Exploring Wine: Boxwood Rose

Boxwood Estates, Rose, 2001, Virginia, $14.00
My rating for this bottle? I would drink a few glasses.

On average its been about 110 degrees F here in Kuwait City. In such hot temperatures either I just want to drink buckets of ice water or I have a hankering for a little rose (too bad I now live in a dry country). Although many of you reading this are getting ready for fall (oh how I'll miss thee), here's one last rose for the end of summer! This one from Boxwood Estates in VA is very light, dry, and has a little effervescence on the tongue.

In case you live in the DC, Maryland, Virginia area - don't miss the upcoming DC Wine Week! There will be great events lined up for September including winery tours (one is this weekend Sept 14) and educational activities (meaning you get to drink wine). Check out their website for more details. I'll be with you in spirit (pun intended?).

DA+AH: Torpedo Factory Art Center

clockwise from top left: Joyce McCarten, Commedia d’ell arte, 36" x 60”, oil on canvas, Laurie Fields, Encaustic Leaf: 05, 23” x 17”, mixed media, Christine Nicoll Parson, Rocks and Water - yellow, 28" x 20", stained glass, Phyllis J. Roderer, White Vessels with Horsehair, white stoneware fired with horsehair, B.J. Anderson, Dream On, 23"x 29", watercolor and stone lithograph, Constance R. Grace, The Red Boat, Marigot Harbour, 18" x 23", white-line woodcut 

Besides the many fine museums and art galleries in Washington, D.C. there are many talented artists living and working in the Northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland area. It can feel overwhelming trying to see them all. It seems like there are show openings every week and there are as many types of art available for sale as there are interns working on the Hill.

Last week I spent the afternoon browsing the artists at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The factory is located on the waterfront in a building that was used to make torpedoes between the World Wars. In the 1970s it was retrofitted as art studios and finally properly renovated in 1983 with new walls, floors, and heating and air conditioning. What's cool about the space, besides its historical significance, is that there are 106 artists represented and 82 working studios. Meaning 82 artists actually work there and you can see them creating when you visit. You can chat with the artists, browse their work, and even buy it right from their studio! It was really inspiring to see so much creativity in one place and mediums ranged from oil painting to ceramics to jewelry and sculpture. It was almost voyeuristic to be walking around peering into windows and studios, as the artists were deep in concentration or taking little breaks to drink coffee with fellow creators. There’s a coffee shop in the building if you too need a pick me up. Upstairs, there is also an art school for children, The Art League School, and the Alexandria Archeology Museum.

It is a unique experience to talk to artists first hand about their work as they are covered in paint or deep in thought about their next project. I enjoyed being able to see so much in one visit and to walk away soaked up with the creative energy of so many people working in one space. I highly recommend a visit here. What would be a better souvenir from your trip to DC than the artwork of an artist you spent the afternoon chatting with?

Tory Cowles, #709, 36" x 48", mixed media

Alvena McCormick, Dancing with Dogwood, 50”x36”, Acrylic on Canvas

Exploring Wine: Early Mountain Vineyards Holiday Guide

I couldn't decide how I wanted to approach a wine pairing post for the holiday season. There are so many ways to celebrate, with a simple toast, a multi-course meal, an extravagant party, at the office, and  opening presents with family and friends.

Luckily our friends at Early Mountain Vineyards put together a Holiday Guide for us with a few entertaining tips and wine pairings with recipes for a three course dinner! Check out the guide here and when in doubt, remember a glass of something bubbly and a smile will always be appreciated.

Cheers!

Arlington National Cemetery

Exploring Wine: Claret

Linden, Claret, Virginia, 2005, Less than $30

My rating for this bottle? I would drink a few glasses.

My first trip to a Virginia winery was in 2008. Gman and I were dating long distance and I was down from NYC for a visit. His friends knew of this winery nearby that we could visit in just a quick day trip. I was impressed, and didn't hesitate jumping in the car on a cold, rainy Saturday in March.  I can't remember now if we went to one or a few, but a single image sticks out in my mind. We are cozied up on a closed-in porch eating cheese, sausage, and bread, drinking this wine, and over-looking a foggy landscape. These people I barely knew would become two of my and Gman's best friends (you might remember some of our adventures together in Sedona and Scottsdale).

I found this bottle dusty and tucked away in my (our?) collection. I forgot we had it! Besides the cork breaking as I tried to remove it, the wine was delicious. The color was a dark burgundy and the smell of earthy chocolate and perhaps butterscotch filled my nose. It tasted light and similar to the smell but with added fruitiness. I couldn't tell it if it was a slight acidity or tannins, but there was a bit of a bite on the finish.

