Winesday Wednesday: 5/14

Happy Winesday Wednesday, everyone!

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I hope you guys are having a good week so far (if not, drink more wine!) I am in the final stages of the interview process for a job, so I have been sitting at the edge of my seat just waiting to hear back. I’m going to jump right into this week’s submissions and butt in for anything random that pops into my head while doing so. (Did anyone else ever have to do that for English or Creative Writing classes? Just write any and everything that flows through your brain for a specific period of time? I did for a senior year elective- we were instructed to write in our composition books each day for five minutes on anything that came to our heads. Well, one day I was in a bad mood, so I basically wrote the F-word over and over again for the whole five minutes. And my professor was a monk- so that was awkward.)

Keith, who blogs at http://keithsodyssey.blogspot.com/ wrote in the following:

This Barolo was bottled in August 2008 so it’s coming up on 5 years. This is what 5 years of dust looks like. Dust and wine bottles go together. When it was only a couple years old it was very much an up in your face wine. There was a big bold taste that went with the spiciest of marinades. So today I paired it up with some barbecued Beef Tenderloin in a marinade with a bunch of Mama Africa spice. It went very well. The wine has mellowed a bit, being merely strong and assertive, with some of the ruffty tuffty corners knocked off. There’s a bit of black currants (which I hate) and other dark fruit (blackberries, plums, blueberries, prunes) here, and a hint of raspberry sweetness. This was a Mondial kit, meaning all juice. It takes these a long time to come into their own. If you can’t stand seeing a bit of sediment on the side, and don’t have the patience to wait years for it to ripen, don’t get this kit.

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For Keith, that’s 5 years of dust collecting. For our house, that’s about 3 days worth of dust. No lie. We are planning a HUGE all over house cleaning this weekend and I expect to fill at least 2 garbage bags with dust, lint and dog hair. Gross.

Katie, who blogs at http://katieenpursuit.wordpress.com/ celebrated QUITTING HER JOB with some fine $3 wine! Methinks from her latest post that she is pursuing training? HOLLA ATCHA GIRL- that’s exactly what I aspire to do one day!

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When I was younger, I ALWAYS wanted to have my own cinnamon bun shop. Now, I would kill to just train or do anything fitness-related. So my now-fantasy is having a cinnamon bun shop in the front and gym in the back. So I can fatten people up, then slim them down. Haha I am so clever. Or dumb.

Nicole, who blogs at http://hauterunner.blogspot.ca/ had Sir Perry Pear Cider! I actually tried this about a month or so ago and it’s pretty tasty- especially when it’s ICE COLD.

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Not that this has anything to do with pear cider, but I remember one of the first times i visited Canada I was passed a can of Palm Bay. I was all WTF is this. And they were all IT’S SO GOOD AND YOU’LL GET DRUNK! So of course, I chugged it. Should’ve read the can- it’s a VODKA COOLER…IN A CAN. I was in love love love with that stuff. Then I barfed a lot and haven’t had it since.

My best friend Kristin (I think I might be the only person left who still calls her Kysha?) made FANCY margaritas!

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The recipe: 1 oz agave nectar, 2 oz tequila and fresh squeezed lime to taste.

Dang, I want one. Speaking of margaritas, I like them a lot. And so does Tyler. I mean…HELLO COSTCO TEQUILA:

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Last weekend, we amped them up with raspberries (I called it my antioxidant beverage)

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I am STILL on the hunt for super huge margarita glasses so we can throw an upside-down Corona in those suckers. 

Michael submitted another awesome beer for this week. He wrote: Long Strange tripel from Missouri. Arguably one of the best tripels NOT made in Belgium nor by monks. That makes me laugh, since the college I went to was run by monks. I’m not kidding. 

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My friend Ashley sent me a pic from when she went to a BACON AND BEER festival. Um, I lived in Boston without knowing that existed? I’m ashamed. And jealous!

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My mom drinks margaritas with a fake goose. Her name is Moddy.

