Smoky Superhero October

There's nothing I like more than the smell of Fall: that delightful chill in the morning air, a soft breeze at night and smoky, fireplace-inspired wine and food to match.

On this night, it was an '08 Tulip Hill Petite Sirah, full of dark red fruit and damp earth. Trader Joe's smoked oysters met up with this leathery, sandalwood-redolent beauty and fell in love.

The meaty, wood-smoked bivalve's were a substantial friend to this wine, which I envision myself sipping beside a warm hearth in an Aspen ski lodge. Suddenly, Wonder Woman (1970's Lynda Carter version-best outfit, for sure) appears and tosses her truth lasso around Vino Chick, demanding that I reveal the source of these culinary treasures, all as she deflects the intense flavor of each sip and bite with her vintage bullet-proof bracelets......yes, I do have an active imagination... and yes, this stuff is THAT good...

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