The Time Has Come

I’m sitting here on a Saturday, enjoying a great coffee, but feeling a little melancholy because the time has come. Surgery time, that is. My surgery is this coming Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. so I probably won’t be writing a wine blog for a few weeks.

The last wine blog was letting you know I was escaping the cold weather and heading South

Well, that didn’t go exactly as planned, because we were supposed to fly out on a Saturday morning at 9 a.m. But then Snowmageddon hit Halifax

We finally got out at 1 p.m. on Monday afternoon, because 83 cms of snow over 2 days tends to shut this city down. We still didn’t get it as bad as Cape Breton, which got 150 cms of snow. That, my friends, is a lot of snow.

My sister and I did enjoy spending the time together, however, personally we wouldn’t go back to Cuba. The people were amazing, however, the supply issues in Cuba are affecting basic necessities like hand soap and toilet paper. The food wasn’t great either, and they only had 1 kind of wine on the resort. They did make a great ice coffee.

I’m not going to share about the wine there, it was a drinkable Spanish wine, but we can’t get it here, so why bother. This wine you can get here.

We went to an Italian a la carte restaurant while there, I was hoping for some Italian wine. They didn’t have it, but here’s a nice affordable Italian wine for you to try. This is a blend of 70% Sangiovese and 30% other grape blends. It’s priced under $20 a bottle and very easy to drink. A great fruity red wine to have with pizza or roast chicken.

I’m going to keep it short this week. I had to do my colostomy training yesterday and I’m still coming to terms with having this bag attached to me for the rest of my life. The good news is that hopefully, fingers crossed, as of Tuesday, I will be finally Cancer free. There is also a significant amount of pain that comes with rectal cancer. There are 2 types of colon cancer, bowel and rectal. Mine was rectal and it was low. So much so that it was uncomfortable to sit.

So, from me to you, take care of yourself and I’ll be back in a few weeks once I’m feeling better. Thank you so much for all the kind notes and supportive words over the past 16 months when I started this journey.

Thank you

Darlene

Goodbye Cold Weather

There won’t be a wine blog for the next two weeks, as I’m leaving this cold weather next Saturday. My sister is treating me to a one week vacation at the Royalton Hicacos in Veradero.

This is our most recent picture, taken with our lifelong friend Wendy over the Christmas holidays. Jackie, Wendy and I have known each other for 55 years. And we are still like family. My sister wants to take me down south before my cancer surgery, and before I get the colostomy bag. We leave next Saturday and come back the following Saturday. I’ll share any new wines I will try and maybe some fun pics as well.

I absolutely love pasta, and my Mom’s favorite is Chicken Fettucine Alfredo. I realized I had never made this dish, only had it in restaurants. Well, last Sunday that all changed, and it was so easy and it turned out so good. I used fresh pasts for my first attempt at Fettucine Alfredo and I used this recipe. I also added some fresh bacon. I mean, bacon compliments most things, especially a creamy cheesy pasta with chicken. Am I right?

Here’s the wine I had with it.

I went Italian. I know I have had this wine before, but it’s been a while, and look at that rich deep color. It’s the Pasqua Romeo & Juliet Rosso, isn’t that a great name for an Italian wine

This is one of those great wines that combines traditional Italian grapes with a traditional Bordeaux varietal. This wine is 40% Merlot, 30% Corvina and 30% Croatina. Both Corvina and Croatina are grapes native to Italy. Appassimento means dried, and the process is quite unique. The Merlot and Corvina grapes, selected and hand harvested with great care, are then left to dry for 1 month into wooden trays in the Fruttaio, a special room used for drying grapes. Thanks to the dry and well ventilated environment where the humidity level is carefully controlled, the grapes loses around 30% of their water content and gain high flavor concentration. Several wine critics have given this wine 91 Points. This wine is only $20 a bottle and is so rich and full-bodied with absolutely no bitterness. It went down pretty easy. 

I have one more new wine to tell you about.

So I saw this wine in the clearance aisle at our liquor store, and thought I would give it a try. I had tried the Cabernet in the past, tried it for the first time last year. Enjoying it while watching a Christmas Hallmark movie of course.

