Good Friends Good Wine

I am a very rich individual.  I have a wonderful family and a fabulous group of friends and I am grateful for that every day.  The wonderful group of ladies in my building are my friends/family and talk about girl power.  Strong and kind, gracious and sweet, but spunky too.  Heaven help the person who messes with them or those they love.

So we got together for a couple of occasions this past week, one was a dinner party and the other was a birthday party/open house to one of our wonderful golden girls Mair.  We are a very social group, and we do love our wine.  Tried a few new ones this week, and wanted to share.

Our first wine was a local Nova Scotia wine, the Blomidon Estate Tidal Bay.   Nova Scotia winery owners and winemakers decided to develop a signature wine that revealed the characteristics of Nova Scotia, and its special terroir.  Tidal Bay reflects not only the terroir, but also the coastal breezes and cooler climate of our province.  The one from Blomidon Estates and winemaker Simon Rafuse was a hit at our party with crisp acidity and a vibrancy on the palate.

Another new wine I’ve tried in the past week is the Anciano red label.  I have written about the Anciano Tempranillo wines in the past, and this one is Garnacha, which is what the grape is called in Spain.  You may know it as Grenache.  Anciano puts out wines of great value, and this one comes in under $15.  The fruit is accented with notes of spice and a great wine for meat.

It’s not often you hear about a Syrah coming out of Italy, but this was a very interesting wine.  The Conti di Matarocco Syrah hails from the coastal town of Marsala, Sicily and is a medium-bodied wine that is fresh and fruity.  Another great value at just $14 a bottle and a great wine to have with a meal.

Before I tell you about my wine of the week, I want you to meet our work dog.  This is Mason…

And Mason is one of the nicest dogs you could ever meet.  He belongs to one my colleagues at the radio station and just brings a smile to my face every time I see him.  I thought I would share a photo, since he’s so cute.   So that’s your dose of cute today, and now for my wine of the week.

It’s another Italian wine and it too hails from Sicily.  It’s under the $20 range and went down remarkably well.  This is a bit of a rare red blend as it contains 2 grapes you may not be familiar with, unless you spend a lot of time in Italy.  Nero d’Avolo and Nerello Mascalese  make for a great blend that would pair very well with all your favourite comfort foods like roast, beef stews and casseroles

Well, that’s it for me this week

Till next week, Cheers

Darlene