Kimbob's Wineblog

Turning a page in my life

2010-08-17T20:14:00.008-07:00

Rancho Zabaco Sanoma Heritage vines, red zin 2006. About $12.00 Doesn't really matter how it tastes. I have a 17 year old daughter and one turning 3 in a month. My beautiful 17 year old obsessed with clothes, friends, gauging her ears, getting piercings behind my back and starting 12th grade. Her last year of high school. A senior.

My almost 3 year old obsessed with pre-school. Her first year. It starts next week. She will go twice a week. She has been talking about it all day everyday for over a month. I thought it would wear off, the excitement. It hasn't. "Oh, my friends, mommy? I'm going to meet them? when I go to schoul?" (she says school in the cutest way ever, like ghoul except with sc, and I have to giggle every time she says it). "in 2 minutes, mommy? Is that when I am going? And my teacher? Will I meet my new teacher?" This is over and over again, every hour or two. And I helped fuel it. I told her that I will drop her off in the morning and leave her there while I go home and clean the house, then I will come back and pick her up. So she recites that over and over again. It is adorable, yet annoying at the same time. So I pour another glass of zin. Ah, calming.

Then I gave her more fuel. I told her that Sunday we will go to the schoul and have a picnic. We will all go, me, her big brother, her daddy and her of course where we will meet some of her new friends and her new teacher. She can't get over what a wonderful idea that is. "all of us? Nolie too? and Kita?" No, not Nikita, she has work and her own friends. She is a senior now. But the rest of us will be there and it will be fun.

As my oldest moves on and my youngest gets started, I just can't help wonder if they will find it as wonderful as they have been anticipating. As much as the 3 year old is awaiting her first day meeting new friends and my 17 year old has been awaiting her senior year for well, 12 years now. I hope they are not let down and they both make the best of it. While they move on to a new chapter, so do I...again.

Love and The Little Penguin

2009-01-24T21:44:00.006-07:00

Since no one has posted in a while, J-Dog will. He is enjoying The Little Penguin Cabernet, in the big bottle for $9.99. The website has a dating section:I suppose this is a place for singles who have an affinity for The Little Penguin wine. I know that has been the problem with my love life; I haven't met anyone who shares my passion for The Little Penguin wine. What kind of person drinks The Little Penguin? I hope only the best, most attractive people.

All of the copy on the site is credited to The Little Penguin. Who knew there were talented penguins in advertising? How do they type?

On to the wine. The site says it has an awesome ruby red color and the scent of fresh berries. I would say more of a deep garnet. The scent is slightly berry-ish. "The palette jumps with sweet Australian Cabernet fruit, soft background tannins and a great taste that lingers. My palette didn't jump, but maybe penguins are more sensitive. I do agree on the soft background tannins. The taste does linger, and I had it with pasta, so can vouch for that. The body is a little thin, but that isn't always bad. I do think that, for the money, this is a nice table wine. I wouldn't pull it out to impress a date, unless it was one from the penguin dating site. Come to think of it, a woman who is devoted to The Little Penguin label probably isn't much for expensive diamonds or that sort of thing. Excuse me, I have to go create my profile...

Time Flies.

2008-10-19T21:14:00.005-07:00

I'm back. It's time to get going on this again. For those who are wondering where I went, in 2007 I was pregnant with Nicolette. She was born September 20, 2007. Four weeks early and a whopping 5 Lbs even.
I wasn't drinking wine and really didn't have time for writing either. Now she is an entire year old. They grow up so fast. I have been really busy with new baby, driving teenage girls everywhere and Bob still working up in North Dakota the majority of the time. Here is Nicolette now, just a little over a year later. She is helping her Uncle Jeff play the guitar. Good Job baby girl!

Now for the good news. The Bob part of me managed to get a job working for the same company, right here in Denver. So, after November of this year, he will be home every night and weekends too! This will free me up from chauffeuring everyone around so much giving me more time to start drinking and writing about wine and life in the KimBob household once again. With the elections right around the corner and wine to relax me, don't be too surprised if I inject my opinion into some of my posts. Don't worry though, I am always right. ;o)
I have three bottles waiting for me, so rest assured I will be back this week.

I drink white, I drink white, I drink white

2007-07-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

So I was at Kim and Bob's and in front of me was a TV tray holding a blue-colored glass of white wine (Woodbridge Chardonnay by Robert Mondavi). A fish tank the size of a front door was located to the right of me. The tank's occupants stared with glassy eyes and I tried not to stare back. This was an important night. I was trying to figure out how to taste wine properly.
Kim was trying to teach me.
The first thing I tried to do was to taste Granny Smith apples in the wine. We didn't put apples in the glass, that's just what you're suppose to taste, but since I'm used to slugging it down while my toddler drives me mad, Kim had to spell it out for me.
"It's crispy, refreshing and light. And a little sour. Like Granny Smith apples," she said. Kim doesn't normally drink white wine, so she was doing me a favor. It was a fairly big favor, too, but I think that's just her way. (After all, she's letting a wine guzzling hack like me write on her blog. And, I should add, a wine-guzzling hack who is allergic to red wine. I like it, but the first glass makes my ears Itch, while the second makes my head ache. If I go for a third, I can count on all of that going on for at least two days.)
Back to the white. Yeah, I thought. It's a little sour. Like green apples. I could taste apples and that's saying something because I've been drinking this very wine for six years without thinking too much about the taste. It's the one my husband always buys because I like dry white wine and I'm too chicken to try something else.
Even trying to drink slow, I finished up the first glass while Kim and Bob mulled over their first. I think Bob had left his glass on the fish tank. He'd played Hotel California on his guitar, Kim and I had just finished pretending we could sing it, and he took a short break to drink. He added, "I tasted pears."
"Oh," I said, sipping (why lie, gulping) a little of my second glass. "Does wine change after you drink it a while? Because this one tastes fruitier to me as I go along."
Bob and Kim agreed that it might and said something about what happens to red wine when its opened, but I wasn't paying attention because it occurred to me that I'd never really paid attention to this wine tasting different the longer you drank it and I was rather proud that I noticed something, on my own, about the wine.
I finished the bottle a few nights later and noticed another thing. I had a little smoky taste in my mouth when I ran to answer the door. My husband, George had come home with dinner from Anthony's. I wasn't smoking, so that wasn't it. Could it be the wine? I think so. So, there you have it. Crisp and refreshing. Applie, pearie, and a fruitie-smoky after taste.
I recommend it with ice on a really hot day. I don't need to tell you I've eaten it with everything from quiche to Cheetos, but the bottle recommends you try roasted chicken, grilled fish, fresh salad and creamy cheese. The cost for 1.5 liters is under $10 and it keeps well in the refrigerator if you can't finish it off.

Why drink when you have a toddler?

2007-07-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

Because drinking with a toddler frees you up to make sock puppets, or to indulge in staring out the window at the fat idiots taking their fat dogs on ten minute walks for exercise, while you, who never exercise, finish dinner with your fingers.
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One day when my husband was going to be late from work, I found myself and my 2-year-old minus clean underwear, without any scrap of floor in the room to stand on that didn’t contain a toy, and pretty much fed up with each other.
This, I said aloud to myself, because I was that desperate for adult conversation, is a perfect day to take up drinking.
Now before I go further, I should point out that many people would say that drinking is exactly what you shouldn’t do when caring for your children. I would say that you sound very much like me before my daughter was born. That is, a child-rearing expert. Having expertise in child-rearing is one of those backward things. When you actually have children you lose your expert status because the children you’ve been disciplining have always been other people’s children. Everybody knows the last person who knows anything about their own child is their own parent. They don’t tell you this in the hospital, or in the hip bar where you did most of your child rearing before you had your own.
Me (four years before my daughter): “That mother should just tell her winy kid ‘no’ to ice cream. I would never give my child ice cream.”
My husband: “I wonder why that kid’s mom is drinking so much.”
Once you have kids, the childless couples won’t want to talk to you about their discipline ideas. That’s because they are saving their fantastic bits of wisdom for each other and other childless couples.
Woman who is part of a childless couple: “So you’re having some problems getting your daughter to behave in church?”
Me: “Yes. You should have seen her Easter Sunday.”
Woman who is part of a childless couple: (Raises eye brows. Appears to be deep in thought.)
Me: “What? Why are you doing that with your face?
Woman who is part of a childless couple: “I gotta go talk to my husband about something.”
It’s a shame, really, that the experts won’t talk, because drinking while caring for a toddler makes a parent really want to discuss such matters (and why they are the other parent’s fault), and, of course, anything else that comes to mind.
The first time I drank with my toddler I tried to hide it from her, but she knew something was up when I started to laugh too long at her jokes and have way more fun with her rolly-poppy toy that she had ever had. Being a toddler she said, “That’s mine!” and tried to clobber me with Barbie, but Barbie’s a wimp. Absolutely no muscle tone.
Pretty soon it was all out in the open. I even bought some plastic wine glasses so she could join me, (she drank water, of course, what do you take me for?). It was great mother-daughter bonding time, putting our feet on the table, making up toasts. “To Barbie, may your feet always be pointed like you’re wearing high heels! To Oink-Oink, may he always be pink!”
My best friend, Susan, is amazed that I can pull off drunkenness in front of my toddler. She drinks, but she can’t imagine trying one on in front of her children (at least when they were younger). A few days ago she called me, stressed out because her son had poured sand in her hairbrush collection.
“I’m going to kill him,” she snarled. “I’ve had those hairbrushes since I was born.”
“Don’t do that,” I advised wisely. “Just drink.”
“Drink what?” she said. “I’m not thirsty. Just feeling murderous.”
“Alcohol,” I said. “Finish off that bottle of red from last night.”
She was silent for a moment. She was thinking about it, I could tell. “But wouldn’t that be irresponsible? My husband’s not even home, yet.”
“Nooo, it’s the right thing to do,” I said. “It took you way too long to grow that kid.”
Again, she lapsed into silence. Like a good friend I added, “If you have to kill somebody, make it your husband.”
After successfully reducing stress every time I drank I can honestly say that the only difference between me and Susan is experience. When she gets frustrated she thinks about killing her children. I just peacefully reach for my corkscrew and a glass. Make love, not war.
I’ve taught a lot of other stay-at-home mothers how to do the same. Here are some tips from some drinking mommas on not only how to endure, but to embrace drinking with your toddler.
Sally Isalittle Sloshed.

Tip 1: Be safe. Remove all knives and corkscrews from your toddler’s reach. Drink responsibly. Lock yourself in a toddler-proof room with your toddler and bottle. Yours AND hers/his. Make sure they have plenty to play with, but also take care to have a soft bed with pillows and blankets nearby just in case you pass out. Leave the key somewhere where your husband can find it.
Best reason to drink with a toddler: She/he has just learned the appropriate use of the word ‘shut up’ and is using it.
Patty Isalittle Plastered
Tip 2: Drink slowly to ease yourself into a good mood. There’s no bigger buzz kill when drinking with a toddler than to feel like puking right when you might have to change a diaper.
Best reason to drink with a toddler: You’ve waited so long to have a child and you suck as a mother.
Annie Isalittle Annihilated

Tip 3: If you’re drinking because your bundle of joy won’t pick up his/her toys don’t pick up the toys for them. Don’t forget, a drinking parent is still a parent. Instead, search the real estate section for a new home in which to live. Sometimes a snap decision to move out of the squalor the child has created is the right choice.
Best reason to drink with a toddler: Some people drive better when they are drunk. It’s entirely possible that you mother better, drunk.
Polly Isalittle Polluted
Tip 4: Have an adventurous attitude. Drink thinking that you’ll have a good time, not a bad time. You’re toddler wants to see you having fun, right? It’s what life is all about and she/he wants you to show her/him life. Plus, it can give him/her a sense of family history. After, Uncle Paul Polluted and Uncle Peter Plastered (husband of Patty) died of the drink. It’s good to remember and honor the dead.
Best reason to drink with a toddler: That huge bottle of wine is taking up way too much room in the refrigerator.
Betty Isalittle Blasted

Tip 5:
You haven’t laughed all day because all the songs to Disney’s Beauty and the Beast keep going through your head. Drinking, even just one glass of wine, resets the musical in your head.
Best reason to drink with a toddler: Ability to teach drinking in the safety of your own home. This valuable lesson will serve your child well when they get their driver’s license.

Qualifiers:

If you are, or suspect you might be an alcoholic, don’t do any of this. If you are a lonely, stay-at-home mother, and a light drinker, it’s O.K. Also, you must be a person, like my big sister, who takes herself way too seriously and who has been saying ever since she was a kid “I don’t like drugs or drinking because I don’t like to get out of control.” Only then are you allowed to take any of this seriously. But not too seriously. Because I don’t really think anybody should get drunk, drunk with a toddler, just a little drunk. Especially my big sister, but not with my toddler, with her own toddler which she could have one if she didn’t get her tubes tied way too young, when she was in her 30s after her son was born because she couldn’t stand the idea of having another child because she didn’t like to get out of control. You see what I’m saying. Only my big sister should take this seriously.

Hot Summer

2007-07-05T18:13:00.000-07:00

It's been a little toasty around here. I'm sitting in the living room with our portable swamp cooler aimed directly on me. Life saving device, add ice and water and it's just like AC, except not as cold. The Bob part of me is up North, yes, gone for our anniversary again. Jessica is at cheer camp and Nikita and Nolan are at their dad's house for 10 more days. I have been keeping busy by mowing the lawn, walking dogs, and "baby-sitting" J-Dogs new pup while he relaxes in Wisconsin. In between all of this excitement, I've been watching a Sci-Fi all day marathon of a series called "Dead Like Me". It's been on since early this morning. Interesting series about a group of people who were chosen to work for the Grim Reaper. It's addictive.

So, I'm almost into the 3rd trimester with the baby. There's a party in my belly. All kinds of action in there. We think it's a girl from the ultra sound. Poor Nolan, he really wants a brother. Too many sisters already. If the doctor is right, we'll have to try again for a boy. I'll do an update after the next ultra sound. I'm going to add a contributor to this blog. For obvious reasons, I'm not drinking much wine (it gives me heartburn) so, I haven't posted much. Sometimes your past comes back. Mine has a few times now. Bob and I were invited to a graduation party several weeks ago and I saw someone there who I knew from about 12 years previously. Well, actually, I didn't know her too well, I knew her husband from a telemarketing job I had while going to school. So I said, "aren't you George's wife?" She said she was. So I jogged her memory on who I was, I met her maybe two times before. We got to talking and she mentioned they just bought a house...on the next block from us! Long story short, she used to be a reporter and can write. Right now she is taking a break to raise her little girl and write a book, but I'll let her share all of that if she chooses. So I will add Mechelle (no, that's not a typo) to the blog and you all will get more variety from the KimBob Wine Blog.

