Since it's been a bit quiet around here, I've not been opening wine. Or maybe I'm just drinking it all by myself. Either way, here are a mere FEW samplings to catch up on, plus one astonishing end of summer foodie thing.
I finally drank all the white wine and opened this 2010 Bila-Haut. Here's the long version: 2010 M. Chapoutier "Les Vignes de Bila-Haut" Côtes-du-Roussillon Villages. (I heart copy-and-paste.) It's made by some guy named Michel Chapoutier which seems to mean something to people. The wine is organic/biodynamic, and boasts the first wine label in braille. This was part of the Late Great Zachy's order of noted wines at affordable prices. It is currently selling for $13.99 at K&L. This was a nice, pleasant wine. It's like if you go to Trader Joe's and get a $6 wine that is a meh daily dinner wine, why not spend a few more bucks for a better daily dinner wine, which this is. Speaking of Trader Joe's, they moved, rat bastards. (Am I allowed to say that on a family blog?) They are now on the corner of Brand and Glenoaks. "North of the 134," code for no longer in our humble ghetto that is South Glendale. Trader Joe's is where I've pilfered empty wine boxes so my dear customers had something to carry out their wine. Nothing classier than your Bordeaux and Burgundy dressed up in a Chuck Shaw box, and it was convenient to carry armfuls of boxes, six or seven trips-worth, to The Cave. Alas.
Oh, say, here's a wine. It is, was, the last of Plonk Part Deux. As it's been going, it was over the hill in the most pleasant manner - boozy, caramelly. What happened is I'd gone to bed and was wide awake at 3 a.m. Around 4 I realized life was futile, or sleep, anyway, and decided to make my tomato sauce from all the heirloom tomatoes fresh from that days farmer's market. Around 4:30, it occurred to me the last of the Plonk Part Deux would be great in it. So I came down to get it. Onion, garlic, ginger, curry...around 6 a.m. the sauce was done and cooled and I decided to go to bed. Nice night. 
But here's the astonishing end of summer foodie thing. I tried to find the recipe, it was posted on LATimes twitter, or NYTimes twitter or neither of those...I couldn't find it... but it is k i l l e r. Cucumber salsa. Cucumbers, red onion, 1 jalapeno with seeds, fresh cilantro and mint, lime and olive oil and salt. The first time I had it with fish tacos and OMG. Second time, this batch, I threw in a pomegranate, too. Black beans, sour cream, and this on top...Holy Mother of OMG. Both times, The only thing missing was a really appropriate wine pairing.
Yes, it's been awhile, but we've now resolved that.
PS - If you don't have a food processor, you might want to make the salsa on your day off. Lots and lots of chopping.