#samples Feeling chilly? Need just a little something to warm you? How about a glass of Port? Today on the blog we share three warming Ports that are perfect to sip fireside. We know this first hand. 😉 All three of these wines are part of the Symington Family Estates’ portfolio of wines. The Symington family has been involved in the Port wine trade since 1882 when Andrew James Symington came to Portugal from Glasgow. The fourth and fifth generations of the Symington family own and manage the company, which is firmly committed to reducing its carbon footprint, fighting climate change and making a social contribution. And Symington Family Estates is a Certified B Corp. You will find all the details in today’s blog post. Link in my profile. Ruby Port or Tawny Port…do you have a preference? I hope you’re sipping something delicious. @symingtonfamilyestates . . . #portwine #oporto #portuguesewine #rubyport #tawnyport #lbvport #dourovalley #fortifiedwine #winelover #winetime #firesidewine #winefun #winepic #winewednesday #wineoftheday #winetasting #winenotes #winetravel #winegeek #instawine #instaphoto #wintersipping

Oh. My. Goodness. Smoked salmon pizza with crème fraîche, capers and chives came about in an effort to use up smoked salmon and leftover crème fraîche. This is a combo that will be on repeat in our house. The smoky salmon pairs perfectly with the creamy tang of the crème fraîche and the pop of saltiness from the capers. Initially we planned to pair a white wine with the pizza, but in rummaging around in the wine fridge we found this 2017 Two Shepherds Mouton Gris. Knowing skin-contact wines pair with about everything, and that we love Two Shepherds’ skin contact wines, it had to be the Mouton Gris. So glad we did. Gorgeous rusty color, earthy aromas with flavors of dried orange peel and dried cherries. Lovely texture, nice acidity, long finish. 12.9% abv. $24. A blend of equal parts skin-fermented Trousseau Gris and skin-fermented Pinot Gris. This Gris-Gris is a winner! I don’t know how the pizza will be as leftovers, but I know this wine will be divine tomorrow and beyond. I hope you’re sipping something delicious! @twoshepherdswine . . . #sonomawine #russianrivervalley #skinfermentedwine #skincontactwine #naturalwine #trousseaugris #pinotgris #naturalfermentation #winelover #winetime #pizzalover #pizzatime #winetaster #winetasting #winepassion #wineoclock #winegeek #wineoftheday #winepic #wineandpizza #winefun #winepairing #wineanddine #foodandwine #instaphoto

#samples Just when you might be wondering if we are participating in Dry January we share six Cavas! 🍾 We’ve been busy sipping bubbly and learning about Cava — a fun way to begin the year. Today on the blog we take a look at the region and its wines and share our tasting notes on these six sparkling wines made in the traditional method. They each have a personality of their own, but at the same time they have some common traits. What I particularly love about these wines is balance, low abv and affordability. There is no reason not to enjoy a glass of Cava with a weeknight meal. These wines will not break the bank and they’re very food friendly, as many sparkling wines are. You will find a link in my profile to today’s post. I hope you’re sipping something delicious! 🥂 @cava.do @odltalk . . . #cavalovers #cava #cavatime #cavawine #cavapremium #cavamoments #docava #sparklingwine #organiccava #biodynamicwine #vinselcep #santsadurni #xarello #macabeo #parellada #pinotnoir #chardonnay #garnacha #winelover #winetime #wineoclock #winewednesday #wineandfood #winepairing

Zinfandel can be a hard sell in our house. We are not fans of big, over-ripe Zinfandel with high alcohol. We are happy to leave that style of Zin for the many people who love it. Happily, this is not one of those Zinfandels. Love the boysenberry, earthy flavors with firm but fine tannins and a hint of baking spice. There is plenty of flavor and texture in a barely medium body. Perfect for a chilly evening. Sourced from Kirschenmann Vineyard, on Lodi’s east side near the Mokelumne River, planted in 1915 to Zinfandel with a bit of Carignan, Cinsault and Mondeuse Noire. It’s history in a glass. Hope you’re sipping something delicious. . . . #zinfandel #zinfandelwine #lodizinfandel #kirschenmannvineyard #historicvineyard #localwine #drinklocal #drinkcalifornia #californiawine #californiaadventure #californiawinelover #californiazinfandel #winelover #winetime #instawine #wineoftheday #wineoclock #winepassion #foodandwine #winenotes #redwinelover #vinrouge #instawine

