Cheers!

TWO feminist articles in one week - whew! How about a glass of wine right about now? ;)

Wine is not exclusively girly by any means.  There are many men in the world who can appreciate wine.  But I am thinking of those great occasions where I was sitting in the company of dear friends, sharing a bottle of wine.  Girl talk and wine belong together. Plus, wine is just pretty. Wine bottles, the way it looks in the glass. The beauty of where the grapes grow. Wine and coffee and tea - I love them for their connection to the soil they grow in.  You can't just chemically produce those beverages.  They have history and substance and connections and tradition.

I'm not a wine expert: I like what I like.  I like New York wine. I live less than half an hour from one of the Fingerlakes of central New York.  Wine heaven.  The land is half of the charm.

*This is Lamoreaux Landings Vineyard, my favorite ever vineyard. They practice organic, sustainable farming and are pretty local to me.  And they make the best Riesling on earth.  If you've never had a Fingerlakes Riesling, you are missing out.  There's something about this region that is Riesling magic.  Actually, the magic probably happens when you are sitting on a porch sipping a glass, overlooking the sun setting over one of these gorgeous lakes and surrounding hills. 

Lamoreaux has a decent Cab Franc, but the reds of the region aren't as praiseworthy as the whites.  I've had some nice Argentinian Malbecs and a killer Spanish Rioja. My new favorite red, however, is Layer Cake Shiraz.  I'm not exclusively a red or white leaning gal.  They each have their occasions. Reds are kind of pasta/winter dinners around the table for hours wines.  Whites are grilled food/sitting on the deck until the sun sets wines. I haven't opened a white for awhile.  But I saw a few slats of my deck today, a few patches of grass in my yard, a robin, and the sun! Wine on the deck times are coming soon...

There are times when I sit and drink a glass of wine alone with a book in the evening. Or evenings when I'm cooking a big elaborate dinner when I pour a glass and turn up my music. Those aren't my favorite ways to drink wine, though.  My favorite is a bottle shared amongst friends with laughter and conversation.

What is your favorite wine or favorite wine memory?  Cheers - it's Friday!

*photos taken by my daughter Molly