Karaoke, Punk and Wine

In my first post I made a statement: "I will recommend a wine to try and something fun to do while drinking that wine." Today, I have two activities for you to try while enjoying a glass of wine. Neither is a traditional wine activity, but that's what makes both activities so much fun and so me.

Wine and Norebang (aka KTV aka Karaoke)
While living in Asia, I developed a love for karaoke. Not the Western karaoke bar but the Asian karaoke room. Picture it: A group of friends in a room that is equipped with a karaoke machine, microphones, tambourines and an endless supply of great songs. Throw in some wine, and next the thing you know you are fighting over microphones during Sweet Child O'Mine. How can this not sound fun? The wine of choice you ask? Fat bastard's Cabernet Sauvignon. The reason for this choice was very simple: I love the name and the chubby hippo on the label. Cabernet Sauvignon is my go to wine, and I was with my go to girls, it was the obvious choice.

"Who knew that wine and punk from 1995 were such a good match?"
This was my Facebook status last weekend. I must say many people didn't agree with me. I stand by my status. While waiting for a friend to finish getting ready, I poured myself a glass of Trius Merlot and started perusing YouTube for some old favourites. Trius is probably one of the best wines in the Niagara Region and a little pricier than other. As I was sipping on my Merlot, I found myself drawn to mellower choices of music. That wasn't going to work. It was Friday night and we were getting ready to go out, and here I was drinking a Thursday night Grey's Anatomy wine. So I called on my lighthearted friend Riesling, and soon my friend and I were dancing around to Goldfinger and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. A great night ensued.

I challenge all of you to try an nontraditional wine pairing. If you need some help getting started, pour a glass of your favourite wine and have a listen to this video.

Drinking for Charity

We jived the 50's away. We twisted through the 60's. We discoed like no others in the 70's. We moonwalked across the 80's. We head banged like Axel in the 90's. It was a busy night for my friends and me. On Saturday night we took part in Niagara College's Dance the Night Away. An event that was put on by the Event Management students to benefit the Many Hands Project.

One of my favourite activities is “drinking for charity”. Helping other while dancing and drinking wine, is a good night in my book any day. Upon arriving at Club Italia I bought my drink tickets and pondered the wine choices. My options included an Italian Merlot or Chardonnay or a Peller Estates Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot gris. I work at Club Italia and from experience know I don't really like the Italian wines. They are ... too old (meaning dry, bitter and a little boring). Also, we live in a region that makes great wine and should support this industry. Earlier in the night I had a vodka tonic, so logic told me I should have a Pinot gris.

I really enjoy Pinot gris. It's light and fun and doesn't take it's self too seriously. From what I have learned it is a wine that should be drank young. None of this sitting in a cellar for years waiting for it to get better. In case your wondering, if you buy a bottle of Pinot grigio it's the Italian form of Pinot gris. Add that to your list of “pretentious knowledge”.

If you have an event where I can "drink for charity", drop me a line and I will be there to support your cause!

The Unpretentious Wine Drinker

I love wine. This love is fairly new for me. It's only been about four years since I really considered wine a drink of choice. Before that time, most of my wine experience had been with "table" wine: the generic, usually mouth puckering, dry wine found at weddings. This turned me off the drink for a number of years.

When I first started drinking wine, I only drank white wine. As my palate become more "sophisticated" I switched to red and felt I was too good for the Riesling and Chardonnays of world and left them behind. Over the past year, I have discovered there is plenty of room in my life for Merlots, Cabernet Sauvignons, Pinot Grigios and Gewurztraminers.

At this point it should be stated that I do not consider myself a wine expert. I am just a girl who enjoys a glass of wine and the socializing that goes along with that glass. I will recommend a wine to try and something fun to do while drinking that wine. Not pretentious, just fun. Maybe one day, if I try really hard, I can be a pretentious wine connoisseur.

Wait, who am I kidding?