Comments will not upload

I have commented now on a couple of your posts, and for some reason they will not upload. Very frustrating! I hit "Publish" and nothing happens.

I am probably missing something. Rest assured though I am reading your posts, and enjoying them.

My last one just mentioned that I thought that day in Jersey sounded great. I like champagne, but not Spumante. I have to find a bottle of that Reisling, I love the look of it. Had some of that Black Box brand of cab, and it was very tasty for box wine. I am going to the drive-in tonight and will most likely be picking up a bottle of red, so if you have any recommendations.

lol I assure you my comment was much more written out. Just thought I'd paraphrase it.

Hope all is well!

Jersey drinkin

So a few weeks back, before I went to the open, I stayed with my friend Julie & her Aunt & Uncle in Jersey... they were having a luau on Saturday so we were drinking for about 10 hours... 

If you've never tried Moet champagne, I highly recommend it!  the Brut is good.. there are a bunch of different classifications for champagne, but I can't remember which ones I don't like.  Read an article not too long ago that talked about the quality of champagne's that said the more expensive doesn't always mean better.. I'll try to update this post if I find it.

We went to a liquor store near her Aunt's house... holy shit was this thing huge... and super legit.  The guy that helped us has been sent all over the world tasting wines by his company.  I went on some interesting bottles - based on their look - rather than the good ole standbys... 

First  bottle down was the Kungfu Girl Reisling.. a really great white choice!  I've heard the wines from Washington (state) are supposed to be great and this one certainly did not disappoint.  And it doesn't hurt that the bottle is pretty cool -- not as cool as Jen's black cat bottle, but that's pretty hard to beat.

The Reisling was light and perfect for spreading out over a decent amount of time, especially day drinking!  Wish I would have written this closer to when I actually tasted it but alas, time got away from me.  Definitely will try it in the future and look out for more Washington wines to test the theory.

Double Dog Dare... what a name for a wine!  I picked this one when I first walked into the store, it happened to be on sale and with a title like this, who wouldn't be curious?!  It was good.  Had this later in the day, hard to be positive since I had already been drinking a little by that point, but it seemed like it might have been a little "ruff" - ha, okay bad joke... anyway, I'd try it again if I saw it in PA but would definitely recommend he Reisling over this.

Will work on catching up with a few more posts - hope life is treating you both well!

A Cab on the road

This past week I was in Jacksonville, FL finishing up a project & ended up venturing out alone due to an unexpected sickness my co-worker experienced.  Some really great places to eat there, it's a pretty cool city... 

Ended up settling on Seasons 52 [https://www.seasons52.com/]- a really cool restaurant, in the same family as Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Longhorn, etc.. My friend recommended it to me because the food is supposed to be healthy, local, & well prepared. While reading the menu, saw that everything they offered was 475 calories or less... such a cool concept.

Plopped myself down at the bar, in front of a piano man - seriously - unfortunately, unlike the wine and meal, he wasn't very good!  Super corny but a cool idea from a chain... apparently they have live music every night, at all the locations. 

Picked my wine out first, surprise surprise... it was a Lake Sonoma, Alexander ‘09 Cabernet... really awesome wine... only had 2 glasses b/c had to drive.  So smooth & rich... an awesome way to relax after a long day at the office.  Forgot to get a pic of the bottle or even the glass... looked up some info from the interwebs though..

winemaker's notes:

The black cherry and cassis fruit aromas are infused with inviting notes of cedar, cinnamon, clove and vanilla. The rich fruit flavors and texture of black currant and cherry reduction sauce are enhanced with notes of bay leaf and red and black pepper. The firm tannins provide the structure for this wine's enjoyment now and for years to come.

This rich Cabernet is the ideal partner for grilled and roasted meats or for savory mushroom dishes.
alcohol by volume: 13.5%

Not sure of this Cab's availability up north, will check it out... and ordering online is tricky b/c of PA's liquor rules.  I've never done it before but might be a good idea to buy in bulk, or find deals, & save some cash.

