This cabernet sauvignon is a salute to Benjamin Franklin

With Presidents’ Day around the corner, Philadelphians are reminded of the extraordinary history by which we are surrounded in the heart of our fair city. While most of the major players among our Founding Fathers left their homes to come to Philadelphia, there was one among them who already lived here, just a stone’s throw from Independence Hall: Benjamin Franklin.

Full of wit and wisdom, Franklin was one of the most famous of the original Federalists who would not eventually become a U.S. president. But of all those debaters present here in 1776, his ingenuity, insights, and incredible way with words are perhaps remembered best of all.

Franklin said so many clever things that many clever things he never said are often attributed to him. One of the most familiar of his quotes is frequently touted by brewers: That beer is “proof God loves us and wants us to be happy.” However, Franklin didn’t say this about beer. In a letter to the Abbé Morellet in 1779, Franklin muses on biblical mentions of wine and remarks, “Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.”

So, this Presidents’ Day, let’s remember the man who was smart enough to be in the room where it happened and humble enough not to seek power. This wine is as solid and sensible as the man himself, this cabernet sauvignon from Lodi is a reliable choice for thrifty shoppers, featuring ripe, velvety blackberry flavors, and a refined veneer of toasty oak spice.

$15.69 14.9% alcohol

PLCB Item # 98382

Sale price through Feb. 26 — regularly $18.69

Also available at:

Total Wine & More in Wilmington and Claymont, Del., $14.99, totalwine.com; WineWorks in Marlton, $16.98, wineworksonline.com; Joe Canal’s in Lawrenceville, N.J., $16.99, lawrenceville.jcanals.com.