Good Morning!

One of the most fun evenings we had in DC was with our pals Jon and Angel and they always seem to take us to unique places and I love anything new. They live in Logan Circle a very hip part of the nation’s capital and it is like a super clean San Francisco, high energy, lots of professionals and great in city living, you walk to Whole Foods and everyone is walking around with yoga mat under their arm while looking at their Blackberry kinda area. the bars and restaurants just go on and on and you could try a new place every night if you choose.

We enjoyed some fellowship (meaning a few cocktails) before walking out the door to the end of the block to Estadio, DC and the guys said in here and held open the door and by the first looks this place was teeming with energy and the exposed brick walls had Spanish art and metal scupltures all around and the server was right there with the menus and offering drinks. I ordered a glass of Albarino and watched the fun unfold. Angel ordered a Porron and I had no idea what is was but once it came to the table I knew this night was going to be fun!

A Porron is a glass container that is filled with beer and it has two openings, I can only describe it like this, it kinda looks like a bong (sorry mom, I know what one looks like). It has a large hole in the top and a glass spout on the side and you lift the Porron up and put the spout in your mouth and as the stream of beer starts to pour you raise the Porron higher and higher and the higher you longer the stream of beer is the better your luck will be.

Not only is it fun to watch there are some trick to this whole thing. The first time you do it, if you do not turn the vessel upright really quickly you will soak the front of your shirt, ladies do not wear a white t-shirt (no pics were taken). But after a bit you get some practice and it becomes a very celebatoral and just plain fun, new way to drink great beer. Angel ordered for us and I believe he ordered Porron de Esrella Damm con soda de limon. Whatever it was it was fun and the higher you lifted the more attention you created for yourself!

The food was all tapas and the chirzo and chips were a HUGE hit along with the mussels, mushrooms and scallops. If you every get a chance find this Porron glass/bong thing and try it out with pals. I will never forget the beer streaming out and most landing in the right place but we lost some in the beginning!

I hope you have an awesome weekend and if you try anything beer or wine, keep me posted! I am giving my liver a rest until I am in Vegas so I have to live vicariously through your wines! I will jump back on your questions again next week.

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

One of my favorite nights in DC was a little more formal than we were for most of our trip. On the night of July 18th, we had a private tour of the West Wing…yes the West Wing where the President and the cabinet members meet and make many decisions that affect the country everyday. To say the least I was beyond excited about this evenings’ event.

My great friend Jon made us reservations at Georgia Brown and it is fairly close to the White House and we arrived and the 5 of us started looking and the upscale southern cuisine menu and wine list. I am always excited when someone else takes charge of the wine list and says, I wanna try this. Tonight the first choice of wines was Bodega Tamari Reserve a Cabernet from 2010 from Mendoza, Argentina. I had never hear of it but you know me, I will try anything in a wine glass. We had ordered several appetizers like fried green tomatoes and deviled eggs made the old school way.

I really enjoyed the liveliness of this young Cabernet, it was not over oaked or the slap you in the face kinda Cabernet. It was subtle and far from that tight feeling you can get from a California Cabernet, it was round and easy to drink. I will say it really only paired with one of the entree’s we had ordered and that was the cowboy cut ribeye, and together it was a great pairing. We had a wide range of dinners so picking a wine that worked with them all would have been a real tricky combination.

One had Mac and Cheese, Shrimp and grits, Gumbo, Salmon and a Caesar Salad…so finding a wine that worked with it all, would have turned my hair gray…but we did not care, this wine was perfect for the occasion and the perfect kickoff to the evening.

What I can say about the West Wing is this….it kinda looks exactly like you think it will, but it feels exactly like you hope it will. It feels powerful and reverent, it feels causal but insanely historic. The photos of all the people who impact what happens there on a daily basis was beyond interesting and the most impacting picture on the wall has a very interesting story behind it…I will give it to you in a shorter version.

