If I Had $500

If I had $500, what would I do with it?

1. Buy an orange Kitchen-Aid mixer to make these cookies.

Sigh, the one thing I didn't get off my wedding registry that I REALLY wanted. Making mashed potatoes has been quite a cumbersome task without one.


2. Sponsor a new kiddo through World Help. If money grew on trees, I'd sponsor all those sweethearts.

3. Buy a new coat for my trip upcoming trip to Chicago. Brrrr... it's going to be cold in the windy city in a few weeks. Either way, it's my first big work trip and I'm so excited!

4. Take my hottie of a husband on a fantastic date for his birthday next week... oh wait- I'm already doing that! Jared, if you're reading this, you are going to love your life next week!

5. Buy the new Florence & The Machine CD. They rock my world.

Life As the Orozcos Know It...

Well, blogger world, it's been awhile. What's been going on in the world of Stacey Szumiak, now Stacey Orozco?

1. I've always wanted to open my own restaurant, and solely serve gourmet grilled sandwiches. Well, I have awesome best friends, and they eagerly joined me in my vision! On labor day, we created, named, and made 6 different types of gourmet grilled cheeses. If your eyes aren't strong enough to read the menu board (proof that wedding decor can be useful in everyday life), we made the following delicious concoctions: The Caprese (tomato, homemade pesto, mozzarella), The Big Cheese- yes, I named that one (pepper jack, cheddar, and mozzarella), The 'Shroom- yes, I named that one, too (mushrooms, spinach, and chicken), The Honey Bee (chicken, bacon, honey mustard), and The Jack and Jill (BBQ sauce, chicken and pepper jack).

And, we even served RC Fizz, AKA Rachel and Cara brilliance- ginger ale and strawberry lemonade!

2. We had a grown up SLEEPOVER!!! It included boys for the first time in my life, which was a plus, since one of them was my husband. Oh, and a pillow fight (although, not super fun when you're playing against Steve Gilmore), and snacks to boot!!

3. PS: I got married!!!! I could gush for hours about how perfect the day was, how amazing my husband is, how being a wife is my favorite and proudest role, etc... but, I'll spare you all.
Perhaps the expressions on our faces in the below photo will suffice to describe how we feel.

4. For my birthday, my best friends are taking me to Castello di Amarosa. Their marketing language is: "Taste Napa Valley Wine in a Castle". 'Nuff said.

Life is sweet, rich, and fulfilling, like it's never been before. The Lord sure does lavish His love on His children.

1 John 3:1

11 Musings

1. It's Friday!!! Whenever I can't say that, I can't help but think about Rebecca Black.
Fun, fun, think about fun!

2. My mom comes into town tonight to begin the week of wedding madness! I'm practically bouncing off my office chair with excitement!

3. Jared's dryer takes over 140 minutes to completely dry a load of laundry. After attempting to do 6 loads of laundry for him, I resigned to hanging all of his clothes to dry- there were t-shirts, boxers, pants, and socks strewn all over the place.

4. Tonight, I'm cooking a yummy bow tie pasta recipe with cream sauce, peas, and pancetta. I'm also cracking open a delicioso Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, courtesy of my lovely colleague, Catherine! The best part? I'm eating it with 5 of my favorite peeps- my bestest Cara, Steve-O, Rach, Momma, and of course, my almost hubby!

5. I just read in the latest Oprah magazine that you should put spinach in your breakfast smoothies. Boo ya Oprah! I've been doing that for years!

6. I came home from work last night to find my house with newly installed sconces and ceiling fans, a clean kitchen, and candles lit, to boot. I am most definitely marrying the best man alive.

7. I really like sleeping on an air mattress. I've been doing that for over a week now, and I sleep like a rock. Do you think Jared would be up for trading our Cal-King mattress in for an Aerobed?

8. Rach and I watch Law and Order: Special Victims Unit every night. We have 39 episodes recorded and we WILL watch all of them. I'm always amazed by how many crime scenarios the writers can come up with.

