Drinking Bemidjilly

Okay, Soren — here at last is the long-promised rhubarb wine post!

Cutting directly to the chase [no passing Go, no collecting $200] … I liked it. A lot. Much to my surprise. I was expecting a sweet, cough-syrupy abomination like the elderberry “wine” — and I use the term extremely loosely — my folks brought back from an excursion to the Amana Colonies in Iowa years and years ago. But no! True to the character of rhubarb, this was tart, crisp and surprisingly dry.

I had heard the comment that it didn’t seem to taste much like rhubarb– or, that it didn’t taste like much of anything, but I detected a slight and very pleasant rhubarb flavor.  So there.

Here and now, in the doddering postmenopausal twilight of my years, if I’m going to drink something alcoholic and other than beer, and in an amount large enough to trigger a hot flash — the threshold seems to be 4 oz. of beer, or 3 oz. of any other type of liquor — I prefer very dry, fino sherries like Tio Pepe or Harvey’s Dune or manzanillas like Hidalgo La Gitana. For those who know me, do I need to add that they’re all from Spain? El duh.

I liked this rhubarb wine so much, I drank enough to turn my inner thermostat up to about 500 degrees. That means that if it were wintertime I could just stand in the basement radiating heat, and keep my entire house warm for 24 hours. And there’s still half a bottle left!

Anyway, to me it tastes very similar to a light dry fino; perfect with a little nibble or two, like a handful of pistachios [you know -- tapas.] This pleasant little rhubarb charmer is made by Forestedge Winery, which is located in Laporte MN, a teeming suburb of Bemidji.

REW has already issued her endorsement of Forestedge’s Black Currant wine [she didn't like the Rhubarb as much as I did] so now there’s at least two DL regulars who might be in favor of a Drinking Liberally excursion to Bemidji at some future date.

Would that be Drinking Bemidjilly?

Thanks again to ILC. I’m sold!