Good Morning!

I did not drink or taste any wine over the weekend but I had a roller coaster of life kinda weekend. This blog might go in a crazy direction but so does life and if you read all the way through, perhaps you will see that my life is not so much different than anyone else. OK so let me first back up and set up a few facts so you can better understand this story.

My father’s younger brother, My Uncle Fred and his wonderful wife, my Aunt Donna live in Ann Arbor, MI and I have not seen them in person in about 8-10 years. You know how life just gets busy and you don’t take the time to stop and go visit or pick up the phone. They have a son who just graduated from college as an engineer and My Aunt still teaches school, 2nd graders. My uncle is retired and he worked for University of Michigan and he is a carpenter.

Now you know the relationship….Here is where the story starts…remember back when I was trying to get cast on season II The Winemakers on PBS? Well, I made a video and sent it out to my family and friends and ask them to watch it and then send the video out to their family and friends…the person with the most original views, got cast on the reality show. ( Yes, I won and yes the show is filming the finale sometime in August, so this fall or winter you can watch the show on PBS). If you want to see the video, go to www.youtube.com and in the search area type in Tammi Ramsey audition.

My Aunt Donna and Uncle Fred sent out the video to friends and family and Donna’s sister Jackie Quick from Dallas, TX wrote to me and said she loved the video and we became Facebook buddies. The more I learned about Jackie the more I liked her. She was married to Steve and they had adopted a small girl named Ali from China and Jackie retired as a Human Resources/Benefits expert for American Airlines. Steve is an engineer.

After conversations with my Uncle, I found out years back Jackie was diagnosed with lung cancer and she was in remission. Jackie would post cleaver and witty comments and always had a funny story about Ali and or what she was doing that day. She wrote to me before I headed to France to shoot the episodes for the Winemakers, to wish me luck and she wrote after I was named the apprentice winemaker position in Chile for Lapostolle Wines, and said you will learn so much. She was funny and encouraging and even had invited us to Dallas sometime.

Life got busy on my end and I watched Jackie’s posts and several weeks ago, I noticed my uncle and his wife were headed to Dallas to visit Jackie, Steve and Ali. The news was not good and Jackie had been put in the hospital and cancer was in her brain. I was so sad and I prayed and prayed and held their family in my heart and she passed away last week. 51 and beautiful and gone too early.

When we drove up to to Dallas to surprise my uncle and aunt, I had a heavy heart, but I also had a heart full of gratitude for Jackie and what an impact she has had in my life. Weather, Jackie ever knew it of not, she is part of my journey, I was part of her’s. I was sad my aunt lost her sister and a husband and daughter no longer had Jackie’s physical energy on a daily basis. I to have lost a brother and a father and it leaves deep wounds that you don’t even understand until someday you just “get” it.

After the visitation at the funeral home, we went to get something to eat, Steve, Ali, Uncle Fred, Donna, Rhonda and I. There was something so totally normal about a family having dinner on a Saturday night. Steve and Ali left after they ate, 6 year old’s have no time for an after dinner drink, she wanted to watch Strawberry Shortcake or something way better than sitting in a booth and I am sure Steve just wanted to go home and have a moment to himself.

But the next 30 minutes for me was magic. I got to sit with my uncle and aunt and talk about nothing and everything all rolled into one. I heard family stories from a new perspective, I hear old jokes and gossip and I learned a lot about how my uncle lived and played. I remember my uncle most from when I was a little girl. He was young and would throw me in the air and he has called me TJ since I was a baby. Nobody else calls me TJ and it makes me feel special, like an inside thing only he and I know about.

Jackie, had 100’s and maybe even 1000’s of people she touched over the years and I think I only really have known of Jackie for about 2 years, I can not even imagine how many people she touched and will continue to touch as life moves forward. As I think about what she did for me, without wanting anything in return, she only knew me from a 2 minute video and that I was Donna’s niece on her husband’s side….well…Jackie, you are the perfect example of what I hope to be. I hope I help people reach their dreams, I hope I just take the time to drop a quick email, smile at someone, ask how someone is doing and take the time to listen to the response. I hope I help whenever possible and impact as many friends, family and strangers as possible. I hope to dream big and act bold and I hope when my life is all done, everyone celebrates how I lived. I will rejoice in the fact I “knew” Jackie, to honor her I will take a moment daily and do one more thing that day that will make the world, kinder, happier, gentler and more beautiful…

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

Another great winery we found on the Texas wine trail list was Chisholm Trail Winery. We poked the address into the GPS and it said 21 minutes and off we went. We were on the highway for a few miles then off on a side country road and then the GPS said turn right and it looked like a dirt driveway, but it said we had 1.7 miles to go…we followed and it was curvy, dusty and fun.

