STRANGER THAN NON-FICTION

 Sometimes you find yourself in a supermarket and you see a product – let’s say for example, wine in a can, costing $10 and called Fiction, made by a company called Field Recordings - and you think to yourself what kind of person would buy a thing like that? 

And then you go home and think about it and you suddenly realize – ME, I’m the kind of person who would buy a thing like that.  I mean, I like fiction, I like wine and I even like field recordings (see below), and so somewhat inevitably and only a little reluctantly, I shelled out ten bucks for a 500 ml. can of wine.

It’s a good looking can, and it says on it that the wine is made with 36% Zinfandel, 18% Mourvedre, 14% Grenache, 12% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Tempranillo, 4% Viognier.  There’s also a description of the wine, invoking, "Heady aromas of blueberry pie, luxurious suede couches, ham paninis, unlit menthol cigarettes and roquefort tarts. Firm tannins anchor flavors of grilled meats, cherry cola, sweet carob and black licorice chews, all cased up together conveniently in a cigar humidor."  I’m hoping this is ironic, if not downright fictitious.

         

And how was it?  Well not bad at all.  The color was probably the best thing about it, really dark and rich, and it tasted pretty good, plenty of nose, quite dry, very quaffable indeed.  I’m sure there are plenty of wines at about that price that are about that good – but heck, if we’re looking for a unique selling point, a memorable name, and some good looking packaging, you could do a heck of a lot worse.  I wanted to make some smart remark about pulp, but it would have been unjustified.

Field Recordings is, apparently, the brainchild of “Winemaker Andrew Jones (who) has a keen eye for diamonds in the rough: sites that are unknown or under-appreciated but hold enormous untapped potential. He strives for unique wines loaded with personality and a one-of-a-kind experience.”  That’s him on the right below; looks like a cheerful soul.