Birthday prequel

It has been a few days since my last post due to a combination of Memorial Day weekend, increased business at the store and my birthday...yeah, I know, at my age it's really not a big deal, but I do get to enjoy my family more and I always get cool surprises.
Before I describe the birthday weekend I will quickly recap the wines I tried during the interlude. I enjoyed a little red blend called Lodi Red, a not very inventive name, but it was a delicious red gem for eleven dollars. It had some Cabernet Sauvignon and some Syrah and some other grapes I don't remember...it was just a yummy, touch of oak, spritz of fruit kind of table wine. A real powerhouse wine that I tried was Tobia Seleccion from the Rioja in Spain. Some time later I will pour out my love and knowledge of Rioja Tempranillo, but this wine was dynamite: cherries, spice, earthy loam and lingering finish; a classic Spanish profile, but it was very upfront with it's flavors and still had a light body that encouraged thirsty drinking.
Finally, continuing on my discovery of Portuguese wine, Rhonda and I cooked up an Iberian storm so that we could try a vinho tinto chilled for the warm Saturday afternoon on the 30th. I worked on a Spanish style pasta dish made with Orechiette (pigs ears) pasta (actually, I thought the pasta looked like little World War I helmets). While the pasta was cooking I heated oil in a fry pan, tossed in some crushed red pepper and sliced onion. When the onion was browned I added chopped garlic and prosciutto. Then after a few minutes I added Broccoli Rabe (It was kinda like Kale or Spinach, I guess) olives and squeezed lemon juice over it. By now the pasta was perfect, so I scooped a cup of the water (just teeming with starch from the pasta) and drained the pasta. I then poured the pasta into the fry pan with the starchy water and cooked it down for a few minutes. Finally you toss the whole mix into a bowl that has chunks of Feta just waiting for it to blend...let me tell you,it was fragrant colorful to look at. All during this time, Rhonda was pan searing a rack of Lamb to perfection with oil, salt, pepper and rosemary. We had fun and to top it all off, the chilled red wine complimented the meal nicely. Quinta de Alorna Vinho Tinto. If you recall,vinho tinto simply means red wine and this one was a blend of four grapes (which I have since forgotten) but it was bright and fruity, not soft at all, but showing a nice edge that cut through the olives and the Feta while enhancing the Pan seared Lamb. I strongly urge you to lightly chill your favorite red wine, especially if it is a more delicate wine, like,say a Pinot Noir. You will have an entirely different experience with a wine you thought for sure you knew very well. We ate that night on the deck (I live a charmed culinary life for sure)and I dreamed of cooking dinners like this every night. It was a perfect combination of being creative, being with the love of my life and enhancing it all with fine bottle of wine. What more could you ask for in life?