Winery: Olsen Family Vineyards
Wine: Viridian Pinot Gris 2007
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Purchased: The Corkscrew
Price: $14.99

Sometime, I get too caught up with sampling my favorite varietals in hopes of finding a new favorite or everyday drinker. In general, I’m more of a red drinker and in particular a Cabernet Sauvignon LOVER! However, there are times when I prefer a white….certain food pairings and most summer days. Every now and then, I’ve got to remind myself that I need to keep trying some of my less favorite varietals. Such is the case with the Olsen Family Vineyards Viridian Pinot Gris. I haven’t tried or enjoyed many Pinot Gris in the past, but if I keep trying them I might just find one I like.

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And so begins my journey into Burgundy. To being, let’s take a step back and look at some of the history surrounding the region. It’s impossible to cover every aspect of history in a region where wine has been made for thousands of years, but instead we’ll hit a few highlights. Physical evidence of wine dates back to the 2^ndcentury AD. A tombstone in the village church of Corgoloin shows a Celtic god with a vine in his right hand. Other carvings on various gravestones show pictures of grapes. However, some archaeologist have theorized that grape growing in the region could date back as far as 51 BC.

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Winery: Briar Creek Cellars
Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon Vinter’s Cuveé 2005
Location: St. Helena, California
Purchased: Christmas Gift
Price: Christmas Gift

Jonathan and I received this bottle of wine for Christmas from Travis and Chelsea (Jonathan’s brother and his wife). Unfortunately, they weren’t able to join us for Christmas this year, but hopefully we can make a trip out to scenic Colorado soon! I’ve never been skiing, and told Jonathan it’s on my “bucket list.” I really just want to try it once, then sit by the fire with a nice glass of wine and read a book. Nevertheless, they sent us the perfect gift – wine and goodies. Do they know us or what? Unfortunately, we ate most of the snacks on our drive back so we couldn’t pair them with the wine, but the wine was enjoyable on its own.

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A few weeks ago, I saw a Twitter posting from Loire Valley Wines encouraging interested wine consumers to visit their website and sign-up for the Loire365 factoid booklet. And you know me, I don’t pass up anything free, plus I don’t know a lot about the Loire Valley so why not pick up some facts and useful information. Well, I received my Loire365 booklet last week and have been reading through ever since. I think it should be paired with a nice glass of Vouvray

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Winery: Cambria Wines
Wine: Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007
Location: Santa Maria Valley, Central Coast, California
Purchased: County Market
Price: $ 19.99

Back in December, Wine Enthusiast magazine named Cambria’s Julia’s Vineyard 2006 Pinot Noir the Wine of the Year for 2009. To my surprise, I found this wine at the local grocery store, of course, it wasn’t the same vintage. Nevertheless, I picked up a bottle to try.

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