Tonight I'm sipping a French wine. Christian Moueix, it's a 2003 Bordeaux, $12.99 Thanks to my papa for this bottle. Unfortunately, I don't like it. It's very earthy. Tastes like dirt. It's also very sour, not smooth and mellow as promised on the bottle. It's made from Merlot grapes, seems they were crushed by people who didn't wash their feet. Save your money, pass this one up.

Bigger Is Better

2007-04-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

It's the Italian way. The Bob part of me wanted a big family. He had 2 kids of his own, married me and got 2 more. Against J-dog's beliefs (he doesn't think "older" women can have kids??), we are having another. It was my 40th birthday present. (haha). We thought we would see how many more we can have before our time runs out. I am due October 18th, but I'm predicting the first week in October. Bets are on if anyone wants to join in.
That being said, my wine blogging is going to be limited to tasting. You may have noticed that I've been away for a while. I am feeling better now and up to the task of tasting wines for everyone else's enjoyment again, aren't you all lucky? In the meantime, J-dog said he would be back to contribute so look for his posts too.
I'll start with this one. Rioja Cortijo III 2005. Tempranillo. Italian. Very good. Very smooth. Ripe fruit, nice finish. Full bodied and well worth the $10. I recommend it!

Club Soccer = Big Smile

2007-02-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

During the winter, Nikita stays in soccer shape for the real season by playing indoor club soccer. The teams are set up by age group, 12-13 year olds, 14-15 and 16-17. She plays with the 12-13 year old's team called U13. Middle school girls. Last night, they went up against the undefeated U17 team...or should I say previously undefeated team and WON. Nobody expected them to win. We all thought, "if they just hang in there and try not to lose by too much, that would be great". Just peachy. They were up against 16 and 17 year old girls who currently play varsity for their high schools. I have never seen little girls play so hard and with so much tenacity. They stood their ground and they completed carefully planned passes. They controled the ball. They were pushed, tripped and mowed over by girls twice their size. But the smiles on their faces as they walked off the field with a 2-1 win proved it was worth the punishment they withstood. And the parents were happy too. :o)

So, in honor of tough little girls with a drive to win, I drink, appropriately;
Big Smile Red. California Red Wine by Tortoise Creek Winery.$8.99 Alcohol, 13.5%. A blended wine with a bold smooth taste. Soft tannis, nice fruity berry flavor. Great everyday wine. I am really enjoying this one. Screw cap, easy access. I love the lable.

Nikita's Choice

2007-01-18T18:44:00.001-07:00

Good pick from my intellectually superior little girl. She has the answer for everything, just ask her. Most 13 year olds do. Flash-back to my childhood. Could she be my clone, only with a different face? I would like to take this moment to tell my own parents, mom, dad, I am sorry. I didn't mean to be so stubborn and strong-willed. You said revenge would come naturally, by way of your grandchildren. I should have listened.

Canine gone feral (kind of like a teenager) Don't let this junk yard dog scare you, it's good.
Yard Dog 2005, Australian. This blend of Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet is a great value at $8.99. Big, bold, spicy yet smooth. Big fruit. Goes well with lasagna, goes especially well with kids bedtime. Oh yeah, screw cap to open. Easy access.

Uno Attack 100 Times- Vacation Hell

2007-01-03T18:26:00.000-07:00

So, the Bob part of me left the day after Christmas to go back up to the big north. He miscalculated a little. For some reason he thought he would be home until after the Albuquerque trip. What fun we would have driving down for a day or two to visit his sister Cherie and favorite brother Pete. Yes-sir-ee! Unfortunately, he went back to work, and we already had plans, so I loaded up the kids and both dogs and off we went.
It was all figured out. Nolan and I would get a "pet friendly room" (Cherie's new apartment is not wheelchair accessible) and the girls would stay with Aunt Cherie, Uncle Pete and the 3 cousins, not to mention Mario and his sweetheart, Rana (also down for a quick overnighter). Where should I start? So many bad things happened. Ok, the first night was GREAT! We all got together, went bowling, made the Masitti Family pizza, played games, sang songs (Cherie can sing by the way, we thought it was just Pete). The dogs got to run almost free on a few acres, the loved it except for the cactus in their paws. This is where the fun ends. We all call it a night. Mario, Pete, Rana, Nikita, Jessica, Tyler, Nastyia, Masha and Cherie go back to her apartment for the night, Nolan and I back to the "pet friendly" hotel. Nolan snores. We slept poorly. Cherie's apartment ceiling started leaking from a previous snow, now melting on a flat Adobe style roof, so they were up at 3am finding buckets. They slept poorly. Mario, Pete and Rana had the right idea. Get out. Fast. They all left that morning. Pete back to Florida and Mario and Rana back to Denver. We had different plans. We didn't drive all the way down to turn around the next day. We were going to stay one more day. Besides, I wanted to spend some time with Cherie and get to know my new sister-in-law better.
That very same day a blizzard blows through Denver, dumping another foot or so on top of the 2 feet we already got. Then it hits Albuquerque. It doesn't happen much there, so the city pretty much shut down. A whole foot in a town used to a few flurries. Mario just made it back home when the interstate (I-25) closed. Santa Fe to Pueblo and a few stretches north of Pueblo in Colorado. We weren't going anywhere. So, Cherie, her kids, my kids, Nikita and Jessica were at her place and I had Nolan and Cherie's youngest, Nastyia. We couldn't go to her house and she couldn't get to me. Nolan, Nastyia and I played 47 games of Uno Attack, with and without the motorized case, a few games of Life Simpsons style and watched Cars, Nacho Libre, and Kindergarten Cop.
On Saturday, we met a nice couple at breakfast from Louisville, north of Denver, with 2 kids, also stranded. We offered to play games with their kids that day. Yes, more Uno Attack. Their daughter was 11 going on 15 and their son 8, well, going on 8. Boys are strange, I have decided. Sunday Cherie was finally able to make it to our hotel and we exchanged kids, I got my 2 back and she got Nastyia back. That day my kids and the Louisville kids, Ruby and Coleman hooked up for games and swimming. I stayed at the pool with them for 3 hours. Don't kids ever get tired of having fun? Which reminds me, did you all click on that hotel link in the beginning of this blog? It is not as it appears. It looks nice, eh? Don't be fooled. The pool was a health inspectors greatest conquest. They would have a hay-day. I have never seen so much mold in on place before. Lawsuits just waiting to happen. It was thick. The table games they are so proud of are water-logged. Yep, they are in the poorly ventilated pool area. The ping-pong table was so warped, the ball would go different directions on every hit. The air hockey table was on 3 legs and looked like a electrical shock hazard and the Foosball was too warped by moisture to play but looked the best from a distance.
The highlight of our trip was Sunday night, New Years Eve. I took the kids up to the High Finance restaurant 10,000 feet up in the mountains. You had to ride a cable car to the top (the longest cable car in the world) and of course back down. The food wasn't that good and it was over-priced, but the view was amazing. There was some fog in the city so the city lights made it look mystic and surreal. The kids even liked it. That night the highway opened back up. We didn't waste any time, Monday I got up at dawn and got the kids and dogs out as quickly as possible.
Oh, I forget to mention Sunday night the hotel threatened to evict us because while we were at dinner our dogs barked? So much for pet friendly. I do have to give them credit for a pretty good free breakfast.

Arrogant Frog- Ribet Red. 2004. $10.00 Cab-Merlot blend. French. Smooth, Dry, subtle texture, a little smoky. Much needed after the New Mexico trip. I suppose I would like anything. It's good, very good and a great value. Oh, yeah, just screw it open too! Easy access.

A Special Night

2006-12-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve 2006.
Yes, we survived the big snowstorm of 06' . Thank goodness for 4 wheel drive, we weren't even stuck indoors. The day of the storm we shopped until the stores closed, then we went to a bar until it closed. Everything closed early. The next day, while most of the city was stuck indoors, after we shoveled out ourselves and our next door neighbors, we went and picked up Jeff from his house and went out for breakfast. Pete's University Cafe. They were actually open. Unbelievable!
It's hard to believe it's been 2 full years since we started this wine blog. There's always a new wine to taste too. The Bob part of me is home but looks like he will have to leave Christmas Day to go back up north. He is packing his car, I'm blogging and we are both sipping a red zin.
Tonight we will go to midnight Mass to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This is my favorite part of Christmas. I love the music. I love the mood it puts me in. I love the rituals.
Tomorrow, the kids will be in a present opening frenzy. This part of Christmas is fun too. There will be paper everywhere and I'll be doing my best to clean as they go.
Renwood 2003 Red Zinfandel. Sierra Series. Alcohol 13.5% Price; $9.99. The Bob part of me says, "eh, it's alright, I'm not really in a wine mood tonight". I like it. It's dry. It's spicy. It's earthy.
****UPDATE**** The Bob part of me changed his mind, he says the wine is ok, he likes it. I guess his mood changed. He's so moody.

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family.

The Night Before Thanksgiving

2006-11-22T23:44:00.000-07:00

Ah yeah. Baking pumpkin pie. Jessica helped, good thing too. I had her mix up the second batch and she noticed it looked thinner than the first pie. Forgot the milk. We saved it so no worries. Could have been bad though. It's almost midnight. The first pie is almost finished.
The Bob part of me is up north digging for oil. He should be home for the next holiday. I'm sipping a little chardonnay. Mmm. Can't wait for tomorrow.
This is my favorite holiday. Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, gravy, more gravy, something green perhaps and wine and PIE! Oh yeah, and lemon bars and chocolate layer cake that my daughter made. Going to have a few relatives over tomorrow. My brother, our four kids, Bob's sister and her new squeeze (ha! going to do the interrogation thing, make sure he checks out). Tried to get my dad to come out, but he would rather shoot cute little animals with antlers. Hunting season doesn't make sense to me. Shouldn't it be right before Thanksgiving so that the man of the house can provide the brood with a fresh kill of sorts? Seems silly to go buy the turkey when a burley guy can go out and shoot one, clean it, wax and boil the feathers off so the wife can cook it. But no, they go shoot deer ON Thanksgiving so that they can eat sausage all year long. No, that's not why. So they can see who can get the biggest rack. Maybe. It's all so confusing for a women. I guess they do it because they don't need to do it anymore. Testosterone? Yeah, that's it.
Beringer Founders' Estate Chardonnay 2001. $10 bucks (not the kind my dad is hunting) Very good. Dry, rich, velvety, fruity, crisp and oaky. Too good.
Happy Thanksgiving. Don't eat too much.

Honor Your Dollar

2006-09-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

Prosperity Merlot. Apparently the year is not what's important here. $6.79, this is important. 13.5% alcohol. This is a Central Coast wine out of Los Olivos, CA. One man's attempt to help the recession of the 1990's, (some Clinton fans may disagree) Brooks Firstone, the creator of this pretty darn good wine says ‚"Our philosophy has always been to offer people delicious, unpretentious wines at a friendly price, these wines are crafted with a passion for quality and uniqueness."
Well Brooks, that it is. A very tasty, drinkable, full flavored wine. It's a spicy cherry over oak that goes down smooth and warm. The label reminds me of old WWII photos promoting work. Kind of like the famous advertisement for women working on planes while their husbands were serving in the military. You know, the one with the woman showing off her muscles wearing a hankerchief on her head. Just click that link if you are too young to remember, or too old to remember for that matter. Seems like there was more unity and support for America back then. Less haters. Prosperity Merlot. It's good. Have to try the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Chardonnay next, I'll keep you posted.

Fat Bastard

2006-09-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

Relax mom and dad, it's just the name of the wine. Is that a hippo? When I opened the bottle, my first thought was it smells like prunes. Not the dried up like raisins prunes, the canned ones they served when I was in grade school. I'm pretty sure I was the only kid who actually ate them. I'm having a glass on it's own with no food to support it's flavor. I think it may have to sit and breathe for a while. It's fruity and pleasant tasting at first, but the sourness overpowers and I get that squinty eye thing going. I'm going to let it sit for a spell and come back to try again. Ok, I went back, still sour and not very pleasant to drink so I'm hangin' it up. Fat Bastard. Merlot. $7.99. According to their website, they outsource their grapes, or should I say it gets outsourced to them. That's right, this French winery doesn't even grow their own! Remember, just because I didn't like it doesn't mean you won't.

Jessica Talks Too Much Blog

2006-09-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

"You're soooooo mean", says Jessica. "Are you seriously doing that?" asked Jessica. "Blogging about me?"
Jessica is the daughter of the Bob part of me. She talks a lot. My kids don't talk much. They are very, very , very quiet. Jessica talks in the morning. Jessica talks at night. Jessica talks any chance she gets. She is also loud. She is chatty. I'm used to quiet. She says I can't type either. I can't. I was born in the 60's. I was required to take typing in 6th grade. It was a fail/pass class. It was on an old fashioned typewriter, not like the kids use these days. Jessica called me stupid as I accidentally deleted everything I just wrote and she brought it back. Thanks goodness for kids and technology. Ok, so she talks too much but she has proven herself useful. I guess I'll keep her around for a while. Even though she cost us a fortune tonight. Homecoming is next week. Oh my goodness, do the stores capitalize on that. They even have a special section for homecoming "overpriced"dresses. We did find a beautiful one, and shoes to match. She will be the star of the show next week. Jessica speaking "First of all my dress is sooo adorable. And Kim really can't type. But I do feel honored because she decided to write a blog about me. I decided to invade because I can type way faster than her and yes that is a fact. And you know what? Kim does talk a lot too it's not only me she makes me sound like I'm the only one that ever talks in this family. Alright that's all I have to say. :]"
Well, she is the only one who talks. Nikita talks when her socks need to be washed. Nolan talks when he wants a drink or lunch. Jessica talks...and talks...and talks.

Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc 2003 $9.39 (White, wussy wine only a mere 14.9%) I had a salmon Salad for dinner and thought white would be best. I'm on my Mom's weight watchers diet. She thought a diet buddy would be a good thing. They use the point system. I'm not sure how many points my dinner added up to but I think the entire bottle of wine was about 10. So maybe 16, 17, 18 including dinner. You're allowed 20 for the day and an extra "free" 35 over the whole week. Hopefully I am a good source of encouragement. I think I used my extra points tonght, as Jessica sucks on a popsicle after downing a big bowl of Chocolate Chip Mint ice cream by Dreyers. I am holding strong, and not caving to the temptation of popsicle or ice cream. I am weight watchers!
I like the Casa. It went well with the salmon. It was light and dry just a little tart. Good. I recommend it with salmon.

Ever Feel SCREWED?

2006-09-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

Yeah. Me too.

If you know anything about the Saab, you would know that it has a metal, motor driven power antenna that goes up and down when the radio or CD player is turned on. There is no "play" in the antenna, it's rigid. It's tall. A few years ago I forgot to lower the antenna when I was going through a carwash. It broke. $140.00 to replace. It took me forever to talk Bob into letting me blow money on an antenna. Not one month later, Bob and I were going out for the evening. The Bob part of me didn't want to drive, or I was in "Control Freak Driving Mood," so I was driving or else. We got into the "Saab Story", which was parked in the garage. I was in the car waiting. Bob came out a minute later and hit the garage door opener on the wall from inside the garage. The door was opening. Out of habit and maybe dulled senses from the pre-going out vino, I hit the garage door opener from inside the car. The garage door was now closing, much to my dismay, as I was backing out. The first sign of disaster was the snapping sound of the newly replaced antenna. I stopped, hit the button to open the garage, but it was too late, the damage was done. Of course it was his fault. We don't fight much, but we fought about that. If only he would have left the door alone...blah, blah, blah. I drove it as it was and after a while the real antenna finally snapped all the way off so I gerry-rigged a coat hanger in it's place that way I could hear my AM talk show favorites like Laura Ingraham. It was "Ghetto" for lack of a better description. After a full year the coat hanger was starting to rust, so I finally convinced the Bob part of me to let me spend the $160 (the price went up again) needed to get it fixed. I promised I would be careful. I promised I would be responsible. I promised I would never break another Saab antenna again. Well, you probably know where this is going. Yep. I broke it. Again. Tonight. A few minutes ago. I'm sorry, I really am. I guess you might say I'm SCREWED. I promised and swore on my uncle's father's little brother's pet rabbit's grave that I would not lose another antenna unless it was a freak of nature or God Himself. The Bob part of me does not know. Yet. He is up in North Dakota, working his A** off for the betterment of our family and I have ruined EVERYTHING! I'm sure the new replacement cost is $175. Perhaps I should just get a car with a more stable antenna? I could run out while he is away and buy a new car. I could tell him I won it. Yeah, that's it. There was a drawing and I won a brand spanking new Mercedes. He might buy it. For about a half a second. MAybe I should just admit...
Screwed. 2004 McClaren Vale. Red Wine. Australia.$8.99 alchohol 14%. Mmm. Good. A little sweeter with big, crisp, fruity flavors. In this case, un-screwed. No cork screw needed. Just twist open for a little relaxation. Hints of Vanilla. Smooth finish. Great bottle.AAARGH! No picture. I was trying to find a pic of the lable. It's pretty cool. It's has all these sayings on it..like the one I'm going to use when the Bob part of me comes home, "It wasn't my fault". I found one! Now I can go to bed. Buy this one, don't screw up!

Sterling and 120

2006-08-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

Sterling Vinyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2003. 13.9% alcohol. WAY OVER OUR PRICE RANGE $22.99 I'm going to cut right to the chase here. This is good vino. We really enjoyed it. My wonderful brother-in-law, Pete, gave this to KimBob for their 2nd anniversary. As you can see, this wine was completely out of our budget and with one kid in college, one in elementary school and 2 girls in parochial school, you would NOT find us in the over $10 section. We can only hope for vouchers soon. Sterling wine was smooth, bold rich, a little oaky. A long tasty finish that I wish I could experience again...sigh.

Double whammy here.

120 Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. From Chile. Alcohol 13.5%. Price $6.99. Good wine, but compared to Sterling...not in the same game. It was a good buy. A little tart, dry, earthy as in mineral over tones, oaky with a hint of...vanilla. (had to go back in for another taste).

Advice of the day, because I have nothing else to say right now, and homework to help kids with...

If you are thinking of refinancing your home, 1st or 2nd, be sure to tell the loan officer that you do not want them to include your phone number with the credit inquiry. If you don't, in the subsequent days, you will receive a mind boggling number of computer generated calls to your cell phone from other loan agencies.

It's Not Easy Being GREEN

2006-08-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

This is for my faithful followers. I agree, I have let you all down. All I can say is that I am very sorry. My last post was June 25. That was almost two months ago. Please, let me explain. GLOBAL WARMING. It's been hot here. At times, near 100 degrees. We have no air conditioner. No swamp cooler. We think we are melting.

Thanks to Al Gore, we were recently alerted to the fact that the temperature has been on average one full degree hotter than normal. When we found out, we thought it was our duty to do something good for the environment. We discussed it and decided the best thing we could do while trying to stay cool, was drink lots of beer straight from the bottle, then recycle! We now consider ourselves Greenies. We pat ourselves on the backs for helping to save our planet one beer, or case if it's especially hot, at a time. Yes, the Bob part of me still works for the "evil oil empire" but recycling trumps fossil fuel emissions and we harbor no guilt.

So hang in there and hopefully it will cool off this fall and we can pop open a bottle of wine. Then recycle it!

Is it just me, or Does Mr. Gore look extremely scary?

***UPDATE: IS GORE A SCARY HYPOCRITE????

He's A Manley Rooster, Chicks Dig Him!

2006-06-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

Rex Goliath the 47 Pound Rooster, Monterey County California Merlot. He is also "free range" so he can have as many chicks as he wants. Together, their eggs are organic. Alcohol 13.9 Price, a mere $9.99.
This will be a short and to the point post. Just go buy a bottle. Trust me. It's a very bold, big wine. (Like Rex) It's fills your mouth with flavor.

The Bob part of me even had something to say about this one. Bob said "sweet, heady". I said, "what?" Bob said, "you know, dreamy" and I said "Oooh, because I didn't make you any dinner, are you a light-headed? Hahaha". No dinner for the Bob part of me, I'm on a diet.
Enjoy!
Click here to read the history about Rex Goliath, very interesting.

KimBob Shish-Ka-Bobs By Bob

2006-06-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

Do these look a little over done to you? Yes, me too. We thought it was time to break out the grill and try chicken/veggie Ka-Bobs. Unfortunately, we were plum out of wine so we settled for Blue Moon. Normally I would not blog beer, but under the circumstances, and to keep my fans happy (I haven't blogged anything lately) I will. Now that summer is here and the kids are out of school, we are very busy.
If you have never tried Blue Moon beer, you must. A Belgium beer, it's slightly sweet with a hint of orange flavor. In fact, here in Colorado, if you order it in a bar, they put a slice of orange right in the glass. If you aren't a fan of the traditional bitter beers, this is a great choice. My only issue with it is that it fills you up fast and I'm sure it has more than the 3 grams of carbs that Miller Lite has.
Back to the ka-bobs. They were good, a bit crispy. The Bob part of me loves his Weber grill. We have the big one of course and we still gril the old fashioned way, with charcoal. J-Dog came over and devoured at least four ka-bobs, so they couldn't have been too bad, I guess. While we were eating we watched the movie, Just Like Heaven. What a cute, funny romantic comedy. We recommend that too.
After the movie we relaxed and Arty did a cool cucumber face mask. I'll tell you, it really gave his eyes the lift they needed. So, until next time...drink wine, watch a good movie and relax.

Movies and Wine

2006-05-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

Since the Bob part of me came home for Mother's Day weekend we decided to go see United Flight 93 tonight. Although my daughter is old enough for this movie, I don't think my son is, so we sent them off to see Ice Age 2. If anyone reading this hasn't already gone to see Flight 93, we highly recommend it. What an amazing movie. Even after seeing it, I still can't even begin to image what those brave souls went through and what fear they must have endured. It was like open season on America that day. Prior to this attack we all thought we were safe, untouchable if you will. So safe in fact, that air traffic control kept doubting there were really some hijackings going on while it was happening. I could go on and on, but I'll stop here. Go see this movie, you won' t regret it.
Fazi Battaglia Marche Sangiovese, 2004. $8.99 Alcohol 12%. This is a very good red wine. It's dry and light tasting yet smooth and peppery. Good enough to take as offerings to friends. Peace offerings maybe. I think that's why J-dog bought it. He gave it in advance of an argument he started with me. Of course I was right and he wasn't, but lets not hold on to ill thoughts. The Bob part of me even agreed I was right. So there you have it. But like I said, lets just let it go. No sense dwelling on something for too long you know. I'm sure everyone else I know would agree I was right as well. Just because J-Dog runs an advice website doesn't mean his advice is always the best. Oh, there I go again. I should just let by-gones be by-gones.
Ok, it comes in this strangely shaped bottle that looks a lot like a CocaCola bottle and they give you a free pair of chopsticks. Goes well with seafood it says. I've been drinking it without anything. It goes well that way too.

I'm A Happy Camper

2006-05-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

For so many reasons.
Me, and the Bob part of me sold our little piece of the "American Pie". No more shoe repair and retail business. We are no longer small business owners. No more Monday through Saturday 8-6 or 7 or 8 and paper work on Sunday. No more employees, vendors and crabby customers. We are finally free. Hooray!
(Disclosure: not all of our customers are crabby, we even like some of them).
The Bob part of me is keeping busy working for the "Evil" oil empire. Some of the rigs he works at have Haliburton trailers on them. Ooooh Noooo! And I am back to residential real estate full time. I even have clients. And, I actually have time to going trail running again. With Bob. Sometimes in North Dakota or Montana or where ever he is working. Life is good.

So what a better way to celebrate than with Happy Camper 2004 Cabernet, California. 13.0% alcohol. $7.99 (on sale). Screw off cap means easy access and great to take camping with you. I love the label, although when we were kids we pitched tents, pee'd in the woods and drank water from the river. (ok, maybe not from the river). I'm going to give this wine two thumbs up. Its full bodied, very flavorful, rich, smooth with a nice finish. Very drinkable. So go drink some now. I command you.
Many thanks to Princess Leah for rewarding me with this fine wine. You are a good friend my friend.

A little Triva...From Daddy O'

2006-05-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

Consider this:

WATER.......
It has been scientifically proven that if we drink 1 liter of water each
day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed More than 1 kilo of
Escherichia coli bacteria found in feces, in other words, we are
consuming 1 kilo of Doo Doo.

Wine.............
However, we do not run that risk when drinking wine (or rum, whiskey,
Beer or other liquors) because alcohol has to go through a distillation
process of boiling, filtering and fermenting.

WATER = Doo Doo

WINE = HEALTH

Free yourself of Doo Doo, drink WINE!!! It is better to drink wine and
talk Doo Doo than to drink water and be full of Doo Doo.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information, I Am doing
it as a public service.

Courtesy of: Larry J. Winkelhake, CLU, ChFC (Better known as Dad)

Contemplation and Napa Valley

2006-03-24T19:46:00.001-07:00

After a very stressfull day, felt like I needed to stop off on my way home for some vino. I am much more relaxed now. The good thing that happened today is that I had 4 different "regular" customers come in all at the same time. Some of the nice ones. The customers who have been coming in for years who didn't huff and puff becuause there were 3 others before them. When did people become so impatient? Why can't they see if there is only one person working, that the customer in front of them deserves to have me spend as much time with them as it takes? After all, they wouldn't want me to rush them. Nothing worse than having someone glare at you with their foot tapping and the "why is it taking so long sigh" while you are trying to help someone else. Grrrrr. So now I am trying to decide what to do for the weekend. Kids are with their Papa.

Turns out the Bob part of me, currently in Montana, is off for the weekend too. He suggested we meet half way in Gillette, WY. and hang out for a few days. I have sooo much to do here. I decided to give our kitchen an overhaul. Yep, all new paint. Guess it will have to wait until I get back. Kids are home for spring break next week...what fun we are going to have.

The Bob part of me hates to make the arrangements and asks me to call the hotels and see who has the best deal. I went to Orbitz who said the best hotel in Gillette was the Clarion. I called the Clarion hotel and they told me their rate was $84 a night, however some irresponsible person broke glass in the pool so it was being drained and wouldn't be usable until Monday, after we already checked out. So, I called the Holiday Inn who informed me thier rates were $101 a night with a functional pool. I personally could not see spending an extra $30 for the weekend just to get wet so I suggested we just stay at the Clarion. So, I called the Clarion back to make resevations. I let them know we might have our dogs with us if I couldn't find someone to puppy sit for the weekend. They said that was fine, however, we would not be allowed to reserve a non-smoking room if we had a pet. I could not believe it! I told the young man my dogs did not smell bad, cigarettes do. He said some poeple have allergies so that was just their policy. I told them "I" had alleries, to cigarette smoke. He said, "thats our policy". Does that make sense???? Me being the good ex-smoker I am...I can't stand the smell. If I go to a bar, I take a shower when I get home to get the smoke smell out. Not much else I could do, I informed him due to their "policy" we would be staying somewhere else. I called the Holiday Inn and asked what their policy was. They didn't have a problem giving us a non-smoking room with the dogs. We booked it. Since then, I convinced my daughter to come by and tend to the dogs. So sorry Clarion, no pets, and no business.
NAPA VALLEY VINEYARDS Reserve Merlot, 2003....Delicious. Delicious. Delicious. So good I went back to the store to get more. Only $9.99 a bottle. While I was there they were playing a song my husband dedicated to me at our wedding and his brother, Pete sang along with his nephew and my step-son, Mario playing the guitar , although I knew the song, I couldn't quit figure out where I heard it before. It was Edwin Mc Cain, "I'll Be". What a beautiful song. The version the radio played was a little different. I've only heard the acoustic version, twice. Also, Iv'e never heard it on the radio before. Weird. Nice. Here are the lyrics, I made fun of the Bob part of me because of the verse that says "I'll hang on your lips", but I didn't really mean it.

