<center>![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXQSSSRPEKdcfT9iGNxFAD59duGjURif3rja7XoQxfenK/image.png)
[source: Aldi](https://www.aldi.us/en/grocery-goods/wine-beer/red-wines/red-wines-detail/ps/p/outlander-cabernet-sauvignon/)</center>

### Even if I hadn't fallen for Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series,
I'd have fallen for this wine label. Good artwork can sell a product before we even read the words. Those Madison Avenue marketers can write jingles, but artists speak to us with a mere glance. Pictures that paint a thousand words and conjure a mighty thirst. For wine! (Men and horses, we will discuss another day.)
### No, I didn't set out to write about historical fiction,
![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmSoApdhesajKq1qg1ub6jLDppRvGAiRNHvwWZcBeJd571/image.png)
[source](https://www.bookbub.com/books/outlander-by-diana-gabaldon?source=tbbb_books)
### It was a wine bottle at Aldi,
my favorite grocery store, that caught my eye. I might have bought it by now, but I'm partial to a $4.49 red imported from Spain ("Flirty Bird") and Black Box cabernet sauvignon from Sam's ($15 a box), and I am too embarrassed to show how many empty wine bottles and boxes could fill a wall in my house. I have a lot to 'fess up for. Yesterday's freewrite prompt, so aptly paired with a wine label from the inimitable @goat-girlz-- [*Daily freewrite prompt - 600 bottles of beer on the wall*](https://steemit.com/freewrite/@goat-girlz/daily-freewrite-prompt-600-bottles-of-beer-on-the-wall)-- and her freewrite "confession" all humble me.
<center>![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNaVUyNGdUXRHgR4X36C29nTua9VY2xFLBtdvEerW8LF6/image.png)</center>
But not to the point of all-out ***exposé*** ("a public exposure or revelation, as of something discreditable").
### * *Phew!* * *Never been happier to see 5 Minutes pass!*
#### Let us now return to the subject of the $9 bottle of Outlander wine, 
which I now feel obligated to buy, having given it so much attention today. But first, and more importantly,
### "Meritage"
is not a five-dollar word for "the merits of," by the way. (Confession: that was my first guess on seeing the word paired with wine.) It rhymes with heritage, not some French word like ***ménage*** (and yes, **Ménage à Trois** is a reputable name in wines, red as well a white).
> Meritage refers to certain American red and white wines made only from Bordeaux grape varieties. The word, which rhymes with heritage, was created by U.S. vintners in the late 1980s and reflects the Bordeaux tradition of blending. In fact, a wine can’t be called Meritage if it’s made with only one varietal or contains varietals that are not on the approved list. In addition, a winery must obtain a license to use Meritage on the label and the wine must meet certain criteria. Aldi and Trader Joe’s offer good and affordable examples. [GAIL APPLESON • Special to the Post-Dispatch](https://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/wine/wine-finds-meritage-at-aldi-trader-joe-s/article_c029b37f-80fb-55d2-8b62-dc3bd7814772.html)

By the way, there's an actual series of "Outlander" wine labels based on the books and TV series.  This wine, like the other Outlander wine, is bottled in Paso Robles, California. I have not checked to see if there is any connection between the competing (or complementary?) "Outlander" wines.
> Four hand-crafted wines and distinctive labels to pay homage to Claire Randall, Frank Randall, Claire Fraser, and Jamie Frasier. 
![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmP4mS5QjBRQSGTirAyrnsHbJDPz3N3uMBxyjZdKeVDdwZ/image.png)
[source](https://www.bookbub.com/blog/outlander-inspired-wine)

# But I am partial to beer, not wine!
And the only reason you don't hear about 600 bottle of beer on **"my"** wall is that I am gluten-intolerant (the ultimate punishment or bad karma to wish up on a German), and I have found only one tolerable gluten-free beer, Omission, pale lager, and at $10 a six-pack, and not truly 100% free of gluten anyway, 
![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUJD1VWy2JThiAoBrdd7Miq3kP5LH428oJWLWe3qpSeJF/image.png)
I took solace in wine with dinner instead.

# <center> Beer pairs well with EVERYTHING!</center>
<center>![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmRGWtkitX8qo3f9D8caUdE5Qnux8NZysSeX3y1yGSrP7F/image.png)</center>
[source](http://www.girlbeersworld.com/blog/2017/12/21/beer-pairs-well-with-accidentally-buying-yourself-xmas-gifts)
<center>![FWH-faves.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmSqnoUR1i4XJHshcuMS6rLvzSMHJxKGeRZ6ZEz6sqAs1f/FWH-faves.png)</center>

<center>![](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/244353477579374602/528438010409386006/image0.png)</center>
## <center>Check Out The [@FreeWriteHouse](https://steemit.com/@FreeWriteHouse) Prompt Of The Day By [@MarianneWest](https://steemit.com/@MarianneWest)</center>
 
<center>[![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXg7iQyEybfnxydCJSrmt4RNWpGa5WsKb2QTEhhrPu27L/9E3F78D9-E904-4750-B969-16E981BB6406.png)](https://steemit.com/@freewritehouse)</center>
 
- ## [Look For The 5-Min #FreeWrite Daily Prompt On @MarianneWest’s Blog](https://steemit.com/@MarianneWest)</center>
 
### Remember the Monday prompt is a collaboration with the microfiction contest with @jayna - look for the Contest post on her profile - win 2 Steem.