Wining and Dining...

Last night, we ventured out to the very hip Royal Oak to try Vinotecca, a trendy wine bar with a drop-down wooden ceiling that makes you feel like you're in a beautifully renovated barn in California wine country. (At least, that's how I felt.)

I was so glad Patrick discovered this place because it gave me a chance to explore some lovely wines that I'm sure I never would've discovered on my own.

The first was a River's Edge Pinot Noir, which I could only describe as a fruit bomb. I really loved this wine, with its explosion of (hmm. let me think...) raspberry, cherries and strawberry. If it hadn't been the last glass from the last bottle, I would've sipped this lovely wine -- from a vineyard along the the Umpqua River in Oregon -- all night. But alas, I had to choose another.

The next Pinot was a Casa de la Cruz from the Sonoma Coast. It, too, had a smooth black cherry flavor but was considerably less the fruit bomb than the River's Edge. I liked this one, too, but not as much. I also had a taste of an Albert Bichot premier cru Burgundy (smooth strawberry with light tannins) and a Palacios Remondo Rioja. The latter had some black licorice (Patrick's suggestion) and spice. I really enjoyed this Spanish beauty.





We had a nice time dreaming about where we might go on vacation. A trip to satisfy us both would be California, we think, where we could visit hipster L.A. and wine-drenched Napa Valley. Then we could cruise to San Diego for some good ol' fashioned baseball under the sun, topped off with hot dogs and beer.





Mmmm.