9. I love the book of Judges. Our pastor has been teaching a month long series on it, and every Sunday I am brought back to 3rd grade Bible class. I will always remember my teacher, Mrs. Meyer, dramatically acting out how Ehud slayed the fat King Eglon.

10. Words with Friends, the iPhone scrabble game... bringing families together. My dad never responds to my texts, but when I play a scrabble move, he plays back within like 10 seconds. Might I add that he is beating me by over 100 points.

11. I'm worried that my teeth are going to get crooked. Whenever I sleep with my retainer in, come morning, I usually find it underneath my pillow. It's like those people who sleep walk and binge eat, and then wonder why they've gained 20 pounds. Except worse!

Bachelorette

Do I look just a teensy bit happy?

(Jared says I look like big bird in this picture, but then again, men don't understand feathers, tiaras, sashes and how they really do add to the fun).

Well, I most certainly AM happy because...

1. I have the best friends and family in the world. Seriously. This weekend I was spoiled rotten by 10 of my favorite ladies!

2. I had the most amazing bachelorette party in the world.

3. I have the best fiance in the universe.

4. I'm getting married THIS month. 18 days!

5. I am moving out of my little backhouse tonight and am moving in with my dear friend Rachel for the remainder of my unmarried life. Can you say rainbow sprinkles, champagne, musical theatre duets, and P90X?

6. I came home from my bachelorette party to brand new wood floor, a newly installed stove and oven, LOTS of organized cabinetry in my new 13 foot walk in closet, several new light fixtures, cabinet doors installed with my orange and green knobs, and my handsome (and a little bit tired/sweaty) fiance.

7. 3 weeks from today I will be in my favorite place in world with my new husband- Nantucket island!

Life is sweet...

28 days

Well, folks- i'm getting married in 28 days. That's 4 weeks!!! I can hardly stand it!

This is a photo of some of my lovely bridesmaids at my LA shower. I am so blessed!!

The Past 5 Months...

It's been over 5 months since Jared popped the question while we were on a picnic on Mt. Diablo. I knew that from that moment that my life would never be the same- and it hasn't been!

We have less than 2 months until the big day and we absolutely can't wait for August 19 to come.

What have we been up to the past 5 months?

Well...

We've been making our house a home. It will be a long process- giving TLC to 5 rooms and 3 bathrooms (and a pool) can take up quite a bit of time! Thank goodness I'm marrying a hard-working master of construction!

That tile is now on the floor of our snazzy, redone bathroom!

We got our first wedding gift- a toaster oven! Baked potatoes, here we come! And of course, Jared HAD to squeeze me in the box.

We've gone shopping at IKEA, Lowes, Home Goods, and TJ Maxx waaaaaay too often. No matter where we go, Jared some how makes it fun.

We've made LOTS and LOTS of wedding decisions, including the wedding party wardrobe. Here is Jared in his big day outfit- what a hunk!

And, we've loved each other more and more along the way.
It's always nice to get picture messages like these during the work days.

Yes, there's been lots of love along the way.

Over the past 5 months, I've become truly thankful that God is allowing me to get married- what a privilege and gift!

Most of all, I am thankful that God has given me Jared to marry. He is always making me laugh, supporting me, encouraging me, and loving me so well.

He is most definitely my other and better half.

51 days and counting!!

I Love Collio

Check out this blog from one of our clients- I've been writing the posts. Can you tell? :)

http://usa.blogcollio.it/

Stacey's Darling #3: A Lucious Beaujolais

Hi Peeps--

I tried another wine at work last week that quickly became a new darling.

2009 Domaine Tete Julienas, Cru Beaujolais, France.

You may see on the label that is just says "Red Beaujolais Wine". Of course, if you are new in the wine world, you would have no clue what grapes are in the bottle, what to expect stylistically, etc... That's what I'm here for :)

Gamay is the red grape queen of Beaujolais, and almost all red wines in this area are made from Gamay. This wine may have a blend of other grapes, but Gamay is the star of the show.

Now, about the wine making region:

This wine is from Beaujolais, which is a smaller area located in the famous region of Burgundy, France.

