Where I've been-February

Hello, late 30's- I'm here. A few weeks of celebrating the arrival of 37.. How beckoning hello to another year brings so much into focus.

The celebration weeks began with a wine blending class at Novelty Hill-Januik, where I've been pouring wine on the weekends for the past 4 1/2 years. Many of my winery co-workers were in attendance, and we were all set up in one of the barrel rooms. Barrels of six different wines from both wineries were set out. Class- and I use this word loosely(!)- began with the tasting of each of the wines to get a feel for how you might want to use them to blend your own bottle. There was much tasting- wine alone, wines blended, bottle taste-- super fun evening! I came home with 2 bottles: 2010 37 blend, and a 2010 Random 37 blend- both of which are aging in my cellar. Maybe 40 would be a good birthday to give one a try.

There was a short weekend in S. California the weekend of my birthday. It began with a delicious Italian dinner, before heading up north to Santa Barbara for some wine tasting. The Santa Ynez valley is rich in southern Rhone style blends; the wines were good, but not altogether mind blowing. The craggly oak trees with their bare limbs were magnificent in the glowing sun.

The finale of the birthday weeks of decadence was a Sunday dinner with some nearest and dearest to me. Dinner was outrageously good fried chicken at Ma'ano (formally Spring Hill) and whiskey cocktails. What a way to end the month..