Temecula's WoW (World of Wine) event

WoW... I love being a wine person!

$90 per ticket (which can be shared between a couple) that can be used over 2 days.

30+ wineries participating

2+ wine tastings paired with gourmet food samples - per winery

a gastronomically FANTASTIC weekend.

(see photos below)

No other words necessary. I'll let you know when the next event is approaching....

Let food drive your wine

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When I first started tasting, I was on a mission to find affordable wines that I could lounge on the couch with. I enjoyed food with wine, but the wine was the main event.

I kicked up the enjoyment factor a bit by letting food help me decide the wine, and now, they are BOTH the stars. DOUBLE the enjoyment!


Many people ask me "I can't enjoy wines. I want to, but I don't know how." Before I'd always suggest "Try everything and narrow down your choices." But now, I suggest, "Well, what do you want to eat?" The great thing about learning to drink wine with food is that you're not forced to drink a large amount, nor are your taste buds abused from drinking flight after flight. You first enjoy the food (which you already know how to do) and then you see if the wine provides a different, better experience.

I am by no means a cook, but this is a quick dish that I make when I need a healthy munchy:

Mediterranean Pizza (all ingredients were bought at Trader Joe's. Ingredients can be added, taken out according to your preference, therefore I do not tell you how much of each to put in)

- Toast a whole wheat pita bread. Spread eggplant hummus after wards.

- Chop tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic cloves, walnuts. Throw into a bowl. sprinkle in fat-free feta cheese, slice in some avocado, and if you want more texture, add some sliced almonds

- Finishing touch: olive oil (just a tad) and balsamic vinaigrette (don't add too much at first. Taste and add because the flavor can be overwhelming). Mix in oil and balsamic into bowl of ingredients. Taste and add more of anything as needed.

- Spoon the yummy stuff in your bowl onto you hummus covered pita bread. Enjoy with a lighter-bodied red wine like a Pinot Noir, or enjoy outdoor with a summery Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc!
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In-and-Out and Zin? Best Date EVER!

Wine House recently reduced the price of Renwood Zinfandel Grandmere from $35 down to $15!

The winemaker describes:  "The 2005 Grandmère Zinfandel is a brick red color. The aroma of this wine is chocked full of vanilla, caramel, holiday spices, raspberry and hazelnut.  The flavors are deep and rich with layers upon layers of ripe fruit, toasted oak and spice. This wine is always about the best of the best and we are blessed with many Old Vine Zinfandel vineyards from which to choose each component of the final blend. Full flavored, generous and mouth filling are the words that we use to describe this wine."

 
Truly a perfect description of this well-crafted wine.

As soon as Danny read about this bottle, he picked up a bottle right away to surprise me with!

What better way to enjoy it than with a nice, greasy In-and-Out to bring out the flavors of the wine?

There was a lot of smackin', slurpin', and gruntin' in delicious approval.

It was the best date night EVER.

Ecluse - Cabernet Sauvignon - 07

To celebrate both of our birthdays, Danny and I decided to stay in, cook, and open up a "special occasion" wine... our beloved Ecluse Cabernet Sauvignon!

We had been holding onto this one, for it is our most expensive bottle at $30 (Ecluse is a small-production, family-owned, boutique winery in Paso Robles). 

Drinking this wine truly made us feel thankful for life, our senses, and our patience in keeping this bottle 'til it was "the right time".

Apparent fruit and minerality that show off the Paso Robles terroir. Tannins add to the structure but finish off smoothly. Every time I took a sip, I desired to hold and swirl it in my mouth as long as I could because I didn't want the sensation to end.

With this incredible wine, we had homemade pizzas (sauteed chicken+bell peppers on pita bread, marinara sauce, topped and baked with a variety of cheeses) and, of course, birthday cake (light pound cake with chopped fruit and fluffy white cream - which my amazing friend Jennifer bought me). The wine went perfectly with everything we ate.

Thank you Ecluse, for making our birthday unforgettable. We can't wait to return to Paso Robles to pick up more "special occasion" wines!

Buttonwood - Cabernet Sauvignon - Santa Ynez - '05

Purchase at the Buttonwood Winery - case sale: $100!!!
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I don't cook. It's messy, and frankly, I'm not very good at it.

Now, imagine this scenario: I come home later than expected because of work. I'm tired and frustrated, so I relieve myself with a nice phone conversation with a friend, and as we are talking, I look through my wine collection and pull out this Cab. I uncork it and pour myself a glass while I'm listening to my friend go on about her day. I swirl my glass, take a sniff, sensing aromas of dark, ripe fruit and some acidity. I take a sip and the fruit becomes brighter, the tannins are present yet mellow, and the finish is soft, with a slight acidic kick at the end. At this point, I was not listening to my friend anymore; the only thing in my mind was that I wanted spaghetti and marinara meat sauce. So simple, yet the wine made me crave it.

I said good-bye to my friend and drove to Ralphs, where I bought Ragu premade marinara sauce, turkey ground meat, penne pasta, and fresh cut mushrooms. I brought it home and put it together, and it was AMAZING. Yes, this wine inspired me to cook. There was a specific flavor I sought that only I knew how to fulfill. After my meal, I relaxed on the couch with another glass, just by itself, and I decided it was an awesome day.