Months and months ago, a wine blending kit from the Bay Area-based Crushpad arrived in the mail. I was deep in deadlines and looking toward vacation, so I set it aside. I set it on one side of my desk for a good month before moving it to the other side. I took it home and stuffed it in a corner, got annoyed with it and put it in the closet. As I went to move the long, heavy box for the umpteenth time, I decided the contents were way past due for some attention.

Inside the box were a set of red wine varietals, all of which are commonly used together to create those big, spicy Cabernet-blend wines that I love so much. Included in the kit were instructions for how to taste and evaluate wine, and some tips on blending.

Since I’m not so good at winespeak — you’ll have to seek out Jessica Yadegaran for that – let me just say that this was a lot of fun. I learned that I’d never want to drink a glass of Petit Verdot, and that while I love wines that have some Cabernet Franc in them, I prefer it mixed around, not straight up.

What I really loved about this kit were the recipes for great wines — by following instructions on their recipe cards, I could make myself a mini-glass of 1997 Opus One, a 1996 Lafite Rothschild, and a 2002 Joseph Phelps Insignia. If you are a wineophile who wants to learn more about why you like it, this is an experience you can’t get anywhere else. The Fusebox by Crushpad includes seven half-bottles and printed materials for 4 people. It costs $120.  Call (877) 265-2030 or go to www.crushpad.com.