Wine, Oh Wine, Oh Wine…

Last night my husband J and I went out to this wine bar called UNWINED (get it? ha ha). We met up with our aunt and uncle, K&K and another couple B&B. At first I didn’t know what to expect. The place is part of shopping strip mall (so you always have to be a little weary of these things…)

Once we settled down and looked at the menu. I felt myself unwinding a little bit (I just had to say that because of the name of the place…) They offer at least 50 different wines to taste and 14 different flights. If you don’t know wines, a flight is where you get to sample 3 or 4 different glasses of wine for a great price. We all ordered different flights. I got myself the Riesling flight. I like Rieslings cause they tend to be a little sweeter and lighter.

The 3 Rieslings I tried were:

1. Emrich-Schonleber, Halbtrocken, Nahe Germany 2003 ($18.95/bottle)
2. Schmitages, Mosel-Saar-Rumer, Germany 2005 ($14.95/bottle)
3. Grans-Fassian, Kabinett, Piesporter Germany 2004 ($23.95/bottle)

They were all very delicious and I loved them all. They were all crisp, smooth, and had strong overtones of fruits. My favorite one was the Grans-Fassian. It was just the right amount of sweet. Of course, I had to buy a bottle. The owner told me it’s his last case, so I may have to stop by this week and stock up on some before it’s out. As you can see from the prices, they are all very reasonable. Since I’ve been out here in CA, I have enjoyed wine more and more — and why not? I am in wine country after all

Another great thing I liked about this place was that the owner of UNWINED was very gracious and personable. He came over and talked to us. Since he knew I liked wines a little more on the sweeter side, he brought over a sherry for me to try. Though I am not a fan of sherry or ports, I took a sip and I felt as though I was drinking through a vat pureed raisins. It reminded me a lot of a madeira wine — which is very sweet. It was nice for him to do that…but in the future I will refrain from all ports or sherries.

I also liked the tapas plates they offered. Now mind you, this isn’t tapas in the Spanish sense, but they called them tapas or “small plates.” We ordered a few of the cheese plates — there was Stilton (stinky bleu cheese) and Jarslberg Swiss, Manchengo and Parmesan, Gouda and Gruyere, and Brie with Figs. Each plate was accompanied by bread, dried fruit, and nuts. I also ordered smoked salmon on creme fraiche with dill on brioche toasts. It was all very good and accompanied all the wine.

The only trouble with wine tasting is that once you start tasting, you can’t stop and before you know it, the bill stacks up. For the 6 of us, our bill totaled about $280. We split the bill 3 ways, so it all worked out in the end. Besides, we had a great time!

If any of our friends ever come out to visit, I’m taking you to UNWINED.

Giving It Another Shot

Recently, my good friend C started her own blog. My oldest sister P-C has been writing a blog for the past few months now. I decided that if these 2 people can keep up and contribute to their blog in a timely manner, then I should really give it another go. Why? Well, I really want to write a novel and I figure as long as I blog about daily crap that happens then it will push me to really start writing and concentrate on my book. I hope it helps me.

I remember the good ol’ days when would write all the time. By the time I was in my 1st or 2nd year of college I had written 4 chapters for this silly teen romance novel. I never did go further on it, I am stuck on chapter 5. Maybe I will get motivated and complete this silly romance one day. I may be biased, but it does have a good plot line and story. It seems that Adolescent and Teen Adult novels are very popular these days with such series as Gossip Girl and A-List. Although these books are very popular amongst teenage girls these days, my novel doesn’t consist of teenage sex, drugs, language, and crassness as these books do.

The teen romance novel isn’t the book I want to write and complete. I have had another idea for my novel since I got out of college 3 years ago and during the time when I was getting married. I am writing a novel that I hope will be regarded and respected like Amy Tan, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Jhumpha Lahiri’s works. I want my book to be a bestseller. I have been an avid reader since I was a little girl and this is what I want to be — a successful writer. I am not going to give out any details because I don’t want my ideas to get stolen. I’m being safe here.

Well, wish me luck that I get the first few chapters of my novel out by the end of this year.