Beaujolais' claim to fame is Beaujolais Nouveau, which is a wine that comes out every 3rd Thursday of November (right in time for Thanksgiving!) These wines are light in body, color, tannin, and as some people will argue, light in flavor. They are meant to be fun and festive, and there is nothing serious about them!

This wine is a Stacey's Darling because it breaks all those rules that people hold about wines from Beaujolais! This is a serious wine- it has delicious and cutting acid, warm black and red fruit flavors, meat and pepper (yummmmmm), and fantastic body, but at the same time is very sip-able and approachable!

It goes for $22 at my work, but I'm sure you can find it online for a more reasonable price (although I think $22 is a worthy value for this fantastic wine).

Pair this with some dark meat poultry- it would be a fantastic sidekick to duck!

Happy Drinking!

Making the World a Better Place, One Media Sending at a Time

A lot of my time at work is spent sending out our clients' wines to media across the country, with the hopes that they'll write about them and give us some awesome coverage.

Well, my new wine friend Beau Carufel of Beau's Barrel Room posted about one of our client's wines, and gave me a little shout-out, too. It made me smile :)

Here's his post about Mt. Beautiful Sauvignon Blanc (which is an awesome wine, BTW!)

Happy Chardonnay Day!

Hello Friends!

Today is a great day! Why, may you ask? Well, for me it's great because I am just 6 hours away from hopping on a plane with my hunk, which will zip us up north to Portland. Jared and I are spending the next 4 days with our friends Tim and Ashley, who have quite a fun itinerary planned for us, from wine tasting, tours of Seattle and Portland, hikes, and more!

Another reason it's a great day is because it's Chardonnay Day! Wahoo-Happy Chardonnay Day!!
Now, those of you who know me know that I actually despise most Chardonnays. I typically would rather opt out of drinking than drink a glass of oaked Chardonnay.

But, as I wine-o, I am a fan of any day that celebrates wine!

In honor of Chardonnay Day, here are some fun Chardonnay facts:

1. Chardonnay originated in Burgundy, France, but now it is made practically everywhere- even Greece, New York, and South Africa!

2. Chardonnay is one of the 3 permitted grapes in Champagne, along with Pinot Noir and Pinot Menuier. In my opinion, that's the best way to drink it!

3. Chardonnay has a few aliases, including Aubaine, Beaunois, Gamay Blanc, Melon Blanc. Lots of people just call it "Chard". Sommeliers turn up their noses at wine abbreviations, FYI.

4. Among white-wine grapes, few adapt so easily as Chardonnay to soil and climate conditions, or are so responsive to different techniques by growers and winemakers. This is why there are so many styles of Chardonnay- ranging from flinty Chablis to oaked, buttery Napa Chardonnays!

5. Want some food with that wine? Chardonnay is a great side-kick to seafood and poultry. If a chicken breast and plain white fish sounds boring- how about trying some lobster tail or fried chicken with that Chard?

6. Want to buy some Chardonnay? Here are some reliable and trustworthy producers of Chardonnay from around the world:

France: Chablis: Domaine William Fevre, Moreau et Fils, Dauvissat Bouchard Pere et Fils, Dujac, Verget, Olivier Laflaive, L. Jadot, L.Latour, J. Drouhin, Ramonet, Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Leroy.

U.S. of A: La Crema, St Francis, Arrowood, R. Mondavi, Staglin Family, Kendall-Jackson, Lohr, Jordan Vineyards, Estancia, Matanzas Creek, Beringer, Cuvaison, Grgich Cellars, Heitz,

Chile: Errazuriz, Santa Rita, Concha y Toro, Caliterra, Casa Lapostolle, Undurraga


Now, go have some Chardonnay to celebrate! Or, if you're like me, just have it in your Champagne :)

I'll be back next week with reviews of Pacific Northeast wines and wineries!!


Stacey

The Simplest Wine & Love Related Analogy

Today, as was I was fulfilling one of my weekly job tasks (searching all the major wine blogs and compiling some news snippets for my colleagues), I stumbled upon a post by Tom Marks, the writer of Fermentation: The Daily Blog.

