February 2026
February is for lovers, so you’ll be seeing a lot less of me.
“Where will I be?” you ask? “Physically I’ll be here,” I answer, “but mentally I will be in Bugey!” “Bugey, what’s that?” you reply politely, figuring inane interactions are what makes mom & pop’s great. I explain that Bugey lies in eastern France, just west of Savoie and the Swiss Alps. That the area’s beauty lies in its simplicity – they focus on fresh, food friendly wines to be consumed en masse, perfect for an elegant doofus such as myself. “Wow! Always learn something new at Larchmont Wine & Cheese!” you chuckle as you angle towards the door, but your social cues are useless in the wake of my psychosis. “You may recognize their colorful Gamay with the guy with the big ass forehead” I begin, channeling Patrick Bateman as I present the old favorite seen here. “And while the Mondeuse’s label has a more ‘ye rustic’ flair, the juice retains that fun, chuggable spirit. The fruit is destemmed and goes through carbonic maceration, lending the wine freshness without the funk. There’s a touch more tannin and weight than the Gamay, but hey, I don’t mind,” I say with a wink that makes you consider shopping at Cookbook for the first time in your life. “Hell yeah, I’ll try it—“ “Personally, I love the old-timey, medieval label. Makes me feel like a friar getting merry with the other friars at an old tavern. And not just dudes – nuns too. A little like that movie Black Narcissus (1947). Technicolor and all. That’s where I’ll be mentally all month. And if you try this wine, you can join me there too.” My passion and whimsy brings a tear to your eye. You’ve never been courted in a wine shop before*. You feel like Julia Roberts, buying books about maps or whatever from Hugh Grant in Notting Hill (1999). Would I really use sexual tension to sell wine? Or am I just another lonely soul, using my passion for wine to attract a partner who will mend a broken heart? Guilty on both accounts. Coldplay’s “Fix You” plays over the Wine & Cheese Playlist** as I hand you a bottle of Mondeuse. “Put it on my tab” I tell my boss, who I now owe $1173 to. We’ve made no money today, but hey, that’s how we do things in Bugey. *Unless you count Gelson’s, which I don’t. That place is like a roman bathhouse **link below |
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