Various methods for opening a bottle of wine without a corkscrew…

Over the summer, Luke and I had the opportunity to take our two little tikes on their first trip with us to go wine tasting. The day was literally sun kissed at around 75 degrees. The place we chose was Laetitia. And we were so glad we found ourselves at this particular winery and tasting room because they could not have been more friendly and accommodating to us with our children.

I was a little nervous about taking our two in there to be completely honest. Although they are extremely well behaved, they are like most three and four year olds, full of energy … So I knew it was only a matter of time before they would get bored of having to stand nicely, use their manners, and patiently wait for us wrap our little pleasure of the day. Well, to my most exciting surprise, they have a super friendly staff, an outside picnic area complete with picnic tables, resting chairs for kids, and grass that they can and encourage the kids to run on.

Our little wine lady was of the most help and encouraged our little ones in every way as we sampled our way through the wines of the day. She gave them each a wine bag of wine corks that they could take home, and of course was the one to tell us that they could go outside and be free. The best part about this was we got to finish our wine outside with the kids and enjoy the beautiful day with them.

Jason was a little bummed that he could not taste the wine yet. However, being all boy, couldn’t argue with the nice grounds of which he got to explore and become well aquainted with. Faith was a little model for mommy and tried many different poses for the camera. What girl doesn’t like that? And Luke, well he peacefully enjoyed his time and liked what he tasted enough to buy a couple bottles.

Overall, it was an A+ experience and I can’t wait to go back…For Faith and Jason, well for now, they get to and have to grow up with wine.

It is often hard to try and make drinking wine more a part of our everyday lives. One issue is simply storage. In order to drink wine more often, you need more wine around house. where do you put it? Most of us have the counter top wine rack we got as a wedding or house warming gift. And it probably still has only one bottle of wine in it, the 1998 bottle of “white zin” Uncle Joe gave us for our anniversary. So you don’t want to drink that because then the rack would be empty and what would our friends think … “do they really like wine, or do they drink so much wine that they can’t keep their wine rack stocked?”
Either way this is not the message we want to send.

Another and more important stumbling block is cost. If you start drinking more wine, you’ll have to start spending more on wine.

Then there’s the hassle, drinking more wine means more trips to the “wine store” (i.e. supermarket in my case).  And last, but not least, is the  “I don’t want folks to think I’m a lush” factor. In our case, at home, we will almost allways drink “some wine” every evening, but maybe not a whole bottle.  Jonesy and I can make a couple of bottles last a few days. Somedays we will drink a couple of glasses and save the rest for next time. Other times we will polish off a bottle and we’re just not ready to stop, so to the rack we go for a little something to “top off” the evening.

One thing we’ve are doing is we spent some time looking for and trying new inexpensive ( less than $6) wines until we found a good “Jones house wine” and we’d just buy a bunch of it.  Then most nights we’d drink that. If there was an occation or if we just wanted a change we’d open something else. 

One other thing we’ve done and that I am actually think doing again is find a box wine that is good drinkable value and just stick a box in the refridgerartor and drink out of it. Now I know want goes through everyones mine when you say “wine from a box”, so before you go all “Napa Valley” on me, consider the problem we are trying to solve. Drink better and more often without breaking the family budget. I not saying this would be the only wine in the house. Some snooty-wine club friend may drop by uninvited and you are stuck. 

The box wines are fun because you just grab a glass pour a little in and start drinking. No fussing around about what or how much you think you drink.  The box wines will keep longer than an open bottle on the counter top.

I’m alway on the look out for a great value in a box wine to try. Admittendlty there are not a lot of options, but I think we’ll see more and more.

So, if you are someone like me, who is looking for new and inovative ways to enjoy more wine on a budget, then consider finding a “house wine” or find a drinkable box of wine or both.

More Information on Boxed Wines:

Drinking Inside the Box by Tina Caputo 

The Boxed Wine Spot

Consumers start warming up to bag-in-box wines

Box News

Wine in a box gets newfound respect — and revenue

The Ups and Downs of Box Wine

Everyone is talking about the “tough” times out there.  Well maybe “When the going gets tough, the tough go drinking?” Or “let’s eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we pay taxes?” I’m not sure the cuase, but like the effect.  Wine consumption in the U.S. up again for the 15th year in a row.

