Five on Friday: Sip Happens

January 3, 2014 by 5 Comments

It’s time for another edition of Five on Friday with A Liz Adventures, The Good Life Blog, Hello Happiness and Carolina Charm.

THE GOOD LIFE BLOG

In honor of my upcoming Sip Happens Party, I thought I would use today’s Five on Friday post to talk about all of my favorite wine things.

1. Sip Happens Party

I am excited to be part of the Sip Happens Party with Val from Chicken Scratch, Eva Marie Taylor and Erin from Living in Yellow. You can read more below and check out my Sip Happens Party post here.

Sip-Happens-Party-Info

2. Mahogany Wine Glass Appetizer Plates 

These are so cute and perfect for a wine tasting party! They come in a set of four for only $20.

wine appetizer plates

3. Wine Glass Writer Metallic Pens

These would be awesome for a wine tasting. You could write your name on your glass or keep track of what you tried and liked. You get six pens for $19.95 and they wash off in the dishwasher after the party. How cool!

Metallic Wine Pens

4. Wine Purse

This was my contribution to our Sip Happens Giveaway. I have one and I love it! It is a great carrier and it even comes with a corkscrew for you to use on the go. There are lots of different colors. For my friends in Michigan, you can get them at the Five Fifteen boutique in Royal Oak. Stay tuned for the Giveaway on February 10th.

wine purse

5. Haley’s Corker

This little contraption is pretty awesome. I started noticing these on my various winery tours. Most of the wineries I went to were using them so that tells you something. This is a 5-in-1 contraption that works as an aerator, filter, pourer, re-corker and stopper. They are pretty inexpensive and are really get the job done. I usually try to pick one up whenever I see it. They are key to any good wine tasting party.

pic-allcorkers-450

What are your favorite wine accessories?

For more 5 on Friday posts, click here.


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Sip Happens Party

January 3, 2014 by 1 Comment

In my last few Wine of the Week posts, I have teased a fabulous Sip Happens Party…well the day is finally here and we are ready to reveal what the party is all about. If you follow my friend Val from Chicken Scratch, you may have noticed that she recently celebrated her blogiversary and decided to start a new wine series. Val has been a faithful follower of my Wine of the Week series so I decided to get in on the action.

Val, along with Eva Marie Taylor and Erin from Living in Yellow  have created a wonderful wine tasting party for all of us to join in on. Here’s how it works:

  • We provide the wine idea, party printables and food pairings and then you get your girlfriends together for a fantastic wine tasting party.
  • During the party, we would love to see your photos on Instagram using the #siphappensparty hashtag.
  • On February 3rd we will all link up so you can share all of the party details and tell us what you thought of the wine.

And that’s not all – we are doing an awesome wine giveaway which includes:

  • PayPal cash to host your next party
  • Sponsorship package on Living in Yellow
  • Necklace from Chicken Scratch’D Designs
  • Wine Coasters from Eva Marie Typography
  • Wine Carrier from Detroit Duchess

The giveaway will begin after the party and run from February 10-14, so stay tuned for more details on how to enter.

Sip-Happens-Party-Info

Sip-Happens-Party-Pay-Pal-Cash-Giveaway-Google-Form

Open the Google Doc here to sign up to be a part of the Pay Pal Cash Giveaway.

Erin, our guest host, chose the wine, 14 Hands Hot to Trot Red Blend and Eva created some awesome party printables that you can download here.

Hosting-a-Sip-Happens-Party

What wine tasting would be complete without food pairings? Here are some tasty treats that will complement your Hot to Trot Red Blend:

For a wine tasting party you want to make sure to have some oyster crackers around so your guests can cleanse their palate before trying different wines and combinations.

Appetizers

Since the 14 Hands Hot to Trot Red Blend is a combination of Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon for your appetizer I recommend crackers with Gouda, Cheddar and Manchego cheeses.  Try a piece of each cheese with your Red Blend and you will be surprised at all of the different flavors you discover. For my fellow Detroiters, I like to head down to the DeVries cheese shop in Eastern Market when I am doing a wine tasting because they have the most amazing selection of cheeses.

Main Course

If you want to serve dinner at your party you might consider a Prime Rib or Pork Chops to complement the wine. I found this great Rib Roast recipe from Martha Stewart that would be perfect. You could also add some of the Hot to Trot wine to the bottom of the pan while its roasting. I also found this recipe for Herbed Adobo Pork Chops that you marinate overnight and throw on the grill, so delish!

Dessert

At any wine tasting you want to make sure to have milk chocolate and dark chocolate available for tasting. You can just have a few bowls of hershey kisses to make it easy and they really bring out the flavor of the wine. For dessert, I like the idea of melting dark chocolate for a fondue and having various fresh fruit dippers out on the table. I received a fondue pot for Christmas, so this would be the perfect opportunity to test it out. For 1 bag of chocolates you would want to mix 1 cup of heavy cream into your fondue pot.

I am super excited to host my own Sip Happens Party and cannot wait to see what you come up with! Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Now download your invitations and get to sipping!


