Last weekend I joined 23 friends and (future) family members on a wine tour around New York’s Finger Lakes.

Jared’s dad hired a small bus and plotted our route.  Four wineries in eight hours!

Our 1st stop was Three Brothers Winery which contains 3 wineries and a brewery: Stony Lonesome, Passion Feet, Bagg Dare, and War Horse brewery.  It was a lot of tasting jam packed into one stop.

Stony Lonesome reminded me of a typical tasting room, both in looks and in the types of wine I sampled.  I liked a few reds and whites; we bought a bottle of 2007 Merlot.

Passion Feet seemed like the perfect tasting spot for the hopeless romantic.  There were lots of sweet whites.  Each wine had a fun and sexy name like Flirtation or Seduce Me.  I didn’t care for any of these wines, much too sugary for me, but I had fun tasting.  And I had fun browsing, “girlie” white wines meant that the tasting room was filled with crafts and jewelry!

Plus I was able to try my first wine slushie!  I think wine slushies are the perfect way to use those sweet white wines.

I snagged a simple recipe to make wine slushies at home: 2 parts ice, 1 part white wine, 1/2 part powdered sugar.  Blend for about 15 seconds and then enjoy!  I can picture myself next summer, sitting in a lounge chair by the pool and sipping on a wine slushie.

We had to travel down a dirt path to get to the Bagg Dare tasting room.  It was more like a dive bar than a winery.  The guys loved it!

I had a lot of fun photographing the deep South decor.

Unfortunately I didn’t like the wine I sampled at Bagg Dare.  Like Passion Feet, everything was a bit too sweet.  But taste didn’t matter because the atmosphere was so much fun…and I had my bottle of Merlot from Stony Lonesome.

Though we were on a wine tour, we couldn’t leave Three Brothers without stopping at War Horse.  I gave most of my beer samples to Jared.  I’ll drink beer every now and then, usually something light, or wheat, or flavored.

Back on the bus and onto our 2nd location, Miles Wine Cellars.

I was excited to taste at Miles simply because my dog’s name is Miles.  I had to buy a bottle of wine in his honor and chose a 2008 Lemberger, a delicious red wine.

But when I learned that Miles is home to 3 ghosts, I was even more excited to be there.  Kinda scary but really cool!

Each ghost haunts a different location in the main house, and thankfully all 3 are friendly.  Click here to read their ghost story.  The folks at Miles have lived and worked with the ghosts for a while so they can tell it better than I can.

Stop number three was at an our old favorite, Billsboro Winery.  I knew I’d have to hold myself back from buying nearly everything I tasted.

We gathered at the bar and sipped away…and the one bottle of 2008 Pinot Noir that made the trip back to Boston has already been opened and enjoyed.

Ventosa Vineyards was our fourth and final stop. Gorgeous view!

I wish I had more time to sit on the patio and take it all in!

After so many sips and samples throughout the day, it’s tough to remember much about the wines at Ventosa.  There was a bottle of Sangiovese for sale, but sadly absent from the tasting menu.

This wine tasting bus trip was a success.  Our group was able to try lots of wines without worrying about designated drivers or figuring out directions.

I dream of taking a trip to northern California to sample wines from that region!

But for now I’m quite content with weekend getaways to the Finger Lakes in New York.

Last night Jared and I took a Spirit of Boston for Gordon’s Fine Wines and Liquors VinoVoyage.

It was still warm out when we left for VinoVoyage, but I knew it would be cool and windy out on the water.  Layers!  A short sleeve blouse covered by a long drapey sweater.  And comfortable shoes because I got another blister from running errands in my flip flops.

As soon as we stepped out of the cab by the World Trade Center, Gordon’s had us in the mood for wine tasting.

We enjoyed some sips of Champagne before the voyage began.

I enjoyed the view of Boston!

Cheers!

Jared and I sipped a few wines before dinner started.  There were 27 tasting tables set up around the ship and we needed to pace ourselves.

I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner buffet.  Lots of pasta!

Between the two of us, Jared and I sampled over 30 wines.

My favorites included:

• 2007 Perrin Cotes du Rhone Villages
• Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico
• 2006 Charles Krug Merlot
• 2008 Llai Llai Ruta 22 Malbec
• 2007 Cambria Chardonnay Katherine’s Vineyard
• 2007 Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Merlot

I was so excited to see Nicolas Feuillatte champagne available for tasting.  Jared and I visited Nicolas Feuillatte in France and learned how their champagne is made.

Cupcake Vineyards!  Perfect for my blog!  Plus the wine is really tasty.  Thankfully Jared found the Cupcake Vineyards table just as the boat was docking so we were able to enjoy some last minute tastes.

I love CuPcAkEs!

