Naked Grape -- Working my way through the label

Loving the lush of the grape, I've decided to take an analytical approach to new wines.

I'll simply call it: 'Working The Label'.

The goal is to pick a label and then try each of the different blends.

Tonight's selection was Naked Grape. I recently found this label, within the past few months (doesn't mean it hasn't been hanging around for longer in my area; just means I finally noticed it).

The plain white coloring appealed to me: not pretentious or austentious. Simple, basically bare. It would either work or not.

Branding considers the wine--dry. I agree. It's definitely a red meat wine.
Branding considers the wine--full-bodied. Here, I disagree. It's a bit of a light-weight to me. Perhaps more roast than medium rare T-bone.
Branding lists the Naked Grape wines from California and Argentina. Malbec grapes originated in France, but were more for blending than stand-alone wines. Leave it to the Argentina culture to take this grape, in their sun-drenched countryside, and produce something lovely.

The Naked Grape Malbec, due to its dry nature is quite nice against sweet fruits and tart cheeses: a nice combination.

On a scale of 1 to 10, this Malbec ranges mid-5.

Price wise, I paid less than $8.00 a bottle.

It also didn't cause the nasty morning-after temple twinge that can accompany many reds.

So for sipping with a blander red meat dinner or enjoying with sweet fruits after, this was worth the money.

Do drop by my back porch again. I'll be trying another blend and waiting for friends.

Romance With A Texas Twist.

Fine Living magazine cocktail quiz

On a long car trip, you're listening to:

1)Pop hits on the radio
2)'80s hair metal
3)Spanish language tapes
4)Smooth singers like Frank Sinatra
**I'm a Pop Hits sorta gal.

On Saturday night, you can be found:

1)Pushing my way to the front of the crowd at a rock show
2)Getting down in the center of the dance floor at a club
3)At the opera house watching La Boehme
4)Enjoying classic movies on a blanket in the park.
**Well, Saturday nights are not normally night this exciting for me. HOWEVER, I'd be the enjoying classic movies, WITH hubby, on a blanket in the park, if we could combat the mosquitoes and keep each other awake.

Your favorite dish is:

1)Chocolate mousse with whipped cream on top
2)A spicy bowl of chili
3)Homemade macaroni and cheese
4)Pad Thai noodles
**I cheated on this one because I've already revealed my favorite sin in white chocolate, Macadamia nut cookies, but if a gal must decide then I'll go with homemade mac and cheese.

If you could be a movie star, you would be:

1)Salma Hayek
2)Jennifer Aniston
3)James Dean
4)Fred Astaire
**Definitely, Fred Astaire. Hey, don't anyone tell my hubby that I'm channeling a man. Really I want to channel his dancing shoes. I would love to be able to move with rhythm and style.

Your dream vacation would be:

1)Visiting Cape Cod for a tour of famous lighthouses
2)Relaxing on the deck on an all-inclusive Caribbean cruise
3)Hopping on a motorcycle for a cross-country ride
4)Traveling to Japan to experience
**Okay, this one is easy. Ever seen my house? Some have and it's drenched in lighthouses. I love them, and taking a tour to visit lighthouses would be completly up my alley.

The clothing item you can't live without is:

1)A pair of yellow kitten heels
2)A leather bomber jacket
3)The perfect merino wool sweater
4)A flowing silk scarf
**Where's sweat pants on this list? All right, maybe they didn't intend writers or moms or women who want to be comfortable to take this test. Whatever . . . I'll go way with the flowing silk scarf. Goes better with my Fred Astaire impersonation. It would certainly look great in the lighthouse pictures.

What did you dress up as last Halloween?

1)A pirate
2)A cowgirl (or cowboy)
3)A belly dancer
4)A flapper (or gangster)
**This would have to be none of the above. However, I did go as a Fallen Angel (all in black and no halo) once, which would put me somewhere between belly dancer and flapper.

Your dream house is:

1)A mansion in Hollywood Hills
2)An apartment in the East Village
3)A low-slung midcentury-modern home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
4)An adobe casa in the Southwest
**Definitely the adobe casa in the Southwest.

If you won the lottery, you would:

1)Buy a custom-designed wardrobe
2)Head up the fan club for your favorite band
3)Fill your garage with vintage cars
4)Spend a year backpacking across Europe
**Oh, let's be real. How about pay for my kids' college tuition? Or re-carpet my house? This one is so far beyond my realm of reality, I just pushed a button.

Of these inventions, which do you find the most exciting?

1)Hair extensions
2)Frequent flier miles
3)Crossword puzzles
4)Guitar Hero
**There must be something twisted in this personality quiz. Of all the 21st century inventions, these are the choices? In the end, I had to go with Crossword puzzles. Too much of a word smith not to appreciate that choice.

So what's my favorite cocktail?
Vodka Gimlet

The phrase "don't change a good thing" was practically invented for you. You love the classics, like movies, cars and, of course, cocktails. Our Vodka Gimlet is made with high-quality vodka and lime juice, shaken in a cocktail shaker just like they've always been.

