ladies ... time to celebrate!

So it turns out that wine DOESN'T make us fat, ladies! Isn't that glorious? A new study shows that women who drink light to moderate amounts of wine do not significantly gain weight over non-drinkers. In fact, some of them have been shown to lose weight. Makes me glad I'm a (mostly) moderate wine drinker! So feel free to pop open those bottles, girls, because your hips aren't going to get all angry at you.
Here's a link to the article if you'd like to check it out.

Wine Doesn't Make Women Fat, Report Claims

grand champions and grappa

So just in case you were wonderful, Julien and I had a wonderful day yesterday. We went to the beach, drank wine, saw a show and ... oh yeah ... drank some more wine! After our trip to the beach, with absolutely perfect weather, mind you, Julien and I went for a little wine tasting at Galante Vineyards tasting room in downtown Carmel. It was a cute little place that had a chair made to look like a boot. Gosh darn, I wish I'd gotten a picture of it! But someone was sitting in it almost the whole time we were there, so it didn't quite work out. 

The tasting room host, Will, let us go through their entire collection of wines, which was great. They only had one white on the entire tasting list, a 2009 Sauvignon Blanc ($25) blended with a bit of Viogner. Turns out that's the only white they produce, since they're mostly known for Cabernets. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the Sauvignon Blanc quite a bit, despite the fact that it was so new and had only aged (partially in steel and partially in oak) for a couple of months. It was incredibly light with notes of mango, tangerine and light vanilla. There was only the faintest scent of cat pee on it, something that strangely is characteristic of Sauvignon Blanc. It finished with a taste of grapefruit that lingered well enough but didn't overpower. We ended up getting a bottle of it to try later on.

Two other notable wines from their list were, first,  the 2005 "Blackjack Preserve" Cabernet Sauvignon ($50), which had notes of tobacco, coffee and soft leather with black cherry on the finish. The tannins on this one were really soft and didn't dry out the palate, which I liked quite a bit. The other one was their 2007 Grand Champion ($75), but more for its IMPENDING value then it's current one. It was a wine that tasted strained and new ... but I imagine that in 5 years or so, that wine is going to taste phenomenal. Will said he was currently trying the 96 and 97 vintages of the Grand Champion and that they were to die for ... so if you're looking for something to hold on to, I would definitely recommend picking up a bottle for the future. However, I would probably pass on their 2007 Merlot and their 2006 Pinot Noir ... I wasn't impressed by them. 

After the wine tasting Julien and I had a fabulous dinner at Cantinetta Luca. Julien's dad, Chris, spoiled us with a wide array of amazing Italian wines, ranging from the lightest of whites to the heaviest of reds. I was able to sample them all ... but I have to honestly say that by the time I'd gotten through all of them, I couldn't barely spell my own name, let alone write down notes about all of them. Yep, I got a little toasty. But I will say that they were great ... and I would definitely recommend Southern Italian reds, which were the focus of our red tasting. For dinner Julien and I shared our entrees (we like to do that!), one was a risotto with chanterelle mushrooms and shaved asparagus. The other was a pumpkin ravioli. They were both delish! We finished with a fabulous cheese platter (the parmigiano-reggiano was spectacular, and was paired with a balsamic glaze ... amazing!) and a couple of desserts, including a great tiramisu. Unfortunately by that the time the wine had seriously gone to my head and I wasn't able to finish all of the desserts with Julien.

Then after that we went to a fun performance of Anything Goes, which our friend was in. The musical itself is a bit, how shall we say, dated ... but the performance was lively and we did enjoy ourselves. Overall, Julien and I had a wonderful time ... and I'm definitely looking forward to number three! Here's a little slideshow of our day, in case you wanted to see some other pics!

two years and many mimosas later .... :)

Right now it's 8am and I'm in bed getting ready for what should (hopefully) be a fabulous day. Why? Because today is my two-year anniversary with my wonderful boyfriend, Julien, that's why! Right now he's lying next to me, snoring a bit, but with luck he'll be up soon and we can get started on our day of love. Here's the agenda for today (with a blog entry to follow, seeing as there will be much wine involved):

1. A surprise breakfast in bed, complete with mimosas, for my wonderful man. Will probably get up and start making it as soon as this blog entry is finished.
2. A nice long walk on the beach in Carmel. Luckily it is a gorgeous day outside, sunny skies with just the slightest breeze.
3. A bit of wine tasting in downtown Carmel.
4. Dinner at Cantinetta Luca, a wonderful Italian restaurant in downdown Carmel. My boyfriend's dad is the sommelier there, and he promised to take really good care of us tonight. Can we say hello to really really good wines??? He also promised to show us some good grappa too.
5. Going to a performance of Anything Goes at the MPC Theatre in Monterey. Our friend Armie is in the ensemble, and it looks like a fun musical!
6. Ahem ... well ... the rest is a secret ;).