Someone handed us hats as we walked off the boat.  Being a little bit tipsy from so many glasses of wine, we thought these hats were awesome and wore them for the cab ride home.

Dancing in the streets!  Vino Voyage was so much fun!

But I always love coming home to a crazy corgi.

Thank you Tina for letting me know about this great event.  Thank you Lindsay from Gordon’s for helping me with my ticket purchase.  I had such a good time at VinoVoyage!!!

I love wine tasting!

This weekend we spent some time touring on the Keuka Lake Wine Trail.

Keuka Lake in one of 11 Finger Lakes in western New York.  The Finger Lakes also include Canadaigua Lake, Seneca Lake, and Cayuga Lake.  Keuka Lake is in the shape of the letter Y.  There are 4 vineyards on the east side and 4 vineyards on the west side.

Before Saturday’s wedding, I was able to visit 2 wineries on the west side of Keuka Lake.

We stopped at Dr. Konstantin Frank for our first tasting.

I got so distracted taking photos of the scenery that I forgot about wine tasting.

Almost… 

I sampled 7 wines at Dr. Konstantin Frank.

1. 2006 Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine
2. 2008 Chardonnay reserve
3. 2009 Sauvingnon Blanc
4. 2009 Dry Riesling
5. 2009 Riesling
6. 2008 Cabernet Sauvingnon
7. 2008 Meritage

I don’t have my tasting notes, but I know I preferred the drier and less sugary wines.

Dr. Frank’s has won a lot of awards!

After all of those sips, and buying a few bottles to enjoy at home, it was time to get back in the van and head to the next vineyard.

Heron Hill Winery is a 5 minute drive form Dr. Frank’s.

Beautiful tasting room!

At Heron Hill, I tried 5 wines.

1. Eclipse White 2008
2. Game Bird White
3. Classic Semi-Dry Riesling 2008
4. Ingle Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007
5. Eclipse Red 2006

Heron Hill’s Eclipse Red and White are both delicious!

On Monday morning, before driving back to Boston, we stopped at Billsboro Winery for a quick tasting.

Billsboro Winery is not on Keuka Lake.  It’s located near Seneca Lake.  Definitely worth the stop!

Billsboro’s tasting room is located in a restored 19th century red barn.  I loved the decor!

At Billsboro Winery, I sampled several wines.  I fell in love with the Billsboro staff member’s top picks: the Dry Riesling and Cabernet Syrah.

The Finger Lakes region of New York is a gorgeous place to visit.  And there are SO many good wineries.  I’m glad I’ll be back in November for another day of visiting vineyards and trying new wines.

3 mile jog…

2 vineyards…

1 wedding…

It’s been a great weekend at Keuka Lake.  And there’s still one night left to relax!

(My post title is also a nod to Walt Disney because as of today’s count, there are 76 days until my Disney vacation!  77 days until the Wine & Dine Half Marathon!)

I made of oatmeal using the last of my Mad Hectic Oatmeal.  I added some strawberries and my obligatory spoonful of Barney Butter.

My oatmeal may not get voted “Most Photogenic” but it tasted great.  I love the AB/berry combo!

I created a healthy and colorful wrap for lunch at work.  I filled my wrap with grilled chicken, lettuce, cucumbers, avocados, tomatoes, and a drizzle of Ranch dressing.  I also snacked on some chocolate  during the long afternoon hours.

While helping out the housekeeping staff and tidying the locker room, I found an abandoned tabloid magazine.  Immediately, my workout became centered on some quality reading to catch up on “important” news.  I climbed onto the stair master for 22 minutes of quick stepping and celeb stalking.  I finished my workout with abs on a stability ball and lots of stretching.

Post-workout, I went to the grocery store (!!! Extreme excitement cuz this never ever happens) and visited the Urban Grape to grab a few bottles of wine.

Jared and I had a romantic dinner date at home on our own couch.  We ate random leftovers.  I had some pasta with chicken and slaw from Briggs Fest.

Extreme closeup of my dinner!

After dinner, our party of 3 relaxed on the couch and watched It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  For someone who spent his day lounging around the apartment, Miles was really in the mood to take it easy.

Jared and I shared a bottle of Piazzo Barbera.  This wine is made from grapes in northwestern Italy, specifically from grapes grown in the Piedmont region.  The wine had a great nose.  It smelled like berries, blackberry jam, and had hints of butter and vanilla.  It tasted amazing!  Very much like cherries.  Also, it was medium bodied, with very mild tannins!  Very pleasant to drink during the summer with a light dinner.

A great recommendation from the Urban Grape!

Miles bumped into my glass and I sloshed red wine all over his back.  He proceeded to shake himself dry while still on my tan couch.  Yuck!  But a manageable mess that was easily cleaned with a wet towel.

