My new WINE shop: Total Wine and More!

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Jamie

By now you know I love wine.  Any chance I get to try a new wine out I will.  Any chance I get to peek through the wine aisle in the grocery store I am there.

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of ads about Total Wine and More on the Radio Station, and I was pretty curious, but when they invited me out to their Laguna Hills store, I couldn’t pass up the chance.  And boy oh boy, it was the BEST decision I could have made.

Total Wine and More is a huge marketplace filled with every wine you could possible imagine.  They also have beer and spirits and hard liquor in their store too.  There are a ton of unique wines, California Wines, and imported beers and wines too.

Total Wine and More makes it easy when navigating the store by having their own beer aisle, but in the wine section, seperating it by grape varietals (chardonnay’s, Pinot grigio’s, merlots, etc.)  They also section it into countries too.  So if a wine is coming out of Italy, it will be in the Italy section of the store. They also have their very own wine cellar in which wines of 100 dollars or more per bottle are kept.  And have no worries, they also have wine bottles as low as 1.87 per bottle so there’s something for everyone’s budget.

But one thing Total Wine and More has to offer is their education.  They offer educational classes where you can sit down and learn about the wines, and they also have wine tastings for you to try out for just .10 cents a tasting.  It’s CA law to charge for wine tastings so that’s why they’re only 10 cents.  The best part is that Total Wine and More than donates that money to other great causes.

That evening they also provided us with a fun wine tasting.  We got to try out a variety of wines from whites to reds including a sweet sparking red called ReDream that I fell in love with (comes out of Italy!)

With our tasting they also provided us with a plate of cheese and crackers to complement our wine.

Total Wine and More will also help host your own private wine tasting event, and they also have tastings every Friday and Saturday within their stores.

So I’ve definitely found my new wine marketplace, how about you?

My new friend “Jack Daniels.”

Disclosure: Total Wine and More invited me out for a Wine Tasting and Tour of their Laguna Hills store.

 

 


Categories: Fun Stuff, Wine | Tags: , , , , , | 9 Comments

I was wined and dined by Mirassou Wines!

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Jamie

Mirassou Wines is one of the sponsors at Bloggy Boot Camp put on by the SITS Girls, and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I received an email asking if I’d be interested in joining in on a private dinner.

You have to understand something, this was a DREAM come true for me.  My love of wine truly began when I moved out to California.  Not too many people in my family drank it, so I never crossed over, but I discovered the wine in the grocery store (back in MN, we can’t sell it!) And I began to take bottles home with me.

It also helped having some fun winos who happened to be bloggers running group night wine chats in which I fully begin to explore my love of wine.  See how we were wined and dined that evening.

I am a sweet white wine girl.  I love my moscatos, my reislings, and my sparkling wines, but over the past few months I have noticed my palette can handle the majority of wine, and I have an appreciation for them all.  My palette still hasn’t fully reached the Merlot level.

We were picked up from our hotel room at the South Point then taken over to Mandalay Bay up to the Foundation Room. As soon as we got into the room, David Mirassou met up with us and offered us a glass of wine.  Our evening started out with my very own fave: Moscato.  You know it’s going to be a good night when the first thing served is my favorite glass of wine.  Just a few weeks prior did I discover that Mirassou had their very own Moscato.

Where this was our pretty incredible view.  We all took turns getting a picture taken with the skyline behind us, and of course, a few of us, had our glass of wine with us.

After taking a peek at the view we were brought into our room where David began telling us the story of how his family came to California.

And lo and behold, our first course soon arrived shortly after:

They truly tried to pair a course with the wine they were serving at the time.  The pairings complemented the wines quite well.

Our waiters were also very lovely as they brought in the courses, taking our plates away, and of course, pouring our wine throughout the evening:

As we enjoyed our meal, David Mirassou would tell us his stories whether about his family, his children and the grape stomp they just partook in, or about each variety of wine we were going to have next.

Each flavor and variety of wine was really well thought out, nothing was truly over the top, and I could appreciate a little something out of each one.

