A few years ago a good friend gave my hubby and I a gift pack that included several locally made olive oils and vinegars for Christmas. When we opened it she mentioned she gave several other friends and family members the same pack and joked that we would probably be the only ones to actually…
Travel
Friday Favorites – welcoming fall, and a stunning Pinot from California
A roundup of some of my favorite things this week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. The Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maize on Sauvie Island It was a perfect fall day yesterday and I’m trying to take in all the good weather I can before the you-know-what wet stuff starts and doesn’t…
Château Piada – a sweeter side of Bordeaux
When Frédéric Lalande was a young boy he dreamt of becoming a fighter pilot, not a winemaker like his father and grandfather. * “When I was a child I used to watch the pilots from the vineyard. There was a training area not too far, the planes would get very close and dive down towards…
5 things to do in Bordeaux (besides visiting wineries)
When my husband and I visited France on our two-week honeymoon we spent a couple days in Paris, a day in Champagne, and the remaining time split between Burgundy and Bordeaux. When anybody in country asked us about our travels the responses were unanimously, “Oh, you must like wine.” Yes, oh yes we do. But…
Kramer Vineyards Oenocamp — a day in the life of harvesting sparkling wine
If you’ve ever stepped foot on a vineyard you’ve probably had at least one fantasy about how romantic it must be to own or work in one. Be honest. Working for several years at two different wineries I had my fair share of working both in the vineyard and winery. I’ve seen, first hand, both…
Friday Favorites – bubbles, harvest, and getting my hands dirty all for the love of wine
A weekly roundup of my favorite things from the week, in the categories of wine, food, travel and lifestyle. WINE Bubbles! Last Friday I participated in a twitter tasting of sparkling wines from the Franciacorta DOCG in the larger Lombardy region of northern Italy. Produced in the traditional Champagne method, these sparkling wines undergo secondary…
Friday Favorites — Bordeaux Travel Edition
I returned from Bordeaux this week, so naturally this weeks favorites are all about some of my favorite things from the trip, and as always in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. Wine For many the word Bordeaux conjures up images of the famous great growth wines of Bordeaux. Wines that are…
Friday Favorites — Oregon day tripping and weekend bubbles
A roundup of some of my favorite things this week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. It has been a very slow week here on the blog, but an incredibly busy one for me and Vindulge. I’m sorry I missed last week’s Friday post. To make it up I’ve extended this weeks…
Friday Favorites — food, friends, and an award winning recipe
A weekly roundup of some of my favorite things this week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. This was indeed a week full of “favorites”. Well, my absolute favorite part of the week was getting to spend it with some good friends who were visiting from California with their toddler who is…
A hidden gem in Murcia, Spain – Monastrell
Arriving into Murcia, Spain, last month I wasn’t sure what to expect. What had been written about the region in the past didn’t shed much positive light on the wines, especially Monastrell — the regions signature varietal. I had recently become fond of a particular rosé from the region, and at the least I figured…
Friday Favorites – Oregon homecoming
A weekly roundup of some of my favorite things this week in the categories of wine, food, travel, and lifestyle. I have officially been back in Oregon one full week now, and what a week it’s been. Our movers ended up being, oh, 5 days late, which left us with an empty house and a…
Friday Favorites – Sunday Travel Edition
I had hoped to be able to post this on Friday, but due to several snafus I was unable to post anything — no internet, and more importantly no way to download my pictures onto my computer. I have since temporarily resolved those issues and wanted to share a quick blurb about life on the…
Friday Favorites – On the road again…
I apologize for missing last week’s Friday Favorites post. I was en route back to the US after spending a week in the Murcia region of Spain (you can see a preview of that trip here). The week since I returned has been a juggling act balancing work, kids, and packing up our house in…
A Preview of Murcia, Spain
I spent last week in Spain visiting the region of Murcia, specifically the wine appellations, or Denominación de Origens (DO), of Yecla, Jumilla, and Bullas. Along with 7 other US bloggers we had the opportunity to explore this up and coming region, visit several wineries, and taste the local food (including loads of delicious queso…
Friday Favorites – Celebrating a big announcement, and a special Oregon-themed giveaway!
This is a special edition of Friday Favorites here on the blog. Instead of listing out all of my favorite discoveries of the week like I usually do, this news encompasses all four Friday Favorite themes. Plus I have a special giveaway to go with this week’s announcement! This past weekend my husband and I announced…
Visiting I Comelli Winery and Agriturismo in Friuli — discovering Ramandolo and warm hospitality
The region of Friuli–Venezia Giulia (Friuli for short) in northeast Italy is a special place leaving those who have visited a longing to return. In a series of back and forth emails I had on the region with writer Elaine Brown from Hawk Wakawaka Wine Reviews she wrote, “In Friuli I felt this deep calm…
A Crustacean Vacation in Maine
I started this post almost two years ago and never published it. With summer on the horizon I thought this might still be useful to families as they begin to make travel plans… Or if you’re like me, you really don’t “plan” at all, and instead rely on last minute recommendations on the fly, then…
The show must go on in Cividale del Friuli
During my walking tour of Zagreb I mentioned that huge blue umbrella, bearing the “licitar” heart logo of the city, would eventually see its demise. Well that happened in the town of Cividale del Friuli, at the exact time I decided to finally embrace the cold wet weather. Our group had spent the morning indoors, visiting…
Friday Favorites – the ultimate Mother’s Day menu, memories of The Cure, and a Giveaway!
A roundup of some of my favorite things from the past week in the categories of wine, food, travel and lifestyle. Since this past weekend was Mother’s Day, many of the items that topped the list this week are, naturally, a result of a memorable weekend. LIFESTYLE My weekend began with my husband presenting me…
Friuli — discovering Ribolla Gialla and Friulano
Where to begin with writing about Friuli? The land? The wine? The food? The prosciutto? Oh the prosciutto! Ok, let’s just start with the wine since there’s no lack of great wine in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. After spending a week in the region I found it difficult to sum up even the wines from here into…
Learning about the white wines of Italy with Snooth – one region at a time
When I first started studying wine seriously, the country that intimidated me the most was Italy. Other countries, like France, made sense to me. All you needed to do was learn the strict rules of each region and you’re set. Italy is different. In Italy each region has its own set of rules and guidelines….
Friday Favorites — Sweet Moscato, Ribs, Nemo, and Toddler Mishaps
First of all I need to point out the elephant in the room – my pictures this week. My least favorite moment of this week was when my toddlers decided to make my Canon EOS Rebel XTi their new toy (i.e. they broke it). I think my kids are mind readers and knew I was…
Wine and food are a great match for Ribera del Duero
I was first introduced to the wines of Ribera del Duero several years ago while vacationing in the Adirondack Mountains in Lake Placid, New York. My husband and I were still just discovering our love for wines made from Tempranillo, and one stood out on the menu of the restaurant we were dining at. I…
The Beginning of a Friuli Experience
After my brief time in Croatia I headed to a region in Northeast Italy I had never been before — Friuli–Venezia Giulia (Friuli for short). Friuli’s tourist board describes this land best in this description: Alps and the Adriatic symbolize the two extremes of a multi-faceted and changing landscape, Italian, Slavic and Germanic cultures meet…