If you are a wine lover, there is nothing worse than holding on to a bottle for too long. A bottle that you just know is going to be delicious but instead of DRINKING it, you hold it. You tuck it away in the closet/cellar/box waiting for the perfect night to drink it. You see it all of the time. Every time you go to take a bottle from your stash you pick it up and think, is tonite the night? And then you think, nah, I need to share it. I will save it. So it sits. And sits. And sits. Then you finally open it and UGH, it has gone bad.

I have a bad habit of holding wine. Wait. Make that..I HAD a bad habit of holding wine.

Recently I discovered a vertical (multiple vintage years) of Davis-Bynum Pinot Noir from California. Back in the day this winery turned out some delectable bottles that would age well. Then years passed, owners changed and though the wines being produced are still noteworthy they aren't made to age as they had in a previous lifetime.

SO I invited a few wine friends over, we prepared some food to complement, and got busy tasting. And enjoying.

We also had an interesting conversation as we tasted. About flood insurance in Broad Ripple. My friends and I all live in "the flood plain". We knew it when we bought our homes dozens of years ago. The ability to walk along the river, enjoy the trees, the birds and the numerous animals that lived there was worth the price. Then in 2002 the Army Corps of Engineers decided they needed to build a flood wall. They promised by 2006 we would be "out of the flood plain" and thus no more flood insurance. We really had no choice. The government was going to do what the government was going to do. We lobbied to save as many trees as possible and endured several years of mess, noise, and loss of access to the river. When it was done, we did our best to embrace the new landscape. And hope that the government could convince the other neighborhoods along the river to approve the flood wall so everyone could be removed from the fee.

It's 2013 and we still pay flood insurance. In fact, our rates are increasing because FEMA needs to make more money due to a series of natural disasters in which the government fumbled its response, particularly Hurricane Katrina. You can't get a mortgage in a flood plain without flood insurance. And now if you sell your home, the new buyers will be saddled with flood insurance rates that are almost triple what most of us are paying.

What to do? Lower the selling price of our homes so someone could pay cash for it? Lobby our congressmen and women to delay the rate increase? Wait and hope it improves?

Today I crawled over the wall and sat by the river. I spotted a blue heron and enjoyed the trees. The next plan from FEMA includes cutting down all of the trees and thus leaving the bats, birds, raccoons, squirrels, foxes, rabbits, possums and other assorted natural inhabitants homeless. I raised a glass tonight for the river and its friends. And planned another night for my friends and a couple bottles of wine.

2008 Davis-Bynum Russian River Valley, Sonoma County-earthy, spicy, aromas and subtle flavors of dark cherries, wild strawberries-smooth finish with subtle hint of pepper

2009 Davis-Bynum Russian River Valley, Sonoma County-smoky nose- oak- still young- soft hints of cocoa on the nose-not quite ready but bettered as it opened-subtle flavors of cola, cherry.

2010 Davis-Bynum Russian River Valley, Sonoma County-earthy, spicy nose-smooth flavors of cola, wild strawberries, black cherries, smooth finish- hint of caramel.

2011 Davis-Bynum Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, "Jane's Vineyard"-inviting nose and flavors of cola, currant, wild strawberry, pomegranate, subtle earthy truffle notes.