Polka Dot Riesling, Pfalz, 2008 Price: ~$9 I am writing this post about 21 hours into our fast for Yom Kippur.  It is my first Yom Kippur fast and Dave and I haven’t killed each other so I think we’re doing great!  We’re going to break our fast in a couple hours and I can’t wait!  When I’m done with my writing, we will take a little time to reflect on the meaning of the holiday, the fast, and all.  I really didn’t get hungry until now. It took me a couple days but I have decided that the Robo Boogie pairs very well with Polka Dot Riesling.  Don’t let the screw top put you off this wine, give it a chance.  I picked this up because it looked fun and we were trying to buy anything other than our usual Merlot.  This wine is made in the Pfalz region of Germany.  According to the Wine Bible, winemakers in this region value individuality and it shows through in the wine coming out of this area.  The soil and climate give the grapes a diverse range of flavors and at the forefront of these flavors is fruit fruit fruit. Source Dave’s

Read more »

Happy Thursday!  It’s almost the weekend!  Hoooray!  When the week is getting to me and I’m sitting at my desk at work trudging along, I like to play some music to help my soul.  Usually it’s just a nice mix on Pandora or Stereomood and sometimes I need a certain special song.  This week, I went with a fun, groovy, funky song about robots! For the last couple of days I have had the Robo Boogie stuck in my head.  No not the Robot, the Robo Boogie. OK the title is actually, “The Humans are Dead”, but it’s not as grim as you’d think. It’s from Flight of the Conchords. Here is the link to the Flight of the Conchords HBO website if you aren’t familiar with the show.  Now to find an appropriate wine to drink whilst doing the Robo Boogie.  Hmmm…  I’m sure the answer will come to me after I’ve had my coffee.

Read more »

Dave picked up our dinner at Chompie’s while I was still at work. (I will remember to take a day off next year so we can make the meal.)  When I got home he had everything ready to go.  What a guy.  We had a big round challah bread, chopped liver, kugel, and brisket, and apples dipped in honey. Dave ready to eat! It was a lovely dinner.  I learned a little more about the holiday and it was fun!  He played a video of someone sounding the Shofar (a ram’s horn) and Scott (Dave’s brother) arrived just as we were about to eat so we were all able to enjoy it.  It was fun listening to them talk about holidays when they were kids. Here’s me, hungry and tired and happy!  Why yes, that is a bottle of Manischewitz on the table. I must add that the Jewish holidays are super new to me so if I made a mistake or seem like I don’t know anything about it, it’s because I’m early in the learning phase.  Also some family members gave us some books this summer that have proven to be super valuable to us this week.  You

Read more »

Manischewitz Concord Grape Sweetened Kosher Wine Price:~$4 at Safeway L’Shana Tova to my Jewish (and Jewish connected) friends!  Yes, you’ve got that right, I have a wine review that will blow your mind!  We decided to crack open a nice bottle of Manischewitz (pronounced manashevits) to go with our Rosh Hashanah dinner.  And what a dinner it was!  Dave picked up some food from Chompie’s, a local New York style deli/restaurant that we quite enjoy, and set the table for our first Rosh Hashanah dinner together!  He said a prayer and lit some candles (which was pretty awesome )and then we ate!  We are incorporating the Jewish holidays into our lives because: a) I freakin love holidays, b) Our children will be raised Jewish so I better get these down now! and c) I freakin love holidays!  Actually it’s gathering around some great food, comfort, family, and traditions that I love. Presenting… Manischewitz Kosher Wine!  Yes we were warned but we just had to review it, for the holiday! As you can see we had to devise a special grading system for this wine. Dave’s Grade: C+Dave’s Grade (with the holiday): BDave’s Review:  The color is best described as a

Read more »

La Crema Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, 2008 Price:~$20 at Safeway Today I bring you a review of one of our top three favorites (so far) in our red wine journal.  It’s a Pinot Noir and according to The Wine Bible (by Karen MacNeil) California Pinot Noir is getting more and more tasty year after year.  The grape is super touchy (just like me!) so anything that happens to it through then entire process of growing and wine making will show up in the flavor of the wine.   (Similarly, anything that happens to me throughout my workday is going to show up in my attitude that evening when I get home.)  Back to the wine, Pinot Noir is somewhat lighter in color which some could mistake for lighter flavor but in this case, the opposite is true. (Kind of like how vodka looks just like water.)  It’s flavors include leather, chocolate, sweat, and mushrooms.  It is often described in sensual terms because of its smooth silky texture.  Sounds like a recipe for fun right? Leather, sweat, chocolate and silk! *blush* This plain and simple label might lead you to pass this wine over, don’t. Dave’s Grade: A-Dave’s Review: The color is

Read more »