wine

You Had Me at Merlot

I am a bit behind on my blog posts. I have been posting everyday, but so many great events are going on that I have been behind on what I have been sharing with you. This is one of those events. It was a close friend’s birthday a few weeks ago. To celebrate, they put on a wine tasting Thanksgiving weekend. Her sister is a wine rep and has good access to some great wines. They set up stations around the house with wines to taste and food to go with them. Of course I documented the tour.

Everyone was dressed in their best. This was an “invitation only” party with “cocktail attire” mandatory. It was so fun to have an excuse to dress up. I took this picture off Destination Durant. All the girls looked fantastic.

The tasting stations started with a nice light and bubbly Mionetto il Prosecco. It was paired with a nice triple brie and shrimp cocktail.

Next was a Concannon Chardonnay. This I really liked. It was a crisp fruity wine, not to dry. It paired perfectly with the clam chowdah and was my favorite white paring of the evening.

The next white was a Next of Kin Sauvignon Blanc Semillon. It was pretty good. Light and fruity. I think I liked the artichoke spinach dip more!

Then we got into the reds. I am a red girl myself. The first red was a Chateau St. Jean Cabernet and a Merlot. It was paired with some aroma stimulation. It was amazing how wonderful the wine tasted after taking a deep breath of prunes or basil. The Cabernet was my favorite wine of the night.

My favorite pairing of the night was this Due Torri Pinot Noir and wild mushroom risotto. This was the perfect matching together. The pinot was very masculine and strong. It competed very well with the mushrooms. It was fantastic. I had two servings!

It was a fantastic party, in my true friend’s style. I don’t even think my DH minded getting all dressed up. He cleans up well…

He’s the one in the middle. Not too shabby I say. :)

A Terrific Turkey Day

We made the trip up north to my Mother’s house for Thanksgiving this year. Griffin was prepared with his sunglasses and “munchkin” to start his trip!

Our day started with a small appetizer and some tickles on the side.

The little one waited patiently at the table for food to come.

But he had the great company of my brother with him. Jason’s favorite spot is the kitchen table waiting for food.

Of course my Mother made the most unbelievable bird. She always does. I don’t know how she makes it taste so good and look so pretty. Secretly, I like that I don’t know. That way it is such a huge treat when she makes it for us.

There is a rule in our family. If there is cooking in the kitchen, there must be wine in our glasses. We enjoyed a beautiful Snoqualmie Riesling. It was a very sweet yet dry Riesling. I thought it was very close to a sweet chardonnay. Either way, it was perfect with turkey.

A feast to be thankful for for sure.

Followed by some wonderful desserts. As stated in last weeks WIP post, I made a Pumpkin Rum Cheesecake. It was heavenly. My Mom also whipped up a Key Lime pie, my Dad’s favorite.

I am thankful for all my family, those that were here and those that we didn’t get to see. Thankful for my old friends near and new friends far. Thankful for making hard decisions this year. Thankful for people who took a chance on me, and oddly thankful for the ones who didn’t. Thankful for my health, and for the health of those I cherish most. Thankful for a roof over my head, and a full freezer of food. I am thankful for many things this year. Yes, a thankful dinner for sure.

I hope you all had as blessed of a thanksgiving as we had this year. It is truly amazing when you sit back and think about all the things that did and didn’t happen in such a short year. I am thankful, grateful and blessed. Life is good.

Handmade Holiday – Wine Charms

Wine charms – the perfect gift for the holidays. I got jewelry charms from Joannes and bent some jewelry hardware. I added the beads to attach the pieces with wire pliers. Then I added colored beads to the final charms. I love how they came out and they are going to be hard to give up!

Wednesday Wines

It’s been a while since I have posted a Wednesday Wine. I have to be honest and have been sticking my staple wines over the last few months. I have been in a bit of a wine rut and was looking for new wine. I thought you may be looking for something new by now too. Last Friday my dear friend came over and we headed downtown for the perfect bottle of wine to match eggplant Parmesan. We visited Cornucopia a local wine and cheese shop I have visited in the past, but is now getting settled in it’s new location downtown Exeter NH, across from the gazebo.

