Sippin' Pretty

Tried these wines recently and was pumped. All reasonably priced and very tasty. Trackem down and enjoy :)

Sebella, Chardonnay, 2007
Sonoma Valley, California
Grown, produced, and bottled at the winery by Hanzel Vineyards
- bright, nice acid and subtle oak, a very drinkable new world chard that brings some complexity to the table

Castello Romitorio, Rosso di Montalcino, 2007
Montalcino, Italy
- an artist buys a winery and what do you get? a gorgeous label and a beautiful wine. roses, red fruits, potpourri, low alcohol and tannin, integrated acidity...baby brunello...classic italiano

Triton, Prieto Picudo (Old Vines), 2008
Castilla y Leon, Spain
- those old vines make for a very concentrated wine, lovely. dark fruits, licorice, chocolate, and baking spices, french oak adds another layer to what sounds like candy juice. it's not though, just dense and delightful

Old School Coupons

I enjoy clipping coupons. Here's why I think this is so:

1. It's kind of like a little arts and crafts project (fun!)

2. You can be selective without having to make a purchase decision that moment

3. Once you're done with the coupon book, you throw it away (guilt-free)

4. Once the coupon expires, you throw it away (quasi-guilt-free)

5. When you eventually use the coupon - after promoting it to the precious space in your wallet, carefully carrying it on your person at all times, and find yourself at its retail partner for the promotion - you feel indescribably good about saving $1 on toothpaste.

(It's the little things)

Paraiso's Pinot Noir

P A R A I S O pinot noir

Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County

2007, 14.3% abv

I bought this wine about six months ago - a rec from Todd at Hi-Time (Costa Mesa). It's a nice value pinot that cost about $15. The wine displays nice red fruits, tea, and autumnal notes. No stemy quality, which is common is less expensive pinots, and the alcohol blows off after a few minutes. Light and flirty. Enjoy!

Try imeem.com (Free Streaming Music)

imeem.com is a free streaming music website. They now have an iPhone application which allows you to access your account and playlist for free too. If I wasn't so attached to my blackberry keypad, this feature alone would have me converted.

I love imeem because listening to music makes me really happy. And so does making mixes for my family and friends. imeem gives anyone the luxury of finding old favorites and discovering new ones. Account holders can easily create multiple playlists, save, and share them. It's easy to create a user account, so, if you want to listen, click on the link below. When you hit "play", you will see the following screen. This playlist is called "You Can't Find Me in the Club."

http://www.imeem.com/people/fJ0y-bn/playlist/s_03yWiM/you-cant-find-me-in-the-club-music-playlist/

Online Dating (for your house)

My fiancee and I just got back from the South of France. The trip was fantastic. But the way we chose the destination for our vacation deserves somes attention.

We listed our home in Newport Beach, CA on a website called HomeExchange.com, where (as the name suggests) people "exchange homes".  The process of listing our place was actually quite fun. You pay a $99 annual membership fee, and then proceed to upload pics of your house and your neighborhood. It really kinds of feels like you're writing a personals listing for your home! And most people give some info on the owners as well (which is important since most people, rightly so, want to know about the people they are potentially lending their home to).

Here's our listing:

http://homeexchange.com/show.php?id=101355

After we finished and posted the listing, we were blown away by home many inquires or "exchange requests" we received. From all over the world. Major cities in Italy, Spain, and France. London, Aspen, Stockholm - the list goes on! The site allows you to specify where you're looking to go, but we kept ours fairly open since we weren't exactly sure where we wanted to travel (although France and Australia were high on our wish list). Plus, the element of a little serendipity was appealing as well.

After evaluating all of the inquiries, we ultimately chose to exchange with a nice couple from London who own a vacation home in St. Jean Cap Ferrat (an exclusive little enclave in the French Riviera). According to the pictures and description (http://homeexchange.com/show.php?id=89062) it was an adorable two bedroom apartment about a hundred yards from the beach, with views of the Mediterranean.  Upon arriving we were relieved and actually pleasantly surprised that the place felt even better than advertised! 