A fun little wine fact for you: The word 'Claret' does not refer to a specific grape varietal, but instead is a generic term traditionally used by the English (and now Americans and others worldwide) to refer to a light red wine made in the French Bordeaux style.

Sip & Shop

Two weeks ago I was invited out to one of the best events I’ve attended in DC. In a collaboration between Urban Chic and Early Mountain Vineyards a bus full of bloggers were whisked away to enjoy an evening of shopping and wine tasting, Sip & Shop. How could I not like this event, seriously?

Early Mountain Vineyards is a newly opened Virginia winery located on the Monticello wine trail in Madison, VA. The owners Steve and Jean Case (you might recognize their names as former AOL executives) strive to bring the best of Virginia wine to one place. Their grand tasting room includes not just their wines but award winning wines from all of Virginia. It’s like one stop sipping. As soon as we hopped off the bus (stir crazy from sitting in traffic for 2 hours) were so impressed by the views – rolling hills, vineyards, and a little country barn – that we fanned out and immediately got to work taking pictures. We were so distracted with the scenery that we almost forgot about everything else! I know I could have sat on their back patio for hours just watching the day go by. 

Bloggers doin' what they do

 But this was a wine and shopping event, we didn’t drive out just for the views! Besides getting to browse Urban Chic’s collection of the latest fall fashions (from designers including Shoshanna, Vince, Joie, Trina Turk, Rebecca Minkoff) and beautiful jewelry, we learned about The Shirt. As I’m a huge fan of button up shirts, cotton or silk, I was intrigued to know what made this particular shirt so special. There is a hidden button to ensure that the area around the bust does not flare open. This way your shirt is always perfectly tailored and you are guaranteed to look chic (and no one will get a peek at inside-side boob, basically).

The highlight for me was the wine tasting (reasonably priced at $12). After a recent trip to Napa Valley, I was excited to try out some of the Virginia wines with California varietals fresh on my palate. I was the only dork who brought a tasting notebook, but hey, I take this drinking business seriously! I was pleasantly surprised that all of the wines I sampled were just as good, if not better, than the ones I randomly grab at the grocery store. Although I have visited several pretty good wineries in VA, I generally hear negative or dismissive opinions about the wines from this region. Not only were the wines we tasted delicious but many of them were priced at or under $20 a bottle. I particularly enjoyed the 2011 Early Mountain Vineyard Pino Gris, NV Thibaut Janisson Blanc de Chardonnay (a favorite sparkling wine at the White House!), and the 2010 King Family Vineyards Meritage. In addition, Early Mountain Vineyards has a café with locally sourced ingredients or you could bring a picnic and watch the sunset! Yes please!

That brings me to a recent frustration of mine, one which I’m glad to see the Cases are helping to change. Whenever I go to a restaurant or wine shop in D.C. they have either no Virginia wine or only very slim pickings. It’s disappointing because I feel like D.C. prides itself on locally sourced products and supporting local economy but then there are no Virginia wines on the menu. So this means without actually going from winery to winery (I have no car), it is very difficult to get to know the terroir of Virginia. I hope that by highlighting more than just one vineyard, one bottle at a time, this is a great step in making Virginia wine more accessible and familiar.

As we all piled back onto the bus, completely hyper with delight from our experience, we immediately started planning out next visit. The good news is that there will be more Sip & Shop events to come! 

Shoe Love: In the Streets

Last night had the pleasure of attending Sip & Shop, a wine and fashion event hosted by Early Mountain Vineyards and Urban Chic. I'll chat more about the event next week but I wanted to give you a little teaser with some Shoe Love.

Happy (almost) weekend!

Above, Kristin of Be Loud Be You, me, and her fab friend. Below, Katherine of La Petite Marmoset.

Exploring Wine: Blue Crab Blanc

Blue Crab Blanc, white table wine, Virginia, $12.99

My rating for this bottle? I would drink a few glasses.

When I was hosting friends a few weeks ago, we had a very long day of touring the National Archives, lunch of fresh tarts, sandwiches and treats at Paul, then hours of antique shopping in Old Town Alexandria. It was 100 degrees out and at the end of the day we were happy but exhausted. On our way back to the metro this gourmet shop, Butcher's Block, caught our attention. We stepped in to check it out and were delighted with the selection of rare jams, fresh meats, cheese, and more treats. The best part about this place is that you can choose a bottle of wine and they will open it right there so you can enjoy immediately. I felt like it was our own secret little happy hour spot.