The picture shows of two little, not sure the politically correct term to use (black or African American) boys about 4-5 years old wearing mini neck ties and looking adorable, and the youngest little boy is touching the head of the president as he is bent over letting him feel his hair. It’s whimsical and at first it just looks like the president and the little guys are having fun…then our guide told us the story behind the pic and I got the chills. The young boys’ father worked for the White House and on his last day he was allowed to bring in his family and the President would wish him the best on his career move. So when President Obama walked into the oval office the little boy and his brother were standing there and excited to see him and the President told them he had just gotten his hair cut and the younger brother ask him if his hair felt the same as his own hair after it is cut.

I was moved by the depth of the photo and left there West Wing affected by the feelings as I moved through the building and it was pretty cool we could take pictures of ourselves in the Press Room, it’s WAY smaller that it looks on TV.

Anyway, I have many more wines to tell you about from DC, but I will write more tomorrow.

PS…You get red, white and blue M&M’s from the White House when you leave the West Wing! (President Reagan started this tradition by giving out Jelly Beans)

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

We just returned from our family vacation and I am still worn out, but I have so many stories and great experiences to share I have to start with a very special wine and dining evening, I will not forget anytime soon.

I am a HUGE fan of Food Network and I have fallen in love with many of the Chef’s and you all remember when I met Anne Burrell and lost my mind for a few days, I got a signed copy of her cookbook, Cook Like a Rockstar. Well, one of my fav shows in Chopped and Next Iron Chef, one of the chef’s I have enjoyed watching is Chef Geoffrey Zacarian and he won the Next Iron Chef and I love how he describes the food and ingredients on Chopped and I found out his restaurant in NYC called The Lamb’s Club and made a reservation.

When I called in they ask me if we were celebrating anything and I said it is actually our anniversary and they said, great, can’t wait to see you. The day we arrived in NYC we had tickets to the Yankees game and while we were in the Bronx a freaky summer storm hit and the subway was flooded and we could not get back to the hotel in time and I called The Lamb’s Club and said we might not make it and they were very happy I called them, because they had been reaching out all patrons because the power was out and their was no A/C.

They ask if we could come in another time and we decided to come the next night. When we arrived, we were greeted like royalty and we were wished a Happy Anniversary and after we were seated the manager brought us a couple glasses of Champagne to start our evening off with. Then we started looking at the wine list and menu for dinner. We could not find a bottle of wine from the year we met so we order a bottle from 1991, when my step-son was born. It was a 1991 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon, the Sommelier brought us a decanter and the wine was like silk, smokey, lively, dark berries, baked fruit and besides the silky texture it had a finish for days. (this is what fine wine is supposed to taste like to me).

The Chef sent out a little starter in a shot glass, Foie gras mousse on an apple chutney and it was topped with truffles. It was amazing and throughout the night one culinary delight after the other was put in front of us and we savored every single bite. When the Dover Sole was put in front of me, it was heaven, sheer heaven. The desserts were placed in front of us and then a plate the said Happy Anniversary and we finished every single absolutely delicious bite. As we ordered a last drink for a nightcap I was tapped on the should and the manager said the Chef would like to wish you a Happy Anniversary and there stood Geoffrey Zacarian. I was so taken aback and so excited to meet him. I never dreamed he actually did the cooking himself, I assumed he was the figure head owner but he was standing right in front of me and we shook hands and I had my picture taken with him (you can see how happy I was on my profile pic on Facebook).

It was an amazing night, the wine was superb, the company was perfect, the service was spot-on and I am still raving about the foie gras, Dover Sole, Steamed Chocolate cake…

We had several meals and wines worth writing about and I will blog about the food and wine from other nights the rest of the week, so stay tuned for my awesome experience on the east coast.

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

I am packed and ready for the next 9 days of vacation. This vacation is unique because we are all meeting in Washington DC and then taking the train up to NYC. This will be part work and part play. I have several wine related events mixed in with a tour of the White House, Yankees game, Broadway show and we have a very special evening planned at The Lamb’s Club in NYC. We are taking my step son who is 21 and his girlfriend who is not legally old enough to drink alcohol.

