Wine Wednesday: Tenuta di Gambini 2023 Primitivo Rosé

 So, the Primitivo grape is the Italian version of Zinfandel. Which makes it a dicey choice for Rosé since there's so much really bad white Zinfandels. In fact, I used to have a wine-dyed T-shirt from Crazy Shirts that claimed, "Friends Don't Let Friends Drink White Zinfandel". Which was a play on the slogan, "Friends don't let friends drive drunk," which--IYKYK--tells you how long ago THAT was. 

Hint: I believe I was writing Scent of the Roses, at the time. But I digress...

This was quite a nice wine made in the Italian style from grapes grown in the Texas High Plains. It's a young wine (as Rosé tends to be). And it was a very pretty salmon color, but oddly cloudy. It actually looked like a Pét-Nat wine, to be honest. 

There were notes of burnt orange, fresh berry, and caramel on the nose. I tasted cantaloupe, strawberry and dried wild blueberry...which makes it sound sweet, which it was not! Lots of minerality, though. Not a bad thing. 

I enjoyed this at the Texas Hill Country Olive Company Bistro along with a lovely salad and a chicken caprese sandwich. I think they paired very nicely. 

This Week's Featured Read: Dream Under the Hill

So...this book ended up being really dark. Every romance book has a black moment where everything appears to be going wrong. This entire book is the black moment for the series. And to make things worse--it's really long. But it ties up most of the loose threads from the entire series in what I think is a very satisfactory manner. 

Yes, there are a few threads left for book nine, but there would have to be, wouldn't there?

It's set around the Spring Equinox, which is why I've chosen to feature it this week. And Cara turned out to be one of the most compelling characters in the entire series--at least in my opinion. 

Dream Under The Hill

Oberon Book 8.0

The Spring Equinox falls in the month that nearly all Native Traditions recognize as being one of Big Winds--big changes.  And big changes have certainly come to Oberon this spring, along with an ancient evil that must finally be laid to rest.

Cara Matthews is a girl with a troubled past and a very troubling present.  The teenage girlfriend of Oberon's newest guru has always looked for love in all the worst places.  And it doesn't get much worse than the Church of Truth, Light and Vision.

Former cop Liam McKnight could have told her that, but he's infiltrated the cult in hopes of discovering some clue to the whereabouts of his missing family members, and he can't jeopardize his mission--not even for love.

In a month marked by birth, death and marriage, the inhabitants of Oberon must all come to terms with what's really important to each of them--important enough to die for. Only one thing is certain; when the winds of change finally stop blowing nothing, and no one, will be the same.

Musical Monday: We Will Rebuild (The Resistance)

 

Well, this one probably doesn't need an explanation. But, in case you're not aware, this coming Saturday's No Kings III day. If you don't already know about events in your area, check out the websites on the poster below. Hope to see you there!

Wine Wednesday: Grape Creek 2022 Petite Sirah

 

So I've been drinking so many blends lately that it was nice to try this Petite Sirah (which is actually 4% Rubired--more about that later). According to Grape Creek's website, this wine is a dense purple "with a touch of garnet." It's not. It's garnet through and through. 

The nose is pleasant. I've had a few wines lately that seemed to have no aroma at all. This is nice--blackberry, cocoa, a hint of espresso, the barest whisper of toasted oak. All as advertised on the website. 

Lest you think I'm just copying from what's online--oh, I'm not. The website refers to this as, "the most moody and melancholy of red wines." And yeah, I don't even know what that means. 

Even if I did know what it means, I wouldn't apply it to this wine, which has a jammy, lively, fruit forward quality, hints of almond, a moderate amount of tannins. And yes, a silky mouthfeel, as well.  

I'd like to pair this wine with something smoky but not too heavy. A charcuterie plate, perhaps. Or maybe a pasta dish--mushroom and pancetta, pasta carbonara, butternut squash ravioli in a smoked gouda cream sauce. Or anything along those lines. The website mentions beef or venison stew, but I can't see that, at all.

So Rubired is a hybrid of two Portuguese grapes, Tinto Cao and Alicante Ganzin. It's only been around since the late 1958 and I think it's mostly used in blends, cheap rosé and grape juice. It originated in California, where I guess it's still mostly grown. I did read somewhere that it had been tried in Australia, but it wasn't very successful. Mostly, it's notorious for being utilized in something called Mega Purple, which is a concentrate used to enhance flavor and color in wines. I think Mega Purple might have been referenced (unfavorably) in one of the POUR DECISIONS books. 

This Week's Free Read

Fun fact: This story originally had the title, The Irish Goodbye. When you read it, you'll understand why. But once I settled on the GAMES WE PLAY series title, all the books got game-themed names, which worked out much better and made this one of my favorite series to write. 

Book One, Truth or Dare was a story I'd been wanting to write for a long, long time. Book Two, Never Have I Ever is probably the most polarizing story I've written--people either love it or absolutely hate it. Two Truths and a Lie is the perfect end to the trilogy, pulling all the threads together...okay, the bouncing back and forth between time periods gets a little confusing, not to mention all the fake names, but overall, I loved the characters and their interaction. 

And it paves the way for all the sequels! I'm up to four right now, with at least one more to go.

Anyway, this freebie will Irish Goodbye on Friday, so get it while you can!

Two Truths and a Lie

Book 3 in the Games We Play series

All work and no play has been the story of Brenda Donovan's life these past few months. Her concern about the future of her family's inn has her tied up in knots—and not in a good way. Between searching for a buyer for the business, and keeping secrets from her cousins, she's had no time to pursue an actual relationship. But pretending to date sexy Max Murphy, the hotel scout who's there to assess the property? That's totally doable. Especially when games, role-playing, and light bondage are included in the package. Falling in love was never supposed to be part of their deal; but now her heart's in play and all bets are off.  

Max has no problem with hiding his true identity from Brenda's cousins. If that's the way she wants to play it, he's all in. But are Luke and Gwyn the only ones he's deceiving?  

It's game, set, and match this time around. And when all the scores have been tallied, and everyone's secrets are finally revealed, will the cousins lose the Wild Geese Inn? 

https://tinyurl.com/2Truths26

Musical Monday: Because You Loved Me (cover by Matt Bloyd)

 

Okay, so here's a small spoiler, although I guess it shouldn't be. Clay's mom will be at his wedding (along with several other members of his family. Shocking, I know!) and I think this song would be perfect for them to dance to. 

Wine Wednesday: 2024 Valravn Chardonnay

 

As I mentioned last week, I got to enjoy some different wines on my birthday--and the days surrounding it. I enjoyed this Chardonnay at dinner with some amazing potato leek soup. This is a medium pale straw color. The nose is bright and citrusy with notes of apricot and honeydew. The flavor is buttery and dry with hints of dried pineapple and toasted meringue. 

I think this wine would also pair well with roast chicken or quiche. 

Valravn is a small Sonoma winery. It's only been around for ten or so years. Its winemaker is a Napa native--and obviously, I love that! You can read more about it here: https://www.valravnwine.com/