I'm Sweet on Sweet Pea Apple Wine

I'm guessing both non-wine drinkers and beginning wine sippers (like myself) will find this Wine Wednesday selection to pleasing to their palates, especially because Sweet Pea apple wine is flavored with natural blackberry flavors!  It's bottled at the Sweet Pea Winery in Mattawa, WA, and they use local, Washington apples.  

According to the Sweet Pea website (read more), this wine tastes as, "pleasing as cobbler and refreshing as a cool glass of Riesling on a warm summer evening, Sweet Pea is ripe with golden delicious apple flavors, hints of fruit sweetness and a crisp, clean finish."  That's also where I learned that this company makes a strawberry apple wine and a peach apple wine...that sounds all sorts of yummy and summery!  

Anyway, I was surprised to read that the alcohol content for this wine is only 7.8%, compared to 12% or 13% for your typical bottle of wine.  Overall this was a fun wine to try, especially for only $2.99!

Cheers!

-Kami

M.I.A. Part Two

Opps.  I missed day of blogging...again.  How lame-o of me!  To make up for it, today I'll do both a Wine Wednesday review and a Grocery Outlet product review.  

First, the wine.

Today's selection is a white wine from Spain called Triana.  According to the label on the back, "Triana is the name of the neighborhood in the city of Seville, Spain.  Triana means 'three river' as in that area the river is dividing itself in three sections."

My good friend T. and I shared a couple glasses of this wine and here's what we thought about Triana:  This $2.99 bottle of wine is sweet at first and dry on the finish.  It is non offensive and won't overpower your meal.  We thought it was fruity, but we couldn't decide what type of fruit.  Overall we found it to be an acceptable bottle of white wine.

Now for the product review.

I decided to pick a product that you can find pretty consistently at your local Grocery Outlet.  It's the Organic Broccoli Florets.  It's a great deal at only $2.99, especially considering it's 32 oz. of organic goodness!  I like the fact that the broccoli comes packaged as two smaller, more manageable bags inside the larger bag (Less spillage in the freezer is always a good thing!).  The next time you need broccoli, consider trying Grocery Outlet's Organic Broccoli Florets.  If you do, let me know what you think!

Cheers!
Kami

P.S.  Below is a link to the current Grocery Outlet ad.  There's a coupon for $5 off a $20 minimum frozen food purchase.  Grocery Outlet Coupon

There's A Reason Why South Africa Isn't Known For Wine Making

I was intrigued when I found the 2008 Fairhills South Africa Chardonnay at my local Grocery Outlet.  I had never seen a bottle of wine from South Africa, and I was eager to try it.

I liked the fact that it was Fair Trade Certified, but that's about it.

The first couple sips seemed strangely bubbly and had a sort of musky aftertaste.  Yuck.  I immediately  began to question if wanted to keep drinking it (for the sake of the blog) or if I should put it in the fridge and hope someone might stop by so I could pawn it off on them...

Enter my good friend Amy.  The poor girl was enticed to come over for some wine when I told her she could be a guest blogger.  We've been friends for over twenty-one years, but little did she know what I had in store for her.

After her first sip she declared it, "Tastes like rotten cheese, dirty socks, a barn cow with a lot of manure."

That's bad.

Against her better judgement, I convinced Bobo to give the African wine at least one more taste.  After a sip, a cough, and a sputter, a disbelieving Bobo moaned, "It gets worse.  It gets worse."

Sorry Amy.

So if you're ever at Grocery Outlet and you see this international bottle of chardonnay for $4.99, don't get it!  It may claim to be, "Embraced by the winds, Kissed by the sea, [and] Guided by the stars," but it still ended up being poured down the drain.

-Kami

Happy Hour Wine

If you read my blog last Saturday, you'll remember I had a homemade happy hour on Friday night.  I made some tasty nachos (using quite a few ingredients from Grocery Outlet) and opened up a fresh bottle of wine.  I wasn't sure if nachos went better with reds or whites, so I chose a random chardonnay called Bulleen Estate.  This 2010 wine from Napa, California was fine, no particularly strong flavors coming through or weird aftertaste, and after a couple glasses I had forgotten all about the stresses of teaching third graders.  You could say it was well worth the $4.99 price tag.  
Happy Wine Wednesday!
-Kami

Make Your Own Happy Hour Anytime!

Last Friday, after teaching a classroom full of energetic 8 and 9 year olds all day long and attending my school's Lunar New Year celebration, I was more than ready for happy hour.  


The only problem was that most happy hours were already over.  (So sad.) 


So, I decided to make the best of a long day and have my own happy hour at home.  (Yay!)


First I made some quick nachos.  I used some Nacho flavored Blue Diamond Almonds Baked Nut Chips (wheat and gluten free) as my base, then added some shredded Morning Fresh Sharp Cheddar, and threw it in the microwave for a few seconds.  I added some salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, sliced avocado, and green onions, and poured myself a glass of wine.
Let happy hour begin!
-Kami
P.S.  (Want to know which wine I chose?  Check out my blog on Wednesday to find out!)

Side Note:  The nacho flavored chips were okay by themselves, but much tastier as nachos.  My friends and I recently tried the Sea Salt flavored Blue Diamond Almonds Baked Nut Chips (wheat and gluten free) and they were approved by all of us.

(What did I get from Grocery Outlet?  Blue Diamond Almond Baked Nut Chips ($0.99), Morning Farms Sharp Cheddar ($2.39), avocados ($0.50 each), tomatoes, and green onions ($0.69).