Tom, just like me, is getting married very soon, and to someone he really loves.

On marriage, love, and wine, Tom writes:

"Love is like wine. It intoxicates.

I'm certainly intoxicated. Inebriated, even. And if you don't mind, I think I'll just stay in this state for the rest of my days. So excuse me if I slur my words from now on".

I'm with you, Tom Marks!

93 days to go!

My Mantra

Friday Daydreams

TGIF!! Can I get an amen?!

I know this is a wine blog, but all I can think about are...

The mojitos I'll be drinking tonight!!

Tonight I'm going to Havana's restaurant in Walnut Creek. We went there for my best friend's bachelorette party, and we all fell in love- especially with the mojitos.

They serve 15 types of mojitos, including melon, peach, strawberry, and apple... see the full menu on their site.

6 hours left until I'm there, and currently the colada mojito is sounding miiiiighty fiiiine!!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

All the bridesmaids outside of Havana's at Cara's bachelorette party in 2009.

And The Answers Are....!

Hello Wine-O's!

Yesterday, I shared a fun little wine quiz that I found in the Food Network Magazine.

Here are the answers!

1. Which is NOT a U.S. Wine Region?

A. Columbia Valley, WA

B. Willamette Valley, OR

C. Sonoita, AZ

D. Hill Country, TX

E. Estill Springs, TN

F. North Fork, NY


Correct answer: Estill Springs, TN


2. "Corked" wine smells like:

A. Tobacco

B. Plastic

C. Musty Cardboard

D. Pencil Shavings

Correct Answer: Musty Cardboard.
This is not a good thing, by the way. 3-5% of all wines are affected by TCA, which is what causes this 'corked' smell.

3. Which is NOT a real wine bottle size?

A. Royale

B. Jeroboam

C. Balthazar

D. Nebuchadnezzar

Correct Answer: Royale
These are all sparkling wine bottle sizes. The Nebuchadnezzer holds a whopping 15 liters! Crack me open one of those!!

4. A fungus called noble rot gives some dessert wines a desired ____ aroma.

A. Boiled Cabbage

B. Wet Hay

C. New Rubber

Correct Answer: Boiled Cabbage
The 'noble rot' is botrytis, a rare fungus that grows on ripe wine grapes. Botrytis affected grapes make some of the most prized sweet wines!

5. Pair the wine with the best take out food pairing:

Rose Pad Thai

Chianti Chicken tikka masala

Riesling Pizza

Correct Answer: Rose-Chicken Tikka Masala, Chianti-Pizza, Riesling-Pad Thai
All of the above are a balance of acid, sugar, and spice... and everything nice!

6. Mead is a type of wine that's made with ___ instead of grapes.

A. Honey

B. Apples

C. Berries


Correct answer: Honey
The production of mead dates back to as early as 6,000 B.C. Have I ever tried it? No way!

7. Match the country to its bubbly.

Germany Cava

Spain Champagne

Italy Lambrusco

France Sekt

Correct Answer:

Germany-Sekt, Spain-Cava, Italy-Lambrusco, France-Champagne

8. Match the wine experts to their occupation.

Robert Parker Winemaker

Aldo Sohm Sommelier

Fred Franzia Wine Critic

Correct Answer:
Robert Parker-Wine Critic, Aldo Sohm- Sommelier, Fred Franzia-Winemaker

Robert Parker writes for The Wine Advocate, Fred Franzia was the winemaker for Charles Shaw (2 Buck Chuck), and Aldo Sohm has been voted Best Sommelier in the World by the Worldwide Sommelier Association.

9. True or false?
You should swirl red wine, but not white or rose.


Correct answer: False
Swirl away, my friends! It'll oxygenate the wine and strengthen its flavors, regardless of color.

