Summer

 

 

A family fun 4th of July!

I truly love summer, especially a Seattle summer. Hot sun, long nights, BBQ’s with friends and a slower pace life. However, with this love comes some headaches.. known as school summer vacation. My kids are home, all day long. I have put out more arguments then I can count. I am continually finding new activities to entertain the little darlings. Begging my friends for play dates. Constantly looking at the clock wondering if it’s an acceptable time to crack open a bottle of wine (if that already hasn’t happened during a play date)

I am really not complaining though. Summer is my favorite time of the year. I just find it exhausting entertaining (or finding things to entertain) my children all day long. But the perks do outweigh the negatives.. by far. And wine tastes so much better, sitting out on my deck in the sun, watching dad play with the kids so I can unwind.

Summer wines can vary for me. I do tend to drink more whites and rosé’s. However, with the long summer nights, we tend to open some amazing reds we have been saving for special occasions. But for the sake of this blog, I am going to give you my top 5 summer wine varietals. This is a fun list to explore. Head into your local wine merchant and ask about this list. They should be able to point out some stellar wines for you (or check out http://www.vinwineseattle.com if you want someone to come and pour a tasting of these varietals for you).

5. Vinho Verde – an inexpensive, Portuguese, high acid, light bodied slightly effervescent white wine. There are many reasons why I love a Vinho Verde. First of all, it’s a low alcohol wine, which is nice for those evenings where you want a glass of something, but don’t want to feel all wobbly. Also because of the low alcohol, it pairs very nicely with loads of summer friendly foods. I personally love a Vinho Verde with Mexican foods, seafood, Asian foods, and anything spicy. The slight bubbles help tone the spiciness down. Check out the Espiral from Trader Joes, only $4.99 and surprisingly delightful!

4. Sauvignon Blanc– this is a staple summer wine. Again, pairs deliciously with summer foods. A Sauv Blanc can be light – medium bodied, acidic and depending on the country of origin, it may be grassy, citrusy, or even slightly oaky. I prefer either a more citrus or slight oak Sauv Blanc, especially to pair with food. I have many go to Sauv Blancs between France, WA and CA, but my all time favorite is Salvestrin Winery Sauvignon Blanc ($24.00) out of CA. The problem with this wine is that you cannot find it in WA. But if you take a Napa Valley trip, make sure you stop by! Check out their website though. http://www.salvestrinwinery.com

3. Chardonnay – a medium to full bodied white wine, produced in many parts of the world. I know this wine can often get a bad rep. But this summer I have fallen (hard) for this delicious, rich, white wine. Give me a smooth Chard and I am one happy gal. I do prefer the crisp, mineral, slightly oaky Chardonnays (Chablis) from the Burgundy region of France. I find them slightly complex and enough minerality to keep my attention. However, I have discovered many WA Chardonnays (and a few Chilean)  that also keep me interested. My two favorites WA chards at the moment are Revelry Vintners (around $15.99) and Baer Winery’s “Shard” ($24.00).  Both are stainless steel, crisp and heavenly.

2. Petite Verdot- This varietal has long been a blending varietal into Bordeaux wines from France. But in recent years, it’s been standing beautifully on it’s own. It has stout tannins and can have a violet, dark fruit and vanilla flavor on the palate. It is a particular grape, so it can be a hit or miss. With food, you need weight, protein and fat.. so basically cheeses and heartier meat dishes. The Petite Verdot I am in love with this summer is the Blue Print Petite Verdot from El Corazon ($34.99)

1. Rosé – really, a no brainer this summer. This light to medium bodied wine is perfect for a long summer evening. Almost every region makes a rosé (Rosado in Spain, Rosato in Italy). A rosé goes perfectly with summer meals as well. Charcuterie, grilled fish, pork, salads, shrimp, egg dishes, pretty much anything you would eat in summer. I am a big fan of Provençal rosé’s and Spanish Rosado’s. The AIX rosé from Provence ($14.99) is a standard in our home. I also have fallen in love with Espelt Rosado ($12.99) and the 2013 Red Car rosé from CA ($19.99 and Pinot Noir grapes, delicious).

There you have it! A must try wine list to survive the summer heat (or your children). Enjoy exploring this list… and let me know what you try!

Cheers!

A successful summer play date!

Check out your local wine merchants rosé selection!

 

It has been a long time….

Ok.. ok.. I know it has been months since I have talked about wine. And I really have no excuse. I have tasted amazing wines since my last blog, but have been in a funk about a writing. Really my only excuse is I have been bummed in the world of wine. As many of you know,  I was in the process of purchasing a wine shop and it fell through. I was very upset, but have decided to take my love of wine and start a different journey.

Private wine tasting parties is the direction I would like to go, with help from a party-planning pro, my dear friend Jessica. We are going to tag team this new and brilliant idea. I would like to hear from my fellow readers; if this is something that would interest you. The direction we would like to go is that of private tastings in your home. Let’s say for those mom-nights-out, where you don’t really want to go out.. we would provide tastings of new/fun wines (of course with supply in hand if anyone wants to purchase a bottle). Or you are having an after work dinner with colleagues and want to spice it up.. call on us to add a little spice (or vino) to the occasion. Our goal is to add a little something special to your evening – which of course would be wine. We would always have a small supply on hand, if you loved it and needed a bottle ASAP.  

This is just a preliminary idea – which we are in the process of researching and determining how  this could marketable…. but feel this could be a great niche and something fun . I love to socialize, I love parties and I particularly love wine.  Why not share my love with others! Give me your thoughts on this.

But fear not my friends, I am back to blogging and promise not to let you down with my tastings and advice.

Tonights Tasting:

2007 Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils, Bourgogne Blanc ($25 West Seattle Cellars)

Chardonnay

Ooo La La…

I very rarely talk about white wines. Which is not fair to my fellow white wine lovers. Tonight, for all you white wine fans.. I focus on you!

This is a fantastic, non oak-y Chardonnay (ok, a small amount of oak,)  which is light and fresh – a bit of dancing happens on your palate. Most Chardonnay’s, in my opinion, are way to oak-y and don’t pair well with many dishes. This wine took me (and my husband) by surprise. It went lovely with our meal. We had it tonight with a risotto dish, but it would also taste fantastic with fish/seafood dishes or even on it’s own. I am not sure where else you can purchase this wine, but if you like fresh, light white wines – take this name to your local wine hang out.. and see what they have!

Thanks for baring with me my fellow wine lovers… I promise to keep up my end of the bargain, if you promise to keep reading!