Grifone Sangiovese - Glorious Tuscan Red

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Qmee, what everyone is talking about

You may know that I love wine, good wine, especially those that can be had at a great price. My favorite place to shop on a weekly basis is my neighborhood #Trader Joe's. It is the first question I ask whenever I am considering moving to a new town/city - "Where is the nearest Trader Joe's?" lol.

So you can imagine how happy I was when I spotted at the end of the wine aisle at Trader Joe's a bottle of #Sangiovesee that looks yes, very Italian with its red label. The label is elegant, very European, not quite French but definitely warm, Mediterranean......The label reads Grifone Sangiovese, Together with cases of Sangiovese is the #Primitivo (hmmm, don't know anything about Primitivo but now I am really intrigued and definitely want to try out the Sangiovese that is selling $3.99 a bottle). I have had Sangiovese on many occasions and love it with spicy Asian dishes and Italian pasta, and the Sangiovese has a bouquet that is between a very robust Shiraz and a mellowed down Merlot, but perfectto on a day of good company and good food.
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I bought two bottles of Grifone Sangiovese that evening for a mere $8 and promptly came back for more. It was a beautiful red and upon doing more research on the web, I came across this review by Gil Lempert - Schwarz of Las Vegas Review Journal who describes the Grifone Sangiovese so eloquently in his article HERE and I quote "On the nose: There is spicy black fruit, sweet tobacco, balsamic reduction, cedar box, ripe red cherry fruit..........On the palate: The wine expands to show its ample vibrant red and black fruit medley, dominated by the classic — similar to the Chianti zone ...and he goes on to say - Yet another killer value from the heart of noble winemaking in Italy. It’s very Italian and very Tuscan through and through..."

Buy the Grifone Sangiovese and Primitivo by the case and drink them before the end of 2016 - Gil Lampert tells his readers. That is exactly what I am going to do on my next trip to Trader Joe's. To me, it is truly amazing that Trader Joe's can bring such great wine to the US and sell it at the stores for a mere $3.99 (in California) a bottle!!
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You can read the full review by Gil Lampert - Schwarz here on Grifone Sangiovese and on Grifone Primitivo

Also on the #Grifone in the Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer HERE

On the right - Pizza freshly made at the local cafe restaurant at Monterey Bay Marina - First hot meal after pulling into Monterey Bay having sailed some 20 hours non stop from Sausalito chased by a storm that was nowhere on the map on NOAA the morning we left Sausalito. It was cold, damp and foggy throughout the entire journey and we were glad to finally be tied to a dock. This yummy pizza was just what we badly needed

My Book List

I love books and lots of them. Books are definitely my most precious possessions despite the internet revolution. I am not about to give up my right to hold a beautifully bound hardcover book in my hand and curl up with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine on my couch in front of the fireplace. My evenings could not be more perfect. Nor am I ready to migrate my entire life to the web and do all my reading with my eyes peeled to the computer screen. I am old fashioned in that sense. I am convinced in a decade or so, real books are going to be in short supply and much sought after. I want to keep collecting these precious books and add to my library. In my utopia land, I am surrounded by books that span wall to wall and floor to ceiling and my wine cellar is just a stone's throw away.



Of my sea of books, I have many favorites. Since I am passionate about photography and colors and could spend my life in a little cabin on a vineyard, you can probably imagine what those books might be.

Here are a couple of my all time favorites:

1. Homestead (The World As Home) by Annick Smith.



I was very moved by the poignant story of her life journey and the time she spent living in Montana's beautiful countrywide. It is as if you are taking the journey with her from the time she was in Seattle to her move to Montana during the cold winter. The book also chronicles her friendship with Norman Maclean of the Big Blackfoot in A River Runs Through It and Other Stories, Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition. Homesteadis a rivetting read and it is hard to put the book down. I had stumbled on the book in a little quaint bookstore on Third street Promenade in Santa Monica.



Another book by Annick Smith and William Kittredgethat I like is The Last Best Place: A Montana Anthology "This collection of vivid and compelling literature ranges across Montana's literary landscape in descriptions of explorers' discoveries, stories from mining and agricultural frontiers, and powerful memoirs from Native Americans, as well as unforgettable images created by contemporary writers." well said by one of the readers.



2. If you are looking for another good story to read this holiday break: Vintage Feastng by Joy Sterling.


Vintage Feastng

A book of personal recipes in the wine country and tending to vineyards and the winery business. How despite having graduated from Yale and a long journalism career, Joy Sterling answered the call and returned to the family vineyard outside Sebastopol in Sonoma county, California and lives the life of a vintner. It is a wonderful book of great recipes, stories, landscapes and nature's garden.

3. A Phaidon photo book on Dorothea Langeby Mark Durden.
I am not much of a portrait photographer but Dorothea Lange's work reminds me of what humanity is and what photography is all about. You have seen her works in exhibits, especially "The Migrant Woman". Numerous books have been written about her and her photographs of the Great Depression. She is definitely the people's photographer extraordinaire holding all of us to very high standard!!

4. Fine Art Nature Photography by Tony Sweet.
On my To-Do List for 2009 is to learn more about fine art photography where advanced techniques such as multiple exposures on single frame is used to creative vibrant image capture. Tony Sweet's book on Fine Art Nature Photography offers insights on his mastery on the subject. It is definitely very Monet, Van Gogh and Matisse.

5. Mastering Black & White Photography by John Garrett.
If you wonder how one could take such beautiful black and white imagery and if you want to learn the master's techniques of traditional darkroom, John Garrett's book is a wonderful book full of ideas and inspiration that offers many "ah-ha" moments.

6. Finally, a book on Yoga. Hatha Yoga Breath by Breath by Godfrey Devereux.
I am a great believer of wellness and healthy living and am learning yoga. This book is a valuable reference for "anyone wanting to experience deep and lasting benefits of yoga practice" to borrow the words of the author. It has detailed step by step instructions and explanations on each pose from beginning to intermediate to advanced in addition to indepth write up on hatha yoga. It has been a great companion book for me. Unfortunately Hartha Yoga: Breath by Breath is no longer in print so look for a used copy. Alternatively, get the Dynamic Yoga: The Ultimate Workout that Chills Your Mind as it Charges Your Body also by Godfrey Devereux.



Happy reading this holiday season.