We had such an amazing vacation. One of the best things about doing a home exchange v. staying in a hotel/resort, besides saving around $10,000+ (14 nights x at least $600/night plus all those annoying taxes, egregious parking fees, restaurant/room service...) is the fact that it forces you to have a different kind of experience.  You're staying in a home, with a kitchen, and end up shopping a the locals markets every morning, and cooking in many nights. For us, we ended up feeling like we really got a much more intimate feel of the town and the people.

I highly recommend Home Exchange for your next vacation.  (And if you happen to have a place in Australia and want to visit Southern California...let me know!)

Disposable Sunglasses

Urban Outfitters is having a huge sale right now and all of their sunglasses are 1/2 off or $10! Take my advice if you aim to stay in style and save some money and heartache. You just may never buy $300 sunglasses again.

Urban Outfitters has tons of great frames in every color imaginable. They never have cheap fake designer letters or logos. And inspiration ranges from Jackie O to Kanye West. I dropped $40 on these 4 pairs which I think are pretty nice. And if you're still not sold, here's 3 more reasons:

1. If you lose them you're not upset for a week

2. If you loan them to a friend and they come back damaged, or never come back, there's no harm to the friendship

3. It's really fun when someone loves your glasses and you can offer to give yours to them on the spot

$4 < House Wine > $12

I keep the following bottles at home to open on casual occasions. They are easy to drink as they are or pair with food. I like to keep my posts short and sweet, so I didn't write tasting notes for these, but I'm happy to add them at your request. Trader Joe's offers this list at these prices. They sell at such low margins that they don't do 1/2 case or case discounts like Whole Foods and other wine shops. I've seen these bottles at other stores for a buck or two more - not a big deal, but for such low priced wine they just tacked on another 20%!

Domaine Ste. Michelle: Brut and Blanc de Noirs

Traditional Method, Colombia Valley, Washington, $6.99

Picton Bay: Sauvignon Blanc (12.5%)

2008, Marlborough, New Zealand, $6.99

Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah (13.8%)

2006, California, $3.99

La Loggia: Barbera D'Alba DOC (14%)

2007, Alba, Piedmont, Italy, 2007 $6.99

Castle Rock: Pinot Noir (13.8%)

2007, Mendocino County, California, $9.99

Robert Hall: Cabernet Sauvignon (14%)

2006, Paso Robles, California, $11.99

Liberty School (second label of the famous/cult Napa cab Caymus): Cabernet Sauvignon (14%)

2006, Paso Robles, California, $11.99

Great Wine Under $14

Brad and I visited Roger, ChrisAnn, and Drew at Wine Lab last night to pick up a few bottles for his party. I always tell my friends there is a ton of great wine to drink between $8 and $14 (I'll do another post with some more bottles in this range). When I think about paying that much for a cocktail or one mediocre glass at a bar, I'm especially inspired to bring a few bottles to a gathering and open everything just to show how well anyone can drink! Last night we enjoyed bubbles from France and Spain and a refreshing white from California:

Varichon & Clerc Privilege, Blanc De Blancs, Brut, Methode Champenoise, France, $14

Awesome value. Drinks nicely and has the apple and (approachable) toasty notes you'd expect. Complex and flavorful for the price.

Cristalino Cava, Brut, Traditional Method (secondary fermentation in bottle), Spain, $11

This is such a clean, citrus focused sparkler. Taste this side by side with the Varichon & Clerc. V&C's toasty and leesey notes will be much more pronounced while the Cristalino's perky acidity, bubbles, and sour apple will define this cava. 

Valdez, Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County, California, 2006, $13

Surprisingly sublte, integrated oak for the price. Normally I stick to Marlborough and the Loire Valley for this varietal, but this is a tangy, tropical version from Sonoma that will be a crowd pleaser.