I've really been enjoying the California Cabernet's lately... not sure if that's where the majority of production is... will have to look into that.  For your honeymoon, going to go somewhere with a lot of wine producers?  or a unique blend? that could be interesting!

I think I like the cedar & pepper flavors.. not totally sure if that's it, I'll have to watch out for those in the future.

Have to share the food aspect... since I'm a wino AND a foodie... got the Artichoke & Goat Cheese flatbread.. with leaf spinach, balsamic onions, roasted peppers, & mushrooms.. so delicious, the bread was actually flat, like paper thin & crispy, love that.  A decent amount too.. the board it came out on was probably a foot and a half long.  Great for a dinner when I wasn't that hungry, just the right amount.  Paired very nicely with the Cab :)

Had a glass of Murphy Good Merlot later that night... was OK, I love their Cab (shocking), had that at Firebirds before... hard to find in the liquor stores in this area though.

Definitely will look for a Seasons in the future but I generally like to stick with local places or local chains that can't be found anywhere else.

Side note: went to Albany, GA after Jacksonville to stay with family.. the one night we went out I had quite a few dirty vodka martini's ... not sure your take on those, but when they are made right, they are damn good.  Had it with Kettle One.  Also had raw and cooked oysters.. so yummy, hadn't had them before, at least not that I could remember.. looking forward to adding that to my seafood rotation!

Bottle 2 from six month dinner date...

After you surprised us with the Oberon, we were further shocked by the second bottle from another friend, Mr. Lane King.

Originally thought this was a Pinot Noir, however it turned out to be a mix of three things... Sangiovese (no idea), Merlot, and Syrah.  Definitely nice to mix it up a bit, would be interesting to try this on it's own, without finishing a bottle prior (however, it was one thoroughly enjoyed).  From what I recall, it was a nice blend, nothing outrageous, definitely enjoyable.

Sorry for the short blurb on this one... definitely going to make an effort to write about them while drinking or shortly after.

did you know blogger has an app? pretty convenient!

Dinner and a movie...

Last night Jenny and I had a nice relaxing evening...Dinner, a movie (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen), pillow pod (basically a big pillow/bank creation on the floor in front of the TV), and some wine.

Jenny likes riesling quite a bit...more specifically, dry riesling.

I picked this brand out for her. They actually also have a sweet riesling. I know Evan likes riesling, so it may be something to look into. Jenny enjoyed hers. When I asked her what she thought of it, she replied, "It's good...tastes like riesling." haha

For myself, I actually went a different route than usually...Merlot.

Typically I stay away from merlot. I am by no means an expert in wine, or wine lingo, but Merlot has that dryness to it, that irks me. As soon as you swallow, your mouth immediately dries up. I do enjoy dry wines, but not so much the ones that ruin your pallet.

This one in particular caught my attention with it's price. Original price was $12.99, but was on sale for $8.99. I figured I'd give it a go, since my last eight, or so bottles have been cab. It was good. Not amazing, but good. Really not that dry at all, but it did have a bit of blandness to it. Nothing jumped out at me, that was impressive. To quote Jenny..."It was good...tasted like Merlot"

Sidenote - Salmon Fishing in the Yemen was pretty decent. Good date night movie. A bit dry/boring, but Ewan McGreggor and Emily Blunt play their parts well. Interesting storyline too. I would give it a B-. If you are digging for a movie, but nothing really jumps out at you, it may be worth the watch.

A wonderful anniversary Cab

Huge Thanks to Jacob on this one! Evan and I got to try "Oberon" .. A Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon while at Peppino's Italian Chophouse in Fairview, PA.

Really great, not too fruity, not to dry! Will definitely look for this is PA wine stores.

Labels below!

Let the fermenting begin!

Looking forward to this!

I have a few bottles at the apartment now that I have drank in the past month or so. I will send some info on the ones I liked later tonight/tomorrow.

Next Wines and Spirits run I will make sure I pickup something new and unfamiliar.