Celebration Part I

It's celebration season...one promotion, two birthdays, four visitors. Yes, I am constantly cleaning the house. On to the fun stuff: the wine.

On Thursday, Daryl was promoted and while the official ceremony takes place next Wednesday followed by a party at our place next weekend (that'll be "Celebration Part II"), we still had to pop open some sparkling wine to celebrate. Our pick? L'Hereu de Raventos i Blanc CAVA Brut. It's one of our favorites: dry, grapey, light. We opened it that night and still have about two glasses remaining.

Last night, some friends stayed with us for their last night in Ohio before they move to California (near wine country, lucky!). We'll miss them, but we had to celebrate their new venture with a special wine. We opened L'Aventure Optimus 2003 (Paso Robles). It's a blend of Syrah (64%), Cabernet Sauvignon (33%) and Petit Verdot (3%). Marvelous. Smooth, dry, but not overwhelming. As we drank together, we didn't take notes nor reflect upon the finer nuances of this wine. Rather, this bottle marked a special moment--a gathering of good friends before a long separation.

(And now we have to go to California!)

We'll continue promotion and birthday festivities this week...look for an update next weekend.

Cheers!