U.S. Wine Consumption Continues to Grow – Source Reuters

Whenever I write about wine, I’m always trying to find new clever ways to describe what I’m drinking.  But I’v never thought of calling a wine “The Bacon of Wine”.  You gotta love it?

Wines for Drinking, Not Overthinking

So what do you do when your very sweet and yet half crazy Mom tells you she would love to take your energetic kids for the weekend? Well, after I calmed myself down a bit, I called my hubby as fast as I could. He heard something like this on the other end. “please take me wine tasting. You know we will just find work around the house if we stay here.” …Let’s just say a couple minutes later and with two willing in-laws, Jeff and Kim, it was decided that we would head off to our grandparent’s beach house and wine taste the kid free weekend away.

I was so excited to go that I started packing my kids backpacks four days early… That’s right… And, if you are a stay at home mom of toddlers you not only understand my excitement to get away, you may be thinking honey, i’ve packed mine up weeks early.

So the plan was to meet over at the coast Friday night, wine taste Saturday, and Luke and I would head home Sunday after church to relieve my mom and her husband of the possible insanity.

Now, one thing is for sure. Husbands may not so readily or expressively show their excitement like we do. But they have their not so obvious ways of showing it don’t they? Take for example Luke. He wanted “Red Beauty” to be in top notch condition for the wine tour so he was off to get the oil changed and the car washed. Jeffrey got himself in to get his convertible aka “Tiffany” to some, detailed and took it in to have “minor things fixed”.

As Luke and I were off to meet Jeff, Kim, Grandma, and Grandpa at the beach house, it kind of just hit me how blessed we really are to have this opportunity with our favorite bibbers. We have been talking about doing something like this since we launched the blog and didn’t think an opportunity would come for awhile longer.

We had the top down, the music on, and the most beautiful weather the whole way. And when we arrived to the beach house this is what we found: hugs and kisses all around, an intoxicating dinner awaiting us, and wine already opened (of course). Can you ask for anything more? It was like frosting on our cake, oh wait did I mention there was a Smith’s cake too? Yes there was!!!

So, of course with the whole weekend ahead of us still and no kids to entertain we did what we know how to do best; we ate, drank and were merry. And how could we not be with an “A” game Tri-Tip, a perfectly made zucchini casserole Kim made, along with Grandma and Kim’s famous cesar salad… It was so nice to just sit back and relax with a glass of wine after our trip over to get us ready for the day ahead.

Saturday played out idyllic. Jeff and Kim started off their morning with a run by the beach and Luke and I soon followed. After our Starbucks, breakfast, and getting ready, we set off to Paso Robles to eat at a wonderful little restaurant and favorite of Kim and Is called the Odyssey. Now with fuel in all the tanks and I mean ALL, we were ready for a charming, beautiful drive, and tour of just a few of the many wineries in that area.

We found ourselves at Eberle Winery to start off with. This was a really good way to start off our day of tasting because we found ourselves there just in time to take a tour of their caves where they teach you about the wine making process. Let’s just say I try not to take for granted all that goes into a good bottle of wine. The grounds at Eberle were nice. With the vineyards surrounding you and a covered picnic/bbq area where the owner, Gary Eberle, was providing samples of his BBQ skills. The tasting room was quite large and the staff was very friendly. If I remember correctly, the wine tasting here was of no charge. I tasted one wine I liked pretty well, but we didn’t find anything we had to take home with us. After our tour, tasting, and admiration of the grounds adorned by two standard poodles, we were off to our next stop, Justin Winery.

Personally, Justin was my favorite of the four that we visited that day. It is just beautifully done all the way through. There are rose gardens to welcome you, a restaurant to feed you, as well as rooms to keep you if you wish to stay. Luke and I plan to go back someday and stay at their bed and breakfast. It looks fabulous. At Justin, because it is so scenic it’s really easy to just slow down and really take your time. The tasting room is a mix of traditional and french country decor. Its suites the winery very well. And the wine doesn’t suffer at all on the account of all the other perks Justin has. The wine there was just really reliably good. For me there is no other way to describe it. Try the 07′ Isosceles (I believe it’s 07′) and you are in for a real treat. Jeffrey bought some wine, Kim found her oak barrel table tops for the wine room back home, and Luke well, he just smiled his way through as happy as a clam. All good things must come to an end, so sadly I said goodbye to my new favorite place, but in this case we still had more fun on the way.

