Becky Sue Epstein

Still Prosecco - as in non-bubbly!
Why?
Who knows?
But I gave it the ultimate test: Does it pair well with potato chips?
Yes!
Refreshingly low alcohol.

Reading on the deck in dappled shade.
A far cry from the troubles this enticing heroine is close to drowning in.


Thanks !

Lovely lobstah lunch yesterday with Peter and Diana Merriam at home in Maine.
Tasted several of their 99% estate-grown Sonoma wines - a California sustainably certified winery Light Fumè Blanc, very pleasurable little-oaked Chardonnay, nicely well-rounded reds including their popular Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Many of wines are organic. Most sold mainly online through their wine clubs!

Drink of choice last night -- and now we're crying because it's empty...

whiskey for

Zinfandel with a surprisingly light feel. Flavors intensify with food - and seems to have a knack for food pairing advice.

zinfandel

Cheers me up to put pink wine on the table - here's
a taste of spring, thanks to

Jura wines go local - including cremant!
Found this sparkler at a Massachusetts wine shop.
Looking forward to tasting this evening.

Classic Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with a small percentage of Jura faves Ploussard and Trousseau

Have you ever noticed they've been making wine at Stags' Leap since 1893?
Front and center on the label.
By the way, this is 2022 Chardonnay is amazingly lean, more like Chablis or Meursault than what you'd expect from Napa.

Convenient snowstorm appeared this morning.
Just in time to take photos for my upcoming Winter White Wines reviews.

With a snowstorm on the way, amazingly managed to get Valentine's Day sparkling wines here ahead of time!
Looking forward to trying Seppi sparklers produced by Kelsey Phelps, granddaughter of Napa icon Joseph Phelps.

It's Girl Scout Cookie season!
With wine!

Perfect pairing:
with

Grownups only, I'm afraid- even though this luscious icewine is a low 9.5% ABV

WHY didn't I ever think of the perfect pairing of Bourbon & chocolates before??
Delightful bites!
New partnership: Woodford Reserve and Compartes chocolates.

Have a little left on your holiday gift card?
These fun shapes from remove the foil (or plastic) cover from a wine cork in seconds.
I've used this bright green frog for years - and it's still shiny & happy!
Prices start around $7.

In Chinese now - just received my copies from China!

Delectable chocolates.
Hand-made with smooth, creamy fillings.
By passionate chocolatier Jeremy Spindler
Finally made it to his tiny, chock-full boutique on Mass Ave in Cambridge - treats galore!
Also offers a curated selection of international gourmet foods.

Pleasant dreams!
(Hoping this winemaker at Madrevite wakes up in time for our tasting tomorrow.)

Prepping for dinner tonight...and a life of crime (writing)...

Testing sparkling wine glasses this evening
With excellent Col Vetoraz Prosecco Superiore DOCG Valdobbiadene
Extra Dry Cuvee 13
Light pure apricot and mineral edges, fuel bubbles too.
#,justlook

Finally cool enough for outdoor parties?
In reviewing these colorful little cans of wine, it's hard to get past their cuteness in order to fully assess the wines.
If someone handed me one of these adorable single-serve at a party, I'd probably .
I tried - really tried - to objectively evaluate the quality of these .

I was most fascinated that the collection features TWO cans of .

The light yellow "vin blanc" and the light orange 'vin orange" were the most aromatic, most flavorful.
The wine in the darker orange can was interesting.
And the red can... well, if someone simply wants , they want red wine, end of story. So they'd be OK with this wine which is um, just OK.

Can I recommend ? Yes, if cuteness counts. Also, the labels on these lightweight can are printed with vegetable inks - definitely a plus.

Drinking beautifully after a couple years under coravin!
Bright dark sweet fruit, lovely strong tannins. Flavors blossoming hours after opening.
2016 Tedeschi "Marne 180" Amarone della Valpolicella DOC

Charmed by this wine: bright, minerally, with a touch of apricot.
Pairing well with so many different foods!

2019 Roero Arneis DOCG from Nino Costa

Thanks for saving me one for

Actually, it's jicama-wrapped Ceasar salad rolls!
At Bolero Restaurant in , dinner by

Yes! People do get to eat like this IRL!

If you can't find me later, I'll probably be in the hammock. With wine.

Pairing Pots de Creme with Cinsaut at !
Intensely chocolate and non-dairy - ssk Chef Ben Diaz for his secrets.

Wild hillside view this morning, from outside my room in .
Glad to be back in the sunny cool mornings of southern California.

Great midnight snack here in SoCal.
Welcomed late last night by this bottle of .Which went really well with my homemade cheese sandwich on French sourdough.

Delicate coloring, full flavored, and versatile with food.
2017 Siduri Pinot Noir from Rosella's Vineyard, in the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County, California.
Every afternoon, breezes from the Pacific slip through a gap in the hills to cool the grape vines and enhance the wines' flavors and aromas.

It's one of those mornings