Sunday, July 27, 2014

LOVE AND MARRIAGE…A TOAST TO LOVING LIFE

            "COME QUICKLY I'M DRINKING THE STARS…..DOM PERIGNON"
THE CHARM OF A SOUTHERN WEDDING IN CHARLESTON, S.C.
A TOAST TO THE BEAUTIFUL COUPLE 35 YEARS MARRIED 2013
Sherry & "the Wine Contessa " Malibu Beach Inn
OUR WEDDING DAY! SEPTEMBER 7, 1985  
Nice to be back, had a busy week doing field work…sitting in pretty places and drinking wine! So for those of you who are married and for those of you who are not, I'm sure at sometime in your life, you've been in love..May we raise our glasses to you and say cheers! Now as you know love and marriage are not easy..either as a package deal or separately, although Frank Sinatra and I disagree, you can have one without the other..ha! My romance with my husband Mark started with champagne, that we consumed on the lawn of Pepperdine University overlooking the Pacific, boy those were the days! I was a fledgeling wine connoisseur and we had our fair share of great French bubbles..and there is a most definite point to made here, only wines from the Champagne region in France can be called Champagne all others are SPARKLING WINES!! Not to say that California as well as other parts of the world don't have great bubbly they do..some even rival the French! It's true that consuming bubbles can make you giddy, sexy, provocative, and it can also make someone else look more attractive..and there are times when it's necessary to imbibe so you don't kill each other! But through all of the ups and downs of romance, no wedding is complete without a fabulous toast to the happy couple! I for one wander endlessly around at receptions with a flute in my hand hoping for more of the wonderful elixir!
One of the earliest California sparkling wines to be showcased abroad was SCHRAMSBERG 1969 Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine from NAPA VALLEY in fact Nixon brought it to China for a state dinner in 1972! I for one want to celebrate all my nieces and nephews on their marriages and their commitment to each other..it's nice to know that love is still alive and well..a glass of Prosecco would be nice about now! It is a sparkling wine from Italy..   PROSECCO: TWO THoUSANDS YEARS OF HISTORY!
                ‘And now I would like to wet my mouth with that Prosecco with its apple bouquet’ wrote Aureliano Acanti in 1754."
What better way to toast a wonderful occasion than with champagne or a sparkling wine?  When you think of all the momentous occasions in your life, there was usually the ubiquitous bottle to help the party along..it was almost as if that simple gesture put the seal of approval on the event! But through all the trials and tribulations we share in our lives it's nice to know there is one constant..LOVE!

OPRAH WINFREY'S 1ST ANNIVERSARY PARTY IN CHICAGO 1987
WOW WERE WE YOUNG & HOT,HOT,HOT...


HURRY UP AND SAY YES BEFORE THEY CHANGE THEIR MINDS…NATALIE & VINCE 2011
SHALL I STRANGLE YOU HERE AND THROW YOU INTO THE AEGEAN!
SANTORINI 2007
THREATENING TO KILL ME WITH A DULL KNIFE IN ROME 2003
ALL RIGHT AND NOW A TOAST TO ALL THE LOVELY COUPLES….

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED! -RACHEL & TYLER 2013
            MATT & GINA , TOASTING THE TOWN ON MATT'S 50TH -2009
           HEY, WOULD SOMEBODY GET ME A SCOTCH???
THE MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM...JASON & DANIELLE 2010
AND NOW FOR THE COUPLE THAT STARTED IT ALL…RICH &TRISH 2009
        AND WHO COULD FORGET THE FUN FILLED WEDDING OF YUVAL & JEE-2011

THE INTOXICATING CHARM OF ISTANBUL ON THE BOSPHOROUS..2012


STILL IN LOVE AFTER 31 YEARS…PRICELESS!
CABO 2014
So as the day comes to a close I've got a few words of wisdom..whatever you call this thing amour, amore, amor or any number of foreign languages which use the English version "LOVE" is all you need..as well as a good glass of bubbly…salute & CHEERS!
WINE PICK…WHAT ELSE SCHRAMSBERG BLANC DE BLANC…..A WONDERFUL SPARKLING WINE FROM CHARDONNAY GRAPES, VERY CONSISTENT AND PRICED USUALLY UNDER $30- AVAILABLE IN MOST WINE, LIQUOR AND GROCERY STORES IN THE WEST…CHEERS!



Friday, July 11, 2014

FRIENDS AND FAMILY-THEY CAN DRIVE YOU TO DRINK


 HAPPY SUMMER, ESPECIALLY WITH A GLASS OF A GREAT WINE IN YOUR HAND!


YOU SEE I'M GETTING BETTER, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER MONTH FOR A POST!    