Wishing you all a Happy New Year! It was a bright sunny day here and I’m hoping that means good things for 2022. We had a relaxing NYE at home and even stayed up until midnight. Dinner started with Spinach Terrine with Parmesan Cream that was outstanding. In the pan it looked absolutely hideous, but once plated it was vibrant. I think I need the proper terrine mold because Laura Calder’s version is beautiful. Next we moved on to Sauté de Boeuf à la Bourguignonne from Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” It was really delicious with oven roasted Yukon gold potatoes. After a rest, we ended with a lemon tart because our lemons are ripe and delicious. With dinner we enjoyed 2013 Domaine Thierry Mortet ‘Les Beaux Bruns’, Chambolle-Musignny 1er Cru - showed ample red fruit, earthy notes and a beguiling minerality all supported by smooth tannins and lively acidity. It’s one to sip and savor. 13% abv. 👍 This is another outstanding Bourgogne we purchased from Elden Selections. For New Year’s Eve we sipped Champagne Paul Bara Grand Rosé Brut, Bouzy - pale salmon color with generous, fine bubbles and aromas of mixed berries. Flavors followed with raspberries and blackberries, citrusy acidity and a hint of toast. Love a rosé with plenty of acidity and mouth-filling bubbles. 12.5% abv. 👍 What a way to begin the year. We have leftovers of everything and I’m betting we finish the lemon tart before the wines. 😊 Stay safe. Hope you’re sipping something delicious. 🥂@elden_selections @champagne_paul_bara . . . #happynewyear #happy2022 #happynewyear2022 #bourgogne #bourgognewine #burgundylover #chambollemusigny #premiercruburgundy #1ercru #burgundywine #domainethierrymortet #champagne #bouzy #grandcru #pinotnoir #hve #vdc #champagnegrower #bouzyrouge #champagnelover #champagnelife #champagnehappyhour #champagnerosé #champers #foodandwine #winelover #winegeek #winetime

Time to sip Chablis and did I really pile that much crab on my Crab Louie? Ack, that’s a bit embarrassing, but I do love crab and look forward to the season every year. This bright, lean but complex, mineral-driven Chablis was perfect with the richness of the crab, egg and dressing. It’s also super sipping on its own. Winemaking employs natural fermentation in stainless steel with aging on the lees also in stainless steel. 13% abv. $57. We could have waited years to drink this wine, but we didn’t and it’s so good right now. Hope you’re sipping something delicious. @elden_selections @domaineoudin . . . #chablis #chardonnay #burgundy #bourgogne #vindebourgogne #premiercruchablis #chablis1ercru #chablispremiercru #chabliswine #ilovechablis #frenchwine #ilovefrenchwine #vaugiraut #naturalfermentation #organicviticulture #dungenesscrab #crabseason #winegeek #winepic #winenotes #wineofthday #winelover #wineoclock #winetime #winetravel #foodandwine #vino

We are caviar novices. The last time we had caviar was New Year’s Eve 2000, so we figured it was about time to give it another try. 😊 Add Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut and the party is complete! 🥂 I ordered from Tsar Nicoulai Caviar in Wilton, just 45 minutes north of us. I like the idea of ordering local and, according to the Tsar Nicoulai website, from “the nation’s only Eco Certified Sturgeon farm & CCOF/USDA Organic Aquaponic Greenhouse - all powered by our native White Sturgeon.” 👍 As the evening proceeded we used less crème fraîche, more caviar and found the egg yolk and egg white unnecessary. Chives were welcome. Blini better than chips. Loved the salty, earthy, clean flavors of the caviar just on its own. The LP Ultra Brut was clean, steely and fresh with plenty of acidity. 🥂 The caviar is gone, but we still have champagne to sip. Yay! 🍾 This might be the beginning of a Christmas Eve tradition for us. Happy sipping! @therealtsarnicoulai @champagnelaurentperrier . . . #champagnelover #champagnehappyhour #champagnelife #laurentperrier #ultrabrut #caviar #californiacaviar #sturgeoncaviar #ecocert #tsarnicoulaicaviar #californiacaviar #caviar #caviarlover #champagneandcaviar #champagne #holidaycelebration #merrychristmas #merrymerry #brutnature #zerodosage #sansdosage #winepassion #winepic #winegeek

Merry Christmas! We are hanging out at home again this year, but we’re good with that. We will be enjoying what we expect to be delicious wine and food. And we might even manage to leave some cookies for Santa. We hope you are merry, merry on your own or with friends and family. And, I can hardly wait to see what you will be sipping. Wishing you all a safe holiday. 🥂 . . . #merrychristmas #merrymerry #christmaseve #christmaswine #champagne #champagnelover #instawine #wineoclock #happyhour #winetime #winefun #winewinewine #winegeek #winelover #foodandwine #winenotes #holidaywine #merryeverything #instaphoto #tastingnotes #californiawinelover #winepassion #celebrate #winepic

We’ve been having grey, cloudy days for what seems like an eternity here, but today it’s official: it’s winter. Happy winter solstice. It’s the perfect evening to be sipping a Zinfandel that is light on its feet with layers of ripe boysenberry flavors along with berry bramble, earth and an occasional pop of black pepper. Tannins are oh so smooth. 13.5% abv. I love that this Zinfandel isn’t big and jammy with high alcohol and a hot finish. That is definitely not the style at Porter Creek Vineyards. Porter Creek wines rock. We visited the winery off Westside Road in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley this summer and came away very impressed by the wines and the Davis family’s commitment to organic and biodynamic farming. We loved the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in addition to this Zin. And it’s such a pretty places to visit. We have social media pals @topochinesvino to thank for inspiring our visit. You should check out their posts. Happy sipping! 🍷 @portercreekvineyards . . . #russianrivervalley #sonomacounty #sonomawine #californiawine #drinklocal #naturalwine #naturalfermentation #organic #biodynamic #organicwine #biodynamicwine #winegeek #gowinetasting #sonomawinetasting #visitsonoma #winenotes #winetime #winetravel #wineoclock #happyhour #wintersolstice #redwinelover #zinfandel #zinfandelwine