Our “kids” are old enough to go do something else and honestly, they do not want to hang around me all the time anyway. Neither of them have been to DC or NYC and since they live in San Francisco being alone in a big city does not scare them so they will have a blast while I am sipping my way up the east coast.

But I received an email asking me if kids can or are allowed to tour wineries and vineyards in Sonoma or Napa and I honestly do not know the answer. I have been to many vineyards where there are a bunch of kids outside playing with the winery dog and some of the places we have been had “play” areas with swing sets and sometimes you will see an adult or two after a few wine samples out playing around on them.

My best advice is call the winery before and if the answer is no, I know there is an amazing “daycare” for kiddies in Napa and also most of the hotels have day events for the kids while you are out sampling the great wines in Napa or Sonoma.

The legal drinking age is 21 in California so just be aware. Last week we were at 4 wineries in Texas and they had picnic areas and many folks let there kids play and listen to the outdoor music while they were inside.

I will keep you posted on what wines rock my world during this vacation…If you want to watch what happens during my vacation, feel free to friend me on Facebook! If not I will start blogging again July 24!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

I read this article and I had to share it with you. I get emails all the time asking about how to open a bottle of wine if you do not have a corkscrew and I have watched video’s of folks whacking a bottle that they have put inside a shoe and they have opened the wine. I just think this article is well written and thought I would pass it on!

This article was written by Esther Inglis-Arkell…enjoy!

The physics of wine bottle opening

Did you know that you can open a bottle of wine by whacking it against a wall? If you’ve read Lifehacker, you know it’s possible. But what about the physics behind this phenomenon? Let’s talk about why gas in the bottle pops the cork, even if the alcohol isn’t champagne.

I know we’re all supposed to be wading through a sea of sophisticated yet heart-healthy booze nowadays, but for those of us who don’t drink much, something bad happens. Corkscrews disappear. Despite their bulk and odd shape, they slip behind drawers, hide themselves in dishwashers, and just generally get lost in odd-shaped kitchen clutter. That’s how I end up buying a lot of corkscrews, but still drinking wine filled with cork bits because I had to hack through the cork with a kitchen knife. Mine is a glamorous life.

If you’re willing to chance an explosion of glass and alcohol, you can find a different way to get a cork out of a bottle of wine. Put the wine in some kind of padding – most people recommend a sneaker – and crack its bottom against a wall or floor until the cork comes out. This actually works, although it seems it shouldn’t.

The bubble of air at the top of the bottle moves to the bottom of the bottle as it gets accelerated backwards. The sudden, hard strike of the bottle against the wall compresses the bubble of air. One side of it is being pushed against the glass, the other side has the wine pressing against it. The inside volume of the bottle stays the same size, but suddenly the volume of the air bubble plus the volume of the wine is smaller. The wine could probably stand up to a mild vacuum, but the extra volume is filled by dissolved gas bubbling out of the water on the end of the bottle near the cork. Even if it’s not champagne, wine, and most liquids, has air bubbles dissolved in it. The creation of the small vacuum pulls them out of the alcohol. This process is called cavitation.

Once the wine has hit the wall and rebounded, the bubbles that have just been created are pushed up against the cork. They burst and push the wine cork up and out of the bottle. Repeat this a few times and the cork should shake itself out far enough that it’ll be possible to twist and pull it out by hand.

The problem? Although wine bottles are strong if they’re struck exactly at the bottom, and with enough padding, hit them at an angle or without enough padding and they will shatter in your hand. That’s going to be unpleasant for many reasons. Perhaps you can cover up the awkwardness with a lesson on physics, but that rarely works as well as you think it will. Still, if you’re adventurous and desperate for liquor, this is the way to go. To be sure, please look at a video of an actual French person opening a bottle “avec une chausseur.” They know wine. And shoes.

Now you have no reason to not enjoy the wine…I hope you do not forget the glasses too!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi