Twas The Wine Before Christmas

Where has the time gone. Christmas Eve is next Sunday. I’m heading home so there won’t be a wine blog next weekend. It’s a busy time of the year for most of us, and I love relaxing with a great wine and a good Hallmark movie. There were a few filmed here in Nova Scotia, including this one called Christmas Island.

Although the weather outside can be frightful, here’s some delightful wines for you to try this holiday season.

I tried a new white wine last weekend. My friend Joan bought this wine to my place and I really liked it. 

This Italian wine made by Ruffino from the DOC Orvieto. Known for their white wines, they tend to be blends from a blend of Grechetto and Trebbiano. The Grechetto grape is tastes like a Pinot Grigio and an unoaked Chardonnay got together. Not as acidic as a Pinot Grigio, but it does have some, which make it bright and tasty. Citrus notes with hints of spice, this sgreat white wine is priced at $16, which makes it a win-win.

What is your elf name?

A little bit of fun finding your elf name. My name is Happy Superplum. My sister would be Puddin’ Pickle-Pants. I may have her to call her that when I see her at Christmas. Let me know your name in the comments!

So I have started my Christmas wrapping. OMG, I have mine and my mother’s gifts to wrap. I took this picture to show the wrapping essentials, not the bows, the Bailey’s! It’s nice to enjoy a beverage while wrapping. You can even have a glass of wine.

Here’s one to consider. I wanted to try a new wine the other night, which produced a bit of a funny story at the liquor store.

I’m what you call a bit of a regular, so when I ran into one of the regular staff, she said, “Are you having trouble finding something?” I said, ‘I’m wanting to try something new’. She went on to select several bottles that she found really popular, and I had tried them all. She laughed!

The Avenue Syrah Grenache hails from the South of France, and the grapes are harvested from the high-altitude clay and limestone slopes, which results in a complex wine. Inspired by the popular wines served on cobblestone patios of the French brasseries, it was so easy to drink with notes of cherry and spice. Priced at just $17.99, finding great wines under $20 are getting more difficult to find, I really enjoyed this one.

There won’t be a wine blog next weekend, as I will be travelling home for Christmas. The next wine blog will be my yearly round-up of my favorite finds from 2023. I want to take a moment to thank all my readers who open this page each week to read my ramblings. It’s humbling that I get to share some of your weekend. But most of all I want to say thank you for all the kind words you sent along as I spent 2023 battling colon cancer. I can’t tell you how much they meant to me. I want to wish all of the best of the holiday season, and to a wonderful and healthy 2024. 

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Merry Christmas

Love Darlene

The Most Wine-derful Time of the Year

Yes, it surely is. I do love the month of December. It’s been VERY cold here in Halifax, however, nothing warms the cockles of my heart like a nice glass of wine. There was no wine blog last weekend because I was in Antigonish.

Regular readers know my nephew Riley, it’s so hard to believe he is in his 4th year at St. FX University, and last weekend, he received his X ring. So proud.

Had the entire family here….. for 12 days! That’s a long time to have family staying with you. No, I wasn’t speeding out to the airport they day they went back. LOL

Love to see them come, and after 12 days, love to take them out to the airport.

I’m very grateful to have a kitty that doesn’t go near my Christmas tree. Ok, quick update on my Cancer. I saw the cancer surgeon Thursday and the Cancer is still remaining so in the new year I am having the Surgery. Even though I will have a colostomy bag for the rest of my life, I’m still one of the lucky ones. The cancer will be gone. I’ll keep you up to date when I know a date. Although the Doctor told me it’s quite a recovery time, I am looking forward to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, the cancer will be gone. I’m ready.

Let’s talk some wine.

This beauty is on sale at our liquor stores right now. Sea Sun Pinot Noir from the Wagner family of wines. The same people who make Caymus and many other delicious brands, have hit it out of the ballpark with this lovely Pinot Noir. You’ll need to let it breathe. Pinot Noir can have a higher alcohol content, and my first sip was a little boozy. You can feel that in the back of your throat, a little burning sensation. After letting it stand for 20 minutes, it was perfect and delicious. Sourced from the coastal areas of California, the long growing season makes for a beautifully captivating wine with hints of brown spice and vanilla. Sea Sun also makes a Chardonnay for my white wine loving readers.

