How many of you are keeping up on your New Year’s resolution on going to the gym, knocking out some fitness goals or dropping a few pounds? Don’t worry, it was a rhetorical question! Search within you!

I thought we’d all enjoy this video called “Don’t Be That Guy at the Gym”!

Happy workouts!

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!

I’m not basing my next comment on any facts or scientific information, but I think humans are the only beings that stalk each other. Except maybe lions, tigers and cats … and maybe dogs, but they call that hunting. Until now — thanks to this next wine, apparently horses do it too!

Stalking Horse
2008 Shiraz
McLaren Vale
Australian Wine

It was the label that attracted me to this wine, because I have to admit, I don’t typically go for Australian wines. Okay, scratch that … extremely rarely to I pick up an Australian wine. Until now – how could you pass this up with a wine label photo of a shadowy horse “stalking” a man walking on the road.

To start this one off, I will say it comes with a screw cap. I know, no cork. But think of it this way if you truly are a stalker, you might want to keep your load light by not needing a corkscrew anyway. There is nothing wrong with screw capped wines – it’s just that it’s “missing” that old world charm that comes with a cork.

The taste was surprising to me; aged in new American Oak for 10 months, you’ll get a nice pepper, blackberry treat. The warmth of the sip and the hints of chocolate make this a wine to really savor each sip. Each time I take a sip I taste even more of the flavors and need to keep identifying each one. It’s almost like that one flavor you can’t quite put your finger on …

For the price of this wine, I picked this up at my local gourmet grocery store for about $16 / bottle, I think I need to go back for more. This is a wine that I want to share with my wine(o) friends the next time they come for a visit.

Here is video from Bruce Clugston, the winery’s executive winemaker, talking a bit about the Stalking Horse Wine:

You can also view the video on YouTube here: Stalking Horse Wine Shiraz

Have you thought to pick up this wine? What did you think, was it worth the price to you?

It’s spring and you may be tempted to do your primal howl at the moon. Be warned when doing that – your neighbors may not have the same sense of humor you do and you may need to make some public apologies. OR … you could just send over a bottle of this next wine instead of your apologies!

Primal Roots Wine

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I love the blend wines. It’s so interesting to me that you can take all the notes and tastes of each wine (Merlot, Zinfandel, etc.) and with each unique taste, winemakers blend more into it to take on a whole new experience. That’s what this wine does and rather well for the price!

Primal Roots wine is trying to promote itself as a sensual, smooth and luxurious experience. The site (Primal Wines) encourages us to treat ourselves by treating all the senses, especially the uninhibited ones! Then of course they recommend that we “tease our senses”. How could you not want to try this wine after that!

The blend is made up of Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel. These three pair and play very nicely with each other. The Merlot provides aromas of raspberry, red currants, and mocha along with fine-grained tannins that create a soft, luxurious texture. The Syrah has aromas of violets, black currants and a gentle earthiness are accentuated by flavors of dried cherry, dark chocolate, and vanilla spice. (mmmm…..) Zinfandel in this is rich yet soft on the palate and loaded with black cherry, clove, and wild blackberry. Known for its spicy characters, the Zinfandel rounds out the wine by adding a touch of warm spice. It gives it that “pepper” finishing taste to it.

For the price of Primal Roots wine, which comes in around $10/bottle, this is a wine that will be easy to pick up for that every day occasion. You could also bring this to the next dinner party and be right at home!

Have you tried this wine yet? You can probably pick this one up at your local store or you can purchase one off Amazon.com: 2010 Primal Roots Red Blend 750ml 750 ml

Do you like the wine? Prefer another? … let me know what you think in the comments below! Cheers!

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!

There it was by the Whole Foods Market check out lines … a sign telling me that I could get wine in a bottle for $3. Not only could I get wine for $3, but I could get a whole case of wine for $35! That wine was by Three Wishes Vineyards!

My next thought: how good could $3 wine be? Just like curiousity killed the cat, curiousity got my wallet out and I bought a case. After all … even with the worst wine, it’s still good for cooking and tasty with some white soda added. How could I go wrong?

I lugged my case of wine home and couldn’t wait to try it out. I bought the mix n’ match case. You have your choice of buying just Chardonnay, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. Or you can buy what I did … mix ‘n match 12 bottles in any combonation. I preferred more bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon in my case and I’m happy I did.

First of all, let’s talk about the Chardonnay which is actually pretty good! Keep in mind that you do get what you pay for, so if you’re comparing this wine with a $20 Chardonnay – you may be disappointed. However, this Chardonnay has a nice citrus, refreshing taste. I’m reminded of pineapple mixed with a bit of pear. Not a sharp taste, but certainly a nice tropical refreshing taste. Chilled, this wine would pair well with most mild dinners, I wouldn’t go too spicy with this one. There seems to be some bad reviews on this wine out there online. Considering the price, can we really be that harse? If you just want a nice every day wine — you can’t really go wrong with Three Wishes Chardonnay for the price.

Next up was the Merlot from Three Wishes Wine. I’m not a big fan of Merlot in general. No, I’m not taking my direction from the movie Sideways, I just prefer a bit more boldness in my wines. With that said, I found this Merlot to be fairly thin. Not much flavor on this one and I hate to say it, but it reminded me of a cup of Franzia wine. Not far off with just “natural flavors”. However, it does have 13% alcohol in it which puts it at a “win” compared with Franzia. This is a wine I’ll use mixed with white soda to make a nice spritzer. I’ll still have a glass with a spicy dinner – but won’t be picking up any more of this even for $3. Please keep in mind that this is all personal taste. I encourage you to try the Merlot and leave me your thoughts on this in the comments below!

Lastly, there is the Three Wishes Cabernet Sauvignon; one of my favorite types of wine. How did this one fair? I actually was surprised. Not big and bold on flavor, but it has more substance then the Merlot. I wasn’t expecting much for $3 and was pleased that I wasn’t going to have to drink a whole lot more wine/white soda drinks! This Cabernet Sauvignon is a great every day wine. Has a nice mineral taste to it, cranberries detected and just a touch of bitterness. Not much to make you say “wow”, but again, given the price I wasn’t expecting too much.

Would I buy this again? You bet! I’d skip the Merlot and grab the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon again to have as an every day wine! Would love to hear your thoughts on these wines!

Okay ….. the game is on people!! Are you a white wine drinker or red wine drinker?

I was curious how many people had a preference …. so I put up a voting game on Facebook! Click here to start your vote: Vote for your wine

This contest will be up until February 20, 2012!

Happy voting~

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