The Cabernet, which was called Jingle was very good so I wanted to try the Holly Red Blend, which is called Holly. Hallmark hasn’t released the grape varietal but in my opinion, there is definitely Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and some Merlot. It was lush and juicy and I really enjoyed it. If you can find it, it’s on sale now for under $17 a bottle.  

That’s it for me for this week. I’ll touch base in a couple of weeks and hopefully have lots of great pictures from the vacation. This is a picture of our resort.

Till then, Cheers

Darlene

Trends to Look For in 2024

Each year in January I always look at the wine topics that are getting a lot of attention, and I write a blog about it. Two years ago I wrote about low alcohol and non-alcoholic wines. And that trend continues and is growing in popularity.

  1. Low Alcohol & Non-Alcoholic Wines

In the grocery stores, I see more and more people going with non-alcoholic wines in their carts, and that trend will continue. Non alcoholic wines are improving in flavor all the time, and the above Chardonnay from Superstore was one of the tastiest non-alcohol wines I’ve tried. Last Spring when I was going through chemo and radiation I tried many of them, and I can tell you from experience, the more expensive ones are not necessarily the best ones. I paid $35 for one and poured it down the sink. It allows people to enjoy wine with their meals and still be able to drive, and cuts down on alcohol consumption.

2. Splurging is still a thing.

Everyone that reads this wine blog knows for the most part I’m all about finding great wines at great prices. Wines do not have to be expensive to be really good. But a trend that will continue into 2024 is splurging every once in a while. My friend Anthony is really good at that, as is my brother in law Craig. He doesn’t drink wine on a regular basis, only when I’m home, so he tends to buy a treat wine. Like the above Caymus wine. Full bodied and delicious but priced at about $90 a bottle.

3. People are enjoying more Comfort Food and Wine

I don’t eat steak very often, but when I do I really enjoy it, and I will always have a glass of wine with my steak. This past week I was craving some real comfort food, so I decided to make homemade fries to go with this steak.

I don’t own a deep fryer anymore, and I haven’t found a way to do them in the air fryer that tastes like homemade fries. So, I did them in my big cast iron frying pan, I also did my steak in a cast iron frying pan. 

They came out good and crispy and hit the spot. Whether its hearty stews, creamy pasta dishes or meat, I love a glass of wine with my favorite comfort foods. And don’t worry whether you should have white or red, just enjoy with one of your favorite wines.

I just got off the phone with my Mom, who was admitted to hospital earlier this week. In the middle of a raging blizzard in Corner Brook, my brother in law Craig called to ambulance. The paramedic said she was drowning in fluid, and it was really affecting her breathing. She is doing much better today, and they are doing a good job of getting rid of the fluid.

I met with my friend Anita from Atlantic Tours and Travel this past week and she was asking about the puppies. This was taken this week and Lexi is up to 61.6 lbs this week, and she turned 6 months old January 1st. She’s a floof ball and loves her big sister Maggie.

Last week I told I was bringing this Humo Blanco Cabernet Franc to our weekly Rummikub game. Well, talk about mixed opinions. My friend Angie and I tend to enjoy many of the same wines. She likes full-bodied wines so I thought she might like this. She did not! She had to pour her remaining glass of wine in my glass. She didn’t like it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Cabernet Franc grape originated in France as part of the blend of Bordeaux wines. Argentina is having some great success with this grape varietal on its own. This is priced at $24 a bottle, it’s dry and full-bodied with notes of vanilla and black currant. 

That’s it for me this week. Thank you for reading, and have a great week

Darlene

New Year – New Wines

It’s another New Year, which means another year of discovering new wines. 2024, what’s it going to bring for us. I am trying to enjoy every minute of my time. I really focused last year on the small things that bring me joy. A great book, a good puzzle, playing Rummikub with my friends. Peaceful time where its just me and Gabriel

Gabe leads a pretty chill life. We could learn something from cats LOL

My Mom turned 89 last Friday. She is doing well. And I also got my surgery date for 2024. February 20th is the day my cancer surgeon is removing the remaining cancer. Not looking forward to the surgery and recovery, but I am looking forward to getting it over with and feeling better.