A little bit of cuteness before I talk about the next wine. I got to spend some time with 5-month old Lexi last weekend. She’s the cutie on the left, and on the right is my Maggie. My sister had them both groomed yesterday and they are as adorable as they look. Bernadoodles have the sweetest personalities.

Ok, My friends Fred & Arla took a drive outside of Halifax and found this gem of a store.

There are so many great small towns in Nova Scotia, that all have something unique to offer. I love exploring this province. Well, they found a BBQ store in Upper Onslow, Nova Scotia and this store was unbelievable. Arla took a picture because the variety was fantastic. I will definitely be making a trip. The store is called BBQ Heaven, and you know me, I love a good piece of BBQ Heaven.

Ok, here’s another great wine to give as a Christmas gift that won’t break the bank.

It’s hard to believe this fantastic Cabernet Sauvignon from California is $20. It is so hard to get spectacular wines at that price point anymore. This is actually a blend of 77% Cabernet, 20% Merlot and 3% Tannat. Tannat is a grape varietal from France that are used in blends, that you don’t normally see in California blends. This wine is so good. Here in Halifax, I have to go downtown to get this wine, but if you see it, pick it up, it is so good.

Holy cow, it’s hard to believe Christmas Eve is 2 weeks from tomorrow. Have fun, don’t stress too much and give yourself a breather every once in a while.

Till next week, Cheers

Darlene

Dreaming of a Wine Christmas

Aren’t we all? Hey, it’s a hectic time of the year. There’s so much going on. Last evening my sister and my Mom arrived from Newfoundland and my sister is going shopping! Plus, we had a Q104 40th birthday Alumni party last night, getting to see some of the colleagues I have worked with over the years.

You can’t blame a girl for wanting to chill at the end of the night with a glass of vino. I can also help take the guess work out of when you want to bring a bottle of wine to any Christmas get together.

I tried a new white wine last Saturday night.

My friend Elaine bought this to our game night last Saturday night and I hadn’t had it before. I’ve had several of the 19 Crime wines over the years, but never the Chardonnay from Australia. There’s also a Chardonnay that features Martha Stewart’s face, but that one hails from California.

19 Crimes wines can come from the United States or Australia, and this one hails from Australia. It’s priced just under $22 a bottle and packs a punch with a 14% alcohol content. However, I found it really really good, crisp with some stone fruit and honey flavors, and a bit of oak. I know some people find Australia Chardonnay wines a little oaky, and although you can notice the oak, it wasn’t overbearing.

I did a presentation Monday past for the owner of a hot sauce company here in Halifax. Picked up a bottle too.

You just know it’s going to have some kick with the work Hellfire in the title. It was SPICY! I toned it down a bit with some honey and a bit of BBQ sauce and the wings were just perfect. If you find the hot sauce you bought a little too spicy, add something sweet, as it tones down the heat. What did I have with my wings?

A great value, considering this is such an expensive time of year. Walked into the NSLC close to work and they were featuring this Tempranillo and Merlot blend from Spain. Not only was it yummy, it was priced at $12.75 a bottle. Everyone knows I love finding an exceptional value in wine. Medium bodied, juicy, and very food friendly.

There won’t be a wine blog next weekend, as I will be in Antigonish as my nephew Riley gets his St FX ring.

Till then, Cheers

Darlene

It’s Starting to Feel Like….

Although sitting here writing this blog, outside the wind is picking up and we are expecting a big rain storm, and it’s +14-degrees outside. Still, it is starting to feel like Christmas. I’m extremely late this year starting my Christmas shopping, but I have started it. And this coming Friday my Mom and my sister Jackie arrive in Halifax, and my sister Jackie is going into full shopping mode. Me and Mom have to try to keep up. She is a Ninja when it comes to shopping, this girl never gets tired.

Jackie at Mic Mac Mall

This picture was taken in 2021 at the Mic Mac Mall with Woody. She normally goes on a trip in the Fall, and has some of her shopping done. Not this year, she is doing it all here. Oh my, wish me luck.