Free Wine Tasting...This Thursday!

The next free wine tasting at the Crown Hill Grocery Outlet will be this Thursday, January 26th, from 5pm to 7pm.  Bring a friend, and I'll see you there! -Kami

What's their address?  8700 15TH AVE N.W.  SEATTLE, WA 98117

Bonus Blog Entry: Snow Day Sangria

Nothin’ like some Snow Day Sangria to warm yourself up this weekend! 

I used what was left of my Wine Wednesday selection (an overly sweet red wine called Turn Me Sweet 2010)to make a darn good sangria.  I had a recipe I was going to follow, but because of the slushy, snowy mess outside, my motivation to walk to the store for ingredients was extremely low.  Instead I decided to make do with what I had on hand, and boy, am I glad I did!  My homemade sangria turned out quite tasty! 

Here’s the recipe for my Snow Day Sangria:

(Feel free to substitute as needed…it sure worked for me!)

Mix together a bottle of Turn Me Sweet 2010 red wine, 3 cups of pink lemonade, 1 cup of Cascade Ice Cosmopolitan Sparkling Cocktail Mixer (or pomegranate juice), ½ cup of cranberry juice (or orange juice if you like that better), a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, and about five peeled and separated Mandarin oranges (or grapes, or blackberries, or apples, or lemons…whatever) in a pitcher and stir to combine. 

If you pour yourself a glass, turn up the heater, and close your eyes, you'll almost believe it's summertime!

Enjoy,

Kami

What Did I Get From Grocery Outlet?  Turn Me Sweet 2010 red wine ($5.99), lemon juice, Cascade Ice Cosmopolitan Sparkling Cocktail Mixer ($0.59), and Mandarins ($3.99).

A Wintery Wine Wednesday

It’s our first snow day of the year and lucky for me, it happens to fall on Wine Wednesday!  I was going to celebrate by opening up today’s bottle of wine at 10am with the ladies from the fourth hour of The Today Show, Kathie Lee and Hoda, but the show was preempted by a gazillion local reporters driving around in the snow, telling us not to drive around in the snow.  Anyway, since drinking with K.L. and H. was out, I decided to wait until I started cooking dinner to open up my $5.99 bottle of Turn Me Sweet 2010.  I love the look of this bottle (who doesn’t love a saucy girl in a pink dress?), but I’m not a fan of the wine itself.  I mean, I knew it would be sweet, but it is REALLY sweet.  Maybe I should have saved it and had it after dinner as a dessert wine?  I think I’ll use the rest of it tomorrow to make some sangria...during our second snow day!  

Cheers,

Kami

Wine Wednesday, Take Two!

This week's Wine Wednesday has me sippin' on a Washington 2008 Reisling called Next:.  This white wine is a little sweet, a little tart.  If I had to guess, I'd say there say there are some apple notes coming through.  The label is simple, yet clever.  It says Next: in a large, typewriter-type font, and around that are what some would consider inspirational words:  truth, rising, walk, care, heart...that sort of thing.

The poem on the back of the label makes this bottle a perfect housewarming gift, thank you present, or best friend pick-me-up.
It says:

"next: is a statement

next: is a question
next: reminds us that
we always stand
at the crossroads,
that we are all poets,
all philosophers,
the makers and keepers
of our own dreams,
that we bring wine to our friends
that we might share both
wine and words together,
fold into a moment
on the edge of the next."

Overall I say Next: light and tasty white wine...and well worth the $4.99 price tag. (If you can't find this selection at your local Grocery Outlet, you can always order a bottle of 2009 Next: straight from the winery for $12 a bottle!  http://store.kingestate.com/2009-next-washington-riesling-p259.aspx)

Until Next: time,
-Kami

My First Official Wine Wednesday! (An Ode to Kathie Lee and Hoda! )

I’m the first to admit it, I don’t know a lot about wine.  

In fact, it’s only been in the last year or two that I stopped making that ugly, bitter face that non-wine drinkers make when they drink wine.  I used to only order a glass of wine at a restaurant when they didn’t serve hard alcohol.  And yes, I was the one in the wine aisle picking out a bottle based on the cutest label or cleverest name (Alright…I still do that.  A girl has to have some reason for trying a new bottle, doesn’t she?!?)  

But slowly over time (and after many happy hours with my friends), I’ve learned to like wine, or at least identify what kinds of wine I like (usually sweet ones).  I have even taken a wine tasting class with my brother at North Seattle Community College.  (You should check it out. It's fun, tasty, and educational!   http://www.learnatnorth.org/classes.html)  And I can honestly say I enjoy having an occasional glass of wine...it defiantly makes coming home from work and cooking dinner a lot more enjoyable, that's for sure! 

So when you read my Wine Wednesday review each week, look for a review that is short, sweet, and real...no uppity wine snobs here!  

This week’s review is on California Rabbit: Hopping White, 2009.  It’s a white wine blend from California.  According to the label, the “lightweight glass bottle reduces packaging by 30% and reduces carbon footprint by 25% while delivering fine wine in an elegant bottle with a convenient screw-top!“  I thought the name was fun and the graphics cute.  It’s a pretty tasty white wine, not too sweet, not too dry. I had some yesterday, and I tried it again today.  I think it had a better taste the first day, so I would recommend not opening this bottle unless you’re going to finish it in one day…perhaps on an outing with your friends?  And at $2.99 it is quite the deal!  Make sure to get a few bottles before Grocery Outlet sells out.  (You never know if and when they will carry it again!)