Rewards

Hi winers! I haven't posted in a while but I have some good news! I started Weight Watchers and my best friend told me that for every five pounds I loose we will go wine tasting! She has a great collection right now from the Summerland Winery which will be perfect for when we make gourmet dinners at home but I'm looking forward to going wine tasting too! So, get ready for some new stories because when we do an adventure we do it with whole heart!s We make great stories and memories because we always interact on high levels so as to suck the marrow from  experience! We are also planning a trip up the coast to get some wonderful autumn pictures which I will be posting! Until then....Beautiful Life! 

Refresh me!

As I have not yet finished or posted my last wine tasting story, I have finished the story of last weekend!
Today is Thursday and its been five days since my fabulously incredible weekend with my sister and girlfriend. My sis showed up Friday early afternoon which was nice because she thought she was going to get here later. My hubby left for a weekend in the mountains with his friend so he suggested I have a girls weekend. He stocked the house with goodies and I planned a weekend of food, fun and friendship.

I was ready when my sis arrived so we decided to go to World Market to get a bottle of wine. We ended up in there for hours just looking at all the exotic textiles, candles and foods. I wanted her to experience it  because it's been such a long time since she's had a break from her insanely busy life. We ended up by the wines and by that time I had to go up front and get a cart because we couldn't resist most of the delectable treats in the food section! I had a limited resource of money so we picked out the cheapest but prettiest bottle of wine. It was a white wine, Vinho Verde, named Gazela, made in Portugal. The label was clear with four gorgeous photos...a peacock feather, rain on a leaf, sea and clouds and an red orchid. Like I've said before, I'm not a connoisseur but I know how to love my wine experience! Just being with my beloved sister on a beautiful California day, shopping and laughing and buying a wine just because the label is stunning was an exquisite interlude of love and fun!  We had a beautiful time and my favorite part is making the cashier laugh and feel good! I even got to share my wine blog with a couple girls! After we left there we made a couple quick stops at the Esplanade, making all the cashiers laugh as we checked out and then she dropped it on me...my sister wanted to go to Walmart! After spending a few hours in stores that had classical, international and nature music, I couldn't believe we were going to go, ON a SATURDAY, to what I like to call, the three ring circus of Hades!

My sis said it would only take a minute (NOT) and for the millionth time I actually believed it. True to our warped sense of reality we went there thinking it was really going to be an in and out experience. Over TWO HOURS later and of course a trip to the front to get the cart that we were so convinced we weren't going to need, there we were...surrounded and crowded by hoards of people. It's truly an ant farm experience that I think only ants could survive! We even carried 100 times our weight in purchases that my sis made (ant's do that you know)! I have to admit that as tired as I was we laughed a lot! As my BF and I always say, "The more ludicrous the situation, the more we laugh!" We did have an adorable check-out person too and she made us laugh and feel good because she was a lovely lady with a great big heart. I don't care where I am, if there is a kind person there, they have a way of making it feel like heaven :)

Although we were thoroughly mentally and physically exhausted I remembered we had to go to the grocery store for a few things. I seriously did not think that my body could do it but I switched my shoes to crocks and prayed for strength. As we walked in there was a Starbucks and this big poster of a lime-aid cold drink. You know the kind with the beads of crystal water droplets dripping down the side of a clear glass with the tinkling ice cubes surrounded by icy liquid. We had to have it and the girl working behind the counter was an angel. We got her laughing with our delirious comments and she in turn made us laugh. She even shook the mixture in the ice extra long so it would be even colder! We were so dehydrated and tired that it literally took about three sips and we were down to air. That sweet angel could tell we were spent so as she kept us talking she made us samples of the other flavor and then just refilled both our empty glasses again and said enjoy! God bless her.

We finally got home, opened the house up, put the ceiling fans on, drank a big glass of water each and sat down for a bit out on the patio to rest our feet. I was excited about making dinner so I poured us a glass of wine. The Gazela was a light sparkling white wine and suited me just fine as I needed to feel refreshed and infused before I could carry on and make dinner. It's perfect for pool side, the beach or sitting on the dock at mid-day. I put on some nice music then made whole wheat angel hair pasta with sauteed baby carrots in butter, tiny sweet tomatoes sliced in half soaked in extra virgin olive oil with basil, sea-salt and a pinch of thyme along with shredded roasted herb chicken all mixed together with asiago cheese! Ahhhhhh. Beautiful life...

