Wine, Wine, Wine

"This is one of the most unique and unusual holiday gifts opportunities ever available to Dallasites." Hey, I'm all for that -- especially if it'll get you drunk. And, yeah, as it turns out there are some 300 bottles of Palomino-Chardonnay available this very moment, made from grapes grown near ... Inwood Road and Lovers Lane? Ah, yes -- wine country.

The 2006 vintage, hampered by last year's drought, ain't cheap -- around $80 -- and I can't vouch for the quality, though Dan Gatlin is free to shoot one over to the office for Unfair Park inspection. But Inwood Estates is proud to note their vino's available in some of your finer dining establishments around town. And the Austin Chronicle's Wes Marshall, writing for something called Appellation America, did refer to 2005's Palomino-Chardonnay as "one of the most fascinating white wines to come out of Texas." Which at least sounds like a compliment. --Robert Wilonsky