If you came here hoping for architectural information on Wood Bridges, I’m sorry, there won’t be any information here on that. BUT — you will find some fun with this Robert Mondavi wine! I personally think my Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi blog post is better than real wood bridges, but I’m not an architect!

Enter
Robert Mondavi
Woodbridge By Robert Mondavi Sweet White

I normally don’t review white wines here, mostly because I’m selfish and I figure if I’m going to buy my own wine – it’s going to be a red I enjoy. This white wine came to me from the wonderful PR people that work with Robert Mondavi Wines, so it was basically like the universe telling me “Try White Wine”. So listening to the universe whispers as Oprah Winfrey suggests … I dug my cork screw in and popped the cork on this one!

I’m certainty glad I did! This wine has a suggested retail price of $7.99/bottle which allows you to pick this up for your everyday white wine fix! While this wine boasts on it’s label that it’s a sweet wine, don’t worry, it’s not overly sweet; it’s just the right amount of sweet for a summer white wine!

Bringing us a blend of Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Viognier, and Verdelho, this wine exudes bright citrus flavors of orange blossom, and grapefruit. I taste a little green apple in this one and find that it’s not tart on the tongue and softly mellows out for a smooth finish. Pairing this wine with some salty cheeses and fruits are recommended. Also recommended is pairing this with some spicy food.

But exactly what kind of food? … guess what?? I have got a suggestion! How about Spicy Crab and Corn Croquettes with a Curry Dipping Sauce? Yeeessss….!

Spicy Crab & Corn Croquettes Recipe

1 Cup just add water cornbread mix
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 (6 oz.) cans crabmeat, diced
1-2 teaspoons canned chipotles in adobo, chopped
1 egg
3/4 cup onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup panko
1 teaspoon sea salt
Vegetable oil (for frying)

In a medium mixing bowl, combine cornbread mix, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, crabmeat, chipotles, egg and 3/4 cup oinons, panko, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together all dipping sauce indgredients. In medium saucepan, heat oil to 320 – 330 degrees. Oil should be 1.5 inches deep. Working in batches, carefully drop bite-size spoonfuls of batter into oil. Fry until golden and cooked through, 1-1.5 minutes. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon; transfer to paper towels. Serve hot with dipping sauce.

Curry Dipping Sauce Recipe

1 egg yolk
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon agave
1/4 cup onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
Salt to taste

So now that I’ve given you this great recipe … who is ready to invite me over for wine, dinner and great conversation!?!? Tell you what! I’ll bring the wine!

What do you think of this wine? Have you tried it? Used it for a wine spritzer or white wine sangria? Would love to hear your thoughts!

So this viral video is making it’s way thru the internet-o-sphere. I think it’s the perfect video to end your work day this Friday.

I have to believe that DollarShaveClub.com is a fun place to work … or at least everyone probably has a good sense of humor right? Your thoughts?

… the party is on over at DollarShaveClub.com

Cheers to Friday!

When the Food Network turns out a wine, you have to stop and listen. For me though, I have to wish that if the Food Network is doing this, they COULD have thrown in a chef to go with the wine, but that’s just really in my “Jennifer world” so I’ll have to settle with run on sentences and the reality of this wine I tried!

Entwine
Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
The Food Network and Wente Vineyards

Entwine is a creative partnership between Wente Vineyards and The Food Network. Which makes perfect sense. If you are promoting food … what a great thing to promote a wine that is fantastic with the foods you showcase! Entwine has Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Merlot, and of course Cabernet Sauvignon.

The prices on these wines are around $13/bottle. I bought my wine on special for $10/bottle – so deals can be had out there. However, I would have no problem paying full price for this wine. Wente Vineyards did a fantastic job on the Cabernet Sauvignon and debating over a few dollars on this just makes it that much longer before you try this.

Taste on the Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich smooth wine. When they say it’s herbaceous, that’s the perfect word for this. It has a nice herb taste that smoothly incorporates a fruity jam. It’s important to note that this is a thinner Cab and not a full bodied robust wine.

One of the things I like about the Entwine Wine is how interactive their site is. If you are wondering what foods pair well with this wine, the site has it all figured out for you. Selecting the wine you have and clicking the “pairing” button brings you to all the foods that pair well with your wine choice. Then they not only give you the food suggestion – but they give you the recipe. To. Print. Out.

I love that.

… then I remembered …. it’s a website of wines in a partnership with Wente Vineyards and THE FOOD NETWORK … of course they have food recipes!

Have you tried this wine or did you shy away from it? Would love to hear what you think below in the comments!

Crown Royal is the drink of choice in the apartment of Pete Campbell, Head of Accounts on the AMC series Mad Men.  He is, in short, a selfish little brat on the show, but I must admit, he picks a good whiskey to keep in his home.

I started to enjoy Crown Royal well before I started watching Mad Men, and I recently finished a bottle of Crown Royal Black, a new variation of the classic Candian whiskey, which was  given to me as a gift by my good friend in exchange for a small bit of help on his resume.

Crown Royal's goth cousin, Crown Royal BLACK. (Image courtesy of My Retro Camera Android App.)

I got the good end of the deal… let me tell you.

Crown Royal BLACK: This darker variation of the classic Canadian whiskey (pictured in a Mad Men rocks glass I got for Christmas[!!] in the image at right) has character… which is something whiskey snobs would say regular ol’ Crown Royal lacks.  I sense a slight woodiness when I sip this almost-cola colored spirit, and I feel like a man of substance when it coats my palate with just a hint of oak.  I enjoyed every hearty sip of my Crown Royal Black.

Crown Royal: If you're going to be chasing a carrot on a stick, it might as well be this one. (Image courtesy of My Camera Phone Productions.)

If regular ol’ Crown Royal is “THE ULTIMATE LURE” for regular ol’ fish (see billboard I spotted in Downtown Denver this summer at left), then Crown Royal BLACK is “THE ULTIMATE LURE” for brave, mustachioed fish.

It could be the drink of a crime-solving Catfish detective.

It is spirits like Crown Royal Black that make me proud, almost to the point of tears, of my mustache.  Men with mustaches, and yes, also fish with mustaches, drink Crown Royal Black.

I drink CROWN ROYAL BLACK.

I have a MUSTACHE.

If you are a crime-solving Catfish detective – or if you just have a mustache – congratulations.  You’ve found your whiskey, and it comes in a little black cloth pouch with gold lettering.

Scanning over some of the items related to wine in the news, I thought I would share a bit with you. Just in case you missed a few articles or would just rather read this post then each full article. … because you like it here …. I know! *blushes*

First on the list is Virginia. Yes, the state. Which admittedly I’ve never even tried a wine from Virginia, so I was surprised to see that Wine Enthusiast has ranked Virginia as 1 of the 10 best wine travel destinations. I would not have even put Virginia on my personal “Winery Bucket List” trips. Curious as to what Wine Enthusiast had to say, I hopped over to their site. Here is what I zoned in on:

Budget tip:
October is Virginia’s “Wine Month,” with free or low-cost wine festivals, barrel tastings and harvest parties.

They said free, I couldn’t help it. You can read the full article and winery suggestions here: Virginia Top 10 Wine Travel Destinations

Red wine and women’s health. It’s another report that states the stats on premenopausal women and red wine as it relates to breast cancer. To quote the LA Times:

Instead of promoting the conversion of androgens to estrogen in a woman’s body, red wine appears to block that process. In that sense, it acts more like a class of drug called aromatase inhibitors, which are prescribed to most women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer to prevent recurrences.

The full LA Times article is here: Red Wine Prevents Breast Cancer

and finally …

Flip Flop Wines … the fun wine that does some great charity events and work with a great charity called Soles4Souls (1 pair of shoes is donated with every bottle purchased up to 100,000 shoes the 1st year!). Flip Flop Wines is now expanding their wine line to include 6 new varietals! Those new wines will be: Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, Sweet Red, Bubbly Chardonnay, Bubbly Moscato and Bubbly Pinot Grigio and they will be available in stores starting in January 2012! Check for those locally! If you need to find a store near you or order direct, stop by their site: Flip Flop Wine Shop

Goodbye to 2011 …. Hello 2012!

