Wine Wednesday: Wente Vineyard 2023 Central Coast Chardonnay

 

So, Wente Vineyards (which is pronounced like Twenty, only without the initial T) is located in Livermore, one of the few California wine producing areas that I've never been to. 

You always think there will be time, don't you? 

I nearly went, several years back. I was on a road trip with a friend of mine (author Kinsey Holley) and we could have detoured there. We talked about it. But it was a Sunday and we were driving back from Reno to Vallejo (along with everyone else on the planet, or so it seemed) and so we chose not to. 

Vallejo is just outside of Napa and we were going to Napa the next day, so it didn't seem like a bad decision at the time. But what can you do?  

Anyway, having read about Wente, I'm even more sorry to have missed it. Apparently, Wente is "the oldest continuously-operated, family-owned winery in the country.

If I'd known then that I'd go on to write (some of) the Pour Decisions books, I would definitely have made more of an effort! 

The website is pretty informative: https://wentevineyards.com/ I especially found it fascinating that "75% of all California Chardonnay stems from the Wente Clone."

Anyway, the wine that I tried is the Central Coast Chardonnay, which wouldn't have been grown in Livermore, anyway. I think I missed out when I lived in the Central Coast (Paso Robles) because other than Viognier, I stuck mostly to red wines, particularly zinfandel, which I think Paso does better than nearly anyone else. 

But I digress.

Unfortunately, I did not keep great notes on this wine. I did notice that it was straw colored, mildly buttery with a hint of minerality; that there were notes of  apple and pineapple on the nose; and that it tasted of apricot and vanilla.  

I paired this wine with butternut squash mezza luna in a brown butter sauce. 

Romance Writers Weekly ~ Seasoned Summer ~ #LoveChatWrite

This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked to, "How do older characters experience summer differently — and how does that shape their love stories?"

You know, this is an interesting question. My initial response was, well, they've got more baggage, but that's an oversimplification. I think, on the whole, they're less impulsive. They may be more wary, or they may be more cognizant of life's fleeting nature, and thus more determined not to waste time unnecessarily.  One of my favorite "seasoned summer" scenes takes place in the fifth Oberon book, Touch of a Vanished Hand. Marsha and Sam aren't the main characters in this book, but they definitely experience a very romantic summer--even getting engaged atop a Ferris Wheel. They're an older couple--she's mid-thirties, he's mid-forties--which (not gonna lie) seems pretty young to me, at this point. They've been in love for about a year, at this point in the series, and Sam is eager to make their relationship official. Marsha, on the other hand, is anxious. She doesn't want to make another mistake. 

Now, hop on over to Jenna Da Sie's page to find out how her older characters experience summer!

Touch of a Vanished Hand

Oberon Series, Book 5

Sinead Quinn has always been something of a drifter.   But now, with her ex-husband trying to blackmail her, and her ex-boyfriend's widow trying to put her in jail, she has no choice but to go to ground.  What better place to hide than with your family?   After all, what are sisters for?  Especially when you're a twin.

 But the first rule of hiding out, is to keep a low profile.  And that does not mean kissing your sister's boyfriend (even if he can't tell the two of you apart); rescuing a troubled teen; or taking a highly visible job as hostess of Oberon's most celebrated new inn.

 Adam Sasso has always dreamed big.  But big dreams beget big complications.  First, his goal to turn the vineyard he inherited from his grandfather into a world-class winery is threatened by a mysterious saboteur.  Next, his plan to run the finest bed & breakfast Oberon has ever seen, is broadsided by a hostess who wants to run him.  Finally, it seems his fondest wish, of finding love-everlasting with the soul mate of his dreams, is about to go up in smoke when he can't convince her that they're destined to be together.

 This summer, it's going to take all the wizardry in Oberon to craft a happy ending for the drifter and the dreamer.

https://Books2Read.com/TouchHand

Musical Monday: Palisades Park (Freddy Cannon)

 So, we're still working our way through my Summer Playlist. Last week I mentioned having gone to an amusement park with my cousin, and I guess I should have mentioned that the park in question was New Jersey's own Palisades Park. 

I actually grew up only a couple of blocks away--ON Palisade Avenue--and another early memory is the way that every Sunday afternoon throughout the summer Palisade Avenue turned into a parking lot with cars trying to get in or out of the park. It was actually kind of annoying, especially when people would try and picnic on our front lawn! 

My father also ran the miniature golf concession there, so I always felt very connected to the park. I was very sad when it closed. 

Wine Wednesday: Sweet Cheeks Sauvignon Blanc

 

So this was a very interesting wine. It's one of the few wines my husband also liked! He termed it "delicious and drinkable". 

I chose to pair this wine with Indian-TexMex fusion cuisine. I don't go for very spicy food, but you can't really combine those and expect bland. So, obviously, there was some heat and this wine stood up well to it. It's a very full bodied wine--odd for a Sauvignon Blanc. It's a pale straw color. Very floral nose with hints of candied orange rind and pineapple. The lingering finish had notes of burnt orange, ruby grapefruit. Really delightful.

Romance Writers Weekly ~Favorite summer drink recipe ~ #LoveChatWrite

This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked to, "Choose one of your characters and share their favourite summer drink recipe."

