“Good days are to be gathered like grapes, to be trodden and bottled into wine and kept for age to sip at ease beside the fire.” –Freya Stark (explorer, travel writer, nomad)
Author: LivingLifeForté
Shutterbug. Half of a couple who cooks together. Freelance wine geek. Local food enthusiast. Partner in a garagiste winery. University lecturer.
September Mystery Basket
“When the idea of ‘Chopped’ surfaced, it was originally meant to be taped at some guy’s mansion with him and his crazy Chihuahua. A stuffy fellow in a tuxedo was to host, and the losing chef’s dish was then fed to the dog! I am not kidding, I saw it! I think it is genius!…
Wine Wednesday: Sept. 2, 2015
“The first time I had sat down to a meal I had grown on my own, along with a bottle of wine that we had made, I burst into tears. To be in touch and be in tune with that is an extraordinary gift.” — Emilio Estevez (actor, director, producer, and Brat Pack member) *Our 2013 Syrah was…
Tasting Notes: Daou 2012 Reserve Cab
77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot, 9% Petite Verdot. This 100% Free Run wine spends 19 months in 80% new French oak. Blackcurrant and blueberry nose with deep berry and espresso flavors. There are hints of earth within the well-blended tannins at mid-palate, leading to a saturated finish. This is an Incredible Bordeaux…
Take Me Out to A Mud Hens Game
“Why does everybody stand up and sing ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ when they’re already there?” –Larry Anderson (MLB pitcher for White Sox and Brewers, keen observer of life) My most recent trip to an MLB field was May 2014 when I took a party bus to San Francisco to watch the Giants…
Wine Wednesday: Aug. 27, 2015
“Wine to me is passion. It’s family and friends. It’s warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It’s culture. It’s the essence of civilization and the art of living.” –Robert Mondavi (winemaker, philanthropist, torchbearer)
Notes on Terroir
corkshrewd: An informative, albeit technical explanation of terroir, a key concept in understanding and appreciating good wine. I dig this stuff. -forté
Wine Wednesday: Aug. 5, 2015
“There comes a time in every woman’s life when the only thing that helps is a glass of champagne.” –Bette Davis (actor, author, did it the hard way)
Paradise
theenglishcrux: Paradise Paradise – “a walled-in garden” (ave.) From an Iranian language called Avestan, a “pairidaēza” was an enclosed garden for royalty. Surely still a modern-day definition match for many, minus the royalty bit. And to me, being in the garden is paradise. -forté
Wine Camp: Racking the 2014
A bit of summer racking. Hello 2014 Syrah.
Wine Wednesday: July 29, 2015
“Great is the fortune of he who possesses a good bottle of wine, a good book, and a good friend.” –Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (aka Molière, satirist, actor, moustachioed man)
My Beloved’s Birthday
One of my first harvest Marketmore cukes joined the antipasto for the my beloved’s birthday dinner (plus Tony Packo’s sweet hot Brittany tomatoes). I brought in a bit more Toledo with Sofo’s Marinara over Mark’s MeatBalls alongside my first attempt at grilled romaine for the Caeser. This paired well with a bottle of Lone Wolf…
Living Life Forté 