After asking which wine would compliment our meal, the owner suggested this Italian wine, Masi Modello delle Venezie Rosso 2008.

She was right on with her suggestion. It was a perfect light and fruity wine that nicely offset the acidity of the red tomato sauce. It was smooth with little tannins. The bottle didn’t last long. The price is $11.99, a nice clean bottle of red wine, completely worth the price.

Wednesday Wines

La Croix Du Duc Bordeaux is my Wednesday Wine pick this week. It is a very spicy and masculine wine. It is strong enough to be a stand alone wine and will hold it’s own with some strong cheeses and crackers. It is a little heavy for your basic hamburger or pizza, but would be perfect with a shrimp scampi or steak with blue cheese.

This Bordeaux was at Market Basket for $10.99. Still a great wine for the price!

Enjoy.

Wednesday Wines

This is a wine we found at the local store in Bar Harbor, ME last week. This is a nice Spanish Tempranillo with a fruit (not fruity) taste and spicy finish. It was very good. I am not sure what I liked better, the wine or the view, but definitely worth a try for the Summer.

BONUS NOTE: from my past post about Pepperwood Grove, it is on sale at Market Basket for $5.99 a bottle with the bottle neck rebate.

Enjoy.

Wednesday Wines

Beringer Pinot Noir was at Sams Club for $5.49 last week. I couldn’t pass it up. I figured it may have gone by or maybe wasn’t that good. It was pretty good. It didn’t have much of an initial taste, but the finish is very fruity and fragrant. Totally worth it for under $6. Perfect for steak tips or anything on the grill. We had it with grilled pizza with pesto and feta, it was perfect.

picture courtesy of Bevmo.com

Enjoy.

Wednesday Wines

This is suppose to be my weekly wine post and it will continue to showcase fantastically affordable wines. With the exceptions of a few interruptions in between. I am a BIG fan of margaritas. To be honest, sour mixed margaritas are not my favorite, I like them with full liquor and a splash of fresh lime juice. With that said, it can be expensive to get only top shelf alcohols. That is why I am introducing you to Jose Cuervo’s Golden Margaritas. Now, this IS a mix. It is the only mix I really really enjoy. Jose Cuervo makes two kinds, but the only one to get is there Golden Margarita with the alcohol included. They have taken the perfect blend of their sour mix, Cuervo Gold and what makes them golden, Grand Marnier. They are so smooth without a hit of sour and are oh so yummy.  They are also very budget friendly at around $16.99 for a large 1.75ml bottle. Most mixes don’t have quite enough alcohol for my taste either (geez, I am sounding like a lush here! LOL!) but these Golden Margaritas are perfect.

photo courtesy of Bevmo.com

Even though I don’t think these margaritas necessarily need more alcohol, sometimes I do add a bit more bang, just a floater of Grand Marnier on top (for good measure, you know!)

If you want to be fancy, we add fun garnishes. I usually freeze a bunch of strawberries and use them as ice cubes. With a monkey representing our monkey bar and a slice of lime, you have summertime relaxation in a cup! This mix has quickly become our go to drinks for company and weekend relaxing on the deck.

Wednesday Wines

This week’s wine was a pleasant surprise. Red Diamond Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 was on special at Market Basket this week for $5.99. I don’t really expect too much from a bottle under $6. I want it to be drinkable and enjoyable, but know I have to make my share of sangria while trying to find the good buys. This was not that kind of bottle.  It opens with a simple aroma of spice and hint of berry. It’s a nice deep flavor making it smooth with a taste of liquor. The finish is fruity and sweet. An AMAZING deal for $5.99. Enjoy!

photo courtesy of JerichoWines.com

Wednesday Wines

Beringer has always been one of my go-to wines. It’s readily available at most stores, reasonably priced but not cheap and a great bottle to bring to someones house. It’s usually pretty consistent in taste and flavor. This week the Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon was on special for $8.99. For under $10, I grabbed a bottle. I have to say that it must be in it’s prime. This wine was very yummy. It has a deep flavor with a full bodied taste. The finish is a nice blend of fruity and spicy.

picture courtesy of bevmo.com

It has a $12 bottle taste for $8.99. Enjoy.