Just read about this Real Dogs & Cats Wine over at Design Blahg!
you can order whichever wine you choose from the site (cali wines) and get them custom made with your dog's picture on them! you can even choose your own caption like "Sienna will eat you alive and then chug this wine!" at the price of $16.97/custom bottle, it's really not too expensive.
and there is a rescue series - where 10% of proceeds go towards animal rescue! LOVE THIS BRAND!
friends & fam - i like sauvingnon blanc. keep this gift in mind. i'd like at least 6 bottles so that you can get the 10% discount.
well....it's been 4 years since i turned 21 and that means i'm four years too late on getting to napa valley.
if you haven't been - go. if you dont like wine - go. basically, if you have a heart beat - GO! it's amazing...especially now since the weather is mild and people aren't swarming the vineyards! it was so beautiful, and so fun, and SO friendly, and surprisingly, so inexpensive! $10 a tasting isn't bad when the winery is empty and all the employees want is someone to chat with - they just keeeeep on pouring whether its on the list or not. HEYO cab sauv that scored 94 pts!
black stallion winery! beautiful tablescape!
me and donnell at black stallion!
silverado winery!
me and donnell outside of silverado
SOLO - silverado reserve!
holiday greetings from us to you!
one of my best girlfriends from college lives in fairfield cali and napa is basically in her backyard! how convenient! lindsay and her bf brent took me to three wineries - and all three were great! we went to Black Stallion, Silverado, and Rombauer! they are located on the Silverado trail and all worth going to check out! we had the best weekend together and it really makes me miss them not being in the area anymore.
my awesome hosts - lindsay and brent
Rombauer Winery - great chardonnay!
i got in late friday night, we hung out and caught up on life - it had been wayyy too long since we chatted, so (clearly) i filled her in on the new gossip, and her the same. saturday we got up and made a delicious breakfast and started our day right with mimosas....in bowl-sized glasses - i dont hate it!! then we headed out to the three wineries and got back in time to watch the hokies murder fsu in the ACC Championship! go hokies! on sunday, they took me to a mexican restaurant in vacaville and then we headed into san fran (40ish mins away). we drove over the golden gate which was not nearly as exciting as i imagined it in my head. it was raining and cold - blegh! we drove down the curly twisty turny part of lombard st and it was AWESOME. the hills in san fran are no joke - i saw a woman holding onto the wall of a building as she carefully shuffled her way down a sidewalk...thank god for the flatness of DC. we hit up ghirardelli square and a little bar near there and then (sadly) that was the end of our weekend together. bah....please move back to DC, donnell!! i miss you too much already!
the most simple sangria of all time: two bottles of jam jar sweet shiraz some triple sec (i prob used 3/4 cup to a cup) 1 pkg frozen peaches (fresh works too!) 1 pkg frozen berries - eventually we cut up some apples and strawberries too!
the jam jar is so sweet and delicious that you don't even need sugar! mm mmm good!
ya'll, this is a fantastic sweet shiraz, perfect for just about anything! I served mine chilled.
here are the winemaker's notes: Crafted in a lighter style than your typical Shiraz, this fresh, fruity, semi-sweet wine displays aromas and flavors of ripe blueberries, blackberries and raspberries with dark chocolate undertones. Refreshing and approachable with a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity, it makes a great aperitif and pairs equally well with meat dishes, cheeses, and desserts. Best served slightly chilled.
priced at around $10, this is an absolute steal! definitely one of my new favorites! Thank goodness the guy at World Market talked me into buying WAY more wine than I needed :)
seriously, this place is my new fav!! We tasted lots of great wine :) I suggest you gather your favorite wine-o's and head over there yourself! It's in Clarendon!
*sidenote - that is a Rose, not white zinfandel. you will NEVER catch me drinking white zin.
Tasting Notes: Color: Deep dark ruby translucent. Aromas: Pomegranate, baking spice, bacon fat (I would have guessed there was some Syrah in this one due to this aroma) and forest. The mouthfeel is light-to-medium-bodied, easy, dry but not drying. Tart pomegranate and cola flavors are actually fairly lush and finish well. 13.8% alcohol content. Runs from $10.95-13. for the taste, it's a great value for the average 20-something.
mmmm mmm! makes me want to cook up something delicious!
ahhh perhaps i smell a new weekly feature coming along! since i'm not cool enough to have random followers, you all know that i am a wine-o. an EXTREME {cheap, tasty, did i mention cheap?} wine enthusiast, if you will. (Thanks, Papi)
usually, i indulge on the cheaper side (pregames don't call for classy broads), but occasionally i'll mooch off Papi for an nicer bottle...
anyway, this week i'll start with my very favorite.
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc - a constant value and a constant top 100 wine from Wine Spectator. i found this last week at Costco for 11.95 a bottle, genius. Tasting Notes from their website:
