TOP 10 PICKS IN WINE WALK

On Saturday Gaynor & I put our heads together to discuss our favorites in The Wine Walk. Below are our choices. Please remember these are our personal choice. Some may differ, we all have different likings.
WINES and the shops that offered the taste:
1. Domaine De L'Espigouette Vacqueyras 2007 Village Candy
2. Helfrich Grand Cru Gewurztraminer Alsace 2007 St Michele Fine Linen
3. Vassiliou Ambelones 2007 Greece Vita Hair for Life
4. Niepoort Twisted Red 2006 Portuguese Carly M Fine Jewelry
5.CJ Pask Roy's Hill Merlot 2005 New Zealand Fun Buy The Pound
6. Cono Sur Cabernet Carmenere 2008 Chili Tapas
7. Bernardus Marinus Meritage (Bordeaux style) 2004 Cheers
8. Becker Estate Pinot Noir 2006 Penguin Books
9. Vina Satazo Rueda Spanish Orrs
10. Two Tomatoes NC Merlot Spoiled Chics

BEST APPETIZERS
# 1 spot went to Carly M Fine Jewelry....your selection was amazingly presented & delicious!

The above wines of our choices were all found to have pleasing tastes to us. From the crisp, dry whites with pear notes to the rich full bodied reds with their peppery, berry scent. We enjoyed them all.
We also thank all the other business participating in this event: Sewickley Frame Shop, Sewickley Spa, Creative Hair Studio, Esthetics, Thomas Jewelers, So Ho, Pendleton, Perfect, The Jewel Theif, The Clay Cafe, Van's Aveda Salon, Bi Ali Salon, Sewickley Shoe Repair, Antiquarian, Simply Yogurt, International Images, Verizon, No Good Riding Hood, Sewickley Confectionery, Yankellos, Howard Hanna Real Estate, Big Bang Comics, Naked Grape, MAK, EM Jewelers, Cuttings, Norman's Barber Shop, Bailey & Bailey. I do hope I did not leave any one out. We appreciate your commitment to the community and your gracious invitations into your shops. We hope to next time be able to get around to more of your shops.
To the shops we had visited, your presentations were very nicely done and some of you went out of your way with the appetizers offered. Just know you all were deeply appreciated in all your efforts to welcome us. Till next time!

The Village Wine Walk

November 10....Sewickley Village Wine Walk .....sponsored by Sewickleychamber.org
this was the kick off to the shopping season ahead. On Wednesday evenings Village Shops will remain open from 5-8pm each week through the holiday's.To cover the entire Wine Walk was not an easy task. Hat's off to those who did! We did accomplish tasting 18 of the 35 different wines on the list.Gaynor & I will be compiling a list of our "10 Favorites" very soon and posting. But to tell you a bit about our journey through town I will get started blogging.
Beautiful weather could not keep us away from The Village Wine Walk on Wednesday evening. It was a spur of the moment idea to attend. On Tuesday I had been at Vita Hair for Life
My hairdresser Connie, also the owner, suggested I stop by the next evening for the wine walk. Just recovering from surgery I was unsure if I would be up to this adventure. So even though Chrissy was also at the shop at this time I did not think I would be going so I did not encourage Chrissy to meet me in Sewickley. Speaking with Gaynor briefly the next morning we decided we would meet downtown to see what was happening. I now wish I would have encouraged all the members of our wine study group to attend. We did end up meeting Jackie on the street a bit later in the evening.
So to begin on our adventure we started at Vita Hair for Life since that is where we got our invite. We were there at 5PM sharp and Carissa from Vita greeted us and lead us to the back of the shop where they had prepared a nice table complete with table cloth and wine glasses with their offering for tasting. It was a Vassilliou Ambelones 2007 Koropi from Greece. So Gaynor and I sat in the antique chairs by the fireplace in the salon and enjoyed our taste. It was a tasty dry white wine which was very pleasing to drink. I am partial to reds, but I would again drink this wine. We then moved up to Village Candy
where we had one of the best wines of the evening Domaine de l'Espigouette Vacqueyras 2007 . As I said prior I am partial to reds. 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah, and 5% Mourvedre is what I have learned it contained Anything with Syrah in it I naturally love. It was deep ruby to purple in color and carried scents of peppery, blackberry, and spicy notes. It was a full bodied red as I have been known to enjoy and I likened it to the Turley Vineyards wines I have tasted. Definitely this will be a wine I will remember. We also were graciously greeted and welcomed into this shop. I must say it was very nice to meet the shop owners and have the time to chat briefly with them.I still have several more stops to blog about but will be back tomorrow. Till then....enjoy your Friday evening!

How It Began

It all began in May of 2010. I had just published my
first book and was searching for ways to promote my book into the bookstores. It started with my favorite book store to visit, The Penguin Bookshop
in Sewickley, PA, the town in which my son lives and I frequent often. Upon going to visit another authors book signing I was browsing the shelves in the shop and stumbled across this book "The Wine Bible". Being a Christian the title grabbed my attention. When I took it from the shelves and opened its pages I found it was filled with so much interesting information that I just had to have it. So because of my great interest in wine which had entered into my life over the last decade I decided to purchase this book.
After my divorce as I started to socialize once again, a few of the men I dated were very educated in wines and the vineyards. I attended many wine tastings and learned a lot during this time. My drinking this luscious drink became an educational time and a pleasurable time, not a time of drunkenness. At one point in that past decade of my life my doctor advised me to drink wine (a small portion ) each night in order to build my blood and energy levels. I took his advice and I did so at least 5 nights a week and when my next rounds of blood work came in my blood was excellent for a 50 something woman and my cholesterol level was called impeccably remarkable by my primary care physician. They credited this to the wine & also my diet since I was 29 yrs old.
Getting back to the book.....I rather enjoyed this book immensely the next couple months. So when an author was to speak at the bookshop on his latest book, Wine Lovers Devotional 365 Days of Wine I decided to see what he had to say. I then purchased my copy.
So now I had 2 wonderful books to further educate myself in the makings of wine. While my long time, great friend Chrissy was visiting one day I then shared my books with her. I had been considering beginning a "Wine Bible" Study group consisting of a small group of my friends who shared a common interest...wine. Here we could learn and grow together in our knowledge of the vine. So as Chrissy was looking at the books I was hoping she would grab hold of my idea and then she brought the subject up and it was then I knew this should be. So from July till now we discussed doing so and on Monday we are having out very 1st "Wine Bible" Study.
Being Christian women for many years now the both of us know what the Word of God says about wine and drinking. So as we set out on this wonderful adventure with our close friends we do hope to remember He is Lord of our lives and we never would want to do anything to take away from that or cause one of our friends ( or ourselves) to stumble.
What God commands Christians regarding alcohol is to avoid drunkenness.

Ephesians 5:18

18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

So Lord please remind us of this as we enjoy learning of just one of your wonderful creations, the fruit that comes from the vines.