Wordless Wednesday: Forever Friends

Methven Winery

Yesterday I had the extreme joy and pleasure of accompanying three of my favorite people to Methven winery to celebrate my dear friend Carol's birthday.  It was a fantastic afternoon starting with a very fun wine tasting.  I was impressed with the quality and quantity of wine in our $5.00 flight but was particularly smitten with the first wine we tasted, a 2009 Pinot Gris.  Here is the "official" description:

There is an initial hint of minerality, but then a wave of pear and anise compote fill the nose.  Once in the mouth, the supple velveteen texture of the wine invites the taster to linger awhile.  The rich, but not overwhelming sweetness speaks to ripe conditions of the fruit at harvest.  There is a firm and fleshy finish that will pair elegantly with any Salmonid dish you can invent.

My very non expert opinion is that this is the perfect wine for a warm summer day!  I appreciated the crisp pear notes and found it overall quite refreshing.  This special wine will be saved for our next beautiful summer evening  - can't wait!

The bottle our birthday girl decided on was a 2006 Pinot Noir which was deliciousness too!  Officially described in the following way:

This wine was crafted from new estate vines and older vines from Elton Vineyards. Wonderfully complex aromas of root beer, pine pitch, and vanilla, vaporize out of the glass. The mouth-feel is velvety and supple, with flavors of currant jam and cassis. White-pepper and alcohol add a thrilling finish to the wine, making this a powerful, full-bodied food wine

I would heartily recommend this little winery to anyone.  It has a gorgeous view of Mt. Hood and the patio was perfect for enjoying our wine and packed snacks.  I will make it a point to visit this little piece of heaven on earth again very soon!

So thank you to Carol for being awesome and for having a birthday to celebrate!  Stay tuned later this week for more pictures of our fun time at the winery.

A Special Treat

I had a wonderful weekend full of fun things!  Thursday and Friday were sunny and warm and  reminded me of being a kid those first warm days of summer  - excited butterflies in anticipation of the endless possibilities waiting to be had.  I kicked off the weekend doing one of my favorite things - visiting with my dear friend Carol while sipping on her latest concoction.  You see, Carol is a master drink mixer.  I had never really tasted a proper martini before she made me one and after that I was done for!

On Friday she tested out a new recipe on me involving lemon and strawberry and let me tell you it is my new favorite drink!  In fact it was so delicious that on my way home from her house I had to make a quick stop at the liquor store because I knew I would want to make myself another one in the near future!  And before you start judging me or calling me a lush maybe you should try one of Carol's drinks yourself.  I predict you will be hooked.  She has lot's of fun recipes on her blog and she promises to share the lemon/strawberry drink very soon - right Carol?  Until then I will enjoy my top secret recipe and my vip access to a drink mixing goddess!