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Category: Wines Weekly

Wines weekly are the wine selections that we have tried and enjoyed so much we needed to share them with you.

Under $13 Wine Challenge

A fellow beverage writer and consultant, Justin Koury of Bevfluence, put out the challenge of finding and tasting at least 5-6 wines that sell for under $13.00. This sounded like fun. So, we were definitely up for this challenge. Several other blogger friends also accepted the challenge. I was looking forward to what we each found. Each of us was assigned a different retailer that are regional or national chains. Additionally, I added a requirement to not buy national grocery store brands like Barefoot, Cupcake, Apothic, and others. Bottles, Mount Pleasant, is a 15,000 square foot “beverage superstore.”  There are…

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Memorable and Faves Part 2

This post continues to list some of my most memorable wines from 2020.  As I said in my first post (which you can read here), if a wine is mentioned on my blog, it is worth seeking it out. That said, some stood out more than others, and that is what my two top 2020 wine posts are all about. So let’s continue, shall we? Memorable White Rhône Wines They Led Me Out of the Darkness! If you recall my journey into white wine, you may recall the memorable exchange I had in a tasting room in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. If you…

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2020 Favorite & Most Memorable: Part 1

As I look back on 2020 and the wine we consumed, we sampled some amazing juice. To be clear, if a specific wine was featured on our blog, it is one of the best we drank as many don’t make the cut. But the wine on this list is our favorite and most memorable for 2020.  These wines are ones about which I can not stop thinking. These are wines that tick every box for what I love in a wine. These are also wines that shocked me. Shocked, insofar as I am usually not a big fan of that…

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2020 * The Pivot Year

I wanted this post’s title to be positive, so I chose the word “Pivot.” The only other words that represent 2020 I could think of was “sucked and shitshow.” And that it did and was. But because of that, I, we, many of us, if not all of us, had to pivot. You may have had to homeschool your kids, work from home, or both. I can not imagine how hard that must have been or still is. While we all had our own personal obstacles to overcome in 2020, there were also some valuable lessons. This post is a…

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Tasting at High Country NC Wineries

This is the second of two posts from our weekend getaway in Banner Elk, North Carolina. Today, we will focus on the wine tasting experiences at two of the seven wineries in the area. As a refresh… We chose Banner Elk Winery and Grandfather Mountain Vineyard and Winery because they were recommended, and they both claim area “firsts.” Banner Elk Winery established the first commercial winery in the area. And Grandfather Vineyard and Winery established the first vineyard in Watauga County, NC. Tasting at Banner Elk Winery It is actually Banner Elk Winery and Villa as there is a house…

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Banner Elk: Chill in the Mountains

It has been almost two months already since we returned from my birthday weekend in Banner Elk, North Carolina. With all of our wine trips and personal vacations canceled, we had to get something on the books where we could be “distanced and safe.”  And a cabin in the woods outside a small mountain town seemed like the right answer. Gary and I, along with another couple, spent four nights and five days chilling, drinking wine, and sitting by the fire. Banner Elk: The Cabin We chose this cabin after seeing our friends/neighbors post about staying there over the summer.…

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Sip, Taste, Chug – Let’s do this!

Sip: Those special wines that fall into your lap or forgot that you even had. Taste: New wines to share with others. Chug: Doing what I did to get through the election and COVID-19. You may not have heard much from me lately, but I have been busy sipping, drinking, and tasting a lot of wine. Ok, not really chugging, but you know what I mean… I so wanted to chug sometimes. So let’s get to it. Sip This:  2016 “1886” Cabernet Sauvignon, Ehler Estate, St. Helena, Napa Valley Suffice it to say, when friends presented this wine to share…

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Oregon Wine – It’s In My Glass

I used to drink a lot of Oregon Pinot Noir back in the day. And then I lost interest. Either my palate changed, the wines that I was drinking changed, or perhaps both. But I completely stopped drinking Oregon until my WWET Willamette Valley experience.  And now, I thank my lucky stars that I had this opportunity. That trip re-introduced me to the region with a fresh set of eyes and ears- not to mention a more educated palate. After the trip, I have continued my wine tasting journey of Oregon wine. As such, you will hear a lot more…

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