Happy St. David's Day: 2013.

Looking back over my February posts, I am surprised at how many 'Happy' related posts there were.  Beginning on the 1st of February with a Happy St. Trifon's Day salutation, there were mirthful birthday celebrations and joyous pruning events (I can get very excited about pruning).  So why not start the month of March off in a similar vein?  I will then.
Happy St. David's Day to anyone of Welsh extraction.  Hmm, funny, I'm suddenly craving leek soup, paired with a nice Sauvignon blanc. Or a Reisling, perhaps?
Bore da!

Mull it over.

There's no time like the present.  It's December 1st and it's time to start planning a happy, wine-filled Christmas season.  I usually make my own mulled wine - a little closer to Christmas in all honesty.  But this store bought, gold ribbon-cinched bag of mulling spices, given to me by Thud, is just so cute and Christmassy that I fetched it out of the pantry today simply for the gratuitous grin I knew it would induce.  I'm smiling.

Dewi Sant.

Happy St. David's Day to all whether you have any Welsh heritage or not.
The daffodils in Vinoland are almost past their best so it was a little difficult to find one to photograph. But I wandered around, in a lonely sort of way, until I came upon a host of golden narcissi beneath the trees at the front of the house.
Bore da!

Hail to December!

Christmas is coming and I am looking forward to it already.
Things have slowed down considerably in these parts; the vines are shutting down, malolactic fermentation is progressing in the cellar, and post harvest Napa Valley is once more relatively quiet.
It's no secret that I love Christmas. For me the season is not merely about the giving and receiving of gifts, in fact the older I get, the less I care about that particular aspect. Rather it's about spending quality time with family and friends, good old fashioned carol singing, relaxing repasts, nativity scenes, and yes, twinkling lights, sparkling tinsel and shiny baubles.
There are so many things I enjoy, but one of my favourite traditions is my and Vinomaker's Christmas Eve champagne tasting, and I am already thinking about what wines to include this year. After all, I have to have something to look forward to to get me through my school finals. I'll need a good glass, or two, of bubbly afterwards in order to recover, from the ordeal of the exams, in time for Christmas.