Are You Bored With Girls Night Cocktails?

Guest blog #1 from Coryn Briggs @bstar2009

Are you bored with your girls’ night out cocktails? Has that Cosmopolitan lost its luster? Look no further than your local wine shop for wine selections and food pairing ideas. I’ve included my current list of top five favorite wines along with ideas for food pairings and girls’ night out activities.  Wines listed below are not in any kind of order– all are wonderful and need to be enjoyed in the company of good friends. 

2008 Erath Vineyard Pinot Gris – How do I love this wine let me count the ways…

First, I love this winery as they consistently produce wonderful quality affordable wines. I also had the great opportunity to visit the tasting room and was so pleased with the level of customer service. The second reason I love this wine is for the bright fruit aromas and flavors—it is a wonderful combination of citrus and tropical fruit. The third reason is that this wine pairs well with many different dishes, including seafood, pasta salads, roasted game birds and mild to medium flavored cheeses.  An easy and fun idea to incorporate this wine into the next girls’ night out is to have someone host a tapas party because the versatility of this pinot gris makes it great for a mix of ethnic foods and flavors. 

Black Star Farms Sirius Raspberry Dessert Wine – Anyone for dessert and a movie? This is a perfect wine for a girls’ night party themed around chocolate. This port like wine has flavors of ripe sweet raspberries, combined with the warmth of brandy. Try this wine with anything chocolate. Ideas include: fudge brownies and chocolate fondue. I instantly think of a night in with the girls and one of my favorite movies, Chocolat (staring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche). Or, try your hand at a flourless chocolate cake, host a contest and serve this wine alongside the decadent dark chocolate creations. In the end you will all be winners! 

2007 Babich Unoaked Chardonnay – Not your typical housewife’s chardonnay…this unwooded Chardonnay is bursting with flavors of citrus, fresh apple, pineapple and a crisp dry finish.  I first discovered this wine because I was on a mission to try unoaked Chardonnays from around the world. The winery I work for produces a lovely unwooded Sur Lie Chardonnay and I was looking to expand my knowledge and palate on this style. This chardonnay is perfect with creamy sauces and cheese.  Fondue party ladies? Or perhaps a pasta cooking party complete with homemade noodles, sauce and all… 

Cristalino Brut Rosé Cava– Rosé is the new Pinot Grigio, that being said, I tend to associate Rosé wines with summer and in Northern Michigan we will take anything that evokes thoughts of summer. Spring or summer this bubbly Rosé brings versatility to the table anytime of the year. Think flavors of ripe red berries followed by a refreshingly bright finish. Not too sweet or too dry this has become my favorite new bubbly.  Move over cosmopolitans…a new pink is in the house.  Try it with appetizers, white meats, salmon, and mild cheeses. For girls’ night out think pink and do something fun that will benefit breast cancer awareness.  

Shady Lane Cellars Sparkling Riesling – The party ideas are endless when it comes to this wine. It is truly a fun wine and a favorite in my house.  With aromas of fresh peach and green apple followed by a touch of sweetness and a dry finish this wine is crisp and refreshing. Pair this bubbly with appetizers or add a little apricot nectar for a quick Bellini. Sip on a glass of this bubbly and let the girls’ night out begin! Or pour a glass at the spa where you can release your inner diva in the company of good friends.

Celebrate the joys of friendship, take quality time with your friends, relax and unwind. Whether you want to stay in or go out, the wines and ideas presented give you a good start for your next night with the girls. So go ahead, wine a little and feel good about it! 

About the Author

Coryn Briggs moved to Traverse City 6 years ago and quickly immersed herself into the Michigan wine industry. She is currently the Winery Promotions Coordinator for Black Star Farms. In this role she manage the many pieces of the marketing mix including, off-site events, website content, advertising, social media, as well as graphic design. She enjoy local food, wine and the downtown Traverse City area where shes live with her husband and two young daughters.  

Black Star Farms is a unique agricultural entity that features two winery production facilities, their adjacent tasting rooms, a distillery, Inn, and equestrian facility.  The winery just celebrated its 10^th year anniversary and is proud to represent the viticultural diversity of the Northwest Michigan region, and its proximity to the 45^th parallel.

• Twitter: @bstar2009
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/blackstarfarms
• Web: www.blackstarfarms.com
• You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/corynbriggs1

10 Signs You’re Addicted To Blog Stats

Hello, my name is Josh and I’m addicted to Google Analytics. This is a post to help fellow bloggers identify their addiction. If you answer yes to 3 or less, then you’re safe. If you find yourself agreeing with 3-5, you may want to continue watching for the warning signs of addiction. For those bloggers reading this that can relate to 6-9 of the addictions signs, you should consider admitting yourself in to the G.A.A (Google analytics anonymous). You will find a strong support group to help break free from the bonds of addiction. For those that can relate to all 10 “signs,” you’re obviously a super star blogger with massive site traffic. Can you re-tweet this? PLEASE! 

