Welcome to Wine Wednesdays!

So I have been doing a lot of thinking about things that I love that I want to share with my readers.  And I came up with a good one.  Good because it involves alcohol and because it is (hopefully) educational.  I firmly believe that a good bottle of wine with a good dinner with good people is one of the best pleasures that life has to offer.  There is little else in this world that can compare to the perfect bottle of burgundy with a good piece of prime rib or a beautiful riesling with a roast chicken.  Food and wine go together.  It is the drink of ancient civilizations and the taste of great and wonderful places.

In this new series, I'm going to sharing some of what I have learned about wine from my chef, restaurant, and wine industry friends.  I have noticed a trend that a lot of my friends work with food...and wine...and are really good at eating and cooking...good thing I like to eat and cook too!  =)

For today, I thought I would start with a fantastic summer wine that will be great with all kinds of barbeque and picnic meals.  I had this wine with a roast pork tenderloin over spring greens and fresh apples.  Let me tell you...uh-maz-ing.  And no, I do not have any pictures of either my glass or my food because I got busy with that pretty quick.  =P  Muga Rioja Rosado 2011 was the wine of my weekend.  It is a blend of three Spanish varietals and could not be better.


I had to share this wine with you because it is not a strong taste for those who are not the biggest wine drinkers and it is a very well-balanced wine for those of you who know a little bit more about them.  It was refreshing for a hot day (we had it on Sunday night with a wine industry friend who was over for dinner).  The wine was not harsh - for a rosé, it was incredibly well blended, not harsh for having three different types of wines in it.  Don't expect a strong fruity flavor.  There was a freshness and crispness that was great with the fresh salad and complimented the pork so well. 

Muga 2011 Rioja Rosé  - http://www.winex.com/wine-795744-.aspx#.T9gk5bXIZ5Z

I have included the link to my local wine shop (Wine Exchange in Orange, CA) because they ship around the country if you can't find it in any stores by you.  Plus, it is only $9.99 at Wine Exchange.  (Also, they are not paying me for sharing this information.  I truly love my local shops and it is a small, privately owned shop staffed by people who make sure you have what you were looking for.  I just love Wine Exchange.  If you have visited the place, you probably know why I say I love them. =P)  Another resource I will constantly be pointing you to in my weekly posts is http://www.wine-searcher.com.  You will be able to search pretty nearly any kind of wine, any vintage, and be able to find something about it or where to purchase it.

So begins my series on wine!  I hope you find it helpful or educational...or at least not utterly boring.  =)  In the future, I will try and restrain myself from scarfing down my food before I get a pic to put with these posts.    =)

Hope you have a beautiful day!