What a lovely weekend!  I’m not even upset that it’s Monday and that my window is being pelleted with sheets of freezing rain right now, THAT’S how great my past two days were.  We started off with a stroll through the European wing at the MFA and then had lunch at one of our all-time favorites, L’Espalier.  We got engaged at L’Espalier last year and as a wedding present we received a gift certificate (as well as an incredible custom silhouette made from a picture taken at our wedding) from a pair of our fabulous friends.  Can I just tell you what an incredible gift idea this was?  Visiting the restaurant for the first time since our engagement brought back so many memories.  I am still smiling from ear to ear just thinking about it.  And the best part is that we had a table directly across from the table where we sat on our last visit, so it was like we were observing the moment from a different perspective.  So wonderful.  Oh yes, and the food wasn’t half bad either  :)  We started out with a squash soup with seared sea scallops for me and sauteed whole body calamari for the mister.  Then we enjoyed a lobster BLT and a lamb tenderloin with beet puree and roasted winter vegetables.  Oh my goodness.  And of course, to finish things off, a cheese plate presented by the house Fromager, Louis Risoli.  I could listen to Mr. Risoli talk about cheese all day long.  We loved them all, but I think the favorite was the Fourme D’Ambert AOC from Auvergne, France.  It is actually aged in caves alongside loaves of Rye bread in the classic style.  It was incredible.  We loved the cheese so much that we actually registered for an upcoming Cheese Tuesday entitled, “Chesse 101: The Hows, Whys, Whats and Yummy Yums of cheese.”  I know, I love my life…

We also discovered a great new wine that we paid only…  wait for it… $40 for!  At L’Espalier!  The wine was 2009 Angeline Reserve Pinot Noir and it was delightful.  Plus we found it the next day at Whole Foods for only $15.99 a bottle, very good to know.  A young Pinot, it was light and fruity and paired well with our diverse dishes (finding something to pair with roasted lamb and chilled lobster is no easy feat my friends).  I kind of don’t want to stop writing about this amazing day because that would mean I’d need to return to the reality that is Monday, but I really should eat lunch as I am now starving after recalling the food and wine from this fantastic place.  So thank you Kristin & Steve for being the most creative wedding gift-givers ever, thank you L’Espalier for being so great, and thank you that it is almost 1pm which means my Monday is more than half done with!  :)

(photo credit : Martin Ray Winery)

It’s official – the next trip to Espana is booked!  My brother in law is currently studying abroad in England and we have finally booked our flights to go see him, which of COURSE includes a long weekend in Madrid on the way home  :)  It has been 2 years since my last visit to Spain and I am in some serious withdrawal (yes, I know, I DID get to Argentina during that time, but still!).  I am so excited to share my favorite country with someone new, it’s like seeing it again for the first time.  Plus, my worldly B.I.L. is starting to really get into red wine so I want to plan some serious wine tasting!  We got a fabulous little hotel right off Plaza Santa Ana in the heart of Madrid so we will have literally dozens of wine bars, restaurants and pubs right outside.  One of my favorites is Lateral, with a fantastic little wine list and croquetas the size of your fist!  I also love wandering around in the streets surrounding Plaza Mayor and hopping from bar to bar to check out their liters of house wine.  What are some of your favorite spots in the city?  Any wine bars or must-see sights we should check out?  Estoy super emocionada!!!

Plaza Santa Ana

(photo credit via Beers and Beans – you can see our hotel, it’s the building on the right!  We’ll brign ear plugs but it will be worth it)

It’s really cold out again.  Last week I was wearing long sleeved tops sans jacket and this morning the weather map on the news was an entirely new shade of purple, boasting “feel’s like” temps in the single digits.  Whatever, I still love New England…  But the frigid temps do encourage me to spend less time outside and more time hunkered down with my kindle, my cat, and a nice glass of red.  Yesterday I had some time to kill before picking my husband up at the train station before dinner at my parents’ house.  I headed over to Legacy Place to do a little shopping.  After one store and approximatly 2 minutes outside in the cold I determined it would be a much better idea to head to Aquitane for a glass of wine than continue my wanderings.  It would keep me warm AND cap my spending at around $10 for one glass of wine, I could spend three times that in under 5 minutes at The Paper Source so this seemed like a great decision all around.  Aquitane is just so lovely.  Long marble bar, adorable little French bistro tables, and a really solid wine list.  I love the wine list because they have about a dozen red and a dozen white wines by the glass and maybe 3 times as many bottles.  Why do you need more wines by the glass?  Having one solid wine in each of the major varietals is the best way to go.  You give me five different Zins by the glass all within a $1 or $2 of each other in price and I will be overwhelmed.  Just give me the best option and leave it alone!  The Zin I tried was definitely a good option, it is called “Incredible Red,” by Peachy Canyon, a 2006 wine from Paso Robles, CA.  Smooth, spicy but not harsh.  Plus I found it online for anywhere from $9-$12 a bottle, so hopefully you’ll be able to track it down at a local wine store in the same price range!  Really nice Zin in a really nice place.  Thank you, Aquitane and Incredible Red, for making working on a holiday seem a little less terrible…

(Photo credit wine and beer lover)

Check this out!  the20 has launched a wine cask system, all you do is purchase the wood cask and then you get access to their wine cellar from which you can order bags of wine designed to fit in your cask and stay fresh way longer than an open bottle of wine.  If they shipping to Massachusetts I would totally check this out, but alas the California based company is only shipping to states on the west coast for the time being…   Thanks to my friend Jenna for passing along the article!

