Travelin' Oenophile: Montgomery -- We Dare Defend Our Wine Rights!

This week's blog posts were a little delayed because we were running around on Friday getting ready to go to Montgomery for the wedding of one of Hubby's high school friends on Saturday. Normally I don't like going to Montgomery. I survived four years of college there, and just in case you were wondering how boring it was, we were all terribly excited when the Barnes & Noble opened because there was finally something to do past 9:00 p.m.

This time, we had a mission. In August, Alabama's Alcoholic Beverage Control Board banned Cycles Gladiator wine from sale in the state because of the "obscene" label. For my letter of objection, click here. To protest this stupid ban, we decided to take the Cycles Gladiator wine nymph on a tour of the capital city. The first stop, of course, was the welcome center, where I've always wondered about these stone thingies:



Well, Alabama, we dare defend our wine-drinking rights!

To be fair, I hadn't noticed them until a friend from Tennessee pointed them out. He said they frightened him. He's a Tennessee fan, so I didn't reassure him too much.

Saturday morning brought us to the state farmers' market:



And if you think the wine nymph is obscene, you should check out these squash!



We tried to get close to the Capitol itself on Saturday, but they had set up road blocks, and it was impossible. We thought they'd been reading our tweets and knew we were coming, but it turns out that there was a marathon. We had more success on Sunday. So, here is the Cycles Gladiator nymph innocently riding by the Alabama State Capitol:



And here we are at the first White House of the Confederacy:



I particularly like that one because Gen. Robert E. Lee, one of the heroes of the Confederacy, was from Virginia, which is a state that makes great wine. We're pretty sure he would think the ban is silly. Maybe his ghost will rise up and scare some sense into the Alabama legislators, many of whom probably revere him and still refer to the Civil War as "the woh-wah of Nohthen aggression (because there wasn't nothin' civil about it)." No, my butt isn't that big; the breeze is billowing my jacket.

If you'd like your own shirt to protest Alabama's ban, check out the offerings at Cafe Press (nope, not getting paid to advertise this).

Want to see what trouble I'm getting into in real time? Follow me on Twitter (@RandomOenophile)!

A Post of Protest: Seeking Current and Former Alabamians Tired of Home State's Nonsense

This is a letter and petition I would like to forward to the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. Of course I'll include my real name when I send it. My goal is to get enough comments/co-signatures to have them take it seriously.

Dear Alabama ABC Board,

First, congratulations on the strides the state is taking to improve the freedom of alcoholic commerce in the state of Alabama. I was thrilled to hear earlier this year that you have increased the alcohol limit for beer sales, which will allow my mother access to the beer she's missed from her home country of Belgium. It will likely make my father very happy as well.

I am, however, concerned to hear about the ban on Cycles Gladiator wine due to objections about the label's content, the profile of an unclad nymph with a bicycle, which is from a piece of French art from the late 1800's. While I object to anything that will keep residents of Alabama from having access to good wine, I am particularly frustrated about another aspect of the situation.

I am from Alabama and spent the first twenty-two years of my life there. After college, I moved to Georgia for personal and professional reasons. Because I essentially have no Southern accent, I don't have to tell people I grew up in Alabama; I would be perfectly convincing as a Chicagoan or even a Californian. But I do tell people I'm from Birmingham because to this point, I have been proud and not embarrassed to say so. I also am quick to correct people's negative misconceptions about the state and to assure them that it is really a lovely place to live, work, and visit.

Now you see my quandary. I am part of the "Alabama really isn't that bad" movement, and you have greatly set my efforts back. Now I feel I can't even be a part of the "At least we're not Mississippi" camp because Mississippi hasn't banned Cycles Gladiator wine. You may feel that you're taking the moral high ground, but really, all you've done is make the state look more ridiculous than it already does.

So, on behalf of myself and other current and former residents of Alabama, I am writing to ask you to withdraw this ban on Cycles Gladiator wine.

Sincerely,

Cecilia Dominic

Please add your name and city to the petition!