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Wine of the Week: M. Lawrence Champagne

December 31, 2013 by 1 Comment

It’s New Year’s Eve! What better time is there for champagne? This week’s wine is M. Lawrence champagnes…there is nothing better to sip during a celebration!

I first visited M. Lawrence a few years back during a girl’s weekend. The winery was a ton of fun and we got to sample all of the different champagnes. One of our favorites was M. Lawrence’s Sex, a sparkling Brut Rose wine made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.

lmawby sex

It’s also a great gift to bring to a wedding shower or bachelorette party. They have a number of other sparkling wines including Wet, US, Fizz, Sandpiper, Detroit, Green, and Redd. My favorites are Wet, Sex and Detroit. I also love that they call their wine club members Bubbleheads, who doesn’t want to be a bubblehead?

It is recommended that you chill your bubbly for about 20 minutes or so before you pop the cork.

I also have some exciting news to share with you! Coming very soon, I am participating in a fun wine linkup with Erin from Living in Yellow, Eva Marie Taylor and Val from Chicken Scratch. In the meantime you can check out the #siphappensparty hashtag for some of our sneak peaks. I will be posting one of mine on my Instagram here, so stay tuned!

I can’t wait to enjoy some bubbly tonight as we celebrate the end of 2013 and welcome 2014. What bubbly will you celebrate with tonight?

For more Wine of the Week posts, click here.


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Wine of the Week: Estancia Pinot Noir

December 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Today’s Wine of the Week is the Estancia Pinot Noir.

Estancia

The hubby and I first discovered this on one of our Melting Pot trips. I am a big fan of Pinot Noir and this one turned out to be fabulous. This was a few years back and ever since we will drink it at any restaurant that offers it.

Estancia is medium-bodied with a silky smooth finish. You’ll taste flavors of raspberry and black cherry. When you drink this wine, you want to let it breathe for the flavors to develop. This is best paired with smoked salmon, asparagus, pork, poultry and steak (which is probably why it works so well at The Melting Pot).

Estancia means “estate” in Spanish. The winery chose this name because they believe that the world’s best wines capture the essence of their origin. At Estancia, they control the entire winemaking process from start to finish. Estancia also uses solar energy to reduce its carbon footprint, so you know that you are being environmentally friendly when drinking it.

So the best part about the Estancia Wine? Is that they have a matching candle to go with it! Estancia teamed up with DayNa Decker to create a special collection for the winery.  They have a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir candle. The Estancia Pinot Noir candle features aromas of warm raspberry, bright cherry, cassia bark, clove bud, and vanilla wood. The Pinot Noir candle is $44 or you can get the set for $80. These would be great for all of my pregnant friends, you can have as many of these as you want!

estancia_pinotnoir-410x600

Have you tried the Estancia before? Let me know what you think about it in the comments.

I also have some exciting news to share with you! Coming in January, I am participating in a fun wine linkup with Erin from Living in Yellow, Eva Marie Taylor and Val from Chicken Scratch. In the meantime you can check out the #siphappensparty hashtag for some of our sneak peaks. I will be posting one of mine on my Instagram here, so stay tuned!

For more Wine of the Week posts, click here.


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Wine of the Week: Castle Rock Pinot Noir

December 11, 2013 by 1 Comment

Today’s Wine of the Week is Castle Rock Winery’s Pinot Noir.

Wine of the Week CR

My husband and I originally discovered this wine on our honeymoon. We took a Mediterranean cruise and they served this during our dinners on the ship. Well my husband loved it so much that I made a note of it and we have been enjoying it ever since. If you’ve learned anything about me yet, it’s that I love the challenge of hunting something down.

In the picture, we most recently had the 2009 Monterey County version, but after reviewing Castle Rock’s website it seems that they have a lot of different varieties, and a Cuvee, which my friend Tracy will love.

castle rock

These wines are very affordable and you can find them at most stores, I’ve seen them at wine retailers, Target and Costco to name a few. This makes me want to try all of the different Pinot Noir varieties – might be a good project over the holiday…

This Pinot is elegant and smooth. It has aromas of cherry, tea and herbal spices and tastes like black cherry, plum and spice. It is really versatile and great for most foods.

Castle Rock has a number of different Pinots including:

  • Mendocino County Pinot Noir
  • Sonoma County Pinot Noir
  • Monterey County Pinot Noir
  • Central Coast Pinot Noir
  • California Cuvee Pinot Noir
  • Carneros Pinot Noir
  • Columbia Valley Pinot Noir
  • Williamette Valley Pinot Noir

I can only speak to the Monterey County Pinot Noir, but would love to hear from you if you’ve tried the other ones.

Do you have a wine I should try for Wine of the Week? Post it in the comments section.

For more Wine of the Week posts, click here.


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Wine of the Week: Cupcake Vineyards’ Red Velvet

December 4, 2013 by 2 Comments

Today’s Wine of the Week is the Red Velvet from Cupcake Vineyards.

wine of the week crv

This is one of my favorite wines to drink. It is always available in the store, easy to drink and everyone usually loves it.