The strands in your eyes
That color them wonderful
Stop me and steal my breath
Emeralds from mountains
Thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth

Tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated,
I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows
Of heartache that hang from above

I'll be your cryin' shoulder
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life

Rain falls angry on the tin roof
As we lie awake in my bed
You're my survival
You're my living proof
My love is alive and not dead

Tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated
I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows
Of heartache that hang from above

I'll be your cryin' shoulder
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life

I've dropped out
Burned up
Fought my way back from the dead
Tuned in
Turned on
Remembered the things you said

I'll be your cryin' shoulder
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life

I'll be your cryin' shoulder
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of you life

From the man who means the absolute most to me. I love you Bob.
Get the Napa Valley.

One Of Maddona's Favorites?

2006-03-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

Virgin Vines 2004 Chardonnay California. $8.49. Screw cap...easy access, although you do have to take the wrapping off first so it's a little harder to open than others we've tried. It's very soft on the pallate, velvity in your mouth...yet not a very smooth finish. The flavor is delightful. It's light and fruity. The bottle is pretty. If it would go down without the bite, I would say it was very good. But since it doesn't, it's not worth buying. It's too rough. I can't drink it.
I guess the record label, airlines, everything else they do wasn't enough...they grow grapes too. Their slogan for this brand is "un-screw it, let's do it" meaning, hurry up and open this so we can drink it. It seems they are aiming for the younger age groups. Doesn't suprise me, someone with no wine experience would have no problem gulping this down. But for the rest of us, we can find better.
This should explain everything. Now I know why I shouldn't have bought it in the first place. I'm just too old.

Wine Maker For A Day

2006-03-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

Click here to enter a contest to be a "Wine Maker For A Day". I did. I hope I win! What fun that would be. I could put all of the other wineries out of business. Ok, maybe not, but it sounded good.

Check out the new poll and please vote!

How do you herd a cat? With a dog? Maybe.

2006-03-06T17:26:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I posted anything. Every once in a while the Bob part of me comes home. When that happens, we not only drink wine, but get really busy trying to catch up on things that otherwise have to wait until he is home to do. So many things this week. For one, it's tax time. Personal and business. We have an accountant for our business, but Bob prefers to do our personal taxes himself. We use Turbo Tax. My part in this tax mess is to gather up all the important papers and look up the ones I can't find in any relevant internet accounts. The Bob part of me has the easy part, entering the info I have so meticulously set aside, into the program and answering the questions. Good news, looks like we might get money back this year. Ha! Just in time to pay our property taxes.

Break for some wine. Herding Cats. Merlot/Pinotage. 2004. $8.99. Wine of South Africa. Alcohol 13.0%. Nikita picked this one out. It has the back end of a cheetah running through the label. It's a full flavored red. Somewhat tart. Drinkable. Not a bad wine especially if you're going to serve it at a party. Click this link to see how cats are really herded, this is hilarious.

The other business at hand was moving the bedrooms around. Yes, again. We have been in this house for a little over 3 years and have changed rooms around at least 4 times. It's mostly my fault. I had to promise Bob this would be it for a while. During the last change, we moved our room upstairs because the girls wanted the BIG downstairs bedroom, so we moved them downstairs, just to find out that unless they were both here at the same time, they were scared to sleep down there. So, we moved us back down and the girls back up and they are sharing a room again. We gave them each their own rooms during one of the 4 moves, but it seems like they end up sleeping in the same room together when they are here at the same time anyway, so less mess for me if they are just together.

And... we have 4 birthdays all within about a week. First is Bob's sister, Cherie, then me followed by Mario on March 6th and Nolan on the 7th. Cherie is in Albuquerque, so we only have to send a card. With the Bob part of me being gone so often we thought we would take advantage of his presence by having one big get together for all 3 of us. (also because he didn't make it back in time for mine). I think it turned out ok. The kids were happy and so was J-Dog.

Then there were the haircuts. Can you say High and tight?? Can you give me a WHOOHA? Since he couldn't "re-up", it's his way of supporting our troops? Or perhaps it's so he doesn't have to go for haircuts as often. Nolan went too, but he didn't get the boot camp cut, he opted for the officer do.

Finally, one more bottle of wine. Masi Modello Delle Venezie. 2002. $10.99. Bottled by Masi Agricola, Italia. Aclohol, not enough. 12%. We bought this because our last name is Masitti. Masi. Masitti. get it? Ok, don't get the wine. How many different ways can you say "bad"? abominable, amiss, atrocious, awful, bad news, beastly, blah, bottom out, bummer, cheap, cheesy, crappy, cruddy, crummy, defective, deficient, diddly, dissatisfactory, downer,dreadful, erroneous, fallacious, faulty, garbage, god-awful, gross, grungy, icky, imperfect, inadequate, incorrect, inferior, junky, lousy, not good, off, poor, raunchy, rough, sad, scuzzy, sleazeball, sleazy, slipshod, stinking, substandard, synthetic, the pits, unacceptable, unsatisfactory.
Yep, that about sums it up.

Steamboat Springs; Seeing White

2006-02-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

It has been so brown in Denver, I forgot how beautiful the snow is. My Dad took a trip to Steamboat from Wisconsin with a bunch of his buddies. I crashed their party last week. I made the 3 hour trek up right after closing our shop. The drive was amazing. He says the skiing is better in Colorado. What? Little Switzerland is not challenging enough for you??!! Come on Dad, they have 5 ski lifts and night skiing! .
I bet Don wouldn't have broke his knee, the first day out, if
you would have just stayed back east. How disappointing. You pay for a week of skiing plus airfare just to end up having surgery on your second day, then stuck in the lodge while your friends are out enjoying themselves. Not to mention the out-of-town Co-pays. On the bright side, Don's surgeon just came back from competing in Turin and he was given a BIG bottle of oxycodone. (Don, not the doctor). On the down side, no wine for Don.

Now, let me just set something straight right now. I DON'T SKI. You could break a knee. Although the Bob part of me loves to snowboard. While he's out ravishing the slopes I wait in the bar and test wine. I got up to Steamboat about 10 pm. They were staying at the Steamboat Grand with a condo looking over the ski runs. Big Daddy'O made a wonderful dinner of baked salmon, fresh sauteed veggies and salad. Jim picked the wine. Turns out he and his wife are fanatics like Bob and I. Since they are older, and probably retired, they actually go around touring vineyards. During dinner, Dad told a few of his short stories made long, thank goodness for the vino. How does he do that?? Maybe if the stories weren't embarrassing stories which included me, I wouldn't care as much. There was the one about J-Dog and KimBob (both parts of us) polishing off an entire case of his wine at new years eve a couple of years ago. He didn't tell us he was saving it for a special occasion. He didn't tell us it couldn't be replaced. He could have stopped us. Maybe. Picture above, here is Dad (in the purple coat) and Jim (blue coat) on the slope...at least I think it's Jim. I guess it could be Don before the tragic accident.

Five Rivers Chardonnay. Monterey County. 2004. "they say she has a thirst for adventure" From Five Rivers Winery.$9.99. Here's something I learned from Jim. Chardonnay is only good for about three years. I thought the longer you let it sit, the better. Yeah, if you like vinegar he said. I don't drink much white wine, so I had no idea. I did really like this one. It was a little sweet, a little dry it was velvety, fruity and had a smooth finish. It went well with the salmon. I would buy some more.
Dad said, "I like it." (the same guy who tells really long stories).
Jim says, "I taste forward fruit behind my teeth at top of the gumline".

We also tried a bottle of Meridian Chardonnay 2004. $8.99. We all decided it probably would have been better if it would have proceeded the Five Rivers rather than follow it. I thought it tasted oaky and bitter. Jim suggested it was a "musty" taste. After trying again, I agree. Dad thought it was rather bitter too. We all came to the same conclusion. We will need to try it again on it's own. It didn't stop us from finishing the bottle though.

The Bob part of me was in Montana. Sorry Baby, you could have gone snowboarding if you were home!
One more thing, before you go. We need some help. Bob's brother Pete Masitti, Produced and Co-wrote a song being played on XM. But, they really need people to go in a request their song. So please help. Click this link and request " Without you" by Sean Ensign.

Thanks so much! Also, tell your friends!

Angry Pooches With Men Who Speak English

2006-02-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

The Bob part of me came home...for 39 hours. He's gone again. He just called me from the road and told me he picked up a hitchhiker. I guess he missed the movie.You know, then one where some guy hitchhikes and kills EVERY ONE WHO PICKS HIM UP. I am very understandably upset about this. Shortly after dropping off the hitchhiker who didn't butcher him, thank goodness, and leave him on the side of the road, in pieces, the Bob part of me got pulled over for speeding. That's right, not only does he pick up riders, he breaks the law. To top this off, he blows me off as if my concerns of possible death or bodily harm were completely unwarranted. (We came very close to being in a fight over this flippant attitude he displayed over my concern) The Bob part of me was talking to me on the phone during this time so I heard the officer negotiate his ticket with him. The officer said he was doing 76MPH in a 65MPH zone, there was no argument from Bob. The officer was nice enough to drop it to a mere 75 in a 65 and save the Bob part of me $20.00. Of course, he has to pay cash, right now, no checks. Now the Bob part of me is broke since he only keeps $20.00 in his pocket. He thanked the officer for taking his money. Sigh. The Kim part of Bob would have put up a little fight, even if she was wrong. In addition, she would never pick up a hitchhiker.
On a lighter note, we drank a great bottle of wine the other night.
Mad Dogs & Englishmen. Shiraz Cabernet Monastrell. 2003. Alcohol 13.5%. $9.99. It was absolutely delicious. Smooth, velvety, dry, not sweet, but not tart either, full bodied, pleasant on the palate. Completely worth the 10 bucks. In fact, I'm going to go buy some more. If you don't buy any other wine this entire year, at least get this one. It will make your mouth happy. The dog to the left is mad because he didn't get any. The dog below is mad ..well, just because she can be.

Menage a' What?!?!

2006-02-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

ME'NAGE A' TROIS. In this case, they are referring to the grapes. Thank goodness. You know these kinds of things never really work out with human beings. Oh sure, it sounds ideal in the beginning, to the men maybe, but deep down, they know it even bothers them. Ah, but with grapes, there is nothing sweeter.

My "bestest" friend, (I love saying that, it's so juvenile) we call her Princess Leah, invited me over for soup, bread and wine the other day. The Bob part of me is always gone now, so getting together with my friends is no problem anymore. What kind of soup? Clam chowder she says. Hmm. I despise clam chowder soup almost as much as mushroom soup and dirty socks, but she throws in the wine so I'm there. This particular wine is out of my price range...normally $14.99, she found it for a mere $10.99 on sale. Score! Free wine with the girl I love best. (but not that much, if you know what I mean). So I get there and see what we're drinking and am just elated because I've wanted to try this wine, but it was always outside of the "budget". The Bob part of me is very strict with the budget.

So she starts us off with the opening of the bottle while we wait for her other friend, Shanna to get there. That's right, it's a threesome. (but not that kind of threesome) I'm anticipating. Watching her every move. As my mouth hangs open, drool runs down one side of my lip, and toward my chin, and without even thinking I catch it with my sleeve. Princess breaks the cork...in half. No problem to a real wine drinker, you just open it twice and pick the cork out of the first couple of glasses. The oils from your fingers add texture and the wine just slides right down. Next, she breaks out the crackers and cheese. Oh yeah, heaven to a cheddar-head. It was aged white cheddar on deli-rye triscuits. Very good.

After the snacks comes the main course. The table is beautiful. (Leah should be an interior designer). The bread is delicious. Italian, with whole chunks of garlic inside. It's a good thing the Bob part of me is out of town. The next day garlic will be emanating from my pores. Gross. The soup was, um...Princess? Are you going to be reading this? Well, I just don't like clam chowder, but I ate it out of appreciation and respect. Sometimes you sacrifice your taste buds for good friends, wine and bread! And wine, did I mention wine?

Menage A Trois 2004 Red table wine. This is a blend of red zin, cab and merlot, hence the name. Made by Folie A Duex. Smooth with a long finish. Very delightful with an intense black cherry flavor. I would do it again. And again. And again.

World Wide Wrestling

2006-01-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

I usually don't post on a Tuesday. But, the kids are finished with their homework and in the living room watching WWE wrestling. No, no, before you say it, I had nothing to do with the WWE addiction. I won't watch it, well, except the episode they shot in Afghanistan to help entertain the troops. Their father started it. Now they are hooked. My son is the worst. He even dressed up as Batista once. Complete, with fake muscles and everything. (that's Batista pictured to the left).
He asked to start his homework early tonight so he'd be done when it came on. He even yelled at me. Not in a bad way, just to get my attention. "MOMMMMM! I REALLY NEED TO DO MY HOMEWORK! NOW! PLEASE!" Recently we subscribed to satellite. Prior, we didn't have the channel that showed this absurd show. Lucky me, now we do. I draw the line at the female wrestlers. It's just obscene. They have to turn the channel until the chicks are done beating each other up, wearing next to nothing. No self respect. I try and teach my daughter that you don't have to be half naked with fake boobs to succeed. I'd bet that if they put clothes on they would be just as popular...ok, almost. I can understand the bare midriffs, they have six packs, they should be proud, they worked hard to have stomachs like men, but the G-strings need to go. Along with the camera angles.
Fetzer Cabernet Sauvignon, vintage 2003. Alcohol 13.5% Free! Thats right...J-Dog bought it for me. That makes it good no matter what anyone thinks. No really, it's not bad. Very distinct cherry flavor. No, not just very, extremely. It's dry and smooth with long legs and a long finish too. As you can see it is aged in oak barrels. Of course this only makes it better. It also helps drown out the screaming wrestlers in the background. Couldn't ask for anything nicer than that. Thanks J-Dog! I owe you one!

