Welcome back! Happy New Year! — it’s technically the Jan 10, so can you even still say “new” year? I debated this heavily this week with some friends. Personally, after Jan 8th, I think we can stop. It drags out the newness and I’m inpatient. Let’s just get into the year already. (also, would you say merry Christmas for a whole 2+ weeks? The answer is: no).
ANYWAY. Hi! It’s a new year and I’m feeling refreshed and ready for adventure.
Obviously, I do not partake in dry January. I literally had a martini with lunch on Jan 1. I love a martini and, of course, a great glass of wine, so why would I deny myself those simple pleasures of life? (I also firmly believe in and practice moderation throughout the whole year. You will probably never see me wasted).
Let's kick this newsletter off with the first wine of 2024!
What I Ate & Drank With It:
R2 by Cole Ranch, 100% Riesling from California. The first bottle of the year was glorious. It made me believe in wine again. I had been searching for a rich and medium-full bodied white wine that was luscious but not too syrupy. Something that had the tang and zing I want from a white but not too crisp.
This was it: tangy like a lemon bar, but with a hint of vanilla shortbread that cut the lemon just enough to make it nice and soft. It wasn't sweet at all, but there also was no pucking your lips at the tartness. Perhaps it went through some malo? On the nose it was like a spiced apple cider your grandma made in the fall. Are you envisioning this?!
Now imagine drinking that with a tumeric-ginger-pumkin soup your fiance made. Geez louise, THAT is the perfect pairing. Riesling and ginger-- remember this friends. Your life will be complete.
Youtube!
I finally got around to editing some of my Mallorca footage! Part wine diary, part travel-ish vlog, now we can relive our first day in Mallorca ~ Drinking Wine in Mallorca (a travel-ish vlog) ~ a whirlwind 24 hrs of food, wine, new friends and techno! There are many more vids to come so I hope you enjoy, and they inspire your wine, your travels or any other part of your life! Don't forget to like, share and subscribe! (that's what the youtube kids say, right?). Also if you’re reading this: leave me a comment, it helps me!!!
Wine Term:
"Crunchy" -- what a funny word to describe (usually) liquid product. Crunchy is a textural thing; the opposite of a wine I might describe as velvety. You'll know it when you taste it -- it's not a sparkling wine (though sometimes it can be), but there’s a fresh bite to it. It’s usually light in body with a little bit of tannin and tartness. I use it to refer to red and orange wines. [The wine I mentioned above, is NOT a crunchy wine]
Wine I’m Excited to Try:
Les Athletes du Vin Pineau d'Aunis (Loire Valley) that I picked up at Lou's Wine this week.
Have a great week cuties! x
Your description of the Riesling + soup pairing is making my mouth water! I enjoyed a Sekt on New Year’s Day that was pretty old (1992) and it tasted like turmeric and ginger. It seemed coincidental that what young Riesling pairs with is what it might just end up tasting like 30 years later...? 🤔
Luscious but not sweet? Doesn't seem possible but I'd sure try it. Dry rieslings I've had have not been luscious. How would you compare this one with a Gruner veltliner? The closest thing to crunchy I have had would be a Macon villages.