This is a new one for me!
I’ve had tenants leave a lot of stuff when they move out. Trash, yard art, even animals. In 13 years of having 2 rentals, no one ever left a wine cellar fully stocked!
Over 50 bottles of wine, mostly vintage red. New, they average $40 a bottle, no idea the value now. Most are from small wineries in Amador County. I had no idea if they are drinkable. They weren’t stored in horrible conditions, but they were not ideal either. We threw out the damaged bottles and put the rest in the wine fridge. We don’t drink much red wine, so I figured they would sit there forever.
I had an idea Friday night: what if we invited friends over and started opening bottles? I came up with the idea of Red Wine Roulette. We would throw 2 dice, the first selecting the shelf and the second choosing the bottle order.
I asked friends to bring a dish to share, an appetizer, dessert, or leftovers and their sense of adventure.
I scrounged through my fridge and pantry and made a charcuterie board with salami roses, various kinds of cheese, nuts, spicy honey and hot pepper bacon jam. Friends brought brie and cranberry bites, homemade apple pie from apples picked that morning, pizza, and leftover birthday cake.
We had a great time. Some bottles were terrible, and participants described them as strong-smelling, chunky, brown or looking like a bad pap smear specimen. 😂
We came across more winners than losers. With 8 people, we each got a taste and a small glass if it was a winner.
We had a surprise winner, a 2003 Shiraz, Fire Station Red. Looking at the bottle, we laughed and thought it would go right down the sink. Ironically, the roll of the dice came from a retired law enforcement officer. We made him and another former law enforcement/firefighter try the first sip.
I still have enough bottles that we will plan more Red Wine Roulette soon!
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