Rich to the taste, Red Velvet tastes like chocolate and blackberries with a hint of coconut and mocha. For some reason, I always thought that it was a Pinot Noir, but I was wrong. Red Velvet is a mix of Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. Which is probably why I love it so much – I love blends!

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In my research, I also discovered that Cupcake has a whole Red Velvet line which includes a Zinfandel, Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. I am going to have to hunt these out and try them.

Have you tried Cupcake Vineyards’ Red Velvet? What did you think of this wine?

Do you have a wine I should try for Wine of the Week? Post it in the comments section.

For more Wine of the Week posts, click here.


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Wine of the Week: Forty-Five North

November 20, 2013 by 1 Comment

It is always a good day when you get wine in the mail. I recently joined the Forty-Five North Wine Club and received my first shipment.

45northprofile

This is the third and most recent wine club I have joined. My friends and I took a trip to Traverse City, Michigan a while back and discovered this gem of a winery. Every wine we have tried is amazing! My rule is that I can only join a wine club if I have open spots in my wine cabinet. So when I decided to join a new one, this was a no brainer. I couldn’t wait to get my first shipment.

With my wine club membership I receive a shipment of four wines six times a year, free tickets to events and 20 percent off wine purchases.

For my first shipment, I received a 2012 Chardonnay, 2011 Chardonnay, 2012 Pinot Noir and a Hard Cider.

45North Final

45North2final

I tried the Pinot Noir last night and it was fantastic! So smooth and velvety. It would be a great choice with chocolate.

Have you tried 45 North wines? Which are your favorite?

Do you have a wine I should try for Wine of the Week? Post it in the comments section.

For more Wine of the Week posts click here.


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Wine of the Week: Cupcake Vineyards’ Malbec

October 17, 2013 by 6 Comments

This week’s wine is Cupcake Vineyards’ Malbec.

cupcake malbec final

I remember the first time I saw a bottle of Cupcake Vineyards wine. We were on our way to a long weekend vacation and had stopped to stock up before our final destination. I remember seeing this and thinking that cupcakes and wine are the perfect combination. I have some favorite Cupcake wines, which I’m sure I will detail in upcoming posts, but I had never tried the Malbec before.

cupcake malbec 2

Cupcake Malbec hails to us from the Mendoza region of Argentina. The wine was smooth, and velvety with a hint of spice. There are flavors of blueberries and chocolate. This would be a great wine to have with a heavy dinner or a nice steak.

We tried this wine on its own and it would be great for a happy hour with friends as well.

Have you tried Cupcake Vineyards’ Malbec? What did you think of this wine?

Do you have a wine I should try for Wine of the Week? Post it in the comments section.

For more Wine of the Week posts click here.


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Wine of the Week: Jam Jar

August 29, 2013 by 3 Comments

Simple, pure, honest.

That is the tagline for this week’s wine from Cape Classics, called Jam Jar.

Jam Jar2 Edited

This is one of my favorite wines, referred to me by John’s aunt. It’s a sweet Shiraz, but with a fruit flavor and hints of dark chocolate. It tastes best chilled, but as my friend Tracy said last night as we drank it, “This wine is dangerous!” It definitely goes down smooth.

Jam Jar

Jam Jar literally tastes like melted jelly in a bottle. It is made in South Africa and is about $9 depending on where you buy it. The funny thing is that I probably never would have tried this wine on my own if it hadn’t been recommended to me, but I can’t get enough of it. It is a great bottle to have on hand or to buy if you need to bring something to a party.

Have you tried Jam Jar Shiraz yet? Let me know your thoughts!

Do you have a wine I should try for Wine of the Week? Post it in the comments section.

For more Wine of the Week posts click here.


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Wine of the Week: Noble Vines 667 Pinot Noir

July 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

My husband and I tried this week’s wine on a recent visit to Olive Garden. We were looking for a good Pinot Noir to go with our dinner and this was a brand new wine they were promoting. We really enjoyed it and would definitely drink it again. It is widely available at the main grocery stores and pretty easy to find.

Introducing, Noble Vines 667 Pinot Noir as the Wine of the Week:

Noble Vines 667

Noble Vines 667

Noble Vines 667 is a bittersweet, rich Pinot Noir. The nose reveals a black cherry and vanilla aroma. You can taste a hint of chocolate and the wine has a smooth finish. This is a great table wine that most people would enjoy. This wine would be great with a beef stew, salmon, lamb or soft cheeses. It is a great price at $14.99 a bottle.

noble 667

Noble Vines is part of the Delicato Family Vineyards in California. Noble Vines specializes in taking cuttings from original vines and “cloning” them. Basically taking vines that are known for specific characteristics and cultivating them in an environment that will bring out the best qualities of the grape.

Not all Vines are created equal

Not all Vines are created equal

Have you tried any Noble Vines wine? What did you think of it?

For more Wine of the Week posts click here.


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