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That’s not random, either. When I was really young and living in Irvine, CA we used to go to the park that was right next to the library. The park had one of those big ponds with the ugly water feature in the middle and you couldn’t really picnic there because of all the ducks and geese and poop. But anyways, there were two immaculately white geese that my mom had named Helen and Moddy because they were asshole geese (we fed them anyways). My understanding is that my mom named them after two of her Aunts- so we can all guess how THOSE ladies must’ve been. So when my mom found these big clay geese somewhere a LONG time ago, she bought them and painted them and put them in the backyard and named them Helen and Moddy.

Gotta wrap it up for this week, I have to get ready for the Big Rock Brewery’s Brewmaster’s Dinner tonight!

Winesday Wednesday: 5/8

Happy Winesday Wednesday, folks! It’s that time of the week again where I share all the tweets, instagram shots, emails and facebook posts with YOUR recent bevvies. (I now know A TON-too many- preggo people now. You can STILL submit your non-alcoholic drinks!) Let’s get right to it to see if any of this week’s goodies spark your interest!

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Keith (<—link to his blog) sent in another goodie! I immediate read his description aloud to Tyler to see if it piqued his interest in throwing together another batch of vino. Keith wrote:

This is the last bottle of the Australian Bush Vine Grenache. It was bottled Nov 2007. It’s been a very reliable go to wine for a variety of purposes. It goes well with lots of food, and can hold its own with all but the spiciest. It’s a bit tart in a blackberry plum sort of way, but lots of other flavour to roll around on your tongue.
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If Keith’s pictures haven’t inspired any of you to consider making your own wine, I don’t know what will. OK, maybe tasting it would. 
 
Check out Athena‘s wine corner! How cute! I told her I had just been eyeballing the exact same wine bouquet- it’s so neat!
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Monique @burpeestobubbly (twitter) tweeted TWO different #winesdaywednesday pics and I wish I enjoyed BOTH with her! This is seriously a girl after my own heart…work hard, play hard(er). She recently started up her own bloggity blog which you should check out (in case you were wondering, we know each other from working out together in Boston. Lucky her, she still lives and teaches TONS of fitness classes in that great city!
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Margies for drinko de mayo 😉
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and Sam Summer (hint: if you go to my wedding…this just might be one of the draft selections!)
 
Chelsea @RunnerGirlChels (twitter) gave me the heads up that she had a really awesome wine to share. She mentioned it was a red blend that she tried at a friend’s BBQ over the weekend. And yes, the name is pure genius. I would buy it just for that.
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Sara @Turner_SR (twitter) enjoyed some beer and hockey this weekend! She later followed up with another tweet saying she swapped to twisted iced tea with the hashtag #whateverisinthefridge. Again, my kinda gal.
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I remember resorting so some incredibly questionable drinks when I was younger. Like tequila and coke. Or vodka mixed with shaved ice. Now think of what questionable drink you may have had and proceed to shudder. Oy.
 
Katie @kepotts (twitter) FINALLY got to enjoy a glass of vino after work tonight. If you don’t read this girl’s blog, you should. She’s smart, funny, and a bunch of other positive adjectives. In my opinion. Of course, most of the people who submit WW pics have blogs, but by sharing with you WHICH METHOD of social media they submitted, it will allow you to check them out- in at least ONE way.
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(BTW: that’s A by Acacia Chardonnay)
 
Ja had sake! Oh man, it has been AGES since I’ve had sake! Ja mentioned that it was smooth and creamy and a nice way to end the night. (Just bumped Sake back up on the to-do list! Thanks, Ja!)
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Oh my gosh, so apparently I had funny settings on my facebook page, but I JUST noticed that Michael submitted a beer pic way back in the beginning of April! Gah, sorry Michael! But I found it, so now I can share it!
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With the pic, he wrote:
Sweet Baby Jesus Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter. Tastes like liquid Reese’s peanut butter cup. 6.5% alchocol, probably 300 calories a glass, and totally ruined the workout I did but it was all worth it
Again, so sorry for overseeing this, Michael! Keep em coming!
 
