannins and a pretty decent glass.

We toasted the holiday and Boo. We just hoped he took up one of the Christmas dinner offers that had come his way once it was apparent that he'd be stuck back in Vancouver while we beached it up. I'm happy to announce that he probably partied it up as much, if not more, than we did.

And, he got turkey.