May 5th, 2008
I know it’s a bit of a stretch, and if I have anything tonight it will probably be a margarita…
However. Don’t rule out wine for Mexican food. The one choice that might make you happy is sparkling wine. It’s versatile enough to go with most foods, including spicy and salty versions. And many bottles tend to have citrus notes which will go with the heavy use of lime in salsa, guacamole, etc. The bubbly in my picture is a Cremant de Limoux from France, but I would lean towards a Cava from Spain for Cinco de Mayo.
A) It’s inexpensive. B) Semi-spot-on for a Spanish-speaking country’s holiday. C) Goes well with orange juice, if you want to spruce up the flavors with a splash (or maybe even a bit of limeade).
Image source: Farley Walker
Tags: what to drink on Cinco de Mayo, wine with Mexican foodShare This
By Farley -- 0 comments
May 5th, 2008
When I closed my poll on Saturday, it was a relief to see that I was not the only one to spend too much money at wine shops, on wine clubs, and whatever other random bottles fill our racks and fridges. In fact, almost 50% (46%, to be exact) did as much. Wow. The next most popular spending habits tied equally between dining out, entertainment, and stuff for the kids. But, as I said earlier, my answer is going to change soon. Savings are about to take my biggest chunk, other than the basics, so that I can stop throwing money away on rent!
Tags: spending habits, wine pollShare This
By Farley -- 0 comments
May 2nd, 2008
I put up a poll a couple weeks ago, and I’m getting ready to close it. I was hoping to get a few more responses, first, though. Tell me how you spend your money! Is it on wine, dining out, savings, etc? (Mine used to be the first, but now it needs to be the last….)
Poll closes tomorrow: Saturday.
Other than the basics (housing, utilities, gasoline, etc), on what do you spend the most money?
Tags: spending habits, wine pollShare This
By Farley -- 0 comments
May 1st, 2008
A month or two ago I bought the 2006 Coral Mustang Tempranillo Rose’ from Wine Q for $14.99. I finally got around to opening it night before last. Sometimes a rose’ is just right for this back-and-forth weather we’re having these days. Warm, then cold, then cool, then hot. make up yer mind already! So with pink wines, you get the best of red and white wine in one glass. This particular Tempranillo version is from the Vista Creek Vineyards in Paso Robles. The color was a deep, dark pink, giving clues that this wouldn’t be timid, watery rendition. Instead, I found it to be full of cherry, raspberry, and strawberry rhubarb pie, along with notes of lemon blossom. It was crisp without being too tart and yummy with my spinach quesadilla and then by itself last night as an appertif.
For that price, I just added another bottle to my queue!
Tags: 2006 Coral Mustang Tempranillo Rose', Wine QShare This
By Farley -- 5 comments
April 30th, 2008
As I mentioned a couple posts ago, I’m finding it hard to concentrate on my writing these days. Part of that was this weekend, where we were celebrating BK’s birthday and our one-year anniversary, which is today. Sweet guy that he is, he suggested we replay our first date, which happened randomly on a Monday afternoon. He had the day off by chance and I was only working at Thomas Fogarty that evening, back when I picked up hours however I could. We convened in Half Moon Bay at La Nebbia Winery, which I wrote about here. But that was back when I was holding on to southern upbringing to not be negative. Let’s just say one visit was enough, and we decided to pass this time around.
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Tags: Barbara's Fishtrap, Half Moon Bay, La Nebbia WineryShare This
By Farley -- 4 comments
April 29th, 2008
Some of my fellow bloggers on the b5 Lifestyles channel are posting about where they blog. I decided to join in. I actually have a desk, I just don’t use it. For one, the wireless router doesn’t work, so I can’t get online from the desk. For another, I’m a fantastic procrastinator, so I usually have the tv on while I’m blogging (typically some Bravo reality show or reruns of Angel or The Gilmore Girls or Murder, She Wrote…whatever happens to be on).
There’s often a can of Diet Coke or a glass of wine in the vicinity, so you can see one of each in this shot. And of course, the constant wine guide on hand. I’m just surprised one of the three cats didn’t slip into the picture, as one or another usually bugs me while I’m writing or while BK and I have quick dinners with wine to accompany Netflix.
Cheers!
