Credit when credit's due

Upon arriving home this evening after skipping work to enjoy a fun, but rather crazy day of skiing at Mt. Hood Meadows (think: high winds, near white-outs, face numbing, and a girl who has little to no experience in knee-deep powder terrain), I couldn’t imagine anything more comforting than a hot shower, cozy pajamas, and my warm bed (which, I might add, is where I am currently writing this). As I grabbed my mail on my way in, I noticed that January’s issue of Portland Monthly had arrived.

I have a strict rule in my household regarding magazines: Thou shalt not read current magazine issues until older issues have been read and recycled. Mind you, I adhere to said rule for the most part, but I do allow myself a swift thumb-through the day I get one in the mail, so that I get a preview of what I'll be reading approximately four months later. (This is no exaggeration, and I have the stacks of magazines to prove it.) I’ll confess that tonight, however, I spent a few extra moments perusing the Eat & Drink section of the magazine than is normally allowed. Boy, am I glad I did.

Under the Cellar Notes of the section, a picture of a bottle of none other than the……(drum roll) …..Chehalem Mountain 2009 Lorelle Pinot Noir, $14.99, popped out and off the page. And I quote, “A tart-cherry-flavored, delicately textured wine . . . made from fruit grown just south of Portland. Many wines at twice the price aren’t this good” (emphasis added).

Despite my suffering from a moderate to severe case of skier’s fatigue, I may have still done a little happy dance. Hey, I might actually know what I’m talking about! Plus I got it for a whole buck cheaper! Could it be that I’m really a closet bargain wine prodigy who’s practically begging someone to finally notice? I guess it’s possible, but I really shouldn’t get ahead of myself here. Even so, sometimes, I've learned, it doesn’t hurt to give yourself a little credit when you do something right, or even figure out that maybe you really are made up of more than hot air. In my particular case here, I found it took a lot less effort to type out a hyperbolical, self-proclaimed title after a single good wine find than to give myself a simple pat on the back. I’m much too sore from skiing to even attempt such a maneuver.

On that note, I think it’s time to catch those much desired Z’s.......