We saw the winery sign and pulled in and they had a baby donkey roaming around the side yard and wooden fences leading up to the tasting room and then we walked in and the tasting room was huge but still felt cozy. Alfred at the bar met us, he was wearing a cowboy hat and the place was filled with cowboy and Texas Hill country stuff….think TGI Friday’s interior but with a Texas theme. They had a wood oven and serve pizzas on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, they had hand made sausages, chocolates and even cigars.

They had a large area to the side of the tasting room where they host dances and events and I checked out the surroundings while Alfred set up our tastings. We started with the dry white, Belle Starr. There is a story about how this woman helped folks who were in trouble with the law back in the day and she was accidently shot by the sheriff, (I am sure I am not doing justice to the storied life of this woman, but I was distracted by this great wine). Crisp, fruity and full. Keep in mind all these wines are made with Texas grown grapes so this is a blend of about 3 different grape varietals. I liked this wine so well, I ended up buying this one!

Chisholm Trail Winery produces about 3500 cases per year and it is only sold at the winery, I found this to be so impressive, because you have to be looking for this place, it is not on the main road of Fredericksburg.

Next we tried Lone Wolf, a medium bodied, dry wine that I could really taste the berries, both raspberries and blackberries. It was a nice wine and I would totally pair this with a big, fat grilled burger with bacon strips on it!

Next was the Diablo, 70% Syrah and 30% Lenoir grapes, I had never had Lenoir wines until I tried Texas wines, Lenoir kinda reminds me of Cabernet Franc…most times it is too powerful alone, but blended it really has a great aroma and brings out the best of both wines. Dry and spicy, so naming this wine Diablo was perfect! I might pair this with anything with a hearty tomato based sauce would be really nice.

Silver Spur was next and it is a blend of 3 grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc…this wine is the most California like wine I had at Chisholm Trail Winery. Big flavors, big nose and quick, dry finish. I would like this with slow roasted meats and veggies!

Velvet Lady is their Zinfandel, I bought this wine….I can not wait to have this with lamb on the grill. This wine was fresh, fruity and really smooth for as young of a wine as it is. They said it is also perfect with Red Velvet Cake….I will be trying that pairing ASAP!

Next up were the sweet wines…Kiss Ass Blush and Ghostrider….not really my kinda wine to drink, but the tasting room was buzzing with the love of Kiss Ass Blush, people were buying this stuff by the case! It was a rush of sales and one of the women at the tasting bar said they drove 60 miles to get another case! Good for you Chisholm Trail…cash is KING!

Then I finished up with the Port, Almagres…paired with the chocolate they have made in Fredericksburg…it was silly good! As soon as the port hit my tongue and the chocolate finished…I was all smiles!

Going to Chisholm Trail Winery was fun, entertaining, the wines were very good, the story behind the winery is awesome and the hard work and love of making wine and being a place that would make anyone want to take the drive to their tasting room, is apparent. I will make sure when folks come to visit and they want to hit up wine country in Fredericksburg… we will make sure to hit up Chisholm Trail Winery!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Good Morning!

This weekend I went to Fredericksburg, TX and hit up as many wineries are possible. The first winery we stopped at was called Fredericksburg Winery and their tasting room is located on Main street and the town is adorable. I am originally from Indiana and if you know much about the midwest, it s very similar to Brown County, IN in the fall….except it is hotter than hell and the leaves are not beautiful fall colors. But the vibe is really laid back and the stores that line the street are filled with antiques, high end cowboy designs and down home foods served everywhere.

I have been to Fredericksburg several times and each time I see the town and the folks roaming the streets it makes me smile. The shops are filled with people and since it was over 95 degrees we ducked into every single store to avoid the heat. Folks are eating ice cream and I could smell the sweet sugary candy stores about every block, they would be making fudge and really rich chocolates. They also have all these shops with Christmas decorations, Texas memorabilia and crazy t-shirts. It is a lovely little town build around the wineries in Texas Hill Country.