10. Each night you go to bed counting referrals instead of sheep. 

9. Before you go to sleep you pray, “Now I lay me down to rest, I pray for visits from the West, as China and India awake, please click my links for heavens sake.” 

8. You go into a cold sweat as you enter the weekend still needing 400 page views to pass last weeks numbers. 

7. You think about posting an expose on sex addiction including “exclusive” quotes from Tiger Woods and Jesse James. 

6. You refresh you stats page 30 seconds after every time you tweet your newest post 

5. You secretly tag your posts and images with key words, Brittany Spears, Avatar, Porn, and Justin Bieber 

4. The first 30 minutes of every visit to your psychiatrist covers how your value and self worth are not tied to your page views 

3. Secretly you hope that @rickbakas, @sung_h_lee, @nansen or @garyvee will re-tweet your posts 

2. To be trending on Mashable is one of your bucket list items 

1. You read that people like to read lists so you put together THIS list in hopes to boost your traffic for the day.

*photo credit www.thedailydigi.com

Nectar Monthly Honors March

March came in like a lion and went out like a lion. An all time high of 30 posts with 28 formal wine reviews made for a busy month. Aside from the ‘formal reviews’ I bet I tasted close to 100 different wines at Taste Washington, at restaurants, and ‘relaxing’ at home.

With amazing online wine activities like #SauvBlanc on March 4 and #WAMerlot and Taste Washington 3/25-28 the wino activities were never ending. It’s pretty inspiring to think that the two main Twitter events for March could have driven sales upwards of 350 cases of wine and millions of brand impressions, engaging thousands of consumers world-wide. Sit back and think about that for a second.

The Nectar Monthly Honors is a recap of the BEST the Month had to offer.

Wine of the Month

Best Value Under $15

2007 Desert Wind Winery Sauvignon Blanc [reviewed here] $15

• The Stuff: 100% Wahluke Slope Sauvignon Blanc, Stainless Steel fermentation; 432 cases made
• The Sniff: Wholly tropical fruit Batman. This wine instantly transported my nose to Hawaii with Guava, Peach, and Pineapple aroma. I instantly fell in love with the nose and wished it could be bottled as a summer body spray for my wife.
• The Sip: Less dynamic on the flavor profile. The guava was mellow on the front and earthy herbs presented themselves on the mid-palate. The finish was lemon/lime tart but washed away nicely after a few seconds.
• The Score: At just $15, I score this a 4 (out of 5). This is a great value and is a wine that will impress at parties and provide a fantastic drinking experience in the summer months.

*Runner Up: NV Segura Viudas ARIA Estate Brut – Spain [reviewed here] $8

Best Wine

The best wine I had all month actually came from Taste Washington and was the Cote Bonneville 06 from Yakima Valley. Since I didn’t do a formal review, it doesn’t qualify.

2006 Fielding Hills Merlot [reviewed here] $36

Yes, I drank a ton of Merlot this month (8 to be exact) – what do you expect with March being #WAMerlot?

• The Stuff: Single vineyard Wahluke Slope AVA, 80% Merlot 11% Cab 9% Syrah, aged 19 months in 77% new oak, 14.3%abv, 163 cases
• The Swirl: Dark plum with beautiful jewel tones toward the edges. Mostly opaque
• The Sniff: Overwhelming aromas of cherry, smoke, and hints of spicy bacon. Amazed at how aroma profile changes as it comes through the nose.
• The Sip: A mouthful of joy! The black cherry fruit skips across your tongue and then transforms into undertones of smooth violet perfume, that then release themselves to cocoa flavors. The acidic finish brings a nice wash across the back of the mouth as the finish lingers for eternity.
• The Score: At $36, I score this wine a 4+ (out of 5) and would easily buy it again and again. The balance between complexity, flavor, and drinkability are impeccable.

Cellar Tracker Score 93pts (1 score); Wine Spectator Score 93pts

*Runner Up: 07 Longshadows Pedestal Merlot $55

Random Favorite Highlights from March

The post that made me spit wine out of my nose – Sommelier Starts a Winery: Originally seen on Wino Magazine, the credit for the humorous video goes to Greg from Gramercy Cellars. “Campy and rough, it still demonstrates the ridiculous misconception of what being a winemaker (or owning a winery) is all about. Winemakers watching this will snicker if not guffaw.”

Best Wine Quote: From Rudy @merlove during the #WAMerlot Twitter Tasting

”#wamerlot our most expensive Merlot smells of Gasoline and unshaven armpit and tastes like wooden strawberries”

Best Wine Post (sensual) – This goes to none other than my good friend and stellar writer Tamara at Sip With Me. My Date With Pinot Noir (warning either have a cold shower running or your significant other nearby)

Best Wine Image – This month’s award goes to the amazing Andy Katz whose image “The Golden Oak” was featured on Vinography, March 12.

