garlicbreath

I've seen those two bottles at the grocery stores as well. I'm sure they are selling the heck out of those-- anyone know what is actually in there? dear god I hope it is not splenda or some similar chemical. I actually felt so disgusted I was angry when I saw the wine for the first time- anyone tasted this yet? would be interesting to see a review/report on one of these, the merlot in particular. I am guessing a VERY fruit forward wine, very purple in color with no tannins, perhaps with an opening bouquet of red jolly rancher, with underpinnings of cherry and saccharin..

dunno about that- I am a long-time fan of the Newton, but cannot stand the fat-free ones- there is a wierd chemical taste in there somewhere..plus they crumble into a bunch o pieces as soon as you open the package. perhaps the lack of the good ol' fat in there..anyway that chemical taste kind of creeps me out. but then again you gotta point with the trans fats.. but I'm still stickin to trhe originals...

Charlottesville has a fantastic restaurant scene centered around the Dowtown Mall ( outdoor center of town) a new spot seems to pop up every few months. I would bypass Tastings and go for Mano Loco- a cool Cuban Joint- even just to sit outside for some margaritas and home made chips n salsa, maybe try some empanadas and tamales. good stuff. Oxo is great ( altho a bit $$), Bizou is a definite stop & probably a better value, Bluelight Grill as well if you are an oyster fan- I am from Richmond, but we take occasional trips to check out the new spots in the Ville. if we have too many there is always the omni hotel about 100 yards from us.. Its def. a nice change from richmond and DC-