During the three days we spent in Santa Barbara last week, I managed to cross off two more wine resolutions. On Friday morning we stopped by C’est Cheese for a few picnic provisions, including a slice of an unbelievable goat cheese laced with truffles called “Truffle Tremor.” Mmm.
Thirty minutes later we had made our way up the coast to Melville, our first stop of four. Next came Alma Rosa, Rusack, and Sunstone. Wine country was beautiful, as always and we walked away with a box full of wine. One smelled like white nectarine, another like pumpkin, and some peppery reds perfect for the outdoor grilling that should be happening this summer.
#13: Try a Varietal You’ve Never Had From a U.S. Winery. At Rusack we tasted a 2006 Sangiovese, the grape of the Chianti region of Italy. I’ve tasted Chianti before, but I’m not sure it counts when you’re fourteen at a family Christmas party taking a small sip from your parent’s glass.
#14: Either: Have 12 Different Bottles in the House at Once or Drink Up. We came home with ten new bottles. Our wine rack only holds nine, so I’m considering this resolution successful. For the past few months, our wine rack had looked, well, sad (note the before and after shots below). Between the move, the recession, and getting settled with new jobs, buying wine just wasn’t high on the priority list. But now that life is back on track, it was definitely time to restock our very modest cellar.