10. If you find stuff that looks like coffee grounds in your wine, you should:

A. Send the wine back.

B. Strain it, or decant it slowly.

C. Shake the bottle so the grounds dissolve into the wine.

Correct Answer: Strain it, or decant it slowly.
The stuff that looks like coffee grounds is wine sediment, a naturally occurring breakdown of the wine. If you see some, just strain the wine or pour it carefully so most of the sediment stays at the bottom of the bottle.

11. If you like dry, not-too-sweet champagne, you should order:

A: Extra brut

B. Demi-Sec

Correct Answer: Extra brut
The scale of sweetness for sparkling wine, from dries to sweetest goes:

Extra Brut-Brut-Extra Dry-Sec-Demi Sec-Doux.


So, how did you do?

Here's the scoring (according to the magazine)

0-4 Correct Answers
Novice! You need to do a little homework! The best way to learn about wine is to drink it. Before you know it, you'll be comparing tasting notes and throwing around words like "complexity" and "crispness".

5-7 Correct Answers
Quaffer! Not bad- we're guessing you've taken a trip to Napa Valley, or at least seen Sideways. But, there's more to learn: Ask wine shop managers or sommeliers anything and everything. You'd be surprised by how happy wine lovers are to teach you all about it-- SO TRUE, I say :)

8-11 Correct Answers
Master Sommelier! You're a true oenophile. Open a bottle of vintage Chateau Margaux for yourself and celebrate your good grade.



I hope you enjoyed this little quiz! Have a great Tuesday!

Stacey

What's Your Wine IQ?

Hi Everyone!!

Yesterday, I was enjoying the So-Cal sunshine and flipping through magazines, and I found this fun little wine quiz in the Food Network Magazine. It is titled "What's Your Wine IQ"? and is fairly comprehensive, and asks questions about the major sectors of the wine industry.

So, for those who are fearless enough, take the quiz. I'll post the answers tomorrow, and we can compare our scores.

So if you dare, take the quiz and find out YOUR wine IQ!

1. Which is NOT a U.S. Wine Region?

A. Columbia Valley, WA

B. Willamette Valley, OR

C. Sonoita, AZ

D. Hill Country, TX

E. Estill Springs, TN

F. North Fork, NY


2. "Corked" wine smells like:

A. Tobacco

B. Plastic

C. Musty Cardboard

D. Pencil Shavings



3. Which is NOT a real wine bottle size?

A. Royale

B. Jeroboam

C. Balthazar

D. Nebuchadnezzar



4. A fungus called noble rot gives some dessert wines a desired ____ aroma.

A. Boiled Cabbage

B. Wet Hay

C. New Rubber



5. Pair the wine with the best take out food pairing:

Rose Pad Thai

Chianti Chicken tikka masala

Riesling Pizza



6. Mead is a type of wine that's made with ___ instead of grapes.

A. Honey

B. Apples

C. Berries


7. Match the country to its bubbly.

Germany Cava

Spain Champagne

Italy Lambrusco

France Sekt

8. Match the wine experts to their occupation.

Robert Parker Winemaker

Aldo Sohm Sommelier

Fred Franzia Wine Critic

9. True or false?

You should swirl red wine, but not white or rose.


10. If you find stuff that looks like coffee grounds in your wine, you should:

A. Send the wine back.

B. Strain it, or decant it slowly.

C. Shake the bottle so the grounds dissolve into the wine.

11. If you like dry, not-too-sweet champagne, you should order:

A: Extra brut

B. Demi-Sec

Come back tomorrow for the answers and see how YOU score!!

The Royal Wedding Champagne

Happy Friday, and last day of April!!

So, I was going to post about Italian wine today, and then I realized there was something much more important to blog about- the Royal Wedding!

I most certainly did not wake up at an obscene hour of the morning to watch the live feed, but I have to say that I did some thorough online research to check out all the juicy photos and video clips.

Before today's monumental event, there was countless chatter and predictions about Kate's wedding gown, how she was going to wear her hair, if they were going to get a kissing coach (they did, and it didn't seem to pay off), and on and on...

As a soon-to-be bride, of course I was interested in all those fun details, but as a complete wine-o, I was also interested to see what wine would be served at the royal reception! With their budget, the options are truly limitless.

