OK, it's been a long while, but I'm back. I'm not going to bore you with the details of my absence. I'll just jump right in to the ol' bucket of grapes.

My wine drinking has been pretty basic lately. I've been sipping a lot of cabernet, not that there's anything wrong with that. The Concha Y Toro Diablo Cab is certainly not out of the mainstream, but I really enjoy it for a daily drinker. It's got enough body to hold up against tomato sauce or a nice steak, but it's not too overwhelming to drink on its own. It can be found almost anywhere for less than $10 a bottle, but I usually get it at Costco for 7 bucks.

Last night, I opened a bottle of Cline Cool Climate Syrah. I'm a big syrah fan, so I was expecting something spicy and tannic. I'm not sure if it's the climate or what, but this wine isn't a stereotypical syrah. It's got some very predominant berry flavors. Right off the bat, you're hit with blueberry and sour raspberry. That evolves in to a more subtle fruit taste, but this is definitely one of the more fruit-forward wines I've tasted. While it's not like any other syrah I've tried, I'd still recommend giving it a drink. I paid $15, but I think you could do better.