Bon Vivant: (n) a person having cultivated, refined, and sociable tastes especially with respect to food and drink.

All posts in Upcoming Events

Cheers!

Posted in: Bon Vivant, Drink Well, Entertaining, Helpful Hints, Travel, Upcoming Events, Wine Bloggers Conference

I always end my blog posts with “Cheers,” and so I thought it only appropriate to share this anecdote from Mallorca.

sparkling wine against vineyard view

As round after round of wine was served, we clinked glasses and toasted to the island, the nearly lost boat from an excursion earlier that day, to our hosts, really to anything on what had turned into a magical evening.

“But do you know why we clink glasses?” asked one of my dining companions?

If you research this question on the internet you’ll likely come across various theories relating to scaring off spirits, or even more nefarious Game of Thrones-esque theories- to ensure the wine wasn’t poisoned!

Bennesár, once again, came through with a simple, yet profound, answer.

“Wine is to be experienced with all five senses: We can see, smell, taste, even feel the wine on our tongues, but this is so we might hear it.”

Whatever the reason, this is the one I like best, and so I’m stickin’ to it!

As I depart for my 2nd Wine Bloggers Conference, I’m sure there will be many occasions to toast, and his words will surely be echoing in my ears.

A few quick tips for offering a toast:

  • Always meet everyone in the eye!  It is considered quite rude in many cultures not to do so.
  • It is considered bad luck to drink water during a toast, although it’s perfectly acceptable to raise your glass.
  • When a toast is offered in your honor, be sure to raise your glass, but it is not proper etiquette to drink to yourself!
  • Sincerity is key, but so is brevity!  Keep it short and witty, and be sure to end on a positive note, no matter the occasion.

And so to all of my readers, my incredible hosts in Mallorca, and my wine friends I’ll be seeing in a few short hours:

cheers

 

 

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It’s Chic to Drink Pink!

Posted in: Bon Vivant, Events, Porch wine, Seasonal Sips, Upcoming Events

Sip and Shop Pink{tini}!

When warm weather hits, there are few thing I like better than a refreshing glass of dry rosé!  And if you’re anything like me, adding in a dose of fashion never hurts!

Rosé wine at Linden Vineyards, VA

Rosé wine at Linden Vineyards, VA

So if you care to combine both fashion and wine vices, join me this Saturday, June 7th from 5:00 PM- 8:00 PM at Pinktini Fashion Boutique on Capitol Hill!  I’ll be pouring a custom flight of rosé for people to enjoy as they celebrate the boutique’s six month anniversary sale and celebration.

After all, it’s chic to sip and shop pink!

The event is free, but registration encouraged at sipandshoppinktini.eventbrite.com.

I hope to see you there!

cheers

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Drinking Green

Posted in: Green Wine Practices, Helpful Hints, Upcoming Events, Virginia Wine, Wine Facts, Wine Health, Wine vocabulary, Wineries and Vineyards

This week Washington DC is hosting the The Green Festival. The wine industry is currently undergoing it’s own “greening” process, and clients are making more and more informed decisions when purchasing wine.

But what does “drinking green” look like? (And no, I’m not talking about kale smoothies!) It can be a complicated process and there are many ways to go about it!

Although vintners make countless choices in their efforts towards sustainability and environmental harmony, there are a few main categories that have a major impact on how green your wine choices are.

Cab Franc during harvest

1. Organic Wines:

This one can be a bit misleading, because the meaning of organic wine varies from country to country. The certification process also varies, and can be prohibitively expensive for smaller wineries.  Many wineries that grow their grapes organically are not certified for this reason. Often, the bottle will give you an indication of whether the vineyard employs organic practices.

Often, “Old World” (European) wines use fewer and less harsh pesticides than their “New World” counterparts.  This is largely due to their environmental laws prohibiting the use of certain harmful chemicals, as well as the wine making tradition of generations working with the land before the advent of chemicals and machinery.

