Finding wine, finding myself

Pinot Noir has become my favorite wine - so versatile, pleasing, and distinguishable between key regions. Some favorites - Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Oregon, Burgandy, SLO. Why? I have come to really like fruit-forward (not jammy) qualities with light earth tones. This is my go-to style, and each of the mentioned regions give different degrees of this. I don't know what it is, but writing just can't seem to describe why I react with "Oh.... my.... God!" with quality wines from these places. Is it the way that the sweeping vineyard views, gorgeous weather, mystic fog, soil, minerals from the earth, TLC of the hands and minds that handle the grapes and vines, and inviting sunshine is somehow compressed into a simple, humble glass? Because Pinot Noirs are so distinct, it is easy to mentally transport back to some of our favorite trips...
And now, I am about to embark on a new adventure... to Japan! My wine journey is not ending; in fact, my self-education with sake will begin. However, I am still wondering why I am cutting off my flowing supply of great, accessible wine.

As I live in Japan, I will see how my perspectives (on wine) change. How much will I miss it? Will sake and Sapparo be able to fill the void? Will Japanese food naturally change my cravings? (FYI - ramen and red wine do NOT go together).

Thank you for reading my blog. It was not created with any ambition - just a simple desire to record what I learn and hopes to share knowledge with others who are curious.

I choose to end my blog, though, to begin a new one, which will chronicle my time in Japan. Through writing this blog, I have learned the importance of recording experiences, having an outlet for ideas and reflection, and looking back on growth. I am excited to see how my next writing journey develops!

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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Groundwork Grenache - Santa Barbara

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A while back, I wrote about an unfortunate attempt at a bus trip to Santa Barbara wine country with Learn About Wine (through no fault of this company). A couple of months later, our trip, deemed the "Burning Bus Tour" (nice!), was rescheduled and we were on our way!

I would highly recommend anyone to take a trip with Learn About Wine. Professional, organized, informative, and fun!

The trip occurred in 2010, and a little more than a year later, we found ourselves digging through our wine collection, finding this bottle, the Groundwork Grenache ($20), and reminiscing... "Oh yeah, remember that?"

Actually BETTER than what I remembered. Fruit with a hint of spice, smooth and medium-bodied, chilled at 55 degrees to make it refreshing on a 100 degree day (*hint: we use a mini-fridge to store our red wines. We turned it down to "low" and it happens to be around 55 degrees! Much cheaper than purchasing a wine fridge.)

Then it all came back to us.... outdoor tasting, trying the excellent wines of Sans Liege, but the wine-maker raving about this particular bottle, his favorite, his passion, his label called Groundwork.

Just to let you know, Grenache is usually used as a blending grape along with Syrah and Mourvedre to create the lovely "Rhone" blend. It is brave and wonderful for him to venture this way. I appreciate it more and more with every sip (and a chug here and there).

To passion, uniqueness, and accomplishment... Cheers!

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Wine Tasting Tips

Here are some tasting tips that can help enhance your experience and also help ease your wallet (check back once in a while and see if I've added any new tips):


1. Check each winery's website to see if they give any tours (they are always fun and interesting) and coupons. Tours are great - you learn about the wines, sometimes you can have barrel samples, and it'll give you and your friends something to talk about. Plus, it's something to do as you sober up!

2. I recommend splitting a tasting so you can visit more wineries (unless, of course, you find coupons for 2-for-1 tastings - sometimes they are on the website or even receipts from other wineries - so check!). But think about it... each winery will give you about 6 tastes, and you want to go to as many wineries that you can right? Remember you are TASTING, not DRINKING.

3. ALWAYS pay the up for the reserve list. ALWAYS.

4. If you find out a winery is appointment only, call them in advance. These wineries just want avoid big crowds in their tasting rooms, and the call is well worth the personalized service that you receive! I ALWAYS try to attend the "appointment only" wineries, and they are some of my favorite ones, such as Briar Rose and Doffo in Temecula.

5. Find a grocery store to pick up sandwiches, hummus, cheese, pita bread/chips, cookies, chocolate, etc. That way, you can soak up the alcohol as you go along your path. Many of the wineries have beautiful, romantic picnic areas. After every two wineries, I usually rest for a while and fulfill my wine munchies.

6. When you taste, you either get poker chips or tickets so the wine pourer can keep track of how many you've tasted. WAIT for your host to ask for it, for sometimes they forget about it (hee hee).

7. Bring an ice chest to store food and wines. Heat will not only spoil your food, but your newly purchased wines, too!

8. Look for "PASSPORT" or "VISA" events. These events give you a trail to follow and allows you to taste several different wineries for a discounted price. I usually buy one ticket with Danny to split the tastings - that way we can hit up more wineries!

9. Check local newspapers, magazines, and hotels for winery coupons.

10. Build up a good rapport with the wine pourer and ask if he/she is tasting anything off of the given wine list. It's worth trying - I've ended up purchasing some bottles of these secrets!

11. $5 FOOT LONG Subway Spicy Italian Subs! When drinking wine, you crave salami and cheese, so this sandwich is economical and perfect! Purchase before tasting, but do NOT get it "toasted" just in case you won't be eating it for a while. Also, leave out the tomatoes, unless you like soggy sandwiches. You can snack on the winery's beautiful picnic grounds as needed.

12. TAKE NOTES. Ask for a wine list that you can write on. Write about the aromas, flavors, experience, what you liked, didn't like. You won't remember much otherwise. I am only able to write info for this blog by referring back to the notes I took at each winery. Otherwise, I'd only be able to give very general advice.