OK, so it's been a while since I've written... like a year to be exact! I'm back. Not as often as I initially promised, but I'm back nonetheless. I'm working full time and attending college part time so I won't be able to dedicate much time to my wine writing but I've missed it so much that I'm going to set aside some small slots of time every now and then just to get my fill. Here it goes for my first day back:
As most of you know I recently moved to California. At first I was very upset to lose my quaint wine shops in New York City but I'm slowly getting used to my new norm of buying wine from grocery stores. Now I'm getting my wine from places like Safeway, Fresh and Easy, Lucky's and BevMo. BevMo's not so bad since it is dedicated to wine and the like and the employees are informed but it is huge and commercial without that special small feel that I'm so used to having in the city.
In California most of the inventory is different from what I'm used to, which means I'm trying a lot of new wines but I'm also missing a lot of my old favorites that I can no longer find. Liquor laws along with alcohol import and export laws are different in every state so I knew to expect a great change in my wine consumption. There are good and bad aspects to the change. I'm feeling a bit home sick for New York so I'm choosing to focus on the good for now.
In the six months since I moved from Brooklyn I have been unable to find my favorite red wine, House Wine from Washington state. Finally, after I'd given up my search, I randomly saw it in a tiny grocery store by my house about two weeks ago. I almost had stroke from the excitement. They changed the label. It now has a red door. Oh my goodness. I thought to myself, "Hello old friend, you look better than ever." Then, a couple of days ago my good friend Quinn sent me a photo text with the new label. She knew I'd love it, and I did. Right now as I type I'm enjoying a glass of the bottle I bought on that wonderful day. And, when Quinn sent the photo, she inspired me to write in my blog again. Thank you Quinn, and thank you House Wine, with your new red door.
I also got a couple of French reds a couple of weeks ago that I'd never tried before. One of them was actually fantastic and also affordable so I've added it to my wine list. That's right, I keep a wine list. All of the best wines I've ever tried go on the list. One day that list will be on a menu born of my creation, but until then, that list stays in my phone and on my computer for me to edit as I so desire. If you know of a wine that is list worthy please leave a comment with the name and grape and I promise to try it and write about it (if it is affordable for my budget). I'll also share my French red discovery next time. Stay tuned.
