New digs (and the wine survived the trip)

So my "desk" is the berber-carpeted floor of the "office" in our basement, my notes and wine books are still all in boxes, and the rest of the place is in shambles, but we are now officially moved into our new house.

I exaggerate - "shambles" may be a bit strong a term to use. After all, the wine glasses are stored in the cupboards, we've located both the corkscrew and the VacuVin, and all the crates of my precious wine are quietly sitting in our future cellar, waiting to be set up in their respective spots on the rack. For the moment, said "cellar" is an unfinished room of bare concrete walls. It happens to have a door and its own light source, and is free from moisture and movement, but it needs a bit of work in terms of insulation. Still LOVE it, though.

And did I mention we have grapes growing in the back yard?

My parents generously donated their weekend to helping us pack, move, clean, unpack, clean again and sort. Dear old Da re-wired the entire basement, with plans to do more. Mum filled the pantry with a level of precision reminiscent of that scene from Sleeping with the Enemy, where all labels carefully pointed outwards and items were grouped according to cooking styles, usage and meal plans. Gawd bless them both.

We toasted with a Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs, a gift from me to M and D for their 41st anniversary. I couldn't let an impressive milestone like that go by with them drinking mediocre bubbly, so I phoned their romantic getaway hotel and had the bottle "upgraded". And then they end up bringing it to our house, making it a double-headed celebration. Not that I was complaining ... my mouthful was all soft peach with the slightest hint of raspberry on the nose, delightful fizz and a touch of sweetness to balance with the palate-parching acidity. Easily one of my favourites.

The dust seemed moderately settled by Oscar night, allowing us to kick back and enjoy a Rocca della Macie 2006 Chianti Classico while Doogie Howser pranced around the stage. (OK, Hubby drank most of it, since he knows how much I hate having an open bottle sitting around. I had a splash.) Roses, blackberries and cedar, followed by a pleasantly dry, well-balanced finish. A little too cold at first, having been in the cellar since move-in day, but it warmed up to the right temperature in no time.