a girl and a glass

It's almost 2013 and it's time for something new.  This year I'll be introducing some regular features to inspire you to try something new and also to help keep me focused on sharing my sipping stories with you.  Each month I'm going to pick a different flavour... variety of wine... or liquor and write some reviews and perhaps recipes using this key flavour/ingredient.  I'm not sure where this will end up, but the possibilities are exciting. Picking my first flavour (or variety if you like) for January was easy.  January is a month of celebrations.  We say farewell to a year complete, and celebrate the arrival of a new year full of opportunities and possibilities.  In Australia it's summer, so it's hot... sometimes very hot.  I wanted to choose something celebratory but also light and fresh. Something with a bit of sparkle.  Something fun. Something I love.  I couldn't go past it.  The #flavourofthemonth is ...   W...

Trying to think up a good name for this blog post had me stumped.  I can't remember the first time I discovered Henschke wines, or the first time I tried a Joseph Hill Gewurztraminer.  All I can tell you is I have a teeny tiny crush on their wines... all of them... every last one. The thing about this particular wine is it's very easy to drink.  Take last Saturday night for example.  Hubby and I being too lazy to cook, decided to head out to our local Thai restaurant for a bite to eat.  Now our local Thai restaurant is pretty damn spectacular.  They make the food spicy and it's full of the freshest of fresh ingredients.  They have a pretty loyal following - and really look after you.  In fact they know me so well they even bring me extra fresh cut chili (I like it hot!)  The salmon Som Tum salad is delicious, and the scallops are to die for.  We grabbed this bottle out of the fridge (without looking) and headed out with a neighbor ...

A while ago I was enjoying dinner with a friend of mine in San Francisco and talking about blogging.  He had been thinking about blogging for a while, and was wanting to do something in the food/drinks space but wasn't quite sure whether he should or not.  After several glasses of wine, and some exceptionally yummy food I convinced him to join me (all be it on the other side of the world) in blogging about food and beverages and most of all the stories behind the discovery of said food & beverages.  In fact I encouraged him to grab a domain name similar to mine so we could inspire and challenge each other to keep blogging and keep sharing with the world.  Today I'm really excited to introduce you to my friend Andy over at www.aguyandaglass.com .   Head on over there, check out his first post and give him shout out to encourage him to keep going. Cheers Sally

It was hubby's birthday last week.  As it was a significant one we had several special events planned - family dinners, party with friends, and a birthday meal at home that puts most meals we have to shame. Sunday night in our household is usually roast night.  Not just any old roast mind you, a standing roast, crusted in pepper, with fresh home cut sweet potato chips (standard spuds for the boy) and steamed greens.  We typically have a pretty decent red open and drink a glass or two of wine.  It's preparation for the week - fortifying our spirits as it were.  Last night however was a little different.   Sure we had all the standard fare.  Standing roast - check.  Home cut chips - check.  Good bottle of red wine - check... no wait a minute... make that an exceptional bottle of red wine.   Yes you guessed it.  Last night we cracked open a bottle from the wine fridge.  We broke open the reserves.  We opened.... a Grange...

When I first thought of starting this blog it was around New Years Eve and I was celebrating with loved ones, the beach and bubbly. The champagne was  Ruinart - the Rose.  It has a hint of pink colour.  Is dry with a touch of berry.  And is all too easy to drink.  It was love at first sip for me, and I've shared my addiction with many of by girl friends since.  (Yes I'm a self-confessed champagne pusher!) But this is not a blog post about how good the champagne is - you can try that for yourself.  You see I think the thing about wine, champagne, cocktails (all beverages) that makes them interesting is the experience of drinking them.  Finding out the story behind the discovery of the favourite drink.  Uncovering the passion.  Discovering the origin of the lust. For  me the story of my love for Ruinart started in France.  In Avignon to be exact.  On holiday with my husband we had the opportunity to go wine tasting i...

OMG I am beside myself with happiness.  My favourite champagne in the world is Ruinart Champagne.... and I'm going to a Degustation & Ruinart tasting dinner in Sydney on May 16.    YAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!

Back in January we purchased a new car.  Back in January there was a public holiday that week.  Back in January it was raining.  What do to you do when you have a new car, the weather is average, and you have a public holiday?  Road trip!  We decided to take a day trip with some friends up to the Hunter Valley.  Despite it being so close to Sydney we really don't spend much time there, and tend to spend our long weekends on wine buying trips around Adelaide.  Never the less, with a list of different wineries to visit, and a new car to break in, we headed up for the day. Our first stop was a winery called RidgeView.  We arrived a little early, in fact we arrived very early just as the staff were opening up.  We had the place to ourselves and had a great time trying their wines.  I particularly enjoyed the sparkling Pinot Noir (pictured below), and the gorgeous setting they have for the vineyard.  After we tasted all they had on of...