Next Stop: Summerwood… I don’t remember much of this winery to be honest. I was a little car sick and basically crashed on their lawn out back for a mini siesta. Having said that, from my view, the scene was breathtaking. It was nothing but rolling hills of vineyards as far as I could see. Jeff, Kim, and Luke seemed to enjoy the wine here. Kim found some goodies in their gift shop. I really liked their tasting room and gift area, it was nice. Beautiful grounds here too. Looked like they too had rooms for the night.

Now, we went to one more winery on the way back into Paso and I can’t remember what it was called. I didn’t pick up any liturature on the way out. We wanted to see it more specifically because it used to be an herb farm that Kim really wanted to show me. But no more herbs, just wine and a beautiful gift shop with lots of jewelry and some great sculptures. By this time we were ready to head back and get some dinner so we didn’t wine taste here. I know, I’m so informative, aren’t I?

So on our merry way to Paso we went. Found a couple of tasting rooms that we could not resist going into to. Clayhouse and Pianetta. Clayhouse is so cool. So cool! Easy and laid back with a modern feel. Luke really liked their wine and bought a bottle. Kim and Jeff also like their wine and they stayed in their for quite some time enjoying the employees, the wine, and of course each other. This was after we stopped into Pianetta so I could pick up another bottle of my favorite wine. Also, a nice tasting room, where we enjoyed a minute to taste.

Ok, so off to my favorite time of day, another chance to eat. And this was where the four of us were told to go to Matthew’s restaurant. Can I just say WOW!!!!?? The food was amazing. We were all in the mood for a great steak dinner. And that is exactly what we got. Everything was to die for. The service was wonderful. The atmosphere was relaxing and elegant. And the company was perfect. We just needed to take a break and really slow down, dine with the intention to stay late, soak it all in, and savor. After our wine, bisque, and steak, we thought we would try out their dessert menu a bit. This was maybe where we found out that we have different dessert taste than they do, but hey, it was fun to try the different flavor combination’s.

So by this time it was almost ten and although Luke I felt like stretching this kid free weekend out and seeing if there was a place to go dancing, we called it a night and headed back to the beach house for some R and R.
The rest is history. Church the next day, lunch, some goodbyes, and we were back to get the kiddos while Jeff, Kim, and now Ashlei stayed behind to squeeze some more fun into their vacation.

Overall the trip was everything we hoped for and more. We learned a few things too. About how much we needed that time away, how much we enjoy our family (as if we didn’t already know this stuff), and how much we enjoy wine tasting. We also learned that at the end of a long day it’s so nice to sit down with the people you love and just enjoy a great glass of wine.

…Thank you Jeff and Kim, it was wonderful.

When people say … “this wine tastes great with chocolate”.  I say “no big deal” all wine tastes better with chocolate.  In fact, chocolate makes all food taste better.  But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy your wine with a little (or a lot) of chocolate now and then.   Chocolate and wine: A delicious affair

‘Easy to drink’ isn’t an insult when it comes to wines

I don’t know about you, but I get envious when I see a fellow bibber who can pick out all kinds of flavors from a sniff or sip of wine. Is it a skill that can be developed? Or do you either have it or you don’t? I am of the mind that while some people may have a more naturally sensitive pallet, it is something that can be learned. In my experience, especially since starting this blog, the number one best way to enhance your wine pallet is to drink wine, go figure. I am starting to learn what attributes of wine I prefer, and if you try enough different wines you will eventually find one that you do not like, and this can be the most helpful. Make sure you take that opportunity to really taste it and describe what it is about the wine that you don’t like.  During my wine experience I have also tasted some spoiled wine, whether that be corked, turned, or oxidized. This is also very helpful.