Stop Wining!

Well, cobwebs have found a home on my wine rack for the last year or so because of budget cuts but my next post is the story of my trip to Santa Barbara with a couple friends!

p.s. Argentina?

Well, this is my last journal entry from last year. I'm glad I'm caught up because I am so excited to write about a recent wine tasting experience that I had last week! I'll get to that after I enter this last of the past!

April 29, 2010...The Santa Ana winds have been blowing furiously the past couple days! It's too hot and windy out so I'm staying inside to get some things done. As I was picking up I went to throw out the bottle of Virgin Vines Shiraz and noticed it had cute writing on the back! It was an adorable note to the consumer which read, "If you feel the need to describe this wine as "full bodied with great legs", we suggest you lie down till the feeling passes". I love it!

After a day of dropping everything I picked up, I convinced myself to go cuddle up in bed and catch up in my wine journal. I take the empty bottles and lay them on the bed to inspire me as I write. My husband walked in a bit later and there I was napping while surrounded by empty wine bottles! I wish he took a picture cause he said it looked hysterical. I love spontaneous pictures!

Upon awakening my phone rang and it was my B.F. and she wanted to go do something. Of course I was willing and able so she drove over and I jumped into her car as we sped off like Thelma and Louise! We went to World Market and destined ourselves to spending hours there just looking at everything and giving our critiques. We call each other Lolly and Mosey because we go so slow and have an opinion about every item. We laughed, talked about life, cooking, entertaining, decorating, etc...Does it get better than that!

When we got to the wine section we decided to "label buy". That's when we find the coolest labels within our price range and pick four. One of the picks was a 2009, Argentine Malbec named Lo Tengo. As we were shopping a World Market Associate named Luis engaged in a conversation with me. He was darling, helpful and he made our encounter there sooo much fun! I bought a huge mortar and pestle for my son's birthday so he can make salsa and Glo broke down and finally bought the wine aerator she's been wanting by Vinturi. I said to just take a straw and blow air into it (what do I know), but, of course she was right as usual and when we got home we aerated the wine and it did bring out the flavor! We tried one with and one without and the with wine was breathing its sweet bouquet! The aerator allowed the wine to reveal its inner beauty just as it promised.

I would classify this Argentine wine as one of my favorites! It is warm, rich and sexy! You know that feeling when you're sitting at a cafe' in Paris on a warm night, your hair tucked under a big silkdesigner scarf that wraps around your neck, with only a sweeping bang hanging over one side of your face. Then, you untie the scarf and slide it off and around your bare neck and shoulders so the coolness of the night can reach your skin. Yeeeehhh, that feeling! That's how this wine made me feel! Try it, you'll like it. p.s. I think I may have to go check out Argentina!
Bella Vita

Bee nice

April 26, 2010... Finally getting toward the end of our move but today was exhausting. Brian's been working like a sled dog and we're both hot and irritable trying to get this done! Bri got grouchy and I was feeling hyper-sensitive so it was the perfect time to wrap it up and head to the new house. We cooked a nice dinner put on our cozies and crashed on the couch. I looked over and the last bottle of wine was staring back at me so I took the last fragments of energy I had left and opened it. It was a 2007 Shiraz by Virgin Vines ($5.99), with a beautiful hand painted label that made it feel more expensive than it was. As I poured it I could smell the aroma and as I sipped it my mind instantly pulled a memory from the movie, A walk in the Clouds with Keanu Reeves. My mind started to drift and I pictured myself sitting in the courtyard of an old Italian villa wrapped in an over sized pashmina. The moonlight pouring its blue glaze over the vineyard and no sound except the crickets and frogs and an old cement fountain covered in ivy trickling away. My feet are tucked up onto the chair as I rest my arm that's holding the glass of wine on my knee and my muscles are warm and unclenched. I raise the glass to my lips and the wine is like a warm waterfall of spices blessing my taste buds. I can feel it pool into my belly like a healing nectar. I'm feeling like a little worker bee that finished a long day of collecting honey and I snuck away from the hive to indulge in the fruit of my labor! I'm starting to feel a little buzzzzz. Beautiful night.

