Goddard College: The Rhetoric of $10 Wine

Clocktower

Yes, people, it's a wine blog.  However, as many of you know, I recently plunged back into school.  I feel incredibly lucky to have been accepted at Goddard College, where individuality reigns supreme.  And this is worth writing about, you see, because Goddard programs are built around an intense ten-day residency during which a huge amount of serious work is accomplished.  Along with the work, or perhaps because of the work, or perhaps in spite of the work, an enormous amount of cheap wine is imbibed.  Late at night, after the workshops, usually around a fire, often directly from the bottle.  And not, I swear, just by me.

Garden Cottage

Restricted as we were by the limited resources in Plainfield (two local general stores:  the little Red store and the little Blue store - politicos don't get too excited, this is Vermont, after all, and even the symbolic differences between Red and Blue are likely skewed to socialist and slightly less socialist - or, more accurately, more wine, less beer at the Red store, and less wine, more beer at the Blue).  I was pleasantly surprised to find a half-decent selection of wine, at least at the little Red store, and all of it under ten dollars.

The Manor House Garden

That said, by the end of the residency apparently I was heard to say, "If I have to drink one more ten dollar bottle of wine...." thankfully the sentiment was left unfinished.  Likely because I'd had entirely too much ten dollar wine (perhaps $20 worth of wine?) that particular evening.  Certainly for the best - what was said was more than enough to earn me the brand of snob.  This from a fellow Goddardite who at one point was observed drinking a bottle of Boones Farm something-or-other (I'm sure this was after we cleaned the stores out of their more acceptable inventory, of course).  In any case, I remain comfortable in the knowledge that I was just voicing what all the others were thinking!

The Upper Garden

Keep in mind that rather than trying to make food pairings, we were all more concerned with how our wine would match up with whatever variety of American Spirits we were smoking around the campfire that evening.  Did I mention this was a wine blog?  Forgive me.  Rather, forgive Goddard for their cafeteria (which I hope to improve by the end of my stay).  So considering the need to smoke cigarettes after our long days and inadequate dinners, I tended to steer my group to rich concentrated wines, which of course tend to be difficult to come by in that price range.

So, thank you, little Red store, for a couple of pleasant surprises:  Green Truck Petite Sirah, in particular - made by Cline, all organic, and at just over $10, an excellent value.  What a great food wine - approachable, round, and a nice alternative to it's nearest (at least by word association) competitors in France and Australia - a bit jammier than similarly priced wines from the Rhone Valley, nowhere near as fruit-bombish as Australian Shiraz.  I think of this wine as a real crowd pleaser that finds itself equally at home with pizza (which we had rarely) as it is by the firepit outside the Music Room (which we had in abundance).  Every bit as good out of a mason jar as it is straight from the bottle, crazy straw optional.  Remember, we're pretending to be college kids here.

Cline wines are everywhere these days, so perhaps I shouldn't have been overly surprised to find some in Plainfield, but the little Red store did have one real surprise on its shelves - La Vieille Ferme, one of my all-time favorites under ten bucks.  There was only one bottle to be found in the store, and that was at day two of the residency.  The same person who claimed I was a snob later in the week quickly snatched up this bottle for herself on my recommendation, and I noticed that it disappeared very, very quickly.  La Vieille Ferme is made by the proprietors of Chateau Beaucastel, one of the Rhone Valley's best and longest-lived houses, a tidbit often overlooked by even the most savvy wine shoppers.  First produced around 1970, La Vieille Ferme is generally made in the style of traditional Cotes du Rhone, although in recent years its appellation has moved to the Cotes du Ventoux in the southeastern Rhone Valley.  It is generally heavy on good Rhone Syrah, blended to different degrees (depending on the vintage) with Grenache, Carignane and Cinsault.  La Vieille Ferme remains well under the ten dollar mark, generally retailing for around $7.99, and the winemaking tradition represented in that bottle certainly makes it one of the greatest values available on the widespread market today.  I felt mildly guilty watching this bottle wasted on cigarettes and campfires, but at that price, who can judge?

Winos-in-Crime:
The bear coat helps confuse local wildlife, allowing for safe passage from Music (Wine) Room to dorm

Under more usual circumstances, I'd recommend pairing either of these wines with rack of lamb.  No mint jelly, please.  Try pureed sweet potatoes instead, and maybe a warm bean salad.  Kale.  Even red wine risotto.  You get the picture - rich fall dishes make Syrah shine.  Really, so does a good campfire, good company, and even American Spirits.  It's that rich, and undoubtedly delicious.  I'll be calling the little Red store in advance of the next residency to request that they stock up.