Kitchen Winemaking

Ever thought about making wine in your kitchen? I met Tammi at The Winemakers audition and she's been doing it for 15 years! Check out her video application for the winemakers (one person with the most views wins a spot on the show!) and see below for my chat with her about kitchen and wine shenanigans!

The Winemakers cont...Car Debacle...

After an emotional high from The Winemaker's auditions, I came out to my car having been vandalized! $4,000 worth of damage - seriously. I tried my best to not let it get to me...though you can tell from the video that I'm laughing so I didn't start crying...

The Winemakers Audition

I took a chance and went to auditions for a PBS show called The Winemakers on Monday. While waiting (all day!) for my turn I got to chatting with other contestants...here's what they have to say on wine...

Stay tuned for how the day turned out and cross your fingers for me...I may be heading to France to make wine!

Big Birthday

The last couple of months have been really remarkable for me. I'm not sure exactly where I thought I'd be when I turned 30, though I'm pretty sure it wasn't where I am. Despite that though, I have this strong feeling that I am exactly where I should be - spending time with supporting and wonderful family and friends, following my food and wine dreams, and feeling an invigorating mixture of uncertainty combined with passion. My 30th birthday weekend on Dillon Beach combined all of this for me.

Birthday Oysters

Oysters are a recent love of mine and I spent my birthday doing what I love most. After a short kayaking expedition (uh...not what I love most!) my best friend Kimmy and I went to The Marshall Store for oysters and a picnic. There are lots of places up in Pt Reyes for oysters, but I like this one the best because it's laid back, not so crowded and they shuck the oysters for you. I'd love to to be the kind of gal who can shuck oysters no problem, but as you saw from an earlier video I did in Greenport...I'm just not. And now that I'm 30, one of my goals is to be more accepting of what I don't do well. I throw an epic picnic and I eat oysters really well...shucking, not so much.

Wine Trivia - Que Shiraz, Syrah...

Test your wine smarts with this fun wine trivia game...and see how well my friends and I do after a looooong wine-filled dinner...

Blueberry Cake!

Smitten Kitchen is my new favorite recipe blog, not only for the recipes, but for the writer's sassy style. I needed a bit of cheering up the other day after the Murphy Goode disappointment, so what better to do than visit a local farmer's market and make Smitten's "blueberry boy bait?"

Mission accomplished - my mood was lifted and my friends and family (quite literally) devoured the cake. Note: More data needed to see if it's really boy bait!

BIg Murphy Goode News

Big news today is that I didn't make the final 10 for Murphy Goode. I'm disappointed of course, but happy that this experience pushed me to do what I love. Keep checking out my site as I promise there is a lot more to come and it's going to be amazing.

Blind Tasting at Nectar Wine Lounge in SF

I know it sounds a little bit cheesy, but I really feel like there is the potential to learn something new with every glass (and bottle!) of wine I drink. Talking with Achim Fehlker, one of the owners of Nectar Wine Lounge in SF, over an unidentified bottle of red wine was like that. If you have never watched someone who is really good at blind tastings - identifying the grape, region and vintage of a wine without seeing the bottle - then bring a mystery bottle to Nectar right away and find Achim. You will be amazed, learn a lot and meet a great guy.

P.S. If you want to know the wine we blind tasted here, let me know! It was delicious.

Wine Trivia - Champagne Glasses!

I'm in love with this game Wine Smarts - it makes for perfect dinner party chatter and you learn something about wine to boot. Do you know the origin of the coupe Champagne glass? Find out here...

Why I Love Wine

I'm in Mexico, drinking lots of margaritas during the day and wine at night (what's better than that?)...and pondering why people love wine. Check it out.

Demystifying Italian Wine - Start at Biondivino

I love everything about Italy, but I'll be honest, the wines confuse me. I'm determined to learn more about them though and I'm starting at biondivino on Green (at Polk St) in SF. The owner Ceri Smith is gracious, funny and passionate about Italian wine. Go right now - I promise you'll love it.

Choosing Wine At a Restaurant

Choosing wine off a list, especially a big one with global representation, can be a little bit daunting. What's a gal to do though if she's thirsty and wants to try something new, but is feeling overwhelmed by a wine list? I tend to just ask those who know more about it than me, i.e., the people who made the list, but I realize others may be more shy about calling over the sommelier. I happened to chat about just this with the sommelier from Absinthe...