Santa Ynez Wine Tour

The Sisters are Back! There was a mini hiatus but what better way for a comeback than with a road trip… We stumbled upon a deal we couldn’t resist on Travelzoo for a chauffeured Wine Tour of Santa Ynez Valley including lunch. So we headed out to Santa Ynez, California for a day of lip smacking wine tasting. We were met by our driver Mark from Gold Coast Limousines who picked us up for a 4 to 5 hour wine tour. On this tour we met fellow and future winos Chris, Maggie, Torry and Gina.  On our way to Rideau we sipped on champagne. Rideau is the only black female-owned winery located in Solvang. This vineyard is known for its New Orleans flair and Rhone varietals. From Rideau’s Winter Wine Flight list we tasted the following:  2010 Estate Viognier, 2009 Grenache Blanc, 2010 Siempre Albarino, 2009 Sangiovese, 2008 Lagniappe (which we learned means a lil bit extra), 2007 Iris Chateau Duplantier (Gold Medal Winner at the 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition) and lastly a winos favorite, 2010 Riesling.  Andrew Murray Vineyard was our second stop located in Los Olivos. AMV specializes in Rhone red and whites. We were greeted by our friendly Sommelier, Tracy who educated and poured us everything from a 2009 Esperance to 2008 Grenache from the Terra Bella Vineyard and more. We had a picnic lunch at our last and final stop Fess Parker, which is a beautiful property located in Los Olivos sitting on over 1500 acres. This vineyard was a blur to lil sister. The vineyard was founded by the late American film and television actor Fess Elisha Parker Jr. The winery is known for selling coon skin caps which also happens to be the logo reminiscence of his acting days. At Fess Parker winos sampled Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Port. One day just wasn’t enough for the sisters, so we woke up the next morning and hit up one last tasting room for some sweet wines,Royal Oaks, a winery after our own hearts. For $8 bucks we tasted five wines and took home a souvenir glass. Older sister was in heaven, she tasted the same wine twice. She walked out of there with two bottles of Concord and one bottle of Niagara. All in all we had a great time, we are already talking about revisiting Santa Ynez Valley, will you be there?

Girls Night In ~ Again

Two Fridays ago we had a little wine with friends.  Of course everyday is an occasion for wine, but this was different.  It was "Girls Night In!"  Our Friends Peggy and Milca stopped by to hang out with the winos and we had a blast!

All the ladies brought wine to share and Little Sister Jamee made vegetarian taco salads.  Of course the food and wine was good, but more than anything it was so nice to hang out with the people we love. Good friends are not easy to come by, but we're fortunate - they're not just friends, they're family!

Vegetarian Taco Salad Recipe

2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese (grated)

1 Fresh Jalapeno Pepper (sliced)

1 Can Whole Black Beans (drained)

1 Pack Soyrizo (veggie version of chorizo)

Sliced Black Olives (drained)

1 Small Red Onion (diced)

2 Roma Tomatoes (diced)

Fresh Spinach or Lettuce

Corn Chips

Kraft Catalina Dressing

Heat a medium sized skillet on medium heat.  Add a teaspoon of olive oil.  Once the oil is heated add the Soyrizo.  You just want to heat the Soyrizo, so stir frequently until completely heated through. 

Wash the spinach (or lettuce) and drain.  Chop the onions, tomatoes, and jalapenos and set them aside. Grate the cheese, drain the olives and black beans.  Place the chips in a bowl. Then you can create a little assembly line and everybody can make their own salad. Once you've put your salad together, garnish with corn chips and drizzle the dressing.

Just like that...you've got yourself one delicious taco salad!

Of course our guests are not vegetarians, but they humored us anyway. Actually they all loved the salad and even had seconds (except Big Sister Tredia who is a true carnivore).  

By the end of the night, we were full and saucy!

Happy 4th of July!

Independence Day is here already? I can hardly believe it's July, oh how the time flies! That means that summer is in full swing, pool parties, movies in the park, jazz festivals, and WINE!

We really don't need a reason to drink wine, but holidays are always a cause for CELEBRATION!  Summer is the time to drink light and refreshing wines, maybe something sparkling like a Moscato D'Asti, or a pretty Rosé.

The other day we stopped at Henry's Farmers Market and they had Crane Lake Wines on sale 3 for $10, talking about a deal! A little while ago I was given a bottle of Crane Lake Cabernet Sauvignon and I was surprised at how much I liked it, it was smooth and rich. So the deal at Henry's was a godsend! We bought Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Moscato. We'll be posting a review of the Crane Lake wines soon to tell you our thoughts.

We're going out to our mom's house today to heat up the grill, make some homemade ice cream, laugh, talk, and drink vino!  

Happy 4th of July!!!

The Winos - Hangover Weekend

Well guys, the Winos' are off to Sin City this weekend - Las Vegas, Nevada.  Our good friend and fellow wino, Peggy, got the hook-up on a cheap room, so we're off!  Of course we can't go on a trip without checking out the potential for a Wino Adventure.  