In the dog house tonight

2006-01-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

They are "giving wine a new leash on life"!
I bought this because of the drawing on the bottle, the easy open screw cap and becuase my grandma, Elma used to have a dog named Checkers. My brother and I gave her the dog when I was about 10 or 11 years old. He was very naughty but she loved him. Since he was not nuetered, if he was feeling insecure he would mark in the house. (the dog, not my brother). Grandma used to get so mad at him. At the same time, she spoiled him rotten. He would get braunschweiger as a treat instead of dog biscuits. She would wrap a little piece in some wax paper and keep it in her pocket while she took him for a walk. When they got back in, she would sit down, take her shoes off with him sitting at her feet waiting in antcipation for his little chunk of mushy goodness. If you are not familar, its a german version of smoked liverwurst. She would give me some as a treat too. She would spread it on bread with a little mayonaise. Yum! Nobody ever told me it really had liver in it. I haven't had it since I found out.

Dog House Checkers' Cab 2002. $9.99 alcohol 13.7. I like it! It has an array of different flavors if you concentrate on it. I picked up on an olive taste. A berry taste. It is bold, tangy, and just plain drinkable. It's as good as some more expensive wines I've had. The Bob part of me is back in Montana, but I'm sure he would agree with me. Of course if he doesn't, he'll be in the Dog House...although, I'm not sure that's such a bad thing.
Here's a picture of Nikita in the dog house. She looks pretty happy!

This might just because she is a kid with zero worries or responsibilities. If I knew then what I know now, I would still be living with my parents. Ok, maybe not.

Dude!

2006-01-09T20:31:00.000-07:00

Gnarly Head Old Vintage Zin. 2004. Alcohol 14.6% (nice) $9.99 Lets just jump right into it. Made with 80 year old vines...should they retire? NO! According to the grower, the vines produce less, but more flavorful grapes. I have a problem with the name, Gnarly Head. It sounds twisted, old, rotten somehow. It also sounds young, immature and California...ish. You know, "gnarly dude". It'e reminiscent of some bad Hollywood movies featuring young kids who have little experience past prep school and their parent's BMW's.
Ok, when you open this one, let it sit and breathe for about an hour. Yes, an entire hour. It has to air out. If you open and drink, it will taste really sweet, like Mad Dog 20/20. The Bob part of me "loved it". (He is home for a change). We have to say that it does have lots of flavor, very bold fruits, spice , tannis and full flavored, smooth finish. I drank some right off, don't do that. Don't be hasty, open, find other things to do, let it sit, serve later. It's worth the wait. If we rated our wines by a number system, which we don't, I would give it a 9 out of 10. But we don't so just go buy it. You will be happy you did.

Big Sky

2006-01-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

Had New Years eve wine in Montana this year. The Bob part of me was still there. The joke at the site was that they were going to make a career out of that oil well. They are supposed to drill, get it going, then move on to a new location and repeat. Usually, it takes about 10 days. Bob was on that site for over 3 weeks and when he left it still wasn't finished, but they found a replacement so he could come home for a while. He has many "honey-do's" to catch up on.
So, I drove up there, 11 hours from Denver, to have a glass of wine in the big city of Sidney Montana. It would have only taken 10 hours except one of the dogs was "sick" and I had to pull over about 23 times to let him "go".
For dinner we had 2 choices. The Cadillac. A steak joint and casino. The South 40. A steak joint and casino with Karaoke that evening. We chose the South 40. It sounded more rural and I like to watch drunk people get on stage and make fools of themselves. The specialty there was prime rib and lobster. They serve up a giant slab of slightly warm raw beef laced in fat with french fries and a lobster tail on a separate plate. Honestly, it looked disgusting. Everyone in the place was obese too. They made Bob and I look anorexic. I'm thinking that beef isn't that good for you. Or maybe you just shouldn't eat 10 pounds of it in a sitting accompanied by a cholesterol tail soaked in butter and fries.
We got there at 6:30 with the blue hairs. It was a good thing too, because it took a little over an hour and a half to get our dinner. Here's a tip. If you go to a steak joint, in a small town, just order what they are good at. I ordered Walleyed Pike and Bob ordered Salmon. After an hour, the waitress let us know they burned the pike and had to start over. At least she was honest, they could have told us they were out on the ice catching it and I would have believed at that point. She offered us a drink, but we were only 3/4 done with our bottle of wine...so we passed. In the meantime, we admired the decor. Low ceilings, barn beams, that just right rustic look that reminded us were not in Denver anymore. Bob says I'm snooty. I don't think that's true, I just think if you are going to pay $25 for burnt fish, the place you are eating at should have a cleaner look. Oh yeah, and the men should take their ball caps off while they are eating. None of them did. In fact, one of Bob's co-workers was there with his Tooke hat. He was sitting right next to us and if he didn't have the hat, we probably would not have noticed him.

We had limited wine options.
We chose Beringer Founders Estate Merlot 2002. $20.00 a bottle. Alcohol 13.9%. It was a bit sweet, oaky with blackberry and plum, spicy for sure. Not very smooth. Bob thought it went down like sandpaper. It wasn't silky smooth like his new beard. We didn't like it very much and won't look for it here.
My mom says men were meant to work outside in the cold and that's the reason they can grow hair on their faces. On the other hand, she says women should stay inside and eat chocolates and blog wine. I think I agree with her. My son thought Bob's new beard was funny. When Bob walked in the house Nolan was laughing so hard he couldn't breath.

What a silly little boy! He went on like that for about 10 minutes. Incidentally, Bob's hair grows mostly under his chin, he looks like a farmer from Montana.
So we finished off our Montana New Year evening upstairs in the bar area listening to people singing Karaoke, country songs of course, and watching them drink out of "fishbowls". Hmm, now here's an interesting concept. A giant bowl filled with alcohol (an example would be a Long Island ice tea) with four or more people sharing out of really long straws. We just had a couple of Miller Lites while we waited for the countdown. The barkeeps brought out party hats and favors along with cheap champagne and turkey sandwiches. It was actually kind of fun. One thing I have to say, this was one New Year we will not forget. We tried to remember where we went last year and well, we just couldn't. There is something to be said for small town fun. I only hope that next year we will be here.

Moon to Moon

2005-12-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

Luna Di Luna...also a piece of art work.
A mixture of Cab-Merlot. $8.99. Table wine. Not very good. Thin, bland, a bit too acidic, not very flavorful and only 12% alcohol. I am not recommending anyone run out and buy some, although the bottle is very pretty. It has a covering over it like Wisconsin cheese. A rubbery coating that makes the bottle soft and touchable.

Here is an example of Wisconsin cheese wrapped in that material. How appropriate, it's a mug of beer.
This website has all kinds of interesting things...here is something I might order. Ok, maybe not.

So much to do this week. Kids are on Christmas break. Bob is still in Montana, J-Dog is off to Boston, the new puppy in the family has learned how to climb over the fence and exit the yard (need to electrify it), and finally, the kids are out of school this week. Did I mention the kids don't have school?? So much to do this week. :o)

To all of my readers... Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! If you are in our armed forces, overseas or stateside, thank you for your service, dedication and sacrifice.

The Kid From Brooklyn 1946

2005-12-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

The year my parents were born. Who watches this stuff? Besides J-Dog? They are delivering fresh milk with horse drawn buggies... in New York City? The star is a goofy, funny looking guy, with great hair, named Danny Kaye. He stars next to Vera-Ellen who was also in White Christmas and danced with Fred Astaire as well as Gene Kelly. These old movies (sorry, Mom & Dad) are so, um, colorful for one thing. Technicolor, so they used every possible combination just because. One actress was wearing a bright purple suit with a bright teal blue shirt with bright sour apple green sleeves. The women wear head dresses that look like the ones horses in the circus wear. I need one of those. The men's' slacks waist-bands go all the way to their chests. ( I have pictures of my Big Daddy O' with pants like these). Finally, they talk funny. Not "haha" funny. Unnatural. Rehearsed. Exaggerated. "Ok fellas', it's like this, see..."
I think with enough Coyote Creek Merlot Vintage 2003, California. I might make it through to the end. Yum! This is great! So smooth, buttery. Melts in your mouth. $8.99 Alcohol 12.5 (A bit low, not as much bang for the buck). I couldn't find any info on this vineyard. Wild Coyote kept coming up, but the label and city was different.
J-Dog likes the movie. J-Dog likes the wine too. J-Dog is happy he picked it, but even happier that the Kim part of Bob paid for it. Cheers.

Wine Personality

2005-12-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

Which wine are you?
Take the Little Penguin personality test.

The Kim part of Kimbob is a merlot. Of course.

"Merlot: With your charm and charisma, it's no wonder you're so popular. It is that easy-going attitude that makes you the preferred penguin wherever you are. Of course, you're not one to squawk, but you can't help it if your plumage turns heads. Rest assured, you are as smooth as a bottle of the Little Penguin Merlot."
If you were a wine, what would you be?

Post your results in the comments!

Christmas Party 2005!

2005-12-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

So, I went to my company Christmas party tonight. Unfortunately, the Bob part of me is still up north, in Sidney Montana, so our good friend James was my "faux date". I love my Baby more than anything and wish he were here, but this worked out ok because James really needed to see a "real' office party. His office has pot-lucks. At people's houses. Turned out, many of his friends from his office were invited to my party, so he spent most of the time at other tables. Small world. We have the best parties. Free drinks, beer and wine, dinner and a gift to boot! Well, he didn't get one, but I did. This year it was at a place called the.Fresh Fish Company
They had a great variety of foods, but I want to mention the salmon, cooked in sauerkraut...very tasty. I would never thought of that combination. Pork maybe, but not fish.
My broker was there, of course along with Shirley, the sweetest receptionist in the world, although tonight, I heard her refer to someone else in the office as a not-so-nice word beginning with a "B". I sensed a little tension in the air.
Here is Kirk with Shirley.
I took some unbelievably bad pictures of people. They just weren't ready for the snap and I caught them with very strange expressions on their faces. I will be nice, I won't post them. There was a bad one of me too, I looked really fat, even though I was wearing all black, which is supposed to be slimming.
So, the free wine.
Walnut Crest Merlot, 2003. I found on the internet for around $3.99 a bottle. Not bad really, smooth, silky, really long legs. A little on the dry side with a very nice finish. It was very dark in color too. I thought it was very drinkable. I would look for it in the stores, although, I wonder if it's only a restaurant wine. Kudos to Metro Centre and the nice get-together!

No Bull...It's Red

2005-12-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

Now that the art contest is done, and J-Dog has won with "Confetti", it's time for a new wine tasting post.
NOBUL RED, Tempranillo 2003. $8.99 Alcohol 13.5%
Grown in the Southeast part of Madrid, the vineyards are located in the Arganda del Ray subzone. The climate has extreme temperatures in the winter and in the summer. There is little rain. The extreme summer temperatures make grapes rich in sugar and with nice acidity. The grapes are hand picked in September of 2003 and aged 4 months in American oak.
I thought it was a very smooth, rich, spicy and fruity tasting wine. With a long finish, no bull, I would buy it again.
Here are some talking points for Nobul Red. Enjoy!

The Microsoft Paint Contest!

2005-12-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, here it is, the contest you have all been eagerly waiting for!
Please vote by number of drawing using the comment button at the end of this post .

Number 1- "Confetti" by J-Dog

Number 2- "rabbit dog" by Kim Bly

Number 3- "blue" by J-Dog

Number 4- "tree art with luna and venus" by Kim Bly

Number 5- "reclining woman" by Pablo's Picasso

Da Vinci

2005-11-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

Picture by J-Dog-copyright 2005

Da Vinci Chianti, 2004. Italy. $8.99 alcohol 13%. Wine spectator made it it's daily pick at under $15.00.
I like it. Although it's a little "thin", it has OK flavor, smooth, fruity. Just a bit pale tasting. It's missing something.
I bought it for the label. Of course I know he was an artist, but I used to live next door to the DaVinci, in the Korsakov (who was a composer and also a syndrome). A high rise in Denver. On the 5th floor. I lived there for 7 years and they never raised my rent. When Bob and I merged families, it was too small so we bought a house.
I still can't figure out how J-Dog makes such good pictures in Microsoft Paint. Look at all the detail.
I decided to have a "Paint" contest. Everyone who would like to, please submit a drawing done it Microsoft paint to my e-mail address. Then I will post them and we will have a survey to see who wins. Kmasitti@gmail.com You have until November 27 to enter. The winner will receive a bottle of Protocolo.

WILD HORSE

2005-11-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

Now my car needs a battery. And a headlight. And I just had it in the shop again for an ongoing clutch cable issue. Funny how it waited until I got it home to burn out. Ok, I can do the battery...but the light??? That's just out of my league. (incidentally, New Jersey Bob calls a battery a "bat tree", you know, like the bat mobile or the bat channel. I make fun of him). So I decided to take a trip up to Sheridan Wyoming to meet up with the Bob part of me( he had the weekend off) and let him be the man. Mister fix-it. So, here we are, vacationing in the town of 12,000 with the bucking horse logo everywhere you turn. Here's the top 10 things to do in Sheridan Wyoming. We're going to try and see some of this today. We already did number 3, but didn't see any trolleys.
The first night up here, not really a night, I left at 11pm Friday after closing the shop down and arrived at 5:13am. The Bob part of me was 20 minutes behind coming from Montana. I booked our room in advance and decided the Best Western would be a safe bet. I would have picked the Holiday Inn except they wanted $109.00 an night! In Sheridan. Wyoming. In the middle of nowhere. A town of 12,000.
My first clue that I made a mistake...I would have arrived at 5:03 am if it weren't for the train I had to wait for. The train that was just one block away from my destination. The train with the really loud air horns that they blew liberally. The train that comes through every 30 minutes between 9pm and 2am and again between 4am and 9am. Blowing his horn. Waking me up. Geology Bob sleeps on an oil rig, so this was more like a lullaby to him. Don't think for a second I didn't let him know it was keeping me up. Why should he sleep in peace when I couldn't?
Later that day we decided to go for a run to see historic downtown Sheridan. Main street of course. Here are a few points of interest. The Rainbow Bar where strangers are welcome.

It says so in the window. I wonder how many big city outsiders would go in there for a beer. We didn't. By the way, everybody here smokes. It was hard to stay in any bar for very long. I guess they missed the health warnings. Since we couldn't breathe we decided to get dinner. This badger was hungry too. He's having a chipmunk. You could buy that if you wanted to. I though it would look good on our fireplace mantle. Frugal Bob was emphatic about NOT letting me bring it home. He said it cost too much. But if it didn't we could buy it? Right. I think he secretly wants it.