It's the Small Stuff

April 19, 2010...Things have been hectic around the Hartmann Homes! We're trying to finish up our move from a 4000 sg ft to a 2000 sq ft house. It's come down to all the smaller miscellaneous stuff and I truly dislike even the word miscellaneous! You know, all that stuff that you can probably live without and really have no specific place for it. Its the stuff that you "might" need in case your porch falls or you want to set your hair! I even have a miscellaneous file folder for all those articles and goofy things I'd like to order off t.v.! I found myself just standing and staring, completely frozen with a dumbfounded look on my face thinking, "I wish someone would lock me in a closet and just take this stuff to a corn field somewhere in the mid west!

Thus, here I sit thinking about what wine would be perfect tonight? I'm going back to an old favorite that I know I can count on... Alexander & Finch's Cabernet Sauvignon. Tonight is not a night to experiment or take any chances! This wine doesn't intrude, it's just there with you and that's all I need right now. Beautiful life :)

Feeling like Cousin Kathy!

April 16, 2010...I've found that part of the fun of picking unsampled wines are the labels and names! I felt silly tonight and decided to have fun by doing a theme! It's a warm early evening with a refreshing breeze passing by my patio. The birds are all out on their front perches singing up a storm and the entire scene is inspiring me. I went to my closet and unracked this long dress I have that looks like one from a seventies cocktail party! The kind of dress that you wear with those large pink tinted eye glasses with the rhinestones along the side of the lens! I put it on and purposefully picked the bottle of wine named, "Watusi". It's a California Zinfandel 08', vinted and bottles by Watusi Vineyards at Santa Rosa, Ca.. The label is hip looking and reminds me of this wallpaper that my sister did my bedroom in while I was away in N.Y.C. with my Cousin Kathy. I came home and my walls were covered in this geometric metallic design with a silver background! Very MOD.

I put on some martini lounge music for ambiance and there I was in all my 70's glory! I looked like my Cousin Kathy who used to float around her Greenwich Village Penthouse entertaining her exotic friends in flowing dresses and cocktail in hand! I opened the bottle of Zinfandel and it was as if a huge bouquet of flowers popped out! What a happy surprise! The fragrance instantly took my memory back to the first time I smelled Hawaii! The bouquet made me feel blissful and each sip was as if someone were squeezing fresh plump grapes in my mouth. It's a fun, fruity wine that's refreshing and light. With my beautiful glass of wine perched in my bedazzled hand I danced slowly around my patio, just like Cousin Kathy's mom Gladys used to do and it reminded me of happy times. Beautiful life :)

Wine-ding Down

April 14, 2010...I'm home alone tonight! Don't get me wrong, I love my man but it's been a hectic season and I'm craving a simple night of solitude! I need to stop spinning with busyness and just be. This evening I chose one of the three bottles of wine that I purchased at World Market. What will the one I choose share with me? Will it's fragrance sweep over me like musk and cashmere or maybe it's a light cheerful one like a night time picnic with family, children and fire-flies! I hope I like the wine and it isn't offensive.

I walked over to my antique, high-gloss black Venetian mirrored bar and actually spoke to the wine bottles! "Which one of you feels like breathing tonight"? "Any of you interested in spending some time outside with me under the stars"? Then, to my surprise, the Beaulieu Vinyards, Coastal Estate, Pinot Noir said, "I do"! So I uncorked the genie in the bottle and for only $8.99 it proved to be beautiful! I loved it as much as the Kim Crawford's, Marlborough, Pinot Noir! My weary body and neglected soul pushed a smile so big on my face that I found myself laughing all by myself! But then I remembered that my dogs were there too! Beautiful life :)

Just a Thought

April 12,2010...A good wine puts your body at rest so your emotions have room to breath and play. One of my favorite quotes is by 19th century poet, William Wordsworth. It reads, "When from our better selves we have to long been parted, how gracious, how benign is solitude". During this highly stressful time I find my solitary glass of wine each evening to be like medicine. It soothes my mind, soul, body and emotions. It's so lovely how it cleans away the cob-webs, brings the racing thoughts to a halt and allows your muscles to melt. I thank God for such a delicacy and blessing! Beautiful life :)

Shopping For Wine!