Texas wines are just like Texas, original and proud. I have grown to love Texas and I spend six months a year in San Antonio, TX each year. Never have I experienced a state that is as proud as Texas. The Texas flag flys everywhere….on highway overpasses, on cars/trucks and everywhere you look around the longhorn state, lets you know where you are and the sense of connection between Texans, well it is crazy.

The Texas wines are the same, big, bold and proud. Texas winemakers have the idea it’s us vs. them. Anyone who makes wine outside of Texas or wines made from grapes not from Texas are the same as imported wines. Seriously, if you are making wine in Texas and you use grapes from outside of the state, you might be called a traitor. Their are over 200 wineries in the state and many of the wines are AWESOME.

When I walked into the tasting room, and winery of Fredericksburg Winery, I was greeted by Bert Switzer, he is one of the owners and the Vineyard Director and along with his entire family they have ran this winery for years. Even his 90 year old mother used to hand label each bottle of wine and she could do up to 50 cases a day (She said it kept her hands from getting stiff). They opened in 1978 and have a winery in town and the vineyard is out a few miles in the Hill Country.

When I taste Texas wines, I can not compare them to any other wines I have ever tasted. It would be like comparing a friends cooking to your mama’s cooking. It is like comparing Pizza Hut pizza to my hometown favorite pizza, Pizza King. No comparison….I was raised on wines from Northern CA and my palate seems to always love those. But when I taste wines I have to let everything go and just taste for the pure tasting of the grapes. The grapes grown in California can not take the climate of Texas, so you get very different flavors and blends. Some wineries do grow the same grape varietals but they do not taste at all the same.

Rarely in California when hitting up a tasting room, do you find “sweet” wines (high residual sugars), in Texas they do make great dry wines and they are good but the “sweeter” wines sell like crazy and since much of the food down here is spicy the pairings are awesome. I like many of the blushes with ribs, chili and even Thai food. Fredericksburg Winery makes 5 totally dry wines and another 15 wines with some level of residual sugar. I was surprised but I bought 2 bottles of Enchanted Rock Red, a semi sweet red. They had dozens of spicy dips to sample and the salsa was a great pairing so I loaded up on both. It is getting hotter and hotter here and I need my pool snacks, I can not wait to share my new wine finds with my pals.

The experience I had listening to Bert and his family, was like being with my neighbors, friends and family. They did a great job of welcoming every single person into the tasting area, explaining there wines and the process of how they like to share their wines with the guests. It was friendly, helpful, fun and it was so special. Make a point to stop in if you are in the area. You can get all geeky and ask tons of questions about the winemaking processes, the vineyard and their family, they are deeply connected with their business and wines and you will have a great time.

We went to 7 wineries and I will discuss each of them in the next few days….But Fredericksburg Winery was fun and I wanted to share the experience with you!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi

Picture of the Circle in downtown Indianapolis

Good Morning!

It is Friday and next Monday is Memorial day….in my world that means summer is here! I am originally from Indiana and Memorial weekend is all about the Indianapolis 500, the greatest spectacle in sports. More fans come to Indianapolis than any other one day sporting event, and then millions and millions of people watch on TV. The party starts in Indy (Indianapolis) in early May….the town starts to wake up from winter, flowers are springing up and everyone there is holding their breath and hoping those famous thunderstorms stay away.

The month kicks off with the Mini-Marathon, 1,000’s of runners take over the streets of Indy and then every weekend the Speedway track is filled with the roar of the cars. Their are drivers at the track who create a huge buzz in the community and the sportscasters and cameras are everywhere. Hotels and restaurants are packed and during the month long build up to the race the city is like a beehive.

So, I miss my home and I miss the events my friends host in-conjunction that I used to attend. The Saturday morning before the race, the city hosts the 500 parade….I lived in a high rise for several years and had a birds eye view of all the drivers, bands and even Ruth Buzzie (sp). I have seen big time celebrities, like J. Lo and Ben A., Jesse the quarterback on the Bach. Jim Nabors and Florence Henderson…but the real fun starts at the local parties. Specialty drinks are made and enjoyed, traditional brunches are hosted and canned beer at the track are all part of the race traditions. (The most famous is the Danica Patrick panty dropper).