Happy New Year Video on YouTube

Video from Kermit the Frog: Kermit Merry Christmas – Jennifer

Sugar plum fairies, candy canes, ginger bread houses and cupcakes could be dancing in your head this holiday season. Also dancing in your head is the fact that the last 2 weeks of the year, every year, come calorie free. It’s like the no-tax day, except with calories. Happy no calorie weeks!

Enter
Cupcake Vineyards
2011 Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc

Alright, so there is no such a thing as free calorie weeks … but in my world there is because I think we need to enjoy life a little bit more and should do it instead of counting our calories … at least for 2 weeks out of the year! With that said – I was given cupcake vineyards Sauvignon Blanc from an elf working at the winery.

Normally I don’t review white wines – mostly because I just prefer reds. I’m not judgmental … just preferential. This wine had an interesting taste to it! I think this is the first time I’ve had a wine that reminded me of lemons! It’s very much a citrus wine, which when chilled, gives you that wonderful refreshing tart taste! The taste ends on a creamy note. It’s a little like getting a jolt of tartness .. but then a smooth end to the taste! Very interesting.

Pairing? The site indicates that oysters on a half shell or a rich creamy lobster risotto go well with this Sauvignon Blanc. I personally will be picking this up again in the summer. Chilling it and having it with my favorite salad and some great crusty french bread. Also .. I really am looking forward to summer. Already.

I do think that for the price of $13-$14/bottle this would make a good hostess gift to the Christmas party! It’s a great price range and it’s going to be something unique in flavor that hopefully your hostess will appreciate! You can always place this gift of wine in a cute wine bag (see my 5 wine gift ideas post) but the label on this wine is so cute and … cupcake-y … a bow would work just as well!

I hope you all have a great Christmas … enjoy the wine … forget about the calories until after January 3rd … it’s free calorie weeks!

Cheers!

Are you in the last minute “oh no … what do I get for the wine lover” stage? Never fear … I’m here to help … I searched a few sites and came up with a list of 5 gifts you can get for that wine lover on your list! All these places allow for express shipping and priced between $10 and $30 …. so have at it!

Number 1: Godiva Chocolate & Dessert Bubbly Wine Gift Set It’s the gift that you don’t have to wrap! I love buying things off Amazon.com – it’s easy and if you have to ship your gifts to out of state people anyway, you might as well pay to have someone help you wrap and send it! This wine gift set is a great blend of bubbly and chocolate .. how can you go wrong?

Number 2: Wine Monkey Wine Caddy – I know … you have that song running through your head now .. “How you like me now …” right?!? Well, this monkey wine bag will bring a smile to anyone you bring the gift of wine to. It’s great for a hostess wine gift bag too! It’s just that added fun statement. The best thing … you don’t just have to buy this for Christmas … good to use anytime of the year! How you like THAT now …..

Number 3: Wine Bottle Sconces – Remember that great Lifehacker DIY article that showed you how to turn your wine bottles into outdoor torches / sconces? Remember how you were TOTALLY going to do that this summer — but you didn’t. Well … now you can BUY them right off a great store on Etsy! Not only the torches but you can also buy the wine bottle vases! I still have doing this project on my list … but knowing me .. I’ll be buying these for my backyard this summer. Help a friend out – just get these already completed for your friend!

Number 4: Wine cork ornament – this comes in at the “why didn’t I think of that” category. Send the wine lover on your Christmas list some wine cork ornaments! It’s eco-friendly and a lot of fun on the Christmas tree. It could be a whole theme for you for next year. Either way, I love these wine cork ornaments!

Number 5: Wine Glass Shaped Cork Display This is a great way to display all those used corks. The ones that have memories? Throw them in the house cage. Amazon has other designs, a Christmas wreath, wine barrel and even a wine bottle shape. Pick a design that suits the person you are giving the gift to and it’ll be an item they’ll keep using!

Hope these few fun ideas help you out! Cheers to Wine Christmas presents!