We found a Chinese buffet. In Sheridan. Wyoming. Town of 12,000. In the middle of nowhere. They had lots of choices. Sticky rice. String beans (they were pretty good). Broccoli that tasted like chicken. Lots of deep fried things that were indistinguishable from one to the other. They even had cottage cheese. Yes, you read that right. Canned peaches to go with the cottage cheese and Licorice ice cream. Interesting color. Grey ice cream. Cowboy Bob found many things he thought he'd try.

(if you look closely, you will see the bandana he has tied cowboy style around his neck while wearing an IBM e-business shirt). He's embarrassing to go out with but I love him anyway. I think he just wanted to fit in with all the other tight Wrangler jeans wearin' cowboys.
Now for the wine. I brought a bottle with, DaVinci, but we decided to support the locals and chose the much more appropriate,WILD HORSE, 2003 Merlot. $16.89. Alcohol 13.9%
We didn't have wine glasses, so we used plastic hotel cups with the Best Western logo. You aren't supposed to have drinks in the hot tub...but oh well, we're on vacation dammit! Rules are made to be broken, right? (don't tell my kids I said that). The Bob part of me didn't really like the wine, although he couldn't put a finger on exactly why. I thought it was smooth, a little too sweet, peppery, oaky, full flavored and not too bad, but probably not worth the $16 price tag. I would drink it again I just wouldn't consider it a great value wine, unlike Protocolo at $5.99 a bottle. By the way, if you ever get to Sheridan Wyoming and visit Buffalo Bill's Chop and Steak House for dinner, DON'T order the stuffed crab appetizer OR any of the fish entrees. They manage to turn the fish into fish jerky. It's not very good. If you complain, they will take something off the order and charge extra for something else to make up for it. I guess they don't think you will look at the bill, or remember the prices. Back to Denver in the morning and back to reality.

Alone Again, sigh...

2005-11-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight, sipping wine, talking to the Bob part of me on Verizon,(can you hear me now?) You have to click that link, blogging and relaxing. Bob is still in North Dakota, freezing his butt off. Nope, he won't be home for T-day. It's ok though. I have to take some relocation customers out house hunting that week anyway, so even if he was home, I wouldn't be.
Right now, he is trying to buy some stock on our fantasy blogshare account. I have been trying to figure out how that works, but just don't get it.
I guess we made the top 100 wine blogs.(Out of 122 we are 84).
84: Kimbob's Wineblog BlogShares profileLast Indexed: 16:55 08 Nov 20054000 / 5000 shares available @ B$17.72 ea. - 65.51 p/e.
We can do better than that!!! (I'm so competitive).
Dom Martinho, Vinho Reginal Alentejano, 2001 Red Wine. Alcohol 13.5% This is from Portugal.$7.99 I have to say, the label is very pleasing to the eye. This picture is not very good, but the colors are "soothing". It's not quite THAT blue in real life. Ok, sounds corny, but the first time I saw it in the store, I almost bought it, and when I went back today, I HAD to buy it. Very strange. It was calling me.
It won't work twice though. It's not very good. Heavy mineral smells, very pale looking in the glass. Very acidic, and lacking in any distinguishable amount of flavor. It will still relax you, if you can swallow it.
When I was back home in Wisconsin, I ran across some old pics. Here is one of J-Dog sitting like a good boy in his highchair. Here is one of the Kim part of Bob(notice the placement of the ashtray, very nice) and one of the Bob part of Kim. Since The Bob part of me is 5 years older, putting these pictures together is probably chronologically correct.

Baby J-Dog at Grandma's house

Kim part of Bob with her Papa

Bob part of Kim, he is sooo cute!

I Hate North Dakota

2005-11-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

Our van broke down yesterday. Well, maybe broke down is an overstatement, it wouldn't start. Not even with the power booster thing we have. It needed a new battery. Since the Bob part of me is STILL in North Dakota, I had to fix it myself. So I went to Wal-mart and bought a battery. I was asking all kinds of questions that nobody could answer. I wanted to know if it was maintenance free, they didn't know, but they thought so. I said, "do you need to add water"? "They said they didn't think so but you could if you wanted to". I wanted to know the life of the battery, they didn't know but if it went dead within 3 years I could bring it back and get a new one, providing I kept my receipt. I told them I didn't WANT to bring it back, I wanted one that would last a long time. They couldn't help. Incidentally, the receipt they give you is printed on thermal paper, it will last about one year before it fades to something completely illegible.
So, I go home and get the step stool out so I can reach the engine, after one trip to Ace for a nut driver, I succeeded in removing the old and putting in the new. I tightened everything down, and I had ignition!

Since I did such a great job in saving money today, I mean I could have called a tow truck, taken it to a service station, bought an over-priced battery and paid to have it installed, I am having some wine. The Bob part of me would be so proud of my thrifty ways.

Jacobs Creek Shiraz, Vintage 2003. Southeastern Australia. Alcohol 13.8%. $4.99. Apparently, it won some awards, but I don't think it's that good. For the price it's ok. It has a licorice flavor that is a little too strong for me. It is also buttery and spicy, but not very smooth in the end. Kind of burns going down. That won't stop me from drinking it though. After a hard day of working on cars and almost breaking a nail...I deserve it, even if it's not the best.

Don't forget to vote in our latest polls !

Milwaukee Tasting

2005-11-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

So, I went to Milwaukee over the weekend to have a Marykay skin care party for my Mom. After the party I went to dinner with my Dad. He took me to the Anchorage on Port Washington Road in Glendale. Except that it was pouring rain, we had a beautiful view of the Milwaukee River. While we were waiting for our wine, a raccoon sauntered past our window and headed toward the river. He was probably looking for a little dinner himself. I had already tried most of the wines on the menu, so we went for the special of the month and were served the last bottle. THE LAST ONE! Maybe they knew we were coming.

Casillero del Diablo (means Cellar of the Devil) Camenere, 2004. $20.00 From Repel Valley Chile by Concha Toro. Alcohol 13.5% It was spicy, smooth, had a slight oak flavor and my Dad and I both thought it was very good.
90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Camenere. After fermentation in stainless steel tanks, 70% of the wine is aged in small American oak for six to eight months, 30% is aged in stainless steel for 8 months.
The appetizer. Daddy'O wanted to try the portabella mushroom. I said ok, I'd try it. The Bob part of me knows how much I loathe cooked mushrooms, I wish he was there to save me. So our server, Dan brought it out, dad cut it and we both tried it. Dad said it tasted "earthy", I said, "as in dirt?, I agree". As we were sitting there, an Earwig thought he'd join us at our table, he must have noticed the smell emanating from our appetizer and thought he was going home. So Daddy'O caught him humanely in his napkin and gave him to Dan to dispose of. Since Dan is going to college and working part time so he can go into the Marines as an officer who flies fighter jets, I asked Dan if he was going to kill the bug. He said he wasn't. When I questioned this, considering his future, he said he was part of the new, " kinder, gentler and more compassionate military". Hmm. So on to our main course of Walleye Pike for me (you can't get that in Colorado) and Opah for Daddy'O. I thought Opah was German for grandpa. They said it was fish. Maybe they are 2 different spellings. Both were delicious, but I couldn't bring myself to eat the mushroom shaped red potatoes.
So try the wine and if you get to Milwaukee, we recommend the Anchorage and so do the bugs.

Do Goats Roam?

2005-11-03T23:37:00.000-07:00

In South Africa? Maybe in a petting zoo. Iv'e been thinking a lot about this particlular wine. J-Dog is the "BIG" dog, the "TOP" dog, that's right, the "LEADER OF THE PACK as he puppy-sits my Arty and Sasa for the weekend. Knowing I would be dropping the pups off, he had a bottle of wine waiting just for me!
Goats Do Roam, 2003 alcohol 14.0% (nice!) $10.99 Mmm, it's a fruity, dry red with mineral undertones and bold, smooth flavor and VERY long legs.
Good pick J-Dog! You Da Man!
The company http://www.goatsdoroam.com says that the goat is trusted to pick or choose the best grapes to make the best wine. It's been my experience that goats eat, well, everything. Tin cans, paper bags, little kids jackets at the petting zoo, fish, and pretty much anything that passes past their mouths. Here is some proof. Here are some goats eating a shrine and a machine.

I'm off to Milwaukee in the morning to host a MaryKay skin care class with my Mom...hopefully J-Dog will survive the weekend with the bad little puppies, if it gets ruff (haha), he can just throw the pups outside, pop open another bottle of the goat's wine and sit back and relax. The Bob part of me is STILL in North Dakota, which reminds me, be sure to check out our latest poll. What do YOU think of the big ND? Your opinion counts! Please vote. Thanks!

No refund for me....waaahhh

2005-11-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

So, I'm sitting here, having a Protocolo flashback while watching the fate of my State tax refund go up in government wasted dust. It's a very sad day for me. First, I have to tell you that I forgot to re-cork the Protocolo last night...and I tell you, let it breathe!!!!! YES! Let it breathe!!! It is so much better tonight! So I decided to drown my over-taxed, depressed self in vino. The funny thing is, the way the polls look now, we will be able to keep up to an ounce of Mary-Jane, , in our posession, but we will not be able to afford it. I count on that refund every year to fund my habit. This year it would have been about $180.00. (ok, I'm just kidding about the pot, but I am sad about the refund).
Ok, it's not exactly over yet, but it's not lookin' very good. I even put one of those cheesy "vote NO, it's Your Dough" Stickers in our store for everyone to see. I can be over-enthusiastic sometimes. Yes, REALLY.
So just remember, before voting, smoking, I mean drinking Portocolo, pop the cork and let it sit for a while.

Hungarian Lunatic

2005-10-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

The reason I have a wine to blog tonight...

A few months ago, we lost one of our dogs, Star. I rescued her from certain death (at least that's what I told the Bob part of me to persuade him to let me get her) from a "no kill" shelter. (I forgot to mention that part to Bob.) Have I written about her before? She was an escape artist. We spent months tearing down and rebuilding a fence to try and keep her in the yard, to no avail. It was driving Bob nuts not to mention she cost us a bundle. After we had her a while, we thought maybe a playmate would help so we went to the Dumb Friends League and rescued Arty, who you all know about if you have read this blog before, the viscious dog. When Star escaped one too many times and got sqaushed by a car on Hampden Ave, in front of our shoe repair store, we were very sad and so was Arty. He quit eating for a week. So, we decided to get Arty a new friend. I was hoping Bob would talk me out of it, but he didn't and we are now the proud owners of a beautiful Viszla, which is a Hungarian Pointer. We named her Sasa Rez, the first part meaning "princess" and the second "copper colored" in Hungarian. We have had her for 6 weeks now and She is NOT housebroken yet, or kennel broke for that matter. Can you see where this is going? Ok, you see the picture? Is she the cutest, or what? I have never had a puppy this hard to potty train and am at my wits end! I have cleaned her kennel out 3 times today! It's not the house broken part that concerns me, it's the kennel. Most puppies won't mess their kennel, oh, but not her.
So, tired of cleaning, frustrated with trying to teach her, I quit. I am drinking. Tasting. Mmmm.
Vina Alarba, Old Vine Grenache, 2004 Product of Spain. Made from High Altitude grown grapes. Alcohol, 13.5. $4.99
Peppery, deep fruit flavors, smooth, long legs, long finish. It's good. I like it a lot. I am very relaxed now and probably won't kill the "princess"...today.

This is what the Wine Advocate had to say: The outstanding 2004 Vina Alarba Old Vines (5,000 cases for the American market) boasts a deep ruby/purple color, full body, and wonderful kirsch liqueur and raspberry aromas and flavors interwoven with hints of licorice as well as minerals. This stunning effort is almost too good to be true. Drink it over the next 1-3 years. This is a ridiculously priced bargain! A backwater Spanish appellation, Calatayud is becoming more and more important, especially for terrific wine values. Jorge Ordonez was the first broker in America to exploit this region. Score: 90. —Robert Parker, June 2005.
I think he may have more experience in tasing and writing, but I knew it was good before I found his review.

I really lke the lable too, it reminds me of Van Gogh's "The Cafe Terrace at Night" , only during the day. I have that print in our basement office. I love it.

Friday the 13th Marathon

2005-10-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

Why is it, that the only programs on T.V. are reality shows and horror marathons? Just because it's getting close to Halloween doesn't mean that's best entertainment. And, just how many Friday the 13th's were there anyway? How many times did Jason die?
Protocolo, 2003 red wine from Spain. $5.99 (Great value) Alcohol, 13.0. Not enough to blurr these bad movies. But I like the wine. It is a little tart, yet smooth and full flavored. Sort of like a tart cherry right off the tree. We used to have a cherry tree, but it was old and finally died. It kept losing limbs so the "Bob" part of me, my husband, chopped it down. Now we have a cherry "bush" in the back yard.
OK, go out and buy some Protocolo...you will be happy you did.

Fish Eye View

2005-10-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

This is really, really good. Fish Eye 2003 California Cabernet Sauvignon. Alcohol 13.5. $8.19 a bottle. Very smooth, a little dry, somewhat oakey, buttery but not over-bearing. I should have bought more. It's very flavorful. Looks like you can buy whenever you want in the Badger state. Oh yeah, I found it here, right here in Colorado. Seems my little brother, Crazy-D is distraught over becoming a JAG. J-Dog suggested that he sit back and relax with a glass of fish-eye and everything will be alright. Now J-"capital D "-og has finished all of the "good stuff". If I sip slowly, I can make it last at least 2 more minutes. J-Dog hears "Barefoot" in my kitchen. I think he will feel bad tomorrow. Plus, he has to open KimBob's store in the A.M. Hmmm, Hmmm, Hmmm. My husband is still in, well, wherever he goes...

