What’s more depressing than sitting home alone on the most gorgeous evening of the year knowing that all your friends are rockin’ out to your favorite band?

Nothing.

Don’t feel sorry for me (not that you did)- I had every opportunity to join them.  And, make no mistake, I’m not trying to diss on anyone in attendance. I applaud your patience in fighting traffic and parking woes. I applaud your legs and stamina for hours of standing amongst thousands of sweaty drunkies. I even applaud your ability to enjoy a general admission concert. Alas, this is something I cannot get into.  No one act/rock-band/circus act could miraculously change that.

Unless the band was Wilco.

Wilco- now there’s a band that will transcend time. I’ve been a fan for years, watching and listening as the ever-evolving band moved from the “alt-country” (whatever the eff THAT means) of Uncle Tupelo, to the ruggedly dirty sweet A.M. and Being There, to the sullen beauty of Summerteeth and the Billy Bragg/Woody Guthrie collaborations of Mermaid Avenue.  Then, to the major personnel overhaul (RIP Jay Bennett), the experimental Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born; then on to the collaborative orchestra era ushered in with Sky Blue Sky and Wilco (the album), to the latest, perhaps greatest, Whole Love album. I love this band. I love the current line up; Jeff Tweedy (Frontman, song writer) Nels Cline (guitar), John Stirratt (bass), Glenn Kotche (drums) and the ever-so-cute [*sigh*] multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone.

And, contrary to popular belief, they are not just for 40-something white dads.  Having never fathered a child, and being a shade under the 40-year mark, I am proof positive.

How does the Savvy Lush cope with such failure?  Why, I drank myself into a happy place with a bottle of Mitolo “Jester” Vermentino.

As I continued to drink, cursing myself for letting my general admission fears deter me, I took solace in a wine that comforted me in my home-body experience. So, let me be distracted by explaining what I’m drinking. I picked up this Aussie Vermentino because Jeff (#1, not Tweedy) at Zipp’s told me he dug it. Yep, I’m that easy.

Admittedly, I thought Vermentino was solely produced in Italy and Sardinia. But alas, this wine, Mitolo “Jester”, comes from the McLaren Vale of Australia. This region is said to have a climate similar to the Italian Mediterranean area.

All chilled and ready to get up in my glass, the Mitolo “Jester” Vermentino made my eyes, mouth (and *fwee-fwooo*) a-water. I also picked up Cypress Grove’s Truffle Tremor cheese http://bit.ly/11hxlIq/Cypress Grove because Jeff thought a goat cheese would pair well.

This wine has great flavor but is not overly fruity. It’s light, crisp and dry, boasting of minerality. Try it and you’ll understand what minerality is. If you like Sauvignon Blanc, give this wine a try. It has that grassy hint to it the kids love, along with acidity and hints of citrus. This wine is lower in alcohol, so drink it up with grilled seafood or with this incredible truffle cheese. Oh, and for cryin’ in the sink, please pick up Cyprus Grove’s Truffle Tremor at the Seward Co-op! The center is soft ripened goat cheese surrounded by a creamier layer all roaring with truffle goodness. Grab a Rustica baguette and schmear it on. The acidity of the wine pairs quite well with the soft mushroom/goat cheese funk.

I enjoyed the pairing so much that for a moment, I completely forgot I was home alone; listening to “Hate it Here” off Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky album.  Huzzah to the artists that stir something within us, especially whilst I swirl my other inspirations.