This wine we chose was just a simple white table wine from Virginia. It had a soft, fresh, bouquet and tasted like stone fruits-pears, apples, and peaches- and had a slightly spicy finish. It was perfect for such a hot day!



Weekend Recap: A Country Drive

This weekend was Gman’s birthday, certainly cause for some much needed celebration. Since I’ve been out of town for nearly two weeks, I wanted to take him on a special get-a-way, just for the two of us. I stalked magazines, journals, travel books, blogs, and websites for ideas and felt uninspired. Where could we go for a last minute weekend trip that wouldn’t break the bank?

Gman isn’t always up front about what he wants. He doesn’t specifically say, hey I want a pony for my birthday. He’ll just send me articles about ponies and talk about how interesting they are. Does your partner ever do that? Although not trained as a mind-reader, I’ve become rather good at picking up the clues and since he’s been harping on going to see Monticello since January, I ascertained that it might be a good spot for a birthday trip.

So I booked a rental car and told him to take the day off on Friday. With the car reserved from 9am – 9pm and I expected to leave the house around 8am, jump on the metro, grab the car at Regan International Airport, and then hit up Whole Foods in Arlington to stock up on treats and items for a picnic lunch in some fabulous garden at the top of the mountain. After an idyllic drive, we would arrive at Monticello by 11:30am and have 4 or so hours to tour the gardens, house and have our picnic. I imagined we would be laughing hand-in-hand as we learned about some good ol’ American history and made fun of the other tourists. For dinner, I planned on going to the Rappahannock winery to have a tasting/pairing and some fancy food. We would have stimulating conversation over dinner and I would sleep in the car on the way back to the city.

 

But this is what really happened.

We woke up at 9:30. Stumbled out the door, got the car, and went to Whole Foods where they were out of coffee. I thought people were going to start tearing up the place until almost the last moment, more was served. At noon we were finally on the road. I was getting stressed. I called Monticello to see if we could reserve our tour, they said no. I tried to relax. Gman was relaxed.

Finally at almost 3pm we walked up to the visitor’s center at Monticello. There was thunder. No tickets being sold. Crowds of eager families waited to see if the storms would pass. So distracted by the coffee incident, I forgot to purchase picnic provisions so we ate at the café. At this rate we would certainly miss dinner at Rappahannock. I felt defeated. Could anything else go wrong?

I realized then that although my fantasy day wasn’t turning out the way I imagined, it didn’t mean reality was wrong. It didn’t mean that I failed my husband. He was having a great day. He had no expectations and thought it was great to just get out of the office. I had to learn to be flexible, think on my toes, and go with the flow. So I took a deep breath and ordered a glass of wine with my lunch.

 

can you see the skydivers?

For two hours we slowly ate lunch, meandered through the expansive gift shop, and toured the small historical gallery/museum. At 4:30 they got the ‘go’ signal from the powers that be to sell tickets. People bum rushed the line (why do people do this?) and we realized that by the time we actually got to the house, it would be time to turn right back around. So we left. We went for a country drive instead.

It was so relaxing to just look out the window and see the world go by. I caught glimpses of other people’s lives. I could see their stories quickly zip past. We saw lots of animals – chickens, deer, horses, cows, crows, and even a groundhog. We saw men working construction, parachutes open for skydivers, and farmers checking their crops. We passed by great historical mansions and burned out shells of old homes. We even stopped to get some candy at a gas station!

Once back in town, we met up with my dad and cousins who were unexpectedly in town. I quickly changed all the plans and put together a guy’s night- Texas BBQ at Hill Country then exotic beers at Beer Baron (yum, yum). Everyone had a great time!

The day turned out to be much more fun and relaxing than I could have ever planned and Gman had a fantastic birthday. I realized that sometimes life is better than what you envisioned and sometimes the most difficult expectations to manage are your own.

Wardrobe: Busch Gardens

Shirt, Bag, Denim Shorts, Sandals, Bracelet, Sunglasses

First of all, I'm ashamed at the number of times I've featured jorts on this blog (here, here and this makes three). However, they are awesome and there were five pages of denim shorts to choose from on Shopbop which means others feel the same way.

Secondly amusement parks are hot so it just make sense. I try to keep it classy though, no white sneakers and fanny packs here. Go hands-free with a cross-body bag and keep your look breezy with gold sandals.

