Work & Wine

Having already worked 40 hours this week, with another 14 more to go before my "weekend" starts I could totally go for a glass of wine right now. Unfortunately, I still have another seven and half hours of work today, and another eight hour shift tomorrow. Since I won't be getting off until ten pm this evening, I won't have the opportunity to stop by the store and get a new wine to begin the Tax Season Red Campaign. It only seems fair since my tax season money won't start tumbling in until next Friday. 

So I guess we'll start the campaign next Saturday night since I'll be working 54+ hours each week until the end of April. As for tonight, I'll stick to a red Barefoot Wine I have chilling in the fridge. I may or may not rate it in a post tomorrow, because I'll be honest. This particular bottle is not my favorite and I already know how much I like/dislike it. So rating it tomorrow seems impartial. 

Anyway, we'll see. Cheers to several more hours of work. 

~Smoak

Wine & I

I'd like to reflect on the night that I first found a red wine that I enjoyed. A couple of months ago, a few of us girls decided to have a girls night which would include a bottle of wine (or three) and a chick flick. Our movie of choice was Magic Mike. What else would we watch when the movie was fresh out on blue ray and we had a 52 inch flat screen TV with surround sound? Exactly, Magic Mike. 

So on this magical night after a stressful week of work, the three of us girls decided to relax with a chilled bottle of Biltmore wine and enjoy the viewing pleasure of Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matt Bomer, and Joe Manganiello. One thing lead to another and before we knew it we had polished off three bottles of wine. The first was Biltmore's White Zinfendel, a white homemade wine and lastly a D'Asti Moscato white wine (shipped from Italy). 

Before this point, I had never really enjoyed wine. I had only been exposed to boxed wine and my experiences weren't pleasant. On this wonderful night, when I finally tasted the D'Asti Moscato white I was extremely surprised. It was the most delicious thing to have ever graced my mouth. From that point on, I have been searching for great tasting wines at decent prices. This is what lead me to this blog, and my strange obsession with wine. So now you know, how it all started. This leads me to my point. I will be continuing on this search and including everything I find on here, including the great prizes and nasty finds.  So far nothing has been nearly as great as the Italian wine, but trust me when I say I'm not giving up.

~Smoak

Tax Season Red Campaign

Since tax season is right around the corner and my cash flow will increase for the next four months I have decided to do my own wine tasting adventure. Every weekend, or every other weekend, I will purchase a new red wine that I have not tried before. I will share it with friends and then proceed to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best, and blog the results including my thoughts and my friends ratings.

In the meantime I may blog about mundane fillers about... Well about whatever I want.

~Smoak

Red Wine. Three Reasons Why.

As if we actually need a reason to drink, this should help with your guilty conscience (if you have one!). There are some great benefits to drinking at least one glass of wine a day, and the list is growing continuously. Here's a list that I've compiled of three health benefits for why you should drink more red wine! Enjoy! 

1. Heart Health  -- Research shows that red wine in moderation helps increase blood circulation and fights off cardiovascular disease. 
2. Weight Management -- That's right ladies! This is one of the few drinks you can enjoy that will help keep your weight in check. A glass of wine or two a day decreases your odds of being overweight by 30%. Why? Drinking increases the amount of calories you burn! 
3. Immune System Boost -- Studies have proven that drinking red wine can prevent the common cold as well as the flu and boost your immune system. Studies also show that those who drink red over white have a slightly higher boost in immunity to the virus. 

Although, I've never needed a reason to drink wine these are definitely some convincing arguments. Remember, health benefits for drinking red wine are only still beneficial in moderation. The general recommendation is one glass for women, and one to two glasses for men daily. So, cheers to that and enjoy a nice crisp glass of red wine!

~Smoak

Wine Glass Rack

It's official, I need a wine glass rack. Over the past two months, I have succeeded in only consuming wine, mostly red's with the occasional white thrown in. Nonetheless, I have a growing need to store my wine glasses somewhere other than in my cupboard with the rest of my glasses. I have a smaller apartment, so I'm limited on cabinet space as it is. So, my nonexistent readers... do you have a wine rack? If so, is it a hanging one, or a standing shelf? 

Felice Anno Nuovo!

That's Happy New Year in Italian by the way. Welcome to the new year folks! 

This year we are all looking forward to new adventures, new friends, and new experiences, especially since we weren't expecting to make it to this year (silly Mayans). 

I hope this year brings you joy, courage, and plenty of smiles. Remember to make the most of it, since we never know how many more we'll get. 

~Smoak