Happy Anniversary: Vintage 2015.

Today is my and Vinomaker's wedding anniversary.  Now, I am one of those people who have to celebrate an occasion on the actual day it happens: I simply cannot put things off until the weekend.  And because tonight is a school night we chose somewhere a little more on the casual side for our anniversary dinner.
Fumé Bistro & Bar is more of a neighbourhood restaurant than a fancy tourist destination. Located on a partial frontage road, alongside Highway 29, Fumé definitely has more of a low key atmosphere.  Dinner was really great - my halibut served with a lemon parsley risotto was delicious, as was Vinomaker's Cajun rock shrimp/andouille sausage fettuccine. Yum!
The wine list at Fumé is, in my opinion, passable.  I just wish they had more of a 'by the glass' wine selection.  Don't get me wrong, Vinomaker and I did not go thirsty.  I just think the wine options on the restaurant's wine list aren't very inspired.
I, of course, started off with a bubbly, a glass of NV Chandon Blanc de Noirs (California).  The rest of our evenings wine choices went something like this;
Laird, 2014 Pinot Grigio (Napa Valley).
Epiphany Cellars, 2013 Grenache Blanc (Santa Barbara).
Zocker, 2013 Grüner Veltliner (Edna Valley).
Phipps Family, 2011 Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley).
And last, but not least, a very unusual late harvest Chardonnay (yes, a Chardonnay), a Reynolds Family, 2006 Naughty Sticky (Napa Valley). Unusual name, unusual grape variey for a late harvest wine, but still quite enjoyable. Fun.
Happy anniversary Vinomaker.

Happy anniversary: Version 2014.

Today is my, and Vinomaker's, 8th wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary to us!
After a quick glass of Contadi Castaldi Franciacorta, Vinomaker and I dined at a neighbourhood restaurant, Cordeiro's Bar & Grill.  Under new owners (at a location that used to be the Bay Leaf restaurant), Cordeiro's was a bit of a confusing dining experience.  Pleasant, but confusing.  Fairly high prices (that won't do anything to attract new customers) and a poor wine list.  That is all I am going to say about Cordeiros's.
Happy anniversary Vinomaker.

Pizza Azzurro.

Today is my, and Vinomaker's, wedding anniversary.  Happy anniversary to us!
I had to work today, so for our anniversary dinner we decided on something casual for our evening repast.  Pizza Azzurro, located on Main Street, downtown Napa, is a restaurant that Vinomaker has eaten at quite often (usually on business lunches), but I had never been there before tonight.  Vinomaker convinced me that Pizza Azzurro had a great wine by the glass wine list.  Vinomaker loves a good wine by the glass list, it may be an expensive way to go about drinking wine, but it is a good way to try a few wines that one may not necessarily want to buy a whole bottle of.  Or to try a wine from a small producer whose wine you may not even be able to find in a local wine store.
The 'by the glass' wine list was indeed as advertised: not in quantity, but quality.  To pair with my antipasti, Gamberi (a grilled shrimp, white bean, sausage combo), I had a glass of Rococo, 2012, Sonoma Coast Pinot gris, whilst Vinomaker had a Renard, 2012, Lodi Grenace blanc.  We also shared a glass of Anne Amie, NV, Oregon Müller-Thurgau (which actually paired the best with the shrimp).  All nice.  With my main course, a manciata (a handful of just baked dough, topped with salad, steak and Point Reyes blue cheese), I imbibed in a Rhiannon, 2011, a California blend of Petite Sirah, Barbera and Zinfandel - unorthodox, but delicious. Vinomaker's red wine selection was a Terra d' Oro, 2010, Barbera from Amador County which was tasty, but definitely had a bit of heft to it.  Again, we shared a third wine, a Neyers Vineyards, 2011, "Sage Canyon" California Rhône-style blend of Carignan/Grenache/Mouvedre/Syrah - yum!
Yes, the 'by the glass' method is a slightly more pricey way to go about enjoying a glass of wine, or two, with your dinner, but enjoy these six wines I did.  Besides, Vinomaker is worth it.
Happy anniversary Vinomaker.

The net result...

...hopefully will be a 2012 vintage of Pinot grigio.  Today, Vinomaker and I installed new bird-netting on our Pinot grigio vines.  And not a moment too soon as one vine had already been manhandled, or rather bird-handled, beyond recognition by hungry avian-gourmands.  This is what a 5,000 foot roll of bird-netting  looks like.

Not exactly the most romantic way to spend a wedding anniversary, but I had a great time working alongside my favourite winemaker, with the Vinodogs in tow, in our little home vineyard.
Happy anniversary Vinomaker.

To my sweetie pie.

Today is my, and Vinomaker's, 5th wedding anniversary.

This isn't the greatest picture, but it is one of the only photos I have of our wedding cake; a chocolate fudge confection filled with chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries, and topped off with a rolled fondant depiction of our respective national flags.

Sweetie Pies, in downtown Napa, did a pretty nice job of the cake, especially seeing as when I requested that a Union Jack be on one half of the cake the lady told me she had no idea what a Union Jack was, never mind what one looked like! Thank goodness for the internet.

Happy Vinalia Rustica everyone!

Happy anniversary Vinomaker.

Fruit or flowers?

Both.
Vinomaker and I are celebrating our fourth wedding anniversary today. Tradition dictates that gifts of fruit or flowers be exchanged. Consequently there is a lot of fruit, an orchid, a bottle of Sauternes (grapes), and a couple bottles of Calvados (apples) lying around the kitchen right now.
Calvados has always been a favourite tipple of Vinomaker's. Whether this eau de vie de cidre is produced by single or double distillation the resulting apple brandy, hailing from Normandy, is a very pleasant alternative to its high brow cousin, Cognac.
Happy anniversary Vinomaker.

Vinalia rustica.

"The 19th day of August is an especially auspicious day for a wedding, for it is the feast day of 'Vinalia rustica', a day that has a rich place in mythology and ancient traditions. On this day, the people of ancient Rome during the dedication of a temple to Venus, vowed a libation of all the wine of the succeeding vintage. Venus the goddess of love and beauty, was also the goddess of gardens and vineyards. So this is a day when love and nature are in perfect balance..."
I wrote these words three years ago for my and Vinomaker's wedding.
Happy anniversary Vinomaker.