WINEsday wednesday: a day late

for all intents and purposes, we are going to pretend today is wednesday. because i forgot yesterday. because i was having too much fun NOT being at blogHer and instead romping around orlando and tampa with my momma and the babe. so, let's all put on our imagination hats and pretend it's still wednesday.

as some of you may know, we headed up to charlotte, nc, for a week to celebrate my sisters 21st birthday. and what better way to celebrate than with a wine tasting?! so i got to work, compiling a list of wines and the foods they paired with.

we picked out 2 reds and 2 whites to provide a full palate.

bottle number 1 (on the left) is purple moon merlot. a california red, bottled in 2008. paired with strawberries, pineapples and bananas, dipped in chocolate.

bottle number 2 is a bottle from oreana winery in downtown santa barbara. see that big smiley face? project happiness syrah. ::smiiiiiiiiile:: eeexactly. we paired it with 71% cacoa fair trade trader joes dark chocolate.

bottle number 3 is sutter home moscato. this is my favorite el cheapo, go-to bottle of wine. sweet, kind of fruity, and paired with fair trade trader joes milk chocolate. this botte, needless to say, was the first to go.

bottle number 4 is j.w. morris gewürztraminer. most similar to a bottle of riesling. paired with gouda.

all four of these bottles were purchased at trader joe's and all were under $5!

this one i want to feature

light, with a little spice, this was very "inexperienced palate" friendly. and for a 21 year old, who has never had a drop of alcohol in her life (uh huh. right. just keep telling yourself that, mom.) this was a perfect choice.

we actually made a spritzer out of this wine, mixing one part sprite and one part wine, for the birthday girl. though i didn't notice how many she had because i was too busy knocking them back. yes i KNOW it was my sisters birthday, but the baby took a bottle (finally!) and i was on vacation. sue me.

i know it's WINEsday, with the emphasis on wine, but i NEED to share a little about the food we had. because it was super yummy.

this, my other mother made (my mom's BFF for the past 19 or so years). mozzarella, basil and cherry tomato halves, drizzled with grape seed oil, and put on toothpicks like a mini kabob of caprese goodness.

i know this LOOKS like the after party. you know, like, you drank too much, stumbled across campus and then upchucked in a bush (which i have NO experience with, i promise). but honest to goodness this is yummy. and i made it. so even if you DON'T like it, tell me you do. because this is my blog.

it's black olives, kalamata olives and green olives, all pitted and chopped in a food processor. add chopped garlic. blend some more, then stream in olive oil while chopping. pour into a bowl and mix with crumbled feta cheese. serve on rosemary and olive oil triscuts. that's it. and it. is. so. yummy! it just doesn't photograph well.

the party was a hit. well. it was a hit with me. i thoroughly enjoyed it.

i had to come back for WINEsday!!

we have been drinking wine all week. if you haven't noticed, i haven't been around much. now you know why.....

for this weeks WINEsday, i am reviewing a beer. i know. that's not the topic! it's supposed to be WINEsday not BEERsday. well, this isn't your typical beer. it looks like a wine. and kind of tastes like a wine. and you know what they say- if it looks like a duck, and it talks like a duck, then it must be wine. something like that. i don't know. i drank the whole bottle.

lindeman's framboise. framboise is pronounced fram-bwa. just so you sound like you know what you are talking about. which you will in .25 seconds.....

framboise is a belgian beer that is fermented with rasberries. long before hops were common in most beers, fruits and vegetables were used. the acidity of the beer mixes well with the rasberries and makes a light, fizzy drink.

the first time i tried this was in a bar in hawaii, and it was served with a chocolate stout. it was like chocolate covered rasberries and alcohol with a little fizz. to. die. for.

this time we just ate lots of chocolate. and that was yummy too.

i have only ever found it in a trader joe's, in the beer aisle. even if you aren't a beer fan, you will love this drink. it is a little on the pricey side at almost $11 a bottle. it is a red color when poured with a pink head, so it is a fun drink for showers and parties.

enjoy!

it's WINEsday!

it's wednesday. the middle of the week. it's all down hill from here. hump day (haha). and most fun of all, WINEsday!

i am by no means a booze hound. or a lush (although, sometimes i wish i was......). but i do appreciate a good alcoholic beverage from time to time. especially a really good glass of wine. and especially after a hard day of poop and vomit and dogs and GAH! it's enough to drive anyone to drink, i swear.

so to celebrate alcoholic beverages, and the middle of the week, i am going to start sharing my favorite bottles of wine!! i shall look forward to today from hence forth with rambunctious pride.

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today's WINEsday wednesday bottle of wine is from a local winery. i love supporting local wineries. it's a win win, in my opinion.

this is a bottle of chalet white, from habersham winery in nacoochee village, in helen, ga. this is a sweet wine, styled after a riesling, but quite a bit sweeter. it makes for a great dessert wine. mmmmm. my two favorite things. sugar and alcohol. bring on the gout......

and it's an interesting label to boot. because that's what really drives my wine buying. what's on the label.

while this label is from habersham winery, i got it on a trip to juliette, ga, where they filmed fried green tomatoes. the shop was called southern grace, and it carries local products from georgia. it features a wine tasting room, courtesy of the habersham winery. i tried a variety of wines, and this sweet white wine was my favorite. hands down.

thank you for tuning in to WINEsday! come back next week, where i will hopefully climb out of my wine induced stupor to talk about another favorite bottle.

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