I stumbled upon this article by Martha Stewart and I loved it so I had to share with all of you Wine & Food Lovers!  Cheers and Enjoy the Wine Journey!

Body – Does the wine taste heavy on your palate or light? "Body” is the word used to measure this. Most commonly, a wine is described as light-bodied, medium-bodied, or full-bodied.

Breathe – This is when you uncork a bottle and the wine meets the air. Many red wines are at their best when they’ve had time to breathe as the air opens up the flavors and aromas of the wine. To achieve plenty of breath some wines benefit from decanters or pouring through an aerator.

Cava – Spanish sparkling wine. Cava Brut is a dry sparkling wine.
Crémant – The French translation for sparkling wine.
Decant – This is the process of pouring the wine from the bottle into another, usually large, container to help the wine breath, bringing out the flavors of the wine. Many wine enthusiast own glass decanters.
Earthy – This if used to describe the flavor or aroma of a wine with certain soil-like qualities. These wines can also be called “Green”. Flavors often associated with an earthy wine might include anything from grass and mushrooms to tree bark.
Legs – After taking a sip of wine, the legs are the wine that runs down the side of the glass. Commonly more alcoholic wines with have slower legs.
Tannins – These are naturally occurring compounds in a grape’s skin, stems, and seeds released during pressing. All wines have tannins, however they are heavier with red wines. Tannins are also found in Black Tea and will cause a dry sensation in your mouth.
Terroir – A French term that means the natural environment in which a wine is produced. It is a combination of soil, climate, typography, and all other environmental factors and often refers to a very small and specific portion of a vineyard. The smallest change in minerality, wind or sun can create a different tasting grape.
Viticulture – The business of cultivating wine grapes.

Now pour yourself a glass of wine, sit back and relax. You’re becoming an expert.

Article: https://marthastewartwine.tumblr.com/post/169615930809/wine-words?uid=83e435d3-fd03-422e-b37e-a66c4af6a165

Last week I worked all over the Metroplex and checked out some restaurants and cafe's along the way!

On Tuesday I stumbled upon a cool Cafe/Coffee/Wine Bar call Toasted which was lovely in it's industrial chic like atmosphere.  I wasn't very hungry but I needed a little something eat so I had their Chili Con Carne with Toast and a glass of their only wine of the day which was the Ten Span Pinot Noir.  I recommend it for a great place to dine or just hang out to read a book or catch up on some work... or just chill with good friends.

Wednesday afternoon / evening I found myself working outside on the patio of Hillstone enjoying a yummy Latte and then a nice glass of Pinot Noir with a colleague while on their way to Love Field to fly home.  And, as we all know in DFW the 5 o' clock traffic is brutal so I found myself a spot at the busy and social bar of Hillstone where I tried out their Grilled Chicken Wedge Salad with a glass of Malbeca... which hit the spot for me and was perfect timing to miss the traffic jams! I highly recommend Hillstone for their great food, wine, atmosphere, social bar area (if you get there early to land a spot) and their patio!

On Thursday evening I met a colleague for drinks and dinner at Ida Claire which is an Open Air concept with an Austinish atmosphere and patio.  I love the vibe and cool factor this place has and I hear they're great mixologist but their wine list is extremely limited and mediocre in regards to taste and style.  The food menu is unique and everything I've eaten at the restaurant over the past year has been very good.  I recommend Ida Claire for their cool patio, atmosphere and vibe as well as for the food menu! 

Our Friday night wind down was, as always, a great dinner and experience at Valentino's where the family owned / staffed restaurant provided excellent food, wine and service!  I had the Spinach Ravioli which was excellent and we all had their Chianti wine that proved to be a perfect match for our dinner choices as well as easy drinking.  If you haven't been to this quaint restaurant in Rowlett I definitely recommend you try them out!

Saturday night my sweetie and I decided on take out from Saltgrass in Rockwall and had our favorite dish - Steak Salad and paired it with a JCB Pinot Noir from my wines (Wineshare Club) which made for a perfect evening at home after a full work day for him.

Aaaahhhh.... you have to love when you get the opportunity to have a Sunday Brunch!  We chose Main Street Bistro in Rowlett.  They're a fairly new bistro in the area and this was our second time to try them out.  And we found the food to be great and the atmosphere is nice and while the service is a bit slow the staff is very accommodating.  I tried out the Duck Eggs Benedict and paired it with the house mimosa.  It wasn't a bad choice but I don't think I would get it again as I felt that the Duck and Eggs Benedict just didn't work that well together... but overall the food and drinks were good and it was a good experience.  We'll definitely visit Main Street Bistro again.

As I complete this blog I realize I was a busy gal last week with business meetings... while experiencing some great food and wine!  Cheers and enjoy your week! 

Also, I would love to hear about your Food and Wine experiences so please share!!!

So, as I sit here this Saturday morning wishing I was at my scheduled Wine Tasting in Ft. Worth that I couldn't make due to a "cranky" car... I started thinking about all the restaurants I went to over the past week and the experiences, food and wine that I had at each location.

But outside of thinking about each individual experience what I really began thinking about was the maturity of my wine tasting palette and how it has changed tremendously in just the past year.  And that this change is good in the sense of identifying the different types of wines but somewhat problematic when I visit restaurants with mediocre or lesser quality wines.

I love trying new wines as often as possible and I also love bringing good but affordable wines into the mix of wines to drink and to share with other Wine Lovers.  Some of the wines I would have drank and recommended as good but affordable wines in the past may not make my list for 2018 because of the palette maturation.

With all that being said, I've always prided myself on not being a Wine Snob even though I'm working on my Sommelier Certification as well as other Wine and Vintner Certifications and I've decided I'm still not a "Wine Snob" but I also can't drink or recommend bad wine.

Therefore, I'm looking forward to continuing to experience more Wines through my work and fun adventures but I will be sharing my true thoughts on the wines be they the best or not so great...  which is a slightly new place for me to be in my Wine Journey.

And now off to get this day started... and I'm sure there will be some Wine Tasting Experiences later today...

Cheers to Winesharing!

As many of you know I've been working on my Sommelier and Vintner Certifications for the past couple of years and part of that wonderful learning journey has included hosting monthly Wine Tasting and Pairing events which I have loved sharing with my friends, family and communities.

My journey continues to progress and expand in 2018 by taking my education and experiences a bit more serious with an increased focus on advanced education and accomplishments as well as continuing to host some formal and informal events and experiences throughout the year.  This journey could include everything from visiting and touring Wineries and Vineyards throughout Texas, the US and Internationally to dining at new and old Restaurants as well as developing my own Customized Wine and Food Pairings  and events for my amazing friends, family and Wineshare Members.

I believe this shift in focus for myself and for our Wineshare Club in 2018 will provide much  knowledge and joy through sharing these Food, Wine and Travel engagements with those who are interested.

I welcome your thoughts and suggestions on 2018's evolving structure and format as the mission and passion for Wineshare these past 9 years has been about "sharing and experiencing" the Food, Wine and Travel journeys with all of you who have the same "bug"!

Cheers to a fabulous 2018 for all!!!