My Daily Bread

As 2009 comes to close there is a lot to be thankful for....new friendships, new business ventures, newly discovered wines and wine regions, great food, and lots of lessons learned. What I take with me into 2010 is everything from 2009, only magnified with a better perspective and clarity. Clarity, I've found, is all important when going through life. Just as in wine....there is no seeing clearly when there is haziness and cloudiness. The muck needs to be fined away so that a clear vision can be seen and achieved. So that's it for 2010....doing all that I do with more awareness so that true clarity can be achieved. 2010 is going to be great....for this I am thankful!

World of Wine

What a wonderful world to be apart of...wine! I love sipping it, analyzing it, discovering it, talking about it, and sharing it. Wine, just as in our world, is an eclectic mixture of hues, colors and styles. Unique unto itself where no two grapes are alike. Wine, from roman times, has brought people, traditions, and cultures together. No other beverage can stake that claim. This holiday season, let's remember that we are an eclectic mixture. Let's celebrate each other, and have wine....lots of wine!

Truffle Oil Pizza with Meritage

I love food! I love food with wine...and this is the last piece of my homemade truffle oil pizza. I'm really proud that I can make this. I make the dough and knead it myself, flatten it out and slather it with earthy truffle oil, mozzarella cheese, and then mound it with earthy mushrooms. Bake for 10 minutes in a 500 degree oven and there I have it, earthy heaven! Uncomplicated and simplistic just the way I like things. The wine I paired this with was equally earthy....a Meritage (Dr. Jebediah Drinkwells 2007), from Trader Joe's. Now, Meritage is California's answer to Bordeaux. This Meritage was a Cabernet Franc predominate wine, 60%. You can smell the earthiness of the Cabernet Franc while pouring the wine into the glass. The rest of the blend is Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignion, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The perfect accompaniment to my truffle oil pizza. I really take great pleasure in making simple uncomplicated gourmet meals. Having those meals with a great bottle of wine makes it even better.

Vineyard Chic - the wine tasting notes journal

My love of wine has caused me to posses quite a lot of note book journals, beautiful note books that house all of my thought and dreams. This one in particular houses my wine tasting notes. I categorize my notes by wine region, then by reds, then by whites. So I can flip through, pick a region and know what wine varietal I had on a certain day and with what foods. This is the same note book journal I use to recommend wines to clients and friends. Not only do I write tasting notes, but I write little tidbit information about the wines region (specialty foods from the region, climate, viticulture style.....geeky stuff). It's with me always, because I never know when I'll be tasting a new wine. As with everything in my life, I only want to be surrounded by beautiful things, (beautiful food served on beautiful china, , equally beautiful cups for my tea and coffee) and my wine journal is no exception. I have several others that are filled with wine information, this one will be used until it's full, then on to the next beautiful note book. I guess that's how life should be lived .... going for one beautiful thing or experience to another.