Class & Taste

Who says you can't have taste if you don't have class?

This picture of a half bottle of smugled Chehalem 3 Vineyard Pinot Noir was taken at Southland Greyhound Park in West Memphis, Arkansas during a visit of one of my good friends from Copenhagen, Denmark. On the way to Arkansas I stopped to pick up some refreshments because I wasn't really in the Turning Leaf or Budweiser mood, but come to find out though, SGP now has a full bar & better beer selection & Mondavi which isn't terrible.

Now on to how we ended up a the dog track. Mikkel wanted to see the "real Memphis" during his two week holiday & I knew we had to make it to bet on the dogs. The place has been renovated & sort of resembles a casino now but luckily the grandstands where you can watch the races still had its sleazy charm I have come to know & love. The cigarette smoke hangs low in the air & clings to your hair & clothes, like a friendly reminder that you have just spent time with people who really don't care if they get a terrible disease...and they will. The sounds of the bells, the announcer "Heeeerrre cooommmes Rusty!!!" or it could be 'Lucky', I don't know the P.A. was terrible. People yelliing at there dogs for about 60 seconds, while they chase the mechanical bone as if each decible makes their lucky dog run a bit faster, echoes over the plastic, bleacher seating. This is a classy joint.

And then of course there is the Chehalem Pinot Noir, smuggeled in (I really just walked right in with it) with its earthy notes laying under baking spices & gobs of black cherry. This was a damn fine Pinot even out of a paper cup. I will be revisiting this one in my home...with my Riedel crystal real soon. I hit it big with that bottle but regrettably I only won $4 which only covered a glass of wine after the Pinot was gone.