Ok, so now you have tasted all kinds of wine, you know what you like and don’t like, but it still all tastes like…well…wine, how do you start to be able to pick out the various flavors that make up that wine taste? Again, I can only say what has been working for me and that is to read, listen, and watch wine reviews. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard someone describe the tastes in a wine and it totally clicks with something that I have tried but I didn’t have the words to describe it. Now, part of that might be the power of suggestion, which is the reasons that I don’t like to read the wine description on the back of the bottle before I taste it, also I noticed this past weekend that it’s a trick they pull on you at winery wine tastings, as they pour your selection in your glass they will tell you about the red berries and subtle oaky vanilla and  dark chocolate flavors that make this wine superb and my brain tends to find those flavors immediately. It reminds me of the movie The Matrix when The Oracle tells Neo “don’t worry about the vase” and then he turns around suddenly looking for the vase she is talking about and says “what vase?” and knocks over a vase, it breaks and she says “that vase”. Would Neo have knocked over the vase if she hadn’t said anything about it? Would I have tasted those things if the person pouring hadn’t told me they were there? My point about the wine reviews is that it can help to build your descriptor vocabulary, and also teach you the flavors that are often found in certain wines.

The last tip I have for this post is to taste lot’s of different things. Not wine, but food items. Taste black cherries, taste dark chocolate. I recently have become hooked on Wine Library TV which is a website where Gary Vay…Ner…Chuk (you will get the last name thing if you watch an episode) tastes wine. He has the greatest way of describing flavors, and this video shows you how he developed his pallet…

Now, I don’t think that this activity is very practical for most people. It’s expensive, and trying all that in a single session isn’t going to be kind to your tongue. But I was thinking that you could do this pretty easily in your everyday life. The next time you are cooking, try smelling and tasting the ingredients before you cook them together. How many of you can bring flavors into your mind right now and know what it tastes like? If I say Raspberries…can you taste raspberries? What about Cinnamon? Of all of the skills that can be learned wine tasting is sure one of the most fun to practice, and you know what they say…Practice makes perfect.

When I look through books, articles, blogs etc. about wine tasting, wine collecting, wine making etc. I am constantly bombarded with classifications of people who in one way or another make wine a part of their life. A wine connoisseur has a certain connotation as a person who spends a great deal of time tasting and collecting, studying and researching the nuances of wine. This would be a person would go to if you were to planning a dinner party for your new boss who you found out was “into wine”. Your connoisseur friend would ask you a series of questions like “what food are you serving”? “How much can you spend?” things like that. Other classifications might be “wine collector”, “wine aficionado”. I even saw one article use the term “a seasoned admirer of wine”. But all of these classifications have that same implication of person who takes their interest to higher plane beyond the everyday.

Then we have on the other end those might be classified as “wine apathetic”. It is not as if they dislike wine, not at all. They just don’t think about it much. They may have a glass now and then when they are out to dinner or when the girls all meet for an afternoon patio party. They might even have a bottle or two on hand just in case. But that’s about as far as it goes.

Then there are “the rest of us” the “casual enthusiasts”. We are somewhere in the middle. We care about our wine, we think about our wine, but we don’t obsess about our wine. We have drunk our share of supermarket bottom shelf wines and liked them. We’ve been to our friend’s house who poured a bottle we know in some ways was wasted on us. It was good, really good, but did we appreciate all that went into the bottle? Maybe not, but we thank them over and over for the experience.

In some ways we are looked down on by the “a seasoned admirer of wine”, I, in some ways, understand. In their minds, this is serious business, and they have invested thousands of hours into wine. I’ve read things like. “A lifetime “wine enthusiast”, his insider connections to local restaurants and boutique wineries allow him access to areas not open to the casual enthusiast”. I’d love to gain access to boutique wineries, believe me. I’m just not sure I want to spend my lifetime doing it.

We casual enthusiasts will look at the wine list and look for a familiar wine at a good price, or see something interesting and try it. We’ll go wine tasting at the wineries. We might enjoy taking a wine vacation to wine country, “someday”. We have a small collection of wine (with some nice wines in there). We can’t help it when we are in a new market or out of town to go “check out” the wine isle or the little wine shop on the corner. Some of our fondest warmhearted memories are punctuated and deep-seated in our minds by the wine we had on the occasion. Wine is the backdrop for all things enjoyable. That glass after work before dinner. The bottle with friends and Chinese take out.

My goal is to enjoy wine as much as I can and not take the fun out of it. I like the wines I like and tend to buy and drink those the most. Wines I don’t particularly care for, I avoid. I don’t mind spending a few extra bucks for a nice bottle (especially if I can get on special at the super market), but I’d rather find something good I can enjoy more often.

So my plan is to sit back with a nice glass of wine tonight and just maybe someone will want to stop by and enjoy one with me.