On Thursday night, I attended Meghan and Michelle‘s wine tasting event at Boston Wine Exchange.

Complete with cupcakes, Cabot cheese, wine, and bloggers, I think the event was a definite success!

We sampled 8 wines, 4 whites and 4 reds.  I liked everything that I tried, but had some definite favorites that needed to come home with me.

We learned a lot about Bell Wine Cellars and Clone 6, a successful clone from the Cabernet Sauvingnon Clone Trials in the 80s.

Boston Wine Exchange has a great selection of wine.  I love browsing: looking at the fun labels and reading the wine descriptions.

Jared and I spent some time chatting with BWX’s owner Eamon Keating.  He even told us what champagne rappers are drinking now that Cristal doesn’t want to be associated with them.

I enjoyed so many sips of delicious wine.

Rachel, a representative from Cabot Cheese, was on hand with a huge tray of cheese and crackers for us to enjoy in between glasses of wine.  She also gave everyone a goodie bag with a sample of Cabot Cheese, a magnet, seeds, a corkscrew, and a few other cute Cabot-themed goodies.

Wine snob!  Plus I was excited to be able to take a photo of my outfit.  For the past few weeks, I’ve been living in black yoga pants and a Healthworks t-shirt.  I was excited to wear jeans!  And to wear my new Bensimon slip on sneakers.

Meghan predicted I would flip out when the wine tasting ended and it was time to sample cupcakes from Mix Bakery.

She was right!

Rhubard cupcakes!  (My favorite sample of the evening)

Chocolate cupcake with heavenly peanut butter frosting.

Of course wine was still the focus of the evening.

I enjoyed a few pours from the wine machine.  I tried Cupcake’s Chardonnay (thumbs up) and a Malbec (also good).

I had a great time at the event.  It was nice to meet some new bloggers and try some delicious wine and cupcakes.  Thank you Meghan and Michlle! 

Last night Miles was acting like the King of Pride Rock.  He was perched on the deck, keeping an eye on what was going on in the house and in the yard.  He always has so many things to guard!

Jared was in charge of dinner last night.  So instead of putting leftovers aside right away, he served the biggest portions ever.  I ate until I was full and then put the remaining chicken and broccoli in the fridge.

I enjoyed a nice cool glass of 2008 Chateau La Rame Bordeaux Blanc.  I live for chilled white wines during the hot summer months.  So refreshing! :O

This wine reminded me of a Sauvingnon Blac, but it seemed to have more of an tangy apple flavor, rather than the typical Sav Blanc citrus.  It was also less acidic.  I liked it as a change of pace from my usual!  A good wine, but it didn’t replace Sauvignon Blanc as my summer favorite.

Close up of the chicken, broccoli, and angel hair pasta very lightly tossed in pesto sauce.

I ate a bowl of Peanut Butter Puffins for breakfast.  Nothing fancy.

I took my first (and most likely only) Iyengar yoga class this morning.  I’m not a fan!

I was a few minutes late and the instructor forced me to take a spot right up front.  Then he corrected me during the entire 90 minute class.  I like pointers when I’m doing things wrong, but I felt like I was constantly being called out in front of the entire class.  Grrr.

I also didn’t like the Iyengar style of yoga.  I prefer yoga with flowing poses.  This class featured too many separate poses.  We took lots of break to watch the instructor demonstrate.  Sometimes I think he went overboard trying to show us what to do.  I was hoping to relax and get a good stretch.  Instead, I was nervous I was going to get yelled at and was constantly stopping to watch and pose over and over.

I wasn’t able to try a headstand  (not sure what it’s called in sanskrit. I was getting so confused by the difficult names) because the instructor claimed it would take too much time to explain how to do it.  So those who already knew how to do the pose were allowed and the rest of us just chilled out in bridge pose for a few minutes.  Mehhh.

I considered trying to use last night’s leftovers to make a slightly different meal for today’s lunch.  But hunger got the best of me.  I just microwaved everything and then chowed down.  Same stuff as yesterday so it tasted the same.

I sat outside in the sunshine for 10 minutes to soak up the sunshine.  Yay for Vitamin D!  I also enjoyed a homemade Ice Coffee.  So relaxing!  Plus the caffeine boost will keep me going through the late afternoon hours without feeling like I need a nap.

After the HW event at BWX on Tuesday night, Jared and I stomped over to Matt and Natalie’s house.  Our visit was a little unexpected, but Matt and Nat were gracious hosts and welcomed us with WINE and food.

Homemade pizza with ricotta cheese and eggplant.

Natalie attempted to bake cookies with marzipan.

We should’ve read the ominous sign: The eggs were long past the sell-by date.