2. Sustainable Wines

Sustainable wine practices include the planting of beneficial plants and wildflowers, use of bio-diesel fuel, water conservation practices, cork recycling programs, or the elimination of machinery.  Hand-picking grapes and plowing by horse are just a few sustainable practices winemakers employ to reduce their environmental footprint. Economic viability and impact on the community- such as fair trade practices- are also often taken into account with sustainable wine making. These practices are often used in conjunction with organic or biodynamic practices.

2. Biodynamic Wines

Biodynamic wine making is similar to organic farming practices in that both take place without chemicals. However, biodynamic farming takes a broader approach, viewing the vineyard as an ecosystem, and incorporating astrological influences and lunar cycles.  Biodynamic wines also avoid cellar manipulations such as adjusting yeast or acidity.

4. Drink Local

I was recently at an environmental fundraiser that paid careful attention to providing vegan meal options and flying in hi-profile environmental advocates.  However, when I visited the bar I was shocked to see them serving non-sustainable, non-organic, non-biodynamic from the other side of the globe?!

I love foreign wine, but the cost and energy of transporting wine is not without its own environmental impact.  Although it’s difficult to grow grapes organically in Virginia, many wineries, such as this one are making incredible strides towards reducing their environmental footprint.  Drinking local not only helps the local economy, it helps the environment!

Do you try to drink “green”?

cheers

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Italian Wine Dinner Giveaway!

Posted in: Bon Vivant, Events, Giveaways, Upcoming Events, Wineries and Vineyards

I’m excited to announce a giveaway of two tickets to an Italian winemaker dinner at one of my favorite local businesses- Sona Creamery and Wine Bar!  The winner will receive 2 tickets to the exclusive event next Tuesday, April 22, a $150 value!

Sona Creamery and Wine Bar

Sona Creamery and Wine Bar

For a chance to win, enter in the rafflecopter widget below! The winner will be chosen at random and  announced on Monday!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The dinner starts at 7:30 and will include a four-course tasting menu, plus dessert! The tasting menu will be specially prepared by Sona’s Executive Chef Frank Paris.

Luca Martini di Cigala, renowned San Giusto a Rentennano wine maker and proprietor, will be visiting Sona Creamery to present a selection of red wines, paired with a specifically paired with each dish.

Featured wines include:

  • “La Ricolma”  – Made from 100% Merlot grapes especially slected from prime vineyards and hand-picked when perfectly mature. 
  • “Percarlo” – Made from 100% estate grown Sangiovese grapes, especially selected buch per bunch, from the best zones of the San Giusto vineyards. It is a robust expression of the San Giusto a Rentennano terroir and a powerful, intense expression of Sangiovese. One of the elite wines of this Tuscan vintage. 98 points.
  • “Chianti Classico” – The San Giusto a Rentennano Chianti Classico is a blend of 95% sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo grapes, hand-picked when perfectly mature.   It is fermented in glazed concrete and stainles steal vats for 14 days: during fermentation the skins and must are puped over and punched down a number of times to extract the maxium qualities form the grapes.  After the wine has been racked, the skins are soft-pressed in a horizontal press and the juice thus obtained to be added to the wine.  Aged in medium sized casks and oak Tonneaux for 10-12 months.
  • “Le Baroncole” – Chianti Classico Riserva le Baroncole is made from 97% Sangiovese and 3% Canaiolo grapes.  It is first processed in the same manner as the Chianti Classico and aged secondarily in French oak barriques for 16-20 months, depending on the vintage.

cheers

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What do YOU want to see?

Posted in: Bon Vivant, Cocktails, Helpful Hints, Polls, Recipes, Restaurant Reviews, Upcoming Events, Wine Facts, Wine Pairing, Wine Recommendations, Wine Reviews, Wineries and Vineyards

There are a lot of wine blogs out there, and I want to make sure I’m giving you more of what YOU want to read about! Let me know what you want to see more of on the Bon Vivant Blog and feel free to sound off in the comments section!

Boxhill_20130513_270

Photo Credit: Boxhill Photography

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Thanks for your feedback and thanks for reading!

cheers

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