Week of November 15th - California

And then there was one……… I couldn’t think of a better state than California to bring our little project to an end. It’s as diverse in its cultural influences as the entire nation. Its geography covers coastal regions to deserts, rolling hills to mountains and forests to inner cities. It contains both the lowest and the highest points in the Lower 48 and its climate ranges from tropical to close to arctic temperatures in the mountains. In other words if you had to pick one state that represents a little of all the rest of the states, I would pick the “Golden State”. Its home to Raiders, Chargers, and Dodgers, Ducks and Sharks and Giants and Kings. And it contains more “stars” than the Milky Way. It inspired the All-American sounds of “surf rock” and “psychedelic rock” and is the original home of American icons the likes of Mickey, Minnie and Donald.

Except for oranges California leads the nation in just about all other fruit production. And then we have the olives, almonds, pistachios and walnuts. The most important vegetable crops are lettuce and tomatoes, but let’s not forget the rest of the salad bowl. And with all that coastline it leads the country in commercial fishing operations with tuna bringing in the catch.

So, if you were to plan a celebration for the great state of California you could go surfing in Malibu, skiing in Tahoe, watch just about any movie or television program while munching a fruit or chopped salad. You could pan for gold or watch any sporting event because it’s bound to include at least one of the many major league or college teams. You could paint a coastal scene, a desert scene, a red bridge, a gold star or a very tall tree. You could do any or all of that but I’m going to sit down and relax with a lovely glass of wine and contemplate my options. Okay, I knew something was missing.

90% of the nation’s wine production comes out of California. Thank you, CA. Now that calls for a celebration. A wine tasting it will be! My husband, son and I visited Napa during a college exploration trip back in ’04 and I can tell you that St. Louis in November doesn’t set the same scene as Napa in August, sharing a chilled bottle of Fume Blanc overlooking the vineyards. But celebrate we will.

The day before the scheduled wine tasting I set off to my local Trader Joe’s (headquartered in Monrovia, CA). Several times previous to this I had received good advice on wine selections from their resident “wine expert” Anne. I told her I was having a wine tasting for friends (not connoisseurs) and the wines must meet 2 criteria. One, that the wines needed to be from California and two, they had to cost less than $10.00 per bottle. Being the pro that she is, these parameters didn’t stump her in the least. I was immediately treated to a California wine lesson full of “bouquets” and aromas and spices and subtleties. She spoke of aftertastes and backbones and finish and structure, spicy and smoky, rustic and round. Her descriptions were both lyrical and passionate and my visit with Anne was educational and entertaining. I left Trader Joe's with, what I was certain was, 4 good bottles of wine and the wish that I had brought a recording device, since I has forgotten most of what Anne said before I left the parking lot.

So the night of the tasting the table was set with a crisp linen cloth, an arrangement of my 13 California snow globes on wine glass pedestals and a cork screw. The whites were chilling and the reds were breathing. The bar was laden with bowls of Californian almonds and pistachios, platters of tomatoes and avocados, dishes of olives and eggplant and trays of grapes, kiwi, strawberries and melon.

We started with a Sauvignon Blanc toast to the great state of California and the presentation of everyone’s Hollywood Star for our own Walk of Fame. The Beach Boys (Hawthorne, CA) serenaded in the Chardonnay from the vineyards of Napa River. As we moved on to the bolder Syrah the music changed to the Grateful Dead (San Francisco) and the fruit was substituted with the tomatoes and olives. We finished the tasting with a lovely Merlot, a fruited dessert and the sweet tones of Colbie Caillet (Malibu).

During the evening we not only toasted our final state but also to the last 52 weeks spent in exploration and celebration of our magnificent, diverse and exciting country. It was sad for me to close out our little project where we learned so much, expanded our horizons, explored new tastes, did some major shopping and had a legitimate excuse to consume mass quantities of spirits (not that we really ever needed one).

Over the year, several ideas came to mind for the next project; would another map be filled in with the images of state gems and minerals, would a collection of local pottery from each state in the union be started (continued, actually) or would the same theme of celebration be continued to other countries and continents that are represented in my snow globe collection? The answer is yet to be determined. We’re going to take a break for the holidays and after the first of the year decide what the next undertaking will be.

We’ve had a great year and we want to thank you for following us on our escapades. Whether you joined us for a state celebration or two, contributed something to enhance the celebration or traveled along with us through my ramblings, we love that you shared our journey with us.

Color in the “Golden State” with all that makes California golden and travel to wherever the “50 plus 2” spirits lead us. 52 down, none to go.