But Natalie decided to try the baking experiment anyway.  I helped out, mainly by commenting and taking photos.

And I finally learned how to separate the egg white from the yolk!

Natalie worked hard to make the cookies.  It was a lengthy process.  We had to take a break to watch Real Housewives on DVR.

Fete entertained himself while we hung out in the kitchen.

I thought the recipe was supposed to yield 60 cookies.  Ooops!

Red, red wine…

The finished product!

The cookies tasted ok, though a little bit sticky.  The chocolate sauce was kinda weird.  I’m not sure it was completely cooked.  ???  I hope no one ate raw eggs.

Never the less, everyone willingly tried a cookie.  I’m not sure if anyone went back for seconds though.

Sometimes it doesn’t matter how good the food turns out.  It’s more important to have fun with friends!

Muddy boots!  Yesterday I did a bit of work outside in the garden.

Even though there weren’t any plants to actually take care of!  My yard is still full of hay, mulch, sticks and rocks.  It will look pretty someday in the near future! 

I had cereal for breakfast, but didn’t take a picture.

I had a repeat of Monday’s lunch:  turkey sandwich with guac and chips.

Early evening, I hopped on the T and headed to Downtown Crossing.

Last night HealthWorks hosted an event at the Boston Wine Exchange.

BWX had a sign out front to welcome everyone to the party.  “Welcome HealthWorks!”

We sampled springtime wines, including a special tasting featuring 3 wines from Liberty School Winery: a Chardonnay, a Cabernet Sauvingnon, and a special Austin Hope Syrah.

I loved all 3 wines, but the non-oaky Chardonnay was probably my favorite.  Mainly because I always skip Chards, assuming they’ll be too sweet.  I thought this one was perfect; a nice citrus taste with just a slight hint of oak.

I learned some new things about wine.

And got to try more samples from the Wine Machine.

I used one of these at a wine bar in Winter Park, Florida and loved it.  It made it easy to try a small, inexpensive sip of a new wine to make sure I liked it.  If it was successful, I’d push a button for a larger sized pour and enjoy my glass.  Massachusetts can’t sell wine in various sized pours as they do in Florida, stupid Blue Laws.  But we were allowed to hit the button multiple times and sample as many sips of these 8 wines as we wanted.

I tried a Rose, Malbec, and Cab Sauv.

Tina, I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed a few of your photos.

Wine lover in action!  I loved making my selection and letting the machine do the pouring.

Mixing and mingling.  I’m so glad Meghan and Tina were at the event.  It was great to talk with them.  After several glasses of wine, there was no loss for words.  I think Meghan even convinced Tina and me to enter next year’s Boston Marathon.

But seriously, I’m going to look into foundations and fundraising and think about Boston 2011…

Group shot!  HealthWorks members know how to have a good time.

Thank you Boston Wine Exchange for such a great event!

And thank you to the HealthWorks for organizing such a fun gathering!  I had a great time and went home with a bottle of Liberty School wine and a bottle of Pretty Things beer.

I enjoyed a glass of San Pellegrino while I spent the afternoon/early evening studying nutrition.

San Pellegrino is basically Italian lemonade.

When my running partner got home from work, he declared it was too windy to run.  Do I smell a lousy excuse for skipping a workout?!?!  I sent him outside to bring the trash to the curb while I did a yoga On Demand workout.  It felt good to stretch!

Then today, for the first time in 26 years years, I made mashed potatoes.

From scratch!

I LOVE mashed potatoes in a pouch.  So I was skeptical about making the real deal.  But after peeling and boiling potatoes, there was no turning back.  I added several splashes of milk, a bit of butter, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Mmmm, garlic mashed potato perfection!  I’m SO proud of my cooking accomplishment.

I also cooked asparagus in olive oil.

We paired a bottle of Cote du Rhone with dinner.  Excellent choice!

The 2007 Perrin & Fils Cotes du Rhone Villages had a strong berry nose.  Yum!  It was a nice fruity taste too, with hints of licorice and spices.  I especially loved the silky smooth finish.  I hate wines that are too tannic.  The wine was said to pair well with meat dishes.  Perfect for what was on the menu!

My mashed potatoes and asparagus were served with a mini meatloaf.

Seriously guys: I made an entire meal from scratch.

No frozen vegetables in the microwave.  No potatoes in a pouch.  I created the entire thing on my own!  The only “cheating” was when I used a mix of meatloaf spices in the meatloaf instead of adding spices on my own.  No big deal.  I still did most of the work!

Amazing meal.  At first I thought it tasted so good because my blood, sweat, tears, and several profanities went into the production.  But Jared, my official taste tester, also thought it was pretty damn good.

Does this mean that I need to cook equally delicious meals every night of the week?  Uh oh…