I had mentioned that I was born with a freakishly attuned palate and olfactory senses.  Not bragging, but it's a gift handed out to only few.  Smells and tastes are my thing especailly when it comes to wine and even coffee.  I think women are born with more of a sensitive palate and olfactory sense than men, no offense.  I'm sure all the male sommeliers will say I'm full of shit...who cares what they think.  I just know I'm good at it.  I know I started out drinking fat, over-oaked full bodied, in your face chards. Then I moved on to Sauvignon Blancs, not kicking my beloved chardonnays to the curb, just a more food friendly wine. Then I sold Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio when it was a toddler.  I never understood the attraction.  No flavor, no fruit, just mineral, dead on the palate, super light. But the name sold it and it sold like WILDFIRE. So I went with it, just didn't drink it. I always loved big bold Super Tuscans when they were layed down to rest & mellow a bit or when I could get my hands on one.  David Bruce Pinot Noir (I could drink that like water), Domaine Droughin Pinot Noir, Joseph Phelps Insignia (so good, so delicious, unbelievable mouth feel).  I dig an Old Vine Zin- Ravenswood, good stuff, more alcohol, so you need big food or you're on your ass quickly.  I met Joel Peterson a long time ago and he was so nice and totally chill. I used to frequent Cakebread and knew everyone in the tasting room and met the winemaker.  I wanted to work there so badly.  I took my Mom to the vineyards when I was in Culinary School in the 90's and we went to all my favorite places.

We walked into Cakebread and they all said "Hi Donna" then we went to Sterling, awesome people, super nice.  My Mom looked at me inquisitively...as we went on and on down Highway 29 to all my favorite spots.  Anywho.  Here I am.  I still have a love for wine, but like I said, it doesn't love me, SULFITES.  Yes, I know they're naturally occuring byproduct after fermentation, but they do a number on my sinuses.  BUMMER. Maybe I was put on the Earth to come up with a solution, A GOOD ONE.  BUT WHY ADD MORE chemically??  To give it longer shelf life so in turn they can bottle and sell more.  Why not make less and make it better with less chemical manipulation or sugar (chaptalization)?  So I'm going to seek out some natural wines and even try out the Pure Wine "Wand" and "The Wave."

 

I'm going to write about things I taste: the good, the bad and the ugly.  Honest opinion swayed by nothing but my palate, not even cost.  I'm starting with the grocery store finds, since it's close and there's a bottle shop here, which I'll test.  I looked for a gig there to get me through this dumb divorce, no answer... I'll move through some Pinot Grigio, Suavignon Blancs, throw in some fan favorites, en Vogue Rose's and move on from there.  I'll stick with white for now since it's hotter than a MOFO down here.  HOT & RED=Swollen, hot flashes and pissed off.  Not pretty. I know you can chill red (Sangria & maybe Beaujolais Nouveau), it can be an interesting taste.

As we move into the colder months, I'll start buying some reds.  

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I know it's not easy to be a winemaker, you're beholden to the vines, terroir, Mother Nature, staving off pests, paying off large amounts of loans for the land, equipment and you're only as good as your last vintage.  There are so many variables to making great wine now, $$ and Mother Nature are the biggest hurdles.  So, to all the winemakers out there, I get it, it's hard and I'm not an archair Monday morning wine critic.  I like what I like, I can guide people to finding something they like, but one of my goals is to be able to find/make a good wine that I can actually drink without chemically added sulphites that doesn't lead to sinus headaches and swollen, sore boobs.  

NOT TOO MUCH TO ASK...