April 11, 2010...Went wine shopping with Glo at World Market and joined their "Wine Lovers Club". I love the ambiance in there with the music and smells! It's like a mental Moroccan vacation for me, minus the snakes and heat. As I roamed the wine section I was amazed at the graphics and art on most of the labels! I'm an artist so I was pulled in by the interesting ones and that led me to peruse the descriptions. Looking for good prices was a must since our life style change and it helped also in narrowing down some options. I chose a Pinot Noir ($8.99), a Shiraz ($5.99) and a Red Zinfandel ($6.98). In the past I never really bought wine like this, it was usually more of the same old staple wines that I knew my sister and I liked. Then, there was the "gift" wine that you brought to a house warming or party which my rule of thumb was the more expensive the better. I thought price over actually experiencing the wine first was all that mattered. Now, I'm finding that wine isn't something you give but something you share.

This new journey with wine is making it all so personal and I like that! I would never say I was a wine connoisseur but I'm not letting that stop me! I know what I like and now its about the entirety of it, whether I'm enjoying it alone, with someone special or at a gathering. This new encounter with wine takes my senses and thoughts to other places too. It reminds me of how I feel when I antique shop and the objects that I fall for have a whole history behind them. As I look them over I wonder who bought this originally? What was the woman who owned this bright colored velvet flower hat like? Would we get along now or is a little difference between friends personalities better? With wine though, I close my eyes, then I let it take me somewhere. I don't ask questions, I just let it take me.

Wines have their own distinctive personalities too! Seriously, as soon as I sniff it I will feel an instant sensation. Sometimes it's excitement, like I just saw someone I really missed and I get to hug them! I've felt melancholy like a rainy day, exuberant and happy like a sunflower, elegant like a black velvet dress and high heels, sexy like a hot summer night with crickets... Their personalities, when we meet them, are sometimes like a quiet friend that just listens and other times they add effervescence to a gathering. We actually "meet" a wine, see if we like it enough to invite it back or just send it on its way. A certain wine can be like a good old friend where others are best if their friends with someone else. I'll find my lips moving silently sometimes as I seem to be whispering my secrets into the bouquet. Each wine is unique because of so many reasons, like where it comes from or who's loving it as it grows. Not so different from us! Maybe that's why we enjoy each others company! Beautiful life!

Journal Entries From Last Year

April 10, 2010...I'm so enthusiastic about being able to enjoy a glass of wine each evening again! I've been so exhausted from the move and my Fibro Myalgia has been causing my pain to be exasperated! The wine has become a blessing for me in so many ways. Just one glass takes the edge off and I've been trying to make it a total experience for my senses. Tonight I opened a bottle of Perfecta which Glo got me at World Market. It's a California wine from Napa Valley ($7.99), Vintage 05 Merlot. The label on the bottle was an art nouveau painting of a woman and Glo said that's what attracted her to it. It was too dry for my taste. Oh well, that's the way the cork pops! Beautiful life :)

Back to the Beginning

April 7th, 2010...Glo and Ed came over to our new house for our first little social gathering in the new digs. We ordered pizza and Ed set up our t.v. while Glo and I uncorked a new bottle of wine to try. It's a Cabernet Sauvignon by Alexander & Fitch Winery (Sonoma Valley, Ca. 2005). A house warming gift from Glo since she knows I'm enjoying these new wines!

My kitchen has all the doors open to the patio which is flooded with sunshine and bits of shade. The doggies are running free and loving the fact that we have company! We pour our wine into these charming wine glasses I bought that have etched dots in them and the first sip is......lovely! It's smooth, rich, full and flavorful! My body rests into each sip as I relax and enjoy the moment. Beautiful Life. 

Time to Wine

March 26th, 2010. It's Glo and Ed's 10 year anniversary and she has invited Brian and I to join them to celebrate at "My Florist Cafe" restaurant in Ventura. Glo convinced me to share a bottle of wine with her although I was hesitant due to the fact that I usually get a stuffy nose when I have wine. The same thing happens to her but she had tried "Kim Crawford's, Pinot Noir from the Marlborough region in New Zealand". a few weeks earlier and she loved it! So, we shared a bottle and I loved it too! I didn't really have any experience to critique wines but that was such a lovely evening and such a good wine that I decided to start to journal my journey!

That was my first Pinot Noir and it's light fresh bouquet went perfect with the beautiful California night! If I could title the wine it would be, "Summer's Night, Jasmine Breeze". As the fusion of lovely wine and delicious food set the stage, we just sat there, two best friends, no stuffy noses, just talking and laughing with all our senses heightened and delighted by wine! Beautiful Life!