Giraffes Have Black Tongues

2005-09-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

The Plague? I went to the Colorado Springs Zoo a few of years ago with my 2 kids, my Sister Jean, her husband who can be a little annoying but we all like him anyway and their kids, J-Dog and an "Ex-friend". Very cool place. You walk uphill the entire time you are there. Every exhibit is up. How is this possible? It's like the Mystery Spot with animals. The cool thing is that you can feed the giraffes. Their tongues are long and scratchy, like a cat's tongue. And black. So the other day, J-Dog and my daughter went to the liquor store to get some wine to blog, and Nikita, being the wine expert she is at age 12, thought J-Dog should get a bottle of Long Neck, 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. $7.99. Alcohol 14.0 %. She's 12, so she does know EVERYTHING, no, really. To make a long story short, J-Dog said no way, K, not a chance. So the funny thing is, I didn't even know about the Kiki/ J-Dog fight over the Long Neck, which I'm sure was a doosey knowing my daughter. She and J-Dog fight all the time, unless she wants something from him, like money or a motorcycle ride. Anyway, today I stopped off for a few bottles to taste, when the Long Neck caught my eye. Hmm, wine from South Africa. Didn't even know they grew grapes there. The clerk at the store said it was really good. I decided to try it. Thank goodness I purchased a back up bottle of something I knew I liked. Genesis, the bottle that started this blog. The Long Neck smells a bit musty, but I don't think it's a bad cork smell. I tastes worse. Yuk, Yuk, Yuk Yuk. I tried taking another sip so that I could describe it, but it's just too far past nasty to even begin to explain. I think they let the giraffes compress the grapes with their dungy feet. I don't think giraffes are housebroken. I just can't tell what that flavor is. Even J-dog said, "it had a certain, as the French say, 'Je ne se qua', and whatever that is, it's sh!t." J-Dog doesn't usually use such salty language in the presence of women, but the nasty giraffe pushed him.
The bottle is great though. After I dump this one down the drain, I will let my little know-it-all princess use the bottle for a flower vase. See, not a complete waste.

Giraffe eating Nikita's hand.

What a Summer!

2005-09-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

I'm sure all of our loyal readers were wondering what happened to us. Pining for a KimBob blog. We are so sorry we let you down. We had a crazy summer. So many things happened, and I will get to them all, but first, the most important item...what happened to the viscous dog named Arty in the drunk "petter" incident???
Three court appearances with our attorney and $1089.00 later and all of the charges were dropped. Arty has a clean record and is free to defend himself once more. (Although we hope he doesn't) Isn't America a wonderful country!?!?
The Bob part of this blog has chosen a new career path and is now a Mudlogger. (We have my Uncle to thank for this). His new job requires him to work outside of beautiful Colorado for weeks at a time so I am left here alone to fend for myself and try to keep the house, our kids, our dogs, our business and fulfill my obligations as a realtor. What? Me bitter? How silly!
On the bright side, when he is home it is for a couple of weeks which in a weird way gives us more time together, which is very nice. I get the Honey-do list and bring the whip out...next thing you know, we are all caught up on household to-do's. Then he goes back to work. Perfect.
One other big event happened this summer. My son had to have hip surgery and was in a body cast for way too long. Taking care of him was very time consuming. On the bright side, his legs won't hurt anymore once he heals completely.
Enough small talk. Let's get on to what you are really here for...the wine blog.
Trinity Oaks 1999, Red Zinfandel, California. $3.99. Ok, sometimes you get what you pay for. It was on sale from $9.99. Honestly, I have only one word to describe it. NYQUIL. That is EXACTLY what is tasted like. It was so bad that the Bob part of Kim poured it down the sink. THE SINK! THE KITCHEN SINK! He never wastes wine. To do so would be sacreligous. Thank goodness he picked up 2 bottles, we chased it with oh so predictable Columbia Crest, 2001, Merlot. Not my favorite. Smooth, but too sweet, but delicious none-the-less after the Nyquil wine. If you have to drink Trinity Oaks, make it after your 4th bottle or so, then go to bed so you can rest.
I think J-Dog may like it. He likes everything.
More to come...

History Test

2005-05-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet, Vintage 2002 from Southeastern Australia. $10.99. Not a bad price, although we paid $38 for it the first time. The Kim part of Bob acquired a coupon that gave us $35 off our meal at a "hip new" sushi place called Mao's, right in the heart of Cherry Creek North. So, KimBob and J-dog decided to try it. I guess people people will do anything to make a buck, Capitalism at it's best. The Mao they named it after was the Chinese dictator, Mao Zedong, responsible for killing millions of people for his personal cleansing purposes. So this restaurant glorifies him and has him lasered onto the ceiling and all over the place with "Little Red Books" serving as the menu's. May as well open a place called Hitler's and have wait staff with swastika on their sleeves. The funny thing about it was that there were so many young people there, seems everyone knows about Hitler, but not about a man equally as evil. We will not be going back there.

The wine on the other hand was good. In fact we bought a bottle at the liquor store the other day for $10.99. It is a bit dry, tart, easy on the palate, smooth and very tasty. We would strongly recommend it, just not at Mao's in Cherry Creek.
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Vicious Dog Update

2005-05-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been on the edge of your seat in suspense, here is a quick dog-bite update. The drunken fool who petted without asking is actually taking us to court and will be seeking restitution. We will be getting a copy of the police report this week, which we are sure will mention the above fact, the man was intoxicated, and we can only hope for a fair, balanced judge. Or maybe just a judge who can see an idiot when he sees one. Court date is June 20th, we will post again!

7 Deadly Zins

2005-04-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

Greed, Pride, Lust, Gluttonous, Angry, Slothful, Envy. It's a sinful blend. 7 Deadly Zins, Lodi Appelation, Zinfandel, 2003. I have so much to say about this one. About $15 in the store, way over our usual blogging price, but my husband thought it would be fun to go for a run with our dog, Arty, then go to Wash Park Grill after and have drink. I have to say that I protested, I didn't think the dog should go, but he insisted that they even had water dishes for the dogs and we would sit on the patio. So we went. 7 Deadly Zins was $38 at the grill. The nice thing is that Colorado has a new cork and go law, so if we don't finish, we can take it with us.

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We were really enjoying our 7 deadly Zins, relaxing, with the dog by Bob's feet, eating our "before" dinner salads until, a very inebriated man walking down the street, unbeknownst to us, decided to stop, crouch down (we think, we never saw or heard him), reach under a planter, through a railing and stick his hand under our table into our dog's face. Our meal was ruined. He didn't ask to pet the dog, he didn't even talk to the dog and it was dark out. Arty didn't take to it very well. The next thing we see is this drunk man stagger backwards and start accusing our dog of biting him. He said "I own a restaurant and I know dogs"! And I'm thinking, yeah, so what's your point?. Is stupidity one of the 7 Deadly Zins? It should be.

Vicious Dog!

To make a really long story short, we weren't apologetic enough for the drunk guy and he didn't feel like we showed enough compassion for his pain. He had a small non-bleeding mark on the top of his hand. He started slurring profane names at us then had the manager call the police, who had better things to do than come running to drunk idiots rescue after they did something that would earn them an honorable mention in the Darwin Awards. Next, his wife comes out and proclaims that she "Is the calmer of the two". I knew we were in trouble. She wanted us to take responsibility for the alleged dog bite. I suggested, very kindly that her husband should also responsibility and NEVER try to pet a dog he doesn't know without first asking permission from the owners. (click that link for some very good tips on how to avoid being bitten by a dog). The manager told us that he was back in the bar drinking some more. I don't think his hand is the only thing that hurt the next day. Guess what guy, dogs bite, they are animals, they have teeth, that's what they do! Of course I couldn't say this that night, drunk people are way too unreasonable and unpredictable, like dogs.

A J-Dog wineblog

2005-04-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

J-Dog hasn't blogged wine in some time as he's been very busy giving advice at www.j-dogblog.blogspot.com and also making inticrate drawings of imaginary dwellings. J-Dog bought some wine after a hard day spent working indoors ON A SATURDAY with no time to play outside. He chose a French wine, even though French wine is banned due to the French being, well, French. They did give us that nice statue however, and helped us during the Revolution, plus he considers Blaise Pascal to be a hero, not to mention Voltaire, that indomitable writer/busybody, and of course, Beaumarchais, so J-Dog has a soft spot for those silly frogs. The wine he drank was Barton & Guestier, a very welcoming name. It's a Cabernet bottled in 2003, so kinda fresh. It was $4.99, which is amazing considering it came across the ocean. It was very good, nice body with some sharpness, sort of fruity. J-Dog thinks it was a good buy.

J-Dog's friend Guttersnipe, aka M-Kat, who lives in New Jersey, reports that Trader Joe's sells a very good wine in a JUG that's cheap and really good, but he forgot the name. He just wanted to give a shout-out to M-Kat...pouring a .750 for his homegirl in Jersey. Peace, out.

MAMA MIA, It's Italian

2005-04-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

Straccali Chianti 2003. Alcohol 12.5%. $6.99.
What can I say? It's Italian like my husband. So it's GREAT! This is a fruity wine (unlike my husband who is definitely not fruity) But like Bob, it was very smooth and easy on the palate. I could have it everyday. Just like him.
It comes from the Tuscany region and the bottle suggests that it even goes well on picnics. I wonder if peanut butter and jelly sandwiches would be a good match. Have to try it someday.
So go out and buy this one! Share it with your friends. Give it as a gift. Just get it already!

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Lots of new wines to add!

2005-04-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry everyone. Been really busy the last few weeks, Just wanted to let you all know that there will be some new wine postings by the end of this weekend! We've been drinking them, just not reporting on them.

Knights in White Satin

2005-03-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

I usually don't like white wines. They are always too sweet and taste more like Kool-Aid than wine. I make fun of white zin drinkers. In fact, I often go out of my way NOT to drink anything that is not red. So, if someone offers me a glass at a party, I say no thanks, it gives me hives. Something about food allergies, people are very sensitive and they won't ask again. So tonight, the Bob and J-Dog are playing guitar and singing...and yes, I am tasting.
Ca 'Montini Pinot Grigio 2002, $9.99 and alcohol content just 12.5. Italian. It is very good. It's like a white merlot. It is very light, dry, not the least bit sweet and very smooth. We had stir-fry, Bob Masitti style and the wine went very well. Apparently, tarragon is a primary ingredient in stir-fry, I wasn't aware of this. Hmm. Different. I should be happy he cooks and not criticize. I still love him, especially when I'm out in the kitchen writing and he's in the other room singing My Brown-Eyed Girl.
We recommend this one.

MUCHA RESERVA POR FAVOR!

2005-03-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Santa Rita Merlot Reserva 2003, $9.00 Alcohol content a mere 13.5. This wine comes from Chile. I think it's safe to say that everyone who tried this wine, liked it. It is smooth and fruity with oak flavors that don't overwhelm you. Apparently it's aged in "American" oak barrels. Yes, even our barrels are better. Is this a great country or what?!?
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Pre-Birthday Bash Leaves Birthday Day Blues

2005-03-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

As some of you may have noticed, I haven't posted for a little more than a week. I was recovering form some Birthday fun and needed to take a serious wine break. Once again, I would like to thank my one and only the love of my life, Bob, my Bro J-Dog, Princess Leah, My half Bro Kevin, Jimmy my favorite corn crackin' friend, and the upbeat duo, Rich and Daisy for bringing in the big 38 with me. It was great you guys! Well, until the next day. We went to a Japanese Steak and Sushi House called Hibachi. It's one of those places that grills the food right in front of you and flips stuff around. It was very nice actually. Much better than Benihana's. The service was great and so was the food. They also give the Birthday person a piece of cake with candle. The downfall is that you only get one piece, so we passed it around the table. I think everyone had at least one bite. Everyone except Bob, he is on a strict NO SUGAR diet. Except if it's in wine.

Now, at my age you would think I would know better than to go out to celebrate my Birthday and at the same time promise my daughter that I will be at her 8 o'clock AM soccer tournament in Pueblo, a 2 hour drive from home the next day. The sad part is, for all the misery I went through driving down, very hung over and feeling miserable, I never found her or her game because there were four different schools they were playing at and I went to the wrong one.
How did this happen? It was her Father's fault of course, but let's not blame anyone.

Ok, back to the wine at task. At Hibachi, we ordered a couple of bottles of Buckley's South Australian Merlot, 2002. I think it was $24 per bottle. We must have liked it because we finished both bottles easily. Just kidding, it was good. It had a fruity, plum, blackcurrent spicy flavor. A little on the drier side. The bottle was attractive with a black and white picture of a field with a windmill on it. I was looking for a picture to post, but couldn't find one. Sorry.
Rich didn't like it so much. He said, "Smooth, but too plummy tasting and you need to add a beer blog".
So here it is. Kim's Beer Blog. I hate Sierra Nevada. It is bitter and tastes yucky. Sorry Rich.

Compliments Fowl Dishes?

2005-02-24T19:48:00.001-07:00

It says that on the back of the bottle. How? Does it say, "Yo, baby, you have the most beautiful long neck I have ever seen?" A few weeks ago, Bob and had dinner at what was supposed to be a good restaurant in Bonnie Brae. It was the Saucy Noodle for those who want to know. The food there was foul, I hated it, seriously, it tasted like the garlic was fermented and the replacement they brought me was WAY TOO HOT to eat (in the spicy sense). The Chianti we were drinking didn't compliment it at all. In fact, it didn't have anything to say, much less good things. Since when does wine talk anyway? The Chianti was very good. We wrote down the name, but I don't know what we did with the napkin it was on. Bob probably blew his nose with it.
So, tonight I an drinking: BIG MOOSE RED, 2002 Red California Wine. $7.99 sale price, regular $8.99 Alcohol 13.9. It's really good. I was worried when I pulled out the cork screw and realized it had a screw-off cap. No cork. Fast entry. This is an instant gratification wine. Drink it NOW! So I am. I wouldn't want to go against the makers intentions. I'm sure they put in a lot of time, effort and labor. All that barefoot grape sqaushing. Who am I to defy their expectations? It is a blend of 75% Syrah, 15% Petite Syrah, and 10% Grenache. It has a very deep color, is full bodied, has great legs and tastes really, really good.
If Bob doesn't come home soon, I may drink the whole bottle myself. Hmm, I have to work tomorrow, I won't drink the whole thing. That would be a really bad idea.
Read what the Houston Wine Merchant had to say. Scroll down a bit when you go to that page. Another good review at Beekman wines.

Mmmm, Mmmm Good!

2005-02-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Vina Borgia, 2003 Borja, Spain Grenache. 100% grenache. Very good. Very flavorful. Went well with my Boca Burger. Went well even after my Boca Burger was gone. $7.99. Just go buy it, if you don't like it, add a negative comment. At first I thought it was fizzy, like it was carbonated, but I think my glass was just dirty. Stupid dishwasher. I hate him. (just kidding, we use a machine) I washed my glass out and then it was fine.
More to come, I have to go to bed now.