Shockingly, this one is easy! I have characters in two separate books (which happen to be in two separate series) that each have mentioned the same summery drink choice: Sangria!

Allegra (from Que Será, Syrah) actually wrote a song about it (which is sung to the melody from How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria):

How Do You Make a Pitcher of Sangria?

 

How do you make a pitcher of sangria?

What do you need besides the perfect wine

(Something that’s young and bright and not too oaky)

A cinnamon stick, some fizzy water, a lime? 

 

Plenty of recipes will tell you one thing,

Plenty of them will tell you the reverse.

But, where do you set the bar?

Is mango a fruit too far?

Do we need an extra bottle to rehearse?

Oh, how do you make a pitcher of sangria?

How do you make that sweet, sweet, summer wine?

I'm mixing things up a bit with my recipe, however, and urging you to try frozen sangria. 

For the ingredients you'll need:

    1 bottle wine 

    3 cups frozen fruit (I suggest peaches and either blackberries or cherries)

    1/3 cup orange liqueur like Triple Sec

    1/2 cup orange juice

    And then sweeten to taste using 2 – 3 tablespoons of something like simple syrup or agave nectar (honey and sugar just don't dissolve like they should. 

First you'll want to freeze some of the wine--an ice cube tray worth of wine should be enough--overnight. And chill the rest of the bottle while you're doing so. When you're ready to drink it, blend the frozen wine and the frozen fruit, add the rest of the ingredients and there you have it.  

Now, hop on over to Jill Haymaker's page to find out what her charaters are drinking this summer. And don't forget to check out her book, Colorado Sunset, which is FREE for the next two days!

FREE EBOOK AUGUST 5-6

COLORADO SUNSET

Go back to where it all began, with this first book in my Peakview Series. When June’s car breaks down near the tiny town of Peakview, Colorado, she hopes to find a mechanic but finds so much more in the handsome rancher, Jeff Walker. Could it be that this unexpected stop will turn into a forever home?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UNP0GTW

POUR DECISIONS

New, Multi-Author Series!

Meet the Martinelli sisters: Rosa, Bianca and Allegra. These partners in wine have just inherited a once-storied winery in the heart of Napa Valley. They’re living the dream, right?

 

Not so fast! Because, as it turns out, not everybody is happy for them. And that includes their Uncle Geno who’d assumed the property would come to him.

 

There are hoops to jump through, barrels to get over, and a mountain of regulations they'll have to scale. But the sisters are crushing it—and we don’t just mean the grapes. They’re making wine, falling in love, and working together to restore their inheritance to its former glory, one pour decision at a time.

https://Books2Read.com/Pour-Decisions

Musical Monday: Dizzy (Tommy Roe)

 

This week's song is yet another from my Summer Playlist. This is one of the earliest songs I remember, and it's one that I definitely associate with SUMMER. I recall being very young and on a carnival ride with my cousin (who's a year older than I am) and her insisting we sing this at the top of our lungs as we spun around. 

We, of course, thought we were hilarious. But I'm pretty sure you'd have had to have been there (and been us) to have appreciated that. 

And since I've somehow gotten on the topic of New Jersey and cousins...

Atlas Beach: Come for the fun and games, stay for the love, the laughter, the family complications, and, oh, yeah: the occasional ghost! ​

https://www.pgforte.com/games-we-play-series-1

A quirky, family-owned resort on the Jersey Shore is the setting for this erotic, lightly paranormal series. Cousins Brenda, Luke and Gwyn are determined to turn their failing hotel business around. They have no time for love. They're in no mood for games. But it's not going to matter. Not when they're up against a handful of ghosts, a mischievous boggart, a family curse, and destinies written in stone.

https://www.pgforte.com/games-we-play-series-2

The Games We Play crew are back! This time, with two new stories featuring Kristy's brothers. Tino and Rocky only received a passing mention in the first books, but this duology is All About the Bros!

https://www.pgforte.com/games-we-play-series-3

I'm excited to introduce the Whole Latte Love Collection; three new stories set in my favorite fictional New Jersey small town. 

Romance Writers Weekly ~ Summer Playlist ~ #LoveChatWrite

This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked, "What songs are on your summer playlist?"

Which is another great question. But I figured instead of telling you all about it, I'd share my playlist with you. And yes, that cute and colorful QRC does work!

I threw together a bunch of songs that I remember from summers past--they span decades. I absolutely love it. My husband, OTOH, not so much. lol 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6YzQTEtRPGQD7PyhyQchQg

Anyway, hop on over to Jenna Da Sie's page to find out what she's listening to. 

FREE DOWNLOAD

Such Fleeting Pleasures

An Oberon Prequel Novella 

Love wasn't always strawberries and cream for Lucy and Dan Cavanaugh...or was it? In this Oberon prequel, we travel back in time to see how it all began. 

Most of the material in this prequel novella (which is set some eighteen years before the series begins) also appears as flashback scenes in A Taste of Honey.

You can access a FREE DOWNLOAD of this novella when you join my Facebook group: The Crone's Nest​

Or at this BookFunnel link: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/5xxljdbblb