Drink 43 different wines

from Argentina. This was a hostess gift from our friends Dee & Trevor who had not been to our condo yet, so we had them for dinner last Thursday – quick, before we leave the state!

I loved this Very smooth, just a hint of spice. The only reason there was any left for me to continue working on tonight is that before they arrived, I had uncorked this other Red Velvet, which I think was a gift from a co-worker. Great wine shared on a wonderful evening!

I actually had yesterday as a holiday, since we did not get our usual holiday time at Christmas and New Year’s. So I met my friend Terri at Cafe Fresh, this ever-so-cute little deli-type cafe in downtown Moline. She’d had their sangria before, so we ordered a carafe – and it was truly outstanding! _{even better than the Roundhouse’s white sangria, Jules :)}

Last night we had an outstanding dinner celebration at Symposium for my co-worker Linda’s 10th anniversary with the firm. Boss Man loves merlot, and though I am not usually a fan, I stuck with this one all night, because it was soooo smooth and dry. Loved it!

Well, plum wine mixed with sake – at our local Japanese hibachi grill. They call it a Samari, and I drink this every year at Brookesaka (the annual birthday party for my friend Brooke at Osaka). Mmmmm!

from Lavendercrest Winery. We had our office Christmas party at this local winery last Friday, and since I had to drive home in a snowstorm afterward, I stuck with just two glasses of the white. :) It was a nice complement to the encrusted red snapper, and helped me loosen up after a very tough day.

On our recent trip to CA, we made several trips to Trader Joe’s, as always. They do have an alcohol section, so we picked up a couple of bottles of Charles Shaw wines – commonly referred to as Two Buck Chuck, due to the price tag. :) The first night we had some Pinot Grigio with our chicken & pasta dinner, and several nights later had a Cabernet, which was, uh…. so-so.

We also made a trip to Whole Foods and bought their answer to two buck Chuck – it was a Chardonnay which was pretty good.

This is a very popular Moscato D’Asti that most people like. We also had a bottle of this on our girl’s weekend, as well as a decent sangria, which I didn’t get the specifics on. Then I lost track, as we delved into chick flicks & conversation.

by Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery. Which I admittedly bought more for the beauty of the bottle than the contents. :) It was 90% grape and 10% cherry, and was actually quite good.

I bought this on my August trip to Door County and enjoyed it with my girlfriends last weekend at our Girls Getaway. We shared quite a few bottles of wine, but this is the only one I actually got a picture of. :) This was our gracious host Barb, who I just love.

St. Anneliese 2008 Liebfraumilch, Rheinhessen, Germany – this was a bottle my husband brought back from his office Christmas gift exchange, and it was very nice; not as overly-sweet as I was afraid it might be.

The Little Penguin Merlot, Southeastern Australia – this was also a gift. I normally try to steer clear of merlots, since they sometimes have a bitter taste, but this was very mild and smooth, with a great peppery undertone.

These were shared with my friend Terri last Friday night, and they went down all too easily. :) There was only one glass left for my poor husband.

my dear friend Terri came over for one last dinner and girls night at the rental house. I made a nice dinner with garlic chipotle marinated salmon, a salad, some French bread, antipasto – and, of course a nice bottle of wine!

Here is the 2004 Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Cabernet we enjoyed, and the pretty flowers Terri brought from her garden for a centerpiece. GREAT evening!