WBW Special Release- A toast to the end of the Bush Era

What will you drink to toast the end of the Bush era? Will it be something to honor the 43rd President, or are you just looking forward to 44? Will it be something from Texas, which Bush calls home, or Connecticut, where he was really raised? Maybe a nice French champagne, a bit of a poke in his eye? Or do you prefer Italian prosecco, since they supported the "War on Terror"? Whatever it is, get ready to lift a glass and toast the end of an era that America will never forget.

This diary is brought to you by my own site, 2 Days per Bottle, and Wine Blogging Wednesday, a cooperative venture of the wine blogging community. Wine bloggers, meet political bloggers. Political bloggers, meet the wine people. And please come back to see the results of the first WBW Special Release, when the world's wine bloggers review their choice for January 20, 2009.

Wine Bloggers around the country and around the world will post their choices on Wednesday, September 17. I will post a compendium of them here, but hope you will visit all the sites to see what everybody was drinking.

(The reviews below are from Cellar Tracker, the most people-driven wine site on the internet.)

Will you be drinking Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot Number 43, Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel #43, or Cameron Hughes Zinfandel Lot 43 Dry Creek Valley, in honor of our 43rd President? Or will it be Cameron Hughes Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 44 or Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot Number 44 because you have already moved on to 44 and any new President will be an improvement? Will you turn to Texas in honor of the departing President, to drink one of Texas's sparkling wines, like Delaney Vineyards Texas Champagne Brut, or do you prefer your Texas wines red, like Fredericksburg Baron's Bach Burgandy or Grapevine Texas Winery Grapevine Red? Maybe you remember Bush is not really a Texan, but a rich boy from Connecticut, and you will turn to Priam Vineyards St. Croix or Chamard Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon to fill your glass.

Maybe you want something bubbly to celebrate the end of an era. Champagne, real Champagne from the Champagne AOC in France, is traditional. A small label single grower blanc de blancs is certainly the way to go here, like Pierre Peters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée de Réserve. On the other hand, the French were not very supportive of Bush, so if you're mourning the end of his Presidency, you might want to go with something Italian. After all, the Italians actually sent troops to Iraq, and more than 30 of them died. Nino Franco Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Rustico is always a good, moderately priced choice.

Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot Number 43

This is actually getting better. Nice berry flavor.

Are Bush and his supporters right? Will the "Bush Era" get better as we look back on it?

Nice table red, though I think I prefer the Menage a Trois for that -- at least it's not trying to be more elegant than it is. A little heavy on the zin spice without the thick jammy payoff I'm generally a fan of. Still, good alongside pasta with some kick.

Well heck, don't we all prefer a menage a trois, given a choice? Actually, he's refering to Menage a Trois, a ubiquitous grocery store red table wine. Funny story. I was in a grocery one day looking at the wines and a woman, actually a pretty attractive woman, picked up a bottle of the stuff, looked me in the eye and held it for about three seconds, and said rather pointedly "my husband and I like this one, how about you?"

The last one I had was around 6 years ago, and was substantially better. This one has nice fruit flavor, but the aftertast is a little sour and misses tannins in the middle.

Will this be history's comment on Bush, not so bad up front, but a crappy middle and terrible aftertaste?

Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel #43

Opened a month ago and it was nice, but I just had the last glass from the bottle and its really improved with a month of sitting (post-opening) in my fridge. Lots of tropical fruit, and has developed better acid.

Nose is the essence of lime peel and acacia. The palate is very sweet but does not have the acid at present to balance it. Perhaps with time it will improve. Still a very enjoyable (BA-like) wine.

This is clearly a wine for people who found the Bush years to be sweet. I'm guessing it won't be a big seller come inauguration day, but I could be wrong.

Cameron Hughes Zinfandel Lot 43 Dry Creek Valley

Maybe its just me, but I was quite disappointed. Found this wine rather flat. Fruity and very little complexity on the nose or palate. Even @ $11, this wine just isn't worth it in my opinion.

Wonderfully balanced wine with sweet fruit on the nose and a traditional darker fruit with some pepper in the glass. Not overly done or a new world fruit bomb nor is it an over the top hot or heavy zin. Nice finish and great smoothness.

Is this the perfect Bush-toasting wine? Is it either terrible or wonderful, and all in the eye of the beholder?