(photo credit the20)

Oh my goodness, LOVE this!  What a perfect gift for a housewarming or engagement.  Or just to celebrate being in love, it IS still Valentine’s week after all!

Photo via SwirlyGarden, find the set for sale on Etsy

Have I really never blogged about this wine? I mean, I know I haven’t actually purchased this wine in years but I can’t believe that I’ve never even mentioned it. Not even in a holiday gift guide, crazy!  And why, you ask, is this so crazy?  Well, because “Conundrum” is a consistently good wine that is relatively easy to find and at a slightly higher price point than what you would probably spend on yourself ($20-$25 range) it makes a great hostess gift or pairing for a special evening – like Valentine’s dinner!  Plus, I absolutely ADORE their website.  Instead of entering your age before getting access to the home page as many wine and spirit site require, Conundrum asks for your zip code and then displays interactive maps with the closest vendors who sell their wine.  They also have a forum where you can enter your latest “conundrum” and get feedback, great way to drive traffic to your site and get frequent users.  Anyway, back to the wine.  The hubs asked me to pick out wine for the dinner he prepared last night, the main attraction being tilapia in a creamy tomato sauce.  Well, I didn’t want anything too overbearing so Chard was out of the question.  I was unsure of a Sauv Blanc with the acidic tomato, I started thinking maybe a Viognier would work when it occurred to me that the perfect solution would be a blend!  Well, Conundrum is one of the best white blends around, a top secret mix of 12 different grapes from California.  I love it when I’m right.  The wine paired perfectly with the dish, a bit of citrus to balance the tomato but with a hint of sweetness to really make the sauce stand out.  Altogether light enough to not overpower the delicate fish at the center of the meal.  YEAH!!  Highly recommended, if you’re interested in finding it you can just check out their site!  As always, please make sure to let me know what you think.

Just in time for Valentines, a delightful new pink bubbly!  This weekend Monique was serving up samples of Jacob’s Creek sparkling rose wine, a delightful little bubbly from Australia.  A non vintage Pinot Noir-Chardonnay blend with a balanced palate and a sweet finish.  For 2 for $20 this is the perfect, inexpensive bottle to pick up for your sweetheart tonight!  So Happy Valentines and happy sipping!

I kind of love awful, snowy winter days in New England.  Only if they are so bad that we get to stay home from work.  I am actually really productive when I work from home, having only one monitor to work from means no time for email or gchat or Facebook breaks so I really power through my daily tasks.  After a very busy day or working from home I decided to cook up a fancy yet very easy dinner and serve it up on the fine china with silver and crystal and all.  Great surprise for the hubs who was working away all day in the office upstairs!  So I made my staples, green salad with walnuts, cranberries and blue cheese, chicken parmesan, and individual chocolate souffles for dessert.  How great are individual desserts?  They just make any meal feel so special, especially when you have adorable little Le Creuset covered ramekins to make them in  :)  I used an easy recipe from Real Simple and was very impressed with how they turned out.  I even mastered the double boiler on my old school electric stove, thank goodness for our awesome new All Clad stainless mixing bowls (thanks, Aunt Alicen!).  Number 1 priority when we get our tax return: appliance upgrade, baby!  Super pumped.    We paired our meal with an amazing bottle of 2008 Kaiken Cabernet Sauvignon (Argentina) and finished things off with a glass of Macallan 12 for the mister and biscotti liquor for the misses.  Snowy day dinner WIN!

We’re gearing up for Battle Magnum here at More than Merlot, just a few more days until we’re ready to begin!  So in the meantime, I want to tell you about my new favorite wine, Evodia Grenache from the Calatayud wine region in Spain.  I first tried this wine when I spotted it at Fresh Market.  For $11.99 this balanced, smooth, and incredibly juicy wine was a great deal.  You know how I fee about grenache/garnacha (like Las Rocas, yuuuum) after all…  So anyway, you can imagine my immense delight when I spotted the same bottle on sale at Whole Foods for only $7.99!  And even better, if you buy 6 or more bottles you get a 10% discount, oh happy day!  This wine has become my new Pinot Noir, light and delicious enough to go with anything and drink any day of the week.  A bit more sweet than a traditional Pinot, but I’ve really been feeling wines that are not so bone dry lately.  So buy it, try it, and love it!  Hope your week is off to a good start, more to come soon!

(photo credit via Sansibar)

I don’t mean to be rude, but I just can’t apologize for not posting this week.  It has been CRAZY.  And not just weather crazy (which it has) or work crazy (which it has been BEYOND), just general crazy.  So I have not been able to post, that’s that!  But I do have an exciting announcement…  I am going to get started on a new Wine Project starting next week –  Battle Magnum!  Yes, you heard right.  I am going to select one varietal and purchase 5 magnums from different wine makers in the $10-$15 range to determine which wine is Top Jug.  I’m kind of super excited about it.  Can you imagine what would happen if I found one or two really great magnum wines?  I mean, I pick up magnums pretty regularly for Sangria, cooking, or just to have on hand for late evenings when you’ve had a couple of more expensive bottles and can’t tell the difference any more…  But what if there is like a super good bulk wine out there just waiting to be discovered?  Will I give up on my 3 for $25′s, scoffing at what no longer seems like any sort of deal at all?  I can’t wait to find out!  So what shall it be, the varietal?  Merlot?  Cab?  Zin?  Something more on the traditional side so I can find lots of varieties to pick from.  This will be just the perfect project for yucky winter weather when it’s so hard to leave the house, yeah projects!  In the meantime, have a LOVELY weekend and I will be back soon!

(Or is it?  Photo credit via)