Wrongo Dongo

2005-02-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

Undoubtedly, it would go well with Oingo Boingo. This was a pretty good choice. Wrongo Dongo 2003 Jumilla Red Wine $6.99. It was actually on sale at our favorite wine store, regular price was $8.99. It's from Spain. Alcohol content is 13.5. Bold fruit flavors but not a very smooth finish. A little acidic, but nice taste. The label is weird. I still haven't figured out what's on this guys head. It looks like a Picasso with a baby bonnet. Which reminds me a of a picture that J-Dog drew in Microsoft Paint.
J-Dog's Picasso in Paint/Copyright..do not duplicate without permission
Who can actually draw in that program and come out with a good picture?
I drank Wrongo Dongo Sunday. Since today is President's Day, we should be trying something patriotic. Here is a Presidential wine: Valpolicella Superiore, 2000 Zenato, Italy. My guess is that it's probably out of our $10 bottle limit. Ah, well, tonight we are not drinking. I'm blogging and Bob is catching up on the latest Kurzweil book. Did you know that a woman over the age of 25 who has a medium frame and is 5'3" tall should weigh between 121lbs and 135lbs. And, how do I know I have a medium frame, because the circumference of my wrist measures 5 3/4".
Thanks to Bob reading Kurzweil out loud, I now have this useless fact clogging up my brain. What if I had something important to learn? Like, where is Jumilla???

Camelot...ARRRGH...NOT

2005-02-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

Yuk. I finally get to review a BAD wine. Camelot 2002 Red Zinfandel. California, alcohol 13.5%.
If I wanted licorice, I would have drank Jagermister, blah, upside-down in the bar! What a nasty flavor! Ok, some of you may like it, but I thought it was too much like Galliano Liquore, only worse. Enough said.

The Family Wine

2005-02-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

Yum, Yum, Yum! I like it! Can you tell? McManis Family Vineyard Merlot 2003 $9.99. I really like this. I don't thinkI'll serve it to the kids, even though it's a "Family" wine. Very flavorful, full body. Bob says it has nice "legs". Funny, he used to say that to me. Well, we have been married almost a whole year now. Bob said he doesn't really like this one much...but then again, he liked Columbia Crest Merlot 2001, which I thought Tasted like watered down grapes. Very bland. We don't always like the same things. McManis scored a 94 in a wine tasting competition. So I like it and so do the critics. Hmmm. Well, I' m always right, so...

Comments welcome...Someday, Bob will acually blog a wine. I promise.

Somebody Translate!

2005-02-13T19:57:00.000-07:00

It's a white one. Our friends, Rich and Daisy gave us some wines for Christmas. One was from Chile, a red, it was very good, although I haven't blogged it yet. Bob is cooking Wild Alaskan Salmon for dinner tonight. Why? Because why have Halibut when you can have SALMON! So anyway, I decided to pull the white wine from the fridge. It is a German wine, so I really have no clue as to what it is. The bottle has a sun logo on it that says, "from the sunny side of the vineyards for the sunny side of life". It is called Piesporter Michelsberg Spatlese 2001 by Schmitt Sohne. There are those funny little dots above the "A" in spatlese and the "O" in Sohne. The alcohol content is only 8.5. It's pretty good. Bob thought it tasted sweet at first, but I think it's because he is not used to fruity wines. It is light and crisp, definitely on the drier side and fruity. The back of the bottle says apricot and peach flavors, but quite honestly, for someone who really knows nothing about white wines, it tasted more like Granny Smith apples to me. It reminds me of a Reisling. The first time I had a Reisling was at my Dad's new years eve party to bring in 2002. Bob and I raided his stash in the basement. I think he is still mad at us over that. I felt a little bad, but it was really good stuff. Sorry Dad!

The Red Rooster...A Cocky One Too

2005-02-11T19:16:00.000-07:00

Le Coq Rouge 2002. $5.99 This French wine is a blend of Merlot 45% cabernet-sauvignon 30% and Syrah 25%. This is a keeper. It is medium-bodied smooth as pudding, deliciously light with fruity undertones. Dry with a nice long finish. Ah, but let it sit for about 10 minutes before you drink it. If you drink it right after pouring it is tart and tastes more acidic. The Wine Company has a little write up on this wine. Take a look, you can buy it from there too.
Incidentally, we are in the year of the Rooster right now. J-Dog is looking for a Chinese girl to celebrate with. He is not as fussy as Luke Ford.
Bob and I were thinking of getting a rooster, but our city doesn't allow it. A zoning thing. I thought it would be neat to wake up to a rooster crowing. Bob doesn't think so. He grew up on an organic poultry farm in New Jersey. So, we settled on a rooster that hangs on the front door welcoming strangers and J-Dog. He doesn't crow. He doesn't walk. He doesn't even flap his wings. He is not real. I hate compromise.

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This picture does not represent the bottle. It is just a red rooster.

Shut Up and Dance...The Ball

2005-02-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

So Bob and I went to a fund-raiser last night for the Tsunami victims put on by Knus AM of Denver and Laura Ingraham, author of the New York best seller "Shut Up and Sing". Wendy Woo was the music entertainment. She was a mix of country and her own style. She wooed us nicely. Laura was there of course, so she autographed our copy of the book. I wonder if it will be worth money someday. I mean, more than the $25 it cost us. When we were downstairs parking the car, Bob decided he didn't need his phone. What was he thinking??!!. His phone also takes pictures so we missed out in a photo op to go with the autograph. Oh well, we did win a bid on a baseball with Reggie Jackson's signature on it. In addition to dancing, we drank wine. The choices were Laterre' California, Merlot, Cabernet, Rosa. $5.50 a glass. We went for the Merlot. No year on the bottle. It was ok. Nothing to write home about and I certainly won't go out of my way looking for it in the stores, but I know that if we run across it again it's drinkable. It was spicy, crisp and oaky. The color was medium. You couldn't see right through it, but it was not a very deep purple. Hey, aren't they a band?

Speaking of Hogs...

2005-02-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

Kimmy has been hogging all the wine! Since I haven't had the chance to try any of her recent picks (well, just a little of the Peachy, 'til she yelled at me. Apparently, she's unable to review wines she hasn't drunk), I'll just have to report on one that I hogged all to myself. That would be Protocolo, 2002 Spanish Red. The sign at the store said it was "yummy", and it was only $6.99, which is very reasonable, esp. here in snooty-ville. It was truly yummy, good flavor and nice body. I had it with chicken, very tasty, which proves the "white meat/white wine" rule wrong. At least to me.

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Two Little Piggies...

2005-02-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, so you are having a party and you invited one of your friends who has a snobby wife or husband. I mean, their nose is waaaay in the air. They think they are the elite of all elite. What do you do??? Why, you make sure you have a bottle of LeSnoot Merlot 2002 North Coast $10, of course. Bottled by Snob Hill Winery in California it is sure to impress even your prissiest friends. Although a "GangofPour" who also critiques wines didn't like it as much as we did. We thought it was very bold, rich wine with tons of flavor. The label is great with two very plump, yet very well dressed pigs on the front. Hey! Don't be a hog, share it with everyone.

2005-02-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

This is J-Dog and this is what happens if you indulge in too much wine, your motorcycle shrinks.

Just peachy but not the flavor.

2005-02-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

Since Bob was a hog and I only had one glass of the Penguin, we opened another. Peachy Canyon Red Zinfandel 2002, California. Price: $10.99. Ok, ok, I went over the $10 limit. Sorry. I was in a hurry to get home, so I went to the more expensive store.
Very dry. In fact, I don't think I've ever had a red zin this dry. Smooth, a little tart at the end. Maybe it needs to stay in the bottle for a few more years. Not too bad, although I won't rush out for more anytime soon. Wish Bob didn't drink all of the Little Penguin.

The Little Penguin..with BIG taste

2005-02-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

Ok, Bob says..."What a Great speech"! We popped "The Penguin" during The State of the Union speech by the "one and only" President Bush. Bob thought he spoke very well. He has obviously been practicing the pronunciation of nuclear.
So, back to the wine task at hand. The Little Penguin, Southeastern Australia, Shiraz, 2003. Price; $6.99. Very bold, peppery. Very good. Smooth. Good buy.
Hmm, we just had a bull, a swan and now a penguin. The animals seem worthy. We thank them.

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Black Swan...Ugly Duckling?

2005-01-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

I don't think so. Black Swan 2003. Australian, 75% Shiraz, 25% Merlot. $4.49...I'm not kidding. Ok, I know we are chasing Dancing Bull...but it is really good for under $5. A little oaky, but smooth. Dark color, full flavor. A little acidic. But, very tasty. We have had this one before and also, never disappointing. Maybe it's just because I had a really nice relaxing massage from Princess Leah today and now everything is good.
Now, we are going to see how well it goes with Totino's Pizza, $1.00 a pie. Bob is busy doing monthly sales tax, what a bore. Owning your own business, the reason to drink wine.

Dancing Bull...no B.S. here

2005-01-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

Mmmm. I have to say I really, really, really like this one. Rancho Zabaco, Dancing Bull Red Zinfandel 2002. California. Usually $9.99 but I found it on sale at Target of all places for $8.00. I am still boycotting Target for those who know, but we were given a gift card and it was already paid for so I used it. It would have been rude not to, and since they sell wine now...yeah.
I thought 2001 was a better year. 2002 is a little sweet, just a little. Despite this, it has a full, bold somewhat fruity, plum I think, yet peppery but is very smooth and a little on the dryer side. Goes well without food. It gets extra points from me for that. So many calories and sugar in wine you know. We have been drinking this one for a few years now and it is never disappointing. I also like when we splurge and get the "vintage Zabaco" for $14.99...even better. Gosh, that rarely happens.
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A quick one, while they're out...

2005-01-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

This is just a shout-out to KimBob's friend and chef-in-residence Joe, for making those wonderful pomegranate daiquiris on Thursday night. Don't be afraid to use the good tequilla! (be sure to click on this link)We also had more Barefoot. There, it's a wine blog...

Smoking Loon

2005-01-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

Had an interminably long day of studies, so stopped on the way home to buy wine. Needed a paradigm shift...Was attracted to "Smoking Loon" Merlot, 2003-6.99. What attracted me at first was the label, it has a drawing of a loon sitting in water smoking a cigar. The second thing that attracted me was the price. Sometimes I wonder why I pay 6.99 for a little bottle when the big bottles can be had for 10.99. Although, what that does is make the little bottles more luxurious. If I usually pay 10.99 for a big bottle, then paying 9.99 for a small bottle is splurging and I feel like a movie star. Follow that? Anyway, Smoking Loon is ok, kind of like Yellow Tail. It's a bit thin but that's probably due to it's youth. I will drink any wine before it's time. The flavor is pleasant and it goes down smooth. This wine will probably reward a more patient man.

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Barefoot!

2005-01-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that most of the time I make my wine purchase because I liked the label. Or the name. In this case, I think it was both. So, Barefoot, Red Zinfindel $5.99. I couldn't find a year printed anywhere on the bottle. It's the incognito wine from California.
As I was standing in line, someone yelled, "Hey! Someone's car just rolled down the hill and crashed into another car!" The owner of the rolling car wanted to be incognito. Fortunately, it wasn't mine.
Ok, we recommend Barefoot. It is a full flavored, full bodied wine. Very smooth and tasty.

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A Good Inxpensive Merlot

2005-01-14T15:57:00.000-07:00

Just a quick serious post on a good Merlot. Veremonte 2001 $6.99.
This was so good we bought a case to serve at our wedding last July. But, you have to find the 2001, the 2002 is not as good. It's much more acidic and not as smooth. Must have been a rainier season.

Mo' Cheap wine!

2005-01-14T15:22:00.000-07:00

My brother J-Dog came over for dinner the other day and left a BIG bottle of wine. We already had an open bottle, so we saved it for tonight. I made spinach and cheese tortellini with garlic tomato sauce and BREAD! You have to have lots of bread and olive oil with Italian food. J-Dog came again. He likes to eat with us. I make excellent boxed and jarred food. According to all of my elementary school report cards, I follow directions well.
We opened the wine. It was Canyon Road Cabernet 2002 $8.99. Jeff said he bought it because it was the "BIG" bottle. You know, the double sized for the price of one. He thought it was ok, peppery, light but not nasty like other cheap cabs. I thought it burned going down. I was ready to go to the ER. It reminded me of scotch straight up except it was sour too. Bob liked it and said I have no appreciation for cabs. He's right. For once. :)

Beringer Zinfandel $5.99~by J-Dog

2005-01-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

I don't think I like Zin, it's too light compared to Cabernet, etc. Tasted like raisins.
Kim says I picked the wrong brand. "Beringer is icky and even on sale it's not a good deal," she said. I'll give zin another chance.

2005-01-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

Me and my husband at the Lazy Dog. He was a good year.

Christmas Eve wine....just before midnight mass, really

2004-12-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

So, J-Dog and Bob went out for an afternoon of bar-hopping/last minute Christmas shopping. While they were away, I decided to open the bottle of Woodbridge merlot, 2002 extra large bottle at $9.99. This is the wine we buy when J-Dog and Bob's brother, Pete are here at the same time. You can imagine why. It lacks body. It tastes...Hmm...pale, watery, bland, but, the price and effect supercede the taste. I fully expect that J-Dog, Pete and Bob will down this in less than 30 minutes after which I will then pull out the GOOD wine for myself. Midnight Mass should be rather relaxing tonight. I might nap.

Update by Kim: The Good Wine; I opened the bottle of Genesis Merlot 2002, $8.99. I thought this was appropriate since we were going to church and it would be the "beginning" of our Christmas. Rich, oaky flavor, So far I like it, however, I've been drinking...since....um...earlier. Anyway, I like it. I decided to let the boys have some too.

Bob said: "Smooth, nice taste and finish. He tasted a hint of chocolate."

Pete said: "It's much better than the last cheap-ass bottle we just finished." (told you that big bottle would go fast).

J-Dog said:" Genesis, very yummy. Used it to take asprin. Good choice for before church. Nice buttery body. So far very good!"

Welcome to Kimbob's Wineblog

2004-12-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

On this blog we will sample and report on wines which we have or have not enjoyed and the subsequent results thereof.
tonight we are drinking...we forgot...