Here’s my mama drinkin’ a margie on Cinco de Mayo:
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And finally (I hope I didn’t forget anyone else) here’s what I had on tap
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An organic Malbec from Argentina. Not too shabby, but definitely a wine to have with food and not alone.
 
K that’s it folks! Hope to see you all- AND MORE!- next week!

Winesday Wednesday: 5/1

Short post for this week’s Winesday Wednesday. Not too many submissions. (PLEASE keep them coming! Tell your friends…)

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Chelsea (who recently had a birthday and I forgot to tell her Happy Birthday!!!!) @RunnerGirlChels (twitter) send me a pic of a wine she got for her birthday! She said it was a smooth red blend that was perfect for the patio. Um yeah….wine is always a great bday gift. Or any occasion type of gift (I guess unless it’s a “congrats on the pregnancy” type gift. In which case, I would probably bring wine as a gift anyways and laugh in their face while I drink their gift. Because I CAN)

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Love wines from Columbia Valley!

Next up, Keith submitted a photo of another homemade wine (dang, I wish we made wines as fancy as all of his..they look and sound so fantastic!) Here’s what he attached with the photo:

Here is tonight’s wine, a limited edition Italian Primitivo. You know I love you if I serve this. It’s my current fave.
As far as I’m concerned, this is one of the best of the current crop. It has just the right amount of weight in my mouth, a nice crisp flavor without being tart, nice depths and mix of flavors, without being heavy or overwhelming. We had this with BBQ chicken burgers, and of course it went very well. It’s also great just drinking by itself. It’s a beautiful deep ruby red. I wish I’d bought and made two.
Sounds fantastic. I think we are about to pick up a limited edition case of our own…but not sure yet.
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Monique @burpeestobubbly (twitter) sent a collage of boozy goodness! 1) Wine 2) Mimosa 3) Sangria. Yup, I want to drink that whole collage right now.
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Nicole @hauterunningmama (instagram) posted a pic of a wine I had never heard of, and yet I want to buy mostly because of its name: Laughing Stock Vineyards Syrah. I looked it up online and it actually sounds yummy, too. (To be honest, I really buy a lot of my wines based on the label or the name…)
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Mary @mkc7946 (instagram) posted a beer pic!!! (Seriously, I equally love both wine and beer…OK, and liquor too) This one looks really good, and she mentioned it was her new favorite beer!
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Surprisingly, I didn’t get any pictures from my mama (I’M TOTALLY CALLING YOU OUT, MA. PS: WE SHOULD MARGARITA SKYPE THIS WEEKEND)
And to round out this week’s pics, here is my selection for the week: Rigamarole Red
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Chosen solely because it had a Gibra on the label (I told you I’m a very visual person). It was a bit dry, and I only ended up having a glass of it. Tyler finished it off over the weekend. 😉
COOL NEWS
I have been invited to a Brewmaster’s Dinner for Big Rock Brewery! They are introducing a new brew and I am SO EXCITED to attend! I was invited for the launch of another beer back in January, but was unable to attend because I was out of town. I can’t wait to share the experience with everyone!!
See ya for next week’s installment! (Remember, you can email, tweet, instagram or fb me your drink stuff!)

Winesday Wednesday: 4/24

YES!! I finally Winesday Wednesday again! I had yet another interview today so wine is definitely needed this evening. I stopped by the liquor store on my way home and picked up a new-to-me red that I’m thinking I’m gonna really like. But, there’s loads more to share from what some of you have submitted.

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PLUS–this week I am adding some other stuff to spice up this weekly post! Wine not. hahah

So here’s what we’ve got for submissions this week:

Kristin @kcorey320 (instagram) sent in a yummy cocktail, saying: “My dad’s famous Mai Tai ‘The Real Tom Collins’ sent all the way from Boston! Enjoyed it with some homemade guac and multigrain chips!!”

-I’ve had several of his famous mai tais and yes, they’re DELICIOUS.