That being said, I was even enjoying the varieties of red wine that were showcased: Pinot Noir, Caberet Sauvignon, and the Merlot.  My palette for wine is changing, and I’m finding I have a soft spot for Caberet Sauvignon.  The Mirassou variety is no exception.

We got to try out every variety that evening from Moscato, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonney, Pinot Noir, Caberet Sauvignon and Merlot.  I could find myself drinking them all except the merlot because my palette isn’t to that level yet.

But I have a feeling I’ll always go back to my favorite: Moscato.  (I did pick up two bottles today!)

We even had our very own magician show up to entertain us.  You can find him at sethgrabel.com.  He pulled limes, pears, and even doves throughout the night, and even made a 20 dollar disappear and reappear in front of our eyes.

And of course, we just had to get a picture with him.

But our night couldn’t be complete without a group shot:

We also walked home with a wonderful bag of gifts including a Mirassou T-Shirt, A USB Drive, A Signed Bottle, and an at home tasting kit which I will totally be utilizing with the next virtual tasting the Mirassou’s host.

Thank you for a fun evening Liz, David, and my fellow SITS Girls.

Disclosure: I was invited out to dinner hosted by Mirassou Wines.  This is my recap and all opinions are my own.  I love wine, so I’d happily do this again and again.

 


Categories: Cooking, Fun Stuff, Wine | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

So I attended my first blogging conference, now what?

Posted on October 14, 2012 by Jamie

If you haven’t heard this past weekend I took myself to VEGAS where I attended my first Blogging Conference with “Bloggy Boot Camp.”

It’s a pretty amazing feeling being in a room with women, and even a few men, who have one common interest as you: Blogging.

And it’s an even better experience to realize how awesome and successful a lot of these women have become,

but then they’re actually taking the time to talk about it.  They’re sharing their experiences, talking with others, and in the end, they want to see all of us succeed too.

Ann Around Town, Rehan Family Blog, Horsing Around in LA, Laura Lohr, This Talk Ain’t Cheap, New Momma Beckers

Things I learned from this conference:

1) Tiffany Romero from The Sits Girls is HILARIOUS, and she loves to speak in front an audience (kudos to her!)

2) Know Your Worth and Ask for it.  (This is my huge huge takeaway from the conference! I do have worth, now start asking for it!)

3) Being blown away by hearing that some of my blogging idols have only been blogging for 2 years (I’m already at a year!)

4) Elizabeth from Flourish in Progress on the importance of being your Authentic SELF.  Not only did she have me laughing throughout her talk, but really made me think as to how I’m staying true to myself on my blog.

5) Be PROUD of your numbers and own them.  People you look up to in blogging may just have the same exact blogging numbers as you. =)  This was an awesome quote made from the conference

6) Find your TRIBE and be proud of that tribe.  Help grow each other, help lift each other, and be proud of one another. A tribe isn’t a 100 people, but 6 to 12 that help you along your way in blogging, and often times, they are your complete opposite.

7) Pay it Forward.  If an opportunity comes your way and it isn’t a good fit for you pass it on to another blogger who may appreciate it.  I will continue to do this, and continue to help other bloggers.

8) There are some people that can talk lawyer sense without it completely sounding boring!!!

Danielle did a great job and I just want to give her major KUDOS!

9) When you have awesome roommates, it makes the entire experience so much better!

In the end, it was a great weekend, just felt, there wasn’t enough time to meet everyone, or talk to others before having to sit down for the next session.

Assigned seating was a great idea because it allowed us to mingle with others we may have never gotten the chance to, but I walked away feeling as if I missed so many others.

Thank you Tiffany and Fran for putting on a great conference =) And I must say, loved the fact it was in VEGAS, lots of time to play afterwards!

Erin from HorsingAroundLA, Me, Maribel from Stroller Adventures.  We’re missing our other fab roomie: Suzanne from The Wineabe.

And it was great running into blogging friends I have looked up to in the past year, and one particular friend who I have helped grow and read since my near beginnings: Bibi, I adore you and was so happy to finally meet you in person!

 


Categories: blogging, Fun Stuff, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , | 18 Comments