Best Social Media Post – I recently discovered super tweeter @sung_h_lee. It seems that every tweet he provides becomes a favorite. Of the amazing articles on Social Media I read this month, my favorite was, “Thirty Best Ways to Build Blog Traffic”

DrinkNectar Most Viewed Post – “How do you define a bargain” (50+ comments) The post really struck a chord with people looking for value wine. While the post and videos that followed were birthed from a Grocery Outlet promotional campaign, visitors resonated with the message. My favorite part about this post was the fact that actual consumers, and not other bloggers, were the ones that read it and made comments.

Best New Blog Series – United Slurps of America; This incredibly creative concept is the brain child of the he said / she said blog at www.swirlsmellslurp.com. The premise, drink wine with another blogger in all 50 states. The challenge, damn distribution laws. The results, so far Pennsylvania, Washington (with yours truly) Michigan and Texas. This is a MUST bookmark just see if they can make it through with their livers in tact!

Lastly, I’d like for all of us to pause for a moment of silence in remembrance of two dear blog brothers who are no longer with us. March 2010 saw the loss of two of the most entertaining blogs related to wine. 

Hosemaster of Wine; RIP

On March 17, Ron Washam, Hosemaster of Wine announced a hiatus from his controversial, humorous and satirical blog. He leaves us with these words.

“First of all, thank you to everyone who took time out of their lives to read my crap. I sincerely appreciate it. Secondly, to anyone I genuinely offended, I humbly apologize.”

Dale Cruse Drinks are On Me; RIP

March 30 was a dark day in the wine world. Wine bloggers around the world lost a trusted friend, good resource and visual inspiration. Dale Cruse announced he was shutting down his site in pursuit of new explorations. Personally I will miss Dale’s brand of wine humor. Good luck Dale!

*Just an observation, but could Dale and Ron be the same person? Maybe this is an elaborate scheme to break through with some super uber new sexy snarky blog that will blow the world away… #justsayin*

The Affair Seeing Red

The Affair

*My contribution for Wine Blogging Wednesday #67, hosted by 1WineDude

She stood in the archway clutching her chest, heart pounding, short of breath. Her mind swirled dizzy with excitement, drunk with lust. As the exhilaration faded, guilt set in. The new experience was a thrill but her friend…her lover. She would never understand. How could she know? Would she detect the new scent, would she…ahhh her mind drifted to the intoxicating and rich aroma. Bright, like deep cherries and strawberries. As the scent lingered it turned to an erotic spice. It reminded her of her mom’s cherry cloves that she would sneak when noone was around. The aroma would float along with the breeze into her bedroom window and linger overnight.

Days passed as she tried to put aside the memory of her affair. She returned to the comfort of her long time companion. As they sat out by the pool in the heat of the sun, she was reminded of the comfort she’d known for so many years. Her partner was sweet, seductive and slightly coy. Her light skin shimmered against the water in the pool. She had grown to love the comfort, her fragrance of melon, and citrus perfume was all she’d known. Each night they would embrace but their passion had grown stale. She longed for a break from the routine.

He was exciting, strong and full of mystery and intrigue. If she closed her eyes she could still taste him on her tongue. His warmth as he entered her made her shudder. His skin was dark and his strength assured her. Her pulse quickened and her senses aroused as she thought of the next time. The next time, she reminder herself there wasn’t going to be a next time. She couldn’t leave her partner for the arms of another. In desperation, the darkness called to her. Hastily she retreated to their meeting place. There he stood in the shadows, confident and bold, waiting for her. Throwing aside her inhibitions and fears she rushed into his arms. Red.

 Seeing Red for the First Time

As I thought about the challenge of this week’s Wine Blogging Wednesday, I went back and forth between ideas. The challenge: What red wine would you choose to introduce a white wine drinker to the dark side? I could go light, Gamay, Beaujolais, Pinot Noir. Or I could go big, Cabernet, Bordeaux, or Zinfandel. Obviously from the story above, I chose something bold, intriguing, with lots of aroma and flavor. The wines that came to my mind were dynamic and multilayered. Going cheap would run the risk of an off balance wine that could taint the white wine lovers experience. I picked a 2004 Croze Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa (previously reviewed) and a local blend from Latah Creek Winery called Vinosity (Cab, Syrah, Zinfandel). The Croze had a nose (nice rhyme) that was intoxicating – the flavor profile was so deep. The Vinosity brings strength and sweetness that is appealing to a wide audience.

