Some of our Favorite Things so far

Raindrops on roses, blah blah blah.

If you avoid red wine like the plague because it messes with your head or your gut, you should try Olyvenbosch "Otto's Bin" Cabernet. Not only is it a righteous wine, made on a beautiful, tiny estate in Wellington, South Africa by some really nice folks (Otto and Dagi - That's Otto on the label), but it's one of the few I can drink in reasonable volume (you figure out what that means) without regretting it later. Production is small and it's not widely available, but you can get it from A Southern Season (you may have to call the wine dept if you can't find it in the online catalog) or through Crown Wine and Spirits .

Cheese. It smells, it grows mold... what's not to love? If you like cheese with substance, try Gamonedo, made from a combination of cow's, goat's, and sheep's milk in the Cantabrian mountains of Northern Spain. Aficionados will say it "dances on your tongue." Ask for it at your local cheesemonger or find it at igourmet .