Sunset Campari Sugar Bombs Flavor Rocks - enough trademarks
for you? All strung together in various orders by the
Mastronardi produce company. These tomatoes are about
cherry size, smaller than your normal Campari product. They
are actually pretty tasty, sweet and tomatoey, with just a
touch of that greenness that you remember from the ones of
your youth. Worthwhile, and I almost excuse their being from
a big agribiz concern.

John Morrell Braunschweiger - standard flavor profile with a
little bitter undertone that might or might not be intentional.
A bit sweet, which I hoped was from onions but turns out to be
mostly from sugar (and corn syrup). Pretty good, very fatty
which might put off some. Apparently Gail eats this on toast,
which might mitigate the sweetness and the bitterness a little.

Bob Evans breakfast sausage - standard sausage, a little salty,
very sagey. Decent. The pork ground into it had a tiny amount
of gristle, which put me off not at all.

Castle Rock Pinot Noir 15 (California) - a pretty standard Pinot
plus unidentifiable grape taste, a little on the tart side, fairly
smooth and moderately tasty - not the more assertive plumminess
I'd expected, though. Turns out that what I'd had under this name
before had been from Oregon; this was not and had a more hot
weather profile.

Nature's Garden Omega-3 deluxe mix - cranberries, walnuts,
almonds, pepitas, pecans, pistachios (as listed on the label)
- fewer walnuts than I'd expect from the list, which is okay
except that walnuts are the ones that go best with the prime
ingredient, cranberries. This was a higher-quality floor-sweeping
assortment, with some of the pecans tasting like they'd come from
a spiced nut assortment, and the almonds being of varying specs,
from one marcona to one that might have come from a salted line to
two rancid ones (the only rancid things in the bag). A higher
proportion of pepitas and pistachios than expected, which is good,
as those are my favorite components. From Cibo Vita Inc., certified
organic by NFC.

Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard Cabernet 06 (MD) - on opening a
slightly musty odor that blew off pretty quickly, replaced
by a dried fruit aroma that presaged the taste, which was
reminiscent of dried blueberries, cranberries, and dates.
Some chocolate on the long, robust finish. This did not
impress on opening but improved massively in the glass as
the old attic smells left and the hint of oxidation was
balanced by the fruit coming out.

Vajra Rosso delle Langhe 13 - a bit acid on the nose, attack
acidy, flavor going to meaty with cherries, still acid
throughout, with a long sour cherry finish. Not my favorite
wine at $15, and I wish it had mellowed, but at least it
goes okay with food, including

Hofmann's Snappy Grillers, which are a mild bratwursty
sausage from upstate New York. Made with pork, veal, and
egg whites, the flavor is nicely meaty with a distinct
nutmeg tang, very German, but a little low in salt, not
very German. I had mine boiled; Bonnie had hers pan-grilled.
I found the boiled ones more authentic-tasting.

Dietz & Watson barrel-fermented sauerkraut - not too sour
and with an odd taste as of labrusca grapes, which I've noted
before in some lactic-fermented pickles. It's okay, not hit
you over the head strong. I'd cooked this in its own juice -
rinsed it would have been even milder. Also, if it had been
primarily for me, I'd have added a teaspoon of sugar and a
glug of beer.

After savoring the odd interplay of these two ingredients with
the acidy wine, I switched to Sam Adams Lager, which went
better.
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