Opening Day Wine Line Up Coming Together

Queue up Don Henley’s Boys of Summer. Spin some John Fogerty, Centerfield. In less than two weeks, the official start of summer begins with the yell of, “play ball” and the crack of the bat. I can almost smell the fresh cut grass, pine tar, stale beer and hot dogs.

While baseball season is right around the corner, my attempt to field a team of solid “Under $10 All Stars” has been a challenge. Spring training tryouts have been hampered by poor performance, no shows and injuries. The graphic above shows the status of the team including tryouts from three Merlot.

2007 14 Hands Merlot

• The Stuff: Washington State, 85% Merlot, 14% Syrah, 1% other red grapes; Aged 12 months in a variety of new and used American and French Oak.
• The Swirl: Dark plum and slightly cloudy
• The Sniff: Tight on the nose with hints of plum and sweet candy
• The Sip: A muddy combination of cherry syrup, sweet candy, and woodiness. Very flat back end with a lack of tannin and little acidity.
• The Score: At $9.99 I score this a 2 (out of 5). The character is undefined with little structure. There are better under $10 Merlot

Cellar Tracker reviews 91.5 (two reviews) – wow, not sure I agree here

2007 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot

• The Stuff: Columbia Valley, 85% Merlot, 7% Syrah, 5% Cab Fanc, 3% Cab Sauv; 13.5%ABV, aged 14 months in a combination of new French and American oak.
• The Swirl: Dark cherry color with moderate translucence and thin outer edge
• The Sniff: Modest cocoa and oak on the nose with hints of cherry and tobacco
• The Sip: Dark cherry blackberry on the mid palate with a nice smooth finish of cocoa. A hint of spice jumps through that makes this a decent Merlot for the money. Nothing is intense and everything is subdued.
• The Score: At $9.95 I score this a 3 (out of 5). This is an average Merlot that will provide many enjoyable nights.

No reviews on Cellar Tracker or Cork’d for 2007 vintage

2008 Charles Smith Velvet Devil Merlot

• The Stuff: 100% Washington Merlot, 10 months in oak, 13.8% ABV
• The Swirl: Mildly translucent with ruby red undertones. A pretty wine
• The Sniff: Smooth dark chocolate with cherry and oak. I would imagine this would be the aroma an Umpa Lumpa would smell in the chocolate river (if cherries were involved too).
• The Sip: The sip is slightly thin on the front that opens up to a nice moderate fruit – still cherries. Definitely a chocolate covered cherry Merlot.
• The Score: At only $12 (sometimes under $10) – At this price, a solid 3 (out of 5). A trustworthy wine for the money. Good sipper, but the thin front and single dimension leave the score lower.

Cellar Tracker average of 85 pts with 5 reviews

With these three tryouts (and 2 other Merlot), I place the 2008 Charles Smith Velvet Devil Merlot on the starting roster at Right Field batting 8^th.

My 2010 American League Baseball Predictions

AL East The Red Sox will win the East at 93 wins, Yankees will finish with 90 wins

AL Central The Twins will win the Central with 90 wins, Whitesox will finish with 86 wins

AL West The Rangers will win the West with 93 wins, the Mariners will finish with 91 wins and take the Wild Card for the AL

Do you have a player to suggest for the team? Leave a comment. who do you think will win each of the AL divisions? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

A Little Skiing, A Little Wine

Today’s post has little to do with wine, and more to do with life…enjoy!

33.2 miles from my doorsteps as a winter wonderland that I’ve neglected for seven years. With life, work, wine and other business adventures and hobbies the winter months have become an exercise in surviving till spring than enjoying the beauty that surrounds the Pacific Northwest.

My step-son has been snowboarding since he was 9. It is an activity that he does with his dad. From time to time he’s expressed interested in going with me, but timing has never worked out. He’s turning 13 soon.  When talking about what he wanted for his birthday, he said, “I want Josh to take me snowboarding.” Not a party? Not a sleep-over? Needless to say I was stoked…and scared. Spending 8 hours with a teenage boy is a little like spending 8 hours with a crazy monkey hyped up on sugar.

I rented my skis, packed the Jeep, and we made the 48 minute journey to the top of Mt. Spokane. The video camera came along because his mom has never seen him snowboard either and she couldn’t come with us. After getting my bearings with a few Bode Miller-esque downhill runs (it’s amazing how the muscle memory remains), the camera came out to film Ian.

When the camera came on, Ian immediately went in to “Welcome to Drink Nectar.com, I am your host…” – It was hilarious and unscripted. From there we put together this video montage of the five senses of snowboarding (and skiing). The best way to end any perfect day on the slopes is with a glass of wine. Ever seen a 13 year old give his best swirl and sniff (no sipping involved)?

The wine featured in this video is a 2007 Cleavage Creek Secret Red. Look for this in Episode 38 of DrinkNectar.com

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