As J.J. would say, "It's DY-NO-MITE!"

Rob and I have really been enjoying Cabernet Sauvignon's lately. We are a HUGE fan of J. Lohr's Seven Oaks ... the "Lohr," as we refer to it, is one of our staples. For an everyday wine, I wish it were a little less expensive (but, as we found out earlier, we don't enjoy 'Cheap Red Wine.'), being around $15 a bottle. But we try to take advantages of outlets that give 1/2 case and/or case discounts on wine, so the frugal part of me is happy.

We visited one of our favorite little restaurants several months ago called Melito's. Those from Richmond will understand this description -- it's like having a fan restaurant/bar in the West End. It's all of a mile and a half from home, and the entres are tasty and if you are craving a chili dog, they can hook you up with that too. On Tuesday nights, they have wine specials. The special that particular evening was Dynamite Cabernet Sauvignon. Doesn't sound especially special, does it? Well, it was one of the most fun wines we have tried lately. So I looked for it the next time I was shopping for wine, and was dismayed to find that it was even MORE out of my comfort zone than the Lohr was ... on sale, it's $18 a bottle. So I resided myself to treat this vino as a "special occasion" wine.

Last night, Rob called on his way home to see if there was anything from the store I needed (can I just say how much I love this man?!?), and then he asked about wine. I'm not sure if I've ever thought we DIDN'T need wine, frankly. We had 1/2 a bottle of Lohr, so it was decided we should have another bottle.

As luck would have it, Kroger was out of Lohr, so Rob picked up Dynamite. I was so excited. I opened the bottle to enjoy this fun wine. Rob said it reminds him of having a party in his mouth. Lohr is more smooth and relaxing - think a low-lit restaurant with piano music playing. Dynamite comes in and says "Hey, Hey, Hey!!" just like J.J. would say (remember the TV show Good Times?). I was totally enjoying the party; Rob was more in a relaxing mode. So after the first glass of Dynamite, he enjoyed a glass of Lohr.

If you've never had the opportunity to enjoy either of these wines, you owe it to yourself to give them a try.