How adorable is that Kate Spade bracelet? And Karen Walker can clearly do no wrong with her sunglasses.

Destination: Busch Gardens

Friday afternoon I received an unusual midafternoon call from Gman. He asked me if I would like to go to Busch Gardens on Saturday. “The rental car is only $60 and we can go there and back in one day.” He paused as I tried to digest what he just offered. I quickly went over my agenda, to-do’s, and expectations for the weekend and more quickly than he could think of the next line to convince me, I said “Why the heck not, let’s do it.”

We realized two Bud Lights, a funnel cake, a plate of “authentic” German food, and a half-broken 3D ride in that this was our first trip to an amusement park together. It clearly isn’t something we’re big into but we needed a break and had a lot of fun trying something different. I’ll describe the pros and cons of my experience at the all American theme park but to start, a little bit about the place.

Busch Gardens is an amusement park owned by Anheuser-Busch. There are two locations the one we went to in Williamsburg, Virginia which is Europe themed and one in Tampa, Florida which is Africa themed. (I grew up going to the Tampa one and feel a strong preference for it so I compared them all day.) Busch Gardens is a great place for family bonding and a pretty good deal if you want to drop off your teenagers there for the day. 

On to the pros. The best part is all the sh*t food one could possibly imagine – kettle corn, funnel cakes with ice cream, caramel, and whipped cream, cotton candy, turkey legs, and lots of beer – it’s like the fair sans the fried Twinkies. I tried almost everything too despite having some difficulty trying to squeeze in eating in between roller coasters without wanting to puke. I survived.

I like that amusement parks offer something for everyone and allow you to have exhilarating and slow moments throughout the day. We saw lots of animals including owls, horses, Bald Eagles, wolves, and birds (the one in Tampa has a safari!). The animals there were mostly rescued from accidents and very well taken care of. One of the owls we “met” usually lives about 15 years in the wild but could live up to 40 in captivity! Also he was huge and only weighed 5 lbs. The same sized Bald Eagle weighed almost 15 lbs. The owl was also distracted looking for squirrels while the handler talked to us.

There were a variety of rides from sky buckets to roller coasters and everything in between. When we were little my sister and I loved the log flume. I thought I also enjoyed roller coasters but the photographic evidence shows that I was in fact not having fun. My displeasure greatly amused Gman and he made me go on as many as possible.

The people watching was absolutely outstanding. I’m so glad I decided to wear with jean shorts that day because they were the choice du jour. I’ve never seen so many variations on the classic and on so many body types and ages.

The cons. We were hoping that we beat tourist season but we didn’t count on the hordes of high school choir groups that descended on the place like locusts. Eventually their rowdiness grew on me and it was still less crowded than it could have been, so not too bad, right?

No, that wasn’t the worst of it. Gman and I decided on German food for lunch and so headed to Oktoberfest as soon as we got to the park. When we walked into Das Festhaus and I was immediately overwhelmed with a magical forest themed restaurant, seating 2,000, with mass produced food, and an all-singing all-dancing Broadway style musical extravaganza. The overly happy faces sang and danced to charming poppy music in the center of the room. Welcome to my hell.

I can’t stand musicals nor do I like themed restaurants, especially magical forest ones at themed countries in theme parks. Restaurants should be about the food. Period. I tried to leave and Gman begged me to stay because he was so hungry already. Luckily we just caught the end of the thing but I noticed people were lining up to meet the cast. What?! We ate in relative peace as we contemplated the meaning of this interpretation of German culture.

Allow me to quickly explain my annoyance towards sing-a-longs and these types of productions. I respect and appreciate live music and dance, don’t get me wrong. I cried my eyes out during the entire production of Wicked. Some people are truly talented.  However, in many cases their produced happiness reminds me of overly entertaining cheerleaders making bubbly faces at the camera. Their enthusiasm is forced and I lose faith in everyone buying into it.

I will say that I can see the need for such a break in the amusement park. Taking 30 minutes off our feet while sitting in air-conditioning was welcomed. In fact, I made Gman go to the less-smiley Celtic dancing production later that afternoon.

The weather was perfect – warm but not hot, slightly breezy, and sunny. Gman and I truly enjoyed our day together and felt like we did get away from it all. We had plenty of downtime to stroll through the park, look at flowers and animals, check people out, eat lots of food we shouldn’t, have a few thrills and get to know each other a little more.

So tell me, do you like amusement parks? What’s your favorite part or why don’t you like them?