July 1, 2007:

City of wine.

At the grocery store: cases of one vintage after another stacked like a fortress wall around the meat counter.

At the restaurants: every sauce is prepared with marsala or champagne or burgundy.

On the muzak pumped outside the local movie theater: "Red red wine, stay close to me..."

At the center table the tall couple grow nervous. The patrons are unhappy: faces of scowls and frowns and displeasure. The tables are cramped. On all sides the smell of wine pouring, wine pouring, wine pouring, wine pouring, wine pouring, wine pouring, wine pouring, wine pouring, wine pouring.