A couple of years ago I went home for all the fun and we had a 4 day Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio wine-a-thon. I love how so many of the folks in Indy raise money and awareness for causes like the the little 250, where they close down Mass Ave and use hay bales to create a track and teams of tricycles race for the trophy, they raise $1000’s for people affected with HIV and AIDS. I love the Mutt Strut, where you can walk your dog around the Speedway race track…I could go on for days about the crazy events.

But this year I can not get back to my favorite city in the Midwest, so I am going to have a Rose’ and Bubbles weekend. I purchased 14 bottles of these two great wines….I will give you a run down review of my favs next week. It will be 90 plus degrees here and the pool will be calling, and the grill will be my kitchen.

I know this blog has very little to do with wine, but I am homesick and thought I would journal my thoughts and then I’d feel better!

Thanks for listening!

Much LOVE and wine and have a great weekend!

Tammi

The Arts Garden in Indianapolis...the downtown will be rocking this Memorial day weekend

One of my favorites..Casa Lapostolle Chardonnay

Good Morning!

I am fired up for tonight and the activity called a tweetup on twitter. If you are not a twitter user here is how it works. If you join twitter to connect with people and can “follow” them or you can follow subjects you have an interest with. Most of the subjects I follow are wine, sports and working with young girls so they have a high self esteem. When someone “tweets” they post a message that is no longer than 140 characters or photos or attach articles etc. It is quick easy and I find this a really fantastic media to meet people and ask lots of questions and just post whatever is on my mind.

Over time I have watched different subjects and I notice that certain days will be announced that it is #PinotNoir tasting night or whatever wine they choose and anyone with an interest can join in the fun. Most folks are at home and they pop open a bottle of their favorite and “tweet” along during the night and they discuss their wines and experience with it. What I take from these conversations (and many of them are going on at the same time, it’s like being at a tasting party and you can eavesdrop). I get to hear about wines I have not tried yet and I am making a list of what is the producer, what vintage and what are they having with the wine.

Then some folks will announce a place before the wine tweet up and they will meet up or as they say “Tweetup” and have real face to face fun tasting each other’s wines. I have been to 2 “tweetups”, and I have to say, it is great fun and I am a highly social person once I am comfortable in a situation, but if I were to walk into a place and not know a soul, I would be uncomfortable…this way I already know we are there for the same purpose and many of the folks I have been tweeting with about wine or at least following them for awhile so it really feels like a mini reunion!

So tonight, is #Chardonnay night and I have two bottle chilling here at my place. I have a La Follette Sangiacomo valley 2009 Chardonnay (I heard about this wine on the Daily Grape, so I hunted it down and I also have a 1994 Chateau Thomas Chardonnay, Which I purchased years ago back when I still lived in Indianapolis and Dr. Thomas’ winery was just up the road.

A little background on Chardonnay in general…Chardonnay is the most widely planted and and purchased wine in the US. It is pronounced (Shar-doh-Nay). Chardonnay is very versitle and easy to grow in most regions, it is known for having good acid levels so it can handle many food pairings. Most of the chardonnay’s produced in the US spend time in oak barrels and they have a rich, full, nutty, creamy taste profile. My favorite pairing with chardonnay is lobster with drawn butter and I also love it with my Mac and Cheese recipe.

There is a new line of thought with winemakers to make chardonnay that does not age in oak barrels but in stainless steel tanks. I am really being seduced my this version of chardonnay, it is crisp, flinty, lemony, appley and pineapple in taste profile. I love this style of chardonnay with creamy cheeses and of all things sausages or brats on the grill.

Chardonnay is beautifully made all over the world Australia is making some award winning wines and of course if you want to try wines from the old world….go get a bottle of White Burgundy from France….the grape in that wine is Chardonnay grown in one of the most famous grape growing regions in the world.

Treat yourself and of course “Tweet” yourself up a storm tonight…it is great fun, you will learn about wines and producers you have never heard of and since the folks on twitter are such fun, they will use wine descriptors that will make you laugh or roll your eyes, but they are creative folks you will be entertained.

Enjoy your night!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi