Wine & Dine Wednesday

Wow! Sorry for the lack of blogging....what can I say, life gets busy. Sports, helping kids with homework, family time, new puppy and everything else that goes along with living, well it just gets busy and something has to give... Let me just give you an update on the new puppy-it takes a "village" to raise a child you know but I have to say that goes with a new family pet as well. I mean holy cow! This is exhausting! Maybe I put more pressure on myself than most people to make sure the puppy is cared for, clean, smells good, learns to use the potty outside, etc. But everyone pitches in here to help with the puppy and I am so glad they do because there is no way I could do this by myself!

As I try to get back into a regular somewhat new routine I do plan on sharing on a regular basis once again. There are things I cannot wait to blog about but first I need to wrap them up in order to do just that.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a wine that was so great, I hoped I would never reach the bottom of the bottle....Well, this is another wine that I felt the same about!

Hello! Chocolate Shop in Chocolate Strawberry. It is, of course, a red wine combined with strawberry and chocolate. When you taste it, the chocolate flavor hits you first then the strawberry flavor hits you at the end. It is a sweet wine and small servings is how you want to serve this one.

This one was also a gift from my In-Laws. They are so great to bring me us wine when they travel.  I am sure you could probably find this online somewhere but the other day when I was at World Market they had small bottles in a basket at the cash register so if you are out and about and come across this, please pick it up and give it a try. You will be glad you did!

Wine & Dine Wednesday

This past weekend we took a trip to Asheville for the Mr.! This time the kids went along and so did our In-Laws!

After being on the road for  a while, the youngest was a little out of sorts and we had not even reached our destination! When I say "out of sorts" I mean it was like he had drank a Mt. Dew or something! Then it hit me.....Then it hit me...that morning I was measuring out the kids medication, each are on antibiotics for sinus infections and the oldest was due his last Prednisone dose and the youngest gets Zyrtec. Well guess what? Yep, both the Prednisone and Zyrtec are both clear liquids so somehow I got them mixed up and gave the last dose of Prednisone to our youngest instead of to our oldest. So of course it had an obvious effect on him! So of course the ride up was interesting.

Once in Asheville, it was lunch time! The first stop was one of our favorite restaurants for lunch! We have been several times to Asheville and each time we go, we always eat at one particular restaurant, Early Girl Eatery! It is on Wall Street, the same street as one of our favorite little shops where we purchased a favorite wine. We have eaten breakfast and lunch here and it is a must try! The last 2 times we have been I have gotten the Vegan Bean Burger, YUM! The Mr. always gets something different and each time it is delish! This time he got the Cheeseburger and I got a little bite and it was soooo good! I always try to save room for desert but that never happens!

After walking to a local shop to pick up another bottle of our favorite wine we headed to the hotel for a little down time before dinner.

The reason we up and took a spontaneous trip a while back to Asheville and the reason we took this trip was to eat at The Lobster Trap. Last time we got busy with other stuff and just skipped it but this time it was the main reason for the trip. The Mr. wanted to eat at this restaurant. We called ahead for our name to be placed on the waiting list, which is always awesome! Waiting for an hour in a crowded restaurant with 2 hungry kids is never fun! Once we were seated, we placed our order. First off, appetizers...when the waitress comes out and hands you a platter of oysters and says "The Chef wants you to taste these and if they don't taste right, he will cook you some more." that is a sign the dinner is not going to go well...
WHAT?
#1 if the chef has to say that, the plate should NEVER come to the table!
The platter went back and another one was brought to our table. The men said they were good (the women & kids don't eat oysters).
Our main dishes...mediocre at best. Very disappointing. The Mr. had to return his and get a new dish because it obviously wasn't cooked correctly & was cold. My in-laws dishes were not the best either.

It really stinks when you rave about how great a restaurant is and then you take others with you to share and it turns out not so great....

Oh well.

We still had a good time just being together and who wouldn't love a few days in Asheville?!

What is your favorite restaurant in Asheville?

Wine & Dine Wednesday

The fine wine featured today was a gift from my in-laws. They brought it back to me us from a trip they went on to Savannah, GA. Great place I hear, hope to go there one day!

Anyway, if the name of the wine includes the word "Chocolate" I'm in!

This is the best chocolate wine I have EVER tasted! It does say on the label that it is "THE CHOCOLATE LOVER'S WINE"

It is a red wine with a chocolate flavor.  The wine is sweet and it is only recommended that you drink a small amount at a time, per the guy at the wine store and my father-in-law. And they are correct. By small amount, I mean a couple ounces. One evening, I got carried away and had my usual size drink and it was a little much, my legs were all tingly and it was getting hot in here! Now I have that song in my head...."It's getting hot in here so take off all your....".....sorry I forgot the artist. I do that alot, forget names of songs and artist. You should be here when I try to describe to the Mr. what song I want him to download for me... Wow, where was I?

The back of the bottle states that:

 "it is a deep, ruby red wine blended with rich, velvety chocolate. Inviting aromas of black cherry and dark chocolate combine in the glass and continue on the palate surrounded by hints of cocoa powder"

This is one wine you are going want to try!

**As with all my Wine & Dine Wednesday posts, it is my opinion, I was not asked nor was I compensated to write this post.

Wine & Dine Wednesday

The feature today...Fancy Pants from Target.

Cute label, it is a 2010 vintage, red wine.

This has a very fruity flavor, almost too fruity. This is one that you may not want to drink alot  at once...too sweet too fast means major headache for me. Just a warning!

It is not the best but it is still very drinkable, just in small amounts...

Check out my cute wine bottle topper!

This was a Christmas present last year from my In-Laws and so I thought since Christmas isn't that far away I should bring this baby out and show it off! Heck, I might even leave it out all year long. After all, drinking wine is a little gift at the end of the day...am I right?! Oh and it has a little battery so it lights up too! How cute!!

Wine & Dine Wednesday!

Today this feature is well, lacking.

While the label attracted me to this bottle, what was inside turned me off really fast. But as you can see the bottle is almost empty so apparently the Mr. liked it?

We purchased this wine from Target a few months ago and it is for sure the worst one we have ever bought from there, in my opinion.

It lacks in the aroma and taste. Not a good mix of flavors if you ask me so next time I will pass on the Junebug.

Wine & Dine Wednesday

  We purchased this wine from World Market. The flavors of this wine are a mixture of black fruit, berries and plum with a hint of smoky spice. The bottle states that this wine is a perfect compliment to slow-roasted pork or ribs. 

This wine is not one that I would try again. I tried it before dinner and during, pasta, and it was not a good combination. I know that not pairing your wine with the correct dish can end with a horrible taste in your mouth (yes, pun intended!). Let me just say the remaining wine in my glass went down the drain.

If you try this one, try it with the suggested pork.

Wine & Dine Wednesday

Today I was thinking that I would share a few random wine related items with you. Since stocking up on wine, I have not really been drinking it. I finished up the Bitch wine and I have not yet opened another bottle. But I have my eye on one bottle I know I will be testing out first!

These items I came across a while ago and thought they were worth sharing. Anyway, on to wine related items:


Bicycle Wine Rack
This is so cute and if you live in the city and a bicycle is your form of transportation, I would say this is a must. This assures safe arrival of your gift to the party or hostess.

 
Hootch-Owl Corkscrew
Owls are all the rage these days, plus I think this is so cute! I added this to my "want" list.


Personalized Wine Cellar Sign
I love this! I know exactly where this would go in my kitchen! It is pricey,  maybe this will go on my "one day" purchase list...

This cute bicycle wine bottle holder was given to us years ago by my in-laws. I love this, seeing it out on the counter just makes me smile, I love having little things like that around our home.

Hope you guys have a wonderful Wednesday!
I will leave with this....

"Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance." -Ben Franklin

So true Ben Franklin, so true!

Wine & Dine Wednesday

We picked this bottle of wine up in Asheville, you can read more about that trip here. We had to purchase this bottle based strictly on the label, I mean come on wouldn't you? You normally never see a pink label much less one that is named Bitch on a wine bottle. I have searched the website on the bottle only to not really get anywhere so I am not sure where to tell you to purchase this or  to even provide you guys more info. So I photographed the labels and if you are really interested I guess you could call the number on the bottle. Clearly when you see an interesting label on wine buy it and enjoy it, at least that is my plan!

 

 

 

When I opened the bottle and went for a glass I thought the only glass appropriate to drink from would be the high heel glass, it just seemed fitting.

The wine has a robust flavor yet very smooth, not to dry. A very pleasant taste actually. I was surprised just how good it is. On our next trip I plan on stopping by and grabbing another bottle!

Wine Wednesday

 This Rex Goliath wine is a good buy for the money, we have tasted a few by this company and they all have a good taste.

We purchase this wine at Target and I have also seen it at our local Harris Teeter.

The wine has a good flavor combination; plum, cherry and berry.  You can read the full description if you click the link above. It pairs well with many meals, for us, it was pizza and any red meat and don't forget it is always good alone or with good cheese.

It's funny, just this week, a friend of mine Melissa (Hi Melissa!) and I were talking about how we drink wine and snack on cheese and crackers while making dinner. Does anyone else do this? I was glad to hear that I was not the only one :)

Hope you guys have a great Wednesday!

Sorry the post is crazy and messed up but I cannot figure out to fix it!! :)

 



Wine Wednesday

Hello people it is Wednesday! Hump Day, whatever you call it. We are almost to the weekend! I thought about starting a new topic, Wine Wednesday.

Now, first off let me tell you that I am not a wine connoisseur but I know a good wine when I taste one, don't we all. And, let me fill you in, my husband picks out most of the wines I we drink so he knows how to pick 'em!  So this is just my opinion, take it or leave it or try it! You may just find a new favorite wine!

This is Truscano by Gervasi Vineyards , Gervasi Vineyards is located in Ohio. My husband said this vineyard is gorgeous and from the photos on their website, it really is and hope one day to see it for myself! This wine is one of the best wines I have ever tasted, and there is another wine that we have enjoyed from this same vineyard but I will save that one for another Wednesday. Anyway, this wine has a rustic yet smooth flavor with hints of plum and black currant. We have has this wine with pizza, pasta, red meat and it is always fabulous. To be honest, it's good by itself too.

This wine takes my mind to what I envision Tuscany is like and one day hope to visit. Italy, one place I hope to go, one day. If you like wine, try this one, after looking on their website, others agree because it has great reviews. I'm just glad I remembered to take a photo of the wine before I drank the last sip in the bottle. My husband saved this last sip for me because he knows just how much I love this wine, we both really like it. Thinking we need to make a trip to Ohio to get more.....

 

I was not compensated for this post, all opinions are mine.