Even girls my age remember watching clips of the 1981 (I wasn't even born!!) wedding between the Prince and the beloved Diana. All I remember is her dress and its ridiculous puffy sleeves and never-ending train. And, if we thought it couldn't get any more over the top, their wedding reception featured 1969 Krug Champagne, 1959 Château Latour,and 1955 Taylor’s vintage Port.

Now, if all those wines look like a foreign language to you, let me fill you in- those are some absolutely phenomenal and priceless wines. (I guess not priceless- they were probably more expensive than all my wedding costs combined!!) Yeah, just google those babies and see what you find.

Fast forward 30 years to today's wedding. Although the beverage menu has not been released, one selection has been confirmed- the choice of champagne(the most important part!!)

Drum roll please....

Non-Vintage Pol Roger will be the official Champagne at the Royal Wedding!

Although delicious and very good quality, this is a fairly common and moderately priced champagne (you can get it for around $50).

Heck, I've even had Pol Rogers before!

Feeling a little let-down?

I'm not- I applaud the decision to purchase something high quality, with a good reputation, and all the while not too expensive. It's something I'm hoping to provide for my own big day.

Congrats, William and Kate!

Hiatus

Happy Thursday!

I haven't posted the past few days- did you miss me?

I was M.I.A. because I was busy preparing and taking the Certified Specialist of Wine exam through the Society of Wine Educators.

Like every wine test I have ever taken, I freak out before, during and after the exam, and convince myself that I didn't pass. Hopefully this is just my normal pattern, and I'll be getting a pretty certificate in the mail soon. I do have to admit, this test was a bit harder than I anticipated.

Anyways, wish me luck- and I'll keep you posted!

Tomorrow, as promised, I finally will post about Italian wines!

Ciao,

Stacey

Some Technical Wine Terminology

Happy Monday, Wine Blog Readers!

To start the week out, I thought I'd write a quick blog that decodes some technical wine terminology. This way I don't have to re-define terms in further posts, and you all will be the smarter because of reading. Saves me time and typing, and increases your brain power all in one!

Here are some wine terms you are bound to come across in the world of wine:

Vintage: The year the grapes were harvested. So, a 2009 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is made of grapes that were picked in 2009.

Négociant: A French term for a wine merchant buys grapes from smaller grape growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name.

Oenophile: A lover of wine. In other words- me!

Varietal: Grape! Ex: Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, etc...

Cuvee: A specific blend of wines.

ABV: Alcohol By Volume (alcohol percentage)

Old World Wine: Wine made in Europe (France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy), as well as Portugal, Greece & Hungary. The wines are characterized as lower in alcohol, less fruity, and more earthy.

New World Wine: Wine made in the United States, South America, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. Wines from this area are typically higher in alcohol and more fruit forward.

Punt: The circular indentation found in the base of a wine bottle.

Sommelier: A trained, knowledgeable, and professional wine steward.


Do you have any other terms that you need defined? Let me know!

'Til tomorrow!

Stacey

What Wine to Guzzle with Easter Dinner

I LOVE Easter. LOVE it.

I love buying and wearing a new bright and flower-y Easter dress. I love my childhood memories of hunting for chocolate eggs that were hidden all over our house (mom and dad- can we do that again?? Maybe for your grand kids!). I love lilies. I love all the triumphant music and hymns that we sing at church on Easter. And, most importantly, I love what Easter symbolizes- the fact that our Savior is RISEN and has conquered the grave!

But, the one thing I don't love about Easter is the food, at least the traditional main course.

I HATE honey baked ham. Ugh.

My sister LOVES honey baked ham.

Because my parents love us both equally, they usually prepare an Easter meal that will satisfy both of our tastes: honey baked ham for Lis, and extra mashed potatoes for Stace.

It worked out- Lis got her beloved ham (and ham sandwiches for days), and I got a plate full of carbs and salad-my favorite.

Anyways-- that little family and food history has nothing to do with this post, other than it is an introduction to: What Wine to Guzzle with Easter Dinner.