Cameron Hughes Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 44

Take that 86 with a grain of salt.. It's a young bottle, too young hopefully. I have a case of this and I was curious what was going on with it right now. It had some funk right after opening it but that seemed to clear up. Drinkability improved with time. I really shouldn't even be writing this, as it's probably unfair to try and rate an 05' cab right after finishing a bottle of Elizabeth Spencer Special Cuvee 1999

Maybe this is the way to go. Whoever takes on the mantle of 44, he will be new, full of promise, with little show and a lot to prove. Any new President starts with hope and optimism.

Marietta Cellars Old Vine Red Lot Number 44

Lot 44 is a tad disappointing compared to the last few, and seems a little more reliant on carignan, with a strong presence of the trademark carignan roughness. It also seems just that much lighter that than previous lots, with a shorter finish. There is still that nice spice on the front end, and for a $10 wine, one could do vastly worse. I still stand by these wines as something wine lovers watching their pocketbooks ought to seek out, as the overall quality far outpaces the price. Lots are typically nicely balanced, and this one is no exception.

Or are you ready to be disappointed, just sure that 44 can't be as good as 43? If so, this might be the wine for you.

Delaney Vineyards Texas Champagne Brut

Surprisingly good -- nice acidity, and freshness -- the best sparkling wine I have had from Texas. Good complexity and a pleasant, fairly rich finish.

Were you surprised at how well the Bush Presidency worked out? If so, we have the sparkling wine for you.

Fredericksburg Baron's Bach Burgandy

Yuck! Disgusting.

I have a feeling this might be a big seller.

Grapevine Texas Winery Grapevine Red

What is this horrendous creation? Blueberry sweet tarts. Unbalanced and unenjoyable. May be good to cook with... maybe...

The perfect wine for lefty bloggers to remember Bush.

Priam Vineyards St. Croix

Horrible. Tasted like a bad homemade wine.

This whole Texas/Connecticut thing is showing a trend, don't you think? Maybe we should pick our Presidents based on the quality of their state's wine? Fortunately, both candidates' states seem to produce something drinkable, like Illinois' Lynfred Winery Petite Sirah Private Reserve and Arizona's Dos Cabezas Wine Works Cabernet Sauvignon Cochise County. Pick up a bottle of each and decide who you're voting for.

Chamard Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine was undrinkable. I poured out the entire bottle.

I'm thinking a lot of people wish they could have done the same thing with Bush.

Pierre Peters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée de Réserve

From magnum, disgorged 12/05. Lovely champagne with baked buscuits on the nose. The flavor profiles are citrus peel with bright acidity. The wine continues to open up in the glass showing more intensity. The finish is clean and lingerng. An excellent NV and I get the excitment behind this particular producer and this bottling lot.

Tasted by Dieter Klippstein on 12/9/2007 & rated 87 points: Lot 092007, which I believe to be based on the 2005 vintage. I have never had such a young Champagne, both from the perspective of vinatge composition and disgorgement date. Yet it's also one of the most flattering flushest and most physiologically ripe Champagnes I've ever had. Probably little in the way of dosage keeps it balanced -- though I don't see bigtime cellarability.

This French Champagne is clearly a wine for those looking forward to the change. It is young, new, fresh and delicious, filled with bright bubbles and promise. It also comes from the little guy, not a big wine corporation. I'm guessing this will only be quaffed if Obama gets the nod. If he doesn't

Nino Franco Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Rustico will get the nod.

Good light prosecco, but not quite as good as expected based on prior and recommendations.

Oh gosh, that does not bode well.

flawed bottle: flat, lost all carbonation, purchased in April 2006. Cork says 2003. Must have been sitting to long in a wharehouse someplace. Sour, lost all sweetness.

Is that a shot at McCain's age? How did they know?

Better than the last bottle we drank about two months ago. We drank it over several days and both us noted that each time it seemed to have a different level of sweetness.

This is the perfect wine for Republicans settling for McCain. Better than Bush, but with "different levels of sweetness." Is that a shot at his famous temper?

I don't know what you will drinking come January 20, 2009. I don't know if you will be mourning or celebrating. But I do know there is a wine for every mood, a perfect glass to mark the occasion. And I hope you will come visit all the different bloggers who make up Wine Blogging Wednesday, get to know some of them, and start to enjoy the fruits of their labors. And you wine bloggers, energy costs, conservation, and global warming are issues that effect every bottle we pour, every glass we drink. I hope you will get involved between now and November, and remember that what you do November 4, 2008, will effect what you drink for decades to come.