Want a yummy recipe for potatoes? Two of my favorite sides are rice and potatoes. So, I’m always looking for new recipes for the grand old potato. I made these last night.

And they are so yummy, I just had them as part of my brunch. Oh, and I added cheese and bacon to them after I took this picture. Remember the spices from last week?

I added #2 to a honey mustard recipe for the potatoes. Here it is. Honey, grainy mustard, Olive oil, chicken broth (it will absorb) garlic powder, onion powder and any other spices you would like to add. Here’s the recipe from Eating Well.

Ok… Let’s talk some wine.

This wine has become a staple in my wine rack very quickly. More well known by its alter ego, Zinfandel, Primitivo is a big juicy grape from Italy. This wine is from Puglia, in the heel of Italy’s boot.

It’s fairly new to the NSLC, but packs a punch of flavor and a great price point, just $16.99 a bottle. I love this quote from their website

“Wine raises the soul and the mind, and all worries leave the human heart”.

There’s also a Pinot Grigio at the same price point for my white wine loving friends. I haven’t tried it yet, but I definitely will.

There’s also a Chianti at our NSLC, after doing some research on this wine this week. I’ll be tracking that down. It’s a blend of Sangiovese and Merlot, and has the same price point.

Have a great weekend. My Nova Scotia friends, stay safe in the weather bomb they are predicting.

Darlene

In Honor of All Veterans

Today is Remembrance Day and I’m always at a loss of words on this day. To those that served, to those that sacrificed. Thank you doesn’t seem enough, does it? There is a song done by Billy Ray Cyrus called Some Gave All, and there’s a lyric that I always think of on this day, “All Gave Some, Some Gave All”

Every single person that serves gives so much of themselves, and to those present, past and future, I am truly grateful.

I am truly blessed to have some wonderful friends in my life. And some of them are real foodies, like myself.

My friends Arla & Fred, (Fred loves to cook as much as I do) gave me these 3 spices. The Holy Cow I had on a steak this past week and it was so delicious. It smells amazing. The #2, Honey Hey BBQ and #3 is Hey Grill. Hey Grill Hey is one of my favorite websites for everything grilling. I first got introduced to Suzie Bulloch when she came in second on the 1st Season of BBQ Brawl with Bobby Flay on the Food Network

Suzie Bulloch from Hey Grill Hey

“Susie Bulloch founded Hey Grill Hey in 2015 with one desire: To help people make better BBQ. To date she has created over 500 recipes that millions of people cook every month, making Hey Grill Hey a name synonymous with amazing BBQ“. She is not a professional trained chef, like me, she is self taught. She is a BBQ master, and her website has 500 recipes. You should check it out.

Roasted Potatoes with #2 Honey Hey BBQ

I was at a meeting this past week with Richard and Anita from Atlantic Tours & Travel. Anita told me when she gets the blog, she says to herself “I wonder what Darlene is eating this week”. Anita, I ate very well this week, including using the sauces I got at Christmas at the Forum last weekend.

Rudi’s BBQ sauce & Sweet Cherry Bomb hot sauce

Ok.. let’s talk about some wine.

Santa Carolina Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon

My friend Angie bought this to share, and we both enjoyed it very much. It’s a great value Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. It was fruit forward, had some body to it, the tannins weren’t overly strong and it went down pretty easy. Some nice spicy notes with the fruit, great for any meat dishes and priced here at $16.48. A great deal considering how many times this year the price of wine has gone up.

Remember when I mentioned that I started this blog to feature good wines under $25. Well, with the price of wines increasing, here’s a new wine I tried this week.

Leese – Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon

From the heart of Sonoma, in the Napa Valley, this is a new wine to our shelves. It was so good. With Christmas coming up around the corner, here’s a gorgeous wine for that red wine drinker on your list. Priced at $24.99, it’s a very good price for a spectacular wine. Although the label says Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s actually a blend. 78% Cabernet, 12% Merlot, 6% Petite Sirah and 4% Syrah. It was so good, I bought another one yesterday to share with my friend Angie this evening because it’s my turn to bring the wine.

That’s it for this week. Take a moment of gratitude today to all who have served, and to those that currently serve.

Till next week, Cheers

Darlene