This will be my first time trying Bodkin Wines. Bodkin was founded in 2011 by Winemaker Chris Christensen (with that name you must do something cool, right?). This winery may be small but it’s mighty! Chris is the creator of the FIRST American Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc. Now ain’t that America! I am super excited to …
As a lover of VA wine, it was pretty cool to assist and sit in on the SommCon session Stranger Things: New + Experimental Wines of Virginia session. This session shows that there are a wide variety of delicious and fun wines for folks to try that are unfamiliar with VA wines. King Family Vineyards …
My second visit to Jordan Winery felt like my first visit to Jordan Winery (super exciting!). I was ready to taste Jordan’s collaboration bubbles with AR Lenoble and eat some delicious caviar. We arrived early for our tasting, so Maria (you are lucky if you get to meet her) showed us around the property. This …
From Burgundy to Bordeaux all in one day! This delicious 6-course wine dinner was held at Convivial. Through an interpreter, we were told the story and journey of Joël Duffau (the winemaker). Pricing on this wine is out of this world (in a good way)! My favorite, the Le Barry, an easy sipping red wine. …
I forgot to post my visit to the new Whole Foods in DC. I’m a sucker for an enomatic machine!! You fill a card with money and you can try different wines by the glass – it’s like Dave & Busters for adults! $25 got me a lot of pours. It’s also a great way …
On Sunday I checked out a really cool, intimate conversation at Dio Wine Bar called “Where Gender and Wine Intersect” with Rachel Signer (Editor and Publisher of Pipette Magazine). There were some really important questions that were asked and answered by Rachel. I won’t get into specifics because I feel that I am not the …
Last Monday, I was invited to attend a fabulous Gaillac wine lunch at Restaurant Chloe. There were so many grapes I was unfamiliar with – White Grapes: Loin De L’Oeil, Mauzac, Ondenc; Red Grapes: Braucol, Duras and Prunelart. Gaillac is located in the Southwest of France, “on the inner part of the Tarn River at …
Oh no! Why did I open this wine?! It’s not “Open That Bottle Night” – where you are supposed to open that bottle you’ve been saving for a particular event (a wedding, a baby announcement or passing your WSET test). People around the world celebrate this event! (OTBN takes place on the last Saturday in …
During the Wine Bloggers Conference on Friday night, there’s a thing called “Mystery Excursions.” You get a random, color ticket from the conference registration desk and at 5:15pm meet in the hotel lobby. The cool thing is you don’t know where you are going! Once the groups were gathered by ticket color, we were loaded …
Part two of our tour with Force Majeure takes us to the top of some serious uninhabited land in an area called North Fork. The area is named North Fork because the “North Fork of the Walla Walla River runs along the bottom of the canyon.” Since our large coach bus can’t make it up …
Since I had wine last night at the Zachys DC Warehouse tasting, I was planning to skip a day. But how can I do that when today is National Red Wine Day! So, I decided to finally use my Coravin on this delicious bottle of Garnatxa from Parés Baltà. One glass. Done! The Coravin will …
I love a casual wine tasting where you can feel comfortable asking questions and nothing is off limits. Saturday was one of those times. It started with a fun and funky wine tasting outside on the patio at Primrose with Sebastian, the chill and vibrant owner. If you follow any wine accounts on IG, you’ll …
So I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve entered a few contests on IG. You know the one where you have to follow, like and tag three of your besties? Well it actually paid off! I entered a Love Jadot (Louis Jadot) Bastille Day contest and won a Rabbit Corkscrew. Yay me! Many years ago, …
For some serious Winelovers & Somms this post may not mean much. To be able to try wine this old was simply amazing. A 1947 Barolo, 1985 Cote du Rhône and a 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma (all amazing and as they opened up became more amazing!). Someone in the room even got to try …
I’m supposed to start writing about wine and maybe some other stuff. But when you’re a novice writer, where do you start? Especially where do you start when you have to add wine in the mix? I’ve been told by numerous people, you just start! I have been a wine lover for the last 15-20 years (did I just give away my age??). So it should be easy for me to write about something I love. Right?
I started with White Zinfandel, like most people I know. I left a lot of my friends in the White Zin and Sweet wine category. Sweet wine never worked for me (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). I’ve just always been different. I love the taste of Bourbon/Whiskey and even Tequila. When people turn up their faces when drinking, a big smile comes across mine. So it seemed only natural that my palette gravitated to Full Bodied Cabernet, Syrah and Zinfandels (yes, Zinfandel).
On my first trip to the land of Full Bodied Cabernets (Napa), ya’ll I was hooked! On this trip, I was lucky to take a Wine Immersion Class from Karen MacNeil (Author of the Wine Bible). I even have my signed certificate hanging proudly on my frig. Napa made me fall deeper and deeper in love with wine.
What a journey it has been. From joining tasting clubs, to visiting wineries around the world, to studying and hopefully passing my CSW exam. I don’t know where this wine journey will take me but please join me on this ride! I sure could use a co-pilot!