Well, I've never had a Vodka Gimlet, but I do like Gray Goose vodka, so I'll try this out next time.

Want to take the quiz on your own?

Head over to Fine Living for a bit of entertainment. Do share your results.

Have a lovely Saturday and drop by my back porch again.
Until then,
~Sandra

Helpful tips for October . . .

Some are short . . . some are lengthy, but all have a little merit to a lot or a lot of merit to a few. Enjoy the tips and stop by again. More will be posted.

Financial learning starts early:

*The road to fiscal grooming begins by setting the household standard. If certain chores must be completed by the child, or certain grades are expected on report cards, then be specific. Communicate those expectations. The choice to pay an allowance for these household requirements is every family’s personal decision. But it is important for parents to contemplate ‘bonus’ payments. Surpassing normal expectations may feel wonderful, but getting rewarded for those outstanding successes is doubly sweet. Consider payment for honor roll acceptance, dean’s list recognition, district band or choir accolades, completing merit badges or serving the community. Parents should take this idea and individualize it to the child. The actual size of the monetary bonus is of less importance than the parental recognition of the accomplishment. Striving for personal excellence is a life’s goal. Getting paid for it is simply the bonus.

Great Shoe shopping deals:

Go to: Zappos for some of the best shoes deals on-line. Affordable prices for trendy shoes . . . and best bit of news – this on-line store has a great return policy. Always be sure to check the fine print before buying, but loads have bought several pairs, made their final selections, and then returned the unworn – still brand-new – pairs.

For athletic shoes, try:

Go to Eastbay. Loads of friends have used this site to buy athletic footwear at a true discount price. They carry hard to find sizes at the same price. A total bonus if you’re fitting a large foot.

Looking for Shoes at The Mall:

Check your local mall to see if they boasts The Shoe Department. This particular chain buys the overstocks from major retailers then lines their shelves with the great buys. They carry up to a men’s size 15 in dress and athletic style shoes – and there’s quite a selection as well.

Need a fast Halloween costume: (Beware – sitting is tough in this outfit)

Two boxes one large (3 foot square) and one small (1 ½ feet to 2 feet square), aluminum foil, construction paper, a gray long sleeve shirt and solid pants – that’s it, the total remedy for an emergency Halloween costume. Seal one end of each of the boxes. Leave the other end open, and cut away the excess flaps. Cover both boxes solidly in aluminum foil. On the smaller box, pick a front side then cut two openings for eyes. On the larger box (opposite sides) cut two openings for arms to fit through. Then in that sealed end of the larger box, cut a hole large enough for the head to fit through easily. Use construction paper circles, squares or rectangles to decorate the outside of ‘Robot Man’ or ‘Robot Woman’. Slide the box body of the robot in place, followed by the head box and that’s it. Recommendation: wear a turtle neck shirt (or sweater depending on how cold it is in your piece of the world) so the box opening won’t rub against the wearer’s neck. Also, to keep the head in place, consider stapling elastic or even ribbon that can be tightened under the chin once the head piece is on. This tip will allow the wearer to turn their head without fear of the costume rotating off.

Excess wine remedy:

*Martha Stewart says if there’s excess wine left, fill ice trays and freeze for adding to soups and stews at a later time.
*My favorite Maxine, says, ‘What’s excess wine?’
*While I’m totally on board with Maxine’s take, it is always possible to have little too much wine left over.
*My remedy: Pour that wine in the ice tray, but stick a Popsicle stick in there as well. I’ve discovered sweating through kid’s soccer games and that long walk home from ‘fun in the park’ is always more enjoyable with a little something on a stick.

Alright, so there’s one for the kids . . . one for shopping and one for . . . well, the good stuff in life. Being a writer, there must be one to appease the grammarian in me.
Grammar:

*Beside – means next to (Jane walked beside Jack up the hill.)
*Besides – means in addition to (Besides Jack, who could have fallen down the hill so quickly?)

Re-gifting:

*My last tip is important with the holidays looming around the corner, and that’s the subject of re-gifting. Everyone does it. Okay, some folks just bury those elephants in the back of the closet and hope they never get a wild hair to clean, but for the rest of us, re-gifting is a way of life.
*Make sure to keep attached the birthday/anniversary/Christmas card or tag to the particular gift that you can’t wait to re-gift. Why? Because when names are drawn out of the hat for the Christmas exchange, it’s just plain tacky (however much of poetic justice it would be) to give back the re-gift to the original gifter. If for no other reason than to avoid why you hated the gift in the first place, make sure the re-gift finds a new home.

Thanks for stopping by my back porch. Weather's cool . . . if the rain ever stops. Here in Texas we complain if it rains and we complain if it doesn't. However, if you hear hammering in my front yard, you'll know I've gone back to work on my ark. Hey, I was a Girl Scout, after all, and we take that 'Be Prepared' motto seriously.
Do drop by again.
Until then,
~Sandra