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Katie @kepotts (Instagram) posted this photo last night, saying “Had to bust out the #BigGuns after the day I had! Reporting for #winesdaywednesday”

-Hope it helped, Katie! (it would for me!!!)

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Chelsea @RunnerGirlChels (twitter) hit me up with a nice Malbec pic, saying it was perfect for a bold red!

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Athena @fitnessandfeta (Instagram) posted a beer pic! Her beer of choice for the weekend that went well with her pizza.

-Hefe Weizen is yum yum!

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Ashley P posted a photo on Facebook of some celebration wine. (Personally, I always think there’s something to celebrate..so there should always be wine)

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Keith sent in yet another one of his fabulous sounding wines. With this one, he wrote: “Normally I love me a nice red, but tonight we were in the mood for a white. This is about 6 months in the bottle. Very smooth and light, with a faint effervescence that dances on the tongue. There’s a bit of pear and apricot.”

-holy moly, that sounds delicious!

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My mama found a BOX of wine. Now that’s what I’m talking about! hahaha

She said it was smooth, light and flavorful

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She also sent me a pic of this AWESOME bottle/glass contraption that reads “if you pour it, they will come” I totally need one of these. Or like a dozen of these.

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Lastly.. me! I had a nice glass of Seaglass Sauv Blanc! They just started carrying it at the liquor store nearby and it was a great surprise. Tyler and I discovered this wine when we were staying at a B&B in the Berkshires, and I had been on the hunt for it ever since.

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Now for further drinking entertainment:

 

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I sent this clip to Katie, and it’s really too good not to share with the rest of you:

click here for the clip

Before I sign off, I must include the link to a recipe I know I’M going to try super soon, and it might spark your fancy as well: Coconut Vanilla Bellinis. Do it. Then send me a pic.

That’s all for this week! If you want in for next week’s post, email me at jtougas77(at)gmail(dot)com, tweet me @nutcaseinpoint with hashtag #winesdaywednesday, post to my facebook page, or Instagram a pic and include the hashtag #winesdaywednesday and me, @nutcaseinpoint.

 

Winesday Wednesday 4/17

Happy Winesday Wednesday, everyone! I only got a few submissions for this week, so it’s gonna be a short post. Just a reminder, it’s called Winesday Wednesday, but that doesn’t limit you to just submitting wine pics. You can choose other alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages as well. I want this to be a fun weekly post so we can show off what we’re each drinking, and perhaps inspire others to try it too! 

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Let’s see what was on tap this week!

Ashley sent in a pic of La Crema, saying: My mom had this for me at my birthday celebration at home. Went great with the home cooked swordfish I requested! Oooh, lucky birthday lady! I love La Crema! 

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Monique @burpeestobubbly (Twitter) tweeted that she was “kicking off the #birthday weekend with J. Lohr Wines. Love love love their wines!”

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..wow, these birthday gals chose some great vino for their birthdays!!!

Athena @fitnessandfeta (twitter) said the following pic was “my favorite bevvy from this weekend (and there were many bevvies!)” Love me some beer, girl!

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Keith sent this pic in, saying “A nice fruity wine, lots of bold flavour, mixes well with lots of food. This was bottled sept 2012, so it’s still maturing. I suspect in another 6 months it will be very rich, and might well become one of my favorites.” Ummm, yumm-o!!

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My mama texted me this pic of her and her friend Marg sewing in the basement. No, it’s not a sweat shop. They’re retired ladies who get together and ‘sew’ on Wednesday nights. I put the word sew in italics because I’m pretty sure that no longer happens once the wine is opened. Actually, I know that doesn’t happen once the wine is opened. 

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And I leave myself for last because it’s the courteous thing to do. I enjoyed a bit of prosecco from Costco and mixed it with some of my favorite kombucha. Sounds weird, I know, but don’t knock it till you try it. Mmmmmm

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Thank you to everyone who took the time to send me their goods this week! Please please please join in for next week!