SO TODAY I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THE JOYS AND PIT FALLS OF FRIENDS AND 

FAMILY..AS YOU KNOW WE DO PICK OUR FRIENDS BUT FAMILY IS ALWAYS PART OF THE 
MY GOD ALL THESE PEOPLE DO IS EAT!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TATA LEON
DEAL!  BUT WHAT IS MORE ENJOYABLE THAN A DINNER OR PARTY WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS…GREAT WINE!! BELIEVE ME WHEN YOUR SWALLOWING YOUR PRIDE OR EATING CROW, IT'S ALWAYS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU HAVE A GOOD SAUVIGNON BLANC OR
PINOT NOIR TO WASH IT DOWN WITH! I FOR ONE BELIEVE THAT MANY A FAMILY PROBLEM IS STARTED & RESOLVED AT THE TABLE! BEING ITALIAN THERE WAS NO WAY AROUND THAT, EVERYTHING IN LIFE REVOLVED AROUND EATING AND MORE EATING AND MORE WINE..AND TO ADD TO THAT DYNAMIC THERE'S MY HUSBAND'S JEWISH SIDE, SO ITS LIKE A SITCOM WHEN WE GET TOGETHER!!
LOOK A BUNCH OF " CASTRIOTTA" GIRLS


I NEVER NEEDED A REASON !

AND LET'S NOT FORGET ALL THE LADIES COOKING IN THE KITCHEN, EITHER THEY PLAYED REALLY WELL TOGETHER OR SOMEBODY WOULD ALWAYS START A FIRE, REMEMBER THE "LATKES"…THAT'S FOR PISSING ME OFF FIFTY YEARS AGO,HA..HA       


ME AND MY FRIEND LINDA SHE ALWAYS SHARES HER WINE WITH ME!!

A DAY AT THE RACES IN DEL MAR, OMG LOOK AT ALL THOSE GLASSES 
SHERRY! WE HAVE A VERY LONG HISTORY OF LOVING OUR 'VINO'
"WELL WHAT DO YOU THINK KIDS, MOSCOW MULE OR BATHTUB GIN"

NOW MY FRIENDS AND I HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH WINE AND WE DRINK VERY WELL TOGETHER! SOMETIMES TOO WELL....BUT WHETHER I'M DRINKING WINE WITH MY FRIENDS OR FAMILY IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT THE JOY GOOD WINE BRINGS TO THE TABLE! I'VE EVEN GOT FRIENDS THAT SWEAR WINE IS BETTER THAN MEN, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT YOU CAN PUT A CORK IN IT……………..







OK BOYS, KICK A LITTLE HIGHER

AND NOW AS THE SUN SETS IN CALIFORNIA I RAISE MY GLASS OR BOTTLE IN THIS CASE AND SAY" IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE" SALUTE'

YOU CAN FIND THIS DELIGHTFUL WINE ONLINE, VONS OR AT TOTAL WINE FOR $12-$14 CHEERS!!

Our Santa Ynez Valley Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from our own estate vineyard in Los Olivos as well as a number of other carefully farmed vineyards within the Los Olivos area of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA. The 2013 Harvest marks the 37th consecutive vintage for this remarkable value, and this bottle is the result of our extensive experience in growing and vinifying this varietal. 
Rich and brimming with a tropical exuberance, the aromatic profile leads with a nose of lychee nut, honeydew melon, and wet stone, while flavors of orange zest, white nectarine, and guava round out the deliciously ripe palate. Pair with a chunk of Humboldt Fog blue cheese, or a Caesar salad with homemade croutons, Pecorino Romano, and fresh cracked black pepper. Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

LOS OLIVOS--A LITTLE SLICE OF HEAVEN


 


               MOM I'M HERE!!

Well I'm back finally, it seems I'm tech challenged and I'm forever waiting for my daughter to come and help me! Marina where the hell are you??? I'd like to talk about SANTA BARBARA Wine Country, but particularly Los Olivos …what a wonderful place to spend the day or more if you can keep wine tasting and maybe never go home..I could actually pull up a chair or bench and take a nap on Grand Ave….First of all there are wonderful tasting rooms, ANDREW MURRAY which features their amazing Rhone wines, say hi to Nancy..REFUGIO RANCH is located at the very end in an old western style building, great wines, and around the corner on Alamo Pintado is STOLPMAN WINES which showcases varietals and blends, try their SANGIOVESE,outstanding.. you'll love their little cottage style room..There's is also the beautifully redone FESS PARKERS INN AND SPA, which houses the very Greek restaurant PETROS, fabulous food and a lovely European style backyard patio..oh look, there's me with my lovely niece Natalie and Teddy(The Dog), we were on our tenth glass of wine, not feeling any pain or anything else for that matter! What's up Teddy?? He's secretly already had his martinis..another great place to eat is LOS OLIVOS WINE MERCHANT, fresh and organic and one of the most extensive wine collections ...actually is it possible to be buried in a wine cellar?? OR better yet how about being "laid out in lavender" at CLAIRMONT FARMS, your stop for all things organic lavender!! Now as the sun sets in the west, well it's really only 2pm.. I know it's five o'clock somewhere! Salute..Cheers! Your Wine Contessa

HI NANCY!!

TEDDY'S ON HIS 4TH MARTINI!


           


JUST LIKE A RABBIT HOLE

NOT QUITE A PATIO BUT IT WILL DO!



SMILE FOR THE CAMERA LADIES!

SALUTE!!
                                                           WINE OF THE WEEK 

                          ANDREW MURRAY VINEYARDS

                2012 ESPÉRANCE
                        Red blend

                                New Release! Blend of Grenache, Syrah & Mourvedre

                    http://store.andrewmurrayvineyards.com/2012-espĂ©rance-red-blend-p294.aspx