So, as you know, I love the game of Rummikub. And I had a game with some friends in the building and my friend Pat bought this for us to try. She was gifted with this wine for Christmas.

It was my first time having this Shiraz Cabernet blend from Black Cellar, which is a Canadian wine. I found it medium to full-bodied, and not overly oaky. It was smooth and easy to drink, and a great value at $15. Shiraz Cabernet tends to be a bit of a heavier wine, but this one wasn’t. I had one with my brother-in-law Craig from Australia over Christmas, and we ended up pouring it down the sink. It was like licking the inside of an oak barrel. This was much better.

Got to spend time with the fam jam over Christmas. We love playing board games and cards, and had a really good time with both my nephews home. 

And of course Maggie and puppy Lexi made for lots of fun and lots of sloppy kisses. 

I got to do a fair bit of reading over the holidays. I read 3 Daniel Hurst novels, which if you like suspense novels, look him up. My next book is this one, The Wedding Day by Sue Watson. And this is the new wine I’m trying tonight. Getting together with some friends, and this is what I’m bringing to the game. I’ll tell you all about it next week.

Here’s hoping you have a great January. Till next week, Cheers

Darlene

My Favorite Finds of 2023

Well that year seemed to go very fast. It was an interesting year for me. Getting diagnosed with rectal cancer late in 2022, 2023 was a year of radiation, IV chemo and chemo pills. Still, I had many good times this past year and even managed a glass of wine now and then. Here are some of my favorite finds from 2023.

My Favorite New White Wine

My friend Joan bought the winner of the best white wine of 2023 to my place. This is the Casasole Orvieto from Umbria Italy. If you look it up at your local liquor store, the first pairing is Asian cuisine. I love making spicy noodle dishes with chicken and vegetables, and this wine is perfect.

This wine is fantastic and priced at $18.84 a bottle, a spectacular deal. The wine is medium bodied on the palate with gorgeous notes of tropical fruit and pears. There is a little hint of sweetness on the tongue that makes it perfect for any Asian cuisine, cheese, and pasta dishes. I loved it.

PS. My homemade sauce for this dish is so easy. Chicken broth, corn starch, hoisen sauce and soy sauce. And then I add hot sauce, and usually from red chili flakes, because I like a bit of spice.

One of the highlights for our family this year was the addition of Maggie’s sister Lexi. She turned 6 months old on January 1st.

And she is just a big floof ball. This picture was taken when I was just home for Christmas. She thinks she’s a lap dog. Weighing in at over 50 lbs now, she has grown a lot since Jackie got her the end of August

My Favorite Red Wine

I understand this is a treat wine, and not one for everyday consumption, but this is probably the best wine I have ever had.

The Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley is spectacular, but it will set you back $70 for the bottle. Full-bodied, yet fresh and bright, this wonderful wine has tasting notes of caramel and baking spices. Just absolutely delicious, and a great treat wine.

Another highlight for me, was ringing that cancer bell.

After completing 15 weeks of IV along with 10 chemo pills per day, I was happy for my final one and to ring that bell before I left the long term Chemotherapy unit. 

My Favorite Best Value Find

Since Canyon Road has been discontinued here, the wine on the left has become the new staple in my wine rack. Vivo Robusto Red from Chile is $12.75 a bottle and it’s a really good wine at a really great price. Made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% other grapes, this Chilean red blend is a spectacular value. 

Not only was 2023 the hottest Summer on record for most of the world, we had some wild wacky weather here in Eastern Canada. Halifax, after experiencing wild fires in June that caused so many people to lose their homes, saw severe flooding in July. 

Favorite Find priced at $20

With the continual increases in the price of wine, it’s getting harder and harder to find a really good wine under $20. I did find one though and it’s a 90-Pointer.

Hailing from Argentina, the Lui Blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. A full-bodied blend that is luscious and juicy and has a really nice finish. It’s $18 a bottle and one of my favorite finds of 2023.

I hope everyone has a great January and a fabulous 2024

Till next week, Cheers

Darlene