Tags: blogging space, home office, where I blogShare This
By Farley -- 17 comments
April 29th, 2008
First, I would like to commend Tim from Winecast for his superb choice in material for the second Wine Book Club, created by Dr. Debs. From the first sitting with Noble Rot: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution by William Echikson, I knew it was going to be a good read. An engaging writing style pulled me in immediately, at a time when I rarely browse books for pleasure. So even though this was for ‘an assignment’ and I was learning about one of the most important and confusing wine regions in the world, it didn’t feel like forced learning. In fact, that was one of my favorite things about the book—that Echikson rather seemlessly slipped fact tidbits into the story, informing the novice who might not know some of the basics but without boring someone who does. Of course, the searching went much deeper than the nuts and bolts. I came away from this book with a much better understanding of the differences between the Left Bank(austere, steeped in tradition) and Right Bank (not as much rigidity, more likely to accept new ideas and newcomers) and the in between of Entre-Deux-Mers, with its presence of overproducing co-ops. I learned more about the classification of 1855, the solitude of Sauternes, battles over futures, and fights among merchants and winemakers. I found women to be scarce, except for serving dinner or calming their feuding husbands.
I also learned more about Robert Parker, which comes just in time to teach my Be Your Own Critic seminar in May. I’ve come around to the idea that scores are fine, but you need to understand the style of the critic instead of following blindly. Reading about Parker’s simple upbringing, dedication to purchasing his own wines, not accepting advertisements on Wine Advocate, and loyalty to friends all served to make me a little more accepting of his massive power. Like some of the Frenchies in the book, I resist his influence, wondering how one man can wield such control over the wine world and make Bordeaux fall to its knees. And yet those same people who protest… raise their prices when he gives high scores.
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Tags: information on Bordeaux, Noble Rot: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution, Robert Parker, William Echikson, Wine Book Club 2Share This
By Farley -- 1 comment
April 28th, 2008
Is it just me? I feel like every time I turn on the computer to research or write about wine, I get all itchy and twitchy. Warm weather beckons. Saturday I took BK on a kayaking trip as part of his birthday. We headed out, with picnic goodies in the car, and paddled around Sausalito—viewing house boats and being followed by a harbor seal. Later that afternoon, we went to a BBQ in Martinez at my friend’s dad’s house. They had a big ole yard with a lovely fountain over a strawberry patch, lots of veggies growing, and even a chicken coop and a goat.
It made me long for a house, a feeling that comes up all the time now. I have a little balcony as my only outside area, which is more than I had at my last apartment, but I long for a yard. So after a morning of cleaning and a trip to Cost Plus World Market to make the most of their friends and family discount, we worked on the plants on the balcony. I got a couple of half barrels from work a month or so ago, and the herbs are coming along nicely. Except the basil, which I will attempt to grow yet again. And now, I have an outdoor reading area, where I made it through another chapter of Noble Rot.
Tags: outdoor living, plants, spring feverShare This
By Farley -- 4 comments
April 26th, 2008
Jeannie from Musings from Left Field. She left a very thorough comment about her favorite places to buy wine and how she wants to participate in this year’s harvest at a nearby Texas winery. However, I chose the winner by letting one of my many wine books (Perfect Pairings) fall open to whatever page it wished. And that I found the comment with the corresponding number.
Cheers to Jeannie and everyone else who stopped by to enter. The Bloggy Giveaway was a great idea, and I’m still crossing my fingers that I won something.
Tags: contest winner, free wine stuff, The Bloggy GiveawayShare This
By Farley -- 3 comments
April 25th, 2008
Though not in the mood to write this morning, I have been catching up on some reading.
A subscriber to several newsletters, I have to admit I don’t always get to each one. But I did get around to reading Nat Decants, and I really enjoyed “Bottled Blunders,” her light-hearted tales of wine mishaps. If you didn’t get to read it, you can also hear it as a podcast.
Speaking of women and wine, someone at work forwarded this to me. Apparently, certain Swedish studies lead us to believe women who drink wine are less likely to suffer from dementia. Woo-hoo! That’s good news indeed. Obviously, this study is just one look at the issue, but for someone who has a history of Alzheimer’s in the family, it gives me hope that wine can help in a variety of health matters. *The study did show, however, that spirits made the likelihood of dementia more likely, even with wine consumption. Good thing I’ve cut way back on my martini drinking.
I’ve also been plowing through Noble Rot: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution by William Echikson for Wine Book Club #2, hosted by Tim of Winecast. We’re set to post our reviews on April 29. The story and writing are both very engaging, and I’m over halfway done.
Cheers and happy reading to all.
Tags: interesting wine reads, wine reading, women and wineShare This
By Farley -- 0 comments
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