ONE BOTTLE
One Bottle:
The 2007 Allegrini Amarone by Joshua
Baer
On January 31, 2001, three Scottish judges sitting in a special court at Camp
Ten Commandments in the foyer of the Alabama Judiciary Building in Montgomery.
Zeist, in the Netherlands, convicted Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi of
Justice Moore, a West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran, installed the
two hundred and seventy counts of murder. Al-Megrahi, the former head
replica without the consent of the other Alabama Supreme Court Justices.
of security for Libyan Arab Airlines, was held responsible for the deaths of
On September 9, 2001, Ahmad Shah Massoud, a central figure in Afghanistan’s
all passengers and crew aboard Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over
resistance against the Soviet Union, and known throughout Afghanistan as “the
Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988. Before, during, and after the trial,
Lion of Panjshir,” was interviewed by a pair of Tunisian men posing as Moroccan
al-Megrahi maintained his innocence. He was sentenced to life in prison. On February 19, 2001, the Oklahoma City National Memorial was
journalists. The interview took place at Massoud’s headquarters in Khwaja
dedicated and opened in Oklahoma City. The memorial included the Field
detonated an explosive device hidden in a video camera. Massoud and one of
of Empty Chairs, a grass field with one hundred and sixty-eight chairs
the assassins were killed by the explosion.
constructed out of bronze, glass, and stone, to commemorate the death of each victim of the Oklahoma City bombing, on April 19, 1995.
On March 1, 2001, the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan, two
monumental stone statues that overlooked the passage of the Silk Road through the Bamiyan Valley, in central Afghanistan. The Buddhas, which had been carved between 504 and 557 AD, were shattered by anti-aircraft weapons, dynamite, and tank shells five days after Mullah Mohammed Omar, the leader of the Taliban, referred to the statues as idols.
On April 30, 2001, the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding
Bahauddin, in northeastern Afghanistan. During the interview, the Tunisians
On the morning of September 11, 2001, the residents of New York City woke up to one of the most beautiful days in living memory. At 7:00 a.m. the temperature was 67 degrees, with a nearly cloudless sky and twenty miles of visibility. Which brings us to the 2007 Allegrini Amarone. In the glass, the 2007 Allegrini Amarone combines darkness with clarity. If you hold up your glass to a lit candle you will see layers of garnet folded into layers of scarlet. The bouquet is neither a suggestion nor a statement. Without trying to be profound, it lets you know that the wine you are
Committee Report, also known as the Mitchell Report,
about to taste is a stroke of good luck, maybe even a stroke of genius.
was released by an international committee chaired by
On the palate, the 2007 Allegrini Amarone takes a step back from the
former United States Senator George Mitchell. The Report
bold, un-hedged impressions made by Allegrini’s other Amarones,
recommended the cessation of violence between Israel and
including their precise 1998 and lush 2004. After taking that step
Palestine, and a freeze on Israeli settlements.
back, the wine lets you rest inside its patience. The finish is not so
On May 6, 2001, Pope John Paul II, the two hundred and
much a fond farewell as a brief, exciting, and altogether memorable
sixty-fourth Bishop of Rome, visited the Omayyad Mosque
kiss goodbye. It acts like it might linger, like it might turn into
in Damascus, Syria. John Paul was the first Pope to enter
something entertaining. And then it’s gone.
a mosque. In his address to its members, John Paul said:
American Airlines Flight 11, a fully fueled Boeing 767
“Your land is dear to Christians. Here our religion has known
traveling at four hundred and sixty-six miles per hour, hit the
vital moments of its growth and doctrinal development, and here
north face of the north tower at 8:46 a.m. The aircraft entered
are found Christian communities which have lived in peace and
the tower between the ninety-third and ninety-ninth floors, and
harmony with their Muslim neighbors for many centuries. We
was intact when it reached the core of the building.
are meeting close to what both Christians and Muslims regard
United Airlines Flight 175, a fully fueled Boeing 767 traveling
as the tomb of John the Baptist, known as Yahya in the Muslim
at five hundred and ninety miles per hour, hit the south face of
tradition. The son of Zechariah is a figure of prime importance
the south tower at 9:03 a.m. The aircraft entered the tower
in the history of Christianity, for he was the Precursor who
between the seventy-seventh and eighty-fifth floors.
prepared the way for Christ. John’s life, wholly dedicated
There are two kinds of people in this world: The ones who
to God, was crowned by martyrdom.”
think 9/11 will never happen again, and the ones who know it
On June 11, 2001, Timothy McVeigh, a Gulf War veteran
will. Of all the questions that have been asked, answered, and left
and self-proclaimed advocate of “White Power,” was executed
unanswered about 9/11, the big question is, What did we learn?
for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing. According to
It’s an honest question. As survivors, we owe the dead—and
McVeigh’s authorized biography, American Terrorist, by Lou
each other—an honest answer.
Michel and Dan Herbeck, “his only sustaining relief from his unsatisfied sex drive was his even stronger desire to die.” At 2:00 am on the morning of August 1, 2001, Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore installed a five thousand two hundred and eighty-pound granite replica of the
SEPTEMBER
2013
To the victims of 9/11, to their families, to the responders, and to the survivors, One Bottle offers its sympathy. One Bottle is dedicated to the appreciation of good wines and good times, one bottle at a time. The name “One Bottle” and the contents of this column are ©2013 by onebottle.com. For back issues, go to onebottle.com. Send comments or questions to jb@onebottle.com.
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