Hil’s and Valleys: Birthday Dedication to Hilary

Long time, no blog!  Oops?  So, in honor of my best drinking buddy and all around partner in celebratory-crime, I’m dedicating a post to Hilary, my best bud from college.  I say “from college” but that’s really not true; a year ago, I moved about 2 blocks from her and thus we we find ourselves yet again celebrating, partying, loving life as only the best of friends can.

I’m really lucky to have a friend like Hilary.  In fact, I hope most people have someone in their lives who fits her description: someone always ready to laugh, game to go out to celebrate OR commiserate, enthusiastic about nearly any plan– tv and sushi? or live 80′s cover band and dancing.  It was her birthday last week (but let’s be honest, because this is Hilary, it’s actually all month).  This post highlights a few favorite wines (and memories) I’ve enjoyed with her over the years of our friendship.

Halloween 2010: Punch X (as classy as we pull off Sesame St. characters, it wasn’t really a wine kind of evening…)

Uno Mas more please! Review: Cotes du Rhone Villages “Khayyam”‘

I was lucky enough to enjoy a wonderful bottle of red the other night with my roommate from college on her birthday! I brought the bottle for HER technically, but you all know better than to think I wouldn’t insist on perhaps trying a little myself… The bottle came from one of my favorite wine shops: Dave’s Fresh Pasta in Davis Square, Somerville. I truly adore this place for many reasons: wine, chocolate, beet salad (best in town), meats, cheeses pretty much anything you could really need in life, they serve. However, I can’t lie, this isn’t the place to go on the cheap. The shop carries the best, unique treats, from sandwiches to homemade pastas, they’ve got the a most UNIQUE selection around, which is quite true of their wine selection as well.  That means… they don’t really sell to the under $12 per bottle crowd. If you’re looking for a birthday present for someone who loves wine though… this is ideal! (HINT HINT, my birthday is coming up….) Haha.

These are the college roommates: I’m so lucky 3/4 of us enjoyed this bottle together because we live THAT close!  #notreadytobeonmyown

A Cambridge Cellar (Red White Boston Event!)

This post is brought to you in large part by @RedWhiteBoston, @WholeFoodsRVR and @PantherVin who joined forces to host a really dynamic, interesting and informative wine tasting last week!  The setup for the tasting was simple; RedWhiteBoston knows wine and wine events,  Panther Distributing distributes (yes, you guessed it) wine to the greater Boston area… and WholeFoods on River Street has a wonderful little room with space for wines, appetizers and people!  The evening was attended by people throughout Cambridge and Boston- who really know their wines.  After each tasting, we were asked to “judge” the wines with some fun… albeit vague… badges.  For example “off the beaten vine” and “easy drinking.”  Rarely do I find wines NOT for “easy drinking,” so luckily (for the lushes in the crowd) we were given a ‘cheat sheet’ for appropriate badges per bottle.   In addition to this fun setup, we were also doing out part to help inform the Whole Foods crew which wines to purchase for the store.  Thus, I’d call this, among the most productive of wine tastings I’ve attended

(apologies for the photos and lack thereof. Mine came out very poorly!)

Fine Wine Experience!

Last weekend, I was very fortunate to be hosted by my boss and his wife at their lovely home on Cape Cod.

Some icing on the cake is that my boss is a connoisseur and collector of excellent, unique wines from around the world.  See, I told you: I’m one lucky girl.  We tasted several incredible bottles over the course of an evening that included a cocktail hour, appetizers, salad and dinner!  The night was capped off with a fantastic video of a classic jazz concert from Pittsburgh (my home town! and the same band that played my mom’s wedding!).  And, if you know me at all, you know that a night of (excellent) wine, shrimp and jazz is probably one of the best nights I could enjoy.  The quality of the wine made the evening all the more unique and celebratory!  (Especially unique as the “aging” I have come to know is more like that in the comic –>)

Mysterious Vino: Morse Code!

I can’t lie: I bought Morse Code for its name and label.  Who wouldn’t!?  Some friends and I started the evening wine tasting at Ball Square Fine Wines!  It’s a weekly tasting,  pretty casual, and I’d totally suggest trying it out!  We tried a variety of wines and then I perused the shelves looking for something fun after that.  Don’t worry (I know you were…), I bought one from the tasting too, but that’ll be another post.

So, onto Morse Code Shiraz!

Viva Vino Italiano!

Small news flash about JuliaUncorked: I don’t normally drink Italian wines.  I’m not even sure why that is. Sometimes I’m just more enthused by the idea of a spicier region, like Chile, Spain or bolder like those in New Zealand and Australia.  I‘m not sure I appropriately appreciate the nuanced, refined balance of fine Italian and French wines.  But perhaps that’s a good reason to try them more often!  In this case, I can’t take credit for “boldly” trying to expand my palette; rather, a dear friend brought this to a party I threw a few weeks ago and *shocker* we DIDN’T drink it! So, lucky me!  Enter: the 2007 Cantina Numa Tolenus Rosso Piceno.

When life delivers wine…

You drink it!  There are certainly drawbacks to being in the office until, say, 9pm.  Sure.  However, I can tell you there is hardly a  situation not improved with a bottle of wine.  Ergo, late in the evening, whilst hard at work, my coworker and I decided that wine would be a fun addition to the work at hand.  Going to GET wine wasn’t really an option- no local wine shop and hey, we had WORK to do!  Enter: foodler.com.  Enter: search term “wine.”  Enter: resounding shout of joy by julia, “WHAT?!  We can get wine delivered!”

The Art of de Cant

I’ve never been a big “decanter.”  I mean that as loosely as possible; I literally don’t own a decanter.  But my recent experience has me thinking of making a purchase.  I opened a bottle of 2006 Bonterra Syrah.  It probably should have been opened a while ago honestly.  It’s been collecting a little dust in my mom’s wine collection.  But, hey, that’s what she brings me home for.  So, voila! Daytime vacation drinking!  I’m drinking while typing, so this should make for a good post… 

Terra Rosa, on the Cape!

This summer I was lucky enough to spend a wonderful weekend on the Cape and in Rhode Island.  I got to try several wines over the weekend and more importantly, I got to attend the Newport jazz festival!  If you don’t know this about me… wine + jazz = happiest me.  (Oh, also my other favorite Jazz made an appearance… see below).  Because it was delicious and enjoyed amidst a beautiful Cape evening, I’m focusing this review on Terra Rosa- a delicious Malbec from Argentina.

I’m going to make this short and sweet… the pics tell the best story anyway.

Grazie, Graziano!

Long time, no blog!  I haven’t found the time to blog in a while, but that does not mean I haven’t been “researching” plenty (read: drinking delicious wines on regular occasion).  I’m going to try to do a few posts to catch up a bit.  So… the subsequent reviews will be from summer/fall 2010 events.  Luckily, my friends have obliged and joined me for the fun.  So- first up!?  Graziano- a Zinfandel from Mendocino, California!