Tom and Melody’s wine blog

It is a beautiful June Saturday evening. We started the evening with a refreshing gin and tonic with plenty of fresh-squeezed lime. Now, we are having a glass of this Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 Red Wine 2005, a delicious blend of Syrah, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Sauvignon. This Washington State blend is luscious and fruity. The nose is a delicate whiff of vanilla and cloves. The taste is plums and spice. Tom purchased this wine for about $8 from Polly’s (our local grocery store).

I harvested some lettuce from my little garden for our salad tonight. I am also marinating pork chops, which we will grill. I have brown rice steaming now. Cheers and happy summertime!

I am just home from a 7-day business trip in which I had meetings in San Antonio, Austin and Dallas, Texas. The trip was great and I learned a lot, but it is so nice to be home. Tonight, we had a gin & tonic with fresh lime, followed by a glass of this Cascade Canyon Merlot from Washington state. For dinner, we grilled beef kabobs with green and red peppers and red onions along with brown rice and a garden salad. The salad was special because I thinned my lettuce and green onions from my garden and made the salad exclusively from those tender and sweet morsels.

This wine is very fruity. The nose was a bit overpowering at first, but after decanting it mellowed into a fragrant blend of blackberries and blueberries. The taste is heavy with fruit along with a touch of pine. The finish is chocolaty.

It’s nice to be home and to see the spectacular green grass and trees of MIchigan. Texas is so impressive, but MIchigan is home.

This Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 Red Wine 2005 from Washington State is a blend of Syrah, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tom bought this at our local grocery store (Polly’s) today. It is delicious. It tastes of woods and plums. I can taste strawberries on the finish.

We will have this wine tonight with a skillet dish (kielbasa, potatoes, carrots & green beans in a spicy broth). This is a nice way to end a Sunday night. I ran the Dexter - Ann Arbor half marathon this morning. It was a beautiful day for a run. I am a little achy but not too bad!

This Snoqualmie Syrah 2003 from Washington state was a Christmas gift from Tom. I chose it tonight to accompany a casserole I made with our leftover Christmas ham. I am very excited about this wine. It is bursting with blackberries and blueberries on the palate. The finish is mocha, oak, and crisp apples. The tannins are graceful and lush. Thank you for a delicious gift, Tom!

Tonight Tom and I went into town to the “Sights and Sounds of Chelsea.” Every Thursday evening in the summer our little city hosts a variety of musicians, jugglers,and other entertainers along the sidewalks. We just stroll down the sidewalks, taking in the sights and sounds! After awhile, we stopped into the Common Grill and sat at the bar, which is a fun place to be. Tom ordered the Hogue Shiraz and I had the Ironstone Petit Syrah. After a couple sips of each wine, Tom let me trade because I liked his Shiraz better than this particular Petit Syrah. The shiraz is from Washington state. A dry, medium-bodied quaff with pleasant spice and rasberries. I enjoyed it very much with my grilled ahi tuna salad. (Mmmmm, delicious!)