Here are a few wine hot spots in the desert this weekend:

• Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appétit - This is a four day food extravaganza! Luncheons, dinners, tasting, food, food, food - did I mention food?  Of course this is not a cheap affair (the cheapest event still available is $95).  Each event is individually priced and many have already sold out.  My boyfriend, Chef Tom Colicchio of Top Chef will be there, but his event is already sold out.  This event is hosted annually on Mother's Day weekend - maybe next time Winos'.
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• Valley Cheese & Wine in Henderson, NV - has free wine tasting every Friday and Saturday from 4-7pm.  This specialty food store was founded in 2006 by Bob Howald and Kristin Sande, who hand pick "hard-to-find wines, artisan cheese, charcuterie, specialty dry goods and wine accessories." We might have to check them out!
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• Terra Verde at Green Valley Ranch - is an Italian restaurant and on Friday nights they offer all-you-can-drink featured wines from 5-7pm.  They also have $20 appetizers during these "happy" hours. 

If we make it to any of these we'll let you know.  But we will be having a good time and drinking wine wherever we end up!

Swill Automatic

We stumbled upon this great deal at travelzoo.com for a wine bar called Swill Automatic. For just $29 you received two $20 wine cards, a cheese platter, and one $10 appetizer ($64 value).

Saturday night, The Winos' and a couple of friends redeemed their vouchers. Located in Los Angeles Downtown Art's District, Swill Automatic, is a great find!  Over 70 wines to choose from and tasting ranging from from $3 to $5 for 2oz (which is half a glass served at a restaurant). The design was really impressive.  The wines are set up so that you insert your wine card, place your glass under the spout, and make your selection and Presto!  It pours right into the glass...pure genius!  With this set up you don't have to feel rushed to taste, you can try as many as you like, and revisit the wines that tickle your fancy.

The cheese platter included a delicious sage cheddar, which was to die for (Big Sis even liked it and that's saying a lot).  Although, the menu was not extensive, it had some tantalizing selections,  including tasty Butternut Squash Ravioli, Garlic Jumbo Shrimp, Bahn Mi Sliders, Salads, and Tamales.  As you can see it's a broad spread!  They even have dessert (which is a must have for Little Sis), three cheesecake varieties: traditional, raspberry, and chocolate.  Did I mention the delicious chocolate chip cookies?  That were given to us gratis!  A wino type of joint, for sure!


Adan - Waiter Extraordinaire!

The staff was really accommodating, we even got a visit from the owner, Josh, who just wanted to make sure we were having a good time. Once it got dark the DJ was spinning oldies on the ones and twos, while cartoons played on the movie screen. The atmosphere was awesome!



Winos' Night Out

Marie & Misaki

Would we go back???  Hell Yes!  How can you not love good wine and great prices? Marie and Misaki (fellow Winos', well actually, just Misaki) had a great time too! Seeing as Misaki is an international Wino who sips vino from abroad, she has exceptional wine taste, that being said, Swill Automatic is legit.

Favorite wines of the night:  

• Blend - Crnko Jarenincan
• Torrontes Aguijon de Abeja 2009

Good times at 4th Street Vine

Last night the Winos’ hung out at 4th Street Vine, a wine bar in Long Beach, CA.  It was our first time going to a wine bar, so we didn’t know what to expect.  The atmosphere was pretty relaxed.  Seemed to be a great meet-up spot, there were several groups of friends laughing and conversing with each other. 

There was a small selection of wines for sale, including a fantastic Ice Wine (which is one of the most delicious wines you’ll ever taste, if you like sweet wines).  Big Sister decided on the Ice Wine, because she had never had it before, needless to say she LOVED it!!!  Little Sister decided to do a “Wines Around the World” tasting.  She didn’t like several of the tasting selections, simply because she is not really a red wine drinker.  

I tried the “French Wines” tasting, The first was a Bordeaux, which was pretty nice, a little dry, very oaky.  The rest of the wines were reds.  I am not necessarily a red wine lover, but I can appreciate a nice glass.  I did try to “taste” responsibly though, swirling and sniffing, checking out the “legs” and such.  Overall, I would venture to say that I enjoyed tasting the wine more than I ever had, simply because I had a broader view of what I should be looking for. 

I almost forgot to mention, the live music!  We were thoroughly entertained by the sounds of guitarist, Thor Jensen.  He was incredible!  Thor has a great voice and an great ear.  The sound was smooth and mellow, but you could totally grove to it.  We were bobbing our heads, swaying and shaking all night!

Overall the wine bar experience was good. On our way back to the car, we passed by the Moxie Skate Shop and wound up having a hilarious and insightful conversation with a skater named, Kamiko.  The Winos’ may have made a new friend!  We plan on getting together for a little “skate therapy” (as Kamiko calls it).  Maybe we can burn off some calories, clear our heads, and firm up these thighs!

Great night...good times had by all!