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We went with friends to Bazin’s on Church this weekend, and after dinner I wanted something a little sweet. On the menu was “PX”. I don’t know if this qualifies as sherry or not, to be honest; I’m not that knowledgeable about sherry. But I do know that as a dessert wine on its own, PX makes some nice sweet juice. The coolest part was that in addition to tasting like a beautifully nuanced, not-at-all-cloying finisher, it actually tasted quite recognizably like sherry - even though I don’t think it technically was. I don’t know how to explain it except to say that it had the same complex taste as lovely sherry. A very nice experience.

Basically this red grape is grown in and around Patras for use in a relatively famous Greek dessert wine of the same name. I’ve seen different Mavrodaphnes on sale at Total Wine stores before. This particular bottle (I didn’t write down the exact name) reminded me of a young, aggressive version of ruby port. That is, it was a little sweet, with some caramel and creme bruleé, but also a lot of acid. It was nice, but not particularly special, and in fact an actual ruby port would probably have been nicer. Nevertheless, it was still a nice experience, and it’s a varietal to add to the life list.

Last night while rubbing my beloved’s feet, I asked, rhetorically, is there anything more important to a happy marriage than the foot rub? She thought for just a beat, and replied serenely, “the back scratch.” Eminently reasonable. “That’s all?” “That’s it.”

A few moments later I asked, “Does it have anything to do with the shoe thing?” “Yes, totally related.” Silence. “Why?” One beat later, she purred, “Because we must have pretty shoes. Bur pretty shoes make our feet sore. Can’t help it. Must have pretty shoes…”

This was as secret wisdom emanating from Olympus itself! We humans often utter Truth under the influence of various… influences. Know then, Men, these two things about the foot rub: a) it renders a blissful state upon the woman so that she can utter Pure Truth, to your benefit; and b) it mitigates the pain of the Pretty Shoes, which in turn grants much marital peace and bliss. Go forth and practice this wisdom, then, for it will bring you great joy.