My New Favorite "Wine Bar"

It's more like a glorified wine store, with a cool Enomatic machine, but it's where I tried Norman Cellars 2006 "The Monster" Zinfandel and fell in love. Took a bottle home with me. Plan to drink it soon.

They also have a kitchen led by a hard-working chef named April. I know her name, because she also ends up delivering food, clearing glassware, etc. I suspect that's necessary because the place isn't really staffed to be a "restaurant."

Every bite of food was fantastic and I can wholeheartedly suggest the chicken satay and the citrus shrimp. YUM! Next time, we'll probably try one of the lovely cheese plates.
With the machine, you can try a taste, half glass, or full glass of any of the wines. We had fun walking around and trying to select wines that would go well with our food, based on the tasting notes posted. We were starving so food choices first. Wine selections to complement.
Tuesday nights are half-price wine night, so with all that we drank our cards still cashed in at a pretty reasonable rate. Plan to drag some friends there the next Tuesday that I'm actually in town....which will be February.

Church Street Cellars
(703) 255-0550
111 Church Street NW
Vienna, VA 22180

You're Invited!

UPDATE: 4 SLOTS LEFT. CONTACT ME IF YOU'D LIKE TO ADDED TO THE LIST.

If you read my blog and you love wine - and you're local - we would love to have you join us for a special event Tuesday evening in Pentagon City. E-mail me through my WineShop site, post a comment, or otherwise contact me to be added to the guest list. I have 7 slots left.

Come learn more about what we do and drink a bit of our wine!

Discover WineShop At Home, where you'll come for the Taste, stay for the Lifestyle!

At this exclusive invitation-only event, you'll sample some of our handcrafted artisan wines and get an "insiders" view of the wine industry and discover the rewards of a career in the wine business.

Contact Martha for more information or an invitation.

Possible Theme Song

My Twitter pal WineWoman turned me on to this tune (link to YouTube video below) saying it could be her theme song. It's fun - and it's followed by a mystery song, that I think could be a theme song for me, if my theme song could be played and crooned by Stick McGhee, and we'd dated, and he was lamenting how fickle I am.



I don't know the name of the second song (my potential theme song). If you do, let me know. I'll have a prize for you.

UPDATE: Apparently I didn't watch the "video" - only listened. So, I missed that the name of "my" song is I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water.

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

I have plenty of wine here, plus gin, tequila, and six types of rum, but somehow no bourbon. How is that even possible?

If the kid gets back and isn't thrown in the pokey, we'll be havin' Southern Pecan Pie with Bourbon-Honey whipped cream TONIGHT at Alex and Paige's.

It's less than three miles down the parkway. How likely is he to really get caught, huh?

Thankfulness

Our traditions are a shared experience. It's remarkable how similar they are from family to family, from generation to generation, region to region. And for this stability and institutional opportunity we should truly be grateful.

A Family Thanksgiving 1882

1945
1957

2006

2007

None of these pictures are of my family - or your family - but they may as well be. When the fourth Thursday in November comes, we're fortunate if we are able to gather in similar ways.

A friend sent this quote over and I wanted to find a way to share it with you.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

--Melody Beattie

I am grateful to have you in my life. Happy Thanksgiving!

A Place for All Those Corks!

If you love wine, you have corks. Maybe you throw them away because you don't have anything to do with them. No plans to make a wine cork wreath, you crafty thing?

I've been known to throw them in that basket in my guest/wine bathroom. (I know, I know...the themed powder room is a weird feature of my main level.)
I also have this vase full of them in the living room.
I'd love to see pictures of what you do with your corks. Have you found anything fun to do with them? Are you able to dispose of them without guilt?

At wine tastings and parties, I end up surreptitiously tossing them in my bag to take home with me, because I don't want them thrown in the trash. I'm not really collecting, per se, I just don't feel comfortable tossing 'em.

So - I was THRILLED to run across some ideas (via Twitter) this morning.
The Wine Expedition site features some responsible destinations for those biodegradable and recyclable corks. Check it out.

Wine Killed My Laptop

I have so much more to share from the fabulous wine-soaked girls' weekend at the shore, but I'm recovering from technical difficulties.

Friday night, during an impromptu dance party, someone (probably me...er...actually, it was most definitely me) knocked a full glass of the lovely Sunfish Syrah right onto the keyboard of my beloved Compaq.I really believed it would survive, figuring I'd sopped up most of the spill immediately.

Alas, I am easily distracted, especially by classic songs from Off the Wall and early 90s gems from Bel Biv Devoe. So, off I went to keep dancing with the girls and my trusty pal died all alone.

This week has been spent recovering data, reinstalling software, and basically running a little orientation for my fancy new HP.
The good news is that the replacement is faster, more powerful, has a Webcam - how modern! - and a much bigger screen.

With glass in hand, I say "Onward!"