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Thirsty Thursday: Thirstagrams!

Rambler: Terry

Drink in Hand: 2009 Cima Collina Pinot Noir

I'm not going to lie, it's been a busy week. Tonight seemed to be no different as I sit her next to Massey sipping Pinot goodness. I didn't feel like digging through the archives so I instead decided to draft this post from my iPhone and use shots from the camera roll. Most of these are from Instagram, so if you follow us on Instagram you'll see some shots again. TGTIF. can't wait for Sat!

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Thirsty Thursday: Random Weekend

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2012 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas

Okay, a quick note about this wine. It's a Rhône. The color is awesome. A good nose with a smooth taste with a hint of spice at the end. Very nice for the price. Here's an excerpt from the Tablas website:

"The Tablas Creek Vineyard Patelin de Tablas is a blend of four red Rhône varietals: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Counoise. The wine incorporates fruit from several of the top Rhône vineyards in Paso Robles, each vineyard selected for its quality. Like many red wines from the Rhône Valley, it is based on the dark fruit, mineral and spice of Syrah, with the brightness and fresh acidity of Grenache, the structure and meatiness of Mourvèdre and a small addition of Counoise for complexity."

This is a bit of a random post, but last weekend itself was a bit random. We randomly decided on Friday to head to Solvang, CA. Of course, being the planners that we are, we booked a hotel room the night before in Lompoc, CA. It was the only place available that would let Massey stay the night. If only the other hotels could meet Massey, they'd understand. Anyways, we didn't have much of a plan other than exploring Solvang (which is a cute little town), hiking or running somewhere, and drinking some wine. Of course, we had our cameras, but I think we were both just wanting to chill a bit with out it. Solvang was definitely cool and we had some decent tastings and an awesome meal. Check out our recent Instagram activity for pictures of that.

On Sunday, we decided to summit a tall hill. The peak we climbed to the top was Gaviota Peak. It's somewhere just off the 101 between Solvang and Santa Barbara, CA, but closer to the later. I think Strava thought the hike was somewhere between 6.8 and 7.1 miles (depends on your GPS device. . . I had an iPhone and Beth had her Garmin). It was a descent hike. Not my favorite, but he view was cool from the top. I know that Massey had a good time. She's such a good travel dog. So here's a few pics from that hike.

On Monday, we headed back home but stopped at Tablas Creek Vineyard outside of Paso Robles. We are now members there as their wine is fantastic. A couple of our other wine memberships are now in jeopardy of being cut (yes, they will be cut soon). Unfortunately, we can't be members everywhere. I'm sure we'll be posting more pics from our future Tablas Creek adventures. For now, here's a couple.

Thirsty Thursday: Italian Wine Chasing

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: 2009 Nada Fiorenzo Barbaresco Rombone

Thirsty Thursday here again! Time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. This week's installment is full of yummy drinkable goodness, but is not really a weekend destination from California. Welliver Photography was fortunate to spend a week wandering around Italy with nothing to do but eat amazing food, drink incredible wines, and take pictures.  

We scored a private wine tasting (thanks Wendy!) at a great family-owned winery called Nada Fiorenzo, not too far from Alba, Italy. The Piedmont region is known for its barbaresco, nebbiolo, barolo, barbara, and dolcetto varietals, and Nada Fiorenzo's barbaresco definitely did not disappoint. Plus, getting the opportunity to taste wine one-on-one with the son of the winemaker (who will likely take over as winemaker down the road) was incredible. We really learned about the wines while also getting a sense of the pride and love affair the family has with its vines, grapes, and wines. Great experience. Thanks Danilo! 

After tasting we wandered around the endless vineyards...and spent most of the rest of the day doing the same in and around Alba. It was such a beautiful area of Italy and I would love to go back to do an agriturismo stay at a vineyard in the area. 

Rodello

The view from Castello di Grinzane Cavour

So, I won't be getting back to Italy this weekend, or any weekend anytime soon...but fortunately I can still enjoy some great wine and cool vineyards right here in Monterey County. Enjoy your weekend! 

Thirsty Thursday: Sipping

Rambler: Beth
Drink at Hand: 2008 Ventana Tempranillo

Good Thirsty Thursday evening to you! Tonight we're just pouring something yummy and talking about how we need to clean the house and wash the cars this weekend. Really exciting stuff (though I think we will sneak out to the coast for a sunset or two). But even when life is a little boring, there's still sample a little bit of the goodness that comes out of the local Monterey County wineries.

Get out there and do something fun this weekend!

Thirsty Thursday: Wine

Rambler: Terry Drink in Hand: 2009 Talbott Pinor Noir

Typically, TT has been about traveling to some gorgeous location or just simply getting out of the house. But today, the theme is listening to good music and sipping yummy wine. So, this weekend, listen to the music you love. Listen to it loud if you want. Enjoy whatever it is you like to drink. Enjoy the weekend and relax for a change. We're definitely going to try to.

Thirsty Thursday: At Tolosa

Rambler: Terry Drink at Hand: 2007 Tolosa Pinot Noir

Beth and I went down to SLO for a ~55 mile cycling ride (Cote de Tolosa) sponsored by Tolosa Winery. This was fortunate for me as I could chill out waiting for Beth to complete her ride at a winery...and a good one at that. In addition, our good friend from USAFA, Britt Miller, lives in SLO and works at Tolosa. What a deal!

While I was waiting for Beth to finish from her ride, Britt (who was playing guitar for the event) asked me to shoot the riders coming in. Fortunately, I was able to photograph all the riders...including some people who were just out riding their bikes from winery to winery. The pictures below are a few that I was able to capture between photographing riders coming across the finish line. I think all bike races should be like this...sunny, warm, and at a winery.