Well, I should get up and get breakfast started. I'll let all of you know later how the day goes! Oh, and on another note, I've been accepted into San Diego State University for Journalism! It was my first choice school and I'm sooo excited. It's a seriously impacted major at that school because the program is said to be THAT good. So all you So-Cal types better get ready, because I'm coming to you!

poetry slam friday

gree-jeeo

tart apples swinging
their crisp skins, acidic yet
dangerously sweet

a little wine research

One of my favorite things to do in my spare time when surfing the Web is do little funny searches on Google and see what comes up. You'd be surprised to find out that the most popular search option for "It is wrong to ..." is "... sleep with your sister"!!! Can you believe it? Gross.
Anyway, so since I can't drink any wine right now because of this stupid cold, I decided to do a little Google searching instead. I thought this one was interesting, because there wasn't a single one that sounded good other than the carbonated one, which doesn't sound necessarily good, per se. Enjoy!

a bit of ranting and raving

I'm sorry I haven't written this past week. I've still been fighting that bug, which has now moved into my chest and lungs, and I haven't felt like drinking (let alone writing about) wine for the past few days. The reason I'm writing now is completely unrelated to wine - it's just me ranting about something that's seriously bothering me.
So I decided this morning that enough was enough and that I should go to the doctor. I went to Doctors On Duty, since it's supposed to be the more affordable option for those like myself who are, shall we say, insurance impaired. I waited for about 20 minutes before being called up. The receptionist then tells me that I have to give her a $100 deposit. I was surprised, since the last time I went (which was only 2 years ago) I had to only pay $80 for the entire appointment. So I asked her if the appointments were $100 now. She said no, that they were not AT LEAST $165, but a deposit was required before the appointment actually took place.
Needless to say, I was shocked. I couldn't believe that a working class person like myself, who makes less than $30,000 per year, was expected to pay almost $200 for a simple doctor's appointment. It was baffling. So I instead decided to take my money elsewhere and see an herbal specialist for some natural remedies. I ended up, including the appointment, paying only $60 for everything. Including the medicine! And the appointment was so much more helpful than anything the doctor could've given, which would've probably involved him or here putting a stethoscope to my back, asking me to breathe and telling me I just need a few days rest.
The herbal medicine is already having an effect and I'm feeling much better. A little tired, but much better. I would recommend herbal remedies for anyone who is mentally willing to try other options besides simply getting a prescription. I've been driving tea made with fresh thyme and taking a specialty wild cherry bark syrup that tastes terrible but does the trick.
In the end, to anybody who says health care reform is a bad idea, just come talk to someone like me ... someone who doesn't have health insurance. And I'll tell you first thing that it's badly, badly needed in this country. Prices shouldn't double in two years. It's inhumane. It prevents people like me from affording health care. Granted I got alternative care, which has helped greatly, but I should still be able to have the option of quality and affordable health care.
So that's my rant and rave for now. When I get back to drinking wine I'll let you know.

evolution: a love story

Ladies and gentlemen, I have someone new in my life. 

This individual's name is Evolution, Lucky Number 9 ($20). It's a non-varietal American blend of nine different white grapes, produced by Solok Blosser winery in Dundee, Oregon. I know what you're thinking ... something with that much baggage and variety can't possibly be good for me. Well, it is. I am positively in love with this wine. I know some of you might disapprove of our love, seeing as how this "American" wine doesn't have a proper background or home, but I don't care! Our love defies the gods themselves! 

Behold the evolution of our revolutionary love story:

First surprise. And frizzy hair. 

Then curiosity ... and admiration. 

Notice the Kristen Stewart lower-lip bite. That shows you it's real. 

Then comes a love that defies reason.  It's not just love: it's evolution. 

(Cheesy, I know, but I had to throw it in there!)

I bet you're wondering why I care about this wine so much. Well, the first thing I love about it is how easy it is to drink. It's one of those wines that you could down a half bottle of right away and not notice because it's incredibly smooth and light. It only clocks in at 12% alcohol. The color is a soft yellow with a slight greenish tint. You can see a few bubbles in it as well. The nose is light, with white peach, mineral, dew grass, citrus and a tiny hint of vanilla bean and mango. Its nose is very sweet and seductive - really cleanses the nasal passage. I just feel like taking a huge whiff and soaking it all in. 

The mouth is sweet with a bit of spritz on the tongue. It has some similarities to a Muscato, although I couldn't find online if one of the varietals was indeed a Muscato. Mystery! Let me know if you solve it. There's banana on the entry with light peach. The wine starts sweet but ends with a bit of tang from the grassy herb and mineral, as well as some vanilla bean. I would recommend refrigerating this wine, it's more refreshing at a cooler temperature than at room. 

I know this may be a personal opinion, mainly because Julien didn't care for it, but I really love the taste of this wine. I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good light white wine, especially those who are relatively new to wine drinking. It's incredibly easy to enjoy and would work with a wide variety of foods (although I would definitely recommend you think spicy!). 

And just so you know, I was not commissioned by Evolution to produce this article - I bought this wine myself. However, if anyone from Evolution happens to read this, and wishes to send some samples for me to review ...  I might be inclined to, you know, give them a try. Who are we kidding, I would gulp them down!

I know I know ... I'm a wine glutton. But can you really blame me?