Whether you are hosting Easter at your house, are attending dinner as a guest and need a hostess gift, or you just are curious, here are a few wine suggestions for what wine to drink with Easter dinner.

What to guzzle with your appetizers: Bubbles, of course! The perfect wine to start out such a celebratory holiday, and Easter is most certainly celebratory!

Guzzle: My absolute favorite wine of all time-Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé. Find it in stores for around $25.

What to guzzle with your main course:

If you DO love honey baked ham, I would suggest a wine with a little bit of residual sugar to match with the sweetness of the meat (but seriously, who likes their meat to be sweet?? It's just gross!)

Guzzle: 2010 Von Strasser Winery Gruner Veltliner. $35

PS: In 2006, this was the FIRST Gruner Veltliner to ever grace the Golden State.

If I had my choice, I'd eat roasted lamb for Easter dinner. With lamb comes its classic sidekick: Rhone Valley Syrah and it's blending friend, Grenache. Red wines from the Rhone classically have peppery, dried meat characteristics. Think it sounds gross? You'll think twice after you pair it with a perfect hunk of peppery roasted lamb.

Guzzle: 2007 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône. $10

What to guzzle with dessert:

How about a lovely Moscato? My family and I could drink this stuff like we do water...

Guzzle: Capetta N.V. Moscato d'Asti Piedmont. $10 *

*I encourage you to go buy this from my lovely, sweet-ham loving sister, Lisa at The Wine Country, Signal Hill.


Have fantastic Easters, everyone! Go eat, drink, and celebrate the resurrection of our King!

Your Easter Wine Bunny,

Stacey

Stacey's Darling #2: Itali-fornian Pinot Noir

Happy Monday to everyone!

I am in the process of writing a blog about Italian wine, and those of you who know anything about Italy and wine know that it is one of the most confusing wine regions in the world! That being said, it will take me a little while to compile a thorough and understandable blog for you.

So, in the meantime, I leave you with Stacey's Darling #2!

For those of you who don't know, I started a second little part time job working at the Oxbow Wine Merchants in Napa. It is a fun way for me to get my "wine fix" from selling, organizing, learning about, and TASTING new wines! One of the perks is that we get to taste any wine and call it job training and education :)

After my shift on Thursday, I tried the most fantastic Pinot Noir that I had to share with you. My co-worker (a fellow, proud certified sommelier) and I were blown away!

So, Stacey's Darling #2 is: 2007 Cargasacchi Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County.

When I saw the name "Cargasacchi", it immediately screamed "Italian wine"- those Italians love to throw in the "cc" and "chi" letter combinations. Then, I realized it was actually a Californian Pinot with history and roots in Italy.

The Cargasacchi family IS from Italy, and their winemaking style is founded in the traditional Italian philosophy of the necessity of pairing food and wine at mealtimes- hence the beautiful acid of this wine. It is beautifully delicious and balanced without food, but also is very versatile and food friendly and would compliment a wide range of food items- from any type of fish, pasta, and even red meat.

This wine is a gorgeous mix of red berries and oak and spice and mmm I want more!!

It is a bit more pricey than I would normally recommend (you can find it for between $25-$40 online and in stores), but I think it's worth it for a special occasion. It's a perfect wine for Easter- you can bring it as a hostess gift for your mom, grandma, aunt, etc... It would be awesome with honey baked ham! Just make sure your hostess opens it and shares with you!

Or, if you're really desparate, call me and I'll buy it for you with my store discount :)

Speaking of Easter, that reminds me- come back Wednesday for a post about what to drink with Easter dinner!

Love all you lovely readers,
Stace

Cargasacchi Pinot Noir winemaker's notes: "The saturated red hue borders on purple with distinctive Pinot Noir perfume of red and purple berries and violets. In the mouth, this is a luscious, richly textured wine that balances fruit, spice and tannin. Exhibiting layers of blackberry and small dark fruit flavors woven with firm, ripe, tannins for a very persistent, mouthwatering finish".