Inspired? Maybe......

I am the author of an upcoming best seller. Sound good? Yes, I think so too. Now, I just have to write the book and convince someone to publish it! Sound impossible? Maybe....but the impossible just takes a little longer. I am my own cheerleader. The cover picture on my phone says "Yes I Can!". I have positive affirmations written in different places. I believe in myself. I know that just like that excellent bottle of wine, that was at one time just a grape in a faraway vineyard, my dreams too will become ripe, picked and bottled. They will sit on a shelf with a fancy cover and be plucked off by discerning, tasteful buyers, looking for that one little nugget of gold to bring them happiness, if only for an evening. All it takes is the belief that it will happen....and perhaps some hard work along the way. Maybe I will have to get up a little earlier. Perhaps I will have to pass on a night out now and then. It will be the price I pay to reach my dream.  Inspiration comes in so many different ways. Something we read on the internet. A boost of confidence from a close friend. The success of a co-worker or relative. Occasionally we find it while sharing a bottle of wine with a friend. Sometimes even the names of wine can be the source of our inspiration. A wine called "Arabella" finds us looking to purchase that horse that we've always dreamt of owning. In fact, Arabella is a South African red, a Pinotage, that has a strong, robust soul that holds its own at the table. Definitely able to jump fences and race through open meadows! Family members are another way to feed your creative appetite. What does "Sibling Rivalry" make you think of? Sounds like a good book or a fierce movie. Maybe it make you want to start up your own business or maybe you just want to punch out your brother. I haven't yet had the pleasure of drinking the wine adorned with such a spicy name....I'm saving it to share with my "sibling" when she arrives this week.  Another source of inspiration, my sister is sure to fill me full of great, or at the very least, interesting ideas for my upcoming best seller. No matter what your source, or what your idea, your dream or your desires, keep them big and keep them yours. Drink to them, drink for them, or drink to enjoy them. They are yours. Never let them go. 

Cheers!

In my wine environment!

The environment. It's talked about in schools, in the news, in politics and found on social media. It's discussed at dinner parties and around the water cooler in the workplace. It has rapidly gained the attention of the masses. Unlike wine, whose origins are steeped in both dirt and history, talking about the environment is a relatively new topic and is cause for debate among many. Many of us are still learning how we can best reduce, reuse and recycle. 

How much of an environmentalist are you? Do you turn off your tap to save water while you brush your teeth? Do you hang all of your clothes to dry so you don't use electricity running your dryer? Do you use a bike to get around rather than a car? Do you unplug appliances when they aren't being used? Or do you simply carry on as you always have, with no concern or thought given to your actions? Do you believe that your actions are so small to be of little consequence to the bigger picture? Do you recycle a little or or lot? How about all those empty wine bottles? Do you take them back to the liquor store, the bottle depot or throw them into the recycle bin? Do they (gasp!) end up in the garbage? Perhaps you have a basement full of empties that you are saving because one day you are going to make your own wine? 

I like to think that I fall somewhere in the middle. Not the best but not the worst either. I am a work in progress. Always trying to improve my efforts and be a more conscientious steward of our earth. To that end, when making my recent wine purchases, I chose a bottle of  Ecologica, a Reserva Malbec. It is an organic and Certified Fair Trade wine from la Riojala, Argentina. Priced at around $20 a bottle it is definitely a nice wine. It's smooth and full bodied and would be an excellent pairing for a richer meal such as roast beef or a hearty steak....which, of course, would be an environmentally friendly organic beef with fresh, organic carrots. To complete the meal we would most definitely have a fine, organic cheesecake for dessert! 

It's tough for many of us to find that perfect balance between being a good steward of the environment and keeping up with our busy lives but somewhere in the middle lies that place that we are happy with. If you haven't yet found it, it just might all begin with the perfect bottle of organic wine...you can always drink it by candlelight to conserve energy.

Cheers!

        

New Year, New Goals, New Wines!

First post of the new year! I love January. For me, it's like a new beginning. A chance to start fresh. An opportunity to make changes. I also love Mondays for the same reason. Or any new day. In fact, everyday is like January for me. Every day is like turning the page in a book. A chance to learn something new and experience life like never before. Every day is a chance to make a new impression, make resolutions and set new personal goals. As I sit here and vow, yet again, to be more committed to my blog, I'm trying to remember some of the wines that I've had in recent months that really made an impression on me. Over the past several months I've had many opportunities to try different wines. I saved all the empty bottles and convinced myself that I would write down all the names and write a review for each of them. Until I put them in the car and took them to the bottle depot. Then, I completely forgot my brilliant pIan and can barely recollect any of those oh so yummy wines. A few stuck in my mind. Amigo Perro, meaning Dog Friend, came from the Junta winery in Chile. Another was Falernia, a Carmenere, again from Chile, that was very memorable, with a bold taste that popped on my tongue. It also had an elegant label. I love looking at the labels and reading the write-ups on the back. 

 I saw some intriguing wines today and read some great labels when I went with a good friend on an excursion to our favourite store...Everything Wine. As always, it was a colourful and entertaining visit, and by this I don't only mean the store. For me, visits with friends are always fun. The talking and laughing is so relaxing and it's good to know that you can share your life with a friend. I recently read an article that said for women, having friends is as important as getting exercise and eating right in order to maintain good health. Women who cultivate and nurture their friendships live longer than those without good friends. Studies also show that drinking one to two glasses of wine a day is good for your health. I think it would be safe to say that drinking wine with your girlfriends is extremely good for your health. If you don't already do that, it would be a good goal for the new year!  I'm already working my goals. My goal of working on my blog with more regularity began today when I came home with twelve delicious, exciting bottles of wine.  I bought twelve because at Everything Wine, you get a 5% discount when you buy by the dozen! Even better is the fact that I was able to use my gift card, given to me by my sister and brother-in-law at Christmas. Since they know it's one of my favourite stores, it is therefore one of my favourite gifts to receive. I was thinking that with twelve bottles, that would be one bottle a week for three months. However, when I mentioned this idea to a couple of friends, they basically laughed and said it was highly unlikely that my twelve bottles would last three months. I'm okay with that. It just means another trip to the wine store, which is always fun!  I am including my list of purchases at the bottom of this post and will follow up with a review as I open and enjoy the contents of each bottle. The first eleven bottles are red and the last bottle is white.

Unruly Red - blend from California 

Tempus - Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile

Averill Creek Prevost - from my very own Vancouver Island.

Sibling Rivalry  - a red from Ontario, Canada

Ochagavia Espuela - a red blend -  from Chile 

Junta Reserve - a Syrah/Carmenere - from Chile

Ecologica - an organic red - Malbec Reserva - from Argentina

Tenta - a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon

Criollo - a Shiraz/Malbec - from Argentina

Arabella  - a Pinotage - from South Africa

Don Simon  - a Shiraz from Spain - was on sale and I had a sample 

Nuevo Extremo - White - Sauvignon Blanc  from Chile

Cheers to a New Year!